Dale Roland Carl Rolfe (born April 30, 1940) is a Canadian former

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 ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

. He played for four teams 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) between 1960 and 1975. He spent his junior career with the Barrie Flyers through the 1956–57 and 1959–60 seasons. During the

1959–60 NHL season The 1959–60 NHL season was the 43rd season of the National Hockey League. Six teams played 70 games each. The Montreal Canadiens were the Stanley Cup winners as they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs four games to none for their fifth straight ...

, Rolfe played three games with the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

as well as two games with the

Kingston Frontenacs The Kingston Frontenacs are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Kingston, Ontario. The Frontenacs play home games at Slush Puppie Place, which opened in 2008. The team's history predates the Ontario Ho ...

of the EPHL.

Professional career

Rolfe then spent the 1960–61 and 1961–62 seasons with the

Portland Buckaroos The Portland Buckaroos was the name of several professional ice hockey teams based in Portland, Oregon. PCHL/NWHL era (1928–1941) The first incarnation of Portland Buckaroos played their home games at the Portland Ice Arena (Oregon), Portland ...

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 ...

. Rolfe then moved to 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 ...

where he spent the next season with the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Bears have played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still ...

and the following four seasons with the

Springfield Indians The Springfield Indians were two separate minor professional ice hockey franchises, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The original Indians were founding members of the American Hockey Leagu ...

. In the 1967–68 season, he returned to the National Hockey League, playing for the

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

. He played for the Kings until he was traded to the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

on February 20, 1970. Rolfe stayed with Detroit for the remainder of the 1969–70 season and the majority of the 1970–71 season before being traded to the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

for Jim Krulicki where he would spend the rest of his professional career, retiring after the

1974–75 NHL season The 1974–75 NHL season was the 58th season of the National Hockey League. Two new teams, the Washington Capitals and Kansas City Scouts, were added, increasing the number of teams to 18. To accommodate the new teams, the NHL re-organized its ...

. Rolfe was noted for being at the wrong end of a lopsided

fight Combat (French language, French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent Conflict (process), conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed (Hand-to-hand combat, not usin ...

with Dave Schultz in a 4–3 defeat to the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

in the decisive Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals at The Spectrum on May 5, 1974. Dispelling any perception that his Rangers teammates were intimidated because they stood by and did nothing, Brad Park sent an

email Electronic mail (usually shortened to email; alternatively hyphenated e-mail) is a method of transmitting and receiving Digital media, digital messages using electronics, electronic devices over a computer network. It was conceived in the ...

to the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

'' in 2011 stating that the NHL "had brought the third-man-in rule, so someone would have gotten thrown out of the game with a game misconduct for intervening" and that Rolfe "looked me in the eye and said to stay out of it" for that exact reason when Park tried to step in. Rolfe's career as an active player ended as a result of a left

ankle fracture An ankle fracture is a break of one or more of the bones that make up the ankle joint. Symptoms may include pain, swelling, bruising, and an inability to walk on the injured leg. Complications may include an associated high ankle sprain, compar ...

when the blade of his skate caught a rut on

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

ice in the second period of an 8–6 Rangers loss to the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

on March 2, 1975. His left talus was pulled completely out of the

ankle joint The ankle, the talocrural region or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joint. Th ...

with the broken bones cutting through his hockey sock. Team orthopedist Dr. James Nicholas informed him that "there is a real and dangerous risk of reinjury" and advised him to stop playing hockey.Herman, Robin. "People in Sports," ''The New York Times'', Wednesday, October 1, 1975.
Retrieved January 14, 2025. Rolfe played a total of 509 NHL regular season games with 25 goals, 125 assists, and 556 penalty minutes. He was recognized by opponents to be a smart defender who used tremendous reach and strength to play the puck or take a man out of the play.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rolfe, Dale 1940 births Living people Boston Bruins players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey right wingers Detroit Red Wings players Hershey Bears players Ice hockey people from Timmins Kingston Frontenacs (EPHL) players Los Angeles Kings players New York Rangers players Portland Buckaroos players Springfield Indians players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen