Doru Tureanu, best player you never heard of?

[WHA Euro]

For over 20 years he wore the Romanian national team jersey, he played in over 2000games, of which 17 World Championships and 3 Olympic Games, Doru Tureanu is the only romanian hockey player to have on the table, in 1977, a cheque worth 2 million dollars from the Montreal Canadiens, an offer he turned down without remorse.

Doru Tureanu's name went over Romania's borders a long time ago. The player, of which Russian coach Viktor Tikhonov said he could play without any problems for any professional team on Earth, was a sensation in the world of hockey due to his native talent and his incredible sense in front of goal.

His exceptional efforts at the 1977 World Championships in Switzerland brought him to the attention of the Canadiens who offered him 2 million dollars. "I refused since the beginning. My mother was sick, I had found the medicine she needed and I wanted to be near her. At the Montreal Canadiens I only had to sign and leave, they'd handle the rest". Three years later, two Canadiens officials arrived in Bucharest to try to make him sign, but the Securitate found out. "They immediately restrained me and for two years I couldn't leave the country. I am not nostalgic, but if I were to make this choice again, I'd think it over more. In a way, I regret not leaving when I had the opportunity", he confessed.

http://forums.internationalhockey.net/showthread.php?t=4429

 

[mckly]

hmmm.. i've never heard of him. Interesting read.

 

[MS]

Interesting, although the claim he was offered $2 million to jump to the NHL is highly suspicious. Average NHL salary at that point was less than $100 000. Even if it was a 5-year contract, it doesn't really ring true.

This is only 5 years after Bobby Hull shook the hockey world by accepting a 10 year, $1 million contract with Winnipeg that was considered unbelievable at the time. There's no way some unknown Romanian player was being offered double that just a few years later.

 

[WHA Euro]

Interesting, although the claim he was offered $2 million to jump to the NHL is highly suspicious. Average NHL salary at that point was less than $100 000. Even if it was a 5-year contract, it doesn't really ring true.

This is only 5 years after Bobby Hull shook the hockey world by accepting a 10 year, $1 million contract with Winnipeg that was considered unbelievable at the time. There's no way some unknown Romanian player was being offered double that just a few years later.

Yes, I thought this also. Maybe it was 10 year deal, paid in canadian dollars.

 

[Augustus Pablo]

if true that is pretty amazing

 

[pappyline]

Interesting, although the claim he was offered $2 million to jump to the NHL is highly suspicious. Average NHL salary at that point was less than $100 000. Even if it was a 5-year contract, it doesn't really ring true.

This is only 5 years after Bobby Hull shook the hockey world by accepting a 10 year, $1 million contract with Winnipeg that was considered unbelievable at the time. There's no way some unknown Romanian player was being offered double that just a few years later.

Hull actually got $2.75 million over 10 years but $1 million was an up front signing bonus. He was the first $1 million hockey player.

 

[Vector]

"...an offer he turned down without remorse."

I am not nostalgic, but if I were to make this choice again, I'd think it over more. In a way, I regret not leaving when I had the opportunity", he confessed.

Wait, what?

 

[66fan4ever]

http://forums.internationalhockey.net/showthread.php?t=4429

I've heard of him,he was a great romanian hockey player,we beat team USA in those Olympics .Problem is he was playing 10 years before I was born so i couldn't see him play.
And about this Securitate,it was sort of like the Romanian KGB,if they found out you wanted to leave the country(it was ilegal to leave the country to go outside the comunist countries in those days) they would find you,beat you,all your family members would loose their jobs and then they would throw you in jail for 10 or more years(in Romania we had comunism until 1989).I don't know what happened to Doru Tureanu but this was the situation for most of the people in know.
To bad we don't have hockey players like him anymore,he was a legend
Please excuse my bad english

 

[FiveThreeEmptyNet]

apology not necessary

Vladi, your English is fine!

Several who speak it as their native language don't write as well.

 

[saskganesh]

Hull actually got $2.75 million over 10 years but $1 million was an up front signing bonus. He was the first $1 million hockey player.

heh. then Derek Sanderson got 2.6 million from the Philly Blazers .. I do not know the terms ... but he was then billed the highest paid athelete in the world then.

after a handful of games, he was bought out for $1 million.

in the late 70's, NHL was paying top players $250-$300,000 a year. so a two million offer is reasonable, if its multiple years and has a hefty signing bonus.

anyhow, neat story. I never heard of this guy.

 

[RobertKron]

Yes, I thought this also. Maybe it was 10 year deal, paid in canadian dollars.

The Canadian dollar was worth more than the US dollar in 1977.

 

[HockeyWife]

Doru Tureanu

My husband was also named Doru and was good friends with Tureanu!

They played together up until my ex moved to Lebanon and eventually to Massachusetts in 1971.

When the Romanian team came to Salem State right before they were sent to Lake Placid for the game the team called Doru (Ipeghian) my ex and we went to see them play some local team...practice i assume.

Boy he was in heaven seeing his old buddies and trust me if he hadn't left to come to the states YOU WOULD have all known him as THE BEST. Very sad. True talent. He was offered a scholarship to salem state when he first arrived but felt awkward not knowing the language and wanting to help his parent's financially.

I know he would have been one of the greats. He is now back in Romania... great Man great HOCKEY PLAYER!! DORU IPEGHIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[arrbez]

The Canadian dollar was worth more than the US dollar in 1977.

I was under the impression that we still traded in birch bark and pinecones at that time?

 

[cynicism]

I was under the impression that we still traded in birch bark and pinecones at that time?

No, that was 1976

 

[unknown33]

I'd like to push this thread, because I'm very interested if someone has any more informations about Tureanu.

Regarding the contract etc

 

[Killion]

I'd like to push this thread, because I'm very interested if someone has any more informations about Tureanu... Regarding the contract etc.

Ya, very interesting... I did some digging, came up with a bit more; his home club was Dinamo Bucuresti, 71 till mid 80's. He played on the Romanian Olympic Teams in 76 & 80 and played in 100 international games from 71-87 with 74G / 39A in total. After being impressed with his play at a World Championships in Switzerland, the Habs did indeed offer him a Contract, however as pointed out earlier he declined for the reasons mentioned. However, it would appear Montreal tried again 3yrs later, 1980'ish, sending officials to Bucharest who drew the attention of Romanias version of the KGB, the ominous sounding Securitate, and that was the end of that.

 

[plusandminus]

I remember him. I saw him play in likely the 1980 Olympics, and remember that the commentators were excited about him.

From the thread quoted in the original post here, here's another one:

Viktor Tikhonov said he could play without any problems for any professional team on Earth

 

[nutbar]

did some more digging

In top level competition

1977 World Championships: 6 g and 1 a in 10 games. http://forums.internationalhockey.net/showthread.php?10478-1977-IHWC-Austria


1980 Olympics: 5 g and 2 a in 5 games. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romania_at_the_1980_Winter_Olympics

 

[plusandminus]

1980 Olympics: 5 g and 2 a in 5 games.

...including scoring 3 consecutive goals to make Rumania go from 2-4 to 5-4 in the opening game vs West Germany.

 

[VanIslander]

Of course I've heard of him. I am in the All-Time Drafts!

He went 849th in the main ATD this year, was 1384th in a lower level draft (AA) last year.

Doru Tureanu

IIHF:

Gál was “hoping for one win, maybe two†when the tournament started and first up were the unpredictable West Germans, who four years earlier had won the Olympic bronze. The Romanians were trailing 4-2 in the second period, when a rally led by hat-trick hero Doru Tureanu turned the game in Romania's favour to get a sensational start to the tournament with a 6-4 win.

That Doru Tureanu had orchestrated Romania’s win was of no surprise. Tureanu, a confident and skilful player from Dinamo Bucharest, was blessed with an eye for a pass and capable of scoring against anyone. He is the finest player Romania has ever produced, and he has fond memories of a time when Romania regularly teamed up against the top hockey nations of the world.

“Our national team was at its best between the years 1976-1981 and I, Dumitru Axinte, Marian Costea together with defencemen Sándor Gál and Előd Antal were the best line in the history of Romanian hockey. Axinte and Costea usually scored more goals than me, but it was usually my dribbling that set up their goals,†said Tureanu.

Ice hockey gave him an opportunity to see the world and his special talent did not go unnoticed. Legendary coach Viktor Tikhonov was one of his admirers and is claimed to have said that “Tureanu could play for any team in the world.â€

When Romania played in the 1977 World Championship in Vienna, representatives from the Montreal Canadiens approached him with a suitcase full of Canadian dollars (at least according to Romanian hockey lore) to try to woo him to come and play in the NHL.

But Tureanu stayed put and in order to avoid any more unnecessary distractions during tournaments, the Romanian officials decided to keep a closer eye on the players during the Lake Placid games.

“At the 1977 A-pool World Championship in Vienna, the Canadians wanted to be friendly with us, with drinks and everything after the games. But when the coach saw what was happening, he sent us to bed straight away,†said Gál. “In 1980 everything was fine. We weren't allowed to go out alone, only as a group. The players from the other teams could be our friends before practice, but after that there was no chance for us to socialize.â€

Translated article from Romanian paper "ProSport"

At 14 years of age he made his debut in the first league, a year later he was called up to the national team of Romania, which he led to historical victories. Tureanu (53 years old), a living legend of our hockey, confesses.

For over 20 years he wore the Romanian national team jersey, he played in over 2000 games, of which 17 World Championships and 3 Olympic Games, Doru Tureanu is the only romanian hockey player to have on the table, in 1977, a cheque worth 2 million dollars from the Montreal Canadiens, an offer he turned down without remorse.

Doru Tureanu's name went over Romania's borders a long time ago. The player, of which Russian coach Viktor Tikhonov said he could play without any problems for any professional team on Earth, was a sensation in the world of hockey due to his native talent and his incredible sense in front of goal. The former forward, now sick of diabetes, but also disappointed of some persons, has disappeared from the sport that he raised to an art form for five years. ProSport found Tureanu and managed to get him back to the skating rink. It was enough for him to come near the rink to be immediately surrounded by fans and friends. They all boxed up to shake his hand, to greet him or just to watch. With respect and fear, "he is the man that could have scored as many goals as he wanted in a game" - someone explains to me, for many Doru Tureanu is a true hero. "I am happy when a simple man remembers me, stops me and asks what I've been up to. I've always felt the biggest satisfaction, not when the federation people were saying bravo, but when I was looking at someone for the first time in my life and he was so moved he could not say a word", he says. His story flows nicely, just like his dekes on the ice.

Doru Tureanu's first passion in the world of sport was football, which he played at Sport School no. 2, being a generation colleague with Mircea Sandu (note: our football's federation president). Having lived a tram station away from Mihai Flamaropol, he was also going to hockey practice until the moment he was forced to make a choice. "I loved both sports just as much, it was a hard decision, until my football coach said that only a few of us would become professional footballers and I wouldn't be one of them. In that moment I knew, all I'd have I'd give to hockey.", Tureanu explains.

He was 11 years old when the sport with the stick and the puck became the most important thing for him and he started to prepare more seriously. In only two years he was an important member of the junior national team. "My first trip to Czechoslovakia meant a lot. I think it was the thing that made me continue with hockey, because it would give you a freedom you couldn't find anywhere else, to see the World, to get away from what Romania meant back then", he explains. At only 14 years he was signed by a team fighting for the national championship, Dinamo and plays directly for the senior team, one year later making his debute for the senior national team. "I had no childhood in hockey. When i started more seriously, a couple of games at junior level and then that was it, maturity was achieved at senior level. I don't complain because this helped me perfect my skating skills and make better use of the natural skills i had. I am aware a I lost a lot as a kid, but I don't regret a thing", he says. Wearing number 6, Doru Tureanu used to get a lot of ice time. "I was asking for a change only when I needed to drink water, otherwise nobody could've gotten me off the ice for a rest. It was hard losing 5-6 kilograms in a game and we played almost daily, but I had an extraordinary motivation", he explains.

"If you bring Tureanu to Miercurea Ciuc, the skating rink will be full just to watch him. He'd have a welcome as no other sportsman had."
Varga Dezideriu, team mate

"At the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics when we beat Germany 5-3, having scored all our goals, the German newspapers said : Tureanu - Deutschland 5-3."
Doru Tureanu

(note: he only scored a hat trick and the score was 6-4)

"If the team would be playing short handed, I would get the puck in our defensive end and I'd deke and do various tricks until the penalty would expire."
Doru Tureanu

His exceptional efforts at the 1977 World Championships in Switzerland brought him to the attention of the Canadiens who offered him 2 million dollars. [This part doesn't seem plausible, but an offer of 2 million in Romanian currency would be plausible]

"I refused since the beginning. My mother was sick, I had found the medicine she needed and I wanted to be near her. At the Montreal Canadiens I only had to sign and leave, they'd handle the rest". Three years later, two Canadiens officials arrived in Bucharest to try to make him sign, but the Securitate found out. "They immediately restrained me and for two years I couldn't leave the country. I am not nostalgic, but if I were to make this choice again, I'd think it over more. In a way, I regret not leaving when I had the opportunity", he confessed.

Poster on International Hockey Forums

saw him playing in the 1980 Olympics and he was a really talented and technically skilled player. He was perhaps the brightest star in that generation, a generation that maybe was Romania's greatest, so it must account for something. I think, iirc, he was even invited to practise with the mighty CSKA Moscow

http://hfboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=181

 

[Iain Fyffe]

He went 849th in the main ATD this year

That was rather hopelessly hopeful, wasn't it?

 

[Jumptheshark]

the are a lot of former eastern block players that could under this heading

most were rarely scene on western shores and it is mostly conjecture when you look at their stats and try to figure out if they played in the nhl how they would be

 

[VanIslander]

That was rather hopelessly hopeful, wasn't it?

To say he was a Top-1000 all-time player is nothing to sneeze at! Spread out over a hundred years, that's a not insignificant mention.

Is he Top-500 all time? He could have been, but based on weighing all factors, it's hard to say he's better than several hundred others who played against the very best of their era.

849th all time is respectable.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Physique

To say he was a Top-1000 all-time player is nothing to sneeze at! Spread out over a hundred years, that's a not insignificant mention.

Is he Top-500 all time? He could have been, but based on weighing all factors, it's hard to say he's better than several hundred others who played against the very best of their era.

849th all time is respectable.

Doubtful physique, photo shows the start of a "Beer League" gut.

 

[Pear Juice]

Doubtful physique, photo shows the start of a "Beer League" gut.

Curious topic. Current Fröunda HC goaltender (also Danish national team goalie) Fredrik Andersen is 194 cm tall (6' 4'') and weighs in at 116 kg (255 lbs) and he is actually very swift for his size. Journalists who have interviewed him in the locker room say that he looks nothing like an elite hockey player, yet after 6 games played in the SEL this season he has been absolutely stellar and is at 0.99 GAA and 0.966 SV%.

I'd be interested to see a thread discussing the fitness of players in a historical perspective.