Dave Manson – Athlete

Dave Manson started playing hockey at a young age with the East End Rangers touring Prince Albert and area arenas. His playing career ended touring National Hockey League arenas after playing more than 1,100 NHL games.

Identified as an elite hockey player at the pee wee-bantam level, Dave played his first junior hockey game with the hometown Prince Albert Raiders as a 15 year old.  He developed into an intimidating physical defenceman with the Raiders. Over three seasons, Dave played 212 games, collected 24 goals and 71 assists for 95 points, and 657 penalty minutes.  The crowning achievement for Dave and the Raiders was claiming the 1985 Memorial Cup losing only two post-season games on the way to the championship.

Dave was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks 11th overall in 1985. He played one more year with the Raiders before graduating to the NHL at age 19.  Over the next 16 seasons, Dave played 1,103 regular season games with Chicago, Edmonton, Dallas, Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg/Phoenix. He scored 102 goals and 288 assists while collecting 2,792 penalty minutes. In the playoffs, Dave played 112 games, scored seven times and added 24 assists while picking up 343 penalty minutes.

Highlights in Dave’s NHL career included a trip to the 2000 Stanley Cup finals as a member of the Dallas Stars against the New Jersey Devils. In his fourth season in Chicago, Dave and the Blackhawks captured the Presidents Trophy for finishing first in the 1989-1990 regular season.

Family and friends gathered in Toronto on Nov. 17, 2003 to watch Dave, then a Maple Leaf, become the 151st NHL player to reach the 1,000 game mark.

Twice he was named to the NHL all-star game, first in 1989 as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks and again in 1993 with the Edmonton Oilers.  Dave recorded the fastest slap shot at the 1996 NHL Super Skills Competition with a 98 mile an hour blast.

Dave had an opportunity to represent his country in 1993 at the World Cup in Germany. His play on the blueline for Team Canada earned him a tournament all-star spot.

As a youngster, Dave was more than just a hockey player.  He played football in the Kinsmen Minor League.  Dave was equally gifted in track and field. His leap of 1.70 metres in the midget high jump event stood as a Prince Albert city record until 2003.  He was also a talented gymnast in the vault competition.Dave was named the 2004 Kinsmen 900 CKBI Sportsman of the Year and is on the Wall of Fame at Riverside School.

Off the ice, Dave has assisted several charities such as cystic fibrosis, lung disease and Habitat for Humanity in several cities.  He was also named an honorary coach for the Special Olympic Summer Games hosted in Prince Albert in 2002.

Dave returned to his Western Hockey League roots after his NHL career joining the Prince Albert Raiders as an assistant coach in 2003.

The Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame is proud to welcome Dave Manson in the athlete category.

Inducted into the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.