Dale DeGray

Dale "Digger" DeGray (born September 3, 1963) is a Canadian former ice hockey defenceman who played 153 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was an eighth round selection, 182nd overall, of the Calgary Flames at the 1981 NHL entry draft and played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings and Buffalo Sabres in addition to the Flames before settling into a long minor league career. Internationally, DeGray represented Canada on one occasion; he was a member of the bronze medal-winning team at the 1995 World Championship. DeGray is currently the general manager of the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and was named the OHL Executive of the Year in 2010–11.

Playing career The grandson of Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Famer Kelly DeGray, Dale played both hockey and lacrosse in his youth but turned his focus exclusively to hockey in his teens. He played three seasons of junior hockey for the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) between 1980 and 1983 where he established a reputation as a rugged defenceman. DeGray scored 50 points in his third season, 1982–83, and added 14 more in the playoffs as the Generals won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions.

The Calgary Flames selected him in the eighth round, 182nd overall at the 1981 NHL entry draft, and he began his professional career in 1983–84 with a 30-point season for the Colorado Flames of the Central Hockey League (CHL). He then spent the majority of three seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Moncton Golden Flames. DeGray appeared in one NHL game that season, making his NHL debut with Calgary on March 6, 1986, against the New York Rangers. He played a part-time role in Calgary in 1986–87; in 27 games with the Flames, DeGray scored six goals and seven assists. DeGray's final season was 1998–99 when, as a member of the Indianapolis Ice, he suffered a career-ending shoulder injury in a December 10, 1998, game against the Orlando Solar Bears. Since 2007, he has been the general manager of the OHL's Owen Sound Attack. DeGray was named the OHL's Executive of the Year in 2010–11 after guiding the Attack to a franchise-best 46–17–5 record, a J. Ross Robertson Cup championship and a place in the 2011 Memorial Cup tournament.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1979–80 Oshawa Legionnaires MetJBHL 43 14 14 28 34 — — — — — 1979–80 Oshawa Generals OMJHL 1 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 1980–81 Oshawa Generals OHL 61 11 10 21 93 — — — — — 1981–82 Oshawa Generals OHL 66 11 22 33 162 12 3 4 7 49 1982–83 Oshawa Generals OHL 69 20 30 50 149 17 7 7 14 36 1983–84 Colorado Flames CHL 67 16 14 30 67 6 1 1 2 2 1984–85 Moncton Golden Flames AHL 77 24 37 61 63 — — — — — 1985–86 Calgary Flames NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1985–86 Moncton Golden Flames AHL 76 10 31 41 128 6 0 1 1 0 1986–87 Calgary Flames NHL 27 6 7 13 29 — — — — — 1986–87 Moncton Golden Flames AHL 45 10 22 32 57 5 2 1 3 19 1987–88 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 56 6 18 24 63 5 0 1 1 16 1987–88 Newmarket Saints AHL 8 2 10 12 8 — — — — — 1988–89 Los Angeles Kings NHL 63 6 22 28 97 8 1 2 3 12 1989–90 Buffalo Sabres NHL 6 0 0 0 6 — — — — — 1989–90 New Haven Nighthawks AHL 16 2 10 12 38 — — — — — 1989–90 Rochester Americans AHL 50 6 25 31 118 17 5 6 11 59 1990–91 Rochester Americans AHL 64 9 25 34 121 15 3 4 7 76 1991–92 HC Alleghe ALP 18 10 12 22 74 — — — — — 1991–92 HC Alleghe ITA 18 6 16 22 36 9 0 6 6 10 1992–93 San Diego Gulls IHL 79 18 64 82 181 14 3 11 14 77 1993–94 San Diego Gulls IHL 80 20 50 70 163 9 2 1 3 8 1994–95 Detroit Vipers IHL 14 1 8 9 18 — — — — — 1994–95 Cleveland Lumberjacks IHL 64 19 49 68 134 4 0 4 4 10 1995–96 Cincinnati Cyclones IHL 79 13 46 59 96 16 1 6 7 35 1996–97 Cincinnati Cyclones IHL 30 5 16 21 55 — — — — — 1996–97 Manitoba Moose IHL 44 9 15 24 42 — — — — — 1997–98 Manitoba Moose IHL 15 0 7 7 16 — — — — — 1997–98 Quebec Rafales IHL 31 4 9 13 27 — — — — — 1997–98 Cleveland Lumberjacks IHL 11 1 9 10 4 9 3 7 10 8 1998–99 Indianapolis Ice IHL 27 3 11 14 18 — — — — — NHL totals 153 18 47 65 195 13 1 3 4 28

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1995 Canada WC 6 1 1 2 6 Senior totals 6 1 1 2 6