Rangers remember Poddubny

March 23, 2009   ·   Derek Felix   ·   Jump to comments

Prior to the drop of the puck last night, the Rangers remembered Walter Poddubny with a moment of silence following his stunning death Saturday collapsing at his sister’s home in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It wasn’t known what caused his death. He was only 49.

In two years on Broadway after coming over from Toronto on August 18, 1986 in a trade for Mike Allison, Poddubny donned No.8 and paced the Rangers in scoring making him only the third player to lead the Blueshirts in scoring every year spent here aside from Wayne Gretzky (’96-97 – ’98-99) and Jaromir Jagr (’05-06 – ’07-08).

The center fit in extremely well posting near identical seasons with 40 goals and 87 points in 1986-87 followed up by 38 goals and 50 assists, totaling 175 points in two seasons in New York. Before the next season, the Rangers dealt the popular player to Quebec in a six-player deal that returned defenseman Normand Rochefort. In one season up north, he continued to have success tallying 38 goals and 37 assists for 75 points along with 107 penalty minutes.

Poddubny got traded once more to his fifth and final NHL team the Devils where he spent parts of three seasons before playing over in Germany three years and then concluding his pro career with AHL’s Worcester in 1994-95.

In 468 NHL games, he finished with 422 points (184 goals, 238 assists) and 454 PIM. Poddubny got into 19 playoff games totaling nine points (7-2-9).

After retiring, he coached in the old Roller Hockey International InLine League also becoming an assistant for Worcester before coaching the Anchorage Aces.

RIP Walt Poddubny (1960-2009)