Walt Tkaczuk
15 Interesting Facts
Walt Tkaczuk was a star defensive centre who spent 14 seasons with the New York Rangers and became the first German-born player in NHL history.
He was the first player born in Germany to appear in a National Hockey League game.
He played his entire 14-season NHL career with the New York Rangers.
His family originally emigrated from Ukraine before moving to Timmins, Ontario from West Germany when he was two years old.
During his first two seasons in New York, media and management pronounced his last name as "Taychuk" before correcting it to "Ka-Chook".
He centered the famous "Bulldog Line" alongside Bill Fairbairn and Dave Balon.
He declined an invitation to play for Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series to run his summer hockey school.
During the 1972 Stanley Cup Finals, he earned widespread acclaim by holding superstar Phil Esposito without a single goal.
He played a major role in the 1979 playoffs as the Rangers upset the first-place New York Islanders to advance to the Finals.
His NHL career came to an unfortunate end after he suffered a career-ending eye injury from a puck on February 2, 1981.
Over 945 regular season games, he amassed 227 goals and 451 assists for a total of 678 points.
In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, he was ranked as the 14th best player in franchise history.
He logged 556 penalty minutes and added 51 playoff points across 93 postseason games during his career.
His best statistical campaign came in 1969-70, when he scored 27 goals and 50 assists for a career-high 77 points.
After retiring from hockey, he became the co-owner of a golf course and tube slide operation in St. Marys, Ontario.
When he declined his invitation to the 1972 Summit Series, he was replaced on the Canadian roster by Bobby Clarke.
About Walt Tkaczuk
Walter Robert Bogdan Tkaczuk played fourteen seasons as a centre for the New York Rangers from 1967 to 1981. Renowned as one of the NHL's elite defensive forwards and faceoff specialists, he recorded 678 career points and helped lead the Rangers to two Stanley Cup Finals appearances.
Career Achievements & Milestones
Stanley Cup Finalist
1972
Stanley Cup Finalist
1979
Ranked No. 14 in 100 Ranger Greats
2009
Player Information & Stats
Detailed career statistics and background information about Walt Tkaczuk.
Player Info
Physical Stats
Career Stats
Season Scoring
Teams & Career
Walt Tkaczuk played for 3 different teams during his 14 seasons career.