| John Davidson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1953-02-27)February 27, 1953 (age 72) | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Left | ||
| Played for | St. Louis Blues New York Rangers | ||
| NHL draft | 5th overall,1973 St. Louis Blues | ||
| Playing career | 1973–1983 | ||
John Arthur Davidson (born February 27, 1953) is a Canadian–American professionalice hockey executive and former player who serves as a senior advisor and alternate governor for theColumbus Blue Jackets of theNational Hockey League (NHL). As agoaltender, he played in the NHL for theSt. Louis Blues andNew York Rangers, and helped the Rangers reach the1979 Stanley Cup Finals. Davidson also briefly served as Columbus' interim general manager during the2023–24 season.
Davidson was also a long-time ice hockey broadcaster, and was honoured by theHockey Hall of Fame with the 2009Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for his contributions to broadcasting.[1]
Davidson grew up in westernCanada and played junior hockey inCalgary, Alberta. He was drafted fifth overall in the1973 NHL amateur draft, and became the first goalie in NHL history to jump directly from a major junior league to the NHL.
Davidson split duties with veteranWayne Stephenson during his rookie year and posted slightly better numbers than the veteran, including a goals-against average of 3.08. Just before the start of his second season, the Blues dealt Stephenson to thePhiladelphia Flyers and Davidson became the Blues' starting goaltender. His goals-against average rose to 3.66 that season. The following summer, the Blues traded Davidson andBill Collins to the New York Rangers forJerry Butler,Ted Irvine andBert Wilson.
In New York, Davidson was to share goaltending duties withEd Giacomin, who had tended goal for the Rangers for the ten previous seasons. However, early in Davidson's first season with the Rangers, the team placed Giacomin on waivers from which he was claimed by theDetroit Red Wings, making Davidson the starting goaltender for the team. He played 56 games for New York that year, the most in his career and a total he was unable to match due to a string of injuries in the years to come. He helped lead the Rangers to the1979 Stanley Cup Finals despite an injured left knee. He wore jersey numbers 35, 00 and 30.[2] He was the first, and one of only two, NHL players to wear the number 00; afterMartin Biron wore it briefly in 1995, the league banned the use of the number.[3]
Davidson was the inspiration for the song"Double Vision" by the rock groupForeigner, released in 1978. Some members of the band who were Rangers fans were watching aStanley Cup playoff game between the Rangers and theBuffalo Sabres. Davidson was shaken up when the puck hit him on his mask. Later, announcersJim Gordon andBill Chadwick said Davidson was suffering from "double vision."[4][5]
After retiring due to injury, he joinedMSG Network's hockey coverage staff in 1983, and was thecolor commentator for Rangers games from 1986–87 to 2005–06, working withSam Rosen.[6][7][8] He was known by the nickname "J.D.", became one of the most prominent color commentators in the sport, and his hockey insight is so well respected that he currently sits on theHockey Hall of Fame selection committee. Long-time network TV partnerMike Emrick also sits on that committee, and the two shared the 2004Lester Patrick Trophy for service to hockey in the U.S.[9]
In 1994, the Rangers won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 54 years, in the highest-rated game in MSG Network's history; Davidson announced, "No more 1940, it's gone!"[10][11]
Davidson has also contributed to NHL coverage on such nationaltelevision networks asCBC,Fox,ESPN/ABC,NBC/OLN,SportsChannel America, andGlobal. He served as the lead color commentator, alongside lead play-by-play announcerMike Emrick, for the1996 World Cup of Hockey, theNHL on Fox from 1994–1999, and again for theNHL on NBC andNHL on OLN from 2005–2006.[12][13]
Davidson was known for his signature phrase "Oh, baby!" He was also featured in full motion videos shot for theEA Sports video gameNHL 97. He co-authored the bookHockey for Dummies (of the popularFor Dummies series) with sportswriterJohn Steinbreder.
Davidson returned to the broadcast booth to broadcast selectColumbus Blue Jackets games starting in October 2024, filling in forJody Shelley.[14][15]
Davidson returned to the booth with Sam Rosen on April 9, 2025, in honor of Rosen's final season broadcasting.
Davidson was named president of the St. Louis Blues on June 30, 2006.[16] He left the Blues after agreeing to a buyout of his contract on October 9, 2012.[17]
He was named president of theColumbus Blue Jackets on October 24, 2012,[18] and held this position until his resignation on May 17, 2019.[19]
On May 17, 2019, Davidson was named president of theNew York Rangers.[20][21][22] On May 5, 2021, Davidson was fired as president and alternate governor (along with general managerJeff Gorton) after the Rangers failed to make the playoffs.[23]
On May 20, 2021, the Blue Jackets announced that Davidson would return to Columbus as president of hockey operations and alternate governor. Davidson agreed to a five-year contract with the team.[24][25] On February 15, 2024, Davidson was named interim general manager of the Blue Jackets, after the firing ofJarmo Kekalainen.[26] With the hiring ofDon Waddell as president of hockey operations and general manager on May 28, 2024, Davidson transitioned into a senior advisor role with Columbus.[27]
Source:[29]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 1969–70 | Lethbridge Sugar Kings | AJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Calgary Centennials | WCHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Lethbridge Sugar Kings | AJHL | 46 | — | — | — | 2,760 | 142 | 3 | 3.09 | — | 9 | — | — | — | 540 | 23 | 1 | 2.56 | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Calgary Centennials | WCHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 3.16 | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Calgary Centennials | WCHL | 66 | — | — | — | 3,970 | 157 | 8 | 2.37 | — | 13 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 780 | 39 | 0 | 3.00 | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Calgary Centennials | MC | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | — | 118 | 9 | 0 | 4.58 | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Calgary Centennials | WCHL | 63 | — | — | — | 3,735 | 201 | 2 | 3.30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 39 | 13 | 19 | 7 | 2,300 | 118 | 0 | 3.08 | .902 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 40 | 17 | 15 | 7 | 2,360 | 144 | 0 | 3.66 | .887 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | 60 | 4 | 0 | 4.00 | .846 | ||
| 1974–75 | Denver Spurs | CHL | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 420 | 27 | 0 | 3.86 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | New York Rangers | NHL | 56 | 22 | 28 | 5 | 3,207 | 212 | 3 | 3.97 | .880 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | New York Rangers | NHL | 39 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 2,116 | 125 | 1 | 3.54 | .896 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 2 | — | — | — | 119 | 5 | 0 | 2.52 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | New York Rangers | NHL | 34 | 14 | 13 | 4 | 1,848 | 98 | 1 | 3.18 | .899 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 122 | 7 | 0 | 3.44 | .901 | ||
| 1978–79 | New York Rangers | NHL | 39 | 20 | 12 | 5 | 2,232 | 131 | 0 | 3.52 | .873 | 18 | 11 | 7 | — | 1,106 | 42 | 1 | 2.28 | .922 | ||
| 1979–80 | New York Rangers | NHL | 41 | 20 | 15 | 4 | 2,306 | 122 | 2 | 3.17 | .885 | 9 | 4 | 5 | — | 541 | 21 | 0 | 2.33 | .927 | ||
| 1979–80 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 238 | 16 | 0 | 4.02 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | New York Rangers | NHL | 10 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 560 | 48 | 0 | 5.14 | .832 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | New York Rangers | NHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 1 | 0 | 1.00 | .966 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 33 | 3 | 0 | 5.45 | .769 | ||
| 1981–82 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 8 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 437 | 24 | 0 | 3.30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | New York Rangers | NHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 120 | 5 | 0 | 2.50 | .909 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 301 | 123 | 124 | 39 | 17,109 | 1004 | 7 | 3.52 | .887 | 31 | 16 | 14 | — | 1,862 | 77 | 1 | 2.48 | .918 | ||||
| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | St. Louis Blues first round draft pick 1973 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | General manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets (interim) 2024 | Succeeded by |
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