| Jackie McLeod | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 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 | ||
Robert John McLeod (April 30, 1930 – December 8, 2022) was a Canadian athlete, best known as anice hockey player and coach. He played professionally for theNew York Rangers for parts of six seasons from 1949 to 1954. He played eight seasons ofsenior hockey between 1953 and 1965, where he competed at multipleIce Hockey World Championships, winning the gold medal in 1961. He served as head coach of theCanada 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 the1968 Winter Olympics. He later coached theSaskatoon Blades in theWestern Canada Hockey League from 1971 to 1979. He coached theCanada men's national junior team to a silver medal at the1975 World Junior Championships. McLeod also playedbaseball in theWestern Canada League. He was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1984 and inducted as a player into theIIHF Hall of Fame in 1999.
Robert John McLeod[1][2] was born on April 30, 1930, inRegina, Saskatchewan.[3][4] He playedice hockey as aright winger, had a right-handed shot, and was 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) and 165 pounds (75 kg).[3]
He began hisjunior hockey career with theNotre Dame Hounds, coached byAthol Murray.[5] Playing with theMoose Jaw Canucks, he won aWestern 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 theNew York Rangers in theNational Hockey League (NHL).[3] He made his professional debut at age 19, on December 4, 1949, in a 4–0 victory versus theChicago Black Hawks.[1] He played portions of the next five seasons in the NHL and theminor leagues, and completed his NHL career in 1955, with 106 games played, 14goals and 23assists scored.[3] In the minor leagues, McLeod played the 1951–52 season for theCincinnati Mohawks in theAmerican Hockey League, followed by eight seasons in theWestern Hockey League. He played portions of five seasons for theSaskatoon Quakers, portions of three seasons for theVancouver Canucks, and one season for theCalgary Stampeders.[3]
McLeod retired from playing professional hockey in 1960, then spent the 1960–61 season playingsenior hockey for theTrail Smoke Eaters in theWestern International Hockey League.[3][1] The Smoke Eaters represented theCanada men's national team, and won gold at the1961 World Championships. McLeod scored two goals and one assist in a 5–1 victory versus theSoviet Union men's national team, which determined first place on the final day of the championships.[1]
During the 1961–62 season, McLeod served asplayer-coach of the Moose Jaw Pla-Mors in the Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League.[5] At the end of the season, he was added to theGalt Terriers who represented Canada at the1962 World Championships and won a silver medal, after losing to theSweden 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 the1963 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 theMoose Jaw Canucks in theSaskatchewan 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]
At the1966 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 the1967 World Championships, a bronze medal at the1968 Winter Olympics, and a fourth-place finish at the1969 World Championships. The Canada men's national team was disbanded when Canada withdrew from international men's competition in 1970.[1]
McLeod coached theSaskatoon Blades in theWestern 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 theCanada men's national junior team to a silver medal at the1975 World Junior Championships, held in Canada and the United States.[1]
| Jackie McLeod | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Medals
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McLeod was also an amateur baseball player, playing with the Saskatoon Gems of theWestern Canada League.[9] The Gems made up the core of theCanada national baseball team at the1955 Global World Series, one of the first international baseball tournaments held in North America, where Canada took third place.[10] McLeod was inducted into theSaskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.[11]
McLeod was inducted into theBC 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 theIIHF 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 theSaskTel Centre. He also received the Western Hockey League Governors Award in the 2005–06 season.[2]
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, atSt. Paul's Hospital inSaskatoon, Saskatchewan, at age 92.[1][2] Former national team playerMorris 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]
| 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 | ||||
| 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 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 | ||||
