Bill White (ice hockey)

Bill White
White with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1973
Born	(1939-08-26)August 26, 1939 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died	May 21, 2017(2017-05-21) (aged 77) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Right
Played for	Los Angeles Kings Chicago Black Hawks
National team	Canada
Playing career	1959–1976

William Earl White (August 26, 1939 – May 21, 2017) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. He played in the National Hockey League with the Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Black Hawks from 1967 to 1976. He then coached Chicago during the 1976–77 season. White was one of the most notable defensive defencemen of the 1970s.

Playing career

After playing his junior hockey for the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association, White turned professional in 1960. Held back due to the paucity of jobs available in the Original Six days of the National Hockey League, he would star for seven seasons in the minor league American Hockey League, mostly for the Springfield Indians. While with the Indians, White was instrumental in the players' strikes which led to the prominence of agent Alan Eagleson and the creation of the National Hockey League Players' Association.

The Los Angeles Kings of the NHL acquired the rights to White in the 1967 NHL expansion, and White was the Kings' best defenceman, leading the team in scoring both full years he played for them. During the 1970 season, White was traded to the powerful Chicago Black Hawks, for whom he would play the remainder of his career. Paired with rushing defenceman Pat Stapleton, they formed one of the greatest defensive pairings of the decade, and despite recurring minor injuries, White averaged nearly 30 assists a season in his five full seasons with Chicago. During that time, he was named to the NHL's Second All-Star squad on defence in 1972, 1973 and 1974, as well as being named to play in the All-Star Game for six consecutive seasons between 1969 and 1974. He was also a member of the Canadian team in the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union, playing eight games.

Already missing significant time in the previous seasons due to injuries, White suffered a neck injury in the 1976 playoffs from which he sustained lingering nerve damage, and retired in consequence.

White finished his NHL career with 50 goals, 215 assists and 265 points in 604 games, with 495 penalty minutes. At the time of his retirement, even though he had played only six full seasons with the Hawks, he was in the top five of all-time Black Hawk defence scorers.

Team Canada 1972 member

White was chosen to be part of Team Canada '72 that battled the Soviet Union's National Team in a famous eight-game series in September 1972. White scored a goal for Canada in the decisive final game in Moscow. He also finished the series with a plus/minus of +7--the best mark of any Canadian player.

Retirement and death

White replaced long-time Black Hawks coach Billy Reay as interim coach midway through the 1977 season, but failed to improve the team's fortunes and left after that season. He later went on to coach his old junior team, the Toronto Marlboros.

White died on May 21, 2017, at the age of 77.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1956–57	Weston Dukes	MetJHL		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1956–57	Toronto Marlboros	OHA		2	0	0	0	4		—	—	—	—	—
1957–58	Toronto Marlboros	OHA		52	2	7	9	34		13	1	2	3	18
1957–58	Toronto Marlboros	M-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		5	0	0	0	4
1958–59	Toronto Marlboros	OHA		54	3	17	20	63		5	3	0	3	2
1959–60	Toronto Marlboros	OHA		48	2	17	19	66		4	0	1	1	16
1959–60	Rochester Americans	AHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1960–61	Sudbury Wolves	EPHL		21	1	2	3	20		—	—	—	—	—
1960–61	Rochester Americans	AHL		47	1	9	10	37		—	—	—	—	—
1961–62	Rochester Americans	AHL		67	5	21	26	58		2	0	1	1	2
1962–63	Springfield Indians	AHL		69	8	38	46	38		—	—	—	—	—
1963–64	Springfield Indians	AHL		72	7	31	38	76		—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	Springfield Indians	AHL		71	7	31	38	66		—	—	—	—	—
1965–66	Springfield Indians	AHL		68	5	14	19	42		6	0	2	2	6
1966–67	Springfield Indians	AHL		69	5	29	34	68		—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		74	11	27	38	100		7	2	2	4	4
1968–69	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		75	5	28	33	38		11	1	4	5	8
1969–70	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		40	4	11	15	21		—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		21	0	5	5	18		8	1	2	3	8
1970–71	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		67	4	21	25	64		18	1	4	5	20
1971–72	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		76	7	22	29	58		8	0	3	3	6
1972–73	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		72	9	38	47	80		16	1	6	7	10
1973–74	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		69	5	31	36	52		11	1	7	8	14
1974–75	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		51	4	23	27	20		8	0	3	3	4
1975–76	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		59	1	9	10	44		4	0	1	1	2
AHL totals				464	38	73	211	385		8	0	3	3	8
NHL totals				604	50	215	265	495		91	7	32	39	76

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1972	Canada	SS		7	1	1	2	8
Senior totals				7	1	1	2	8

Coaching record

Team	Year	Regular season						Postseason
		G	W	L	T	Pts	Division rank	Result
Chicago Black Hawks	1976–77	46	16	24	6	38	3rd in Smythe	Lost in preliminary round
NHL totals		46	16	24	6	38		0-2 (.000)

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database