Former Chicago Black Hawk Tom Lysiak has died of Leukemia, his daughter, Jessica Lysiak Braun confirmed on Twitter on Monday.
He was 63.
Lysiak was born April 22, 1953 in High Prairie, Alberta. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound forward would become a star player for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League, winning the Bob Clarke Trophy as the WHL’s leading scorer in each of his two seasons. He scored 58 goals and 96 assists in 67 regular-season games during the 1972-73 season.
At the 1973 NHL Draft, Lysiak was selected No. 2 overall by the Atlanta Flames. Denis Potvin was picked No. 1 overall by the New York Islanders.
Lysiak led the Flames in scoring his rookie season, just Atlanta’s second season in the NHL. He led the Flames in scoring in each of his first five seasons and was a three-time All-Star (1975, 1976, 1977).
During the 1978-79 season, Lysiak was traded from Atlanta to Chicago in an eight-player deal. He scored 137 goals and 275 assists in 474 regular season games across eight seasons with the Black Hawks. His 76 points, including a career-high 55 assists led Chicago in scoring during the 1980-81 season. The next season, he matched his career-high point total of 82 and scored a career-high 32 goals.
Lysiak’s time in Chicago is most known for tripping linesman Ron Foyt during a 6-1 Chicago victory over the Hartford Whalers on Oct. 30, 1983. He was given a 20-game suspension for the incident.
In 2012, Lysiak was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. He shares the honor with one-time Blackhawks teammate Eddie Olczyk (Class of 2004).
Lysiak’s son-in-law, Justin Braun, is a defenseman on the San Jose Sharks.