Rod Langway | |||
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Hockey Hall of Fame, 2002 | |||
Born |
Taipei, Taiwan |
May 3, 1957 ||
Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
Weight | 218 lb (99 kg; 15 st 8 lb) | ||
Position | Defense | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for |
AHL Hampton Gulls Nova Scotia Voyageurs Providence Bruins WHA Birmingham Bulls NHL Montreal Canadiens Washington Capitals |
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National team | United States | ||
NHL Draft | 36th overall, 1977 Montreal Canadiens |
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WHA Draft | 6th overall, 1977 Birmingham Bulls |
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Playing career | 1977–1993 |
Rod Cory Langway (born May 3, 1957) is an American retired professional ice hockey defenseman who played for the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League (NHL) and Birmingham Bulls of the World Hockey Association (WHA). Langway also spent time with teams in the American Hockey League (AHL) and East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) as a player-coach after his NHL career ended. A two-time winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the top defenseman in the NHL, Langway was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.
Rod Langway was born when his father, an American serviceman, was stationed in Taiwan, and he is the only NHL player to have been born in Taiwan. He grew up in Randolph, Massachusetts, and did not begin playing hockey until age 13 in 1970, aside from pick-up street hockey games with the neighborhood boys. He then played hockey for his high school team, the Randolph Blue Devils, which he led to state tournament appearances in 1973, 1974 and 1975. He was also a standout quarterback for the Randolph High football team, and was one of the top football recruits in the nation. As a catcher on the Randolph High baseball team Langway was considered a baseball pro-prospect. However, the top college football programs in the country had identified Langway as a future NFL quarterback. It was a football recruiter from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) who convinced him to play college hockey at UNH. UNH was one of the few schools that would allow him to play both football and hockey in college, which he did without having to choose one over the other as an incoming freshman. Langway went on to lead UNH to the NCAA hockey final four in 1977. Ultimately hockey ended up being the direction for him as a professional career. He was inducted into the Randolph High School (Massachusetts) Athletic Hall of Fame and the University of New Hampshire Athletic Hall of Fame.