Dale Hunter “The Little Pest”.
Dale Hunter is one of three brothers to play in the NHL, Dave, and Mark are the others, both of whom had successful careers winning Stanley Cups with Edmonton (Dave) and Calgary (Mark). The Hunter brothers all hail from Petrolia, Ontario.
Quebec Nordiques
Dale was drafted 41st overall, in 1979 by the Quebec Nordiques, he would go on to play 20 seasons in the NHL, seven with the Nordiques and 12 with the Washington Capitals before finishing his professional career in 1998-99 with the Colorado Avalanche. While in Quebec, Hunter established himself as a reliable Centre, scoring 19 goals and 63 points and a playoff birth in his rookie campaign, in which they narrowly lost three games to two to the Philadelphia Flyers. On the ice Hunter was a take-no-prisoners type of player, he was an agitator who earned himself the nickname “La Petite Peste”, off the ice and in the dressing room, he was known by his teammates to be rather reserved and humble, qualities that made him popular among his peers. During his time in Quebec City, Hunter endeared himself to the fans, so much so that when he and Clint Malarchuk were traded to the Washington Capitals in 1987 for forwards Alan Haworth and Gaetan Duchesne and a first-round draft pick which the Nords later used to pick Joe Sakic it was viewed as a mistake.
Washington Capitals
Hunter played for the Washington Capitals from 1987 to 1999. During that time, he was an integral part of the team’s success. He scored 20 or more goals in five of his first six seasons with Washington, matching a career-high for goals with 28 in 1992 and again matching a career-high for points with 79 the following season.
Hunter was known for scoring key goals at the most opportunistic times in the playoffs. While with the Nordiques, he scored an overtime goal in the opening round of Game 5 against the Montreal Canadiens and repeated the feat in 1988, scoring on a breakaway in overtime of Game seven against Flyers netminder Ron Hextall to clinch the series. Hunter became the first player in NHL history to score two series-clinching overtime goals in playoff history.
In the 1993 Patrick Division Semifinal against the New York Islanders, Hunter led the Capitals in playoff goals, scoring seven. When Pierre Turgeon intercepted a Dale Hunter pass and scored a goal in Game Six, putting the Islanders up 5-1 and the game out of reach, Hunter delivered a vicious Ilegal career-ending check to the celebrating Turgeon. Hunter blindsided Turgeon from behind with the check, sending him to crash into the boards. Turgeon suffered a concussion and a separated right shoulder. Commissioner Gary Bettman suspended Hunter for the first 21 games of the 1993-94 season, the most extended suspension for an on-ice infraction in league history. Many feel he would be in the Hall of Fame if not for this stain on Dale Hunter’s career.
Hunter has impressive numbers. In 1407 NHL games, he scored 323 goals, 697 assists, and 1020 points. Despite accumulating 3565 career penalty minutes, he achieved these totals, second only to Dave “Tiger” Williams (3971). He also holds the NHL record for most penalty minutes in the playoffs, 731. In addition, Hunter holds the dubious distinction of being the only NHL player to score over 1,000 points and register over 3,000 penalty minutes. Until recently, he was the NHL record holder for most games played (1308) before breaking the 1,000-point barrier. Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks now holds that title with (1,349). On March 11, 2000, Hunter’s #32 was retired by the Washington Capitals. Dale “The little Pest.” Hunter finished his NHL career with the Colorado Avalanche in 1999 after playing 12 regular-season and 19 playoff games.
In 1998, Dale Hunter captained the Washington Capitals to their first Stanley Cup Final, defeating the Boston Bruins (4-2), the Ottawa Senators (4-1), and the Buffalo Sabres (4-2) before being swept (4-0) in the Final by the Detroit Red Wings. The first three games of the series were decided by one goal, with Game 2 being the only game decided in overtime.
Post-NHL Career
Since Hunter’s retirement from the NHL, he teamed up with his brother Mark and former Quebec Nordiques teammate Basil Mcrae to purchase the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Dale Hunter has had great success as team president and head coach of the Knights, winning two Memorial Cups in (2005) and (2016). He also won three Ross Robertson Cups as the Ontario Hockey League’s playoff champion in (2005), (2013) and (2016). On November 28, 2011, Hunter left the Knights to accept the head coaching position with his former NHL team, the Washington Capitals. He had a brief but successful stint in Washington; he recorded 30 wins and 67 points in 60 games after replacing former head coach Bruce Boudreau and defeated the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the 2012 playoffs before losing in game seven of the second round of the playoffs to the New York Rangers. On May 14, 2012, Hunter resigned from his coaching duties with the Capitals to return to the London Knights.
On May 14, 2019, Hockey Canada announced that Hunter would be the Head Coach for Canada’s National Junior Team at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship. Hunter coached the team to a come-from-behind gold medal win over Russia.
Dale Hunter was known as the little pest in the NHL, and he carried a reputation into the OHL. In September 2005, Hunter received a four-game suspension from the OHL after failing to prevent one of his players from leaving the bench to initiate a fight during an exhibition game. On January 20, 2006, Hunter was again suspended for two games and a $5,000 fine for off-ice abuse of officials. That same year, Hunter was again fined $5,000 for criticizing officials after his London Knights were swept in the playoffs. In September 2006, Hunter was suspended for failing to prevent one of his players from leaving the bench to engage in a fight during a game.
Love him or hate him, Dale” The Little Pest” Hunter made an impact everywhere he went, and with him, he brought success.
Keep Your Stick on the Ice.
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1977–78 | Kitchener Rangers | OMJHL | 68 | 22 | 42 | 64 | 115 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 32 |
| 1978–79 | Sudbury Wolves | OMJHL | 59 | 42 | 68 | 110 | 188 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 47 |
| 1979–80 | Sudbury Wolves | OMJHL | 61 | 34 | 51 | 85 | 189 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 45 |
| 1980–81 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 80 | 19 | 44 | 63 | 226 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 34 |
| 1981–82 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 80 | 22 | 50 | 72 | 272 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 52 |
| 1982–83 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 80 | 17 | 46 | 63 | 206 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 24 |
| 1983–84 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 77 | 24 | 55 | 79 | 232 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 41 |
| 1984–85 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 80 | 20 | 52 | 72 | 209 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 99 |
| 1985–86 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 80 | 28 | 42 | 70 | 265 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 1986–87 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 46 | 10 | 29 | 39 | 135 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 56 |
| 1987–88 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 79 | 22 | 37 | 59 | 240 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 98 |
| 1988–89 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 80 | 20 | 37 | 57 | 219 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 29 |
| 1989–90 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 80 | 23 | 39 | 62 | 233 | 15 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 61 |
| 1990–91 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 76 | 16 | 30 | 46 | 234 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 41 |
| 1991–92 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 80 | 28 | 50 | 78 | 205 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 16 |
| 1992–93 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 84 | 20 | 59 | 79 | 198 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 35 |
| 1993–94 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 52 | 9 | 29 | 38 | 131 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 14 |
| 1994–95 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 45 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 101 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 24 |
| 1995–96 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 82 | 13 | 24 | 37 | 112 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 24 |
| 1996–97 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 82 | 14 | 32 | 46 | 125 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1997–98 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 82 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 103 | 21 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 30 |
| 1998–99 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 50 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 102 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1998–99 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 17 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 38 |
