Don McKenney
Don McKenney | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada | April 30, 1934||
Died |
December 19, 2022 Ontario, Canada | (aged 88)||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb) | ||
Position | Centre | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for |
Boston Bruins New York Rangers Toronto Maple Leafs Detroit Red Wings St. Louis Blues | ||
Playing career | 1953–1970 | ||
Coaching career | |||
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |||
1970–1989 | Northeastern (Assistant) | ||
1989–1991 | Northeastern | ||
Head coaching record | |||
Overall | 24–44–4 (.361) | ||
Donald Hamilton McKenney (April 30, 1934 – December 19, 2022) was a Canadian ice hockey forward and coach. He played in the National Hockey League between 1954 and 1968 with five teams, mostly with the Boston Bruins. After retiring he worked as a coach for Northeastern University for over twenty years.
Early career
Noted as a smooth and classy player, McKenney was signed as a teenager by Harold Cotton, the longtime head scout for the Boston Bruins. He played junior hockey for the OHA Barrie Flyers (a team that was, as was common in the era, sponsored by the Bruins), coached by future Bruins' general manager Hap Emms. McKenney finished second in team scoring in 1952 and third in 1953.[1] In 1953, McKenney was named captain of the Flyers, and led them to their second and final Memorial Cup championship.[2]
McKenney made his professional debut with the Bruins'
Boston Bruins
McKenney was promoted to the Bruins in 1954, and made an immediate impact; he led the team in scoring in 1954–55, finishing second in Calder Memorial Trophy voting for rookie-of-the-year behind Ed Litzenberger of Chicago.[5]
Over the next seven seasons, McKenney led Boston in scoring three more times (and never finished lower than third in team scoring), while his clean, elegant style—and skill as a defensive forward and penalty killer—gained recognition.[6] He finished in the top four in league voting for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (awarded for sportsmanship combined with a high level of performance) six straight seasons between 1957 and 1962, won the award in 1960, and was named to play in the All-Star Game in each of those seasons.[7] 1959–60 proved to be McKenney's best season; in addition to the Lady Byng win, he led the league in assists, finished 8th in NHL scoring, and was voted to the Third All-Star Team.[8]
1960 was also the start of the worst stretch in Bruins' history, when the team would miss the playoffs seven seasons in a row, the longest such stretch in NHL history before the
Later career
By then in decline as a point scorer, he was dealt the season following to the Toronto Maple Leafs. While he was briefly rejuvenated, scoring a point per game for Toronto in 1964 in both the regular season and playoffs en route to the Leafs winning the Stanley Cup (McKenney's sole NHL championship), his decline continued the next season, and the Leafs sent McKenney down to their Rochester Americans minor league team. Following that season, Toronto released him outright, and he was claimed on waivers by the Detroit Red Wings. McKenney played only sporadically for the Red Wings, spending most of his time in the 1965–66 and 1966–67 seasons with their Pittsburgh Hornets AHL affiliate.
When the NHL
Hired as a player-assistant coach by the Providence Reds, McKenney led Providence in scoring in 1968–69, and retired after the 1969–70 season.
Coaching career
In 1970, his playing career over, McKenney joined longtime Bruins teammate
Personal life and death
In the spring of 1958, McKenney married fellow Smiths Falls, Ontario native and Ottawa schoolteacher, Margaret Gendron. The couple settled in Braintree, Massachusetts, where they raised three Northeastern graduates, daughters Valerie and Deborah and son Scot, who played for the Huskies men's hockey team in the early 1980s.
McKenney died on December 19, 2022, at the age of 88.[12]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season
|
Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1950–51
|
Barrie Flyers | OHA | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1951–52
|
Barrie Flyers | OHA | 52 | 32 | 39 | 71 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1952–53
|
Barrie Flyers | OHA | 50 | 33 | 33 | 66 | 24 | 15 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 2 | ||
1952–53 | Barrie Flyers | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 4 | ||
1953–54 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 54 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | ||
1954–55 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 69 | 22 | 20 | 42 | 34 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
1955–56 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 65 | 10 | 24 | 34 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1956–57 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 69 | 21 | 39 | 60 | 31 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | ||
1957–58 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 70 | 28 | 30 | 58 | 22 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 0 | ||
1958–59 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 70 | 32 | 30 | 62 | 20 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | ||
1959–60 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 70 | 20 | 49 | 69 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1960–61 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 68 | 26 | 23 | 49 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1961–62 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 70 | 22 | 33 | 55 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1962–63 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 41 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1962–63 | New York Rangers | NHL | 21 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1963–64 | New York Rangers | NHL | 55 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1963–64 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 15 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 0 | ||
1964–65 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 52 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1964–65 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 18 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1965–66 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 24 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1965–66 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 37 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
1966–67 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 67 | 26 | 36 | 62 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 2 | ||
1967–68 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 39 | 9 | 20 | 29 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
1967–68
|
Kansas City Blues | CPHL | 11 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1968–69 | Providence Reds | AHL | 74 | 26 | 48 | 74 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 0 | ||
1969–70 | Providence Reds | AHL | 31 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
NHL totals | 798 | 237 | 345 | 582 | 211 | 58 | 18 | 29 | 47 | 10 |
Head coaching record
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Northeastern Huskies (Hockey East) (1989–1991) | |||||||||
1989–90 | Northeastern | 16–19–2 | 9–10–2 | t-5th | Hockey East Quarterfinals
| ||||
1990–91 | Northeastern | 8–25–2 | 3–16–2 | 8th | Hockey East Semifinals
| ||||
Northeastern: | 24–44–4 | 12–26–4 | |||||||
Total: | 24–44–4 | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
|
Notes
- ^ "1952-53 Barrie Flyers roster and statistics". The Internet Hockey Database. Ralph Slate. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ "Superior Barrie Crew Takes Title". Lethbridge Herald. Lethbridge, Alberta. May 7, 1953.
- ^ "1953-54 Hershey Bears roster and statistics". The Internet Hockey Database. Ralph Slate. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ "Bruins Star McKenney Outlines Hockey Career". Ottawa Journal. Ottawa, ON. May 28, 1957. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ "1954-55 NHL Awards Voting". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ Coleman, Charles L. (1976). The Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol. III. Sherbrooke, PQ: Progressive Publications Ltd. p. 730.
- ^ a b "Don McKenney". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ "1959-60 NHL Season Leaders". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ "Don McKenney Names As Captain Of Bruins". Bridgeport Telegram. Bridgeport, CT. October 10, 1962. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ "1967 NHL Expansion Draft player stats". The Internet Hockey Database. Ralph Slate. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ Mackey, Dick (March 21, 1968). "Blues' Don McKenney Forges Line". Kansas City Times. Kansas City, MO. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ Russo, Eric (20 December 2022). "Former Bruins Captain Don McKenney Passes Away at 88". NHL. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database