Mike Christie (ice hockey)

Michael Hunt Christie (December 20, 1949 – July 11, 2019) was a professional ice hockey defenseman who played 412 games in the National Hockey League for the California Seals, Cleveland Barons, Colorado Rockies, and Vancouver Canucks from 1974 to 1981.

Born in Big Spring, Texas, and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Christie was the first native Texan to play in the NHL, although it was strictly a technicality as his father was a Canadian citizen working for an American oil company and Mike grew up in Canada.

Undrafted, Christie was signed by the Chicago Black Hawks and played two minor league seasons with the Dallas Black Hawks (CHL), before being traded to the California Golden Seals in 1974.

Christie also represented the United States in the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup tournament.

He was married to his wife of 47 years, Molly (née Hamill), and had two daughters, Lisa and Colleen, a son Dan, and four grandchildren.