Willie Huber 1958-2010

I finally received confirmation of terrible news from Monday morning. Former NHL defenseman Willie Huber died at the age of 52 of a suspected heart attack.

From Dennis Gibbons of SIHR:

CHCH News in Hamilton tonight reported the death of former NHL defenseman Willie Huber, who played mostly with Detroit. In recent years Huber had worked as a security guard at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton.

Here's my biography of Big Willie Huber I wrote a couple of years ago:

Big Willie Style. Its a bad song by a good actor. It's also the way Wilhelm Heinrich Huber played defense in the National Hockey League.

So what exactly is Big Willie Style on ice? Well, adventuresome to say the least. He was an offensive defenseman, particularly in his 5 years with Detroit in the early 1980s. In the offensive zone the 6'5" 230lb giant used his reach to great advantage. And when he leaned into a shot with all that weight behind him, he could really let a shot rip. He had a good read of the offensive play developing in the other team's zone.

Full Willie Huber biography.