Gordie Drillon

Gordie Drillon
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1975
Born (1913-10-23)October 23, 1913
Moncton, NB, CAN
Died September 23, 1986(1986-09-23) (aged 72)
Saint John, NB, CAN
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 186 lb (84 kg; 13 st 4 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shot Right
Played for Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)
Montreal Canadiens (NHL)
Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets (EHL)
Syracuse Stars (IAHL)
Valleyfield Braves (QPHL)
Saint John Beavers (MSHL)
Playing career 19351950

Gordon Arthur Drillon (October 23, 1913 – September 23, 1986) was a Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame ice hockey player. Born in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. From 1936 through to 1942 he was part of one of the NHL's most prolific scoring lines as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He won a Stanley Cup during the 1941–42 season.

Drillon played only seven seasons in the NHL, six of those with Toronto and one with the Montreal Canadiens. A winger noted for his deadly accurate shot, he created a specific style of play that made him a leading scorer. Drillon's strong frame made it difficult for opposing defencemen to clear him from the front of the net. Drillon was able to securely park himself in front of the opposing netminder to re-direct shots or pick up rebounds. This style of play would earn him a league scoring title in the 1937–38 season. Future stars such as Phil Esposito, Dino Ciccarelli and Dave Andreychuk emulated his innovative style with great success.

Traded to the Montreal Canadiens for the 1943 season he finished second on the team in goals scored. At season's end, Drillon cut short his hockey career and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, serving for the remainder of World War II. After the war, he worked as a hockey coach in Grand Falls-Windsor Newfoundland in 1948/49 season and returned to his native New Brunswick where he was employed as a scout for the Maple Leafs, covering the Maritime provinces. He eventually accepted a job with the New Brunswick civil service. In 1975, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Gordie Drillon died in Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1986 and was interred there in the Ocean View Memorial Gardens cemetery.

Awards

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1935–36Pittsburgh Yellow JacketsEHL402212344
1936–37Syracuse StarsIAHL52350
1936–37Toronto Maple LeafsNHL41161733220000
1937–38Toronto Maple LeafsNHL48262652477182
1938–39Toronto Maple LeafsNHL40181634151076134
1939–40Toronto Maple LeafsNHL4321194013103140
1940–41Toronto Maple LeafsNHL42232144273252
1941–42Toronto Maple LeafsNHL48231841692352
1942–43Montreal CanadiensNHL492822501454260
1944–45Valleyfield BravesQPHL8114150
1948-49Grand Falls All-StarsNAHA
1949–50Saint John BeaversMSHL6948247240
NHL totals 311 155 139 294 56 50 25 15 41 10

External links

Preceded by
Dave Schriner
NHL Scoring Champion
1938
Succeeded by
Toe Blake
Preceded by
Marty Barry
Winner of the Lady Byng Trophy
1938
Succeeded by
Clint Smith
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, March 14, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.