- Reed Larson
Reed David Larson (born
July 30 ,1956 inMinneapolis ,Minnesota ) is a retired professionalice hockey defenseman and former captain of theDetroit Red Wings who played 904 regular season games in theNational Hockey League between 1977 and 1989. He is a member of theUnited States Hockey Hall of Fame Amateur career
Larson spent three highly successful seasons under coach
Herb Brooks at theUniversity of Minnesota Minnesota Gophers before being drafted by the Red Wings with the 22th pick of the1976 NHL Entry Draft . He was named one of the 50 greatest players in University of Minnesota hockey history as part of "Legends on Ice" tribute in 2001.Professional & International Career
Larson joined Detroit near the end of the 1976–77 season after Minnesota suspended him for assaulting an official during a WCHA game. He appeared in 14 NHL games that season and was also named to Team USA for the 1977
Ice Hockey World Championship but missed the tournament due to shoulder injury. His first full NHL season (1977–78) was highly successful as he was runner-up for theCalder Trophy as the NHL's toprookie , scoring the most points (60) by a rookie defenceman. A tough, offensive defenceman, he was particularly well known for his hardslap shot . Larson became the first American player to score 200 goals and he appeared in the 1978, 1980 and 1981NHL All-Star game as the Red Wings representative. He finally made his international debut for the United States national team at the 1981Ice Hockey World Championship tournament and also represented the U.S. at the1981 Canada Cup .Larson spent ten NHL seasons in Detroit until the Red Wings traded him to the
Boston Bruins forMike O'Connell in 1986. He played another two seasons for the Bruins before ending his NHL career in 1988–89 with a number of brief appearances for theEdmonton Oilers ,New York Islanders ,Buffalo Sabres andMinnesota North Stars . His professional career continued overseas in Italy where he was a player-coach for four seasons before returning to his home state for a final nine games for the International Hockey LeagueMinnesota Moose in 1994–95. He also played six games forRoller Hockey International 's Minnesota team in 1994.Post Playing Career
Reed Larson has mostly been working for the insurance business after retirement. He has also been active in Oldtimers' charity hockey and has played in
Heroes of Hockey games at several NHL All-Star weekends. He was elected to theUnited States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996.Awards & Achievements
*Member of U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame
*NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team (1975)
*WCHA First All-Star Team (1976)
*Played in NHL All-Star Game (1978, 1980, 1981)References
*legendsofhockey|13320
* [http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1976/76022.html Reed Larson's bio at Hockeydraftcentral.com]
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