Wayne Maki was the younger brother of the Black Hawks' Chico Maki. He, too, played junior in St.Catharines, although the team nickname had changed from the Teepees to the Black Hawks by the time Wayne played.
He joined the NHL with the Black Hawks in 1967-68, playing with his brother. In June 1969, the St.Louis Blues claimed Maki from the Hawks. It was during training camp that fall that Wayne Maki and Boston Bruin defenseman Ted Green engaged in an infamous stick-swinging duel that almost ended Green's life. After a partial season in St.Louis, Maki was sent to the AHL.
In 1970-71, the Vancouver Canucks claimed the younger Maki brother in the Expansion Draft, and he played a full-time role with the new franchise until partway through the 1972-73 season. Wayne Maki was diagnosed with brain cancer on December 14, 1972. He never stepped onto the ice again. Tragically, Wayne Maki succumbed to the cancer on May 1, 1974.
