Johnny Wilson (ice hockey)
Johnny Wilson | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Kincardine, Ontario, Canada | June 14, 1929||
Died |
December 27, 2011 Livonia, Michigan, U.S. | (aged 82)||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
Weight | 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb) | ||
Position | Left wing | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for | |||
Playing career |
1947–1962 Coaching career | ||
Tidewater Wings | |||
1971–1973 | Detroit Red Wings | ||
1974–1975 | Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades | ||
1975–1976 | Cleveland Crusaders | ||
1976–1977 | Colorado Rockies | ||
1977–1980 | Pittsburgh Penguins | ||
1980–1981 | Springfield Indians | ||
Head coaching record | |||
Overall | 14–27–1 (.345) [College] | ||
John Edward Wilson (June 14, 1929 – December 27, 2011) was a Canadian professional
Playing career
After three seasons with the
Soon after winning the Stanley Cup in 1955, Red Wings general manager
During his NHL career, Wilson scored 161 goals and 171 assists in 688 regular-season games and 27 points in 66 playoff games. He won the Stanley Cup four times with the Red Wings and appeared in two all-star games (1954, 1956). One of his most notable accomplishments was playing in 580 consecutive games between 1951 and 1960, making him the NHL's second "iron man".[1][2]
Coaching career
In 1967, Wilson was hired as the head coach of the
After winning the Calder Cup in 1971, Wilson was hired by the Detroit Red Wings during the 1971–72 season as a midseason replacement. Despite having a winning record behind the Wings' bench, the team missed the playoffs two straight seasons and Wilson was let go. It would be 15 years before another Red Wings' coach would better Wilson's record.
From there, he spent two years in the World Hockey Association, one with the Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75) and one with the Cleveland Crusaders (1975–76). He returned to the NHL, coaching one season with the Colorado Rockies (1976–77), and three with the Pittsburgh Penguins (1977–80), where he led the Penguins to two playoff appearances. Wilson returned to coach Springfield one more season and then retired from coaching in 1981.[3]
Wilson was named coach of the Canadian national team that competed at the 1977 World Championship in Vienna. Canada, making an appearance at the event for the first time since 1969, finished fourth. The team was composed entirely of players whose teams had not qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Personal
Johnny was the brother of
Wilson made his home in the Detroit area, together with his wife Pat, and was frequently seen at Red Wings home games. The couple has two children, a son, Kelly and a daughter, Tracy. Tracy A. Wilson, a former TV writer and show host, is currently writing a book - a true story that sent her on a journey into her father's life and led her to discover parts of her own as well. She also writes a blog called Tracy Wilson Writing Life.
On December 27, 2011, Johnny died of pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 82. He had battled lung disease and colon cancer for several years.[1][2]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season
|
Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1947–48
|
Windsor Spitfires | OHA | 34 | 23 | 28 | 51 | 15 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 11 | ||
1947–48 | Windsor Hettche Spitfires | IHL | 25 | 21 | 13 | 34 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1948–49
|
Windsor Spitfires | OHA | 25 | 30 | 20 | 50 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
1948–49 | Windsor Hettche Spitfires | IHL | 4 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 16 | 7 | 23 | 16 | ||
1949–50 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
1949–50 | Omaha Knights | USHL | 70 | 41 | 39 | 80 | 46 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | ||
1950–51 | Indianapolis Capitals | AHL | 70 | 34 | 21 | 55 | 48 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
1950–51 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1951–52 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 28 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 5 | ||
1951–52 | Indianapolis Capitals | AHL | 42 | 25 | 14 | 39 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1952–53 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 23 | 19 | 42 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | ||
1953–54 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 17 | 17 | 34 | 22 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
1954–55 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 14 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
1955–56 | Chicago Black Hawks
|
NHL | 70 | 24 | 9 | 33 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1956–57 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 18 | 30 | 48 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1957–58 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 12 | 27 | 39 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
1958–59 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1959–60 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
1960–61 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1960–61 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1960–61 | New York Rangers | NHL | 56 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1961–62 | New York Rangers | NHL | 40 | 11 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||
NHL totals | 688 | 161 | 171 | 332 | 190 | 66 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 16 |
Head coaching record
College
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Princeton Tigers (ECAC Hockey) (1965–1967) | |||||||||
1965–66 | Princeton | 7–12–1 | 6–12–1 | 12th | |||||
1966–67 | Princeton | 7–15–0 | 6–14–0 | 13th | |||||
Princeton: | 14–27–1 | 12–26–1 | |||||||
Total: | 14–27–1 |
NHL
Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | L | T | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
Los Angeles Kings | 1969–70 | 52 | 9 | 34 | 9 | 27 | 6th in West | Missed playoffs |
Detroit Red Wings | 1971–72 | 76 | 30 | 27 | 10 | 70 | 5th in East | Missed playoffs |
Detroit Red Wings | 1972–73 | 78 | 37 | 29 | 12 | 86 | 5th in East | Missed playoffs |
Colorado Rockies | 1976–77 | 80 | 20 | 46 | 14 | 54 | 5th in Smythe | Missed playoffs |
Pittsburgh Penguins | 1977–78 | 80 | 25 | 37 | 18 | 68 | 4th in Norris | Missed playoffs |
Pittsburgh Penguins | 1978–79 | 80 | 36 | 31 | 13 | 85 | 2nd in Norris | Lost in quarter-finals |
Pittsburgh Penguins | 1979–80 | 80 | 30 | 37 | 13 | 73 | 3rd in Norris | Lost in preliminary round |
NHL Totals | 517 | 187 | 241 | 89 |
WHA
Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | L | T | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades | 1974–75 | 78 | 21 | 53 | 4 | 46 | 5th in West | Missed playoffs |
Cleveland Crusaders | 1975–76 | 80 | 35 | 40 | 5 | 75 | 2nd in East | Lost in preliminary round |
References
- ^ a b "Former NHLer Johnny Wilson dies". Slam! Sports (Canoe.ca). Archived from the original on 2012-07-14. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b "Johnny Wilson, N.H.L. Star, Dies at 82; Held Consecutive-Game Record". The New York Times. 2012-01-02. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
- ^ "The story of Johnny Wilson". Toronto Sun. 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
- ^ "Men's Hockey Year-by-Year". Princeton Tigers. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database