Darren William Veitch (born April 24, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player whose career was beset by injuries. He played 511 career NHL games for the Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs, and was once named The Hockey News's "Comeback Player of the Year" after badly injuring his arm falling through a glass coffee table after slipping at home on one of his children's toys.[citation needed] He was often unfairly compared to Paul Coffey, a fellow defenceman selected immediately after him in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. He played his last NHL game in 1991 and bounced around the minor leagues before finally retiring in 1999, and now enjoys recreational roller hockey at the Castle Sports Club in Phoenix, AZ.

Darren Veitch
Born (1960-04-24) April 24, 1960 (age 64)
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Right
Played for AHL
Hershey Bears
Newmarket Saints
Moncton Hawks
NHL
Washington Capitals
Detroit Red Wings
Toronto Maple Leafs
NHL draft 5th overall, 1980
Washington Capitals
Playing career 1980–1992

Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Veitch won an Ed Chynoweth Cup with the Regina Pats in 1980 to cap off a stellar junior career.

Darren also had a distinguished amateur golf career in addition to his hockey exploits. He was the 1983 Saskatchewan Amateur champion after a three-round score of 218 at the Elmwood Golf and Country Club in Swift Current. He was also a two-time runner-up in the tournament finishing second in both 1981 and 1984.[1]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1976–77 Regina Blues SJHL 60 15 21 36 121
1976–77 Regina Pats WCHL 1 0 0 0 0
1977–78 Regina Pats WCHL 71 13 32 45 135 9 0 2 2 4
1978–79 Regina Pats WHL 51 11 36 47 80
1979–80 Regina Pats WHL 71 29 93 122 118 18 13 18 31 13
1980–81 Washington Capitals NHL 59 4 21 25 46
1980–81 Hershey Bears AHL 26 6 22 28 12 10 6 3 9 15
1981–82 Washington Capitals NHL 67 9 44 53 54
1981–82 Hershey Bears AHL 10 5 10 15 16
1982–83 Washington Capitals NHL 10 0 8 8 0
1982–83 Hershey Bears AHL 5 0 1 1 2
1983–84 Washington Capitals NHL 46 6 18 24 17 5 0 1 1 15
1983–84 Hershey Bears AHL 11 1 6 7 4
1984–85 Washington Capitals NHL 75 3 18 21 37 5 0 1 1 4
1985–86 Washington Capitals NHL 62 3 9 12 27
1985–86 Detroit Red Wings NHL 13 0 5 5 2
1986–87 Detroit Red Wings NHL 77 13 45 58 52 12 3 4 7 8
1987–88 Detroit Red Wings NHL 63 7 33 40 45 11 1 5 6 6
1988–89 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 37 3 7 10 16
1988–89 Newmarket Saints AHL 33 5 19 24 29 5 0 4 4 4
1989–90 Newmarket Saints AHL 78 13 54 67 30
1990–91 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 2 0 1 1 0
1990–91 Newmarket Saints AHL 56 7 28 35 26
1990–91 Peoria Rivermen IHL 18 2 14 16 10 19 4 12 16 10
1991–92 EV Landshut 1.GBun 14 2 4 6 4
1991–92 Moncton Hawks AHL 61 6 23 29 47 11 0 6 6 2
1992–93 Peoria Rivermen IHL 79 12 37 49 16 4 2 0 2 4
1993–94 Peoria Rivermen IHL 76 21 54 75 16 6 1 1 2 0
1994–95 Peoria Rivermen IHL 75 8 42 50 42 9 0 2 2 8
1995–96 Peoria Rivermen IHL 15 1 9 10 8
1995–96 Phoenix Roadrunners IHL 43 1 15 16 12 1 0 0 0 0
1997–98 Phoenix Mustangs WCHL 59 6 31 37 40 9 3 6 9 12
1998–99 Phoenix Mustangs WCHL 52 3 29 32 46 3 0 1 1 2
NHL totals 511 48 209 257 296 33 4 11 15 33
AHL totals 280 43 163 206 166 26 6 13 19 21
IHL totals 306 45 171 216 104 39 7 15 22 22

Awards

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  • WHL First All-Star Team – 1980

References

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  1. ^ "SGA Amateur Men's Past Champions" (PDF). Golf Saskatchewan. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-06. Retrieved 2011-06-14.
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Preceded by Washington Capitals first round draft pick
1980
Succeeded by