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Dave Forbes
Dave Forbes
Born	November 16, 1948; Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died	March 25, 2024 (aged 75); Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	178 lb (81 kg; 12 st 10 lb)
Position	Left Wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Boston Bruins ; Washington Capitals ; Cincinnati Stingers
NHL draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1971–1980

David Stephen Forbes (November 16, 1948 – March 25, 2024) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played for the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1973 and 1978, and for the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association between 1978 and 1979.

Playing career

Forbes played for American International College between 1967 and 1971. He signed as a free agent in 1973 with the Boston Bruins and made his NHL debut that year. Forbes made an impact as a defensive-minded forward as he helped guide the Bruins to the finals in 1974 during his rookie season, and to the finals in 1977. Forbes played four seasons with Boston until he was claimed by the Washington Capitals in the Waiver Draft before the 1977–78 season. After playing one season with the Capitals, he was released after only playing two games during the 1978–79 season and signed to play for the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association.

Criminal charges

Forbes was charged with aggravated assault in Minneapolis in 1975 after butt-ending Henry Boucha's eye socket in a game against the Minnesota North Stars, leaving Boucha with limited vision in the right eye. The trial received much publicity as it was highly unusual for an athlete to face criminal charges for assault during a game. The trial ended with a hung jury; the charges were not refiled.^[1] Forbes was suspended for 10 games by the NHL, and Forbes and the Bruins settled a civil case by paying Boucha over $1 million.^[2]

Post-playing career

He was one of five plaintiffs along with Rick Middleton, Brad Park, Ulf Nilsson and Doug Smail in Forbes v. Eagleson, a class action lawsuit filed in 1995 on behalf of about 1,000 NHL players who were employed by NHL teams between 1972 and 1991 against Alan Eagleson, the league and its member clubs. The players alleged that the NHL and its teams violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act by colluding with Eagleson to enable him to embezzle from the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) and that the four-year statute of limitations in civil racketeering cases began when Eagleson was indicted in 1994. The lawsuit was dismissed on August 27, 1998, in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by Thomas Newman O'Neill Jr. who ruled that the statute of limitations expired because it had begun in 1991 when the players were made aware of the allegations against Eagleson. O'Neill's decision was upheld in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on October 17, 2000.^[3]^[4]

Forbes died on March 25, 2024, at the age of 75.^[5]^[6]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1966–67	Lachine Maroons	MMJHL	19	4	4	8	30	—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	American International University	NCAA-II	5	13	10	23	—	—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	American International University	NCAA-II	21	32	25	57	—	—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	American International University	NCAA-II	17	27	15	42	—	—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	American International University	NCAA-II	21	30	22	52	—	—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Oklahoma City Blazers	CHL	42	8	11	19	83	—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Boston Braves	AHL	3	0	0	0	2	7	1	0	1	0
1971–72	Dayton Gems	IHL	10	5	2	7	29	—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	Boston Braves	AHL	27	10	11	21	32	10	3	5	8	27
1972–73	Dayton Gems	IHL	49	20	29	49	194	—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Boston Bruins	NHL	63	10	16	26	41	16	0	2	2	6
1973–74	Boston Braves	AHL	11	2	6	8	35	—	—	—	—	—
1974–75	Boston Bruins	NHL	69	18	12	30	80	3	0	0	0	0
1975–76	Boston Bruins	NHL	79	16	13	29	52	12	1	1	2	5
1976–77	Boston Bruins	NHL	73	9	11	20	47	14	0	1	1	2
1977–78	Washington Capitals	NHL	77	11	11	22	119	—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Washington Capitals	NHL	2	0	1	1	2	—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Cincinnati Stingers	WHA	73	6	5	11	83	3	0	1	1	7
1979–80	Binghamton Dusters	AHL	38	15	15	30	47	—	—	—	—	—
WHA totals			73	6	5	11	83	3	0	1	1	7
NHL totals			363	64	64	128	341	45	1	4	5	13