Bernard “Buzz” Deschamps, former Long Island Ducks star whose influence on hockey has spanned more than six decades, will be inducted into the New York state Hockey Hall of Fame’s class of 2026. Over the course of his career, Deschamps has helped grow the sport and develop talent by working as a player, coach, scout and executive.

“We’re thrilled Buzz is in this year’s Hall of Fame class,” Rene LeRoux, executive director and founder of the New York State Hockey Hall of Fame, said in a phone interview. “Buzz immediately got our attention as a nominee because his legacy in the game is so substantial.”

Deschamps’ career achievements include being inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame in 2010 and receiving the Rangers’ Emile Francis Award in 2023 for hislifelong dedication to mentoring youth hockey players and growing the sport.

Born in Ontario, Canada, Deschamps began playing hockey at an early age and soon emerged as a standout left-winger throughout the province. He was drafted by the New York Rangers in 1955.

He played professional hockey for the next decade, including stints with the Sudbury Wolves in the Eastern Professional Hockey League and the Indianapolis Chiefs in the International Hockey League.

In 1962, Deschamps joined the Long Island Ducks of the Eastern Hockey League and had an immediate impact. He scored 38 goals and had 83 points in just 67 games inhis first seasonplaying at the Long Island Arena in Commack, then set a franchise record of 59 goals and 98 points during the 1963-64 season, his last with the storied club. The Ducks’ reputation as a tough team embodying “Old Time Hockey” style served as inspiration for the cult-classic film Slapshot.

After retiring from the pros in 1969, Deschamps continued contributing to the sport while raising five children with his wife Trudy.

He has also served as an executive for a hockey equipment company, worked as a scout for the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames, and coached at St. John’s University and Stony Brook University, and for youth hockey programs for many years.

Deschamps’ life in the game was chronicled in the 2023 book “A Stick in the Window: The Hockey Life of Buzz Deschamps.”

Now 86, Deschamps remains active in the game today as hockey ambassador for the Town of Oyster Bay. He and his team run a youth program at the Ice Skating Center in Bethpage.

Source: LI Press