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Paterson Rick

Rick Paterson
Sport: Hockey
Year Inducted: 2002

If grand larceny was a crime in hockey, the Cornwall Royals would have been thrown in jail after signing Rick in 1973 from under the unsuspecting noses of the rival Ontario Hockey League. It was regarded as one of the greatest steals in junior hockey.

Rick was a highly-rated major junior prospect playing in his hometown of Kingston when the Royals came calling. The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Royals signed him as a 15-year-old free agent.The late Gord Wood, the Royals chief scout, always rated Rick as one of his best finds.

Rick became an instant team member with the Royals, becoming one of the youngest regulars in the team’s history. He spent five years with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League club, playing 342 regular season games, a record which stood until the team left Cornwall in 1992. Rick scored 128 goals and had 237 assists for 365 points. He is second only to Dan Geoffrion in Royals’ all-time scoring.

In 1978, Rick cracked a talented Team Canada junior team lineup and played in the World Junior Hockey Tournament.

Rick was drafted by the Chicago Black Hawks in 1978 and spent his first pro season with Moncton Hawks of the American Hockey League. He joined the Hawks the next season and played nine uninterrupted seasons for the NHL team before retiring.

After hanging up his skates, he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an assistant coach. In five seasons with the Penguins, he earned two Stanley Cup rings.

In 1993, he was named head coach of the Cleveland Lumberjacks and spent four seasons at the helm of the International Hockey League club.

In 1977, Rick became assistant coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning. After two seasons behind the bench, he was appointed the team’s pro scout.

In all, Rick has spent 24 seasons in pro hockey, 19 of them in the NHL.