Dave Hrechkosy Dead At 60

Former NHL player Dave Hrechkosy has passed away. The 60 year old had been battling brain cancer.

Hrechkosy played nine pro seasons, including 141 games in the NHL with the California Golden Seals and St. Louis Blues. He totalled 42 goals and 66 points.

At 6'3" and 210lbs his obvious nickname was "The Wrecker." But Larry Patey nicknamed him "Crazy Legs" because he was "a goofy looking skater." Unorthodox he may have been, but he was deceptively fast. Once he joined the Seals he was the center piece of the briefly memorable "Wrecking Crew Line" with Ron Huston and Butch Williams. He scored 29 goals in his rookie year, and finished as runner up in the Calder trophy balloting.

"The Wrecker's" time in the NHL was brief. Like a lot of Seals players he enjoyed the good life away from the rink perhaps a little too much. Such was life in the NHL in the 1970s, especially with the weak California team.

After hockey Hrechkosy worked for Coca Cola and then had a long run as director of concessions at the University of Utah and later Texas A and M.