Garry Monahan
Encyclopedia
Garry Michael Monahan is a retired Canadian
professional
hockey
player who played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League
.
in the 1963 NHL Amateur Draft
of 16-year-old players—the very first pick of the NHL's first ever draft. The next season, he played junior B hockey with the St. Michael's Buzzers
in Toronto
before moving up to the junior A Peterborough Petes
in the Ontario Hockey Association
, where he played from 1964 to 1967. In his final junior year, he turned into a top scorer playing on a line with Mickey Redmond, the league's leading goal scorer. Monahan scored 30 goals and 84 points in 47 games on what was otherwise a weak Petes team.
He made his NHL debut with the Canadiens in the 1967–68 season, but spent most of the year with Montreal's Central Hockey League affiliate, the Houston Apollos
. After spending almost the entire 1968–69 season in the American Hockey League
with the Cleveland Barons, Monahan was traded to the Detroit Red Wings
in June 1969 in the deal where the Canadiens acquired Pete Mahovlich. Monahan saw little ice time and struggled offensively and before the end of the season was traded to the Los Angeles Kings
, where the story was the same. In 72 games with the Red Wings and Kings, Monahan scored just three goals and 10 points.
Before the next season, Monahan was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs
in the trade where the Kings acquired their future captain and coach, Bob Pulford
. Monahan saw much more ice time in Toronto as a defensive forward, playing four full seasons with the Leafs. After the first game of the 1974–75 season, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks
and played there for four years, scoring his NHL career high of 18 goals and 44 points in the 1976–77 season. After his offensive numbers dropped off in his final year in Vancouver, Monahan rejoined the Leafs for the 1978–79 season, scoring just four goals in 62 games. That ended his career in the NHL, where he played 748 games over 12 seasons.
Monahan then went to Japan and played three seasons with Tokyo
-based Seibu Tetsudo of the Japan Ice Hockey League
, retiring after the 1981–82 season at age 35. Afterward, he spent several years working on Vancouver Canucks radio broadcasts.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player who played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
.
Playing career
Monahan was selected first overall by the Montreal CanadiensMontreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
in the 1963 NHL Amateur Draft
1963 NHL Amateur Draft
The 1963 NHL Amateur Draft was held on June 5 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was the first NHL Amateur Draft and consisted of 16-year-old players....
of 16-year-old players—the very first pick of the NHL's first ever draft. The next season, he played junior B hockey with the St. Michael's Buzzers
St. Michael's Buzzers
The St. Michael's Buzzers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of Central Canadian Hockey League.-History:...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
before moving up to the junior A Peterborough Petes
Peterborough Petes
The Peterborough Petes are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team has played in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, since 1956, and is the oldest continuously operating team in the league.-History:...
in the Ontario Hockey Association
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
, where he played from 1964 to 1967. In his final junior year, he turned into a top scorer playing on a line with Mickey Redmond, the league's leading goal scorer. Monahan scored 30 goals and 84 points in 47 games on what was otherwise a weak Petes team.
He made his NHL debut with the Canadiens in the 1967–68 season, but spent most of the year with Montreal's Central Hockey League affiliate, the Houston Apollos
Houston Apollos
The Houston Apollos were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Houston, Texas. They played in the Central Hockey League from 1965 to 1969, and then from 1979 to 1981....
. After spending almost the entire 1968–69 season in the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
with the Cleveland Barons, Monahan was traded to the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
in June 1969 in the deal where the Canadiens acquired Pete Mahovlich. Monahan saw little ice time and struggled offensively and before the end of the season was traded to the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
, where the story was the same. In 72 games with the Red Wings and Kings, Monahan scored just three goals and 10 points.
Before the next season, Monahan was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in the trade where the Kings acquired their future captain and coach, Bob Pulford
Bob Pulford
Robert Jesse Pulford is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings in the National Hockey League...
. Monahan saw much more ice time in Toronto as a defensive forward, playing four full seasons with the Leafs. After the first game of the 1974–75 season, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
and played there for four years, scoring his NHL career high of 18 goals and 44 points in the 1976–77 season. After his offensive numbers dropped off in his final year in Vancouver, Monahan rejoined the Leafs for the 1978–79 season, scoring just four goals in 62 games. That ended his career in the NHL, where he played 748 games over 12 seasons.
Monahan then went to Japan and played three seasons with Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
-based Seibu Tetsudo of the Japan Ice Hockey League
Japan Ice Hockey League
The Japan Ice Hockey League was an annual ice hockey league that began in 1966 and ended in 2004 when it was replaced by Asia League Ice Hockey...
, retiring after the 1981–82 season at age 35. Afterward, he spent several years working on Vancouver Canucks radio broadcasts.
Career statistics
--- Regular season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1964-65 Peterborough Petes OHA 55 12 16 28 0
1965-66 Peterborough Petes OHA 46 6 10 16 43
1966-67 Peterborough Petes OHA 47 30 54 84 79
1966-67 Houston Apollos CPHL -- -- -- -- -- 3 1 0 1 0
1967-68 Houston Apollos CPHL 56 17 31 48 86 -- -- -- -- --
1967-68 Montreal Canadiens NHL 11 0 0 0 8 -- -- -- -- --
1968-69 Cleveland Barons AHL 70 18 26 44 81 5 2 0 2 10
1968-69 Montreal Canadiens NHL 3 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- --
1969-70 Detroit Red Wings NHL 51 3 4 7 24 -- -- -- -- --
1969-70 Los Angeles Kings NHL 21 0 3 3 12 -- -- -- -- --
1970-71 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 78 15 22 37 79 6 2 0 2 2
1971-72 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 78 14 17 31 47 5 0 0 0 0
1972-73 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 78 13 18 31 53 -- -- -- -- --
1973-74 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 78 9 16 25 70 4 0 1 1 7
1974-75 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 1 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- --
1974-75 Vancouver Canucks NHL 78 14 20 34 51 5 1 0 1 2
1975-76 Vancouver Canucks NHL 66 16 17 33 39 2 0 0 0 2
1976-77 Vancouver Canucks NHL 76 18 26 44 48 -- -- -- -- --
1977-78 Tulsa Oilers CHL 7 3 2 5 0 -- -- -- -- --
1977-78 Vancouver Canucks NHL 67 10 19 29 28 -- -- -- -- --
1978-79 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 62 4 7 11 25 -- -- -- -- --
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHL totals 748 116 169 285 484 22 3 1 4 13