Terry Harper

Terrance Victor Harper (born January 27, 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Harper played in the National Hockey League from 1962 to 1981. During this time, he played for the Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, and Colorado Rockies.

Early life Harper grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan playing hockey. When he was young, he suffered serious third-degree burns to his arms, chest, stomach, and legs in a fire. The damage required seven years of skin grafting. Doctors allowed him to play hockey as a way to rebuild his leg muscles.

He played for Regina's local hockey team, which was sponsored by the Montreal Canadiens.

Playing career Harper played his first 10 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens. He joined the team in 1962. The Kings made the playoffs twice in his tenure there, but each time got bounced in the first round.

After the 1974–75 season, on June 23, 1975, Harper, along with Dan Maloney, was traded to the Detroit Red Wings as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne and Bart Crashley to Los Angeles. Once again, he was named team captain for Detroit. He retired in 1981, at the age of 41.

In 19 seasons in the league, Harper finished with only 254 points.

Harper rarely scored, and the "Harper hat trick" was when he scored 3 goals in a season (vs. 3 in one game). He accomplished this 5 times in his 18-year career, erupting for a career-high 8 goals in the 1975–76 season with the Detroit Red Wings.

Personal life Harper was married for 60 years before his wife died. He lives alone in Folsom, California, with his kids and grandkids close by. His daughter also lives in Folsom, and his two sons live in West Sacramento and Stockton. Despite his old age, Harper plays hockey twice a week.

Awards and achievements Stanley Cup champion – 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971 (with Montreal) Los Angeles Kings Team Captain, 1973 - 1975 Detroit Red Wings Team Captain, 1976 4 All-Star Games: 1965, 1967, 1973, 1975 Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame, 2016

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1957–58 Regina Pats SJHL 51 6 10 16 74 12 2 3 5 12 1957–58 Regina Pats M-Cup — — — — — 16 3 2 5 8 1958–59 Regina Pats SJHL 48 1 19 20 79 9 1 2 3 6 1959–60 Regina Pats SJHL 59 17 21 38 56 13 3 7 10 6 1960–61 Montreal Royals EPHL 69 3 14 17 85 — — — — — 1961–62 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens EPHL 65 2 18 20 101 12 0 1 1 15 1962–63 Montreal Canadiens NHL 14 1 1 2 10 5 1 0 1 8 1962–63 Hull-Ottawa Canadiens EPHL 52 6 31 37 83 — — — — — 1962–63 Quebec Aces AHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1963–64 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 2 15 17 149 7 0 0 0 6 1964–65 Montreal Canadiens NHL 62 0 7 7 93 13 0 0 0 19 1965–66 Montreal Canadiens NHL 69 1 11 12 91 10 2 3 5 18 1966–67 Montreal Canadiens NHL 56 0 16 16 99 10 0 1 1 15 1967–68 Montreal Canadiens NHL 57 3 8 11 66 13 0 1 1 8 1968–69 Montreal Canadiens NHL 21 0 3 3 37 11 0 0 0 8 1968–69 Cleveland Barons AHL 28 2 4 6 21 — — — — — 1969–70 Montreal Canadiens NHL 75 4 18 22 109 — — — — — 1970–71 Montreal Canadiens NHL 78 1 21 22 116 20 0 6 6 28 1971–72 Montreal Canadiens NHL 52 2 12 14 35 5 1 1 2 6 1972–73 Los Angeles Kings NHL 77 1 8 9 74 — — — — — 1973–74 Los Angeles Kings NHL 77 0 17 17 119 5 0 0 0 16 1974–75 Los Angeles Kings NHL 80 5 21 26 120 3 0 0 0 2 1975–76 Detroit Red Wings NHL 69 8 25 33 59 — — — — — 1976–77 Detroit Red Wings NHL 52 4 8 12 28 — — — — — 1977–78 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 2 17 19 85 7 0 1 1 4 1978–79 Detroit Red Wings NHL 51 0 6 6 58 — — — — — 1978–79 Kansas City Red Wings CHL 22 0 13 13 36 — — — — — 1979–80 St. Louis Blues NHL 11 1 5 6 6 3 0 0 0 2 1980–81 Colorado Rockies NHL 15 0 2 2 8 — — — — — NHL totals 1,066 35 221 256 1,362 112 4 13 17 140