Steve Baker (ice hockey)
Steve Baker (born May 6, 1957) is an American retired ice hockey goaltender who played 57 games in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers between 1979 and 1983. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1977 to 1984, was spent in the minor leagues.
| Steve Baker | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
May 6, 1957 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Left | ||
| Played for | New York Rangers | ||
| National team |
 United States | ||
| NHL Draft |
44th overall, 1977 New York Rangers | ||
| WHA Draft |
40th overall, 1977 Birmingham Bulls | ||
| Playing career | 1977–1984 | ||
Early life
Baker was born in Boston and raised in Braintree, Massachusetts. He was a member of the Union College men's hockey team, resigning in protest when his coach Ned Harkness was forced to resign.[1]
Career
Baker was drafted by the Rangers with the 44th pick overall in the 1977 NHL Entry Draft.[2] Highlights of his brief NHL career include losing only one of his first ten National Hockey League games as a rookie in 1979–80 and the 1981 playoffs, when the Rangers advanced to the Stanley Cup semifinals with him as their starting goalie. In the autumn of 1981, Baker served as Tony Esposito's backup on the United States team at the 1981 Canada Cup.[3]
Personal life
Baker and his wife, Rosemary, have two children.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 1974–75 | Owen Sound Salvagemen | CJCHL | 22 | — | — | — | 1320 | 38 | 5 | 1.73 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Union College | ECAC 2 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 480 | 21 | 0 | 2.62 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Union College | ECAC 2 | 19 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 1117 | 67 | 0 | 3.60 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 120 | 10 | 0 | 5.00 | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Union College | ECAC 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 300 | 16 | 0 | 3.20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Toledo Goaldiggers | IHL | 10 | — | — | — | 544 | 46 | 0 | 5.07 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 24 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 1435 | 82 | 1 | 3.43 | .885 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 297 | 17 | 0 | 3.43 | — | ||
| 1979–80 | New York Rangers | NHL | 27 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 1390 | 79 | 1 | 3.41 | .882 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 9 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 492 | 29 | 0 | 3.54 | .891 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | New York Rangers | NHL | 21 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 1257 | 73 | 2 | 3.49 | .880 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 824 | 55 | 0 | 4.01 | .856 | ||
| 1980–81 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 25 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 1497 | 90 | 1 | 3.57 | .887 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | New York Rangers | NHL | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 329 | 33 | 0 | 6.03 | .795 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 11 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 503 | 42 | 0 | 5.01 | .887 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | New York Rangers | NHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 101 | 5 | 0 | 2.98 | .881 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Tulsa Oilers (1964–1984) | CHL | 49 | 22 | 27 | 0 | 2901 | 186 | 0 | 3.85 | .867 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Binghamton Whalers | AHL | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 345 | 35 | 0 | 6.09 | .833 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Maine Mariners | AHL | 13 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 744 | 41 | 0 | 3.31 | .894 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 353 | 23 | 0 | 3.91 | — | ||
| NHL totals | 57 | 20 | 20 | 11 | 3075 | 190 | 3 | 3.71 | .872 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 824 | 55 | 0 | 4.01 | .856 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | United States | CC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 60 | 4 | 0 | 4.00 | .818 | |
| Senior totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 60 | 4 | 0 | 4.00 | .818 | |||
References
- Grimm, George (2019-10-01). Guardians of the Goal: A Comprehensive Guide to New York Rangers Goaltenders, from Hal Winkler to Ed Giacomin, Henrik Lundqvist, and All Those in Between. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-68358-328-8.
- Bernardi, Heather; Tennyson, Kevin (2007). Hockey in New Haven. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-5455-6.
- "Steve Baker (2007) - Athletics Hall of Fame". Union College Athletics. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com