| Position: | Defense |
| Played For: | Minnesota Fighting Saints Houston Aeros Edmonton Oilers New England Whalers Minnesota North Stars |
| Shoots: | Right |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 10 |
| Weight Lb: | 185 |
| Birth Date: | 10 January 1951 |
| Birth Place: | Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA |
| Draft: | Undrafted |
| Wha Draft: | Undrafted |
| Career Start: | 1973 |
| Career End: | 1980 |
Bill Butters (born January 10, 1951) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played in the World Hockey Association from 1975 to 1978 and then in the National Hockey League from 1978 to 1979. After his playing career Butters became a coach, serving as an assistant coach for several years with the University of Minnesota and then coaching at the NCAA Division III and high school levels.
Butters was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota on January 10, 1951,[1] and played high school hockey at White Bear Lake, Minnesota. He played for the University of Minnesota from 1971–73, coached by Glen Sonmor and Herb Brooks, and he served as team captain in 1972-73. Butters went on to play 217 games in the World Hockey Association for the Minnesota Fighting Saints, Houston Aeros, Edmonton Oilers and New England Whalers, followed by 72 games in the National Hockey League with the Minnesota North Stars.
In 1980, after retiring as a player, Butters became involved the Christian Hockey Camps International, run by Hockey Ministries International.[2]
From 2010 to 2012, Butters was an assistant coach with the University of Wisconsin Badgers.[3] [4] Butters stepped down from this position in order to return to work with the Ministries.[5]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||||
| 1966–67 | White Bear High School | HS-MN | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | University of Minnesota | B1G | 27 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | University of Minnesota | B1G | 29 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 100 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | University of Minnesota | B1G | 33 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 110 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Oklahoma City Blazers | CHL | 71 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 174 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 37 | ||
| 1974–75 | Minnesota Fighting Saints | WHA | 24 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 58 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 21 | ||
| 1974–75 | Oklahoma City Blazers | CHL | 32 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 192 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Minnesota Fighting Saints | WHA | 59 | 0 | 15 | 15 | 170 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Houston Aeros | WHA | 14 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 51 | ||
| 1976–77 | Minnesota Fighting Saints | WHA | 42 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 133 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Edmonton Oilers | WHA | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | New England Whalers | WHA | 26 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 65 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | ||
| 1977–78 | New England Whalers | WHA | 45 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 23 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 49 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Oklahoma City Stars | CHL | 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Oklahoma City Stars | CHL | 73 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 134 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| WHA totals | 217 | 4 | 51 | 55 | 530 | 34 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 87 | ||||
| NHL totals | 72 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||