John Adams (ice hockey)
Encyclopedia
John Matthew Adams is a retired professional ice hockey
goaltender
in the National Hockey League
. He was born in Port Arthur, Ontario
.
tournaments - he signed with the Boston Bruins
of the National Hockey League
. Assigned to the minor league Dayton Gems of the International Hockey League in 1967, Adams played two seasons with the Gems, winning the leading goaltending award in 1969. In the fall of 1969, he was assigned to the Bruins' leading farm team at the time, the Oklahoma City Blazers
of the Central Hockey League
, for whom he played for the next two seasons, winning honors as a league first-team all-star in 1972.
During the 1970 playoffs
, Adams was recalled to the Bruins as a reserve to backup regular goaltenders Gerry Cheevers
and Ed Johnston
. He did not play a game, yet the Bruins decided to engrave his name on the Stanley Cup
, making him one of the very few players to have his name on the Stanley Cup before playing a NHL game.
Adams would not play his first NHL game for another three seasons. In 1972–73, with Cheevers gone to the World Hockey Association
and disruption in the Boston net, he played fourteen games for the defending champion Bruins while splitting his time with the new Bruins' affiliate Boston Braves
of the American Hockey League
.
Traded to the minor-league San Diego Gulls of the Western Hockey League
the following year, Adams won second-team all-star honors before being sold to the NHL Washington Capitals
in 1974. He played only eight games with the Capitals, again splitting the season between the NHL and the minor leagues.
Adams was named a player-coach for the Thunder Bay Twins
of the Ontario senior leagues the following year before retiring as a player five seasons later, settling in the Thunder Bay area in retirement. His final position in professional hockey was as an assistant coach for the Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks of the Colonial Hockey League in 1991.
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...
goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
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...
. He was born in Port Arthur, Ontario
Port Arthur, Ontario
Port Arthur was a city in Northern Ontario which amalgamated with Fort William and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970. Port Arthur was the district seat of Thunder Bay District.- History :...
.
Playing career
After enjoying great success in the junior ranks with his hometown Port Arthur team - he is one of the only players to appear in four consecutive Memorial CupMemorial Cup
The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...
tournaments - he signed with the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
of 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...
. Assigned to the minor league Dayton Gems of the International Hockey League in 1967, Adams played two seasons with the Gems, winning the leading goaltending award in 1969. In the fall of 1969, he was assigned to the Bruins' leading farm team at the time, the Oklahoma City Blazers
Oklahoma City Blazers
The Oklahoma City Blazers were a professional ice hockey team that played in the Northwest Division of the Central Hockey League. The Blazers played at the Ford Center, located in downtown Oklahoma City. Their colors were burgundy, gold and white...
of the Central Hockey League
Central Hockey League
The Central Hockey League is a mid-level professional hockey league, owned by Global Entertainment Corporation. Its current champions are the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, which defeated the Colorado Eagles four games to three in the 2011 playoffs....
, for whom he played for the next two seasons, winning honors as a league first-team all-star in 1972.
During the 1970 playoffs
1969-70 NHL season
The 1969–70 NHL season was the 53rd season of the National Hockey League. For the third straight season, the St. Louis Blues reached the Stanley Cup finals, and for the third straight year, they were swept four games to none...
, Adams was recalled to the Bruins as a reserve to backup regular goaltenders Gerry Cheevers
Gerry Cheevers
Gerald Michael "Cheesey" Cheevers is a former goaltender in the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association between 1961 and 1980, most famous for his two stints with the Boston Bruins, where he backstopped the team to Stanley Cup wins in 1970 and 1972...
and Ed Johnston
Eddie Johnston
Edward Joseph Johnston is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender and former coach and general manager in the National Hockey League...
. He did not play a game, yet the Bruins decided to engrave his name on the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
, making him one of the very few players to have his name on the Stanley Cup before playing a NHL game.
Adams would not play his first NHL game for another three seasons. In 1972–73, with Cheevers gone to the World Hockey Association
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
and disruption in the Boston net, he played fourteen games for the defending champion Bruins while splitting his time with the new Bruins' affiliate Boston Braves
Boston Braves (AHL)
The Boston Braves were a professional ice hockey team in Boston, Massachusetts. They were a member of the American Hockey League from 1971 to 1974....
of 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...
.
Traded to the minor-league San Diego Gulls of the Western Hockey League
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
the following year, Adams won second-team all-star honors before being sold to the NHL Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
in 1974. He played only eight games with the Capitals, again splitting the season between the NHL and the minor leagues.
Adams was named a player-coach for the Thunder Bay Twins
Thunder Bay Twins
The Thunder Bay Twins were a Canadian Amateur Senior and Professional ice hockey team from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. The Twins won five Allan Cups as National Senior Champions from 1970 until 1991.-Merger:...
of the Ontario senior leagues the following year before retiring as a player five seasons later, settling in the Thunder Bay area in retirement. His final position in professional hockey was as an assistant coach for the Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks of the Colonial Hockey League in 1991.
Career statistics
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | Min | GA | EN | SO | GAA | W | L | T |
| 1968-69 | Dayton Gems | IHL | 32 | 1900 | 91 | 0 | 0 | 2.87 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-70 | Oklahoma City Blazers | CHL | 51 | 3027 | 176 | 0 | 5 | 3.39 | 18 | 26 | 7 |
| 1970-71 | Oklahoma City Blazers | CHL | 56 | 3417 | 194 | 1 | 3 | 3.41 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-72 | Oklahoma City Blazers | CHL | 43 | 2168 | 129 | 0 | 2 | 3.57 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-73 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 14 | 780 | 39 | 0 | 1 | 3.00 | 9 | 3 | 1 |
| 1974-75 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 8 | 400 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 6.90 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 1974-75 | Richmond Robins | AHL | 28 | 1424 | 105 | 2 | 1 | 4.42 | 0 | 0 | 0 |