Bob Dillabough

Bob Dillabough was a penalty killing specialist, thanks to his speed. He was anything but smooth, but he could scoot across the ice in a hurry, pressuring puck carriers and retrieving loose pucks.

Dillabough's problem was he could never do much with the puck once he got it. He couldn't control the puck at his high speed, and he didn't have the same offensive instincts that he utilized defensively.

Born in Belleville, Ontario he played for the Detroit Red Wings, California Golden Seals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Cleveland Crusaders, and Boston Bruins. He played 283 games in the National Hockey League and 72 games in the World Hockey Association.

One neat story about Bob Dillabough. While with Boston he lent his stick to a rookie who scored his first NHL goal. The rookie was none other than Bobby Orr.

Playing hockey in the 1970s hardly afforded comfortable retirements for utility players like Dillabough. After leaving the ice he worked for years in uranium mines. That may have contributed to his deteriorating health. On March 27th, 1997 Dillabough passed away. He was just 55 years old.