George Dale Pelawa (February 22, 1968 – August 30, 1986) was a high school hockey

right winger A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

from

Bemidji Bemidji ( ) is a city and the county seat of Beltrami County, Minnesota, Beltrami County, in northern Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,574 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. According to 2021 census estimates, the city ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. He was named Minnesota Mr. Hockey in 1986 as the top high-school player in the state and was selected in the first round, 16th overall, by the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

in the

1986 NHL Entry Draft The 1986 NHL Entry Draft was the 24th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 21, 1986, at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League (NHL) teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the revers ...

. He died in an automobile accident three months after the draft.

Playing career

Pelawa was a three-sport star. As a first baseman, he led his school to the Minnesota State Baseball tournament in 1985 and was scouted by the Minnesota Twins. He was also an all-state football linebacker, recruited to play in the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

by Notre Dame, Penn State and

. As a hockey player, Pelawa set new records at Bemidji High for goals and points, leading the school to the state championship tournament in his junior and senior years. He scored 29 goals and 55 points in his senior year and was named Minnesota Mr. Hockey for 1986. He committed to play for the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of N ...

, and was selected in the first round, 16th overall, by the

at the

. His nicknames in hockey were "Ice Box" and "The Great White Shark", and at 245 pounds, would have been the biggest player in NHL history if he had played at the time he was drafted.

Death

Shortly after moving into his dorm at North Dakota, Pelawa had returned to Bemidji and was visiting with family and friends on the night of August 30, 1986. He and his brother Joe were returning from a night out when their car broke down. After picking up another car, the pair were returning to the stalled vehicle when they were struck by another driver. Joe, who was driving their car, and the other driver were both hospitalized with serious injuries. George suffered massive internal injuries, and was declared dead at the scene. The Beltrami County Sheriff's office stated that he was not wearing a seatbelt, and likely would have survived if he had. Both drivers were found to have been intoxicated, and the accident occurred after Joe failed to yield at a T-intersection.

Tom Cochrane Thomas William Cochrane ( ; born May 14, 1953) is a Canadian musician best known as the frontman for the rock band Red Rider and for his work as a solo singer-songwriter. Cochrane has won eight Juno Awards. He is a member of the Canadian Music H ...

's song "

Big League ''Big League'' was the official magazine of the National Rugby League. Its predecessor, ''The Rugby League News'', was first published in 1920; in 1974 it was rebranded as ''Big League''. In 2020, due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in ...

" was rumoured to be about Pelawa. Cochrane says the lyrics are based on a true story, but that it is about another player. The Flames, meanwhile, honored Pelawa by offering a scholarship to Bemidji High School students in his name.Community Funds: By City: Bemidji
/ref> Pelawa's parents, Frank and Winnie, continued to fund the scholarship after the Flames' 20-year commitment expired in 2007; however, the team and Pelawa's friends resumed their commitment to maintaining the scholarship in 2010.

References

External links

* * NHL Network tells George's Story - https://web.archive.org/web/20120320085434/http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=119677 * Photos of George - https://calgaryherald.com/sports/Photo+Gallery+George+Pelawa/3004859/story.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Pelawa, George 1968 births 1986 deaths American men's ice hockey right wingers Calgary Flames draft picks Ice hockey players from Minnesota National Hockey League first-round draft picks People from Bemidji, Minnesota Road incident deaths in Minnesota