Orval Tessier

Orval Tessier
Born (1933-06-30)June 30, 1933
Cornwall, Ontario, Canada
Died August 25, 2022(2022-08-25) (aged 89)
Cornwall, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 178 lb (81 kg; 12 st 10 lb)
Position Center
Shot Left
Played for Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Portland Buckaroos
Clinton Comets
Quebec Aces
Springfield Indians
Hershey Bears
Playing career 1953–1965

Orval Roy Tessier (June 30, 1933 – August 25, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and coach who played parts of three seasons in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins between 1954 and 1960, appearing in a total of 59 regular season games. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1953 to 1965, was spent in the minor leagues, where he was a solid offensive player. He won two scoring titles with the Eastern Professional Hockey League's Kingston Frontenacs, and was voted the league's most valuable player and most sportsmanlike player in the 1961–62 season.

After playing, Tessier had a successful coaching career. In junior ice hockey, Tessier coached the Cornwall Royals to Memorial Cup victory in 1972. Tessier coached the 1981 Memorial Cup finalists, the Kitchener Rangers. The next season, Tessier was hired to coach the New Brunswick Hawks in the American Hockey League. He led the Hawks to a Calder Cup victory in 1982. Tessier was promoted, and named head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, which lasted for three seasons. In 1983 Tessier won the Jack Adams Award as the best coach in the NHL.

During the 1983 Campbell Conference finals, Tessier was quoted as saying that the Blackhawks players needed "heart transplants" after giving up 16 goals in the first two games of the series against the Edmonton Oilers, and trailing in the series 2 games to 0. The quip failed to inspire the Hawks, who dropped the final two games of the series at Chicago Stadium, marking the second consecutive year Chicago lost in the Campbell Conference final.

Tessier won the Stanley Cup in 2001 with the Colorado Avalanche while serving as a scout for the team. He died on August 25, 2022, in his hometown of Cornwall, Ontario.[1]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1951–52 Kitchener Greenshirts OHA 52 62 25 87 18 4 3 1 4 8
1952–53 Kitchener Greenshirts OHA 55 54 40 94 19 15 7 13 20 12
1952–53 Barrie Flyers M-Cup — — — — — 10 10 18 28 14
1953–54 Montreal Royals QHL 60 21 18 39 13 9 2 1 3 6
1954–55 Montreal Canadiens NHL 4 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1954–55 Montreal Royals QHL 60 36 30 66 8 12 4 7 11 0
1955–56 Boston Bruins NHL 23 2 3 5 6 — — — — —
1955–56 Hershey Bears AHL 2 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
1955–56 Quebec Aces QHL 28 5 10 15 4 7 1 2 3 2
1956–57 Quebec Aces QHL 68 43 38 81 24 10 7 5 12 0
1957–58 Springfield Indians AHL 12 5 3 8 2 — — — — —
1958–59 Trois-Rivières Lions QHL 62 27 39 66 4 8 2 3 5 9
1959–60 Kingston Frontenacs EPHL 70 59 67 126 10 — — — — —
1960–61 Boston Bruins NHL 32 3 4 7 0 — — — — —
1960–61 Kingston Frontenacs EPHL 34 22 21 43 6 5 4 2 6 0
1961–62 Kingston Frontenacs EPHL 66 54 60 114 12 11 5 9 14 0
1962–63 Portland Buckaroos WHL 36 15 21 36 9 7 0 0 0 0
1963–64 Portland Buckaroos WHL 66 14 34 48 4 5 1 2 3 0
1964–65 Clinton Comets EHL 66 60 58 118 42 11 2 7 9 0
QHL totals 278 132 135 267 53 46 16 18 34 17
NHL totals 59 5 7 12 6 — — — — —

Coaching record

National Hockey League

Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Division rank Result
CHI 1982–83 80 47 23 10 104 1st in Norris Won in division semi-finals (3-1 vs. STL)
Won in division finals (4-1 vs. MIN)
Lost in conference finals (0-4 vs. EDM)
CHI 1983–84 80 30 42 8 68 4th in Norris Lost in division sem-finals (2-3 vs. MIN)
CHI 1984–85 53 22 28 3 47 2nd in Norris Fired
Total 213 99 93 21 219 1 division title 0 Stanley Cups (9-9, 0.500)

American Hockey League

Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Division rank Result
NB 1981–82 80 48 21 11 107 1st in North Won in division semi-finals (3-2 vs. ADI)
Won in division finals (4-1 vs. NS)
Won Calder Cup (4-1 vs. BNG)
Total 80 48 21 11 107 1 Calder Cup (11-4, 0.733)

Junior hockey

QMJHL

Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Division rank Result
COR 1971–72 62 47 13 2 96 1st in QMJHL Won in quarter-finals (8-0 vs. VER)
Won in semi-finals (8-2 vs. SHA)
Won President's Cup (9-5 vs. QUE)
Finished 2nd in round-robin at Memorial Cup (1-1)
Won Memorial Cup (2-1 vs. PBO)
QUE 1972–73 64 49 11 4 102 1st in QMJHL Won in quarter-finals (4-0 vs. TR)
Won in semi-finals (4-0 vs. SHE)
Won President's Cup (4-3 vs. COR)
Finished 2nd in round-robin at Memorial Cup (1-1)
Lost Memorial Cup (1-9 vs. TOR)
COR 1974–75 72 36 24 12 84 3rd in West Lost in quarter-finals (0-4 vs. MTL)
COR 1975–76 72 39 24 9 87 2nd in West Won in quarter-finals (4-2 vs. MTL)
Lost in semi-finals (0-4 vs. QUE)
COR 1976–77 72 38 24 10 86 2nd in Lebel Won in quarter-finals (8-4 vs. TR)
Lost in semi-finals (1-9 vs. SHE)
COR 1977–78 72 46 18 8 100 1st in Lebel Won in quarter-finals (8-0 vs. HUL)
Lost in semi-finals (2-8 vs. MTL)
CHI 1978–79 72 26 36 10 62 4th in Dilio Lost in quarter-finals (0-4 vs. SHE)
CHI 1979–80 72 42 27 3 87 2nd in Dilio Won in quarter-finals (4-3 vs. TR)
Lost in semi-finals (1-4 vs. COR)
COR Totals 350 206 103 41 453 1 President's Cup (25-23-2, 0.520)
1 Memorial Cup (2-1, 0.667)
CHI Totals 144 68 63 13 149 0 President's Cups (5-11, 0.313)
QUE Totals 64 49 11 4 102 1 President's Cup (12-3, 0.800)
0 Memorial Cups (1-2, 0.333)
QMJHL Totals 558 323 177 58 704 2 President's Cups (42-37-2, 0.551)
1 Memorial Cup (3-3, 0.500)

OHL

Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Division rank Result
KIT 1980–81 68 34 33 1 69 1st in Emms Won in division semi-finals (9-5 vs. NF)
Won in division finals (9-1 vs. WSR)
Won J. Ross Robertson Cup (9-3 vs. SSM)
Finished 2nd in round-robin at Memorial Cup (2-2)
Lost Memorial Cup (2-8 vs. COR)
COR 1986–87 66 23 40 3 49 6th in Leyden Lost in division quarter-finals (1-4 vs. OTT)
COR 1987–88 66 35 24 7 77 3rd in Leyden Won in division quarter-finals (4-2 vs. BEL)
Lost in division semi-finals (1-4 vs. OTT)
COR 1988–89 66 31 30 5 67 4th in Leyden Won in division quarter-finals (4-2 vs. TOR)
Won in division semi-finals (4-2 vs. OTT)
Lost in division finals (2-4 vs. PBO)
COR Totals 198 89 94 15 193 0 J. Ross Robertson Cups (16-18, 0.471)
KIT Totals 68 34 33 1 69 1 J. Ross Robertson Cup (11-2-5, 0.750)
0 Memorial Cups (2-3, 0.400)
OHL Totals 266 123 127 16 262 1 J. Ross Robertson Cup (27-20-5, 0.567)
0 Memorial Cups (2-3, 0.400)

Awards and achievements

References

  1. ^ "Orval Tessier won at every level of hockey".
Preceded by Winner of the Jack Adams Award
1983 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Head coach of the Chicago Black Hawks
1982-85 		Succeeded by
Bob Pulford