Inaugural Vancouver Canucks starting netminder Dunc Wilson has passed away at age 75, the NHL Alumni Association announced yesterday evening.
Born in Toronto, Wilson made his NHL debut in the 1969-70 campaign, stopping 23 of 26 shots in a lone appearance for the Flyers. The 22-year-old would then be a Canucks expansion draft selection when they entered the league in 1970, splitting crease duties evenly with 37-year-old Charlie Hodge in the franchise’s first season. He took over as the full-time starter for Vancouver in 1971-72, recording the first shutout in franchise history and playing in a career-high 53 games. He remained in Vancouver through 1973, after which he served in backup roles for the Maple Leafs and Rangers through much of the mid-1970s. Just prior to the 1976-77 season, Wilson was traded from New York to the Penguins, where he would post a career-high 18 wins, .906 SV%, 2.95 GAA, and five shutouts, placing him fourth in All-Star team voting among netminders.
Wilson was transferred back to the Canucks early in the 1978-79 campaign, which would be his last playing pro hockey. It was a premature end, in part due to an extensive surgery required to treat skin cancer. Wilson sued the Canucks soon after his retirement, alleging improper treatment of the original mole that caused the cancer, but was unsuccessful.
Like many goalies, Wilson had quite the personality – often described as “rebellious,” he didn’t let his 5-foot-11 frame stop him from appearing in nearly 300 NHL contests, even if smaller goalies were the norm in his playing days. PHR sends our condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.
The fact that this writer cites Wilson’s 5’11” frame from not stopping him from appearing in nearly 300 NHL games shows that this guy knows nothing about old time hockey. In the 70’s 5’11” was actually quite normal for a goalie. Many goalies were more like 5’8″ and a 6 foot goalie was considered to be quite large. A goalie standing 6’2″ – 6′ 3″ was an anomaly in that era. Nobody ever looked at Wilson and considered his height to be anything but normal. Learn the history of the game before writing articles about players from that part of history Mr. Ericson.
@darthdragula – Factually, you’re correct. But, please do @Josh the courtesy of spelling his name right. It would also be plausible that @Josh’s sources for this article could be wrongfully overlaying eras which is a no-no, usually.
Which is exactly why the second half of that sentence is “even if smaller goalies were the norm in his playing days.” It’s good writing practice to offer comparisons that help contextualize numbers for someone reading the article in the present day.
Condolences to Dunc Wilson’s family on their loss.
Sad to hear. Always liked his mask.
He was part of the troika of keepers the Canucks operated with in that inaugural season – Hodge & George Gardner also filling the crease. RIP
I’m so sorry to hear this news. 75 is not that old these days. my condolences to his family and may he rest in peace.