Fred Arthur

Fred Arthur (born Frederick Edward Arthur on March 6, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played three seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Hartford Whalers and the Philadelphia Flyers.

Playing Career
Fred begun his career by playing with the Cornwall Royals of the QMJHL. He played 4 years there, amassing 192 points in 243 games, for an average of 0.79 points per game.

He was drafted 8th overall in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft by the Hartford Whalers. For that draft, both The Hockey News and the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked him as the 5th best prospect available.

Fred missed the beginning of his first training camp with the Whalers because he had sprained his ankle. He suffered that injury while crossing a road when he stepped in a pothole.

He would play a total of 3 games for the Whalers in 1980-81, getting no points or penalty minutes.

On July 3, 1981, Fred was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers along with Ray Allison and Hartford's first (Ron Sutter and third (Miroslav Dvorak) round choices in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Rick MacLeish, Blake Wesley, Don Gillen and Philadelphia's first (Paul Lawless, second (Mark Patterson) and third (Kevin Dineen round picks in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft.

Fred played 74 games in the 1981-82 season for the Flyers, getting 8 points and 47 penalty minutes. He had found a place with the team as a defensive defenseman, often playing with Jimmy Watson. During his career, he fought two times, against Garry Howatt & Ron Duguay and lost both fights.

Retirement
In October of 1982, the Philadelphia Flyers sent Fred to the Maine Mariners, their American Hockey League affiliate.

Faced with the choice between a professional hockey player or the opportunity to pursue his education, Arthur chose the latter and retired from professional hockey on October 20, 1982. He became the only NHL draft pick to choose a medical career over one in hockey.

Fred said that he thought his medical career might be risked by playing hockey & also said that he did not really enjoy the hockey lifestyle either.

Accolades

 * QMJHL First All-Star Team (1980)
 * Memorial Cup All-Star Team (1981)

Personal Life
Fred attended the University of Western Ontario. His father was an attorney while his mother was a nurse.