Jack Gordon (ice hockey)

John Gordon (March 3, 1928 – June 27, 2022) was a Canadian ice hockey manager, coach and player. Gordon played 36 games in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers between 1949 and 1951. The rest of his playing career, which lasted from 1946 to 1961, was mainly spent with the Cleveland Barons of the American Hockey League. He was also head coach of the Minnesota North Stars from 1970 to 1973, general manager of the North Stars from 1974 to 1978, and general manager of the Vancouver Canucks from 1985 to 1987.^[1][2]

Jack Gordon
Gordon in 2012
Born	(1928-03-03)March 3, 1928 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Died	June 27, 2022(2022-06-27) (aged 94) Minnesota, U.S.
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight	154 lb (70 kg; 11 st 0 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Right
Played for	New York Rangers
Playing career	1946–1961

AHL career

Despite seeing limited NHL action, Gordon was a consistent scoring threat over a long 14-year career in the American Hockey League. He made his first appearance as a 19-year-old in 1947 with the New Haven Ramblers. Two years later, he recorded 60 assists, good for second in the league, and 83 points. He was acquired by the Cincinnati Mohawks in 1951 and was the leading scorer in his one season with the club. Gordon then spent eight years as a major contributor with the Cleveland Barons. He scored 102 points in 1954, which was good for second in the AHL, as his team won the Calder Cup. In 1957, he also became coach of the Barons, and he led the squad to another Calder Cup in his first year. After the 1959 season, he retired as a player, but he served three more years as a coach. He returned to coach the team during the 1969 and 1970 teams, after a three-year stint as assistant GM of the New York Rangers concluded.^[3]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1945–46	Winnipeg Rangers	MAHA		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1946–47	New York Rovers	EAHL		54	37	40	77	6		7	4	5	9	0
1947–48	New Haven Ramblers	AHL		37	11	24	35	2		4	0	3	3	0
1948–49	New York Rangers	NHL		31	3	9	12	0		—	—	—	—	—
1948–49	New Haven Ramblers	AHL		36	10	28	38	14		—	—	—	—	—
1949–50	New York Rangers	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		9	1	1	2	7
1949–50	New Haven Ramblers	AHL		70	23	60	83	2		—	—	—	—	—
1950–51	New York Rangers	NHL		4	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1950–51	Cincinnati Mohawks	AHL		59	23	42	65	10		—	—	—	—	—
1951–52	Cleveland Barons	AHL		20	7	20	27	0		2	0	2	2	0
1952–53	Cleveland Barons	AHL		64	20	58	78	6		11	4	7	11	0
1953–54	Cleveland Barons	AHL		70	31	71	102	20		9	5	13	18	4
1954–55	Cleveland Barons	AHL		57	17	50	67	22		4	1	3	4	0
1955–56	Cleveland Barons	AHL		54	26	43	69	33		6	5	4	9	2
1956–57	Cleveland Barons	AHL		33	4	14	18	0		12	2	2	4	2
1957–58	Cleveland Barons	AHL		51	6	18	24	10		6	1	2	3	2
1958–59	Cleveland Barons	AHL		38	3	5	8	0		—	—	—	—	—
1959–60	Cleveland Barons	AHL		8	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1960–61	Cleveland Barons	AHL		5	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
AHL totals				602	181	434	615	119		54	18	36	54	10
NHL totals				36	3	10	13	0		9	1	1	2	7

NHL Coaching record

Team	Year	Regular season						Post season
		G	W	L	T	Pts	Finish	Result
Minnesota North Stars	1970–71	78	28	34	16	72	4th in West	Lost in semi-finals
Minnesota North Stars	1971–72	78	37	29	12	86	2nd in West	Lost in quarter-finals
Minnesota North Stars	1972–73	78	37	30	11	85	3rd in West	Lost in quarter-finals
Minnesota North Stars	1973–74	17	3	8	6	12	7th in West	Promoted to GM
Minnesota North Stars	1974–75	38	11	22	5	27	4th in Smythe	Returned to GM role
NHL Totals		289	116	123	50

References

1. John Gordon obituary
2. "Ex-Canucks GM Jack Gordon, the man who traded Cam Neely, has died".
3. "AHL Hall of Fame". ahlhalloffame.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2022.

External links

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

Preceded by Charlie Burns Parker MacDonald	Head coach of the Minnesota North Stars 1970–73 1974–75	Succeeded by Parker MacDonald Charlie Burns
Preceded by Wren Blair	General Manager of the Minnesota North Stars 1974–78	Succeeded by Lou Nanne
Preceded by Harry Neale	General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks 1985–87	Succeeded by Pat Quinn