Ross Lonsberry

Ross Lonsberry
Born (1947-02-07)February 7, 1947
Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada
Died May 4, 2014(2014-05-04) (aged 67)
Santa Clarita, California, U.S.
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Boston Bruins
Los Angeles Kings
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Playing career 1966–1981

David Ross Lonsberry (February 7, 1947 – May 4, 2014) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins. He had his best seasons in a Flyers uniform and was a member of Philadelphia's back-to-back Stanley Cup championship teams in the mid-1970s.

Playing career

Signed with the Boston Bruins organization as a teenager, Lonsberry enjoyed an outstanding junior career with the Estevan Bruins junior club of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), winning the scoring championship in his final season with 144 points in only 60 games, and following with 23 goals in 25 playoff games en route to the Memorial Cup semifinals. Starting in 1966, Lonsberry had a three-year professional apprenticeship with the Bruins' Central Professional Hockey League farm team, the Oklahoma City Blazers, while spending some time with the NHL club in each of the three seasons.

Coveted by the Los Angeles Kings, they traded for him in 1970 for two first round draft picks, and he became a steady two-way performer for Los Angeles, scoring twenty or more goals each of his two full seasons with the Kings and being named to play in the NHL All-Star Game in 1972. He played 82 games combined in a 78-game season with the Kings and Flyers in 1971-72. He is also noted for scoring the first NHL goal at the Pacific Coliseum, then the home of the Vancouver Canucks.[1]

He was acquired along with Bill Flett, Jean Potvin and Eddie Joyal by the Flyers from the Kings for Serge Bernier, Bill Lesuk and Jim Johnson on January 28, 1972.[2] The transaction was the largest in league history at the time. He would meet with the most success with the Flyers. Playing on a line with Rick MacLeish and Gary Dornhoefer, his hard-nosed two-way style fit in perfectly with the "Broad Street Bullies," scoring over twenty goals in three of his six and a half seasons in Philadelphia and participating in both of the Flyers' Stanley Cup championships. His best season was 1974, the first such championship, where he had a career high 32 goals and followed with 13 points in 17 playoff games.

In 1978, Lonsberry was dealt for the final time to the Pittsburgh Penguins, remaining an effective player for his three years with that club. With Pittsburgh in a youth movement and declining to renew his contract, he retired after the 1981 season.

Lonsberry finished his career with 256 goals and 310 assists for 566 points in 968 games, adding 806 penalty minutes. He also played in 100 playoff games, scoring 21 goals and 25 assists.

After his playing career, Lonsberry went into the commercial insurance business in the Los Angeles area.[3] He died of cancer on May 4, 2014.[4]

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1962–63 Estevan Bruins SJHL 1 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
1963–64 Estevan Bruins SJHL 61 18 26 44 55 11 6 9 15 23
1963–64 Estevan Bruins MC — — — — — 5 1 1 2 8
1964–65 Estevan Bruins SJHL 56 40 56 96 130 6 3 5 8 15
1964–65 Minneapolis Bruins CPHL 2 0 0 0 0 5 1 0 1 4
1964–65 Estevan Bruins MC — — — — — 19 20 10 30 23
1965–66 Estevan Bruins SJHL 59 67 77 144 109 12 13 6 19 26
1965–66 Estevan Bruins MC — — — — — 13 10 9 19 17
1965–66 Edmonton Oil Kings MC — — — — — 6 2 1 3 6
1966–67 Oklahoma City Blazers CPHL 46 12 10 22 83 11 3 2 5 31
1966–67 Buffalo Bisons AHL 7 1 1 2 4 — — — — —
1966–67 Boston Bruins NHL 8 0 1 1 2 — — — — —
1967–68 Oklahoma City Blazers CPHL 19 2 2 4 12 7 3 3 6 22
1967–68 Boston Bruins NHL 19 2 2 4 12 — — — — —
1968–69 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 65 28 39 67 169 12 4 8 12 21
1968–69 Boston Bruins NHL 6 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
1969–70 Los Angeles Kings NHL 76 20 22 42 118 — — — — —
1970–71 Los Angeles Kings NHL 76 25 28 53 80 — — — — —
1971–72 Los Angeles Kings NHL 50 9 14 23 39 — — — — —
1971–72 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 32 7 7 14 22 — — — — —
1972–73 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 77 21 29 50 59 11 4 3 7 9
1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 75 32 19 51 48 17 4 9 13 18
1974–75 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 80 24 25 49 99 17 4 3 7 10
1975–76 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 80 19 28 47 87 16 4 3 7 2
1976–77 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 75 23 32 55 43 10 1 2 3 29
1977–78 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 78 18 30 48 45 12 2 2 4 6
1978–79 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 80 24 22 46 38 7 0 2 2 9
1979–80 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 76 15 18 33 36 5 2 1 3 2
1980–81 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 80 17 33 50 76 5 0 0 0 2
CPHL/CHL totals 154 56 67 123 368 35 11 13 24 78
NHL totals 968 256 310 566 806 100 21 25 46 87

References

  1. ^ "Los Angeles Kings vs. Vancouver Canucks Box Score: October 9, 1970".
  2. ^ William Flett (RW) 1971–1974 – Philadelphia Flyers. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  3. ^ Jay Greenberg, "Where Are They Now?: Ross Lonsberry, CSN Philadelphia, September 29, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  4. ^ "Ross Lonsberry dies at 67; former hockey player for Kings, Flyers". Los Angeles Times. 2014-05-06.