- Bill Mikkelson
Infobox Ice Hockey Player
image_size =
position = Defence
played_for =Los Angeles Kings New York Islanders Washington Capitals
nickname =
shot = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 0
weight_lb = 185
nationality = CAN
birth_date = Birth date and age|1948|5|21|mf=y
birth_place = Neepawa,Manitoba
career_start = 1970
career_end = 1977William Robert Mikkelson (born
May 21 , 1948 in Neepawa,Manitoba ) is a retiredCanadian ice hockey defenceman who played in theNational Hockey League during the 1970s. Mikkelson is best known for posting the worstplus/minus rating in single-season NHL history at -82 for theWashington Capitals in 1974–75.Playing career
Mikkelson played his junior hockey for the
Brandon Wheat Kings and Winnipeg Jets, and was signed as a free agent by theLos Angeles Kings in 1970. He spent two years in the minors in LA's system, earning a 15-game callup to their NHL squad in 1971-72.In the
1972 NHL Expansion Draft , Mikkelson as exposed by the Kings and claimed by theNew York Islanders . In their inaugural season of 1972-73, Mikkelson emerged as one of the icetime leaders on the blueline for the Islanders, and posted 1 goal and 10 assists for 11 points in 72 games. In a sign of things to come, he also posted aplus/minus rating of -54, the third-worst mark ever recorded at the time since the NHL had begun recording the stat in 1967. For the 1973-74 season, Mikkelson lost his spot on the Islanders with the arrival of rookiesDenis Potvin and Dave Lewis, and ended up spending the entire season in theAmerican Hockey League with theBaltimore Clippers .Mikkelson was exposed again in the
1974 NHL Expansion Draft , and this time was claimed by theWashington Capitals . His first season with the expansion Capitals would play out almost identically to his first season with the expansion Islanders, as he emerged as an icetime leader on a terrible team, and - despite being assigned to the minors late in the year and appearing in only 59 games - ended up posting an all-time NHL worst plus/minus rating of -82. More than three decades later, this remains an NHL record, and no-one has posted a mark worse than -61 since.Mikkelson would spend two more seasons in the minors, appearing in only a single NHL game for the Capitals in 1976-77, before retiring in 1977. In his career, he appeared in 147 NHL games, recording 4 goals and 18 assists for 22 points, along with 105 penalty minutes.
Family
Mikkelson comes from a prominent hockey-playing family in Manitoba. His uncle
Jim McFadden was a star center for theDetroit Red Wings andChicago Black Hawks who won theCalder Trophy in 1947-48 and won theStanley Cup with Detroit in 1950. His brother Glen was drafted 140th overall in the1972 NHL Amateur Draft by theMinnesota North Stars , although he never played an NHL game.Mikkelson's son
Brendan Mikkelson is a highly-touted NHL prospect who was selected 31st overall in the2005 NHL Entry Draft by theAnaheim Ducks , and spent the 2007-08 season in theAHL with thePortland Pirates .Career statistics
Regular Season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM ± GP G A Pts PIM 1964-65 Brandon Wheat Kings SJHL 3 0 1 1 0 - 5 0 1 1 0 1965-66 Brandon Wheat Kings SJHL 60 9 14 23 92 - 11 1 3 4 12 1966-67 Brandon Wheat Kings MJHL 60 9 14 23 92 - 11 1 3 4 12 1967-68 Brandon Wheat Kings WCJHL 56 14 27 41 119 - 8 0 1 1 4 1968-69 Winnipeg Jets WCJHL 53 5 26 31 43 - 7 0 1 1 0 1969-70 Winnipeg Jets WCJHL 59 5 34 39 76 - 14 1 5 6 16 1970-71 Springfield Kings AHL 69 2 9 11 50 - 12 1 2 3 14 1971-72 Los Angeles Kings NHL 15 0 1 1 6 -11 0 0 0 0 0 1971-72 Springfield Kings AHL 32 2 3 5 36 - 0 0 0 0 0 1972-73 New York Islanders NHL 72 1 10 11 45 -54 0 0 0 0 0 1973-74 Baltimore Clippers AHL 75 1 21 22 77 - 7 0 1 1 6 1974-75 Washington Capitals NHL 59 3 7 10 52 -82 0 0 0 0 0 1974-75 Richmond Robins AHL 10 0 0 0 16 - 3 0 0 0 4 1975-76 Baltimore Clippers AHL 76 3 18 21 52 - 0 0 0 0 0 1976-77 Washington Capitals NHL 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1976-77 Rhode Island Reds AHL 51 3 7 10 2 - 0 0 0 0 0 1976-77 Hershey Bears AHL 22 1 2 3 28 - 6 0 1 1 4 4 Seasons NHL Total 147 4 18 22 18 -147 0 0 0 0 0 External links
*hockeydb|3712
*legendsofhockey|13730
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