After a junior hockey career for the
Ottawa 67's in the
Ontario Major Junior Hockey League, Wilson was drafted in the first round, sixth overall, in the 1977
NHL entry draft. He then played 14 seasons with the
Chicago Black Hawks and two years for the
San Jose Sharks in the
National Hockey League. He was the first
captain in Sharks history, serving two years before retiring after the
1992–93 season. Wilson played 14 seasons in Chicago and still ranks as the club's highest-scoring defenceman in points (779 — seventh overall), goals (225 — 12th overall) and assists (554 — fourth overall). Wilson is ninth all-time in games played (938) for Chicago. He also led all Blackhawks defencemen in scoring for 10 consecutive seasons (
1980–81 through
1990–91). In 1982, he was awarded the
James Norris Memorial Trophy, as the League's top defenceman. While with Chicago, Wilson was named as an
NHL First Team All-Star in 1982 and twice was named as an NHL Second Team All-Star (1985 and 1990). Wilson agreed to waive his no-trade clause and was acquired by San Jose from Chicago just before the Sharks first season (
1991–92) for prospect Kerry Toporowski and San Jose's 2nd round choice in the
1992 NHL draft. Wilson brought instant credibility and respect to the young franchise. He played two seasons for the Sharks, scoring 48 points (12 goals, 36 assists) in 86 games. Other career highlights include serving as the franchise's first team captain (1991–93), being the team's first representative in an All-Star Game (1991–92), playing in his NHL-milestone 1,000th game on November 21, 1992, (77th player in League history) and twice named Sharks nominee (1992 and 1993) for the
King Clancy Memorial Trophy (for leadership and humanitarian contributions both on-and off-the-ice). At his 1,000th NHL game-played ceremony, he announced the creation of the Doug Wilson Scholarship Foundation. This scholarship provides assistance to worthy college-bound Bay Area students, and continues today. Wilson announced his retirement as a member of the Sharks during training camp in 1993–94 after playing in 1,024 career games. In addition, he played in 95 career playoff games and scored 80 points (19 goals, 61 assists). The
Ottawa native scored 827 points (237 goals, 590 assists) during his career that began in 1977–78 with Chicago. Wilson was elected to the
Hockey Hall of Fame on June 24, 2020, in his 24th year of eligibility. Before that, he had been one of two eligible Norris Trophy winners (along with
Randy Carlyle) outside of the Hall of Fame. ==Career achievements==