About Dale Hunter
Dale Robert Hunter (born July 31, 1960) is a Canadian junior ice hockey executive and former player. He played as a centre in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 19 seasons with the Quebec Nordiques, Washington Capitals, and the Colorado Avalanche. He is currently the co-owner, president, and head coach of the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. Formerly, he was the head coach of the Capitals. Drafted as the 41st overall pick in the 1979 draft by the Quebec Nordiques, he started his NHL career in the 1980–81 season and immediately became noted for his combination of intimidation and skill, which saw him start out with six consecutive seasons with at least 200 penalty minutes. He was traded to the Capitals prior to the 1987–88 season, becoming team captain in 1994. His rough play became most infamous in the 1993 playoffs when he issued an illegal check on Pierre Turgeon after a goal that saw Hunter suspended 21 games for what was a league record for violent play. He recorded his 1,000th point in the 1997–98 season, his final full season with Washington before he was traded midway through the following year to Colorado prior to his retirement in 1999. He retired with 1,020 points in 1,407 games while recording 3,565 penalty minutes to become the first (and so far only) player with 1,000 points and 3,000 penalty minutes in NHL history. He also recorded 731 penalty minutes in the Stanley Cup playoffs, a league record. His jersey was retired by the Capitals in 2000. After his playing career ended, he made a bid with his brother and others to buy the London Knights that saw him become team president and head coach in 2001. He departed the team to become head coach of the Capitals in the 2011–12 season, but he stepped down at the close of the season to return to the Knights. With London, he has led them to Memorial Cup championships in 2005, 2016, and 2025; he is currently the all-time winningest coach in the Memorial Cup and one of only two coaches with three Memorial Cup victories. As a result of the incident, Hunter was suspended for the first 21 games of the 1993–94 season as part of new commissioner Gary Bettman's effort to crack down on violent play. Hunter holds the record for the player with the most penalty minutes to have scored 1,000 or more points. He is the middle of three Hunter brothers, with older brother Dave and younger brother Mark, to play in the NHL.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.