Ron Wilson (ice hockey, born 1956)

For the other Ron Wilson associated with ice hockey, see Ron Wilson (ice hockey, born 1955).
Ron Wilson
Born (1956-05-13) May 13, 1956 (age 68)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Winnipeg Jets
St. Louis Blues
Montreal Canadiens
NHL draft 133rd overall, 1976
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 1976–1996

Ronald Lee Wilson (born May 13, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centreman and current assistant coach with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League. Wilson's professional playing career spans twenty seasons, including fourteen in the National Hockey League. Following his retirement, he turned to coaching and held assistant and head coach positions for various American Hockey League teams. On August 9, 2011, the Montreal Canadiens announced that they had hired Wilson as the assistant to the Hamilton Bulldogs' coach Clément Jodoin.[1]

Early life

Wilson was born in Toronto and played junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey Association with the Toronto Marlboros, Hamilton Red Wings and St. Catharines Black Hawks. He also played three stints with the Markham Waxers during his time with the OHA.

Career

Playing

Wilson was drafted 133rd overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft and started playing for the Canadiens' American Hockey League affiliate, the Nova Scotia Voyageurs. After three seasons with the team, Wilson was traded to the Winnipeg Jets who had just joined the National Hockey League following the NHL–WHA merger.[2] He made the team and played nine seasons in Winnipeg with minor league stints with the Tulsa Oilers and Sherbrooke Jets. Wilson spent the entire 1988–89 season and part of the 1989–90 season with the Moncton Hawks (the Jets minor league affiliate) before being traded to the St. Louis Blues for Doug Evans.[2] He spent four seasons with the Blues before signing as a free agent with the Montreal Canadiens.[2] Wilson's season in Montreal was his last in the NHL but he played two more years in the International Hockey League (Detroit Vipers and San Diego Gulls) and the East Coast Hockey League (Wheeling Thunderbirds). In total, Wilson played 832 NHL games over fourteen seasons, scoring 110 goals and 216 assists for 326 points and amassing 415 penalty minutes.[1]

Coaching

Wilson retired as a player after the 1995–96 season and took an assistant coach position with the AHL Springfield Falcons the following season. After four seasons with the Falcons, he joined the Saint John Flames as the assistant to Jim Playfair. During the 2002–03 season, Playfair was promoted to the assistant coach position for the Calgary Flames and Wilson became the Saint John Flames' head coach. The team disbanded at the end of the season and Wilson became an assistant coach with the Hamilton Bulldogs and coached for five seasons.[1] In 2008–09, Wilson was named head coach when Don Lever promoted to the assistant coach position for the Montreal Canadiens after the firing of Guy Carbonneau.[1] His contract was not renewed and Guy Boucher took over as head coach. Wilson accepted an assistant coaching position with the Chicago Wolves, after Don Lever obtained the head coaching position, at the early stages of the 2009–10 season. After two years with the Wolves, both Wilson and Lever lost their job following the relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg.[3] On August 9, 2011, the Canadiens announced that they had hired him as the assistant to new Bulldogs coach Clément Jodoin.[1]

Over the course of his career, Wilson won three Calder Cups, one as a player with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs and two as a coach, one with the Saint John Flames and one with the Hamilton Bulldogs.[citation needed]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1972–73 Toronto Marlboros OHA 21 1 11 12 2 — — — — —
1972–73 Markham Waxers MTJHL — — — — — — — — — —
1973–74 Hamilton Red Wings OHA 6 1 0 1 2 — — — — —
1973–74 Markham Waxers OPJHL — — — — — — — — — —
1974–75 Markham Waxers OPJHL 43 26 28 54 24 — — — — —
1974–75 Toronto Marlboros OMJHL 16 6 12 18 6 23 9 17 26 6
1974–75 Toronto Marlboros M-Cup — — — — — 4 0 3 3 2
1975–76 St. Catharines Black Hawks OMJHL 64 37 62 99 44 4 1 6 7 7
1976–77 Nova Scotia Voyageurs AHL 67 15 21 36 18 6 0 0 0 0
1977–78 Nova Scotia Voyageurs AHL 59 15 25 40 17 11 4 4 8 9
1978–79 Nova Scotia Voyageurs AHL 77 33 42 75 91 10 5 6 11 14
1979–80 Winnipeg Jets NHL 79 21 36 57 28 — — — — —
1980–81 Winnipeg Jets NHL 77 18 33 51 55 — — — — —
1981–82 Winnipeg Jets NHL 39 3 13 16 49 — — — — —
1981–82 Tulsa Oilers CHL 41 20 38 58 22 3 1 0 1 2
1982–83 Winnipeg Jets NHL 12 6 3 9 4 3 2 2 4 2
1982–83 Sherbrooke Jets AHL 65 30 55 85 71 — — — — —
1983–84 Winnipeg Jets NHL 51 3 12 15 12 — — — — —
1983–84 Sherbrooke Jets AHL 22 10 30 40 16 — — — — —
1984–85 Winnipeg Jets NHL 75 10 9 19 31 8 4 2 6 2
1985–86 Winnipeg Jets NHL 54 6 7 13 16 1 0 0 0 0
1985–86 Sherbrooke Jets AHL 10 9 8 17 9 — — — — —
1986–87 Winnipeg Jets NHL 80 3 13 16 13 10 1 2 3 0
1987–88 Winnipeg Jets NHL 69 5 8 13 28 1 0 0 0 2
1988–89 Moncton Hawks AHL 80 31 61 92 110 8 1 4 5 20
1989–90 St. Louis Blues NHL 33 3 17 20 23 12 3 5 8 18
1989–90 Moncton Hawks AHL 47 16 37 53 39 — — — — —
1990–91 St. Louis Blues NHL 73 10 27 37 54 7 0 0 0 28
1991–92 St. Louis Blues NHL 64 12 17 29 46 6 0 1 1 0
1992–93 St. Louis Blues NHL 78 8 11 19 44 11 0 0 0 12
1993–94 Montreal Canadiens NHL 48 2 10 12 12 4 0 0 0 0
1994–95 Detroit Vipers IHL 12 6 9 15 10 — — — — —
1994–95 San Diego Gulls IHL 58 8 25 33 60 5 2 0 2 8
1995–96 Wheeling Thunderbirds ECHL 46 12 30 42 72 2 0 3 3 6
NHL totals 832 110 216 326 415 27 10 23 33 13

References

  1. ^ a b c d e (Press release) (August 9, 2011). "Ron Wilson named as assistant coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs". canadiens.com. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "Legends of Hockey: Ron Lee Wilson". Legends of Hockey (Hockey Hall of Fame). Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  3. ^ "Wilson's back with the Bulldogs". The Hamilton Spectator. August 9, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011.