Tom Lysiak

Tom Lysiak
Tom Lysiak (l.) celebrates with Dave Shand and Harold Phillipoff after a goal against the Colorado Rockies in 1978
Born	April 22, 1953 High Prairie, AB, CAN
Died	May 30, 2016 (aged 63) Atlanta, GA, USA
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Atlanta Flames Chicago Black Hawks
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	2nd overall, 1973 Atlanta Flames
WHA Draft	23rd overall, 1973 Houston Aeros
Playing career	1973–1986

Thomas James "Tom" Lysiak (April 22, 1953 – May 30, 2016) was a Polish-Canadian 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 1973 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).

Playing career

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).^[1]

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 the 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 Black Hawks, Lysiak tripped linesman Ron Foyt during a game against the Hartford Whalers. For the incident, the NHL imposed a 20-game suspension, one of the longest in league history.

Personal life

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

In 2012, Tom Lysiak was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.^[2]

His daughter, Jessica Lee "Jessie" Lysiak, finished in the top 3 on Season 4 of the US version of MasterChef,^[3] and is married to San Jose Sharks defenseman Justin Braun.

Lysiak died of leukemia in Atlanta, Georgia on May 30, 2016 at age 63, three years after he had been diagnosed with the disease in May 2013.^[4][5]

Career statistics

				Regular season							Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	+/-		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1970–71	Medicine Hat Tigers	WCHL		60	14	16	30	112	—		—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Medicine Hat Tigers	WCHL		68	46	97	143	96	—		7	7	5	12	18
1972–73	Medicine Hat Tigers	WCHL		67	58	96	154	104	—		17	12	27	39	48
1973–74	Atlanta Flames	NHL		77	19	45	64	54	-15		4	0	2	2	0
1974–75	Atlanta Flames	NHL		77	25	52	77	73	23		—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	Atlanta Flames	NHL		80	31	51	82	60	2		2	0	0	0	2
1976–77	Atlanta Flames	NHL		79	30	51	81	52	3		3	1	3	4	8
1977–78	Atlanta Flames	NHL		80	27	42	69	54	-3		2	1	0	1	2
1978–79	Atlanta Flames	NHL		52	23	35	58	36	16		—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		14	0	10	10	14	3		4	0	0	0	2
1979–80	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		77	26	43	69	31	-7		7	4	4	8	0
1980–81	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		72	21	55	76	20	7		3	0	3	3	0
1981–82	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		71	32	50	82	84	-8		15	6	9	15	13
1982–83	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		61	23	38	61	27	13		13	6	7	13	8
1983–84	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		54	17	30	47	35	-13		5	1	1	2	2
1984–85	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		74	16	30	46	13	-16		15	4	8	12	10
1985–86	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		51	2	19	21	14	-19		3	2	1	3	2
NHL totals				919	292	551	843	567	-14		76	25	38	63	49
WCHL totals				195	118	209	327	312	—		24	19	32	51	66

See also

• List of Chicago Blackhawks players

References

1. "Former NHL all-star Tom Lysiak dead at 63". Canadian Press. May 30, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2016 – via sportsnet.ca.
2. "Tom Lysiak". National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
3. http://bustedcoverage.com/2013/09/04/nhl-daughter-jessie-lysiak-made-the-final-four-on-masterchef-photos/
4. Block, Chris Blow to 1980’s Blackhawk legend’s battle with cancer The Third Man In.com September 10, 2013
5. Cain, Brandon M. Former Blackhawk Tom Lysiak dies of Leukemia at 63 SB Nation, May 30, 2016

External links

• NHL.com - Players: Thomas Lysiak
• 1973 NHL Amateur Draft -- Tom Lysiak
• Tom Lysiak's biography at Legends of Hockey
• "Lysiak Penalty Upheld." New York Times. 9 December 1983.
• Tom Lysiak's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database