Johnny Wilson (ice hockey)

For other uses, see Johnny Wilson (disambiguation).

Johnny Wilson
Wilson with the Detroit Red Wings
Born	(1929-06-14)June 14, 1929 Kincardine, ON, CAN
Died	Livonia, MI, USA
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)
Position	Left Wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Detroit Red Wings Chicago Black Hawks Toronto Maple Leafs New York Rangers
Playing career	1949–1962

John Edward Wilson (June 14, 1929 – December 27, 2011) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and head coach.

Playing career

After three seasons with the Windsor Spitfires, Wilson signed his first professional contract with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League in September 1949, but spent most of the 1949–50 season with their farm team, the Omaha Knights. He was called up by the Red Wings late in the season and helped them win the Stanley Cup. After spending most of the 1950–51 season in the minors, Wilson joined the Red Wings on a full-time basis midway through the 1951–52 season and went on to help them win three more Stanley Cups (1952, 1954, 1955).

Soon after winning the Stanley Cup in 1955, Red Wings general manager Jack Adams traded Wilson to the Chicago Black Hawks as part of an eight-player swap. After two solid seasons in Chicago, he was reacquired by the Red Wings in the infamous Ted Lindsay trade and played two more seasons with the Red Wings before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1959. A year later, the Leafs sent Wilson to the New York Rangers, along with another player, for Eddie Shack. After two seasons with the Rangers, Wilson retired following the 1961–62 season.

During his NHL career, Wilson scored 161 goals and 171 assists in 688 regular season games and 27 points in 66 playoff games. He won four Stanley Cups with the Red Wings and appeared in two all-star games (1954, 1956). One of his most notable accomplishments was playing in 580 consecutive games between 1951 and 1960, making him the NHL's first "iron man".

Coaching career

In 1967, Wilson was hired as the head coach of the Springfield Kings of the American Hockey League, the minor league affiliate of the new Los Angeles Kings expansion team. Midway into his third season with Springfield, Wilson was promoted to interim head coach of the Los Angeles Kings after Hal Laycoe was fired following a dismal start. However, Wilson was unable to turn the team around and returned to Springfield after the season was finished. He ended up leading Springfield to a Calder Cup title the very next season.

After winning the Calder Cup in 1971, Wilson was hired by the Detroit Red Wings during the 1971–72 season as a midseason replacement. Despite having a winning record behind the Wings' bench, the team missed the playoffs two straight seasons and Wilson was let go. From there, he spent two years in the World Hockey Association, one with the Colorado Rockies (1976–77), and three with the Pittsburgh Penguins (1977–80), where he led the Penguins to two playoff appearances. Wilson returned to coach Springfield one more season and then retired from coaching in 1981.

Personal

Johnny was the brother of Larry Wilson and uncle of Ron Wilson, both of whom played and coached in the NHL.

Wilson made his home in the Detroit area, together with his wife Pat, and was frequently seen at Red Wings home games. On December 27, 2011, he died of pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 82. He had battled lung disease and colon cancer for several years.

Coaching record

NHL

Team	Year	Regular season						Post season
		G	W	L	T	Pts	Finish	Result
Los Angeles Kings	1969–70	52	9	34	9	(27)	6th in West	Missed playoffs
Detroit Red Wings	1971–72	76	30	27	10	(70)	5th in East	Missed playoffs
Detroit Red Wings	1972–73	78	37	29	12	86	5th in East	Missed playoffs
Colorado Rockies	1976–77	80	20	46	14	54	5th in Smythe	Missed playoffs
Pittsburgh Penguins	1977–78	80	25	37	18	68	4th in Norris	Missed playoffs
Pittsburgh Penguins	1978–79	80	36	31	13	85	2nd in Norris	Lost in Quarter-Finals
Pittsburgh Penguins	1979–80	80	30	37	13	73	3rd in Norris	Lost in Preliminary Round
Total		517	187	241	89

WHA

Team	Year	Regular season						Post season
		G	W	L	T	Pts	Finish	Result
Michigan Stags	1974–75	78	21	53	4	46	5th in West	Missed playoffs
Cleveland Crusaders	1975–76	80	35	40	5	75	2nd in East	Lost in Preliminary Round

External links

• Johnny Wilson's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Johnny Wilson's Profile on DetroitRedWings.com

Preceded by Doug Barkley	Head coach of the Detroit Red Wings 1971–73	Succeeded by Ted Garvin
Preceded by Hal Laycoe	Head coach of the Los Angeles Kings 1969–70	Succeeded by Larry Regan
Preceded by Eddie Bush	Head coach of the Colorado Rockies 1976–77	Succeeded by Patrick J. Kelly
Preceded by Ken Schinkel	Head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins 1977–80	Succeeded by Eddie Johnston