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Darcy Rota has given as much to B.C. Hockey as
anyone.
He has participated in B.C. as a minor hockey
player, pro player, director of player development, media relations,
junior hockey owner, coach and general manager.
Rota has also worked as the special assistant to
the president of the National Hockey league.
Through all of this, he has also been a perfect
example of a guy who has taken the time and effort to give back to the
community, earning him the nickname Mayor of Canuckville.
Born in Vancouver in 1953, Darcy grew up and
played his minor hockey in Prince George.
He later went on to play his junior hockey for the
Edmonton Oil Kings. In 1973 he was a first team all star in the Western
Canadian Hockey League, scoring 73 goals and 129 points, along with 104
penalty minutes.
Rota was drafted 13th overall by the Chicago Black
Hawks. Unfortunately for Rota, his NHL career was cut short, ending after
11 seasons at the young age of 31.
During that time, he played in 794 games, scoring
256 goals, adding 239 assists for 495 points and earning 973 pims.
He was a mainstay in helping the 1982 Canucks to
the Stanley Cup final.
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Rota played in his only NHL all-star game just
days before his last game. Rota suffered a neck injury, which required
cervical spinal fusion. In his final full season, he scored 42 goals -
then a Canuck team record - and registered 81 points.
He had 28 goals in just 59 games when the injury
ended his playing career during the 1983-84 season.
Upon his retirement Rota went to work for the
club, acting as first a scout and director of player development and then
later as director of media and public relations.
He remained with the club until 1990, when he was
hired to be the special assistant to then NHL President John Ziegler.
After Ziegler retired, Rota moved back to B.C. and
became involved in the founding of the minor pro Western Professional
Hockey League. He also got involved in the B.C. Hockey League as the first
coach and GM of the Burnaby Bulldogs
Rota is currently the president and GM of the
Coquitlam Express in the BCHL.
Off the ice Darcy may be second to none in helping
charity, always speaking and attending fundraisers. He has had a very
successful charity golf event for many years and is a member of the B.C.
Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee.
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