Last Updated on July 14, 2007 10:12 pm by admin
TORONTO (AP) -Former NHL player and general manager John Ferguson Sr., died Saturday after a lengthy fight with prostate cancer. He was 68.
Ferguson was one of the toughest players to lace up skates in the NHL and remained a big part of the sport as a GM, coach and scout at the highest level.
Ferguson, the father of current Maple Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr., went from being a tough guy on the ice to a powerful man in the executive chair. He played eight NHL seasons from 1963-71, all with the Montreal Canadiens, and was a Stanley Cup champion five times.
Ferguson was diagnosed with prostate cancer in September 2005, and thought he had beaten the disease, but a recurrence took his life.
“My father battled cancer with the same spirit in which he played the game of hockey,” Ferguson Jr., said in a release. “He showed courage, strength, class and tremendous character. He had deep appreciation for the support he’d received from so many people beginning with his initial diagnosis.
“My father’s spirit will continue to live on in all of us whose lives he touched.”
Ferguson was GM and coach of the New York Rangers for two tumultuous years until 1978 and GM of the Winnipeg Jets, both in the WHA and NHL, from 1979-88 – briefly serving as coach. He was the manager of Windsor Raceway between hockey jobs before becoming director of player personnel for the Ottawa Senators from 1992-95. Ferguson was a senior scout for the San Jose Sharks from 1995 until his death.
“John Ferguson was one of the most beloved figures to ever represent the Sharks, as well as the entire National Hockey League,” Sharks GM Doug Wilson said in a statement. “His sense of class, grace and love of the game of hockey is legendary among those who were fortunate enough to know and work with him.”
And there was not a more determined player.
Ferguson, also a standout on the lacrosse field, would crash creases and drop the gloves when necessary. Along with his 145 goals – an average of 18 a season – and 158 assists, he amassed 1,214 penalty minutes in 500 regular-season games.
He was more than just a bodyguard for Montreal’s stars, but because of his reputation as a tough-as-nails combatant – he got into his first fight 12 seconds into his first NHL game – it is often forgotten that in his first season he led NHL rookies in scoring and was runner-up for rookie of the year honors.
Ferguson scored two goals after fighting Ted Green in his first game and was regarded as hockey’s unofficial heavyweight champion until he retired. He played much of his rookie season on a line with Jean Beliveau, who won the Hart Trophy as league MVP that year.
Ferguson scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal in 1969, capping a season in which he had 29 goals a plus-30 rating.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound left winger was a force in the playoffs, too. In 85 postseason games, No. 22 scored 20 goals and assisted on 18 others. Ferguson, a two-time All-Star, once was dared to fight Canadian heavyweight boxing champion George Chuvalo. He was willing to enter the ring but the Canadiens wouldn’t allow it.
Ferguson was an assistant coach on Canada’s team in the 1972 Summit Series. Standing behind the bench watching Valeri Kharlamov fly around the ice, Ferguson frowned and said, “He’s killing us.” Bobby Clarke then went out and slashed Kharlamov across an ankle, thus limiting the Russian’s effectiveness.
In addition to his son, Ferguson is survived by wife, Joan.