The Goal of My Life (29 page)

• Played in all eight games of the Summit Series on a line with Bobby Clarke and Paul Henderson, registering three assists.

• Played in 1,034
NHL
games, all with the Toronto Maple Leafs (332 goals, 308 assists, 640 points).

• Tied for lead in
NHL
in game-winning goals in 1966–67 (7).

• Was a member of the last Toronto Maple Leaf team to win
the Stanley Cup in 1967.

• Played in four All-Star games (1964, 1965, 1968, 1970).

• Played for Team Canada in 1977 World Championships.

• Became the director of public affairs for the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.

• Founded The Ron Ellis Team Canada Foundation.

• Co-wrote his biography
Over the Boards: The Ron Ellis Story
.

• Works closely with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, spreading awareness of the stigma associated with depression.

• Was assistant captain of Team Canada 1972. Led the team in scoring with 7 goals and 6 assists for 13 points in the 8-game series.

• Played in 1,282
NHL
games between 1963–64 and 1980–81 (717 goals, 873 assists, 1,590 points) for the Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers.

• Began his career with the Chicago Blackhawks; traded to Boston in 1967.

• Was a member of two Stanley Cup–winning teams with the Bruins (1970, 1972).

• Was the first player in
NHL
history to reach 100 points, in 1968–69; finished the season with 126 points.

• Set
NHL
records with 76 goals and 152 points in 76 games, 1970–71.

• Played in 10 All-Star games (1969–75, 1977, 1978, 1980).

• Won Art Ross Trophy as the
NHL’S
leading scorer five times (1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74).

• Won Hart Trophy as the
NHL’S
most valuable player twice (1968–69 and 1973–74).

• Won the Lester B. Pearson Trophy as the
NHLPA’S
choice as most valuable player twice (1970–71, 1973–74).

• Won the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s male athlete of the year, 1972.

• Was First Team All-Star at centre six times (1968–69 through 1973–74).

• Was Second Team All-Star at centre twice (1967–68, 1974–75).

• Led
NHL
in goals six consecutive seasons, 1969–70 through 1974–75.

• Led
NHL
in assists three times (1967–68, 1968–69, 1972–73).

• Is fifth on the
NHL’S
all-time goal-scoring list, behind Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Brett Hull, and Marcel Dionne.

• Captained the New York Rangers from 1975–78.

• Also played for Team Canada at 1976 Canada Cup and 1977 World Championships.

• Was head coach of New York Rangers in 1986–87 (43 games) and 1988–89 (2 games).

• Was general manager of New York Rangers (1986–89) and Tampa Bay Lightning (1991–98).

• Co-founded the Tampa Bay Lightning.

• Has also been a Ranger and Lightning broadcaster.

• Was made an officer of the Order of Canada, 1972.

• Was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984.

• Is currently the colour commentator for Tampa Bay Lightning radio broadcasts.

• Played in four games in the 1972 Summit Series and went 2–1–1 with a 3.25 goals-against average.

• Won the all-important game two at Maple Leaf Gardens and
the crucial game seven in Moscow.

• Won an
NCAA
championship with Michigan Tech, 1964–65.

• Won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1969–70. Won the Vezina Trophy the same season and was runner-up for the Hart Trophy. His 15 shutouts were the most by an
NHL
goaltender since 1928–29.

• Also won the Vezina Trophy in 1971–72 and 1973–74.

• Led
NHL
in wins, 1969–70 and 1970–71.

• Led
NHL
in goals-against average in 1971–72 (1.77).

• Led
NHL
in shutouts three times (1969–70, 1971–72, 1979–80).

• Played in six All-Star games (1970–74, 1980).

• Was First Team All-Star in goal (1969–70, 1971–72, 1979–80).

• Second Team All-Star in goal (1972–73, 1973–74).

• Played in 886
NHL
games, with a record of 423–306–151, a 2.92 goals-against average, and 76 shutouts.

• Was third all-time in wins by a goaltender when he retired, trailing only Terry Sawchuk and Jacques Plante (is currently seventh).

• Also played for Team Canada at the 1977 World Championships, but played for Team USA at the 1981 Canada Cup.

• Retired from his
NHL
playing career in 1985, became general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1988–89.

• Was inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame, 1988.

• Was chief scout for the Tampa Bay Lighting from 1991–98.

• Became an official ambassador of the Chicago Blackhawks in March 2008.

• Was invited to play for Team Canada 1972 (he had retired from the
NHL
after the 1970–71 season), but he declined, instead accepting the position of assistant coach.

• Played in 500
NHL
games between 1963–64 and 1970–71, all with the Montreal Canadiens (145 goals, 158 assists, 303 points, 1,214 penalty minutes).

• Played for five Stanley Cup champions (1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71).

• Was a rare blend of toughness and skill; scored at least 20 goals twice, while leading the league in penalty minutes with 177 in 1966–67.

• Montreal linemates included Jean Beliveau and Claude Provost.

• Played in two All-Star games (1965, 1967);
MVP
of the 1967 game.

• Scored Stanley Cup–clinching goal in 1969.

• Was head coach of New York Rangers, 1976–77, and Winnipeg Jets, 1986.

• Was general manager of the Rangers, 1976–78, and Winnipeg Jets, 1978–88.

• Worked for the Ottawa Senators in the early 1990s.

• Was a special consultant to the general manager of the San Jose Sharks.

• Played six games in the 1972 Summit Series, scoring four points and collecting nine penalty minutes.

• Played in 1,065
NHL
games between 1960–61 and 1977–78, all with New York Rangers (406 goals, 615 assists, 1,021 points).

• Played on the famous
GAG
(Goal-a-Game) Line with Vic Hadfield and Jean Ratelle.

• Set 20 team scoring records including career goals (406), career points (1021) and assists in one game (5, which he did 3 times).

• Played in eight All-Star games (1964, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1977).

• Won the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance and sportsmanship, 1975–76.

• Was Second Team All-Star at right wing, 1967–68.

• Was First Team All-Star at right wing, 1971–72.

• Also played for Team Canada at 1977 World Championships.

• Became the first Ranger to have his number (7) retired by the club.

• Was Head coach of New Haven Nighthawks (
AHL
), 1980–81.

• Won the Lester Patrick Trophy for contributions to hockey in the United States, 1991.

• Was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982.

• Opened his own restaurant called “Gilbert’s” in Manhattan.

• Was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honour in recognition of his humanitarian efforts.

• Currently works as director of special projects and community relations representative for the New York Rangers.

• Did not appear in the 1972 Summit Series.

• Was captain of the Memorial Cup champion Toronto Marlboros, 1966–67.

• Played for the Canadian National Team in 1967–68 and represented Canada at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, winning a bronze medal.

• Played in 572
NHL
games between 1969–70 and 1978–79 (14 goals, 100 assists, 114 points), primarily with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

• Was a solid defenceman known for his devastating bodychecks.

• Was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, 2005.

• Played in three games in the 1972 Summit Series, scoring two points.

• Originally with the Boston Bruins, Bill became a star and fan favourite with the Minnesota North Stars beginning with the 1967–68 season.

• Played in 771
NHL
games (283 goals, 258 assists, 541 points) with Boston, Minnesota, and the New York Rangers between 1964–65 and 1977–78.

• Played in 49
WHA
games (12 goals, 12 assists, 24 points) with Indianapolis and Edmonton, 1977–78 and 1978–79.

• Played in four All-Star games (1970, 1972, 1974, 1976).

• Scored a career-high 48 goals in 1973–74.

• Coached the Indianapolis Racers (
WHA
), for 29 games in 1977–78 and the San Antonio Iguanas (
CHL
) in 1994–95.

• Did not appear in the 1972 Summit Series.

• Was selected to the team after playing only 75
NHL
games.

• Was selected third overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1971 Amateur Draft.

• Was a member of Memorial Cup–champion Montreal Junior Canadiens, 1969 and 1970.

• Played in 571
NHL
games with Vancouver, Buffalo, and New York Rangers (84 goals, 223 assists, 307 points) between 1971–72 and 1979–80.

• Played in the 1974 All-Star Game.

• Retired from the
NHL
in 1980 due to chronic shoulder problems.

• Played in two games of the 1972 Summit Series.

• Was captain of the New York Rangers, 1971–74.

• Was the first 50-goal scorer in New York Rangers history.

• Played on the Famous
GAG
(Goal-a-Game) Line with Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle.

• Played in 1,002
NHL
games between 1961–62 and 1976–77 (323 goals, 389 assists, 712 points).

• Played in two All-Star games (1965, 1972).

• Owns the Vic Hadfield Golf & Learning Centre in Oakville, Ontario.

• Scored 7 goals and 3 assists for 10 points in the 1972 Summit Series.

• Scored the winning goals in games six, seven, and eight.

• His goal in the eighth game with 34 seconds remaining is regarded as The Goal of The Century.

• The goal gave Canada the victory in the series over the Soviets.

• Made
NHL
debut in 1963 with the Detroit Red Wings.

• Was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1968 in a transaction that included two future Hall of Famers – Frank Mahovlich and Norm Ullman.

• Played in 707
NHL
games (236 goals, 241 assists, 477 points).

• Played in 360
WHA
games (140 goals, 143 assists, 283 points) with Toronto/Birmingham.

• Played in two All-Star games (1972, 1973).

• Played in four games in the Summit Series, scoring four points, including two goals.

• Played in 959
NHL
games – 904 with Chicago, 55 with Detroit (303 goals, 351 assists, 654 points).

• Played in five All-Star games (1969, 1971–74).

• Was Second Team All-Star at left wing, 1972–73.

• Graduated from Brock University with a degree in history and physical education, taught at Ridley College, and became a broadcaster, all following his
NHL
career.

• Was athletic director at Illinois Institute of Technology after retirement.

• Wrote a book titled
The Third Best Hull
.

• Is a popular and entertaining public speaker/comedian. Among his many appearances has been the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, which he hosted.

• Operates a cattle farm in Northumberland County, Ontario, with his brother Gary.

• Did not appear in 1972 Summit Series.

• Won two Stanley Cups with the Boston Bruins (1970, 1972).

• Was the last goaltender to play in every minute of every game for his team during a season, the Boston Bruins of 1962–63.

• Played in 592
NHL
games with Boston, Toronto, St. Louis, and Chicago between 1962–63 and 1977–78, with a record of 234–257–80, a 3.25 goals-against average, and 32 shutouts.

• Coached Chicago Blackhawks (1979–80) and Pittsburgh Penguins (1980–83, 1993–97).

• Was general manager in Pittsburgh (1983–88) and Hartford (1989–92). Worked in Penguins front office, 1997–2009.

• Played in seven games of the 1972 Summit Series, recording one assist.

• Nicknamed “Pointu.”

• Played in 884
NHL
games between 1968–69 and 1983–84 (171 goals, 451 assists, 622 points) for the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, and Boston Bruins.

• Played on six Stanley Cup champions with Montreal (1971, 1973, 1976–79).

• Played in four All-Star Games (1973, 1975–77).

• Was First Team All-Star on defence, 1972–73.

• Was Second Team All-Star on defence, 1974–75 through 1976–77.

• Was part of Montreal’s Big Three on defence that included Serge Savard and Larry Robinson, both of whom are also Hall of Fame defencemen.

• Also played for Team Canada in 1976 Canada Cup.

• Was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993.

• Has worked for the Minnesota Wild as coordinator of amateur scouting since 1999.