Another of the heart and soul, unsung heroes of the New York Islanders Stanley Cup Dynasty of the early 1980’s. Wayne Merrick fittingly played on a line with John Tonelli and Bob Nystrom, creating a trio of checkers that could also put the puck in the net.
Merrick paid his dues before getting to play on four consecutive championship teams. He started his career on a weak St. Louis Blues team and had to endure time in the California Seals / Cleveland Barons fiasco before getting traded to Long Island.
Wayne Merrick – Junior and Minor Pro
Wayne Merrick played three years of major junior hockey from 1969-70 to 1971-72 with the Bill Long coached Ottawa 67’s. He was a third overall pick by Ottawa at the 1969 OHA draft.
In his second season with the 67’s, Merrick scored 34 and assisted on 42 for 76 points over 62 regular season games. The team featured Blake Dunlop, Bryan McSheffrey and Denis Potvin with Michel Larocque in goal. Ottawa finished third overall in the ten team league but were bounced in the second round of the playoffs.
in 1971-72, Wayne put up 39 goals and 56 assists for 95 points in, again, 62 games. Merrick was second on the team in overall scoring, a single point behind McSheffrey. He tied for tenth in assists in the league with George Ferguson of the Toronto Marlboros. The team finished fourth overall and reached the final before losing out to Roger Neilson’s Peterborough Petes.
Merrick’s only time in the minors during his career came in 1972-73. Spending the majority of the years in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues, Wayne also appeared in 22 games with the Denver Spurs in the WHL. Over that time, he scored six and assisted on 13 for 19 points.
Wayne Merrick – NHL
Between 1972-73 and 1983-84, Wayne Merrick played in 774 regular season National Hockey League games with the St. Louis Blues, California Seals, Cleveland Barons and New York Islanders. Over that time, he scored 191 and assisted on 265 for 456 points. He was a first round pick by the Blues at the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft, taken ninth overall.
In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Wayne played 102 games, adding 49 points. Of course, the bulk of that action came in a four year period from 1979-80 to 1982-83 when the Islanders were crowned Stanley Cup champions in four consecutive seasons. He is credited with the final series winning goal in 1980-81.
Over his career, Wayne was a 20 goal scorer on four occasions. His top offensive season came in 1975-76, a campaign split between the Blues and Seals. He had career highs of 32 goals and 67 points. The following year, with Cleveland, he set his career high with 38 assists.
The trade from the Blues to the Seals came on November 24, 1975 with Larry Patey heading in the opposite direction. On January 10, 1978, he was traded from the Barons to the Islanders for J.P. Parise and Jean Potvin.
Wayne Merrick – Rookie Card
The Wayne Merrick rookie card appears as number 66 in both the 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee and Topps National Hockey League hockey card sets. His final card is included in the 1982-83 O-Pee-Chee set as number 205. He did not find his way into the 1983-84 set, despite starting that season with New York before retiring.
There was an obvious shortage of Wayne Merrick photos for O-Pee-Chee to use. His 1977-78 card, as a member of the Cleveland Barons, is the same head shot as his 1975-76 card with the Barons colours painted on to what can be seen of his jersey.
Wayne Merrick – Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1969-70 | Ottawa 67’s | OHA | 51 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 10 |
| 1970-71 | Ottawa 67’s | OHA | 62 | 34 | 42 | 76 | 41 |
| 1971-72 | Ottawa 67’s | OHA | 62 | 39 | 56 | 95 | 21 |
| 1972-73 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 50 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 10 |
| 1972-73 | Denver Spurs | WHL | 22 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 6 |
| 1973-74 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 64 | 20 | 23 | 43 | 32 |
| 1974-75 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 76 | 28 | 37 | 65 | 57 |
| 1975-76 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 19 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 0 |
| 1975-76 | California Seals | NHL | 56 | 25 | 27 | 52 | 36 |
| 1976-77 | Cleveland Barons | NHL | 80 | 18 | 38 | 56 | 25 |
| 1977-78 | Cleveland Barons | NHL | 18 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 8 |
| 1977-78 | New York Islanders | NHL | 37 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 8 |
| 1978-79 | New York Islanders | NHL | 75 | 20 | 21 | 41 | 24 |
| 1979-80 | New York Islanders | NHL | 70 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 16 |
| 1980-81 | New York Islanders | NHL | 71 | 16 | 15 | 31 | 30 |
| 1981-82 | New York Islanders | NHL | 68 | 12 | 27 | 39 | 20 |
| 1982-83 | New York Islanders | NHL | 59 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 27 |
| 1983-84 | New York Islanders | NHL | 31 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 10 |
| _ | NHL Totals | _ | 774 | 191 | 265 | 456 | 303 |