Longtime NHLer Pat Stapleton died Thursday at the age of 79, Hockey Canada announced.

Stapleton spent 10 seasons in the NHL and an additional five years in the WHA. He played eight seasons for the Chicago Blackhawks from 1965-73, wearing the captain's "C" during the 1969-70 campaign. He ranks eighth on the Blackhawks' all-time list for points by a defenseman with 327.

Stapleton helped Canada defeat the Soviet Union in the 1972 Summit Series, sporting a plus-6 rating in seven games. He reportedly scooped up the puck from Paul Henderson's famous series-winning goal and kept it.

The native of Sarnia, Ontario, went on to captain the Canadians in the 1974 Summit Series, which they lost to the Soviets.

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