George Armstrong (ice hockey)
George Armstrong | |||
---|---|---|---|
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1975 | |||
Born |
Skead , Ontario, Canada | July 6, 1930||
Died |
January 24, 2021 Toronto, Ontario, Canada | (aged 90)||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
Position | Right wing | ||
Shot | Right | ||
Played for | Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
Playing career | 1949–1971 |
George Edward Armstrong (July 6, 1930 – January 24, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He played 1,188 NHL games between 1950 and 1971, all with Toronto and a franchise record. He was the team's captain for 13 seasons. Armstrong was a member of four Stanley Cup championship teams and played in seven NHL All-Star Games. He scored the final goal of the NHL's "Original Six" era as Toronto won the 1967 Stanley Cup.
Armstrong played both
Early life
Armstrong was born in 1930 in
While attending Sudbury High School, Armstrong played on the hockey team with
Playing career
Junior and senior
The Maple Leafs placed Armstrong on the Stratford Kroehlers in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) junior division for the 1947–48 season. He led the league in both assists (43) and points (73),[6] and was named recipient of the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHA's most valuable player.[7] Promoted to the Toronto Marlboros for the 1948–49 season, Armstrong recorded 62 points in 39 games with the junior squad and played in three regular season and ten post-season matches for the senior team.[8] Armstrong remained with the senior Marlboros in 1949–50 where he served as captain.[9] He led the OHA senior division with 64 goals, at the time an OHA record,[2] and recorded 115 points in 39 games. He was again named the winner of the Red Tilson Trophy.[7][8]
The Maple Leafs briefly recalled Armstrong during the
Toronto Maple Leafs
"This kid's got everything. He has size, speed, and he can shoot 'em into the net better that any hockey player I've known in a long time. I'll be surprised if he doesn't become a superstar."
—Toronto's assistant general manager King Clancy's assessment of Armstrong in 1952.[2]
Upon turning professional in 1950–51, Armstrong was assigned to Toronto's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Pittsburgh Hornets.[10] In 71 games for Pittsburgh, he recorded 15 goals and 48 points.[8] Despite being hampered by hand and wrist injuries suffered in fights, Armstrong was the AHL's leading goal scorer and stood second in points by mid-season in 1951–52.[11] He was recalled to Toronto during the season and scored his first NHL goal, against goaltender Gerry McNeil of the Montreal Canadiens. It was the first goal ever scored by a player with Native heritage.[12] He finished the season with three goals and three assists in 20 games with Toronto.[8]
Though he missed the start of the 1952–53 season due to a separated shoulder, Armstrong earned a permanent spot on the Maple Leafs' roster.[2] He quietly established himself as an important contributor for Toronto by recording 25 points that season, then scoring 32 points the following season and 28 in 1954–55.[13] A 48-point season in 1955–56 was second on the team to Tod Sloan's 66. Armstrong then led the Maple Leafs in scoring with 44 points in 1956–57 despite missing 14 of his team's games.[14] He was named to play in the NHL All-Star Game in both seasons. They were the first two of seven he ultimately played.[6]
The Maple Leafs named Armstrong the team's
The Maple Leafs finally reached the NHL's peak two seasons later.[2] Armstrong set a career high with 53 points in the 1961–62 regular season, then added 12 points in 12 playoff games for Toronto.[8] He started the play that resulted in the Stanley Cup clinching goal, rushing the puck up ice before passing to Tim Horton, who then passed to goal-scorer Dick Duff that capped off a 2–1 victory in the sixth and deciding game of the series against the Chicago Black Hawks.[19] As Maple Leafs captain, Armstrong was presented the trophy by league president Clarence Campbell.[2] It was the first of three consecutive championships for Toronto as the Maple Leafs of 1962–1964 became the fourth dynasty in NHL history.[20] Individually, Armstrong scored 21, 19 and 20 goals over the three seasons and by virtue of the NHL's All-Star Game format of the time that had the defending champion play the all-stars of the remaining teams, appeared in his fourth, fifth and sixth All-Star Games.[6] Early in the 1963–64 season, on December 1, 1963, Armstrong scored his 200th career NHL goal.[21]
A 37-point season followed in
Armstrong announced his intention to retire as a player following the championship then changed his mind and returned for another season.
Coaching and scouting career
Armstrong was announced as the head coach of his former junior team, the Toronto Marlboros, in July 1972.
Some 10 years later, Armstrong returned to the Maple Leafs organization in the dual capacities of assistant general manager and scout. During the 1988–89 season, and after management had fired head coach John Brophy, team owner Harold Ballard was adamant that Armstrong be named Brophy's replacement. Armstrong agreed to take the position, but increasingly delegated majority of his duties to assistant coach Garry Lariviere. The Maple Leafs finished with 17 wins in 47 Armstrong's games coached, falling just short of the fourth and final playoff berth in the Norris Division. Needing a win in their final regular season game, against the Chicago Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium, to capture the playoff berth, the Leafs would heartbreakingly lose to the Hawks in overtime. Armstrong was replaced by Doug Carpenter the following season and returned to his scouting capacities with the team. Armstrong remained a scout for the rest of his life.[30][31] In 1972–73, he was selected as Coach of the Year by his peers in the OHL (Toronto Marlboros).[32]
Playing style
The Toronto Maple Leafs described Armstrong as being a "consistent, durable and hardworking" player throughout his 21-season career that spanned parts of four decades.
Personal life
Armstrong was a resident in Leaside, a neighbourhood in Toronto, for more than 55 years and often spent time with his family bike riding throughout the area. Aside from his coaching career in professional hockey, Armstrong coached sports teams around his community and contributed his time coaching the first floor hockey team for the Canadian Special Olympics. In Toronto, Beverley Street Public School was the foundation of this floor hockey team.[38]
Armstrong resided in Toronto with his wife Betty. The couple had four children: Brian, Betty-Ann, Fred and Lorne. He was the uncle of Dale McCourt, a former first overall draft pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1977 NHL amateur draft.[39] His nephew Dan McCourt, Dale's brother, officiated in excess of 1,700 NHL games.
When given a day with the
Armstrong was recognized by the NHL for his charitable efforts in 1969 when he was named the inaugural recipient of the
Armstrong had a brief film career, appearing as himself in the 1971 film Face-Off, a.k.a. "Winter Comes Early".[43]
Armstrong died on January 24, 2021, at age 90,[44] having suffered from heart complications in the time leading up to his death.[45]
Career statistics
Source:[46]
Playing career
Regular season
|
Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1946–47 | Copper Cliff Redmen | NOJHA | 9 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
1947–48 |
Stratford Kroehlers | OHA Jr. | 36 | 33 | 40 | 73 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1948–49 |
Toronto Marlboros | OHA Jr. | 39 | 29 | 33 | 62 | 89 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 2 | ||
1948–49 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA Sr. | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | ||
1949–50 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA Sr. | 45 | 64 | 51 | 115 | 74 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1949–50 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1949–50 | Toronto Marlboros | Allan Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 17 | 19 | 19 | 38 | 18 | ||
1950–51 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 71 | 15 | 33 | 48 | 49 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 6 | ||
1951–52 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 50 | 30 | 29 | 59 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1951–52 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 20 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
1952–53 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 52 | 14 | 11 | 25 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1953–54 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 63 | 17 | 15 | 32 | 60 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
1954–55 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 66 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 80 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
1955–56 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 67 | 16 | 32 | 48 | 97 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | ||
1956–57 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 54 | 18 | 26 | 44 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1957–58 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 59 | 17 | 25 | 42 | 93 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1958–59 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 59 | 20 | 16 | 36 | 37 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 | ||
1959–60 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 23 | 28 | 51 | 60 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | ||
1960–61 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 47 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
1961–62 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 21 | 32 | 53 | 27 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 2 | ||
1962–63 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 19 | 24 | 43 | 27 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 4 | ||
1963–64 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 67[a] | 20 | 17 | 37 | 14 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 10 | ||
1964–65 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 59 | 15 | 22 | 37 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
1965–66 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 16 | 35 | 51 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
1966–67 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 26 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
1967–68 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 62 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1968–69 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 53 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1969–70 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 49 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1970–71 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 59 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
NHL totals | 1,188 | 296 | 417 | 713 | 721 | 110 | 26 | 34 | 60 | 52 |
Coaching record
Professional hockey
Source:[47]
Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
TOR | 1988–89 | 47 | 17 | 26 | 4 | — | (62) | 5th in Norris | Missed playoffs |
Total | 47 | 17 | 26 | 4 | — | 38 | 0 Stanley Cups (0–0, 0.000) |
Junior hockey
Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
TOR | 1972–73
|
63 | 47 | 7 | 9 | — | 103 | 1st in OHA | Won in quarter-finals (8–0 vs. STC) Won in semi-finals (8–0 vs. OTT) Won J. Ross Robertson Cup (8–6 vs. PBO) Finished in 1st in round-robin at Memorial Cup (1–1) Won Memorial Cup (9–1 vs. QUE) |
TOR | 1973–74
|
70 | 30 | 31 | 9 | — | 69 | 8th in OHA | Won in quarter-finals (9–1 vs. LDN) Lost in semi-finals (0–8 vs. STC) |
TOR | 1974–75
|
70 | 48 | 13 | 9 | — | 105 | 1st in OMJHL | Won in quarter-finals (9–7 vs. KGN) Won in semi-finals (9–7 vs. SBY) Won J. Ross Robertson Cup (8–6 vs. HAM) Finished in 2nd in round-robin at Memorial Cup (1–1) Won Memorial Cup semi-finals (10–4 vs. SHE) Won Memorial Cup (7–3 vs. NWB) |
TOR | 1975–76
|
66 | 26 | 30 | 10 | — | 62 | 3rd in Emms | Won in division semi-finals (8–2 vs. LDN) Lost in division finals (1–9 vs. HAM) |
TOR | 1976–77
|
66 | 31 | 23 | 12 | — | 74 | 3rd in Emms | Lost in division semi-finals (3–9 vs. LDN) |
Total | 335 | 182 | 104 | 49 | — | 413 | 2 J. Ross Robertson Cups (35–28–5, 0.551) 2 Memorial Cups (5–2, 0.714) |
Awards and honours
Award | Year | Ref |
---|---|---|
Red Tilson Trophy | 1947–48, 1949–50 | [7] |
Allan Cup champion | 1949–50 | [2] |
Played in the NHL All-Star Game | 1956, 1957, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1968 | [6] |
J. P. Bickell Memorial Award | 1959 | [33] |
Stanley Cup champion | 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1966–67 | [6] |
Charlie Conacher Humanitarian Award | 1968–69 | [41] |
Memorial Cup champion | 1973, 1975 (as coach) | [30] |
See also
Notes
- ^ Some sources (e.g. www.hockey-reference.com) list Armstrong as playing 66 games, for a career total of 1187.
References
- Career statistics: "George Armstrong player card". National Hockey League. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- ^ Rogers & Smith 1994, p. 379
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Shea, Kevin (March 30, 2007), One on one with George Armstrong, Hockey Hall of Fame, archived from the original on October 22, 2018, retrieved February 2, 2014
- ^ "Armstrong no longer ashamed", The Gazette, Montreal, May 13, 1967, archived from the original on January 24, 2021, retrieved February 2, 2014
- ^ a b Griggs & Horton 1997, p. 8
- ^ Mortillaro 2011, p. 19
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Duplacey & Zweig 2010, p. 23
- ^ a b c Bell, Aaron, ed. (2013), 2013–14 OHL Media Guide, Ontario Hockey League, p. 131
- ^ a b c d e f g h George Armstrong player card, National Hockey League, archived from the original on March 5, 2014, retrieved February 2, 2014
- ^ Meharg 2005, p. 83
- ^ a b c George Armstrong Biography, Hockey Hall of Fame, archived from the original on July 31, 2013, retrieved February 2, 2014
- ^ Jordan, Jimmy (January 23, 1952), "Armstrong has chance to take scoring lead", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, p. 18, archived from the original on January 24, 2021, retrieved February 3, 2014
- ^ Mortillaro 2011, p. 22
- ^ Downey, Gogishvili & Park 2013, pp. 221–223
- ^ Downey, Gogishvili & Park 2013, pp. 224–225
- ^ Downey, Gogishvili & Park 2013, pp. 225–226
- ^ Bastable, Jim (April 20, 1959), "4th straight Stanley Cup despite Leafs' great bid", Ottawa Citizen, p. 11, archived from the original on January 24, 2021, retrieved February 3, 2014
- ^ Downey, Gogishvili & Park 2013, p. 228
- ^ Carroll, Dink (April 15, 1960), "Habs win 4–0, fifth straight Cup", The Gazette, Montreal, p. 16, archived from the original on January 24, 2021, retrieved February 3, 2014
- ^ "Thousands out in early hours to hail champs", Ottawa Citizen, p. 1, April 23, 1962, archived from the original on January 24, 2021, retrieved February 4, 2014
- ^ Dynasties: Eight benchmark teams, National Hockey League, archived from the original on October 23, 2014, retrieved February 4, 2014
- ^ "Maple Leafs roll over Wings, 4–1", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, p. 37, December 2, 1963, archived from the original on January 24, 2021, retrieved February 4, 2014
- ^ Pincus 2006, pp. 116–117
- ^ Taylor, Sterling (May 3, 1967), "11th Cup for Leafs", Ottawa Citizen, p. 23, archived from the original on January 24, 2021, retrieved February 4, 2014
- ^ "Hockey vets leave camp", Milwaukee Sentinel, p. 21, October 9, 1968, retrieved February 4, 2014
- ^ "Few veterans drawn in big hockey draft", Daytona Beach Morning Journal, p. 13, June 7, 1967, archived from the original on January 24, 2021, retrieved February 4, 2014
- ^ a b "Armstrong moves upstairs", The Gazette, Montreal, p. 20, October 21, 1971, archived from the original on January 24, 2021, retrieved February 4, 2014
- ^ "Legends of Hockey – Spotlight – George Armstrong – Treasure Chest". hhof.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ "Armstrong to coach Marlies", The Gazette, Montreal, p. 14, July 4, 1972, archived from the original on January 24, 2021, retrieved February 1, 2014
- ^ "Maple Leafs chop coach Kelly, possible successors named", The Gazette, Montreal, p. 15, June 18, 1977, archived from the original on January 24, 2021, retrieved February 1, 2014
- ^ a b c Meharg 2005, p. 86
- ^ "Toronto Maple Leafs Alumni – Toronto Maple Leafs – Team". Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club. Archived from the original on February 4, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- ^ "Coach of the Year award winners of the OHA at hockeydb.com". hockeydb.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ a b c Downey, Gogishvili & Park 2013, p. 379
- ^ Downey, Gogishvili & Park 2013, p. 299
- ^ "Flyers spoil debut of Rangers' coach", Lake Havasu News-Herald, p. 19A, March 1, 1998, archived from the original on January 24, 2021, retrieved February 4, 2014
- ^ "Greatest Maple Leafs: No. 14 George Armstrong". Sportsnet.ca. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- ^ "George Armstrong". oshof.ca. Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on December 28, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
- ^ "George Armstrong joins our Sports Hall of Fame". leasidelifenews.com. October 2015. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
- ^ a b "Hockey Hall of Fame Stanley Cup Journals: 18". Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
- ^ "Harvard captain Kalley Armstrong leads Crimson into women's Frozen Four". Toronto Star. March 19, 2016. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
- ^ a b "Leaf captain gets award", Spokane Daily Chronicle, p. 13, May 30, 1969, archived from the original on January 24, 2021, retrieved February 3, 2014
- ^ Marks 2008, pp. 54–55
- ^ "George Armstrong- IMDB". IMDb. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ "Maple Leafs Mourn Passing of Former Captain George Armstrong". NHL.com. January 24, 2021. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ "Hockey Hall of Famer George Armstrong dies at 90". Associated Press. January 24, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ "George Armstrong Stats". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ "George Armstrong NHL & WHA Hockey Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ "George Armstrong (b. 1930) Hockey Stats and Profile". HockeyDB. The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ "Toronto Marlboros Statistics and History [OHL]". HockeyDB. The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
Bibliography
- Downey, Craig; Gogishvili, Aaron; Park, Pat, eds. (2013), 2013–14 Toronto Maple Leafs Media Guide, Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club
- Duplacey, James; Zweig, Eric (2010), Official Guide to the Players of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Firefly Books, ISBN 978-1-55407-662-8
- Griggs, Tim; Horton, Lori (1997), In Loving Memory: A Tribute to Tim Horton, ECW Press, ISBN 978-1-55022-319-4
- Marks, Don (2008), They Call Me Chief: Warriors on Ice, J. Gordon Shillingford Publishing Inc., ISBN 978-1-897289-34-1
- Meharg, Bruce (2005), Legends of the Leafs: Toronto's 200 Greatest Hockey Heroes, AuthorHouse, ISBN 978-1-4670-6931-1
- Mortillaro, Nicole (2011), Hockey Trailblazers, Scholastic Canada, ISBN 978-1-4431-0469-2
- Pincus, Arthur (2006), The Official Illustrated NHL History, Reader's Digest, ISBN 0-88850-800-X
- Rogers, Edward; Smith, Donald (1994), Aboriginal Ontario: Historical Perspectives on the First Nations, Dundurn Press Ltd., ISBN 1-55002-209-1
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database
- George Armstrong at IMDb