Wayne Bianchin

Surf's Up ! Wayne Bianchin was set and ready to go for a long and successful career with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the NHL. A gifted scorer, it looked as if Bianchin would become a high scoring forward for the Western Pennsylvania club. However, the British Columbia native got the wrong wave while body surfing in Hawaii. The result was a broken neck. Bianchin was just coming off a successful rookie season. Prior to the injury, he played 3 games with the Hershey Bears. After the injury, Bianchin spent parts of two seasons under the management of Frank Mather's and the Hershey Bears. In 1975-76, the left wing rebounded with a 46 point season with the Bears.
From there it was back to the NHL with the Penguins and the Edmonton Oilers. His final season in the NHL with the Oilers was played along side 19 year old Wayne Gretzky.
At last report, Bianchin had returned to his native Nanaimo, BC and was working in the financial services field.