| Jerry Knightley | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | |||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 154 lb (70 kg; 11 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Wing | ||
| Played for | Rensselaer Western Mustangs | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 1962–1968 | ||
Gerald N. "Jerry" Knightley is a Canadian retired ice hockeyWinger and coach who was a two-timeAll-American forRensselaer.[1]
Knightley was one of the final recruits forNed Harkness with the Engineers, arriving inTroy in the fall of 1961. Knightley's first season with the varsity team was the last for the legendary bench boss and Knightley produced tremendous results alongsideBob Brinkworth. Unfortunately, the team's defense was rather porous, allowing more than 4 goals per game, and RPI was unable to make theconference tournament. After Harkness' departure,Rube Bjorkman was installed as the head coach and the team's defense improved tremendously. Knightley and Brinkworth, who served asco-captains for the season, formed a powerful scoring duo that finished 1st and 2nd in the nation with Knightly leading the way (75 points). Knightley was namedFirst Team All-ECAC and an All-American and got the Engineers into the conference tournament. RPI finished in third place, and weren't expecting to receive a bid to theNCAA Tournament, however, the conference runner-upSt. Lawrence possessed a worse record and were passed over in favor of the 17–7 Engineers. RPI fell toDenver in the semifinal but Knightley helped the team recover to win the consolation game and was named to theAll-Tournament Second Team.[2]
Bjorkman left after one season and former standoutGarry Kearns took over, however, the team was beginning to suffer from two years of little to no recruiting. With Brinkworth gone due to graduation the team's offense was led almost exclusively by Knightley. He finished with just 49 points on the year but still had 11 more than the next Engineer.[3] WhileECAC Hockey had split into two divisions, RPI still declined in the standings and missed out on the postseason. Knightley was still highly regarded for leading his team through a difficult season and was named an All-American once more.
After graduating with a degree inmanagement engineering, Knightley returned toOntario and attendedWestern Ontario. While earning hisMBA Knightley also played for theMustangs.[4] He was inducted into the RPI Athletic Hall of Fame in 1968.[5]
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1960–61 | Unionville Jets | OHA-B | 24 | 21 | 12 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1962–63 | Rensselaer | ECAC Hockey | 23 | 30 | 33 | 63 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1963–64 | Rensselaer | ECAC Hockey | 26 | 33 | 42 | 75 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1964–65 | Rensselaer | ECAC Hockey | 22 | 27 | 22 | 49 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1965–66 | Western Mustangs | CIAU | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NCAA Totals | 71 | 90 | 97 | 187 | 99 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | NCAA Ice Hockey Scoring Champion 1963–64 | Succeeded by |