Dave Christian

For other uses see David Christian

Dave Christian
Born	May 12, 1959 (1959-05-12) (age 52) Warroad, MN, USA
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shot	Right
Played for	Winnipeg Jets Washington Capitals Boston Bruins St. Louis Blues Chicago Blackhawks
National team	United States
NHL Draft	40th overall, 1979 Winnipeg Jets
Playing career	1980–1996

Olympic medal record
Men's ice hockey
Gold	1980 Lake Placid	Team

David William Christian (born May 12, 1959 in Warroad, Minnesota) is a retired American professional ice hockey forward, who comes from a family of hockey players. His father Bill and uncle Roger were members of the 1960 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team that won the gold medal. Another uncle, Gordon, was a member of the 1956 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team that won the silver medal. Bill and Roger also were the founders, with Hal Bakke, of the Christian Brothers Hockey Company based in Warroad, which makes hockey sticks.

Amateur career

Christian grew up playing hockey, gridiron football, and baseball, as well as competing on the track and field team, at Warroad High School. He later attended the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, where he played for the North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey team and played in the 1979 national championship, as North Dakota lost the championship game to the University of Minnesota and Christian's future Olympic teammate, Neal Broten.

Professional and international career

Dave Christian's jersey from the 1980 Winter Olympics on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame

Christian is best known for being a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal in an event known as the Miracle on Ice during the 1980 Winter Olympics. He also played for the U.S. national team at the 1981 Canada Cup as well as the 1981 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments as an NHL rookie. His international career continued in the 1984 Canada Cup, 1989 Ice Hockey World Championship and 1991 Canada Cup tournaments.

Christian's professional hockey career started one week after the Miracle on Ice when he joined the Winnipeg Jets, who drafted him 40th overall in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. Christian set and still holds the record for the fastest goal by a player in his first NHL game, scoring just 7 seconds into his first shift, electrifying the crowd. After a roller-coaster career in Winnipeg, he went on to play in the NHL with the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues. Between 1980 and 1993, he scored 340 goals and 433 assists in 1,009 NHL regular season games.

Post career

Christian was named head coach and general manager of the United States Hockey League Fargo-Moorhead Bears near the end of the 1997–98 season and held the positions through the 1999–2000 season.

Awards and achievements

• Christian was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.
• Christian played in the 1991 NHL All-Star Game

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1977–78	University of North Dakota	NCAA		38	8	16	24	14		—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	University of North Dakota	NCAA		40	22	24	46	22		—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		15	8	10	18	2		—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		80	28	43	71	22		—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		80	25	51	76	28		4	0	1	1	2
1982–83	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		55	18	26	44	23		3	0	0	0	0
1983–84	Washington Capitals	NHL		80	29	52	81	28		8	5	4	9	5
1984–85	Washington Capitals	NHL		80	26	43	69	14		5	1	1	2	0
1985–86	Washington Capitals	NHL		80	41	42	83	15		9	4	4	8	0
1986–87	Washington Capitals	NHL		76	23	27	50	8		7	1	3	4	6
1987–88	Washington Capitals	NHL		80	37	21	58	26		14	5	6	11	6
1988–89	Washington Capitals	NHL		80	34	31	65	12		6	1	1	2	0
1989–90	Washington Capitals	NHL		28	3	8	11	4		—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	Boston Bruins	NHL		50	12	17	29	8		21	4	1	5	4
1990–91	Boston Bruins	NHL		78	32	21	53	41		19	8	4	12	4
1991–92	St. Louis Blues	NHL		78	20	24	44	41		4	3	0	3	0
1992–93	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		60	4	14	18	12		1	0	0	0	0
1993–94	Indianapolis Ice	IHL		40	8	18	26	6		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		9	0	3	3	0		1	0	0	0	0
1994–95	Minnesota Moose	IHL		81	38	42	80	16		3	0	1	1	0
1995–96	Minnesota Moose	IHL		69	21	25	46	8		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				1009	340	433	773	284		102	32	25	57	27

In popular culture

In the 1981 TV movie about the gold medal-winning hockey team entitled Miracle on Ice, Christian is played by Thomas F. Duffy.

In the 2004 Disney film Miracle, he is played by Steve Kovalcik. Kovalcik attended the same high school, Armada High School in Armada, Michigan, as well-known sports announcer Dick Enberg.^[1]

See also

• List of members of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
• List of NHL players with 1000 games played
• Captain (ice hockey)

References

1. ^ Steve Kovalcik biography on the Internet Movie Database http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1407046/

External links

• Dave Christian's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com
• Dave Christian's biography at Legends of Hockey

Preceded by Morris Lukowich

Winnipeg Jets captain 1981–82

Succeeded by Lucien DeBlois

Persondata
Name	Christian, Dave
Alternative names
Short description	American ice hockey player
Date of birth	May 12, 1959
Place of birth	Warroad, MN, USA
Date of death
Place of death