 He had a solid first season with the North Stars, finishing second on the team in scoring with 58 points despite missing 11 games due to injury.One of the league's most durable players, he had not missed a game to that point in his career, and only missed 10 games combined in his other 11 full NHL seasons.During that season, he also forged a solid partnership with rookie centre Bobby Smith, and the two would be regular linemates over the next several seasons.