Shot Left Height 1.80 m Position Winger Role Ice hockey player Career end 1971 | Name Jim Krulicki Career start 1970 Playing career Weight 82 kg | |
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Born March 9, 1948 (age 76)
Kitchener, ON, CAN ( 1948-03-09 ) Played for Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers | ||
James John Krulicki (born March 9, 1948 in Kitchener, Ontario) is a retired ice hockey right winger. He played in 41 National Hockey League games for the New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings.
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Minor league hockey
Krulicki grew up playing for his hometown Kitchener Greenshirts and Kitchener Rangers of the OHA Junior League. He was a prospect of the New York Rangers and Krulicki was doing his best to get noticed by the parent club. Krulicki recorded back-to-back 20 goal seasons in 1966–67 and 1967–68, scoring 25 and 28 goals respectively, for a total of 108 points over those two seasons. This was the achievement Krulicki needed and he was brought up to play for the Omaha Knights of the Central Hockey League for the 1968–70 season. In his first season with the Knights he only scored nine points, but followed that up in 1969–70 with a 28 point campaign. He helped the Knights reach first place in the regular season and win the Adams Cup as league champions of the playoffs. After scoring 12 points in the 12 game playoff run, Krulicki was called up to the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League for their playoff run. He scored another five points as the Bisons reached the finals and won the Calder Cup after defeating the Springfield Kings four games to zero. Krulicki had just helped win championships for two different teams and had finally earned his chance at the NHL.
Playing in the NHL
Krulicki started the 1970–71 NHL season with the New York Rangers and found the up tempo pace and lack of ice time in the NHL difficult. Krulicki scored only two assists in 27 games for the Rangers before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings on March 2, 1971 for Dale Rolfe. Krulicki finished out the season with Detroit scoring one assist. He opted to retire at the conclusion of the 1970–71 season.