Jackie McLeod

"Jack McLeod" redirects here. For other people, see Jack McLeod (disambiguation).

Jackie McLeod
Middle-aged man dressed in hockey equipment and uniform, posing with his hockey stick on the ice
McLeod in the 1960–61 season
Born (1930-04-30)April 30, 1930
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Died December 8, 2022(2022-12-08) (aged 92)
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)
Position Right wing
Shot Right
Played for New York Rangers
National team  Canada
Playing career 1949–1965
Baseball career
Medals
Representing  Canada
Global World Series
Bronze medal – third place 1955 Milwaukee Team

Robert John McLeod (April 30, 1930 – December 8, 2022) was a Canadian athlete, best known as an ice hockey player and coach. He played professionally for the New York Rangers for parts of six seasons from 1949 to 1954, and played eight seasons of senior hockey between 1953 and 1965, where he competed at multiple Ice Hockey World Championships, winning the gold medal in 1961. He served as head coach of the Canada men's national ice hockey team from 1966 to 1969, leading them to two bronze medals at the World Championships and a bronze medal at the 1968 Winter Olympics. He later coached the Saskatoon Blades in the Western Canada Hockey League from 1971 to 1979 and coached the Canada men's national junior team to a silver medal at the 1975 World Junior Championships. McLeod also played baseball in the Western Canada League. He was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1984 and inducted as a player into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1999.

Hockey career

Robert John McLeod[1][2] was born on April 30, 1930, in Regina, Saskatchewan.[3][4] He played ice hockey as a right winger, had a right-handed shot, and was 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) and 165 pounds (75 kg).[3]

He began his junior hockey career with the Notre Dame Hounds, coached by Athol Murray.[5] Playing with the Moose Jaw Canucks, he won a Western Canada Junior Hockey League championship during the 1948–49 season.[6] He began the 1949–50 season playing for the Moose Jaw Canucks, then finished the year with the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League (NHL).[3] He made his professional debut at age 19, on December 4, 1949, in a 4–0 victory versus the Chicago Black Hawks.[1] He played portions of the next five seasons in the NHL and in the minor leagues, and completed his NHL career in 1955, with 106 games played, 14 goals and 23 assists scored.[3] In the minor leagues, McLeod played the 1951–52 season for the Cincinnati Mohawks in the American Hockey League, followed by eight seasons in the Western Hockey League. He played portions of five seasons for the Saskatoon Quakers, portions of three seasons for the Vancouver Canucks, and one season for the Calgary Stampeders.[3]

McLeod retired from playing professional hockey in 1960, then spent the 1960–61 season playing senior hockey for the Trail Smoke Eaters in the Western International Hockey League.[3][1] The Smoke Eaters represented the Canada men's national team, and won gold at the 1961 World Championships. McLeod scored two goals and one assist in a 5–1 victory versus the Soviet Union men's national team, which determined first place on the final day of the championships.[1]

During the 1961–62 season, McLeod served as player-coach of the Moose Jaw Pla-Mors in the Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League.[5] At the end of the season, he was added to the Galt Terriers who represented Canada at the 1962 World Championships and won a silver medal, after losing to the Sweden men's national team in the final game.[1] He played for the Saskatoon Quakers for the 1962–63 season,[3] and was added to the Trail Smoke Eaters for the 1963 World Championships, and placed fourth.[1] He then returned to the Saskatoon Quakers, where he played the 1963–64 season.[3]

McLeod played the 1964–65 season with the Moose Jaw Pla-Mors, while also coaching the Moose Jaw Canucks in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.[3] In 1966, Father David Bauer recruited McLeod to become coach of the Canada men's national team permanently, since they had a similar coaching style of being good listeners to players.[7]

Black and white game action photo
Canada versus the Soviet Union at the 1967 Ice Hockey World Championships

At the 1966 World Championships, McLeod led Canada as a player-coach to a third-place finish and a bronze medal. He later coached Canada to a bronze medal at the 1967 World Championships, a bronze medal at the 1968 Winter Olympics, and a fourth-place finish at the 1969 World Championships. The Canada men's national team was disbanded when Canada withdrew from international men's competition in 1970.[1]

McLeod coached the Saskatoon Blades in the Western Canada Hockey League from 1971 to 1979, and reached the league finals in the 1972–73, 1974–75, and 1975–76 seasons.[3] He also served as general manager of the team, and was a part-owner from 1976 to 1980.[2][8] He also coached the Canada men's national junior team to a silver medal at the 1975 World Junior Championships, held in Canada and the United States.[1]

Baseball career

McLeod was also an amateur baseball player, playing with the Saskatoon Gems of the Western Canada League.[9] The Gems made up the core of the Canada national baseball team at the 1955 Global World Series, one of the first international baseball tournaments held in North America, where Canada took third place.[10] McLeod was inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.[11]

Honours and awards

McLeod was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 1976, as a team member of the 1960–61 Trail Smoke Eaters.[12] He was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1984,[13] inducted as a player into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1999,[1] and inducted into the Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015.[14] The Saskatoon Blades recognize McLeod as a team builder, with a banner for him hanging above the rink inside the SaskTel Centre. He also received the Western Hockey League Governors Award in the 2005–06 season.[2]

Personal life

McLeod was a recreational pilot and had a twin sister. He was married to Beverly Evans McLeod, and had a son and daughter.[4]

McLeod died on December 8, 2022, at St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, at age 92.[1][2] Former national team player Morris Mott remembered McLeod by writing, "He was a great teammate and coach on the national hockey team. A great goal scorer despite his low velocity shot."[1]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1946–47 Notre Dame Hounds SK U18 24 8 9 17 10 — — — — —
1947–48 Moose Jaw Canucks SJHL 13 5 12 17 4 5 11 5 16 4
1947–48 Moose Jaw Canucks M-Cup — — — — — 6 4 3 7 4
1948–49 Moose Jaw Canucks WCJHL 26 19 20 39 25 7 4 2 6 10
1949–50 New York Rangers NHL 38 6 9 15 2 7 0 0 0 0
1950–51 New York Rangers NHL 41 5 10 15 2 — — — — —
1951–52 New York Rangers NHL 13 2 3 5 2 — — — — —
1951–52 Cincinnati Mohawks AHL 49 14 18 32 38 2 0 1 1 2
1952–53 New York Rangers NHL 3 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
1952–53 Saskatoon Quakers WHL 55 30 47 77 28 13 8 11 19 19
1953–54 Saskatoon Quakers WHL 69 33 38 71 46 6 4 1 5 4
1954–55 New York Rangers NHL 11 1 1 2 2 — — — — —
1954–55 Saskatoon Quakers WHL 51 20 31 51 44 5 2 1 3 14
1955–56 Saskatoon Quakers WHL 70 34 49 83 97 3 1 1 2 14
1956–57 Vancouver Canucks WHL 41 30 19 49 30 — — — — —
1957–58 Vancouver Canucks WHL 68 44 27 71 45 9 14 4 18 8
1958–59 Saskatoon Quakers WHL 63 27 26 53 44 — — — — —
1959–60 Calgary Stampeders WHL 62 28 28 56 50 — — — — —
1960–61 Moose Jaw Pla-Mors SSHL 12 6 6 12 6 — — — — —
1960–61 Trail Smoke Eaters WIHL — — — — — — — — — —
1960–61 Canadian National Team Intl 19 14 13 27 21 — — — — —
1960–61 Moose Jaw Pla-Mors Al-Cup — — — — — 4 1 2 3 2
1961–62 Moose Jaw Pla-Mors SSHL 29 27 25 52 36 — — — — —
1962–63 Saskatoon Quakers SSHL 31 37 51 88 22 1 0 0 0 2
1963–64 Saskatoon Quakers SSHL 40 52 52 104 22 11 7 8 15 6
1963–64 Saskatoon Quakers Al-Cup — — — — — 9 5 13 18 6
1964–65 Moose Jaw Canucks SSHL 2 3 4 7 12 10 12 12 24 10
1965–66 Canadian National Team Intl — — — — — — — — — —
WHL totals 479 246 265 511 384 36 29 18 47 59
NHL totals 106 14 23 37 10 7 0 0 0 0

International

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
1961 Canada WC 7 10 4 14 6
1962 Canada WC 7 11 6 17 10
1963 Canada WC 7 5 8 13 6
1966 Canada WC 7 4 2 6 4
Senior totals 28 30 20 50 26

Coaching statistics

Coaching statistics in junior hockey:[3]

Season Team League Games Won Lost Tied Win % Standing Playoffs
1964–65 Moose Jaw Canucks SJHL 56 19 34 3 0.366 7th in league did not qualify
1971–72 Saskatoon Blades WCHL 68 37 28 3 0.566 2nd in East division lost in first round
1973–74 Saskatoon Blades WCHL 68 30 29 9 0.507 4th in East division lost in first round
1974–75 Saskatoon Blades WCHL 70 38 22 10 0.614 1st in East division lost in finals
1975–76 Saskatoon Blades WCHL 72 43 19 10 0.667 1st in East division lost in finals
1976–77 Saskatoon Blades WCHL 72 30 30 12 0.500 2nd in East division lost in first round
1977–78 Saskatoon Blades WCHL 72 20 50 2 0.292 4th in East division did not qualify
1978–79 Saskatoon Blades WHL 72 26 32 14 0.458 2nd in East division lost in second round
WCHL/WHL totals 550 243 244 63 0.499    

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Podnieks, Andrew (December 10, 2022). "IIHF HOFer Jackie McLeod passes". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "WHL mourns passing of former Blades head coach and general manager Jackie McLeod". Western Hockey League. December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Jack McLeod (b.1930) Hockey Statistics and Profile". Hockey Database. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Jackie McLeod". Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. December 8, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "McLeod takes over as Pla-Mor coach". The Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan. November 23, 1961. p. 33.
  6. ^ "Jack McLeod". Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame. 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  7. ^ Oliver, Greg (2017). Father Bauer and the Great Experiment: The Genesis of Canadian Olympic Hockey. Toronto, Ontario: ECW Press. pp. 135–136. ISBN 978-1-77041-249-1.
  8. ^ "Blades announce passing of hockey trailblazer Jackie McLeod". CKOM. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  9. ^ Hawthorn, Tom (December 26, 2022). "Scoring dynamo helped Canada win 1961 world hockey championship". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ontario. Archived from the original on December 27, 2022.(subscription required)
  10. ^ "1955 Playoffs, Global World Series". Western Canada Baseball. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  11. ^ "Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame & Musem Assoc. Inc. Newsletter" (PDF). Saskatchewan Baseball. Regina, Saskatchewan. April 2023. p. 2. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  12. ^ Hume, Fred (1976). "1960–61 Trail Smoke Eaters". BC Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  13. ^ "Jack McLeod". Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame. 1984. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  14. ^ "2015 Inductees". Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame. Swift Current, Saskatchewan. 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2022.