Don Blackburn
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Don Blackburn | |||
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Born |
Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada | May 14, 1938||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb) | ||
Position | Left Wing | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for |
Boston Bruins Philadelphia Flyers New York Rangers New York Islanders Minnesota North Stars New England Whalers | ||
Playing career | 1959–1976 |
John Donald Blackburn (born May 14, 1938) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Minnesota North Stars. He also played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) with the New England Whalers. After retiring in 1976 he became a coach with the Whalers, and remained in that position through 1981, serving as their first coach when they joined the NHL in 1979 as the Hartford Whalers.
Playing career
Except for a six-game stint with the Boston Bruins, Blackburn spent the majority of the early portion of his career with various minor league teams. He was a dominant force with the Quebec Aces of the AHL during the mid-1960s, including a 36-goal performance in 1965–66. He was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL expansion draft and was a regular contributor during the first two years of the fledgling team's existence.[1] In 1969, he was traded to the New York Rangers, but he played sparingly in two years with the team. He was claimed by the New York Islanders in the 1972 expansion draft, but was traded to the Minnesota North Stars late in the season. He finished his career with three seasons with the WHA's Whalers, scoring 59 points in 1973–74.
Coaching career
Blackburn was the first ever Hartford Whalers coach. He led them to a 27–34–19 record in the 1979–80 NHL season. In the playoffs, the Whalers were swept by Montreal in three games. Blackburn was fired midway through the 1980–81 season after the Whalers sat with a record of 15–29–16. He was replaced by interim coach Larry Pleau.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1956–57 | Hamilton Tiger Cubs | OHA | 52 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
1957–58 | Hamilton Tiger Cubs | OHA | 52 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 37 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 16 | ||
1958–69 | Vancouver Canucks | WHL | 50 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1959–60 | Vancouver Canucks | WHL | 41 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
1959–60 | Providence Reds | AHL | 16 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1960–61 | Kingston Frontenacs | EPHL | 59 | 14 | 31 | 45 | 27 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
1961–62 | Kingston Frontenacs | EPHL | 51 | 13 | 24 | 37 | 30 | 11 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 5 | ||
1962–63 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1962–63 | Kingston Frontenacs | EPHL | 67 | 42 | 54 | 96 | 22 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | ||
1963–64 | Quebec Aces | AHL | 63 | 19 | 19 | 38 | 39 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||
1964–65 | Quebec Aces | AHL | 70 | 20 | 42 | 62 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
1965–66 | Quebec Aces | AHL | 72 | 36 | 42 | 78 | 51 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | ||
1966–67 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 70 | 20 | 37 | 57 | 24 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | ||
1967–68 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 67 | 9 | 20 | 29 | 23 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | ||
1968–69 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 48 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 36 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
1968–69 | Baltimore Clippers | AHL | 12 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1969–70 | New York Rangers | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1969–70 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 68 | 27 | 44 | 71 | 40 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 6 | ||
1970–71 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 62 | 25 | 44 | 69 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1970–71 | New York Rangers | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1971–72 | Providence Reds | AHL | 76 | 34 | 65 | 99 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
1972–73 | New York Islanders | NHL | 56 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1972–73 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1973–74 | New England Whalers | WHA | 75 | 20 | 39 | 59 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | ||
1974–75 | New England Whalers | WHA | 50 | 18 | 32 | 50 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
1974–75 | Cape Codders | NAHL | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1975–76 | New England Whalers | WHA | 21 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1975–76 | Cape Codders | NAHL | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
WHA totals | 146 | 40 | 74 | 114 | 40 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 6 | ||||
NHL totals | 185 | 23 | 44 | 67 | 87 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
NHL coaching record
Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | L | T | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
New England Whalers (WHA) | 1975–76 | 35 | 14 | 18 | 3 | (31) | 3rd in East | (interim coach) |
New England Whalers (WHA) | 1978–79 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | (8) | 4th in WHA | Lost in Semi-Finals |
Hartford Whalers (NHL) | 1979–80 | 80 | 27 | 34 | 19 | 73 | 4th in Norris | Lost in Preliminary Rd. |
Hartford Whalers (NHL) | 1980–81 | 60 | 15 | 29 | 6 | (46) | 4th in Norris | (fired) |
NHL Total | 140 | 42 | 63 | 25 |
References
- ^ Sherman, David (2003). Philadelphia Flyers Encyclopedia. Sports Publishing LLC. p. 13. ISBN 1582615772. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- 1938 births
- Living people
- Baltimore Clippers players
- Boston Bruins players
- Buffalo Bisons (AHL) players
- Canadian ice hockey coaches
- Canadian ice hockey left wingers
- Cape Codders players
- Hamilton Tiger Cubs players
- Hartford Whalers broadcasters
- Hartford Whalers coaches
- Kingston Frontenacs (EPHL) players
- Minnesota North Stars players
- National Hockey League broadcasters
- New England Whalers coaches
- New England Whalers players
- New York Islanders players
- New York Rangers players
- Quebec Aces (AHL) players
- Philadelphia Flyers players
- Providence Reds players
- Rochester Americans players
- Sportspeople from Kirkland Lake
- Vancouver Canucks (WHL) players
- Canadian ice hockey winger, 1930s births stubs