Danny Lawson

Daniel Michael Lawson (b. October 30, 1947 in Toronto, Ontario - d. September 15, 2008 in Calgary, Alberta) was a professional ice hockey right winger, initially in the National Hockey League, but most notably in the World Hockey Association with the Philadelphia/Vancouver Blazers franchise. He became one of WHA's star players and led the league in goal scoring in its inaugural season

Junior Career
Danny Lawson played junior for the Hamilton Red Wings of the Ontario Hockey Association, who were sponsored at the time by the NHL Detroit Red Wings. Lawson was with the Hamilton team when they went to the 1966-67 Memorial Cup Final. Lawson's individual offensive totals gradually improved each year until in 1967-68, his last year, when he finished second in the league in goal-scoring with 52 and led his team in points. He was also named to the OHA's First All Star team.

Pro Career
Lawson played a single game with the Detroit Red Wings in the 1968 season, before becoming a full-time professional in the next year, shuffling between the Wings and the minor-league Fort Worth Wings of the Central Hockey League. Before season's end he was traded to the Minnesota North Stars, serving the role of a defensive forward on the third and fourth lines. He spent the next two years with the North Stars, further splitting his time between the parent club and the minor leagues, before a trade in the 1971 offseason to the Buffalo Sabres. It was with Buffalo that Lawson finally received substantial ice time, albeit in a checking role shadowing other teams' offensive stars. It was to be his first complete season in the NHL without any time spent in the minors.

In 1972 the WHA came into existence and the upstart league was stealing from the NHL both their superstars and players to simply fill their rosters. Lawson made the jump and signed with the Philadelphia Blazers. Although having had a five-year career in the NHL under his belt, it was not until moving to the WHA that his scoring abilities were fully realized. In the WHA’s inaugural season, despite the presence of superstar Bobby Hull, it was Lawson who on February 22 became the first player to score 50 goals and by season’s end he led the league in goals with 61. Lawson capped that season by being selected to the WHA First All Star Team.

Lawson remained a star in the WHA, almost entirely with the Blazers' franchise through moves from Philadelphia to Vancouver and finally to Calgary. Midway through the 1977 season he was traded to the Winnipeg Jets and reached the Avco Cup final, where the Jets lost to the Quebec Nordiques, after which Lawson retired. In the NHL, Lawson appeared in 219 games, scoring 28 goals and 29 assists. However, in the WHA he played in 392 games, scoring 218 goals and adding 204 assists. Despite not participating in the final two seasons of the WHA's existence he still finished at #8 in all-time WHA goals.

Post NHL
In August 1986, at age 39, Lawson attempted a comeback in the NHL, attending the Edmonton Oilers training camp, but was released by the club in September. Lawson then found employment in Germany. For the 1986-87 season he played with the 3rd division team EC Hedos Munich helping the team move up to the 2nd division. The next season he coached SV Bayreuth and the team finished 4th out of ten teams in the southern division.

On September 15, 2008, just shy of his 61st birthday, Danny Lawson died of cancer.