Duncan MacPherson: Difference between revisions

Duncan MacPherson
Duncan MacPherson
	A passport photograph of MacPherson, taken a few weeks before his death
Born	February 3, 1966; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Died	August 9, 1989 (aged 23); Stubai Glacier Resort, Austria
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Defenceman
Shot	Left
Played for	Springfield Indians; Indianapolis Ice
NHL draft	20th overall, 1984; New York Islanders
Playing career	1986–1989

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Duncan Alvin MacPherson (February 3, 1966 – August 9, 1989) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. In 1989, he went on a trip to Austria, and then disappeared. Searches proved fruitless, until in 2003 when his body was found in a melting glacier. His death remains officially unsolved.

Early life and career

MacPherson was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. A standout defenceman for the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League, he was drafted in the first round, 20th overall, of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders.^[1] He played minor league hockey for the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League and the Indianapolis Ice of the International Hockey League.

Disappearance

In the summer of 1989, MacPherson went to Europe. The New York Islanders had bought out and released the often injured MacPherson. ^[2] ^[3] MacPherson had intentions of taking a job as a player-coach for a semi-pro hockey team in Dundee, Scotland, commencing in August 1989. Despite having a bad feeling about the entrepreneur Ron Dixon who was backing the Scottish team,^[3] he travelled to central Europe alone in early August 1989. The plan was to visit old friends and see the sights before going on to Scotland.

He was scheduled to arrive in Dundee on August 12. When he did not show up, his family went to look for him. A car he had borrowed from a friend was discovered six weeks later in the parking lot of the Stubaital ski-region resort at the foot of the Stubai Glaciers in the Stubai Alps in Austria, where he had rented a snowboard. His last known contact was with an employee of the ski resort on August 9, who reported that he spoke with MacPherson, and last saw MacPherson departing alone to perhaps squeeze in some final snowboarding and hiking before nightfall.^[3]

In 2003, 14 years after MacPherson disappeared, an employee of the Stubai Glacier Resort discovered a glove sticking out of the ice of the melting Schaufelferner Glacier (one of the Stubai Glaciers' arms), in the middle of the ski run, where MacPherson's body had lain frozen.^[4]

Theories

According to John Leake, author of Cold a Long Time: An Alpine Mystery, MacPherson’s body was found to have suffered significant trauma, including amputation of arms, hands and legs. The damage is consistent with rotating machinery; his snowboard also had a uniform pattern of damage and was cut apart, which indicates that it too had gone through a machine. Leake’s conclusion was that MacPherson had a snowboard accident and injured his leg, and was lying on the slope waiting for rescue. During that very foggy day, a snowcat driver did not see MacPherson and ran him over by accident, killing him. Instead of reporting it, that driver (or his supervisor) buried MacPherson in the shallow crevasse. His body stayed hidden there for fourteen years, until the glacier melted enough for it to be seen.^[5]

Career statistics

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1982–83	Battleford Barons	SJHL	59	6	11	17	215	—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	Saskatoon Blades	WHL	5	2	4	6	16	2	0	0	0	0
1983–84	Saskatoon Blades	WHL	45	0	14	14	74	—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	Saskatoon Blades	WHL	69	9	26	35	116	3	0	0	0	4
1985–86	Saskatoon Blades	WHL	70	10	54	64	147	13	3	8	11	38
1986–87	Springfield Indians	AHL	26	1	0	1	86	—	—	—	—	—
1987–88	Springfield Indians	AHL	74	5	14	19	213	—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	Springfield Indians	AHL	24	1	5	6	69	—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	Indianapolis Ice	IHL	33	1	4	5	23	—	—	—	—	—
WHL totals			189	21	98	119	353	18	3	8	11	42
AHL totals			124	7	19	26	368	—	—	—	—	—

References

^ "Duncan MacPherson Stats and News". nhl.com. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
^ "Duncan MacPherson profile". Hockey Draft Central. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c Jones, Chris (December 31, 2004). "The man in the ice". Esquire. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
^ "Iceman". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
^ "Duncan MacPherson's Death: Forensics". CreateSpace Publishing. Retrieved July 25, 2023.

External links

Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database

Preceded by Gerald Diduck	New York Islanders first round draft pick 1984	Succeeded by Brad Dalgarno

[1] "Duncan MacPherson Stats and News". nhl.com. Retrieved November 9, 2024.

[HDC-2] "Duncan MacPherson profile". Hockey Draft Central. Retrieved September 2, 2010.

[Esquire-3] Jones, Chris (December 31, 2004). "The man in the ice". Esquire. Retrieved September 2, 2010.

[CBCFifthEstate-4] "Iceman". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2010.

[Cold_A_Long_Time:_An_Alpine_Mystery-5] "Duncan MacPherson's Death: Forensics". CreateSpace Publishing. Retrieved July 25, 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player (1966–1989)}}
 {{For|the Canadian editorial cartoonist|Duncan Macpherson}}
+{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}{{Infobox ice hockey player
-{{Infobox Ice Hockey Player
 | image           = duncan macpherson.jpg
-| image_caption   = A passport photograph of MacPherson, taken a few weeks before his death.
+| caption   = A passport photograph of MacPherson, taken a few weeks before his death
-| image_size      = 230px
 | position        = [[Defenceman (ice hockey)|Defenceman]]
-| shot            = Left
+| shoots          = Left
 | height_ft       = 6
 | height_in       = 1
 | weight_lb       = 195
 | played_for      = [[Springfield Indians]]<br />[[Indianapolis Ice]]
-| nationality     = Canada
 | birth_date      = {{Birth date|1966|2|3|mf=yes}}
-| birth_place     = [[Saskatoon, Saskatchewan]]
+| birth_place     = [[Saskatoon]], Saskatchewan, Canada
 | death_date      = {{Death date and age|1989|8|9|1966|2|3|mf=yes}}
-| death_place     = [[Stubai Alps]], [[Austria]]
+| death_place     = [[Stubai Alps|Stubai Glacier Resort]], Austria
 | draft           = 20th overall
 | draft_year      = 1984
-| draft_team      = New York Islanders
+| draft_team      = [[New York Islanders]]
 | career_start    = 1986
 | career_end      = 1989
 }}
-'''Duncan MacPherson''' (February 3, 1966 – August 9, 1989) was a professional [[ice hockey]] player who died under mysterious circumstances. He was born in [[Saskatoon, Saskatchewan]]. A standout defensive defenceman for the [[Saskatoon Blades]] of the [[Western Hockey League]], MacPherson was drafted in the first round, 20th overall, of the [[1984 NHL Entry Draft]] by the [[New York Islanders]]. He played [[minor league hockey]] for the [[Springfield Indians]] of the [[American Hockey League]] and the [[Indianapolis Ice]] of the [[International Hockey League (1945–2001)|International Hockey League]].
+'''Duncan Alvin MacPherson''' (February 3, 1966 – August 9, 1989) was a [[Canadians|Canadian]] professional [[ice hockey]] player. In 1989, he went on a trip to Austria, and then disappeared. Searches proved fruitless, until in 2003 when his body was found in a melting glacier. His death remains officially unsolved.
+==Early life and career==
+MacPherson was born in [[Saskatoon]], [[Saskatchewan]]. A standout defenceman for the [[Saskatoon Blades]] of the [[Western Hockey League]], he was drafted in the first round, 20th overall, of the [[1984 NHL Entry Draft]] by the [[New York Islanders]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Duncan MacPherson Stats and News |url=https://www.nhl.com/player/duncan-macpherson-8457170 |website=nhl.com |access-date=9 November 2024}}</ref> He played [[minor league hockey]] for the [[Springfield Indians]] of the [[American Hockey League]] and the [[Indianapolis Ice]] of the [[International Hockey League (1945–2001)|International Hockey League]].
 ==Disappearance==
-In the summer of 1989 he went to Europe.  The New York Islanders had a couple of months earlier bought out and released the often injured MacPherson. <ref name="HDC">{{cite web |url=http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1984/84020.html |title=Duncan MacPherson profile |publisher=Hockey Draft Central |accessdate=2010-09-02}}</ref>  He never made it to the big club. <ref name="Esquire">{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Chris |url=http://www.esquire.com/features/the-game/ESQ0104-JAN_GAME |title=The man in the ice |publisher=Esquire |date=2004-12-31 |accessdate=2010-09-02}}</ref> MacPherson had intentions of taking a job as a player-coach for a semi-pro hockey team in [[Dundee]], [[Scotland]], commencing in August 1989, though he did have a bad feeling in his gut about the entrepreneur Ron Dixon who was backing the Scottish team.<ref name="Esquire" />  He went to central Europe alone in early August 1989, the plan being to visit old friends and see the sights before going on to Scotland.
+In the summer of 1989, MacPherson went to Europe. The [[New York Islanders]] had bought out and released the often injured MacPherson. <ref name="HDC">{{cite web |url=http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1984/84020.html |title=Duncan MacPherson profile |publisher=Hockey Draft Central |accessdate=2010-09-02}}</ref> <ref name="Esquire">{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Chris |url=http://www.esquire.com/features/the-game/ESQ0104-JAN_GAME |title=The man in the ice |publisher=Esquire |date=2004-12-31 |accessdate=2010-09-02}}</ref> MacPherson had intentions of taking a job as a player-coach for a semi-pro hockey team in [[Dundee]], [[Scotland]], commencing in August 1989. Despite having a bad feeling about the entrepreneur Ron Dixon who was backing the Scottish team,<ref name="Esquire" />  he travelled to central Europe alone in early August 1989. The plan was  to visit old friends and see the sights before going on to Scotland.
-He was scheduled to arrive in Dundee on August 12.  When he did not show up, his family went to look for him.  A car he had borrowed from a friend was discovered six weeks later in the parking lot of the [[Stubaier Gletscher]] resort in the [[Stubai Alps]] in Austria, where he had rented a snowboard. His last known contact was with an employee of the ski resort on August 9, who reported that he spoke with MacPherson, and last saw MacPherson departing alone to perhaps squeeze in some final snowboarding and hiking before nightfall.<ref name="Esquire" />
+He was scheduled to arrive in Dundee on August 12. When he did not show up, his family went to look for him. A car he had borrowed from a friend was discovered six weeks later in the parking lot of the [[Stubaital]] ski-region resort at the foot of the [[Stubai Glacier]]s in the [[Stubai Alps]] in [[Austria]], where he had rented a snowboard. His last known contact was with an employee of the ski resort on August 9, who reported that he spoke with MacPherson, and last saw MacPherson departing alone to perhaps squeeze in some final snowboarding and hiking before nightfall.<ref name="Esquire" />
+In 2003, 14 years after MacPherson disappeared, an employee of the [[Stubai Alps|Stubai Glacier Resort]] discovered a glove sticking out of the ice of the melting Schaufelferner Glacier (one of the Stubai Glaciers' arms), in the middle of the ski run, where MacPherson's body had lain frozen.<ref name="CBCFifthEstate">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/iceman/ |title=Iceman |publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] |accessdate=2010-09-02 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304231055/http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/iceman/ |archivedate=March 4, 2012 }}</ref>
-Adding drama to the mystery was the fact that MacPherson claimed he had been contacted by the CIA, and that they were interested in recruiting him as a spy.  The story was never confirmed.  <ref name="HDC" />
+==Theories==
-In July, 2003, an employee of the resort discovered a glove sticking out of the ice of the glacier. MacPherson's body was discovered in the middle of the ski run. <ref name="CBCFifthEstate">{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/iceman/ |title=Iceman |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |accessdate=2010-09-02}}</ref>
+According to John Leake, author of ''Cold a Long Time: An Alpine Mystery'',<!-- see also https://www.coldalongtime.com/ --> MacPherson’s body was found to have suffered significant trauma, including amputation of arms, hands and legs. The damage is consistent with rotating machinery; his snowboard also had a uniform pattern of damage and was cut apart, which indicates that it too had gone through a machine. Leake’s conclusion was that MacPherson had a snowboard accident and injured his leg, and was lying on the slope waiting for rescue. During that very foggy day, a [[snowcat]] driver did not see MacPherson and ran him over by accident, killing him. Instead of reporting it, that driver (or his supervisor) buried MacPherson in the shallow crevasse. His body stayed hidden there for fourteen years, until the glacier melted enough for it to be seen.<ref name="Cold A Long Time: An Alpine Mystery">{{cite web |url=https://www.coldalongtime.com/pages/about-duncan-macpherson |title=Duncan MacPherson's Death: Forensics |publisher=CreateSpace Publishing |accessdate=2023-07-25}}</ref>
 ==Career statistics==
+{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em"
-===Regular season and playoffs===
-{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em"
 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
 ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp;
 ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp;
-! colspan="5" | [[Regular season|Regular&nbsp;season]]
+! colspan="5" | [[Regular season]]
 ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp;
 ! colspan="5" | [[Playoffs]]
@@ Line 57: / Line 59: @@
 ! PIM
 |-
+| 1982–83
+| [[Battleford Barons]]
+| [[Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League|SJHL]]
+| 59||6||11||17||215
+| —||—||—||—||—
+|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
 | [[1982–83 WHL season|1982–83]]
 | [[Saskatoon Blades]]
@@ Line 62: / Line 70: @@
 | 5||2||4||6||16
 | 2||0||0||0||0
+|-
-|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
 | [[1983–84 WHL season|1983–84]]
 | Saskatoon Blades
@@ Line 68: / Line 76: @@
 | 45||0||14||14||74
 | —||—||—||—||—
+|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
-|-
 | [[1984–85 WHL season|1984–85]]
 | Saskatoon Blades
@@ Line 74: / Line 82: @@
 | 69||9||26||35||116
 | 3||0||0||0||4
+|-
-|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
 | [[1985–86 WHL season|1985–86]]
 | Saskatoon Blades
@@ Line 80: / Line 88: @@
 | 70||10||54||64||147
 | 13||3||8||11||38
+|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
-|-
 | [[1986–87 AHL season|1986–87]]
 | [[Springfield Indians]]
@@ Line 86: / Line 94: @@
 | 26||1||0||1||86
 | —||—||—||—||—
+|-
-|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
 | [[1987–88 AHL season|1987–88]]
 | Springfield Indians
@@ Line 92: / Line 100: @@
 | 74||5||14||19||213
 | —||—||—||—||—
+|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
-|-
 | [[1988–89 AHL season|1988–89]]
 | Springfield Indians
@@ Line 98: / Line 106: @@
 | 24||1||5||6||69
 | —||—||—||—||—
+|-
-|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
-| 1988–89
+| [[1988–89 IHL season|1988–89]]
 | [[Indianapolis Ice]]
 | [[International Hockey League (1945–2001)|IHL]]
@@ Line 115: / Line 123: @@
 ==See also==
-*[[List of ice hockey players who died during their playing career]]
+*[[List of ice hockey players who died during their careers]]
 ==References==
 {{Reflist}}
+== Further reading ==
-==External links==
+*[http://www.coldalongtime.com Website and Book by John Leake, published in 2012]
-*{{Hockeydb|3634}}
+*The [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] program [https://www.cbc.ca/news/fifthestate The Fifth Estate] has done episodes on this story, the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pALwtySqyvw first] in 2006 and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_RhiMs4B5A another] in 2011.
+*[http://www.esquire.com/features/the-game/ESQ0104-JAN_GAME Article from Esquire magazine, published in 2004]
 *[http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1984/84020.html Story of his disappearance]
-*[http://www.datum.at/7809/stories/auf-duennem-eis/ Story written in German for an Austrian Magazine]
-*[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8110449 Find-a-Grave Entry]
-*[http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/iceman/index.html A documentary] produced for [[the fifth estate]] by the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]].
-*[http://www.esquire.com/features/the-game/ESQ0104-JAN_GAME Article from Esquire magazine, published in 2004].
 *[http://www.planetski.eu/news/402 Detailed chronology of events]
+*In German language:
-*[http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/iceman/timeline.html Detailed timeline with photos] from Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
+**[https://web.archive.org/web/20121009232648/http://www.datum.at/artikel/auf-duennem-eis "Auf dünnem Eis" (On thin ice)], story written by Florian Skrabal for Austrian magazine [[Datum (magazine)|''Datum – Seiten der Zeit'']], published 1 September 2009. Retrieved 7 October 2012
+**[http://sz-magazin.sueddeutsche.de/texte/anzeigen/38557/Eisiges-Schweigen "Eisiges Schweigen" (Icy silentness)], story by [[Malte Herwig]] for Bavarian newspaper ''[[Süddeutsche Zeitung]]'', published 5 October 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2012
+==External links==
-{{start box}}
+* {{Ice hockey stats |nhl=8457170 |elite=79650 |euro= |hr=b/brownda01 |hockeydb=3634 |legends= }}
-{{succession box | before = [[Gerald Diduck]] | title = [[List of New York Islanders draft picks|New York Islanders first round draft pick]] | years = [[1983 NHL Entry Draft|1983]] | after = [[Brad Dalgarno]]}}
-{{end box}}
+{{S-start}}
+{{succession box | before = [[Gerald Diduck]] | title = [[List of New York Islanders draft picks|New York Islanders first round draft pick]] | years = [[1984 NHL Entry Draft|1984]] | after = [[Brad Dalgarno]]}}
+{{S-end}}
+{{Authority control}}
-<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->
-{{Persondata
-|NAME= MacPherson, Duncan
-|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
-|SHORT DESCRIPTION= Canadian ice hockey player
-|DATE OF BIRTH= 1966-2-3
-|PLACE OF BIRTH= [[Saskatoon, Saskatchewan]]
-|DATE OF DEATH= 1989-8-9
-|PLACE OF DEATH= [[Stubai Alps]], [[Austria]]
-}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Macpherson, Duncan}}
 [[Category:1966 births]]
 [[Category:1989 deaths]]
-[[Category:Deaths from hypothermia]]
+[[Category:Canadian people of Scottish descent]]
-[[Category:Ice hockey personnel from Saskatchewan]]
 [[Category:Indianapolis Ice players]]
-[[Category:National Hockey League first round draft picks]]
+[[Category:NHL first-round draft picks]]
 [[Category:New York Islanders draft picks]]
-[[Category:People from Saskatoon]]
+[[Category:Saskatoon Blades players]]
-[[Category:Saskatoon Blades alumni]]
+[[Category:Ice hockey people from Saskatoon]]
 [[Category:Springfield Indians players]]
+[[Category:Canadian ice hockey defencemen]]
+[[Category:Deaths on mountains]]
+[[Category:Sport deaths in Austria]]
-[[fr:Duncan MacPherson]]
+[[Category:Unsolved deaths]]
-[[fi:Duncan MacPherson]]
+[[Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen]]

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