Don Ashby

Donald Allan Ashby (March 8, 1955 – May 30, 1981) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who was a centre for six seasons in the National Hockey League from 1975–76 until 1980–81.

Early life and career

Ashby was born in Kamloops, British Columbia. After excelling for the Calgary Centennials in junior hockey, he was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs as their first-round draft pick in the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft. He was traded to the Colorado Rockies in 1978. He was traded to the Edmonton Oilers for Bobby Schmautz in 1980.

Ashby played 188 career NHL games, scoring 40 goals, 56 assists, and 96 points.

Death On May 30, 1981, a few days after finishing the 1980–81 season in which Ashby played with the CHL Wichita Wind, he and his wife, Terry, were involved in an automobile accident in the Okanagan Valley. The vehicle that they were driving was hit head-on by a pickup truck. Ashby was critically injured in the accident that occurred in the Okanagan Valley. Both he and his wife, Terry, were taken to the hospital in Kelowna, [British Columbia, where he died from massive internal injuries. He was 26 years old at the time of his death in the accident. His wife, Terry, survived the accident and was treated in the hospital. His funeral was held four days later, on June 3.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1972–73 Kamloops Rockets BCHL 28 22 22 44 — — — — — 1972–73 Calgary Centennials WCHL 36 10 12 22 0 6 0 1 1 0 1973–74 Calgary Centennials WCHL 68 30 38 68 52 14 6 7 13 0 1974–75 Calgary Centennials WCHL 70 52 68 120 71 — — — — — 1975–76 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 50 6 15 21 10 — — — — — 1975–76 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 26 9 14 23 36 4 0 1 1 2 1976–77 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 76 19 23 42 24 9 1 0 1 4 1976–77 Dallas Black Hawks CHL 3 1 0 1 0 — — — — — 1977–78 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 12 1 2 3 0 — — — — — 1977–78 Dallas Black Hawks CHL 48 14 28 42 15 13 9 9 18 5 1978–79 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1978–79 New Brunswick Hawks AHL 13 2 5 7 9 — — — — — 1978–79 Colorado Rockies NHL 12 2 3 5 0 — — — — — 1979–80 Colorado Rockies NHL 11 0 1 1 4 — — — — — 1979–80 Fort Worth Texans CHL 45 27 27 54 18 — — — — — 1979–80 Edmonton Oilers NHL 18 10 9 19 0 3 0 0 0 0 1980–81 Edmonton Oilers NHL 6 2 3 5 2 — — — — — 1980–81 Wichita Wind CHL 70 36 60 96 46 18 9 16 25 6 NHL totals 188 40 56 96 40 12 1 0 1 4 CHL totals 192 87 129 216 115 35 18 26 44 13