When it comes to goalies and the NHL Draft, it’s a pretty
bitter relationship to say the least. Goaltenders are rarely picked high in the
draft and the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft was no exception. Just one goalie was
picked in the first round, Ray Martyniuk was the fifth overall selection by the
Montreal Canadiens. The Flin Flon Bombers goalie never saw action in the NHL.
In fact, of the 12 goalies chosen in the entire draft, five never played in the
NHL and eight saw less than 100 games. Therefore, just four of the 12 made a
career of it.
Dan Bouchard
Dan Bouchard was the second highest picked goalie in 1970.
The London Knights goaltender was chosen in the second round by the Boston
Bruins, 27th overall. Bouchard never played for the Bruins but did
have a successful lengthy 655 game career in the NHL, starting in the 1972-73
season.
The expansion Atlanta Flames gave him the shot he needed to
be a regular goalie in the league. He played with the Flames for the team’s
entire existence in Atlanta. In his first year with the Calgary Flames,
1980-81, Dan was traded to the Quebec Nordiques after playing 14 games in
Alberta. Bouchard played with the Nordiques until the end of the 1984-85 season
and had one last NHL season with the Winnipeg Jets in 1985-86.
Billy Smith
The fifth round proved to be the goaltenders round in 1970. Billy Smith was the 59th overall pick of the Los Angeles Kings in the
fifth. Billy played just five games with the Kings before becoming the backbone
of the backend of the New York Islanders for many years to come. Billy played
680 games over his career and is now enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Gilles Meloche
Not far behind Smith in that fifth round was Gilles Meloche.
Meloche was the 70th overall pick, going to the Chicago Black Hawks.
With a similar start to his career as Billy Smith, Meloche played just two
games with the team that drafted him before becoming the number one man with
the California Golden Seals in 1971-72.
Gilles played 788 games in net during his career that lasted
until the end of the 1987-88 season. Meloche is regarded as the greatest goalie
in Minnesota North Stars history. Along with the Black Hawks, Golden Seals and
North Stars, Gilles
Meloche also played for the Cleveland Barons and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Ron Low
Ron Low was drafted way down in the eighth round by the
Toronto Maple Leafs, 103rd overall. Despite his low ranking, Ron
made a decent career of it in the NHL, playing 382 games between 1972-73 and
1984-85. A bit of a travelling man, Low played for the Maple Leafs, Washington
Capitals, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Quebec Nordiques and New Jersey
Devils.
