Willi Plett

Willi Plett (born June 7, 1955) is a Paraguayan-born Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played 834 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Atlanta Flames, Calgary Flames, Minnesota North Stars and Boston Bruins. He reached the 1981 NHL playoff semifinals with the Flames and the 1984 NHL playoff semifinals with the North Stars.

He was a fifth-round selection of the Atlanta Flames in the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft, 80th overall. Plett was a member of the Tulsa Oilers' Adams Cup championship team in 1975–76 and won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1977 as the NHL's top rookie. He transferred with the Flames franchise to Calgary in 1980 and a 1982 trade sent him to Minnesota where he played five seasons. Plett retired in 1988 following one season in Boston.

Early life Plett was born into a Russian Mennonite family who had lived in the Soviet Union and then Germany and fled to South America to escape the Second World War. They settled in Asunción, Paraguay, where he was born on June 7, 1955. His family moved to Canada one year later, settling in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Plett first played organized hockey at the age of 12 and played junior hockey near his hometown.

Playing career The Flames assigned Plett to their minor league affiliate, the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League (CHL), for the 1975–76 season where he developed under the team's coach, and former NHL enforcer, Orland Kurtenbach. He scored 30 goals in 73 games, added 163 penalty minutes, and helped the Oilers win the Adams Cup as CHL champions. Plett also made his NHL debut during the season, appearing in four games with the Flames.

Plett was returned to Tulsa to begin the 1976–77 season where he scored 12 points in 14 games. He spent the majority of the campaign in Atlanta, appearing in 64 games with the Flames. He scored 22 goals in 1977–78 and 23 in 1978–79 and amassed nearly 400 penalty minutes over those two seasons as he established a reputation as an enforcer who could also score. Plett scored only 13 goals in 1979–80, but set a Flames' franchise record with 231 penalty minutes.

The NHL suspended Plett for eight games early in his first season with the North Stars after he was given a match penalty for slashing Detroit Red Wings goaltender Greg Stefan in the head. He scored 25 goals on the season but he recorded 19 fewer points than the year before and his 170 penalty minutes was his lowest total since his rookie season. He finished the season with a career high 319 penalty minutes. His offensive production decreased each year, falling to 11 points by 1986–87. Plett appeared in 65 games for the Bruins in 1987–88, scoring two goals, five points and recording 170 penalty minutes. He appeared in 17 playoff games, scoring six points, as the Bruins reached the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals before losing to the Edmonton Oilers.

Personal life Plett returned to the Atlanta area following his retirement. He opened Willi Plett's Sports Park, now out of business, a golf course and theme park in Woodstock, Georgia.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1974–75 St. Catharines Black Hawks OMJHL 22 6 8 14 63 4 1 1 2 42 1975–76 Tulsa Oilers CHL 76 30 20 50 163 9 5 4 9 21 1975–76 Atlanta Flames NHL 4 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1976–77 Tulsa Oilers CHL 14 8 4 12 68 — — — — — 1976–77 Atlanta Flames NHL 64 33 23 56 123 3 1 0 1 19 1977–78 Atlanta Flames NHL 78 22 21 43 171 — — — — — 1978–79 Atlanta Flames NHL 74 23 20 43 213 2 1 0 1 29 1979–80 Atlanta Flames NHL 76 13 19 32 231 4 1 0 1 15 1980–81 Calgary Flames NHL 78 38 30 68 239 15 8 4 12 89 1981–82 Calgary Flames NHL 78 21 36 57 288 3 1 2 3 39 1982–83 Minnesota North Stars NHL 71 25 14 39 170 9 1 3 4 38 1983–84 Minnesota North Stars NHL 73 15 23 38 316 16 6 2 8 51 1984–85 Minnesota North Stars NHL 47 14 14 28 157 9 3 6 9 67 1985–86 Minnesota North Stars NHL 59 10 7 17 231 5 0 1 1 45 1986–87 Minnesota North Stars NHL 67 6 5 11 263 — — — — — 1987–88 Boston Bruins NHL 65 2 3 5 170 17 2 4 6 74 NHL totals 834 222 215 437 2,572 83 24 22 46 466