| Brian Conacher | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1941-08-31)August 31, 1941 (age 84) | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 187 lb (85 kg; 13 st 5 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Toronto Maple Leafs Detroit Red Wings Ottawa Nationals | ||
| Playing career | 1962–1976 | ||
Brian Kennedy Conacher (born August 31, 1941) is a Canadian former professionalice hockey player, coach, executive, and broadcaster. Conacher played 155 games in theNational Hockey League (NHL) with theToronto Maple Leafs andDetroit Red Wings between 1961 and 1972, winning theStanley Cup with Toronto in1967. He later played one season in theWorld Hockey Association (WHA) with theOttawa Nationals in1972–73. In the mid-1960s Conacher was reinstated as an amateur player and joined theCanada national team, playing at the1964 Winter Olympics. He later served as a coach in the minorNorth American Hockey League, and general manager of both theIndianapolis Racers andEdmonton Oilers in the WHA. He was the manager ofMaple Leaf Gardens until 1998. Conacher also held the position of Chief Executive Officer of theRoyal Agricultural Winter Fair.
Conacher is the son ofLionel Conacher, who was voted Canada's top athlete for the first half of the century.[1] He was educated at Toronto'sUpper Canada College.
His brother,Lionel Jr., was a professional Canadian football player.
Charlie Conacher andRoy Conacher are Brian's uncles.
He is the cousin ofMurray Henderson andPete Conacher.
Conacher played on theCanadian Olympic hockey team coached byFather David Bauer at the1964 Winter Olympics at Innsbruck, Austria.[2] He was also a player for theToronto Maple Leafs, playing full seasons during the1967 and1968 campaigns. He won theStanley Cup with the Maple Leafs in1967. In 1968, he played in theNHL All-Star Game, though not as an All-Star but as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs (in those years, the current Stanley Cup Champion played the All-Star team). Brian was notable in that game as one of only two players to wear a helmet. After 1968, he was relegated, once again, to the minor leagues, until he finally finished his NHL career with a final season with theDetroit Red Wings in 1971–72. He then decided to try out the newWorld Hockey Association, joining theOttawa Nationals for a season.
After retiring as a player, Conacher had a few small coaching stints in the minor leagues before becoming the general manager of the WHAIndianapolis Racers, and then the same position in 1977–78 with the WHAEdmonton Oilers.
Conacher was also a part-time coach with Upper Canada College. Some of the students he coached became collegiate and/or professional hockey players:Syl Apps III, Jason Cipolla (played with the St. John's Maple Leafs),Andre Faust (Philadelphia Flyers), Mike McKee (Quebec Nordiques), and NHL first-round pickDaniel Tkaczuk.[3]
As a broadcaster, Conacher was most notable as fellow UCC graduateFoster Hewitt's colour man during the1972 Summit Series. He also teamed withCurt Gowdy to call hockey for the U.S. coverage of the1976 Winter Olympics onABC.
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1958–59 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1959–60 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA | 42 | 17 | 17 | 34 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1960–61 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA | 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1961–62 | Toronto Marlboros | MTJAHL | 25 | 12 | 27 | 39 | 4 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 18 | ||
| 1961–62 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1961–62 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1962–63 | University of Western Ontario | CIAU | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1963–64 | Canada National Team | Intl | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1964–65 | Canada National Team | Intl | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1965–66 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1965–66 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 69 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 66 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 18 | ||
| 1966–67 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 66 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 47 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 21 | ||
| 1967–68 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 64 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Canada National Team | Intl | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Canada National Team | Intl | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Canada National Team | Intl | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 22 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Fort Worth Wings | CHL | 40 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 1972–73 | Ottawa Nationals | WHA | 69 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1975–76 | Mohawk Valley Comets | NAHL | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| WHA totals | 69 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||||
| NHL totals | 155 | 28 | 28 | 56 | 84 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 21 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Canada | OLY | 7 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 6 | |
| 1965 | Canada | WC | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | |
| Senior totals | 14 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 10 | |||
| Preceded by | General Manager of the Edmonton Oilers 1977–78 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
