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Former Red Wings Player Trader Dies

Ex-defenseman was 61 years old

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3 weeks ago

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Larry Trader, Red Wings
Larry Trader played defense for the Red Wings from 1982-85.

Larry Trader was a big hit when he was playing at training camp for the Detroit Red Wings during the fall of 1982.

“There’s a good indication that he might start the season (in the NHL),” Red Wings coach Nick Polano said at the time of the defenseman who was Detroit’s 86th overall choice in the 1981 NHL entry draft.

That feeling if euphoria didn’t last long. Trader did make the Red Wings out of training camp as a 19-year-old in 1982. However, after playing just 15 NHL games, the Red Wings were reassigning Trader to his junior club, the OHL London Knights.

It was the beginning of what would be a roller coaster ride of a pro career for the Detroit defenseman.

Trader, who died Thursday at the age of 61, would never be spending more than 40 games as an NHLer in a single season. That came during the 1984-85 season. He was putting up 3-7-10 numbers and a plus-11 rating in 40 games that season with the Red Wings. He would miss 29 games that season after undergoing surgery on torn ligaments in his right knee.

Trader would also play in the NHL for the St. Louis Blues and Montreal Canadiens. His Red Wings days would come to an end on August 7, 1986. He was dealt to the Blues for defenseman Lee Norwood.

Trader A Highly Skilled Defender

At the junior and AHL levels, Trader was a prominent offensive producer. He’d score 19 goals for the Knights during the 1981-82 season. London coach Paul McIntosh would sometimes play Trader at center. That position shift that was irksome to the Red Wings brass. They wanted him to focus on improving his defensive game.

In the AHL, he’d accumulate a pair of 50-point campaigns. During the 1985-86 season with the Adirondack Red Wings, Detroit’s top farm club, Trader would post 10-46-56 numbers. That was earning him AHL Second All-Star Team status. Leading Adirondack with 16 assists and 22 points, Trader would help the club win the AHL Calder Cup title that spring.

“I like Larry Trader’s skills,” Red Wings coach Harry Neale said prior to the 1985-86 season. “But if he wants to become a real good player in this league, he’s got to get more involved.”

On the international stage. Trader won a bronze medal with Canada at the 1983 IIHF World Junior Championship. Trader put up 2-3-5 totals over seven games, the same numbers as current Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman would contribute to the team.

He would also be a winner of the Spengler Cup in 1986-87 as part of Team Canada. His cousin is former Calgary Flames captain Jim Peplinski.

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