Doug Palazzari

Douglas John Palazzari (born November 3, 1952, in Eveleth, Minnesota) is a former professional ice hockey player and USA Hockey executive. He is the son of former NHL player Aldo Palazzari. Too small to become a regular in the National Hockey League, Doug Palazzari played a total of 108 games for the St. Louis Blues in 1974–79 but he spent most of his professional career in the minors with the Providence Reds, Kansas City Blues and Salt Lake Golden Eagles where he was a major star. Before turning professional, he was an accomplished player for the Colorado College men's ice hockey team and he also played for the United States national team at the 1973 and 1974 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments. Palazzari was also a member of the United States team at the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup.

Palazzari is perhaps best known for his management work for amateur hockey in the United States after retiring from professional hockey in 1982. He was elected executive director of USA Hockey in 1999 after spending 14 years with the organization in various capabilities. He resigned as director in 2005. Palazzari was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1970–71 Colorado College NCAA 26 8 17 25 37 — — — — — 1971–72 Colorado College NCAA 32 32 40 72 42 — — — — — 1972–73 Colorado College NCAA 27 24 28 52 32 — — — — — 1973–74 Colorado College NCAA 32 31 48 79 71 — — — — — 1974–75 St. Louis Blues NHL 73 14 17 31 19 — — — — — 1975–76 Providence Reds AHL 55 19 32 51 72 — — — — — 1976–77 Kansas City Blues CHL 41 18 34 52 31 — — — — — 1976–77 St. Louis Blues NHL 12 1 0 1 0 — — — — — 1977–78 Salt Lake Golden Eagles CHL 70 45 56 101 82 — — — — — 1977–78 St. Louis Blues NHL 3 1 0 1 0 — — — — — 1978–79 Salt Lake Golden Eagles CHL 35 24 32 56 19 — — — — — 1978–79 St. Louis Blues NHL 20 2 3 5 4 — — — — — 1979–80 Salt Lake Golden Eagles CHL 74 48 61 109 62 — — — — — 1980–81 Salt Lake Golden Eagles CHL 27 26 21 47 57 — — — — — 1981–82 Salt Lake Golden Eagles CHL 68 34 41 75 44 — — — — — 1982–83 Villacher SV Austria 4 3 2 5 20 — — — — — NHL totals 108 18 20 38 23 — — — — —

Awards and honors Award Year All-WCHA First Team 1971–72 AHCA West All-American 1971–72 All-WCHA First Team 1973–74 AHCA West All-American 1973–74 CHL First All-Star Team 1978, 1980 Scoring Leader - CHL 1978 Tommy Ivan Trophy (MVP - CHL) 1978, 1980 Phil Esposito Trophy (Scoring Leader - CHL) 1980