3-time NHL All Star Tom Lysiak was the greatest player in Atlanta Flames history.
A junior hockey legend, Lysiak was a 2nd overall NHL draft pick and quickly established himself as a superior two-way player and a respected leader who became the captain of the Flames.
A blockbuster trade sent him to the Chicago Blackhawks, where he was a Chicago Stadium fan favorite. Unfortunately, he’s often remembered for an ugly on-ice incident that resulted in one of the longest suspensions ever levied by the NHL.
This is the story of Tom Lysiak -- the kid from High Prairie, ALTA, who became one of the most respected players in the history of the game.
Lysiak had an incredible career with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Western Junior Hockey League. Tom played on a line with future National Hockey League star Lanny McDonald and that duo terrorized the league. Lysiak led the league in assists and points for two consecutive seasons (1972 and 1973), racking up 143 and 154 points. He also had a WHL record 10-point night.
When Tom entered Atlanta's training camp, it was clear he’d be a bonafide NHL star.
"He plays like a veteran," gushed coach Bernie Geoffrion. "I haven't seen a rookie like him come into the league since Gilbert Perreault."
Assistant GM Johnny Wilson, who had coached a rookie Marcel Dionne in Detroit said "Lysiak’s better than Dionne."
Lysiak got off to a flying start during his NHL rookie season and finished second in the Calder Trophy voting to Potvin. He finished his rookie season with 64 points, including a team record 45 assists.
He was instantly a hit with Atlanta fans and settled into the Atlanta community.
The following season (1974-75) Lysiak continued to produce, increasing his point production to 77 points, including 52 assists. for the third and fourth consecutive seasons in 1976 and 1977 as well, with 82 (31 goals and 51 assists) and 81 (30 goals and 51 assists) points. He played in the NHL All-Star game for three consecutive seasons (1975-77).
While things were going great for Lysiak on and off the ice, he lost a considerable amount of money when his agent, Richard Sorkin -- a man he trusted with his finances -- stole a considerable sum from Tom and squandered it on gambling. Tom wasn’t alone in this betrayal as teammates Ed Kea and Ken Houston and numerous other NHL players
were also fleeced by Sorkin.
Despite this distraction , Lysiak kept producing. He centered a line dubbed the "Downtown Connecters" with wingers Willi Plett and Eric Vail, both of whom were Calder Trophy winners. In 1977-78 Lysiak became team captain and was Atlanta's top scorer for the fifth straight season.
On March 13, 1979, Lysiak was traded to Chicago with Pat Ribble, Greg Fox, Harold Phillipoff and Miles Zaharko in exchange for Ivan Boldirev, Phil Russell and Darcy Rota. The trade angered Flames fans and shocked Lysiak, who had recently signed a 7-year contract to stay in Atlanta.
In 1979-80, a healthy Lysiak earned the affection of Chicago fans as he scored 69 points and added 76 points in 1980-81. In 1981-82 he equaled his career best 82 points and scored a career high 32 goals. At this point Tom played on a line together with Rich Preston and Daryl Sutter, who was referred to Lysiak as “the best player I ever played with.”
In 1982-83 Tom missed 19 games due to a knee injury but still managed to score 61 points in 61 games as the Blackhawks finished with 101 points and again advanced the Campbell Conference finals before losing to the Edmonton Oilers. Lysiak solidified his reputation as a clutch player averaging over a point per post season game for the second consecutive season.
But, The 1983-84 season proved to be a nightmare for Lysiak and the Hawks with Tom’s season unravelling in an uncharacteristic way.
On the night before Halloween, 1983 Lysiak tripped linesman Ron Foyt during a 6-1 win over the Hartford Whalers at Chicago Stadium. Upset at constantly being waved out of the face-off circle on this night. Lysiak took the winger's position right behind Foyt, and once the puck was dropped he upended Foyt with a chop on the back of his leg.
Lysiak was handed a 20-game suspension. The 20-game was an automatic penalty once called by the referee, in this case Dave Newell. The NHL granted referees this power after controversial incidents involving Paul Holmgren and Terry O'Reilly earlier in the decade. The referees threatened to strike if the suspension was not enforced.
Suffering through numerous injuries, and playing behind Denis Savard and Troy Murray, Lysiak adopted a more defensive role over his next two seasons, retiring after the 1985-86 campaign.
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