William Anthony Derlago, (born August 25, 1958) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League from 1978 to 1987 with the Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Winnipeg Jets and Quebec Nordiques.
Career[]
Growing up, Derlago excelled at multiple sports, including golf, tennis, baseball, and hockey. It was hockey that garnered the most success and attention for the young Derlago, as he rewrote the WCJHL record books as a member of the Brandon Wheat Kings in the 1970s. His standout junior career led to his being selected fourth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft.
As a rookie with the Canucks in 1978–79, Derlago badly injured his knee and was limited to just 9 games, though he did score a respectable 8 points. Though he played well in Vancouver, he was unable to live up to the high expectations, and was traded to Toronto along with Rick Vaive for Tiger Williams and Jerry Butler on February 18, 1980.
In Toronto, Derlago developed into a star playmaker, working particularly well with Vaive, who was developing into a sniper. Though successful on the ice, questions were raised about Derlago's desire and self-discipline. He avoided all of the exercise regimes and extra practices that might have raised his game.
On October 11, 1985, he was traded to the Boston Bruins for Tom Fergus. In Boston, Derlago was relegated to third- and fourth-line duty as a defensive forward. After only 39 games in Boston, he was again traded, this time to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Wade Campbell. Clearly on the downside of his career, Derlago lasted only a brief time with the Jets before he was sent to the Quebec Nordiques in 1987. Eighteen games later he was demoted to the Fredericton Express of the AHL. Derlago would spend one additional season in Italy before announcing his retirement in 1988.
Derlago currently resides in Concord, Ontario, and operates a Chrysler dealership.
Career Statistics[]
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1974-75 | Brandon Travellers | MJHL | 45 | 38 | 21 | 59 | 87 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| Brandon Wheat Kings | WCHL | 17 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |||
| 1975-76 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WCHL | 68 | 49 | 54 | 103 | 43 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 1976-77 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WCHL | 72 | 96 | 82 | 178 | 63 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 31 | ||
| 1977-78 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WCHL | 52 | 89 | 63 | 152 | 105 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 10 | ||
| 1978-79 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 9 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| Dallas Black Hawks | CHL | 11 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 9 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |||
| 1979-80 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 54 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 27 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 23 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |||
| 1980-81 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 80 | 35 | 39 | 74 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1981-82 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 75 | 34 | 50 | 84 | 42 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1982-83 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 58 | 13 | 24 | 37 | 27 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1983-84 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 79 | 40 | 20 | 60 | 50 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1984-85 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 62 | 31 | 31 | 62 | 21 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1985-86 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| Boston Bruins | NHL | 39 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 15 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |||
| Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 27 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 1986-87 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 18 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 30 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |||
| Fredericton Express | AHL | 16 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |||
| 1987-88 | HC Ambri-Piotta | NLA | 28 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 7 | ||||
| NHL Totals | 555 | 189 | 227 | 416 | 247 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 8 | ||||
Awards & Achievements[]
- Bob Brownridge Memorial Trophy WCHL Scoring Champion (1977)
- Western Canada Hockey League Goal Scoring Leader (1977), setting League Record of 96 Goals
- Western Canada Hockey League Goal Scoring Leader (1978)
- WCHL First All-Star Team (1977)
- Western Canada Hockey League Playoffs Points, Goals, and Assists Leader (1977)
- Western Canada Hockey League single-season League Record with 13 hat tricks (1978)
- Canadian Hockey League Record, fastest 50 goals from start of season, 27 games (1978)
- WCHL Second All-Star Team (1978)
- “Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
Career Moves[]
- Traded to Toronto by Vancouver with Rick Vaive for Tiger Williams and Jerry Butler, February 18, 1980.
- Traded to Boston by Toronto for Tom Fergus, October 11, 1985.
- Traded to Winnipeg by Boston for Wade Campbell, January 31, 1986.
- Traded to Quebec by Winnipeg for Quebec's 4th round choice in 1989 Entry Draft, January 5, 1987.
External links[]
- Bill Derlago's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
- Bill Derlago's biography at Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
| Vancouver Canucks first-round draft picks | |
|---|---|
| Tallon • Guevremont • Lever • Ververgaert • Dailey • Blight • Gillis • Derlago • Vaive • Lanz • Butcher • Petit • Neely • Daigneault • Sandlak • Woodley • Linden • Herter • Nedved • Antoski • Stojanov • Polasek • Wilson • Ohlund • Holden • Ference • Allen • D. Sedin • H. Sedin • Smith • Umberger • Kesler • Schneider • Bourdon • Grabner • White | |