Steve Durbano: PIM Champ In 4 Different Leagues

The hockey ‘goon’ is considered by some as an untalented stain on the game. Yet, the physical conditioning and subsequent punishment these players go through is unbelievable. Everyone loves a hockey fight, as is evident by the standing ovation received each and every time, yet the actual fighters are not truly appreciated.

Steve Durbano was a hockey ‘goon’. He played 220 games in the National Hockey League, sitting 1,127 minutes in the penalty box during that time for an average of 5.1 minutes per game. Perhaps, just as well known for his antics off the ice as on, Durbano should at least be recognized for the fact that he led four different leagues in the penalty minute department.

Steve played three years of junior hockey with the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association. He provided decent offense from the blue line with 32 points in 53 games in his second year and 39 points in 49 games in his second. In those final two seasons with the Marlboros, Durbano led the league in penalty minutes with 371 in 1969-70 and 324 in 1970-71.

The New York Rangers saw something they liked and drafted Durbano in the first round of the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft, 13th overall. In fact, Steve was taken seven positions ahead of Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman, Larry Robinson.

His first year of professional hockey was spent with the Omaha Knights of the Central Hockey League. Playing in 70 of the team’s 72 regular season games in 1971-72, Durbano sat out 402 minutes in penalties. He also finished with 41 points, sixth on the team.

Steve made his NHL debut the following season with the St. Louis Blues. However, it was in 1975-76 when he became a made the headlines. In a season split between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Kansas City Scouts (today’s New Jersey Devils), Durbano totaled 370 PIM to lead the league.

With 1977-78, came a new league for Durbano to lead in the penalty minutes category. Skipping to the World Hockey Association after playing just 19 games in the NHL the season before, Steve led the league with 284 PIM in just 45 games. He was the leader of the WHA’s version of the Broad Street Bullies, the Birmingham Bulls. Birmingham had the top four penalty box sitters in the WHA on the roster.

Durbano played one more season of pro hockey in 1978-79, returning to the St. Louis Blues for 13 games and playing an additional 10 games with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the Central Hockey League. Steve passed away in 2002 after a bout with liver cancer. Sure, he’ll be remembered as a goon but the fact is: he made it. He played at a level of hockey so very few can even come close to. He didn’t just fight and sit in the penalty box. He played defense and even scored a few goals.

Season	Team	Lge	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1968-69	Toronto Marlboros	OHA	45	5	6	11	158
1969-70	Toronto Marlboros	OHA	53	7	25	32	371
1970-71	Toronto Marlboros	OHA	49	7	32	39	324
1971-72	Omaha Knights	CHL	70	7	34	41	402
1972-73	St. Louis Blues	NHL	49	3	18	21	231
1973-74	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL	33	4	14	18	138
1973-74	St. Louis Blues	NHL	36	4	5	9	146
1974-75	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL	1	0	1	1	10
1975-76	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL	32	0	8	8	161
1975-76	Kansas City Scouts	NHL	37	1	11	12	209
1976-77	Colorado Rockies	NHL	19	0	2	2	129
1976-77	Rhode Island Reds	AHL	9	1	2	3	55
1977-78	Birmingham Bulls	WHA	45	6	4	10	284
1978-79	Salt Lake Golden Eagles	CHL	10	1	4	5	41
1978-79	St. Louis Blues	NHL	13	1	1	2	103
	NHL Totals		220	13	60	73	1127
	WHA Totals		45	6	4	10	284

 

Well Known Coaches of the 1963-64 CPHL

1963-64 was the first year of the Central Professional Hockey League, a minor pro league that existed from 1963-64 to 1983-84. The league changed its name to the Central Hockey League in 1968-69 but is not related to the current CHL. The coaches of the five teams were all established hockey men who are still mostly well known today.

In 1963-64, the league consisted of five teams with each playing a 72 game schedule. The Omaha Knights finished first overall with 97 points, 17 better than the second place St. Paul Rangers. The Knights and Rangers met in the playoff finals with Omaha coming out victorious in five games. St. Paul took the first game of the series 2-1 before the Knights won four straight by scores of 11-0, 3-0, 7-4 and 6-2.

The league’s scoring leader was Alain Caron of the St. Louis Braves with 77 goals and 125 points. A young Phil Esposito was in his second year of professional hockey and split the season between the Chicago Black Hawks and the St. Louis Braves. Despite playing just 43 games, Esposito finished sixth in the league with 80 points.

Scotty Bowman – Omaha Knights

The Omaha Knights had two head coaches during the 1963-64 CPHL season. Scotty Bowman coached the team’s first eight games before heading to Montreal to coach a minor league team there. The Knights went a perfect 8-0 under Bowman. Scotty went on to coach in the National Hockey League from 1967-68 to 2001-02 with the St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings. He won nine Stanley Cup championships, five with Montreal, one with Pittsburgh and three with Detroit.

Bill McCreary – Omaha Knights

Bill McCreary stepped in after Bowman left town. He acted as a player / head coach and it was his only year coaching with Omaha. McCreary coached three partial NHL seasons in the early 1970’s with the St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks and California Seals. Bill was a veteran of 309 NHL regular season games between 1954-55 and 1970-71 with the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues.

Fred Shero – St. Paul Rangers

Fred Shero did not win a CPHL championship with the St. Paul Rangers in 1963-64 but did go on to win championships in the IHL, AHL, CHL and NHL. Fred was head coach in the National Hockey League from 1971-72 to 1980-81 with the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers. He was the first ever recipient of the Jack Adams Award in 1973-74 as the NHL’s coach of the year.  He played 145 regular season NHL games between 1947-48 and 1949-50, all with the Rangers.

Harry Sinden – Minneapolis Bruins

Harry Sinden of the Minneapolis Bruins was another CPHL player / head coach. He played for Minneapolis for the 1963-64 and 1964-65 seasons. Sinden is most famous for his head coaching job with the Boston Bruins between 1966-67 and 1969-70. He led the Bruins to a Stanley Cup championship in 1969-70, with the help of Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito. Sinden also returned for interim stints behind the Boston bench in 1979-80 and 1984-85.

Walter ‘Gus’ Kyle – St. Louis Braves

Walter ‘Gus’ Kyle was in his last year of coaching with the 1963-64 St. Louis Braves. In 1958-59, he coached the Calgary Stampeders to a WHL championship. Kyle played 203 games in the NHL between 1949-50 and 1951-52 with the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins.

Tony Leswick – Indianapolis Capitols / Cincinnati Wings

Tony Leswick had the dubious job of coaching the Indianapolis Capitols in 1963-64. After an explosion wrecked their arena just nine games into the season, the Capitals moved east to Cincinnati for the remainder of the season and were known as the Cincinnati Wings. The team won just 12 of their 72 games and finished dead last in the league. Leswick played 740 regular season games in the NHL between 1945-46 and 1957-58 with the Rangers, Red Wings and Black Hawks. He scored the winning goal in overtime of game seven of the 1953-54 Stanley Cup finals to give Detroit the victory over the Montreal Canadiens.