David C. Debol (born 27 March 1956) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

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 ...

player. Debol played 92 games for the

NHL 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 ...

Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its 25-year existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1 ...

and 68 games for the WHA

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 ...

between 1978 and 1981. He was also a member of the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

hockey team before turning professional. Debol played for the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

at the

Ice Hockey World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), first officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the I ...

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

and

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

. Debol also played for the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...

hockey team and has been inducted into the

University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan#Athletics, University of Michigan sportsperson, athletes, Coach (sports), coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to t ...

Early life

Debol is native of

St. Clair Shores, Michigan St. Clair Shores is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, St. Clair Shores is located roughly northeast of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,874. History ...

. As a youth, he played in the 1967 and 1968

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament () is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, and give an opportunity for international competition to p ...

s with a

minor ice hockey Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...

team from St. Clair Shores.

University of Michigan

Debol enrolled at the

where he competed for a position on the

hockey team as a walk-on player. He made the team and became an All-American center who led the Wolverines to the finals of the NCAA's

Frozen Four The annual NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament is a college ice hockey tournament held in the United States by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to determine the top men's team in Division I. Like other Division I cham ...

ice hockey championship, where they lost in overtime to Wisconsin. Debol was called "the

Guy Lafleur Guy Damien Lafleur (September 20, 1951 – April 22, 2022), nicknamed "the Flower" and "Le Démon Blond", was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was the first player in National Hockey League (NHL) history to score 50 goals in six c ...

of college hockey" and was considered the best offensive player at Michigan since

Red Berenson Gordon Arthur "Red" Berenson (born December 8, 1939) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre, world champion, Stanley Cup champion and head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team from 1984 to 2017. Berenson was indu ...

. As a sophomore, Debol scored three goals in less than one minute to set an

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

record. In March 1977, Debol tied

's 14-year-old record for most goals scored in a season by a Michigan Wolverines hockey player with his 42nd goal. He finished the year with 43 goals. Debol set Michigan records for most assists in a season (56), most points in a season (99), career assists (120) and career points (222). As a senior, Debol led the

WCHA The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is a college ice hockey conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated as a men ...

in scoring with 43 goals and 56 assists.

Professional hockey

Debol was highly sought after by professional hockey teams. The

Chicago Black Hawks Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

acquired his

rights, and the

New England Whalers New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

acquired his WHA rights. The Whalers traded Debol's rights to the

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 in December 1977, the Oilers traded negotiating rights to Debol to the

for

Dennis Sobchuk Dennis James Sobchuk (born January 12, 1954) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 35 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). Early life Sobchuk was born in Lang, Saskatchewan. His older brother is Gene Sobchuk, al ...

. Debol signed with the Stingers in March 1978. Playing in his rookie season, Debol had 10 goals and 27 assists when he was struck in the eye with a hockey stick in a game against Winnipeg in March 1979. The following month, Debol underwent surgery at Bethesda Hospital in Cincinnati to re-attach the flap of the

retina The retina (; or retinas) is the innermost, photosensitivity, light-sensitive layer of tissue (biology), tissue of the eye of most vertebrates and some Mollusca, molluscs. The optics of the eye create a focus (optics), focused two-dimensional ...

on his left eye. Debol returned from the injury and was selected by the

in the 1979 Dispersal Draft when the WHA merged with the NHL. Debol played for the Whalers from 1979 to 1981. Playing on the same team as

Gordie Howe Gordon Howe (March 31, 1928 – June 10, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. From 1946 to 1980, he played 26 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) and six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA); his first 25 seaso ...

and his sons Mark and Marty, When Debol was born in 1956 in a Detroit suburb, Gordie Howe had already played ten seasons with 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 ...

, and in 1980 Debol was teammates with the 52-year-old Howe in his final NHL season. Debol had 26 goals and 26 assists in 92 games for the Whalers.

Later years

After retiring as a hockey player, Debol coached high school hockey at Dexter High School in Michigan. He currently coaches college hockey at the

University of Michigan–Dearborn The University of Michigan–Dearborn (UM-Dearborn) is a public university in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1959 with a gift from the Ford Motor Company, it was initially known as the Dearborn Center, operating as a remote branc ...

, in the ACHA Division I ranks. Debol has also owned and operated hockey schools, including Hockey Masters in

Chelsea, Michigan Chelsea is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,467 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The area was first settled as early as 1820 within the Michigan Terri ...

, and also Debol & Donnelly Skill Development. Debol lives in Saline, and has a son and a daughter, both of whom are hockey players. In 1996, Debol was inducted into the

. On 10 May 2016, Debol was named the inaugural head coach of his hometown team, the

St. Clair Shores Fighting Saints The St. Clair Shores Fighting Saints were a minor professional ice hockey team in the Federal Hockey League that began play in the 2016–17 season based in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. The Fighting Saints played their home games at the St. Clai ...

of the

Federal Hockey League The Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) is a professional ice hockey independent minor league with teams in the Midwestern, Southern, and Northeastern United States. The FPHL began operations in November 2010 as the Federal Hockey League. ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Debol, Dave 1956 births Living people AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans American men's ice hockey centers American ice hockey coaches Binghamton Whalers players Birmingham South Stars players Chicago Blackhawks draft picks Cincinnati Stingers (CHL) players Cincinnati Stingers players Cincinnati Tigers players Hartford Whalers players Ice hockey coaches from Michigan Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey players New England Whalers draft picks Oklahoma City Stars players People from St. Clair Shores, Michigan Sportspeople from Macomb County, Michigan Springfield Indians players 20th-century American sportsmen University of Michigan–Dearborn people Ice hockey players from Michigan