Stu Kulak
Encyclopedia
Stuart Kulak is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey
right wing
who spent parts of 4 seasons in the National Hockey League
between 1982 and 1989.
Kulak was selected in the third round, 115th overall, by the Vancouver Canucks
in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft
from the Victoria Cougars
of the WHL
. He would make his debut for the team at the age of just 19 in the 1982–83 season, appearing in 4 games and registering a goal and an assist. Considered one of the team's top prospects at this point, his career would go awry the following year when he suffered a serious abdominal injury which required surgery and forced him to miss almost two seasons.
In 1986–87, Kulak would crack the Canucks' roster out of training camp, appearing in 21 games before being waived and claimed by the Edmonton Oilers
. He would be dealt again before the end of the season, this time to the New York Rangers
. In what would prove to be his only full NHL season, Kulak registered 4 goals and 2 assists in 54 games between Vancouver, Edmonton, and New York.
Kulak would have stints with the Quebec Nordiques
and Winnipeg Jets over the next two seasons, but fail to stick full-time. Released by the Jets in 1990, he would spend most of the 1990s in low-end minor pro before finally retiring in 2000.
Kulak appeared in 90 NHL games, registering 8 goals and 4 assists for 12 points, along with 130 penalty minutes.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
right wing
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
who spent parts of 4 seasons in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
between 1982 and 1989.
Kulak was selected in the third round, 115th overall, by the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft
1981 NHL Entry Draft
The 1981 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League teams selected 211 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1980–81 NHL season and playoff standings. This is the list of those players...
from the Victoria Cougars
Victoria Cougars
The Victoria Cougars were a major league professional ice hockey team that played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association from 1922 to 1924, and in the Western Hockey League from 1924 to 1926...
of the WHL
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
. He would make his debut for the team at the age of just 19 in the 1982–83 season, appearing in 4 games and registering a goal and an assist. Considered one of the team's top prospects at this point, his career would go awry the following year when he suffered a serious abdominal injury which required surgery and forced him to miss almost two seasons.
In 1986–87, Kulak would crack the Canucks' roster out of training camp, appearing in 21 games before being waived and claimed by the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
. He would be dealt again before the end of the season, this time to the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
. In what would prove to be his only full NHL season, Kulak registered 4 goals and 2 assists in 54 games between Vancouver, Edmonton, and New York.
Kulak would have stints with the Quebec Nordiques
Quebec Nordiques
The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...
and Winnipeg Jets over the next two seasons, but fail to stick full-time. Released by the Jets in 1990, he would spend most of the 1990s in low-end minor pro before finally retiring in 2000.
Kulak appeared in 90 NHL games, registering 8 goals and 4 assists for 12 points, along with 130 penalty minutes.