Gerry Meehan

Gerry Meehan
Born	(1946-09-03) September 3, 1946 Toronto, ON, CAN
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Left Wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Toronto Maple Leafs Philadelphia Flyers Buffalo Sabres Vancouver Canucks Atlanta Flames Washington Capitals Cincinnati Stingers
NHL Draft	21st overall, 1963 Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career	1965–1979

Gerald Marcus Meehan (born September 3, 1946 in Toronto, Ontario and raised in Newmarket, Ontario) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey left winger and the former general manager and Senior Vice President of the Buffalo Sabres.

Playing career

He was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1963 NHL Amateur Draft, fourth round, 21st overall. He played for the National Hockey League's Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, Atlanta Flames, Washington Capitals, as well as the Ontario Hockey Association's Toronto Marlboros, American Hockey League's Rochester Americans, CPHL's Tulsa Oilers, Western Hockey League's Phoenix Roadrunners, Seattle Totems, and the World Hockey Association's Cincinnati Stingers. He served as captain for both the Sabres and Capitals.

One of Meehan's career highlights as a Sabre remains a lowlight to Flyers fans. In the last game of the 1971–72 regular season, the Flyers needed a win or a tie against the Sabres to beat out the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final playoff spot. The score was tied, but with just four seconds on the clock, Meehan took a shot from 80 feet away that somehow got by Flyers goalie Doug Favell – ending the Flyers' season.

Retirement

While Meehan scored a respectable 423 points in 670 regular season games during his playing career, he has also made a name for himself off the ice. After completing his undergraduate degree from Canisius College in Buffalo, he graduated from the University at Buffalo School of Law in 1982. He practiced sports, corporate, and immigration law with the firm Cohen, Swados, Wright, Hanifin, Bradford and Brett, including working on player contracts with Scotty Bowman, then the Sabres' coach and general manager.

General Manager and VP

In 1984, the team made Meehan the first former Sabre to serve in a front-office position, as assistant general manager under Bowman. During the 1986–87 season, Bowman stepped down, and Meehan was promoted to general manager. With the departures of Bowman and superstar Gilbert Perreault, the Sabres finished the season in last place overall that year, but rebounded the next year as NHL's most improved team, with a record of 37–32–11 – and 21 points higher in the standings.

Meehan's years as a general manager were marked by the addition of a number of top-caliber players, including No. 1 draft pick Pierre Turgeon, Soviet defector Alex Mogilny, Dale Hawerchuk, Pat LaFontaine, and Dominik Hašek. In 1993, Meehan was named executive vice president of sports operations, taking a more active role in the organization's business and legal affairs. He resigned his position in December 1994.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NHL.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database
• Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com
• The Gerry Meehan Archives

Preceded by Floyd Smith	Buffalo Sabres captain 1971–74	Succeeded by Jim Schoenfeld
Preceded by Scotty Bowman	General Manager of the Buffalo Sabres 1986–93	Succeeded by John Muckler