Rick Zombo
| Rick Zombo | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Born |
May 8, 1963 Des Plaines, IL, USA |
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| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 202 lb (92 kg; 14 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
Detroit Red Wings St. Louis Blues Boston Bruins |
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| National team |
 United States
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| NHL Draft | 149th overall, 1981 Detroit Red Wings |
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| Playing career | 1984–1997 | ||
Richard James Zombo (born May 8, 1963 in Des Plaines, Illinois) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 12 seasons between 1984 and 1996. He is the current men's ice hockey head coach at Lindenwood University.
Zombo played with the Austin Mavericks the USHL as a 17-year-old during the 1980–81 season, earning 36 points in 43 games. In the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, the Detroit Red Wings drafted Zombo in the 8th round, 149th overall. Despite being drafted, Zombo decided to attend the University of North Dakota and play hockey with their team, the North Dakota Fighting Sioux.
In his freshman season with North Dakota, Zombo appeared in 45 games, registering 16 points, as he helped the team win the 1982 NCAA National Championship as the Fighting Sioux defeated the Wisconsin Badgers 5–2 in the championship game. In 1982–83, Zombo would once again earn 16 points, and he would earn a spot on the US National Team in the World Junior Hockey Championships, where he went pointless in seven games. Zombo saw his offensive numbers explode in the 1983–84 season with North Dakota, as he recorded 31 points in 34 games in what would be his last season with the Fighting Sioux.
Zombo played the 1984–85 season with the Adirondack Red Wings of the AHL, playing in 56 games, as he had three goals and 35 points. Zombo also appeared in his first NHL game during the season, going pointless with the Detroit Red Wings. He spent most of the 1985–86 season with Adirondack, improving his numbers to seven goals and 41 points in 69 games, while appearing in 14 games with Detroit, recording an assist. In the 1986 playoffs with Adirondack, he earned four points in 17 games as the Red Wings won the Calder Cup. Zombo began the 1986–87 season in Adirondack once again, earning six points in 25 games, before being called up to Detroit for the rest of the season, where he earned five points in 44 games with Detroit, while adding an assist in seven playoff games. The 1987–88 season was Zombo's first full season in the NHL, where he had 17 points in 62 games, along with an impressive +24 rating, helping Detroit win the Norris Division. In the playoffs, Zombo had six assists in 16 games, as the Red Wings lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the Campbell Conference finals. Zombo improved in the 1988–89 season, earning 21 points in 75 games, as well as a +22 rating, as Detroit once again won the Norris Division championship. The Red Wings struggled in the playoffs, and were upset by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round, where Zombo had an assist in six games. Zombo had the best season of his career in 1989–90, as he scored a career high five goals and 25 points in 77 games, however, the Red Wings did not qualify for the post-season as they finished in last place in the Norris Division. The 1990–91 season saw Zombo named as one of the Red Wings' three alternate captains. His offensive numbers slipped a little bit, as he fell to four goals and 23 points in 77 games with Detroit, but the club would return to the playoffs. The Red Wings would push the heavily favored St. Louis Blues to seven games before being eliminated in the first round. Zombo had a goal in seven post-season games. Zombo began the 1991–92 season with Detroit, going pointless in three games, before being traded to the St. Louis Blues on October 18, 1991, for goaltender Vincent Riendeau.
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