Gordon McMillan
Encyclopedia
Gordon "Gymie" McMillan is a former ice hockey
player who was a member of the Michigan Wolverines
team that won the first NCAA Frozen Four ice hockey championship in 1948
. He played four years of hockey at Michigan from 1946-1949 and broke the school's scoring record with 210 career points.
, where he played center for the Moose Jaw Monarchs. In April 1945, the Monarchs traveled to Lethbridge, Alberta to play the Lethbridge Native Sons for the western Canada juvenile hockey championship. McMillan, described as the team's "star centre" and a "starry redhead who is the mainspring of the Moose Jaw attack," was left behind in Moose Jaw because his father was seriously ill. However, he arrived in Lethbridge by plane on the morning of the first game, and scored four goals and an assist, as his heads-up hockey and "fast break-aways kept the crowd in a dither." The Monarchs won the series in two games, and McMillan was the high scorer with six goals and an assist. One month after the championship, McMillan's 42-year-old father, a hockey coach who had been recently discharged from the Royal Canadian Air Force
, died in Moose Jaw.
to play hockey for Wolverines' coach Vic Heyliger
. McMillan played four years of hockey at Michigan, from 1946-1949, and was the team's leading scorer all four years. As a freshman in January 1946, McMillan and teammate Wally Grant
both scored hat trick
s in a game against McMaster University
from Hamilton, Ontario
.
As a junior in 1948, McMillan broke Michigan's all-time scoring record, which had been set by the team's coach, Vic Heyliger, with 116 points. McMillan, who would exceed the record by nearly 100 points by the time he was finished, broke the record with Heyliger on the bench as coach in a February 1948 game against Michigan Tech; McMillan earned six points on four goals and two assists in the game. The 1948 team led by McMillan, Wally Grant
, Wally Gacek
and Al Renfrew
won the first NCAA Frozen Four ice hockey championship. Four teams were selected to play in the first NCAA ice hockey championship, held at the Broadmoor Hotel Ice Palace in Colorado Springs, Colorado
. The four teams to play in the inaugural Frozen Four were Michigan, Boston College
, Dartmouth and Colorado College. In the championship game against Dartmouth, McMillan scored two goals, as Michigan won 8-4. McMillan and teammate Wally Gacek
scored goals five seconds apart in the third period against Dartmouth, which remains a record for the fastest consecutive goals in the championship round. The hockey title capped off a year in which Michigan had also won the Rose Bowl and the conference basketball championship.
As a senior in 1949, McMillan had career highs with 36 assists and 60 points. (His career-high in goals was 30 in 1948.) Though Michigan did not repeat as NCAA champions in 1949, they did advance to the Frozen Four. They were beaten by Dartmouth 4-2 in a semi-final game. In his final game in a Michigan jersey, the Frozen Four consolation game in March 1949, McMillan scored a hat trick, earning five points on three goals and two assists.
McMillan's four-year scoring record at Michigan was as follows:
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 was a member of the Michigan Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
team that won the first NCAA Frozen Four ice hockey championship in 1948
1948 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament
The 1948 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament involved 4 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college ice hockey. It began on March 18, 1948, and ended with the championship game on March 20...
. He played four years of hockey at Michigan from 1946-1949 and broke the school's scoring record with 210 career points.
Moose Jaw Monarchs
McMillan grew up in Moose Jaw, SaskatchewanMoose Jaw, Saskatchewan
Moose Jaw is a city in south-central Saskatchewan, Canada on the Moose Jaw River. It is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javians. It is best known as a retirement and tourist city that serves as a hub to the hundreds of small towns...
, where he played center for the Moose Jaw Monarchs. In April 1945, the Monarchs traveled to Lethbridge, Alberta to play the Lethbridge Native Sons for the western Canada juvenile hockey championship. McMillan, described as the team's "star centre" and a "starry redhead who is the mainspring of the Moose Jaw attack," was left behind in Moose Jaw because his father was seriously ill. However, he arrived in Lethbridge by plane on the morning of the first game, and scored four goals and an assist, as his heads-up hockey and "fast break-aways kept the crowd in a dither." The Monarchs won the series in two games, and McMillan was the high scorer with six goals and an assist. One month after the championship, McMillan's 42-year-old father, a hockey coach who had been recently discharged from the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
, died in Moose Jaw.
University of Michigan
In the fall of 1945, McMillan enrolled at the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
to play hockey for Wolverines' coach Vic Heyliger
Vic Heyliger
Victor Heyliger was a National Hockey League center and the head coach of the University of Michigan ice hockey team....
. McMillan played four years of hockey at Michigan, from 1946-1949, and was the team's leading scorer all four years. As a freshman in January 1946, McMillan and teammate Wally Grant
Wally Grant
Wally Grant may refer to:* John Wallace "Wally" Grant, injured in the Virginia Tech massacre*Wally Grant...
both scored hat trick
Hat Trick
Hat trick, hat-trick or hattrick may refer to:* hat-trick — in various sports, achieving three goals, wickets, etc. in a single match* Hattrick — online football management game** Hattrick Limited — producers of this game...
s in a game against McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
from Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
.
As a junior in 1948, McMillan broke Michigan's all-time scoring record, which had been set by the team's coach, Vic Heyliger, with 116 points. McMillan, who would exceed the record by nearly 100 points by the time he was finished, broke the record with Heyliger on the bench as coach in a February 1948 game against Michigan Tech; McMillan earned six points on four goals and two assists in the game. The 1948 team led by McMillan, Wally Grant
Wally Grant
Wally Grant may refer to:* John Wallace "Wally" Grant, injured in the Virginia Tech massacre*Wally Grant...
, Wally Gacek
Wally Gacek
Wally Gacek is a former ice hockey player who was a member of the Michigan Wolverines team that won the first NCAA Frozen Four ice hockey championship in 1948. He played four years of hockey at Michigan from 1946-1949.-Junior Hockey:...
and Al Renfrew
Al Renfrew
Al Renfrew was a hockey player at the University of Michigan in the late 1940s and a college hockey coach with Michigan Technological University , the University of North Dakota , and the University of Michigan...
won the first NCAA Frozen Four ice hockey championship. Four teams were selected to play in the first NCAA ice hockey championship, held at the Broadmoor Hotel Ice Palace in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
. The four teams to play in the inaugural Frozen Four were Michigan, Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
, Dartmouth and Colorado College. In the championship game against Dartmouth, McMillan scored two goals, as Michigan won 8-4. McMillan and teammate Wally Gacek
Wally Gacek
Wally Gacek is a former ice hockey player who was a member of the Michigan Wolverines team that won the first NCAA Frozen Four ice hockey championship in 1948. He played four years of hockey at Michigan from 1946-1949.-Junior Hockey:...
scored goals five seconds apart in the third period against Dartmouth, which remains a record for the fastest consecutive goals in the championship round. The hockey title capped off a year in which Michigan had also won the Rose Bowl and the conference basketball championship.
As a senior in 1949, McMillan had career highs with 36 assists and 60 points. (His career-high in goals was 30 in 1948.) Though Michigan did not repeat as NCAA champions in 1949, they did advance to the Frozen Four. They were beaten by Dartmouth 4-2 in a semi-final game. In his final game in a Michigan jersey, the Frozen Four consolation game in March 1949, McMillan scored a hat trick, earning five points on three goals and two assists.
McMillan's four-year scoring record at Michigan was as follows:
| Year | Games | Goals | Assists | Points |
| 1946 | 23 | 29 | 27 | 56 |
| 1947 | 21 | 14 | 21 | 35 |
| 1948 | 21 | 30 | 29 | 59 |
| 1949 | 25 | 24 | 36 | 60 |
| Total | 90 | 97 | 113 | 210 |
Professional hockey
McMillan played professional hockey briefly in the 1949-1950 season for the Ryan-Sarnia-Hettche team in the International Hockey League. He played in 12 games and scored 3 goals and 6 assists.See also
- University of Michigan Athletic Hall of HonorUniversity of Michigan Athletic Hall of HonorThe University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs...
- 1948 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament1948 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey TournamentThe 1948 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament involved 4 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college ice hockey. It began on March 18, 1948, and ended with the championship game on March 20...
- 1949 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament1949 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament-External links:*...