Duncan Shepherd Wilson (born March 22, 1948) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

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 ...

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...

who spent ten seasons 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 ...

between 1969 and 1979, with 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

, and

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 ...

. Wilson made his NHL debut with Philadelphia in 1970, and then spent three seasons with the expansion Canucks. Traded to Toronto in 1973, he played part of two seasons there before going to New York in 1975, and then to Pittsburgh for two seasons before finishing his NHL career with the Canucks.

Playing career

Wilson was originally signed by 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 rose through their junior system, but was drafted away by the

in 1968 just before turning professional. He would spend two seasons with the

Quebec Aces The Quebec Aces, also known in French as Les As de Québec, were an amateur and later a professional men's ice hockey team from Quebec City, Quebec. History The Aces were founded in 1928 by Anglo-Canadian Pulp and Paper Mills, the name Aces stan ...

, Philadelphia's AHL affiliate, appearing in a single NHL game for the Flyers in the 1969–70 season, on February 26, 1970 against the

Chicago Black Hawks (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Exposed in the

1970 NHL Expansion Draft The 1970 NHL Expansion Draft was the second expansion draft of the National Hockey League (NHL). The draft was held on June 10, 1970, a day before the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft. The expansion draft was held to allow the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver C ...

, Wilson was claimed by the

. In Vancouver, he received a chance to stick in the NHL full-time as one of three goaltenders carried by the team in their inaugural campaign. His first professional season would be rocky, as he posted a dismal 3–25–2 record in 35 appearances. However, he was recognized as having significant potential, and at age 22 was viewed as the club's long-term starter ( Charlie Hodge, the team's main goaltending option that year, was 37). When Hodge retired following a contract dispute, Wilson became Vancouver's starting goalie for 1971–72, and responded in fine fashion. He appeared in 53 games for the Canucks, posting a 16–30–3 record (his backups went 4–20–5) and a solid 3.61 GAA. In 1972–73, he had another solid year, finishing 13–21–5 with a 3.94 GAA. In 1973, Vancouver acquired highly rated veteran Gary 'Suitcase' Smith to take over as the team's starting goalie and Wilson, now expendable, was dealt to the

. He spent nearly two seasons in Toronto backing up

Doug Favell Douglas Robert Favell (born April 5, 1945) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and former box lacrosse player. Favell played in the National Hockey League for the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Rockies. ...

before being waived and claimed by the

late in the 1974–75 season. He backed up John Davidson for the Rangers in 1975–76, but suffered through a disappointing year, winning just 5 games and being demoted briefly to the minors for the first time since 1970. Dealt to the

for a draft pick, Wilson would experience a rebirth in 1976–77. He emerged as Pittsburgh's starting netminder, appearing in 45 games and posting an 18–19–8 record and a sparkling 2.95 GAA along with 5 shutouts. In the process, he was named team MVP by both the franchise and their booster club. However, in 1977–78 his form would desert him, as he lost his starting job to

Denis Herron Denis Bernard Herron (born June 18, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Kansas City Scouts, and Pittsburgh Penguins in the National Hockey League. Playing career Herron played juni ...

, and posted a 5–11–3 record with a dismal 4.83 GAA. Wilson started the 1978–79 season in the AHL after being beaten out for the backup job by rookie

Greg Millen Gregory H. Millen (born June 25, 1957) is a Canadian hockey commentator-analyst and a former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 14 seasons for six teams in the National Hockey League (NHL). He is currently a colour commentator on ''Ho ...

, but received a homecoming of sorts when he was sold to the Canucks a month into the season. However, his form would be no better in Vancouver as he won just twice in 17 appearances, and he retired at the end of the season. Following his retirement he sued the Canucks, alleging that they didn't properly treat a mole which turned out to be

skin cancer Skin cancers are cancers that arise from the skin. They are due to the development of abnormal cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. There are three main types of skin cancers: basal-cell skin cancer (BCC) ...

, and which later required extensive surgery to remove, helping to prematurely end his career. In 287 career NHL games, Wilson posted an 80–150–33 record along with 8 shutouts and a 3.74 GAA. Although his career record is one of the poorest amongst goalies who have appeared in over 200 games, this is less a reflection of his actual ability than it is of his playing a significant role in the first three seasons of a very poor expansion team.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

External links

*
Profile at hockeygoalies.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Dunc 1948 births Baltimore Clippers players Binghamton Dusters players Canadian ice hockey goaltenders Dallas Black Hawks players Living people New York Rangers players Niagara Falls Flyers players Oshawa Generals players Sportspeople from Toronto Peterborough Petes (ice hockey) players Philadelphia Flyers players Pittsburgh Penguins players Quebec Aces (AHL) players Toronto Maple Leafs players Vancouver Canucks players