Don Edwards – Junior and Minor Pro
Edwards played two years of junior hockey in the OHA with the Kitchener Rangers, 1973-74 and 1974-75. Over his two years, the Rangers went from first overall in the first year to last overall in the second. Despite the team hitting the typical junior rebuilding cycle midway through his career, Don was selected a First Team All-Star goaltender in both seasons.
After being drafted by the Sabres, Edwards spent his first season and half of pro hockey with Buffalo’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Hershey Bears. In 1975-76, he was a Second Team All-Star in his rookie season with Hershey. The Bears reached the Calder Cup finals before losing to the Nova Scotia Voyageurs in five games.
Don Edwards – NHL
At the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft, Buffalo selected Edwards in the fifth round, 89th overall. The same year, he was a tenth round pick by the San Diego Mariners in the WHA Amateur Draft, 135th overall. Of course, he chose the NHL route.
Don’s first National Hockey League experience came in the second half of the 1976-77 season when he played 25 games for the Sabres, backing up Gerry Desjardins. By the following year, he was the team’s starter, playing in 72 of Buffalo’s 80 regular season games.
Between 1976-77 and 1985-86, Edwards played in 459 regular season NHL games with the Sabres, Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs. Over that time, he recorded 16 shutouts and posted a 3.32 goals against average.
In 1979-80, playing 49 games for the Sabres, Don was awarded the Vezina Trophy with two shutouts and a 2.57 GAA. Backing him up that season was Bob Sauve on a Buffalo team coached by Scotty Bowman with Roger Neilson and Jim Roberts by his side.
Edwards finished his career with a single season as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Playing in the goaltender’s graveyard, Don appeared in 38 games with a dismal 4.78 goals against average and a .860 save percentage. Backing him up was a young Ken Wregget.
In 1998-99, Edwards joined Rick Green as assistant coaches under Larry Robinson with the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings had the fifth worst record in the NHL and did not qualify for the post season. He later spent a short time as general manager of the Saginaw Spirit in the Ontario Hockey League. He was GM for the 2007-08 season but was fired early into 2008-09.
Don’s uncle Roy Edwards also played goal in the National Hockey League. Roy played pro from 1957-58 to 1973-74 in the IHL, WHL, AHL, EPHL, CPHL and NHL. His NHL career spanned from 1967-68 to 1973-74 with the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins. The Roy Edwards rookie card appears as number 106 in the 1967-68 Topps set.
Don Edwards – Rookie Card
The Don Edwards rookie card appears as number 201 in the 1977-78 O-Pee-Chee set. The card is valued at around eight times that of a common card and he is shown as a member of the Buffalo Sabres. Don is pictured with his trademark Jofa helmet and cage and his Ken Dryden immitation number 29.