Babych Brothers

A couple of years ago, I added the Turgeon brothers to this "Siblings on Cards" series. One of the fascinating things I discovered about the Turgeons is that they're the highest drafted brother combination in NHL history. Sylvain was the 2nd overall pick of the Hartford Whalers in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, while younger brother Pierre was the 1st overall pick by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft.

 

But did you know that a few years earlier, another two brothers came awfully close to those numbers? Guess who they were.

 

Wayne Babych was drafted 3rd overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft.

 

Dave Babych was drafted 2nd overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft.

 

 

Yeah. I would never have guessed that, either. In fact, although I was familiar with the name Dave Babych, I can't say that his brother Wayne Babych was anything other than a name on a hockey card that I might have glanced at while flipping through 1980s commons here and there.

 

Let's right that wrong, first with some cards.

 

1981-82 O-Pee-Chee #290 Wayne Babych and #358 Dave Babych

 

Wayne and Dave are looking good there, and why not? Both brothers were having standout seasons around that time.

Let's first talk a little more about right winger Wayne. Baseball was his favorite sport growing up, and he must have been a very solid player, because along with the pro hockey offers he received, there were also five Major League Baseball teams interested in his services. Five! 

 

Wayne chose pro hockey, though, and it was a pretty good decision. As a teenager, he was selected to play for team Canada in the 1978 U20 World Championship. The following year he represented his country with the big boys in the 1979 World Championship. That was also his first season in the NHL, and he made folks take notice, finishing third in Calder voting (rookie of the year) behind winner Bobby Smith and second-place finisher Ryan Walter.

 

In his best NHL season, 1980-81, Wayne received some Selke trophy votes (awarded to the best defensive forward). He also represented the Campbell Conference in the All-Star game that year, recording 1 goal. (No wonder, as he'd finish the season with 54!) Across his career, Wayne suited up for St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Quebec, and Hartford. To this day, he, Brett Hull, and Brendan Shanahan are the only Blues players to have recorded 50 goals in a season.

 

As for little brother and defenseman Dave, he had much longer career. He also represented Team Canada like older brother Wayne, but in the 1981 and 1989 World Championships. His solid play throughout the early '80s earned him an All-Star appearance in both 1983 and 1984, and guess what? He matched his brother's All-Star feat, scoring a goal in each game! A couple of years later he even received some Norris trophy consideration (awarded to the best defenseman). However, it's difficult to win that trophy with guys like Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey, and Rod Langway around. Across his career Dave played for Winnipeg, Hartford, Vancouver, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, and was a fan favorite wherever he went.

 

Let's look at some specific numbers now.

 

 

CAREER TOTALS

	WAYNE (9 seasons)	DAVE (19 seasons)
GAMES PLAYED	519	1195
GOALS	192	142
ASSISTS	246	581
POINTS	438	723
PENALTY MINUTES	500	970
GAME-WINNING GOALS	20	20

 

 

BEST INDIVIDUAL SEASON
(Career highs in bold)

	WAYNE (1980-81, St. Louis)	DAVE (1981-82, Winnipeg)
GAMES PLAYED	78	79
GOALS	54	19
ASSISTS	42	49
POINTS	96	68
PENALTY MINUTES	93	92
POWER-PLAY GOALS	12	11
GAME-WINNING GOALS	7	2

 

 

All bold numbers for Wayne there. Talk about a season for the ages!

 

Interestingly, both brothers played for the WHL's Portland Winter Hawks for a couple of years as teenagers, and they were on the same squad in 1977-78. (Dave was 16 years old and played 6 games; Wayne was 19, about to head to the NHL, and played 68 games). Both brothers also played together for the Whalers for a brief period in 1985-86. Dave was traded from Winnipeg to Hartford in November of 1985. Two months later, Wayne was traded from Quebec to Hartford. I'm sure they've got a few stories from that time.

 

So let's give some well-deserved recognition to the Babych brothers. Two impressive careers, and I'm happy to have learned a bit more about both players.