Often, a hockey player’s role in junior hockey will become quite different once he’s reached the pro level and the National Hockey League. Perhaps one of the most extreme and immediate cases of a role change is that of Dave ‘The Hammer’ Schultz.
Dave Schultz – The Offensive Threat
The Hammer played three years with the Broncos in the WCHL (now just WHL) from 1966-67 to 1968-69. Over 118 regular season games, Dave scored 70 goals and assisted on 63 for 133 points. At more than a point per game, Schultz sat just 203 minutes in the sin bin over than time.
Dave Schultz – The Physical Threat
The Philadelphia Flyers took Schultz in the fifth round of the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft, 52nd overall. He would not have a regular job in the NHL until the 1972-73 season. His transformation, however, was immediate.
Schultz played his first year of pro hockey in the Eastern Hockey League with the Salem Rebels. He led the EHL in penalty minutes with 356 over 67 regular season games. It wasn’t all fisticuffs for The Hammer. He also scored 32 goals for the Rebels and totalled 69 points.
For the next five seasons, he led whatever league he found himself in for PIM. In 1970-71 and 1971-72, it was the American Hockey League. In his first year, he sat 382 minutes over 71 games with the Quebec Aces. The following year, it was 392 PIM in 76 games with the Richmond Robins.
In 1972-73, Dave was just what the Flyers needed in their new take on hockey life. For the Broad Street Bullies, it was all about beating their opponents into submission and Schultz was the just the guy they needed to lead the three ring circus that resulted.
Dave led the NHL in PIM over the first three years he was in the league, with progressively larger numbers each year. In 1972-73, he led with a meager 259 minutes over 76 games.
In 1973-74, he led the league with 348 over 73 games. The Flyers became Stanley Cup champions that year, defeating the Boston Bruins in the finals. Over 17 playoff games, Schultz sat 139 minutes in the sin bin. This remained an NHL playoff record until Chris Nilan of the Montreal Canadiens topped it in 1985-86 with 141 in 18 games. Like the 1973-74 Flyers, the Canadiens also won the Stanley Cup, defeating the Calgary Flames in five in the finals. Despite longer playoff seasons now, Nilan’s record remains today.
1974-75 was the highlight of Schultz’s infamous NHL career. He sat 472 minutes over 76 games while the Flyers defended their Stanley Cup championship with a win over the Buffalo Sabres in the finals. This number remains a single season individual NHL record today. With today’s kinder, gentler, sissier and a bit feminine NHL, this record is likely to stand the test of time.
It was downhill from there. Dave would have his swan song in 1977-78, leading the league one last time with 405 minutes in a combined 74 games split between the Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins. In his career finale, 1979-80, Schultz placed eighth in the American Hockey League with 248 minutes over 56 games with the Rochester Americans.
Over his NHL career, Schultz played 535 regular season games, scoring 79 goals and assisting on 121 for 200 points while also sitting 2,294 minutes. Dave also appeared in 73 Stanley Cup playoff games, scoring eight and totalling 20 points while sitting 412 PIM.
After retirement, The Hammer would have sporadic stints as head coach. He appeared behind benches in the ACHL, CoHL, ECHL and UHL but never stayed long. In 2009, he may or may not have been inducted into the Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Fame. According to the Flyers Alumni Association he was the last player inducted. However, the Flyers official site does not have him listed.
Dave Schultz – Rookie Card
It’s not uncommon post-ProSet to have several cards designated as rookie cards. However, back in 1973-74, it was pretty rare. In fact, it was pretty rare to have your first O-Pee-Chee and Topps card in the same year. Topps tended not to speculate and stick with the established players. Dave Schultz has four cards designated as rookie cards, two by each Topps and O-Pee-Chee.
The true Dave Schultz rookie card is the 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee #166 card. The number 137 card from the same set is also considered a rookie card. This card honours Schultz as a PIM leader. The #166 card is valued at about 6 times that of a common card. The same two cards appear in the Topps set but are numbered 5 and 149.