| Ab DeMarco, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 27, 1949 Cleveland, OH, USA |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb) |
| Position | Defense |
| Shot | Right |
| Played for | New York Rangers St. Louis Blues Pittsburgh Penguins Vancouver Canucks Los Angeles Kings Boston Bruins Edmonton Oilers (WHA) |
| Playing career | 1969–1979 |
Albert Thomas "Ab" DeMarco, Jr. (born February 27, 1949 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a retired professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association during the 1970s. A skilled defender, he was noted for his shot, considered one of the hardest in the sport at the time. He is the son of Ab DeMarco Sr., who starred for the New York Rangers in the 1940s.
DeMarco was born in the United States while his father was playing for the Cleveland Barons, but was raised in North Bay, Ontario. He played his junior hockey for the Kitchener Rangers and, after representing Canada at the 1969 World Championships, he was signed by the New York Rangers, the team with which his father spent the majority of his career.
DeMarco would spend the majority of his first two professional seasons in the minors, earning brief NHL callups to New York both years. In 1971–72, he stuck with the Rangers full-time, recording 4 goals and 11 points in 48 games. Late in the 1972–73 season, however, he was dealt to the St. Louis Blues. Given an opportunity to play more and receive time on the powerplay, Demarco responded in style, with 13 points in 14 games for the Blues, to give him a total of 30 points on the season.
However, despite his great start in St. Louis, he would last less than a year for the Blues before being traded again, to the Pittsburgh Penguins. This would be the pattern of his career, as he would become something of a nomad—offense-starved teams would pick him up to help their powerplay, but eventually grow frustrated at his poor defensive play and lack of grit, and he would find himself on the move again. He finished the 1973–74 season with 31 points in 59 games between St. Louis and Pittsburgh.
Early in the 1974–75 campaign, DeMarco was dealt again, this time to the Vancouver Canucks. In Vancouver, he had perhaps the best season of his NHL career, as he posted a career-high 12 goals in helping the team to a division championship and their first-ever playoff berth. On the powerplay, he was one of the most dynamic performers in the league, as his 9 PP goals for a blueliner ranked behind only Hall of Famers Bobby Orr and Guy Lapointe.
After a poor offensive start to the 1975–76 season, however, DeMarco was dealt again, this time to the Los Angeles Kings, and he finished the year with a disappointing 18 points in 64 games. By the following year, he found himself in the minors for the first time since 1971, appearing in just 33 games for LA and scoring 6 points. For the 1977–78 campaign, with his NHL career at a standstill, he jumped to the rival World Hockey Association to sign with the Edmonton Oilers. The move failed to revitalize him, however, and he spent only a season in Edmonton, registering 6 goals and 14 points in 47 games.
DeMarco returned to the NHL for the 1978–79 season, signing with the Boston Bruins, but appeared in only three games for the team. After a season in Switzerland, he retired in 1980. He finished his career with totals of 44 goals and 80 assists for 124 points in 344 NHL games.