John Taft (ice hockey)
American ice hockey player (born 1954)
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John Philip Taft (born March 8, 1954) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman.
Born
March 8, 1954
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Height
6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight
194 lb (88 kg; 13 st 12 lb)
Position
Defense
| John Taft | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
March 8, 1954 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 194 lb (88 kg; 13 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Detroit Red Wings | ||
| National team |
 United States | ||
| NHL draft |
81st overall, 1974 Detroit Red Wings | ||
| WHA draft |
120th overall, 1974 Phoenix Roadrunners | ||
| Playing career | 1977–1983 | ||
Early life
Taft was born in Minneapolis. Prior to turning professional, he played for the Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey team at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Career
Taft played 15 games in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings in the 1978–79 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1977 to 1983, was spent in the minor leagues. Taft played for the American national team at the 1976 Winter Olympics, and the 1973, 1974 and 1975 World Championships.
Personal life
Taft's daughter, Jenny Taft, is a reporter for Fox Sports 1.[1]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1971–72 | Minneapolis Southwest High School | HS-MN | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WCHA | 40 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WCHA | 36 | 1 | 17 | 18 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WCHA | 38 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | United States National Team | Intl | 51 | 9 | 34 | 43 | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WCHA | 42 | 15 | 43 | 58 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Kansas City Red Wings | CHL | 71 | 5 | 22 | 27 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Kansas City Red Wings | CHL | 61 | 8 | 24 | 32 | 48 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1979–80 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 47 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | CHL | 68 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 68 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 33 | ||
| 1981–82 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | CHL | 70 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 46 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1982–83 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | CHL | 77 | 5 | 25 | 30 | 65 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| CHL totals | 347 | 32 | 106 | 138 | 252 | 28 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 41 | ||||
| NHL totals | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-NCAA All-Tournament Team | 1973, 1977 | [2] |
| All-WCHA Second Team | 1976–77 | [3] |
