Ernest Charles Deadmarsh (born April 5, 1950) is a Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

left winger In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

. Deadmarsh was drafted in the second round, 15th overall, of the 1970 NHL amateur draft by the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

, the second player the franchise ever drafted after Gil Perreault. He played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) for the Sabres,

Atlanta Flames The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta from 1972 until 1980. They played home games in the Omni Coliseum and were members of the West and later Patrick divisions of the National Hockey League (NHL). Along with t ...

, and

Kansas City Scouts The Kansas City Scouts were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1974 to 1976. In 1976–77 NHL season, 1976, the franchise relocated to Denver and became the Colorado Rockies (NHL), Colorado Rockies. In 1982– ...

. He also played in the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (N ...

(WHA) for the

Vancouver Blazers The Vancouver Blazers were a professional ice hockey team that played in the World Hockey Association from 1973 to 1975. The Blazers played at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, sharing the facility with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hocke ...

Calgary Cowboys The Calgary Cowboys were an ice hockey team that played two seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1975 to 1977. The Cowboys played at the Stampede Corral in Calgary. The franchise was founded in 1972 as the Miami Screaming Eagles ...

Minnesota Fighting Saints The Minnesota Fighting Saints was the name of two professional ice hockey teams based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, that played in the World Hockey Association. The first team was one of the WHA's original twelve franchises, playing from 1972 to 1976 ...

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

, and

Cincinnati Stingers The Cincinnati Stingers were an ice hockey team based in Cincinnati that played in the World Hockey Association from 1975 to 1979 and in the Central Hockey League during the 1979–80 season. Their home arena was Riverfront Coliseum. They are th ...

Professional career

Deadmarsh started his professional career in the 1970–71 season for Buffalo's then-farm team, the

Salt Lake Golden Eagles The Salt Lake Golden Eagles were a minor professional hockey team based in Salt Lake City from 1969 to 1994. History They played in the Western Hockey League from 1969 to 1974, the Central Hockey League from 1974 to 1984 and the International H ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

(WHL). He made his NHL debut that year, and played a handful of games the following year, while spending most of his time with the

Cincinnati Swords The Cincinnati Swords were an American Hockey League team that played at the Cincinnati Gardens in Cincinnati, Ohio from 1971 to 1974. They were owned by and the affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. History The Sword ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL), leading his team in goals. After a strong start with the Swords in 1973, he was called up to Buffalo, being traded later that season to the

for

Norm Gratton Normand Lionel Gratton (December 22, 1950 – December 10, 2010) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger. He played six seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers, Atlanta Flames, Buffalo Sabres and Minnesot ...

. After being claimed from the Flames by the

in the

1974 NHL expansion draft The 1974 NHL expansion draft was held on June 12, 1974. The draft took place to fill the rosters of the league's two expansion teams for the 1974–75 season, the Kansas City Scouts and the Washington Capitals. Rules Draft results See also ...

, Deadmarsh scored the game-winning goal in Kansas City's first-ever NHL victory versus the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

in November 1974. However, the Scouts sold his rights later that year to the

of the

(WHA), the first-ever such transaction, after Deadmarsh demanded to be dealt there, having signed a contract with the Blazers to take place after the 1974–75 season. The Blazers relocated to

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

the following year, and Deadmarsh had his best professional season, finishing fourth in team scoring with 26 goals and 28 assists, as well as leading the Cowboys in penalty minutes with 196. In his NHL career, Deadmarsh played in 137 games, scoring twelve goals and adding five assists. He played in 255 WHA games, scoring 63 goals and adding 66 assists. He is a second cousin of former NHL player

Adam Deadmarsh Adam Richard Deadmarsh (born May 10, 1975) is a Canadians, Canadian-born Americans, American former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League, NHL with the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, and Los Angeles Kings. ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Deadmarsh, Butch 1950 births Living people Atlanta Flames players Brandon Wheat Kings players Buffalo Sabres draft picks Buffalo Sabres players Calgary Cowboys players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey left wingers Cincinnati Stingers players Cincinnati Swords players Edmonton Oilers (WHA) players Ice hockey people from Trail, British Columbia Kansas City Scouts players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Kelowna Buckaroos players Minnesota Fighting Saints players Salt Lake Golden Eagles (WHL) players Vancouver Blazers players