Walter Tkaczuk
Inducted In
1997
Walter Tkaczuk was born in Emsdetten, Germany but grew up in South Porcupine, Ontario.
He played Junior B Hockey with the Kitchener Greenshirts before moving up to the Kitchener Rangers mid-way through the 1964-65 season. He played an additional three full seasons with the Rangers, scoring a total of 78 goals and adding 141 assists.
Tkaczuk was the Ranger Rookie of the Year in 1965-66, the top Ranger scorer in 1966-67 and he won the outstanding team effort award in 1967-68. He also won the Red Tilson Trophy in 1967-68 as the most outstanding player in the Ontario Hockey League.
He joined the New York Rangers at the end of the 1968 season and stayed with them until his retirement in 1981. In the National Hockey League, he played in 945 regular season games, scoring 227 goals and assisting on 451 others. He also played in 93 playoff games, scoring 19 goals and 32 assists.