Editing Bernie Federko (section)

==Playing career==
Federko began playing hockey at a young age in his home town of [[Foam Lake, Saskatchewan]]. He was captain of the 1971 Bantam provincial champions. He also played Senior hockey with the local [[Foam Lake Flyers]] of the Fishing Lake Hockey League, winning the league scoring title as a bantam-aged player. Federko continued his career with the [[Saskatoon Blades]] of the [[Western Hockey League|WHL]] where he set and still holds the team record for assists. He played three seasons with the Blades, and in his final year with the club he led the league in assists and points in both the regular season ''and'' playoffs. Federko was drafted 7th overall by the [[St. Louis Blues]] in the [[1976 NHL Amateur Draft]]. He started the next season with the [[Kansas City Blues (ice hockey)|Kansas City Blues]] of the [[Central Professional Hockey League|Central Hockey League]] and was leading the league in points when he was called up mid-season to play 31 games with St. Louis. He scored three [[hat trick]]s in those 31 games. In the [[1978–79 NHL season]], Federko developed into a bona fide star, as he scored 95 points.

Federko scored 100 points in a season four times, and was a consistent and underrated performer for the Blues. Federko scored at least 90 points in seven of the eight seasons between 1978 and 1986, and became the first player in NHL history to record at least 50 assists in 10 consecutive seasons. However, in an era when [[Wayne Gretzky]] was scoring 200 points a season, Federko never got the attention many felt he deserved. In 1986, in a poll conducted by GOAL magazine, he was named the most overlooked talent in hockey. His [[General Manager]] [[Ron Caron]] said he was "A great playmaker. He makes the average or above average player look like a star at times. He's such an unselfish player."

On March 19, 1988, Federko became the 22nd NHL player to record 1000 career points. After he had a poor season as a captain in [[1988–89 NHL season|1988–89]], he was traded to the [[Detroit Red Wings]] with [[Tony McKegney]] for future Blues star [[Adam Oates]], and [[Paul MacLean (ice hockey)|Paul MacLean]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Federko traded to Red Wings - UPI Archives |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/06/15/Federko-traded-to-Red-Wings/9520613886400/ |access-date=2023-12-10 |website=UPI |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Eno |first=Greg |title=Forced or Not, Detroit Red Wings' Jimmy Devellano Got Rooked in Federko Trade |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/260064-whether-forced-or-not-red-wings-devellano-got-rooked-in-federko-trade |access-date=2023-12-18 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wolak |first=Tony |date=2023-12-17 |title=Worst Trades in Red Wings History |url=https://thehockeywriters.com/worst-trades-in-detroit-red-wings-history/ |access-date=2023-12-18 |website=The Hockey Writers |language=en-us}}</ref> In Detroit, Federko re-united with former Blues head coach [[Jacques Demers]], but he had to play behind [[Steve Yzerman]] and did not get his desired ice time. After his lowest point output since his rookie season, Federko decided to retire after the [[1989–90 NHL season|1989–90 season]], having played exactly 1,000 NHL games with his final game on April 1, 1990.<ref name="HR">{{cite web |title=Detroit Red Wings at Philadelphia Flyers Box Score — April 1, 1990 |url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/199004010PHI.html |website=Hockey Reference |access-date=14 April 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Archives |first=L. A. Times |date=1990-08-14 |title=THE SIDELINES : Center Bernie Federko to Retire |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-08-14-sp-911-story.html |access-date=2023-12-18 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>