David Richard Langevin (born May 15, 1954) is an American 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 ...
defenseman
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 ...
who played 216 games for 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 ...
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) as well as 513 games 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
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
,
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
and
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. ...
between 1977 and 1987. He is a member of the
United States Hockey Hall of Fame
The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials an ...
.
Amateur career
Langevin played for the
University of Minnesota Duluth
The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is a public university in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the University of Minnesota System. UMD offers 17 bachelor's degrees in 87 majors, graduate programs in 24 different fields, a tw ...
ice hockey team in 1972–76. He was also a member of the US national team at the 1976
Ice Hockey World Championship
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 E ...
tournament in
Katowice
Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...
.
Professional career
Drafted 112th overall by the NY Islanders in the
1974 NHL Entry Draft, Langevin instead chose to sign with the Edmonton Oilers of the rival
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 ...
, who also had selected him in the WHA draft the same year, since his prospects of getting regular playing time were better in the WHA. Langevin became a solid performer for the Oilers, making the All-WHA Second All-Star team in 1978–79. When the Oilers joined the NHL the following season, the Islanders reclaimed him as a former New York draft pick.
Langevin started his
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 ...
career with the
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
, winning four consecutive Stanley Cups. He also played with the
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
and
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. ...
. His NHL career lasted from
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
to
1987
Events January
* January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency.
* January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade.
* January 3 – Afghan leader ...
. Langevin played in the
1983 NHL All-Star Game and he was a member of the United States team at the
1981 Canada Cup
The 1981 Labatt Canada Cup was the second best-on-best ice hockey world championship and involved the world's top six hockey nations. Tournament games were held in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Ottawa. The Soviet Union defeated Canada in a s ...
.
Langevin was a strictly defensive defenseman, whose forte was full-body checking. Langevin was instrumental in the Islanders' come-back victory in the 1985 playoffs against the Washington Capitals. Benched for the first two losses, he entered game three with a decisive physical presence, most notably checking sniper Mike Gartner with a powerful hip check. The Islanders went on to win three straight and became the only team ever to lose the first two games of a five-game series and go on to win.
Post Playing Career
Langevin served as head coach of the expansion
Idaho Steelheads
The Idaho Steelheads are an American professional minor league ice hockey team based in Boise, Idaho, and a member of the ECHL. The Steelheads play in the Mountain Division of the ECHL's Western Conference since the 2016–17 season.
In 1996, t ...
of the
West Coast Hockey League
The West Coast Hockey League (WCHL) was a professional minor ice hockey league active in the Western United States from 1995 to 2003. The number of teams ranged from six to nine. The teams were located in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Id ...
(WCHL) during the 1997–98 season. After a single season in Idaho, he returned to Minnesota and became a real estate appraiser and high school hockey coach. He also served as a South Suburban (MnJHL) head coach until the team folded following the 2001–02 season. He has also done part-time work for the
NHL Central Scouting Bureau
The NHL Central Scouting Services (CSS) is a department within the National Hockey League (NHL) that ranks prospects for the NHL entry draft at specific times during the hockey season. Players are ranked based on how well they will translate t ...
after his retirement.
Langevin, who wore #26 for the Islanders, was inducted into the
United States Hockey Hall of Fame
The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials an ...
in 1993.
Awards and honors
*WHA Second All-Star Team (1979)
*Played in the NHL All-Star Game (1983)
*Stanley Cup Champions (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983)
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
Dave Langevin's profile at Hockeydraftcentral.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Langevin, Dave
1954 births
Living people
American men's ice hockey defensemen
Edmonton Oilers (WHA) draft picks
Edmonton Oilers (WHA) players
Ice hockey people from Saint Paul, Minnesota
Los Angeles Kings players
Minnesota North Stars players
National Hockey League All-Stars
New Haven Nighthawks players
New York Islanders draft picks
New York Islanders players
Stanley Cup champions
United States Hockey Hall of Fame inductees