David Edward Fortier (born June 17, 1951) 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 who played in 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 ...

and 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) ...

during the 1970s. Selected by the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

in the

1971 NHL Amateur Draft The 1971 NHL Amateur Draft was the ninth NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 10, 1971, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. The last active player in the NHL from this draft class was Larry Robinson, who retired after the 1991– ...

, Fortier spent most of the next three seasons in the minor

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

, though he played one season with Toronto before joining the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

for two seasons, with his final NHL season with the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...

. He then moved to the Indianapolis Racers of the

, and spent a final season in the minor leagues before retiring in 1979.

Playing career

A hard-nosed, physical defender, Fortier was selected 23rd overall by the

in the

. He spent most of the next three seasons in the

, earning a 23-game callup to the Maple Leafs in 1972–73 during which he scored his first NHL goal and added 4 assists. Fortier was traded along with

Randy Osburn Randoulf Allan Osburn (born November 26, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played 27 National Hockey League (NHL) games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a profes ...

from the Maple Leafs to the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...

for

Bill Flett William Mayer Flett (July 21, 1943 – July 12, 1999) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League for the Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Flames. Flett then moved t ...

on May 27, 1974.William Flett (RW) 1971–1974 – Philadelphia Flyers.
Retrieved January 24, 2023. He was claimed by the

in the intra-league draft a few weeks later. He emerged as a regular for the Islanders in 1974–75, recording 6 goals and 18 points in 65 games, as well as a solid +14 rating. In the playoffs, he was a member of the Islander team which memorably came back from a 3–0 series deficit to defeat the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

and reach the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

semi-finals. In 1975–76, Fortier saw his icetime significantly reduced, and he recorded just 2 assists in 59 games for the Islanders. Prior to the 1976–77 campaign, he was sold to the Vancouver Canucks. He spent one season in Vancouver as a solid depth defender, recording 4 points and 125 penalty minutes in 58 games. For the 1977–78 season, Fortier jumped to the

to sign with the Indianapolis Racers. With the Racers, he recorded 1 goal and 15 assists for 16 points in 54 games. However, he found himself in the minors the following season, and retired from the sport in 1979. During his career, Fortier appeared in 205 NHL games, scoring 8 goals and 21 assists for 29 points along with 335 penalty minutes. He also appeared in 20 playoff games, recording 2 assists and 33 penalty minutes.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

*
Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fortier, Dave 1951 births Living people Canadian ice hockey defencemen Ice hockey people from Greater Sudbury Indianapolis Racers players New York Islanders players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Toronto Maple Leafs draft picks Toronto Maple Leafs players Vancouver Canucks players