Gordie Drillon

Gordie Drillon
Born	(1913-10-23)October 23, 1913 Moncton, NB, CAN
Died	September 23, 1986(1986-09-23) (aged 72) St. John, NB, CAN
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	186 lb (84 kg; 13 st 4 lb)
Position	Wing
Shot	Right
Played for	Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) Montreal Canadiens (NHL) Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets (EHL) Syracuse Stars (IAHL) Valleyfield Braves (QPHL) Saint John Beavers (MSHL)
Playing career	1935–1950
Hall of Fame, 1975

Gordon Arthur Drillon (October 23, 1913 – September 23, 1986) was a Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame ice hockey player. Born in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. From 1936 through to 1942 he was part of one of the NHL's most prolific scoring lines as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He won a Stanley Cup during the 1941–1942 season.

Drillon played only seven seasons in the NHL, six of those with Toronto and one with the Montreal Canadiens. A winger noted for his deadly accurate shot, he created a specific style of play that made him a leading scorer. Drillon's strong frame made it difficult for opposing defencemen to clear him from the front of the net. Drillon was able to securely park himself in front of the opposing netminder to re-direct shots or pick up rebounds. This style of play would earn him a league scoring title in the 1937–38 season. Future stars such as Phil Esposito, Dino Ciccarelli and Dave Andreychuk emulated his innovative style with great success.

Traded to the Montreal Canadiens for the 1943 season he finished second on the team in goals scored. At season's end, Drillon cut short his hockey career and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, serving for the remainder of World War II. After the war, he worked as a hockey coach and returned to his native New Brunswick where he was employed as a scout for the Maple Leafs, covering the Maritime provinces. He eventually accepted a job with the New Brunswick civil service. In 1975, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Gordie Drillon died in Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1986 and was interred there in the Ocean View Memorial Gardens cemetery.

Awards

• Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (1938)
• League Scoring Champion (1938)
• First All-Star Team — left wing (1938, 1939)
• Second All-Star Team — left wing (1942)

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1935–36	Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets	EHL		40	22	12	34	4		—	—	—	—	—
1936–37	Syracuse Stars	IAHL		5	2	3	5	0		—	—	—	—	—
1936–37	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		41	16	17	33	2		2	0	0	0	0
1937–38	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		48	26	26	52	4		7	7	1	8	2
1938–39	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		40	18	16	34	15		10	7	6	13	4
1939–40	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		43	21	19	40	13		10	3	1	4	0
1940–41	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		42	23	21	44	2		7	3	2	5	2
1941–42	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		48	23	18	41	6		9	2	3	5	2
1942–43	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		49	28	22	50	14		5	4	2	6	0
1944–45	Valleyfield Braves	QPHL		8	11	4	15	0		—	—	—	—	—
1949–50	Saint John Beavers	MSHL		69	48	24	72	40		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				311	155	139	294	56		50	25	15	41	10

External links

• Gordie Drillon's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Gordie Drillon's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database

Preceded by Dave Schriner	NHL Scoring Champion 1938	Succeeded by Toe Blake
Preceded by Marty Barry	Winner of the Lady Byng Trophy 1938	Succeeded by Clint Smith