Who Should Montreal Have Drafted Number 1 Overall in 1980 NHL Amateur Draft? By Robert Styles on Apr 3, 2021, 7:33am EDT 1
I really enjoyed watching Doug Wickenheiser in the late 1970s when he and the Regina Pats travelled to Flin Flon, Manitoba to play the Flin Flon Bombers so I was very excited when the Montreal Canadiens chose him first overall in the 1980 NHL Amateur Draft. At 6 1 he was the big two-way centre they lacked. Their lack of a big centre and injuries really hurt them in losing to the Minnesota North Stars in 7 games in the 1980 playoffs bringing an end to their dynasty of 4 consecutive Stanley Cups. This was clearly a team in transition. Winnipeg chose David Babych Number 2 overall and Chicago chose Denis Savard of the Montreal Junior Canadiens number 3 overall in that 1980 NHL Amateur Draft. Denis Savard was a local French star player who became a superstar in Chicago and people compared Wickenheiser to Savard. In his first year Wickenheiser had