Gaétan Duchesne

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Gaétan Duchesne
Born (1962-07-11)July 11, 1962
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Died April 16, 2007(2007-04-16) (aged 44)
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shot Left
Played for Washington Capitals
Quebec Nordiques
Minnesota North Stars
San Jose Sharks
Florida Panthers
NHL Draft 152nd overall, 1981
Washington Capitals
Playing career 1982–1998

Gaétan Joseph Pierre Duchesne (July 11, 1962 – April 16, 2007) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player.

Early life[edit]

Duchesne was born in Quebec City, Quebec. As a youth, he played in the 1974 and 1975 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a minor ice hockey team from Quebec City.[1]

Playing career[edit]

Duchesne was drafted in 1981 by the Washington Capitals. He played six seasons with the Capitals, becoming the first scorer of the franchise's current record-fastest back-to-back goals, with only six seconds elapsing before a second goal was scored by Mark Taylor in a 4–2 win over the Chicago Black Hawks. He was then dealt to the Quebec Nordiques in the trade that sent Dale Hunter to the Capitals. He also played for the Minnesota North Stars, helping to guide them to their improbable appearance in the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals.

He later played for the San Jose Sharks and Florida Panthers. In 1,028 NHL games, he scored 179 goals and 254 assists.

Starting in 2008, the Capitals have awarded the Gaetan Duchesne Trophy to the best intra-squad team in training camp scrimmages.[2]

Death[edit]

Duchesne died of a heart attack at the age of 44 in Quebec City.[3][4][2]

Personal life[edit]

His son, Jeremy Duchesne, is a former goaltending prospect for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Career statistics[edit]

Season Team League   GP G A Pts PIM   GP G A Pts PIM
1978–79 Ste-Foy Gouverneurs QMAAA 25 3 12 15
1979–80 Quebec Remparts QMJHL 46 9 28 37 22 5 0 2 2 9
1980–81 Quebec Remparts QMJHL 72 27 45 72 63 7 1 4 5 6
1981–82 Quebec Remparts QMJHL 2 0 0 0 0
1981–82 Washington Capitals NHL 74 9 14 23 46
1982–83 Washington Capitals NHL 77 18 19 37 52 4 1 1 2 4
1982–83 Hershey Bears AHL 1 1 0 1 0
1983–84 Washington Capitals NHL 79 17 19 36 29 8 2 1 3 2
1984–85 Washington Capitals NHL 67 15 23 38 32 5 0 1 1 7
1985–86 Washington Capitals NHL 80 11 28 39 39 9 4 3 7 12
1986–87 Washington Capitals NHL 74 17 35 52 53 7 3 0 3 14
1987–88 Quebec Nordiques NHL 80 24 23 47 83
1988–89 Quebec Nordiques NHL 70 8 21 29 56
1989–90 Minnesota North Stars NHL 72 12 8 20 33 7 0 0 0 6
1990–91 Minnesota North Stars NHL 68 9 9 18 18 23 2 3 5 34
1991–92 Minnesota North Stars NHL 73 8 15 23 102 7 1 0 1 6
1992–93 Minnesota North Stars NHL 84 16 13 29 30
1993–94 San Jose Sharks NHL 84 12 18 30 28 14 1 4 5 12
1994–95 San Jose Sharks NHL 33 2 7 9 16
1994–95 Florida Panthers NHL 13 1 2 3 0
NHL totals 1,028 179 254 433 617 84 14 13 27 97

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
  2. ^ a b "The Gaetan Duchesne Cup". Capitals Insider - WashingtonPost.com Blog. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  3. ^ "Former NHL forward Gaetan Duchesne dead of cardiac arrest at age 44". The Hockey News. The Canadian Press. 2007-04-16. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  4. ^ "One-time Nordique Gaetan Duchesne dead at 44". CBC.ca. April 16, 2007. Retrieved 28 April 2011.

External links[edit]