Val Fonteyne

Val Fonteyne
Born	(1933-12-02) December 2, 1933 Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	160 lb (73 kg; 11 st 6 lb)
Position	Left Wing
Shot	Left
Played for	NHL Pittsburgh Penguins New York Rangers Detroit Red Wings WHA Alberta/Edmonton Oilers
Playing career	1954–1974

Valere Ronald Fonteyne (born December 2, 1933) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1959 to 1972, serving the Detroit Red Wings (on two tours of duty), New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins, and in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 to 1974 with the Alberta/Edmonton Oilers.

Playing career

While not an offensive star, Fonteyne was a hard-working and effective defensive forward. He is regarded as one of the cleanest players in National Hockey League history. In 820 NHL games spanning 13 seasons, he served a remarkable total of just 26 minutes in the penalty box. He went completely unpenalized in five different seasons, including three in a row from 1965–1968. In a further 149 World Hockey Association games he was assessed only two minor penalties. In his entire professional career, Fonteyne only received a single fighting penalty.

In his NHL career, Fonteyne scored 75 goals and 154 assists for 229 points in 820 games. He also played in 59 playoff games, scoring 3 goals and 10 assists. He made it to the Stanley Cup finals with the Detroit Red Wings in 1961, 1963 and 1966 but lost each time.

The Alberta native was the first player chosen by the then-Alberta Oilers in the 1972 WHA General Player Draft; he played two seasons in the WHA before ending his career. He was one of 130 former Oilers to appear in a post-game ceremony when the Edmonton Oilers played their final game at Rexall Place in April 2016 before moving to a new arena.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1951–52	Medicine Hat Tigers	WCHL		41	9	9	18	5		—	—	—	—	—
1952–53	Medicine Hat Tigers	WCHL		31	7	14	21	4		4	4	2	6	0
1953–54	Medicine Hat Tigers	WCHL		36	14	14	28	18		10	1	5	6	12
1954–55	New Westminster Royals	WHL		7	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1954–55	Kelowna Packers	OSHL		41	9	10	19	2		4	0	0	0	0
1955–56	Seattle Americans	WHL		70	18	18	36	0		—	—	—	—	—
1956–57	Seattle Americans	WHL		70	24	40	64	6		6	5	1	6	2
1957–58	Seattle Americans	WHL		70	34	41	75	11		9	4	4	8	0
1958–59	Seattle Totems	WHL		64	32	49	81	2		12	6	5	11	0
1959–60	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		69	4	7	11	2		6	0	4	4	0
1960–61	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		66	6	11	17	4		11	2	3	5	0
1961–62	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		70	5	5	10	4		—	—	—	—	—
1962–63	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		67	6	14	20	2		11	0	0	0	2
1963–64	New York Rangers	NHL		69	7	18	25	4		—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	Baltimore Clippers	AHL		9	2	3	5	2		—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	New York Rangers	NHL		27	0	1	1	2		—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		16	2	5	7	4		5	0	1	1	0
1965–66	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		59	5	10	15	0		12	1	0	1	4
1965–66	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL		12	5	7	12	6		—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		28	1	1	2	0		—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL		17	5	11	16	0		9	3	5	8	4
1967–68	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		69	6	28	34	0		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		74	12	17	29	2		—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		68	11	15	26	2		10	0	2	2	0
1970–71	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		70	4	9	13	0		—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		68	6	13	19	0		4	0	0	0	2
1972–73	Alberta Oilers	WHA		77	7	32	39	2		1	0	0	0	0
1973–74	Edmonton Oilers	WHA		72	9	13	22	2		5	1	0	1	0
WHA totals				149	16	45	61	4		6	1	0	1	0
NHL totals				820	75	145	229	26		59	3	10	13	8

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database