Gordon McMillan

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McMillan from 1948 Michiganensian

Gordon Warner "Gymie" McMillan (4 January 1927 – 18 May 2021)

ice hockey championship in 1948
. He played four years of hockey at Michigan from 1946-1949 and broke the school's scoring record with 210 career points.

Moose Jaw Monarchs

McMillan grew up in

Lethbridge, Alberta to play the Lethbridge Native Sons for the western Canada juvenile hockey championship.[3] McMillan, described as the team's "star centre" and a "starry redhead who is the mainspring of the Moose Jaw attack," was left behind in Moose Jaw because his father was seriously ill.[3] However, he arrived in Lethbridge by plane on the morning of the first game,[3] and scored four goals and an assist, as his heads-up hockey and "fast break-aways kept the crowd in a dither."[4] The Monarchs won the series in two games, and McMillan was the high scorer with six goals and an assist.[5] One month after the championship, McMillan's 42-year-old father, a hockey coach who had been recently discharged from the Royal Canadian Air Force, died in Moose Jaw.[6]

University of Michigan

In the fall of 1945, McMillan enrolled at the

As a junior in 1948, McMillan broke Michigan's all-time scoring record, which had been set by the team's coach, Vic Heyliger, with 116 points. McMillan, who would exceed the record by nearly 100 points by the time he was finished, broke the record with Heyliger on the bench as coach in a February 1948 game against Michigan Tech; McMillan earned six points on four goals and two assists in the game.

Frozen Four were Michigan, Boston College, Dartmouth and Colorado College. In the championship game against Dartmouth, McMillan scored two goals, as Michigan won 8-4.[10][11] McMillan and teammate Wally Gacek scored goals five seconds apart in the third period against Dartmouth, which remains a record for the fastest consecutive goals in the championship round.[10][12] The hockey title capped off a year in which Michigan had also won the Rose Bowl and the conference basketball championship.[13]

As a senior in 1949, McMillan had career highs with 36 assists and 60 points. (His career-high in goals was 30 in 1948.)

Frozen Four. They were beaten by Dartmouth 4-2 in a semi-final game. In his final game in a Michigan jersey, the Frozen Four consolation game in March 1949, McMillan scored a hat trick, earning five points on three goals and two assists.[14]

McMillan's four-year scoring record at Michigan was as follows:[7]

Regular season
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM
1945–46 Michigan
NCAA
23 29 27 56 16
1946–47 Michigan
NCAA
21 14 21 35 16
1947–48 Michigan
NCAA
23 32 30 62 20
1948–49 Michigan
NCAA
25 24 36 60 19
Total 92 99 114 213 71

Professional hockey

McMillan played professionally in the

Windsor Ryan Cretes in the International Hockey League. He played in 12 games and scored 3 goals and 6 assists.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Obituary". Calgary Herald. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Gordon McMillan". Deckers Blue Line Club Hall of Fame (University of Michigan). Retrieved 2009-02-25.
  3. ^ a b c "Moose Jaw Squad Makes Impression: Star Centre Arrives". Lethbridge Herald. 1945-04-05.
  4. ^ "Moose Jaw Speedsters ___ Native Sons 11-8: McMillan Stars In Overtime Contest; Second Game Tonight". Lethbridge Herald. 1945-04-05.
  5. ^ "McMillan, Wood Top Scorers". Lethbridge Herald. 1945-04-07.
  6. ^ "Moose Jaw Canucks' Coach Dies Suddenly". Lethbridge Herald. 1945-05-09.
  7. ^ .
  8. ^ "Michigan Wins". The Record-Eagle (Traverse City). 1946-01-30.
  9. ^ "Sees Record Fall". The News-Palladium. 1948-02-03.
  10. ^ a b Theodore A. Breidenthal (1996-12-02). "Golden moments: Ice hockey championship celebrates 50th anniversary". The NCAA News.[permanent dead link]
  11. .
  12. ^ http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/m_ice_hockey_champs_records/2006/2006_d1_m_ice_hockey_champ_records.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  13. ^ "Michigan Adds Puck Title to Growing Sports Record". Oakland Tribune. 1948-03-22.
  14. ^ "Wolves Win Consolation Hockey Tilt". The News-Palladium. 1949-03-02.
  15. ^ "Gordon McMillan". Hockeydb.bom.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Honor Created
NCAA Ice Hockey Scoring Champion
1947–48
Succeeded by