Richard Joseph Meagher (born November 2, 1953) 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 ...

player. Meagher played almost 700 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) with the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

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 ...

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

and

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

. He won the Selke Trophy in

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

with the Blues. he was a scout for the

Playing career

Not drafted by a

(NHL) team, Meagher's playing career began with the

Boston University Terriers The Boston University Terriers are the ten men's and fourteen women's Varsity team, varsity athletic teams representing Boston University in NCAA Division I competition. Boston University's team nickname is the Terriers, and the official mascot ...

. He played four seasons at Boston University, winning numerous awards, including being named to both the First and Second All-Star teams twice. Meagher was named to the

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. ...

East All-American team three times, and also was placed on the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team. In 1977–78, Meagher was signed by the

as a free agent. He spent the first three years in 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) with the

Nova Scotia Voyageurs The Nova Scotia Voyageurs were a professional ice hockey team, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They played in the American Hockey League, from 1971 to 1984. Originally chartered as the Omaha Knights of the Central Professional Hockey Leagu ...

. In 1979–80, Meagher played for the first time in the NHL, playing a total of two games for the Canadiens. The following season, Meagher was traded to the

. With Hartford, he recorded 17 points in 27 games, but still played most of the season with their AHL affiliate, the

Binghamton Whalers The Binghamton Whalers were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, playing in Binghamton, New York, USA, at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. History The Whalers were generally a successful team, making the playoffs seven ti ...

. The 1981–82 season had Meagher playing full-time in the NHL, recording 24 goals while centering a line with

Don Nachbaur Donald Kenneth Nachbaur (born January 30, 1959) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is currently serving as head coach for the Wenatchee Wild in the Western Hockey League (WHL). He played eight seasons in the Nationa ...

and Warren Miller. In 1982–83, Meagher played in only four games with the Whalers before being traded to the

. Meagher played three seasons with New Jersey, until 1984–85, when he was traded to the

. It was in St. Louis that Meagher had his most productive years, playing on a line with star

Bernie Federko Bernard Allan Federko (born May 12, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played fourteen seasons in the National Hockey League from 1976 through 1990. Playing career Federko began playing hockey at a young age in his ho ...

. He was a two-way forward and a top penalty killer in the league. In 1989–90, a season in which he was also named

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

of the Blues, Meagher received the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward. After 1990–91, Meagher retired due to injuries.

Awards and honors

* Metro OHA-B Rookie of the Year awards winner in 1972. * Frank J. Selke Trophy winner in

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Meagher, Rick 1953 births Living people AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey centres Frank Selke Trophy winners Hartford Whalers players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Maine Mariners (AHL) players Montreal Canadiens players New Jersey Devils players Nova Scotia Voyageurs players St. Louis Blues coaches St. Louis Blues players St. Louis Blues scouts Ice hockey people from Belleville, Ontario Undrafted National Hockey League players Canadian ice hockey coaches St. Louis Blues announcers