Jack Riley (ice hockey, born 1919)
Jack Riley | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Toronto, Ontario, Canada | June 14, 1919||
Died |
July 13, 2016 Scott Township, Pennsylvania, U.S. | (aged 97)||
Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
Weight | 178 lb (81 kg; 12 st 10 lb) | ||
Position | Right Wing | ||
Shot | Right | ||
Played for | |||
Playing career | 1938–1950 |
John Thomas Riley (June 14, 1919 – July 13, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive. He was the first general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the National Hockey League. He served the Penguins from their founding through the spring of 1970, and then in a second term from January 1972 to January 1974. In 1975, he became Commissioner of the Southern Hockey League. From 1979 to 1983 he served as President of the International Hockey League.
Biography
Early life
Riley was born in
Pittsburgh Penguins
When the NHL decided to expand in 1967. Riley had offers to be general manager from the Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues and the Philadelphia Flyers. Riley decided on Pittsburgh, because of its proximity to his family in Toronto, and was hired by the Penguins' owner Jack McGregor, who also served as the team's president and CEO.[2]
As the Penguins' general manager, Riley helped pick the team's nickname and the team's uniform colors, which were Columbia blue, navy blue and white.
Under Riley, the Penguins finished fifth in the league their first 2 seasons. In their third year, the Penguins placed second in the West Division and beat the
Post hockey
In January 1974, Riley was replaced as the club's general manager by his assistant,
Riley was an active member of the Penguins' Alumni Association. In 2000, Riley was elected to the Pittsburgh Penguins' Hall of Fame. He was in attendance as the "Honorary GM" at
Riley died on July 13, 2016, in Scott Township (just outside of Pittsburgh) at the age of 97.[1] His death occurred less than a month after the Penguins' franchise, that he had helped build, won its fourth Stanley Cup title. In a press release the Penguins stated that "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Jack Riley." The Penguins added that the organization was "built on the shoulders of hard-working people like Jack, and the loss hits home as the team’s 50th anniversary is set to be celebrated during the upcoming campaign."[4]
Career statistics
Player statistics
Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1938-39 | Baltimore Orioles | EHL | 20 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 2 | |||||||
1939-40 | Baltimore Orioles | EHL | No EHL stats available | |||||||||||
1940-41 | Baltimore Orioles | EHL | No EHL stats available | |||||||||||
1941-42 | Baltimore Orioles | EHL | No EHL stats available | |||||||||||
1941-42 | Philadelphia Falcons-Hershey Bears
|
AHL | 9 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
1944-45 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 35 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1944-45 | Philadelphia Falcons | EHL | No EHL stats available | |||||||||||
1945-46 | Baltimore Clippers | EHL | 48 | 31 | 27 | 58 | 34 | |||||||
1946-47 | Washington Lions | EHL | 39 | 19 | 21 | 40 | 24 | |||||||
1947-48 | Washington Lions | AHL | 17 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 2 | |||||||
1949-50 | Tulsa Oilers | USHL
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Coaching record
Team | Year | Regular season | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | L | T | OTL | Pct | Result | ||
Baltimore Clippers | 1945-46‡* | No EHL stats available | ||||||
Washington Lions | 1946-47* | 56 | 24 | 24 | 8 | 0 | .500 | |
Washington Lions | 1947-48 | 68 | 17 | 45 | 6 | 0 | .294 | Out of Playoffs |
Tulsa Oilers | 1948-49 | 66 | 33 | 23 | 10 | 0 | .576 | Lost in Finals |
Washington Lions | 1951-52 | 36 | 9 | 24 | 3 | 0 | .292 | Out of Playoffs |
Washington Lions | 1952-53 | 60 | 26 | 31 | 3 | 0 | .458 | Lost in round 1 |
Rochester Americans | 1960-61‡ | 37 | 18 | 18 | 1 | 0 | .500 | Out of Playoffs |
‡ Denotes mid-season replacement, * Denotes role as a player-coach
NHL GM Statistics
Term | Team | G | W | L | T | OTL | PTS | PCT |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
June 6, 1967 – May 1, 1970 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 226 | 73 | 117 | 36 | – | 182 | .403 |
January 29, 1972 – January 13, 1974 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 149 | 57 | 73 | 19 | – | 133 | .446[5] |
References
- ^ a b c d e Werner, Sam (July 14, 2016). "Jack Riley, Penguins' first general manager, dies at 97". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ Pittsburgh Tribune Review. Archived from the originalon 2016-07-17. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
- ^ Starkey, Joe (2013-04-20). "Starkey: Pens' first GM, 93, back in game". Pittsburgh Tribune Review. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
- Sporting News. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Penguins All-time General Managers & Coaches". Pittsburgh Hockey Net. Retrieved 2016-07-18.