Former NHL defenseman Ed Van Impe, who played in the league from 1966 to 1977, has passed away at age 84, according to a statement from the Flyers.
Undrafted, Van Impe spent six years playing minor professional hockey with the WHL-Sr.’s Calgary Stampeders and the AHL’s Buffalo Bisons before earning his first NHL contract with the Blackhawks (then the Black Hawks) at age 26. The hard-hitting 5’10”, 205-lb lefty impressed as a rookie, finishing second in Calder Trophy voting in the final season of the Original Six era with an 8-11–19 scoring line, a +29 rating, and a team-leading 111 PIMs in 61 games.
Van Impe was drafted by the Flyers in the expansion draft the following offseason, marking the beginning of where he spent the vast majority of his career. The Saskatchewan native appeared in 620 regular-season games for the Flyers over the next nine seasons, posting 19 goals, 107 assists, 126 points, and a +68 rating with 891 PIMs. He was part of the team’s back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 1974 and 1975, posting seven points and a +18 rating in 34 games across the two championship runs.
A three-time All-Star Game participant, Van Impe spent the final season and a half of his NHL career with the cross-state rival Penguins following a 1976 trade deadline deal. He finished his NHL career with 27 goals, 126 assists, 153 points, and a +99 rating in 703 games. Even today, he’s still fourth on the Flyers’ all-time list of games played among defensemen.
All of us at PHR send our condolences to Van Impe’s friends and family and the Flyers organization.
Remember Eddie Van Impe well. Solid D man and team player. RIP man.
Edward Van Impe did it his way.
The originator of the “Ed Van Impe hip check” which was Ed sticking his butt out and sending the forward flying head over heels. Not to mention Ed going down on his knees in front of the goal to block shots. Twice he took slap shots to the mouth, knocking out his teeth. One time he came back to play in the third period after missing the second for medical repairs. You don’t see that these days. Old school, stay at home defenseman–R.I.P.
If I’m not mistaken, it was Ed who caused the Red Army team to leave the ice after dumping one of their players to the ice. Well done, sir!
Truly a Flyers great. RIP.
Ed elbowed Valeri Kharlomov, who went down to the ice like he was shot. The Soviet coach pulled his team off the ice in protest. In turn Flyers owner Ed Snider told the Soviets that they would not get paid if they forfeited the game. Closet capitalists they were and the team returned to the ice. Later Ed Van Impe said Kharlomov “accidentally ran into my elbow.”
It was a jolt when I saw this earlier on Wikipedia. Any hockey fan in the 70s knew what Van Impe was: a hardrock defensive defenseman who backed away from no one. There wasn’t a bit of flash in his game, but also never an ounce of surrender. Rest well, Ed; we won’t see your like again.