Ab DeMarco Jr.

Albert Thomas "Ab" DeMarco Jr. (February 27, 1949 – June 21, 2026) was an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA) during the 1970s. DeMarco was noted for his shot, considered one of the hardest in the sport at the time. He was the son of Ab DeMarco Sr., who starred for the New York Rangers in the 1940s.

DeMarco was born in the United States while his father was playing for the American Hockey League (AHL) Cleveland Barons, but was raised in North Bay, Ontario. He played his junior hockey for the Kitchener Rangers and, after representing Canada at the 1969 Ice Hockey World Championships, he was signed by the New York Rangers, the team with which his father spent the majority of his career.

He played his first two professional seasons in the CHL minor league, earning brief NHL call-ups to New York. In 1971–72, he played with the Rangers full-time, appearing in two-thirds of the scheduled games, recording 4 goals and 11 points in 48 games. Late in the 1972–73 season, DeMarco was dealt to the St. Louis Blues. Given an opportunity to play more and receive time on the power play, DeMarco responded with 13 points in 14 games, to give him a total of 30 points on the season.

Early into the next season, DeMarco was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. This would be the pattern of his career, as he would become something of a nomad, as offense-starved teams would pick him up to help their power play, but eventually grow frustrated at his poor defensive play, and he would find himself on the move again. He finished the 1973–74 season with a career-high 31 points in 59 games between St. Louis and Pittsburgh.

Early in the 1974–75 NHL season, DeMarco was traded to the Vancouver Canucks. In Vancouver, he posted a career-high 12 goals, playing a career-high 69 (of 78) games, helping the team to a division championship and their first-ever playoff berth. His 9 power-play goals for a blueliner that season ranked behind only Bobby Orr and Guy Lapointe.

بعد بداية هجومية ضعيفة لموسم 1975-1976 في دوري الهوكي الوطني ، تمّت مقايضة ديماركو إلى فريق لوس أنجلوس كينغز ، وانخفضت حصيلته الهجومية إلى 18 نقطة في 64 مباراة. أمضى ديماركو معظم موسم 1976-1977 في دوريات الدرجة الثانية، حيث شارك في 33 مباراة فقط مع لوس أنجلوس وسجّل 6 نقاط.

ثم انتقل ديماركو إلى رابطة الهوكي العالمية المنافسة ، حيث وقّع مع فريق إدمونتون أويلرز لموسم 1977-1978 . قضى موسمًا واحدًا فقط في إدمونتون، مسجلاً 6 أهداف و14 نقطة في 47 مباراة.

عاد إلى دوري الهوكي الوطني (NHL) لموسم 1978-1979 ، وانضم إلى فريق بوسطن بروينز ، لكنه شارك في ثلاث مباريات فقط مع الفريق. بعد موسم قضاه في سويسرا ، اعتزل اللعب عام 1980. أنهى مسيرته برصيد 44 هدفًا و80 تمريرة حاسمة، ليصبح مجموع نقاطه 124 نقطة في 344 مباراة في دوري الهوكي الوطني على مدار 9 مواسم.

توفي ديماركو في 21 يونيو 2026، عن عمر يناهز 77 عامًا. وكان لديه ثلاث بنات. ^{[ 1 ]}

• معلومات السيرة الذاتية وإحصائيات المسيرة المهنية من مواقع NHL.com أو Eliteprospects.com أو Hockey-Reference.com أو قاعدة بيانات هوكي الإنترنت   
• أب ديماركو جونيور على موقع IMDb