Reed Larson

Reed David Larson (born July 30, 1956 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is a retired professional ice hockey defenseman and former captain of the Detroit Red Wings who played 904 regular season games in the National Hockey League between 1977 and 1989. He is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame

Amateur career

Larson spent three highly successful seasons under coach Herb Brooks at the University of Minnesota Minnesota Gophers before being drafted by the Red Wings with the 22th pick of the 1976 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 the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie, scoring the most points (60) by a rookie defenceman. A tough, offensive defenceman, he was particularly well known for his hard slap shot. Larson became the first American player to score 200 goals and he appeared in the 1978, 1980 and 1981 NHL All-Star game as the Red Wings representative. He finally made his international debut for the United States national team at the 1981 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament and also represented the U.S. at the 1981 Canada Cup.

Larson spent ten NHL seasons in Detroit until the Red Wings traded him to the Boston Bruins for Mike 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 the Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota 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 League Minnesota Moose in 1994–95. He also played six games for Roller 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 the United 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]