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 (1957-05-06) May 6, 1957 (age 67)
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

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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

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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

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Baker and his wife, Rosemary, have two children.[citation needed]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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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

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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

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Bernardi, Heather; Tennyson, Kevin (2007). Hockey in New Haven. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-5455-6.
  3. ^ "Steve Baker (2007) - Athletics Hall of Fame". Union College Athletics. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
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