Wren Blair | |
|---|---|
| Born | Wren Alvin Blair (1925-10-02)October 2, 1925 |
| Died | January 2, 2013(2013-01-02) (aged 87) Oshawa, Ontario, Canada |
Wren Alvin Blair (October 2, 1925 – January 2, 2013) was aCanadianice hockey coach, scout and executive in theNational Hockey League.
Blair was born inLindsay,Ontario, the son of Audrey and Alvin Blair. The family moved toOshawa when his father took a job in a dairy. Wren grew up playing hockey on the rink outsideWestmount Public School.[1] He was given the nickname "The Bird" and was known for his wild behavior on the bench. This behavior often involved climbing on boards to profanely berate officials and his players.[2]
Blair was founder, coach and General Manager of theWhitby Dunlops, who would win theAllan Cup in 1957 and 1959. In 1959 the team represented Canada in1958 World Ice Hockey Championships winning the tournament. From 1958–1971, Blair served as the General Manager of theClinton Comets of theEastern Hockey League.[3]
From 1963–65, Blair was general manager of theMinneapolis Bruins, of theCentral Hockey League, before his jump to the NHL.[2]
In 1960, Blair began negotiations withBoston Bruins presidentWeston Adams to begin building the newOshawa Generals, ajunior ice hockey team in theOntario Hockey League. The agreement was made contingent on a new arena being built inOshawa, Ontario. TheOshawa Civic Auditorium would later open in 1964. The Oshawa Generals were reactivated 1962 as a team playing in theMetro Junior A League. For this year, the team played its home games atMaple Leaf Gardens.
In the fall of 1962, while serving as a scout for the Bruins, he signedBobby Orr, then a 14-year-old phenom, to the Bruins-sponsoredOshawa Generals. Orr would later score 94 points in 47 games, helping the Generals win theOntario Hockey Association championship in 1966 before beginning hishall of fame career in the NHL. Blair also coached theKingston Frontenacs to the final EPHL championship in the 1962–63 season.[4]
In 1967, Minnesota was awarded an expansion franchise in the NHL,Minnesota North Stars.Walter Bush, a former partner in the Minneapolis Bruins, became the North Stars' president. He then hired Blair as their first coach and general manager. In a six-team division composed of expansion teams, the Blues finished among the top four for a playoff slot. They beat theLos Angeles Kings in the Quarterfinals before losing in seven games to theSt. Louis Blues in the Semifinals. He also coached parts of the 1968–69 and 1969–70 seasons before stepping down to concentrate on his role as general manager, a job he held through the1973–74 season. He was fired as GM and replaced by the North Stars' coach,Jack Gordon in 1974.[2] Just before his death, Blair disclosed his belief that North Stars centerBill Masterton, the first and only player to die as a result of injuries sustained on the ice on January 13, 1968, had a pre-existing cerebral brain hemorrhage prior to the hit on the ice that was generally associated with his death.[5]
He would later go on to own theSaginaw Gears of theInternational Hockey League, which won twoTurner Cups.[3] In 1973 Blair,Al Savill andOtto Frenzel purchased the then-bankruptPittsburgh Penguins for $3.8 million. In order to trim the Penguins' payroll, Blair sold minor-league contracts to the Gears.[6] He was also theGeneral Manager of thePittsburgh Penguins from July 1975 to December 1976.
From 1979 through 1985, Blair, served as the player personnel director for theLos Angeles Kings. In 2002, Wren brought theNorth Bay Centennials of the Ontario Hockey League toSaginaw, Michigan. The franchise was renamed theSaginaw Spirit, with Blair stayed on as a consultant for the team. He died on January 2, 2013, aged 87, inOshawa, Ontario.[1]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
| Minnesota North Stars | 1967–68 | 74 | 27 | 32 | 15 | 69 | 4th in West | Lost in semi-finals |
| Minnesota North Stars | 1968–69 | 41 | 12 | 20 | 9 | (35) | 6th in West | (moved to GM role) |
| Minnesota North Stars | 1969–70 | 32 | 9 | 13 | 10 | (29) | 3rd in West | (returned to GM role) |
| Total | 147 | 48 | 65 | 34 | ||||
| Preceded by Position created | General Manager of the Minnesota North Stars 1967–74 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Position created John Muckler | Head coach of the Minnesota North Stars 1967–68 1968–70 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins 1975–76 | Succeeded by |
