Neal Broten

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Position Center
Shoots Left
Height
Weight
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
175 lb (79 kg/12 st 7 lb)
Pro clubs Minnesota North Stars
Dallas Stars
New Jersey Devils
Los Angeles Kings
Nationality Flag of the United States United States
Born November 29, 1959 (1959-11-29) (age 48),
Roseau, Minnesota
NHL Draft Round 2, 42nd overall, 1979
Minnesota North Stars
Pro Career 19801997
Olympic medal record
Men's Ice Hockey
Gold 1980 Lake Placid Team

Neal LaMoy Broten (born November 29, 1959 in Roseau, Minnesota) is a former American professional ice hockey player who played 1,099 NHL regular season games in 1981–1997 for the Minnesota North Stars, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings in the National Hockey League. His younger brothers Aaron Broten and Paul Broten are also former NHL players as well as his long-time next-door neighbor "Butsy" Bryan Erickson.

Contents

[edit] College career

Broten is considered by some to be the most accomplished Minnesota born hockey player. He is the only player to have played on teams that won the NCAA hockey championship, the Olympic Gold Medal, and the Stanley Cup. He made a total of three appearances in the state tournament. His 1978 individual high school record of four assists in one period still stands today.

As a college freshman, he played hockey for the Minnesota Golden Gophers under coach Herb Brooks winning both a national championship in 1979 and the inaugural Hobey Baker award in 1981. During his tenure at the University of Minnesota, he reunited with his Roseau linemates, Aaron Broten and next-door neighbor Bryan Erickson. Both would later spend significant time in the NHL and became NHL journeymen with Erickson being known as "the good looking Roseau hockey star."

[edit] NHL/International career

Broten was member of the United States Olympic team that won a gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics in an event known as the Miracle on Ice. He was also a member of Team USA at the 1981 Canada Cup and 1984 Canada Cup tournaments as well as the 1990 Ice Hockey World Championship.

He played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League. Highlights of his long NHL career include becoming the first American to score more than 100 points in a single season (1985–86) as well as two NHL All-Star Game appearances in 1983 and 1986. He won a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 1995, where he scored the game-winning goal in Game Four against the Detroit Red Wings which clinched the title.

Broten served as the captain of the Dallas Stars for 2 months during the lockout-shortened 1994–95 NHL season. He had previously served as an alternate captain on a number of occasions.

[edit] Post career

Broten briefly came out of retirement in 1999 to once again play for the US national team in the 1999 Ice Hockey World Championship qualifying tournament (the U.S. team featuring several NHL players had surprisingly finished among the bottom four in the previous 1998 world championship tournament) when no active NHL players were available. He scored six points in three games as the U.S. won the tournament, before retiring from hockey for good. He moved to River Falls, Wisconsin and managed the Sally Broten Horse Company with his wife after retirement. The company raises and trains reining horses.

[edit] Trivia

  • Broten initially refused to play for the North Stars in 1991–92 due to a contract dispute, instead playing in Germany for BSC Preussen Berlin where he filled former U.S. Olympic teammate Dave Silk's roster spot (Silk was on temporary leave in the U.S. with his pregnant wife).

[edit] Awards and Achievements

On February 7, 1998, Broten's #7 jersey was retired by the Minnesota/Dallas organization. He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000.

Transactions

[edit] Career statistics

Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1978–79 U. of Minnesota WCHA 40 21 50 71 18 - - - - -
1979–80 United States Nat-Tm 55 25 30 55 20 - - - - -
1980–81 U. of Minnesota WCHA 36 17 54 71 56 - - - - -
1980–81 Minnesota North Stars NHL 3 2 0 2 12 19 1 7 8 9
1981–82 Minnesota North Stars NHL 73 38 60 98 42 4 0 2 2 0
1982–83 Minnesota North Stars NHL 79 32 45 77 43 9 1 6 7 10
1983–84 Minnesota North Stars NHL 76 28 61 89 43 16 5 5 10 4
1984–85 Minnesota North Stars NHL 80 19 37 56 39 9 2 5 7 10
1985–86 Minnesota North Stars NHL 80 29 76 105 47 5 3 2 5 2
1986–87 Minnesota North Stars NHL 46 18 35 53 33 - - - - -
1987–88 Minnesota North Stars NHL 54 9 30 39 32 - - - - -
1988–89 Minnesota North Stars NHL 68 18 38 56 57 5 2 2 4 4
1989–90 Minnesota North Stars NHL 80 23 62 85 45 7 2 2 4 18
1990–91 Minnesota North Stars NHL 79 13 56 69 26 23 9 13 22 6
1991–92 Minnesota North Stars NHL 76 8 26 34 16 7 1 5 6 2
1992–93 Minnesota North Stars NHL 82 12 21 33 22 - - - - -
1993–94 Dallas Stars NHL 79 17 35 52 62 9 2 1 3 6
1994–95 Dallas Stars NHL 17 0 4 4 4 - - - - -
1994–95 New Jersey Devils NHL 30 8 20 28 20 20 7 12 19 6
1995–96 New Jersey Devils NHL 55 7 16 23 14 - - - - -
1996–97 New Jersey Devils NHL 3 0 1 1 0 - - - - -
1996–97 Los Angeles Kings NHL 19 0 4 4 0 - - - - -
1996–97 Dallas Stars NHL 20 8 7 15 12 2 0 1 1 0
NHL Totals 1099 289 634 923 569 135 35 63 98 77

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Mark Tinordi
Dallas Stars captains
1995
Succeeded by
Derian Hatcher

Note: Broten was named captain in January 1995, after Tinordi was traded to the Washington Capitals, (Broten was later traded to the New Jersey Devils in February).

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