Gary DeGrio

Gary DeGrio
Born (1960-02-16) February 16, 1960
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Forward
Played for Tulsa Oilers
Salt Lake Golden Eagles
Dundee Tigers
National team  United States
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 1982–1988

Gary DeGrio (born February 16, 1960) is an American former professional ice hockey Forward. DeGrio was member of the Tulsa Oilers (CHL) team that suspended operations on February 16, 1984, playing only road games for final six weeks of 1983–84 season. Despite this adversity, the team went on to win the league's championship.[1]

Playing career

DeGrio played collegiate ice hockey for the University of Minnesota Duluth's men's ice hockey team from 1978 to 1982.[2] As a professional, DeGrio played with the Tulsa Oilers in the CHL for the 1982–83 and 1983–84 seasons, winning the 1983–84 CHL Championship (Adams Cup) as a member of the Oilers, coached team coached by Tom Webster.[3] DeGrio then spent the next three season with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in the IHL, before playing his final season (1987–88) of hockey with the Dundee Tigers of the Scottish National League.

Personal life

Both DeGrio's brother-in-law Dave Johnson and nephew Adam Johnson played hockey.[4] Both Dave and Adam played collegiate hockey for the University of Minnesota Duluth, with Dave and DeGrio playing as teammates for several seasons, and Adam eventually played professionally, primarily in minor leagues but did appeared in 13 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the National Hockey League.[5] Adam was killed in an on-ice accident in October 2023 while playing professionally for the Nottingham Panthers.[6][7]

References

  1. ^ "The Hockey News: Special Features: The Tulsa Oilers were true road warriors". Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  2. ^ "Gary DeGrio career stats". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  3. ^ Tulsa Oilers 1983–84 hockey team player statistics | hockeydb.com
  4. ^ Loren Nelson (March 18, 2011). "Hibbing star commits to UMD". mnhockeyhub.com. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  5. ^ "2017.18 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS MEDIA GUIDE" (PDF). NHL.com. p. 115. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  6. ^ "Former NHL player Adam Johnson dies after 'freak accident' during hockey game in Britain's top league". The Athletic. October 28, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  7. ^ Brown, Mark (October 29, 2023). "Nottingham Panthers' ice hockey player Adam Johnson dies after 'freak injury'". The Guardian.