Pat Stapleton
Encyclopedia
Patrick James "Whitey" Stapleton (born July 4, 1940) is a Canadian ice hockey
former professional ice hockey
player. A defenceman
, Stapleton played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League
(NHL) and the World Hockey Association
(WHA), most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks
. He is the father of Mike Stapleton
, who had a lengthy career in the NHL as well.
of the Ontario Hockey Association
, winning the Memorial Cup
in 1960. With the Legionnaires he won two Western Jr. 'B' championships and one Sutherland Cup as an all-Ontario champion. Although he was a defenceman, he led the Legionnaires in scoring during his second season.
His first full season was with the Sault Thunderbirds
of the Eastern Professional Hockey League in 1960–61. Stapleton had signed with the Chicago Black Hawks
, but was claimed by the Boston Bruins
in the intra-league draft in June 1961 and began his National Hockey League
career with the Bruins in the 1961–62 season. The next year, he split his time between Bruins and their EPHL affiliate, the Kingston Frontenacs
. Stapleton spent the next two years in the minor leagues, playing with the Portland Buckaroos
of the Western Hockey League
. He received the Hal Laycoe Cup as the WHL's top defenceman for the 1964–65 season.
Stapleton was briefly the property of the Toronto Maple Leafs
in June 1965 as part of a trade with the Bruins, but he was left unprotected in the intra-league draft and was claimed the next day by the Chicago Black Hawks
. Wearing number 7, he played some games with the Hawks' Central Hockey league affiliate, the St. Louis Braves
, in 1965–66, but they would be the final minor league games of his career. Stapleton remained in the NHL for eight seasons with the Black Hawks, and was named Second Team All-Star three times (1966, 1971, and 1972). Stapleton played with the Black Hawks in the Stanley Cup finals in 1971 and 1973. His highest scoring season was 1969, where his 50 assists set a new NHL record for assists in a season by a defenceman (broken the next year by Bobby Orr
).
Stapleton was a member of the Team Canada team at the Summit Series
in 1972. During the tournament he was a +6 and was often paired with his Black Hawks teammate Bill White. Stapleton is the owner of the puck that was used by Paul Henderson
to score the series-winning goal.
In 1973, Stapleton jumped from the NHL and signed a five-year deal with the Chicago Cougars
of the World Hockey Association
where he became player-coach, replacing Marcel Pronovost
as coach. He was a WHA first-team all-star in 1974 and won the Dennis A. Murphy Trophy
as the league's top defenceman in the 1973–74 season.
Stapleton again represented Canada in the 1974 Summit Series
against the national team from the Soviet Union
, this time as team captain, recording three assists in eight games. He was again player-coach of the Cougars in 1974–75, and the team struggled on the ice and financially. In December 1974, he and teammates Dave Dryden
and Ralph Backstrom
bought the troubled franchise. At the time, Stapleton also owned two small arenas in the Chicago area along with other business interests.
The Cougars folded after the 1974–75 season and Stapleton was claimed by the Indianapolis Racers
, where he played for two seasons and was named a second-team all-star in 1976. When the Racers refused to honour his contract in 1977, Stapleton was transferred to the Cincinnati Stingers
, where he played one season before retiring in 1978. Over his career, Stapleton scored 337 points in the NHL and 239 in the WHA.
of the Western Ontario Junior Hockey League. He has a Strathroy and District Hockey Association award named after him.
In 2008, Stapleton brought the puck that Paul Henderson fired into the net to win the 1972 Summit Series with the Russians to a Sarnia Legionnaires game. He dropped it at a ceremonial faceoff being held to honor Legionnaire founder Tommy Norris. He told the Sarnia Observer that he had the puck on his stick when the buzzer sounded to end the series. He was about to shoot it down the ice when he suddenly paused and picked it up. In May 2010, Stapleton told the Toronto Sun
that he will hang onto the puck until the 40th Anniversary of the Summit Series in 2012.
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...
former professional ice 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. A defenceman
Defenceman (ice hockey)
Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...
, Stapleton played 15 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...
(NHL) and 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...
(WHA), most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
. He is the father of Mike Stapleton
Mike Stapleton
Michael P. Stapleton is a retired National Hockey League hockey player who played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, Atlanta Thrashers, New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks. He is the son of former NHL defenceman and 1972 Summit...
, who had a lengthy career in the NHL as well.
Playing career
Stapleton played Junior B hockey with the Sarnia Legionnaires before spending two seasons with the St. Catharines TeepeesSt. Catharines Teepees
The St. Catharines Teepees were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1947 to 1962. The team was based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.-History:...
of 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...
, winning the Memorial Cup
Memorial 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...
in 1960. With the Legionnaires he won two Western Jr. 'B' championships and one Sutherland Cup as an all-Ontario champion. Although he was a defenceman, he led the Legionnaires in scoring during his second season.
His first full season was with the Sault Thunderbirds
Sault Thunderbirds
The Sault Thunderbirds were a professional ice hockey team in the Eastern Professional Hockey League from 1959 to 1962. The Thunderbirds were based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and played at the Sault Memorial Gardens.-Hockey Hall of Fame Members:...
of the Eastern Professional Hockey League in 1960–61. Stapleton had signed with the Chicago Black Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
, but was claimed by 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...
in the intra-league draft in June 1961 and began his 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...
career with the Bruins in the 1961–62 season. The next year, he split his time between Bruins and their EPHL affiliate, the Kingston Frontenacs
Kingston Frontenacs (EPHL)
The Kingston Frontenacs of the Eastern Professional Hockey League were a minor league professional ice hockey team affiliated with the NHL's Boston Bruins....
. Stapleton spent the next two years in the minor leagues, playing with the Portland Buckaroos
Portland Buckaroos
The Portland Buckaroos was the name of several professional ice hockey teams based in Portland, Oregon.-PCHL/NWHL era :The first incarnation of Portland Buckaroos played their home games at the Portland Ice Arena. The Buckaroos initially played in the four-team Pacific Coast Hockey League from...
of the Western Hockey League
Western Hockey League (minor pro)
The Western Hockey League was a minor pro ice hockey league that operated from 1952 to 1974. Managed for most of its history by Hockey Hall of Fame member Al Leader, it was created out of the merger of the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Canada Senior Hockey League...
. He received the Hal Laycoe Cup as the WHL's top defenceman for the 1964–65 season.
Stapleton was briefly the property of 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 June 1965 as part of a trade with the Bruins, but he was left unprotected in the intra-league draft and was claimed the next day by the Chicago Black Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
. Wearing number 7, he played some games with the Hawks' Central Hockey league affiliate, the St. Louis Braves
St. Louis Braves
The St. Louis Braves were a minor league hockey club located in St. Louis, Missouri. The team originated as the Syracuse Braves in the Eastern Professional Hockey League's final season of 1962–63. The team was moved to St. Louis mid-season, and continued in the new Central Hockey League after the...
, in 1965–66, but they would be the final minor league games of his career. Stapleton remained in the NHL for eight seasons with the Black Hawks, and was named Second Team All-Star three times (1966, 1971, and 1972). Stapleton played with the Black Hawks in the Stanley Cup finals in 1971 and 1973. His highest scoring season was 1969, where his 50 assists set a new NHL record for assists in a season by a defenceman (broken the next year by Bobby Orr
Bobby Orr
Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr, OC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Orr played in the National Hockey League for his entire career, the first ten seasons with the Boston Bruins, joining the Chicago Black Hawks for two more. Orr is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest...
).
Stapleton was a member of the Team Canada team at the Summit Series
Summit Series
The Summit Series was the first competition between the Soviet and an NHL-inclusive Canadian national ice hockey teams, an eight-game series held in September 1972...
in 1972. During the tournament he was a +6 and was often paired with his Black Hawks teammate Bill White. Stapleton is the owner of the puck that was used by Paul Henderson
Paul Henderson
Paul Henderson is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A left winger, Henderson played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Flames...
to score the series-winning goal.
In 1973, Stapleton jumped from the NHL and signed a five-year deal with the Chicago Cougars
Chicago Cougars
The Chicago Cougars were an original franchise in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1975. The Cougars played their home games in the dilapidated International Amphitheatre. During the 1974 Avco Cup Finals against Gordie Howe and the Houston Aeros, the team's two home games were played at...
of 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...
where he became player-coach, replacing Marcel Pronovost
Marcel Pronovost
Joseph Rene Marcel Pronovost was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League. He played for the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League.Marcel was one of the best defensive defenceman of his era...
as coach. He was a WHA first-team all-star in 1974 and won the Dennis A. Murphy Trophy
Dennis A. Murphy Trophy
The Dennis A. Murphy Trophy was presented annually to the World Hockey Association's best defenceman.It was named in honour of WHA co-founder Dennis Murphy.Dennis Murphy Trophy Winners*1979 – Rick Ley, New England Whalers...
as the league's top defenceman in the 1973–74 season.
Stapleton again represented Canada in the 1974 Summit Series
1974 Summit Series
The 1974 Summit Series was the second of two competitions between Soviet and Canadian professional ice hockey players. Canada was represented by World Hockey Association players instead of National Hockey League players, as it had been in the 1972 Summit Series. The Soviet team won the series 4-1-3...
against the national team from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, this time as team captain, recording three assists in eight games. He was again player-coach of the Cougars in 1974–75, and the team struggled on the ice and financially. In December 1974, he and teammates Dave Dryden
Dave Dryden
David Murray "Sod" Dryden is a retired Canadian ice hockey goaltender. Dave Dryden serves the distinction of creating the modern day goaltending mask consisting of a fiberglass mask with a cage...
and Ralph Backstrom
Ralph Backstrom
Ralph Gerald Backstrom is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre.-Playing career:Backstrom played junior hockey with the Montreal Junior Canadiens from 1954 to 1956, and the Ottawa Junior Canadiens from 1956 to 1958...
bought the troubled franchise. At the time, Stapleton also owned two small arenas in the Chicago area along with other business interests.
The Cougars folded after the 1974–75 season and Stapleton was claimed by the Indianapolis Racers
Indianapolis Racers
The Indianapolis Racers were a franchise in the former World Hockey Association from 1974 to 1978. They competed in five seasons, folding 25 games into the 1978–79 season. They played at Market Square Arena...
, where he played for two seasons and was named a second-team all-star in 1976. When the Racers refused to honour his contract in 1977, Stapleton was transferred to the Cincinnati Stingers
Cincinnati Stingers
The Cincinnati Stingers was an ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio, that played in the World Hockey Association from 1975 to 1979. Its home arena was Riverfront Coliseum and it was the only major-league hockey team ever to play in Cincinnati.-History:The Stingers franchise was awarded in...
, where he played one season before retiring in 1978. Over his career, Stapleton scored 337 points in the NHL and 239 in the WHA.
Post-playing career
Stapleton lives in Strathroy, Ontario and is a member of the advisory board of the Junior B Strathroy RocketsStrathroy Rockets
The Strathroy Rockets are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Strathroy, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:...
of the Western Ontario Junior Hockey League. He has a Strathroy and District Hockey Association award named after him.
In 2008, Stapleton brought the puck that Paul Henderson fired into the net to win the 1972 Summit Series with the Russians to a Sarnia Legionnaires game. He dropped it at a ceremonial faceoff being held to honor Legionnaire founder Tommy Norris. He told the Sarnia Observer that he had the puck on his stick when the buzzer sounded to end the series. He was about to shoot it down the ice when he suddenly paused and picked it up. In May 2010, Stapleton told the Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
that he will hang onto the puck until the 40th Anniversary of the Summit Series in 2012.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1958–59 | St. Catharines Teepees St. Catharines Teepees The St. Catharines Teepees were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1947 to 1962. The team was based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.-History:... |
OHA 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... |
49 | 10 | 26 | 36 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1959–60 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA | 47 | 12 | 35 | 47 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1959–60 1959–60 AHL season The 1959–60 AHL season was the 24th season of the American Hockey League. Seven teams played 72 games each in the schedule. The Quebec Aces become the first Canadian-based team in the league... |
Buffalo Bisons Buffalo Bisons (AHL) The Buffalo Bisons were an American Hockey League ice hockey franchise that played from 1940 to 1970 in Buffalo, New York. They replaced the original Buffalo Bisons hockey team, which left the area in 1936 after its arena collapsed... |
AHL 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... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1960–61 | Sault Ste. Marie Thunderbirds | EIHL | 59 | 5 | 43 | 48 | 22 | 12 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 2 | ||
| 1961–62 | 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... |
NHL 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... |
69 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1962–63 | Kingston Frontenacs Kingston Frontenacs The Kingston Frontenacs are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The team is coached by Todd Gill and Doug Gilmour is the General Manager. The Frontenacs play home games at the K-Rock Centre, which opened in 2008.Team history predates the OHA,... |
EPHL | 49 | 10 | 26 | 36 | 92 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 12 | ||
| 1962–63 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 21 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1963–64 | Portland Buckaroos Portland Buckaroos The Portland Buckaroos was the name of several professional ice hockey teams based in Portland, Oregon.-PCHL/NWHL era :The first incarnation of Portland Buckaroos played their home games at the Portland Ice Arena. The Buckaroos initially played in the four-team Pacific Coast Hockey League from... |
WHL | 70 | 5 | 44 | 49 | 80 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 1964–65 | Portland Buckaroos | WHL | 70 | 29 | 57 | 86 | 61 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 16 | ||
| 1965–66 | St. Louis Braves St. Louis Braves The St. Louis Braves were a minor league hockey club located in St. Louis, Missouri. The team originated as the Syracuse Braves in the Eastern Professional Hockey League's final season of 1962–63. The team was moved to St. Louis mid-season, and continued in the new Central Hockey League after the... |
CPHL | 14 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1965–66 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 55 | 4 | 30 | 34 | 52 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 1966–67 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 3 | 31 | 34 | 54 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | ||
| 1967–68 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 67 | 4 | 34 | 38 | 34 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1968–69 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 75 | 6 | 50 | 56 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 49 | 4 | 38 | 42 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 76 | 7 | 44 | 51 | 30 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 4 | ||
| 1971–72 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 78 | 3 | 38 | 41 | 47 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1972–73 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 75 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 14 | 16 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 10 | ||
| 1973–74 | Chicago Cougars Chicago Cougars The Chicago Cougars were an original franchise in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1975. The Cougars played their home games in the dilapidated International Amphitheatre. During the 1974 Avco Cup Finals against Gordie Howe and the Houston Aeros, the team's two home games were played at... |
WHA 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... |
78 | 6 | 52 | 58 | 44 | 12 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 36 | ||
| 1974–75 | Chicago Cougars | WHA | 68 | 4 | 30 | 34 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Indianapolis Racers Indianapolis Racers The Indianapolis Racers were a franchise in the former World Hockey Association from 1974 to 1978. They competed in five seasons, folding 25 games into the 1978–79 season. They played at Market Square Arena... |
WHA | 80 | 5 | 40 | 45 | 48 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1976–77 | Indianapolis Racers | WHA | 81 | 8 | 45 | 53 | 29 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 1977–78 | Cincinnati Stingers Cincinnati Stingers The Cincinnati Stingers was an ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio, that played in the World Hockey Association from 1975 to 1979. Its home arena was Riverfront Coliseum and it was the only major-league hockey team ever to play in Cincinnati.-History:The Stingers franchise was awarded in... |
WHA | 65 | 4 | 45 | 49 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 635 | 43 | 294 | 337 | 353 | 65 | 10 | 39 | 49 | 38 | ||||