Tom Lysiak

Thomas James Lysiak (born April 22, 1953 in High Prairie, Alberta) is a former professional ice hockey player. He was selected as the second overall pick in Round 1 of the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft by the Atlanta Flames, and was selected by the Houston Aeros in Round 2 of the WHA Amateur Draft (23rd overall).

In each of his last two seasons at Medicine Hat, Lysiak was awarded the Bob Clarke Trophy as the Western Canada Hockey League's leading scorer (with a total of 297 points in 135 games).

Lysiak joined the Flames for the 1973–74 NHL season, just the second year for the franchise, and scored a team-high 64 points. He helped the team to its first playoff berth and finished second in the voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy (top rookie).

Lysiak led the Flames in scoring in each of his five full seasons with the team and represented the Flames in three consecutive NHL All-Star Games (1975, 1976, 1977). He served as the Flames' team captain during the 1977–78 and 1978–79 seasons, but was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks in an unpopular multiplayer deal (eight players were involved, the largest number in NHL history at the time) midway through the 1978–79 season. He is the Atlanta Flames' all-time leader for assists with 276 and points with 431 and ranks second in goals with 155. He had 21 two-goal games with Flames and one Hat-trick.

Lysiak played seven full seasons for Chicago and in 1980–81 led the team in scoring with 76 points, including a career-high 55 assists. The next season, 1981–82, he matched his top point-scoring season in Atlanta with 82 points and scored a career-high 32 goals.

On October 30, 1983, while a member of the Blackhawks, Lysiak tripped linesman Ron Foyt during a game against the Hartford Whalers. For the incident, the NHL imposed a 20-game suspenion, one of the longest in league history.

Since his retirement, Lysiak has worked in the landscaping, real estate and construction industries in the Atlanta area.

Career statistics

ee also

*List of retired NHL players
*List of Chicago Blackhawks players
*List of NHL seasons

References

* [http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=HistoricalPlayerDetail&pkey=8448911 NHL.com - Players: Thomas Lysiak]
* [http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1973/73002.html 1973 NHL Amateur Draft -- Tom Lysiak]
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* "Lysiak Penalty Upheld." New York Times. 9 December, 1983.