| Rick St. Croix | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 3, 1955 Kenora, ON, CAN |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st 6 lb) |
| Position | Goaltender |
| Caught | Left |
| Played for | Philadelphia Flyers Toronto Maple Leafs |
| NHL Draft | 72nd overall, 1975 Philadelphia Flyers |
| WHA Draft | 169th overall, 1975 Houston Aeros |
| Playing career | 1975–1986 |
Richard St. Croix (born January 3, 1955) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He is currently one of the assistant coaches of the AHL's Manitoba Moose. He was a 4th round NHL draft pick, as were his two sons.
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St. Croix was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 4th round of the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft after a junior hockey career with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA).[1] He was also drafted by the World Hockey Association Houston Aeros in the 13th round of the 1975 WHA Amateur Draft.[1] He had been a Second Team OHA All Star in 1973.[2]
St. Croix made his NHL debut for the Flyers during the 1977-78 season on February 16, 1978 at the Spectrum against the Minnesota North Stars.[1][3] He played 7 games for the Flyers that season, while playing most of the season with the Maine Mariners of the American Hockey League (AHL).[1] He played 2 games for the Flyers in 1978-79 and one game for the record-setting Flyer team of 1979-80.[1] In 1979-80 he also won the Hap Holmes Memorial Award, awarded to goaltenders playing at least 25 games for the AHL team with the lowest goals against average, sharing the award with teammate Robbie Moore.[1][4][5][6] He was also named a First Team AHL All-Star that season.[2][4] 1980-81 was St. Croix's first full season in the NHL, in which he split time as the Flyers' goaltender with Pete Peeters and Phil Myre.[1][7] He spent 2 1/2 years with the Flyers before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1982-83 season in exchange for goaltender Michel Larocque.[1][3][8]
St. Croix's final NHL season was 1984-85, which he split between the Maple Leafs and the AHL St. Catharines Saints.[1] He spent one more season as a professional hockey player, 1985-86 with the International Hockey League (IHL) Fort Wayne Komets.[1] With the Komets that season, he shared the IHL James Norris Memorial Trophy with teammate Pokey Reddick, awarded to the goaltender(s) having the fewest goals against during the season.[1][4][9][10] He was also named an IHL Second Team All Star that season.[4][8]
After retiring as a player, St. Croix became a coach. He served as an assistant coach for the Winnipeg Jets for the 1987-88 and 1988-89 seasons.[1] He was later named goaltending coach for the Dallas Stars where he won the Stanley Cup with the team in 1999.[3][4] He is currently the assistant coach for the Manitoba Moose AHL hockey club, a job he has held since 2008.[1]
St. Croix's youngest son, Michael plays junior hockey as a forward for the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League.[3][11][12] He was drafted by the New York Rangers in the 4th round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.[13] His oldest son, Chris, was a 4th round draft choice of the Calgary Flames in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, and played professional hockey as a defenseman in Germany, as well as in the AHL, ECHL and CHL.[3][14][15][16] He also has two daughters.[3] In addition to his coaching duties, he also runs a goaltending school.[3]