BILL COLLINS

Bill Collins was an original North Star, claimed in the 1967 Expansion Draft from the New York Rangers.  He had spent two of his previous three seasons with the St. Paul Rangers of the CPHL, so he was certainly familiar with the area.  Collins was a solid winger on those early teams.  He scored nine goals in each of his first two seasons with the North Stars, then exploded for 29 goals in 1969-70.  Arguably the biggest impact that Collins had on the North Stars organization was the direct result of that breakout season -- he was traded to Montreal for an unproven young center named Jude Drouin.  While Collins was a steady NHL contributor for six more teams over the next decade, Drouin became a high-scoring star and top playmaker for the North Stars.