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The one that got away ... and then walked away

10/22/2018, 12:30pm CDT
By Chris Middlebrook

Former Minnetonka defenseman Dave Jecha was drafted in 1985, but hung up his skates a year later


Senior defenseman Dave Jecha helped Minnetonka to the 1985 state tournament. Photo: Vintage Minnesota Hockey


Former Minnetonka High School defenseman Dave Jecha with the letter he received from the St. Louis Blues after being drafted by the NHL club in 1985.

Dave Jecha has an amazing story to tell. 

Like most hockey players growing up in Edina in the late 1970s and early 1980s he has two goals. The first, to skate for the Edina Varsity. The second, to play in, and hopefully win, a Minnesota state high school championship. 

As a 5-7 ninth grader during the 1981-82 season, he seems on the way, skating for the Edina state champion midget team. Jecha grows five inches before his sophomore year and is 6-0 when he tries out for the Edina Varsity that fall. During tryouts, Jecha is not on the ice for a single goal against. In addition, he is a physical force. Even so, he is cut. Jecha is told that Edina wants its players to play “rub-out” hockey. They don’t want big hitters. Jecha again skates for the Edina midget team which finishes third in the state.

During the summer of 1983, between his sophomore and junior years, Jecha skates in the Varsity Classic League, the top league for metro area high school players. He is equal to the best defensemen in the league. He also grows another inch to 6-1. Jecha has proved himself on the ice and is certain that during the coming season, his junior year, he will skate for the Edina varsity.

When Jecha is again cut he is devastated. He understands that he will have zero chance of making the Edina varsity, for the first time, his senior year. The week after Jecha has again been left off the varsity team, he is attending classes at Minnetonka High School and skating with the Skippers. Although the team is already picked and as a last minute transfer he will have to skate JV, Jecha doesn’t care. He is gunning for the opportunity to play varsity hockey his senior year. He is still, however, also enrolled at Edina. He calls in sick each day that first week. Then he tells Edina that he is transferring to Minnetonka.

Come November of 1984 and Dave Jecha is now 6-2 tall and weighs 175 pounds. He is not only big and very physical, he can move. He makes the Minnetonka varsity. Jecha achieves his first childhood hockey goal of playing varsity high school hockey. One of Minnetonka’s first games that season is against Edina. Minnetonka wins and Jecha excels against the team he was not considered good enough to play for. 

In March, Jecha achieves the second of his childhood hockey goals, to play in the state high school hockey tourney. Minnetonka advances out of the region. Edina does not. In the tourney, Minnetonka loses their opener in four overtimes to Bloomington Jefferson. Ten hours later, they beat Bemidji 3-0. The Skippers fall 5-4 in two overtimes to Hibbing in the consolation final. Jecha has played impressively. He is named to the All-Tournament Team. 

Days after the tourney has ended, he receives a phone call from Ted Hampson, scout for the St. Louis Blues. Hampson congratulates Jecha on his season and asks him his plans for next year. He asks if there are any injuries that Hampson and the Blues should know about. Hampson then informs Jecha that the Blues are looking at the upcoming NHL Draft and Jecha is on their list. Hampson further tells Jecha that his play reminds Hampson of Scott Stevens. Hampson will call Jecha two more times over the following months to check on how he is doing.

June 17, 1985 is a Saturday. It is also the day of the NHL Draft. It is not highly publicized and is definitely not televised. At 6:20 that evening, Jecha has just finished eating dinner with his mom. He is then going to hang out with some friends. The phone rings and Jecha answers. “Is this Dave Jecha? Please hold the line for Ron Caron, the General Manager of the St. Louis Blues,” the voice on the phone says. 

Caron gets on the phone and in his heavy French accent says, “Welcome to the St. Louis Blues.” 

Hampson then gets on the line and congratulates Jecha on being drafted by the Blues. 

Next on the line is Blue’s coach Jaques Demars. “Welcome aboard, Dave,” Demars says. “We look forward to seeing your progress.” 

Jecha needs to decide where to play the following season. University of Minnesota coach Doug Woog wants him to walk on, but Jecha instead skates in the USHL for the Rochester Mustangs. The season, including tryouts and playoffs, runs from September through April. Eighty games total. Jecha makes the USHL All-Star Team which then plays in an international tournament in Switzerland. He has multiple offers to play Division I hockey. 

By the end of the season, however, Jecha has come to a powerful realization. He is tired of being a hockey player. He has lost interest. He decides to completely and totally walk away from the game. But he does so knowing he has accomplished all he ever wanted to as a hockey player. He played varsity hockey and skated in a state tournament. Jecha is especially satisfied that he did so wearing the blue and white of Minnetonka, where he was not only good enough to be a top high school defenseman, he was also good enough to be drafted by the NHL.

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Tag(s): State Of Hockey  News