Hockey in the blood from an early age.

Rick attended KCSS from 1970 to 1972, where he especially enjoyed welding and machine shop classes. He played his minor hockey in Aurora and made the Aurora Tigers Jr. B team at the age of 15 and was selected to the All-Star team that year. He was then drafted by the St. Catharines Black Hawks organization in the second round of the OHL Jr. draft. Rick left the King area to follow his dream of a pro hockey career.

In 1974 he was drafted in the first round, 3rd overall, by the California Golden Seals, and at the age of 17 he was the NHL’s first underage draft pick, He played for the Seals for two seasons and became, and still is, the highest scoring defenseman in the team’s history. The Seals relocated to Cleveland and became the Cleveland Barons. During the next two years Rick also played for Canada in the World Cup, and helped the team capture a bronze medal in Prague, Czechoslovakia. By 1978 Cleveland had amalgamated with the Minnesota North Stars; however, that summer Rick was sent to the Los Angeles Kings franchise in the very first NHL arbitration ruling over free agency. He played there for two seasons, but after being sidelined with a knee injury and tired of disputes with management, he decided to accept a job offer in Switzerland playing for Ambri-Piotta. In his second season there Rick’s knee was re-injured, hampering his ability to play at the level he had previously and he retired from professional hockey.

Currently Rick resides in King with his wife, and 2 children, both of whom attended KCSS. He is the manager of the King City Community Centre and is the founder and inventor of the new revolutionary Quikblade replaceable skate blade system and custom boot. He also operates a hockey pro shop in the Community Centre with his younger brother Paul.

Hockey has always been an integral part of his life and Rick will tell you “No matter what your dream is, it truly must come from the heart — and a good set of knees!”

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