Don Perry
| Don Perry | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
March 16, 1930 Edmonton, Alberta | ||
| Died |
April 15, 2019 (aged 89) Green Valley, Arizona | ||
| Coached for | Los Angeles Kings | ||
| Coaching career | 1955–1984 | ||
Donald Frederick Perry (March 16, 1930 – April 15, 2019) was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman and coach.[1]
Biography
[edit]Perry, born in Edmonton, Alberta, began his playing career with Edmonton area junior league teams. He broke into professional hockey in 1950 with the Boston Olympics, and in 1954, he started a long tenure as player-coach with the New Haven Blades of the Eastern Hockey League. Perry's teams were skilled, in 1956 winning the only professional sports championship the city has had. However, they gained a reputation for their physical play that often included fisticuffs. Perry retired from the ice in 1969 with over 600 points in excess of 1000 games at the blue line. He continued to coach the Blades until 1972.[2]
From 1972 until 1981, Perry coached the Saginaw Gears of the International Hockey League. His teams won two Turner Cup championships (1977 & 1981). In 1981, he was hired to coach the New Haven Nighthawks of the American Hockey League, but he held this position for only half a season before he replaced Parker MacDonald behind the Los Angeles Kings' bench.[3] Just weeks into his tenure with the Kings, Perry was suspended for six games for ordering enforcer Paul Mulvey to leave the bench to join a fight.[4]
Perry would guide the Kings to the playoffs in 1982, a postseason that included the famous Miracle on Manchester comeback against the Edmonton Oilers. However, he failed to make the playoffs in 1983 and was fired midway through the 1984 campaign.[3] He continued his career as a Professional Scout for the LA Kings for more than 10 years before retiring to his long-time home in Hague-on-Lake-George, NY and, subsequently in Green Valley, AZ where he died at a nursing home on April 15, 2019, at the age of 89.[1]
NHL coaching record
[edit]| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
| Los Angeles Kings | 1981–82 | 38 | 11 | 17 | 10 | (32) | 4th in Smythe | Lost in Division Finals |
| Los Angeles Kings | 1982–83 | 80 | 27 | 41 | 12 | 66 | 5th in Smythe | Missed playoffs |
| Los Angeles Kings | 1983–84 | 50 | 14 | 27 | 9 | (37) | 5th in Smythe | (fired) |
| Total | 168 | 52 | 85 | 31 | ||||
References
[edit]- ^ a b Zupke, Curtis (2019-04-15). "Don Perry, Kings' coach during 'Miracle on Manchester,' dies at 89". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
- ^ Cloutier, Bill (June 24, 2012). "New Haven 200: Don Perry brought unique brand of hockey to New Haven Blades". New Haven Register.
- ^ a b "Don Perry". kings.nhl.com.
- ^ Vecsey, George (February 8, 1982). "Perry Didn't Invent Violence (Published 1982)" – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Don Perry Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com.
External links
[edit]- Biographical information and career statistics from The Internet Hockey Database