Richard van Gog (born April 3, 1957) is a former professional ice hockey player. A Canadian of Dutch descent, he played in the Netherlands mostly for GIJS Groningen and also spent the 1983–84 season with Diö GoIF in Sweden. He was also a member of the Netherlands national ice hockey team.

Rick van Gog
Born (1956-04-03) April 3, 1956 (age 70)
Aurora, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Defence
Played for GIJS Groningen
HYS Den Haag
Diö GoIF
Rotterdam Panda's
National team  Netherlands
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 19771987

A defenceman, Van Gog played a season in the OHA with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He joined Groningen in 1977 and remained with the club to 1987. His best offensive season was 1979-80 when he scored 50 points in 34 games.

Van Gog played for the Netherlands at the 1980 Winter Olympics,[1] scoring a goal and three assists in five games. He again played all games of the Netherlands at the 1981 World Ice Hockey Championships, the only time the country has appeared in Pool A or its current equivalent. Van Gog, who was known as "Elbows" in the Dutch league, is infamously remembered for having leveled Canadian superstar Guy Lafleur with a hard hit and elbow in their game with Team Canada.[2][3] In Pool B in 1987, he went scoreless in two games.

References

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  1. "Rick VAN GOG". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  2. On his first shift in a World Ice Hockey
  3. Canada's 8-1 drubbing of the Netherlands at the World

Further reading

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