• Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago & New Jersey
• Last NHL season 1983 - 84

Growing up in small-town Ontario, Dave Hutchison was steeped in NHL culture long before he got very organized about his hockey. Making the big leagues was his first goal, but his ultimate objective was to get his hands on the Stanley Cup.

With those aims in mind, Hutchison leapt into London's minor hockey program and, once at the junior level, just kept at it, skating for the London Knights of the OHA.

In 1972, the Los Angeles Kings and the WHA's Philadelphia Blazers drafted him. He opted to join the Blazers for a season and then headed West with the team's new incarnation in Vancouver. By the time he made his NHL debut with the Kings in 1974, Hutchison had established himself as a role player who played an aggressive style of stay-at-home defense. He credits coach Bob Pulford for his longevity by stressing the importance of playing within his means and to never hold the puck longer than a second and a half.

In 1978, Hutchison fulfilled another of his dreams: to suit up for the Toronto Maple Leafs. For the next year and a half, he was usually the stay-at-home part of the Salming/Hutchison tandem.

In 1980, he was traded to his favorite club as a child, the Chicago Blackhawks. During his two-plus seasons with the team, he was the defensive foundation upon which his partner, Doug Wilson, could afford to jump up into the offensive play. Wilson won the Norris Trophy in 1982, and Hutchison went on stage with him when the award was given out.

Hutchison left the Blackhawks at the end of the 1981-82 season, having come as close as he ever would to fulfilling his Stanley Cup dream—a trip to the semi-finals. He went on to split the 1982-83 season between the New Jersey Devils and the Wichita Wind of the CHL and then retired from the game. But before he could settle into his new life, the Maple Leafs signed him for one final campaign in 1983-84.