Introduction
Michael Gerald "Gerry" Melnyk (September 16, 1934 – June 14, 2001) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played six seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Black Hawks and St. Louis Blues. After hanging up the blades with Philadelphia in 1968, Melnyk started his more prominent second career as a scout. His first assignment was convincing the Flyers to draft an undersized diabetic by the name of Bobby Clarke in the second round of the 1969 draft. Melnyk rose to the top of his profession identifying dozens of future NHLers.
Playing career
Melnyk began his NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1956 Stanley Cup playoffs. He also played for the Chicago Black Hawks and St. Louis Blues. After playing the 1967–68 season with the Blues, Melnyk was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers but retired a week prior to the 1968–69 season. He became a scout for the Flyers and successfully lobbied for the selection of Bobby Clarke at the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft. In 243 regular season NHL games, Melnyk recorded 39 goals and 77 assists for 116 career points.