Playing career
After playing his first five professional seasons with the Buffalo Bisons of the AHL, Ed Van Impe saw his first NHL action with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1966–67. He had a solid rookie season, amassing 19 points (eight goals and 11 assists) and finishing as the runner-up to Bobby Orr for the Calder Memorial Trophy as Rookie of the Year.
Left unprotected for the expansion draft that off-season, the Philadelphia Flyers picked Van Impe off the Black Hawks' roster. He played eight and a half seasons with the Flyers and was one of the team's best defensive blueliners, serving as the second captain in franchise history, from 1968 to 1973. His forte was hitting and shot-blocking, as well as clearing opponents from the area of his team's net. He was part of the "Broad Street Bullies" teams that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975.
On January 11, 1976, at the Spectrum, Van Impe's Flyers, as part of Super Series '76, played a memorable exhibition game against the Soviet Union's dominant Central Red Army team. Having just finished serving a hooking penalty, Van Impe left the penalty box and immediately placed a devastating hit on the Soviet Union's Valeri Kharlamov, knocking the latter unconscious and causing him to lie prone on the ice for a short while. Van Impe's hit was not penalized and it resulted in the Soviets leaving the ice midway through the first period in protest. After a 17-minute delay, the Soviets finally returned to the ice after they were warned that they would lose their salary for the entire series (200,000 USD) if they did not.
Van Impe was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins along with Bobby Taylor for Gary Inness and cash on March 9, 1976 and he retired following the 1976–77 season.
