Henry Boucha

Henry Charles Boucha (born June 1, 1951) is an American former professional ice hockey center. Boucha played in both the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA) between 1971 and 1977. In the NHL he played for the Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota North Stars, Kansas City Scouts and Colorado Rockies, while he played for the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the WHA. His career was cut short by an eye injury. Internationally Boucha played for the American national team at two World Championships and at the 1972 Winter Olympics, where he won a silver medal.

Henry Boucha
Born	June 1, 1951 Warroad, Minnesota, U.S.
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Center
Shot	Right
Played for	Detroit Red Wings Minnesota North Stars Minnesota Fighting Saints Kansas City Scouts Colorado Rockies
National team	United States
NHL Draft	16th overall, 1971 Detroit Red Wings
Playing career	1971–1977
Website	henryboucha.com

A full-blooded Chippewa Ojibwa, Boucha's distant cousin Gary Sargent and his second cousin T. J. Oshie also played in the NHL.

Amateur career

Boucha played high school hockey for Warroad High School in Warroad, Minnesota leading his team to the 1969 state tournament where he was injured during a 5–4 overtime loss to Edina. He is considered to be one of the best players to ever play Minnesota high school hockey.[1]

While serving in the US Army, Boucha joined the United States national ice hockey team on a full-time basis in 1970 as the US won the "Pool B" qualification tournament. He participated in the 1971 Ice Hockey World Championships in Bern, Switzerland where he scored seven goals in ten games for Team USA. Boucha was also one of the biggest stars of the 1972 United States Olympic hockey team that received the silver medal.

Professional career

Boucha was drafted in the second Round, 16th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1971 NHL Entry Draft (he was also drafted first overall by the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the rival World Hockey Association but chose not to defect to the WHA). Boucha scored a goal in his first NHL game after the Olympics and was voted Detroit rookie of the year in his first full NHL season. The Red Wings sent him to the Minnesota North Stars in exchange for Danny Grant in 1974. Boucha was enjoying a solid year in his home state; on January 4, 1975, he was assaulted in a highly publicized stick incident by Dave Forbes of the Boston Bruins. The attack left Boucha with a cracked bone around his eye and blurred vision. Forbes was prosecuted for aggravated assault. His trial resulted in a hung jury.[2]

Boucha never really recovered from the injury. He attempted a comeback with the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the WHA in 1975–76 and then returned to the NHL as a free agent with the Kansas City Scouts in later 1975-76. In 1976 the franchise moved to Denver, Colorado and became the Colorado Rockies, from whom he retired from professional hockey after only nine games.

Before the NHL required players to wear a helmet, Boucha wore a headband.[3] His nickname was "the Chief".[4]

Post career

Boucha fell on hard times due to his unexpectedly early retirement from hockey (his agent was negotiating a four-year contract with the North Stars but the talks were never completed due to the injury). He went through a period of divorce, drug and alcohol abuse [5] before straightening out his life in the 1980s. Later on he became active in various Native American causes. From his hardships he suffered and overcame he returned to his native communities and continues to give back and be a supporting role in his family’s life.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1965–66	Warroad High School	HS-MN		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	Warroad High School	HS-MN		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Warroad High School	HS-MN		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Warroad High School	HS-MN		25	60	35	95	—		—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Winnipeg Jets	WCHL		51	27	26	53	37		14	6	3	9	37
1971–72	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		16	1	0	1	2		—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		73	14	14	28	82		—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	Virginia Wings	AHL		7	3	2	5	9		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		70	19	12	31	32		—	—	—	—	—
1974–75	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		51	15	14	29	23		—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	Minnesota Fighting Saints	WHA		51	15	14	29	23		—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	Kansas City Scouts	NHL		28	4	7	11	14		—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	Colorado Rockies	NHL		9	0	2	2	4		—	—	—	—	—
WHA totals				36	15	20	35	47		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				247	53	49	102	157		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1970	United States	WC-B		7	4	1	5	4
1971	United States	WC		10	7	1	8	2
1972	United States	Oly		6	2	4	6	6
Senior totals				23	13	6	19	12

Awards and achievements

• Detroit Red Wings rookie of the year, 1972–73
• Inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995.

International play

Olympic medal record
Men's ice hockey
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
	1972 Sapporo	Team

• Ice hockey world championships, Pool B, 1970 (first, won promotion to Pool A)
• Ice hockey world championships, Pool A, 1971 (sixth place)
• Olympic tournament, 1972 (second place)

See also

• List of members of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame

References

1. "Henry Boucha". Archived from the original on October 21, 2006.
2. Kennedy, Ray (July 28, 1975). "A Nondecision Begs the Question". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
3. Reid, Ken (June 20, 2012). "Reid on NHL: The stylish Henry Boucha - Sportsnet.ca". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
4. King, C. Richard (2015). Native Americans in Sports. Routledge. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-317-46403-7. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
5. "Cook County News Herald". Cook County News Herald. Retrieved 2020-04-24.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database
• Profile at Hockeydraftcentral.com