Errol Thompson (ice hockey)

For the audio engineer and dub producer, see Errol Thompson (audio engineer).

Errol Thompson
Born	(1950-05-28) May 28, 1950 Summerside, PE, CAN
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position	Left Wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Toronto Maple Leafs Detroit Red Wings Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL Draft	22nd overall, 1970 Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career	1972–1981

Loran Errol Thompson (born May 28, 1950) is a Canadian retired ice hockey winger who played most of his NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was selected 2nd (22nd overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1970 Amateur Draft. Thompson is also a former captain of the Detroit Red Wings.

Junior and senior leagues

Thompson starting turning heads at a young age while playing for the Halifax Jr. Canadians of the NSJHL. In the 1967–68 season, he scored 81 points in only 45 games, cementing him as a legitimate scoring winger. However, in 1969 Thompson was still an undiscovered talent playing in P.E.I.'s NBSHL senior league on the Charlottetown Royals for $15 a game when he was spotted by legendary Leaf goalie Johnny Bower turned scout. He was drafted 22nd overall in the 1970 Amateur NHL Draft and made his NHL debut in 1970, playing in only one game. He played the rest of that year and the next in Toronto's minor league club, the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League.

NHL career

In 1972, Thompson was called up to play full-time for Toronto and with his blazing speed and scoring touch quickly established himself as a reliable offensive NHLer. On a Leaf team that lost more games than it won, he scored 32 points in his first NHL season. Thompson began improving with each year and in the 1974–75 season scored 25 goals. Next season on a line with Darryl Sittler and Lanny McDonald he scored 43 goals becoming only the second player in Leaf history after Frank Mahovlich to score 40 goals in a season. The Sittler-McDonald-Thompson line became well known throughout North America after Sittler set an NHL record with ten points in one game on February 7, 1976.

After breaking his arm in the 1976–77 season, Thompson missed one third of the season but still managed 21 goals. The offensively talented winger began to see less ice time under defense-oriented coach Roger Neilson and was eventually traded with various draft picks to the Detroit Red Wings for Dan Maloney and a future 2nd round draft pick on March 13, 1978. With Detroit, Thompson continued to produce, scoring 23 goals his first full season and 34 goals the following season. In 1980 he was named co-captain of the Wings splitting time with Reed Larson. After scoring 26 points in the 1980–81 season he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Gary McAdam on January 8 and played his final 34 games in Pittsburgh.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1970–71	Tulsa Oilers	CHL		65	15	14	29	37		—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Tulsa Oilers	CHL		46	21	21	42	30		13	4	6	10	8
1972–73	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		68	13	19	32	8		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		56	7	8	15	6		2	0	1	1	0
1974–75	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		65	25	17	42	12		6	0	0	0	9
1975–76	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		75	43	37	80	26		10	3	3	6	0
1976–77	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		41	21	16	37	8		9	2	0	2	0
1977–78	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		59	17	22	39	10		—	—	—	—	—
1977–78	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		14	5	1	6	2		7	2	1	3	2
1978–79	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		70	23	31	54	26		—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		77	34	14	48	22		—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		39	14	12	26	52		—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		34	6	8	14	12		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				599	208	185	393	184		34	7	5	12	11

External links

• Errol Thompson at Hockey-Reference.com
• Errol Thompson's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Errol Thompson's biography at Legends of Hockey

Preceded by Dale McCourt

Detroit Red Wings captain 1980–81 with Reed Larson

Succeeded by Reed Larson