David Stephen Forbes (born November 16, 1948) is a Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

player. He played for the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

and

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

between 1973 and 1978, and for the

Cincinnati Stingers The Cincinnati Stingers were an ice hockey team based in Cincinnati that played in the World Hockey Association from 1975 to 1979 and in the Central Hockey League during the 1979–80 season. Their home arena was Riverfront Coliseum. They are ...

of the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

between 1978 and 1979.

Playing career

Forbes played for

American International College American International College (AIC) is a private college in Springfield, Massachusetts. History American International College was originally established on July 18, 1885, as the French Protestant College by Rev. Calvin E. Amaron, who sough ...

between 1967 and 1971. He signed as a free agent in 1973 with the

, and made his NHL debut that year. Forbes made an impact as a defensive-minded forward as he helped guide the Bruins to the finals in 1974 during his rookie season, and to the finals in 1977. Forbes played four seasons with Boston until he was claimed by the

in the Waiver Draft prior to the 1977–78 season. After playing one season with the Capitals, he was released after only playing two games during the 1978–79 season and signed to play for the

of the

Criminal charges

Forbes was charged with

aggravated assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...

in Minneapolis in 1975 after butt-ending

Henry Boucha Henry Charles Boucha ( ; born June 1, 1951) is an American former professional ice hockey center. Boucha played in both the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA) between 1971 and 1977. In the NHL he played for the Detro ...

's eye socket in a game against the Minnesota North Stars, leaving Boucha with limited vision in the right eye. The trial received much publicity as it was highly unusual for an athlete to face criminal charges for assault during a game. The trial ended with a hung jury; the charges were not refiled. Forbes was suspended for 10 games by the NHL, and Forbes and the Bruins settled a civil case by paying Boucha in excess of one million dollars.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* 1948 births Living people American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey players Anglophone Quebec people Binghamton Dusters players Boston Braves (AHL) players Boston Bruins players Canadian ice hockey left wingers Cincinnati Stingers players Dayton Gems players Ice hockey people from Montreal Oklahoma City Blazers (1965–1977) players Undrafted National Hockey League players Violence in sports Washington Capitals players {{canada-icehockey-winger-1940s-stub