Darcy Loewen

Darcy Loewen was an extremely popular player at the minor league level. He was a pint sized winger (just 5'10" and 185 pounds) but he played with such heart and zest that you couldn't help but cheer him on. He didn't score many goals, but his fiery and relentless physical play made him a valuable player, particularly in his 4 seasons in Las Vegas of the International Hockey League.

Loewen, born in Calgary, Alberta, learned to survive physical wars while playing junior hockey with the Spokane Chiefs for 4 seas. The Buffalo Sabres were impressed enough with his grit to select him 55th overall in the 1988 NHL draft.

Loewen turned pro in 1989 and immediately became valuable member of the Sabres farm team in Rochester of the AHL. For three straight seasons he proved to be a pesky but valuable player. The Sabres rewarded him with brief call ups in each of his first three years. However in a total of 12 games as a Sabre, Loewen failed to pick up a scoring statistic.

Loewen's NHL break came in the summer of 1992 when the Ottawa Senators used an expansion draft pick to select the rambunctious Loewen. For two seasons Loewen impressed with his hustle, but with just 4 goals in 123 games with the Sens and Darcy's NHL career was nearing its end.

Darcy may have enjoyed his finest years as a professional hockey player in his post NHL days. From 1994 through 1997 Loewen was one of the most popular players in Las Vegas of the IHL. He also played half a season with the Thunder's arch rivals from Salt Lake City before he headed to Britain for a year.

Darcy, who had a keen interest in agriculture, signed on with the WCHL's Idaho Steelhead's while he enrolled in college classes. He officially retired in 2000.