Errol Thompson (ice hockey)

Last updated
Errol Thompson
Born (1950-05-28) May 28, 1950 (age 73)
Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Toronto Maple Leafs
Detroit Red Wings
Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL Draft 22nd overall, 1970
Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career 19701981

Loran Errol Thompson (born May 28, 1950) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played most of his NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was selected 2nd (22nd overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1970 Amateur Draft. Thompson is also a former captain of the Detroit Red Wings. [1]

Contents

Junior and senior leagues

Thompson started turning heads at a young age while playing for the Halifax Jr. Canadians of the NSJHL. In the 1967–68 season, he scored 81 points in only 45 games, cementing him as a legitimate scoring winger. However, in 1969 Thompson was still an undiscovered talent playing in P.E.I.'s Southern New Brunswick Senior Hockey League senior league with the Charlottetown Royals for $15 a game when he was spotted by legendary Leaf goalie-turned-scout Johnny Bower. [1] He was drafted 22nd overall in the 1970 Amateur NHL Draft and made his NHL debut in 1970, playing in only one game. He played the rest of that year and the next on Toronto's minor league club, the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League.

NHL career

In 1972, Thompson was called up to play full-time for Toronto and with his blazing speed and scoring touch quickly established himself as a reliable offensive NHL talent. On a Leaf team that lost more games than it won, he scored 32 points in his first NHL season. Thompson began improving with each year and in the 1974–75 season scored 25 goals. Next season, on a line with Darryl Sittler and Lanny McDonald, he scored 43 goals, becoming the second player in Leaf history, after Frank Mahovlich, to score 40 goals in a season. The Thompson-Sittler-McDonald line became well known throughout North America after Sittler set an NHL record with ten points in one game on February 7, 1976.

After breaking his arm in the 1976–77 season, Thompson missed one half of the season but still managed 21 goals. The offensively talented winger began to see less ice time under defense-oriented coach Roger Neilson and was eventually traded with various draft picks to the Detroit Red Wings for Dan Maloney and a future second round draft pick, on March 13, 1978. With Detroit, Thompson continued to produce, scoring 23 goals his first full season and 34 goals the following season. In 1980, he was named co-captain of the Wings, splitting time with Reed Larson. After scoring 26 points in the 1980–81 season he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Gary McAdam on January 8 and played his final 34 games in Pittsburgh.


Career statistics

   Regular season   Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1966–67 Halifax Jr. Canadians Exhib.4728326029
1966–67 Halifax Jr. Canadians M-Cup 17159249
1967–68Halifax Jr. CanadiansExhib.4541408155
1967–68 Halifax Jr. CanadiansM-Cup11671312
1968–69Halifax Jr. Canadians MaJHL 3011182925
1969–70 Charlottetown Royals NBSHL2013233631340
1970–71 Tulsa Oilers CHL 6515142937
1970–71 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 10000
1971–72 Tulsa OilersCHL46212142301346108
1972–73 Toronto Maple LeafsNHL681319328
1973–74 Toronto Maple LeafsNHL567815620110
1974–75 Toronto Maple LeafsNHL652517421260009
1975–76 Toronto Maple LeafsNHL7543378026103360
1976–77 Toronto Maple LeafsNHL41211637892020
1977–78 Toronto Maple LeafsNHL5917223910
1977–78 Detroit Red Wings NHL14516272132
1978–79 Detroit Red WingsNHL7023315426
1979–80 Detroit Red WingsNHL7734144822
1980–81 Detroit Red WingsNHL3914122652
1980–81 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL34681412
NHL totals59920818539318434751211

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Marleau</span> Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1979)

Patrick Denis Marleau is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. With 1,779 NHL games played, he is the all-time leader in games played in league history. He passed the record previously held by Gordie Howe in his 1,768th game on April 19, 2021. Marleau scored 1,197 points during his entire NHL career. The San Jose Sharks drafted Marleau second overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, and Marleau spent the vast majority of his NHL career with the franchise, becoming its all-time leader in goals, even strength goals, power play goals, points, shots, and games played. Marleau is also the fourth player in National Hockey League history to record 900 consecutive games played, reaching the mark one game after breaking the overall games played record. He was the third-last active player who played in the NHL in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darryl Sittler</span> Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1950)

Darryl Glen Sittler is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1970 until 1985 for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Detroit Red Wings. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989, the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Canadian Walk of Fame in 2016. In 2017 Sittler was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.

The 1947–48 NHL season was the 31st season of the National Hockey League. Six teams each played 60 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs were the Stanley Cup winners. They defeated the Detroit Red Wings four games to none. This season saw the introduction of a new trophy – Art Ross Trophy – that would be handed out to the player who scored the most points during the regular season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Murphy (ice hockey)</span> Canadian ice hockey defenceman (b. 1961)

Lawrence Thomas Murphy is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played over 20 years in the National Hockey League, suiting up for the Los Angeles Kings, Washington Capitals, Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Detroit Red Wings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1991–92 NHL season</span> National Hockey League season

The 1991–92 NHL season was the 75th regular season of the National Hockey League. The league expanded to 22 teams with the addition of the expansion San Jose Sharks. For the first time, the Stanley Cup Finals extended into June, with the Pittsburgh Penguins repeating as Stanley Cup champions, winning the best of seven series four games to none against the Chicago Blackhawks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Carlyle</span> Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Randolph Robert Carlyle is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is the former head coach of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Toronto Maple Leafs and the Anaheim Ducks. He won the Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Ducks during his first stint with the team. As a player, Carlyle dressed for over 1,000 games between the Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets, winning the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenceman in the 1980–81 season and serving as a captain of both the Penguins and Jets.

The 1984–85 NHL season was the 68th season of the National Hockey League. The Edmonton Oilers won their second straight Stanley Cup by beating the Philadelphia Flyers four games to one in the final series.

The 1965–66 NHL season was the 49th season of the National Hockey League. Six teams each played 70 games. The Montreal Canadiens won their second consecutive Stanley Cup as they defeated the Detroit Red Wings four games to two in the final series.

The 1929–30 NHL season was the 13th season of the National Hockey League. Ten teams played 44 games each. The Montreal Canadiens upset the heavily favoured Boston Bruins two games to none in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The 1971–72 NHL season was the 55th season of the National Hockey League. Fourteen teams each played 78 games. The Boston Bruins beat the New York Rangers four games to two for their second Stanley Cup in three seasons in the finals.

The 1970–71 NHL season was the 54th season of the National Hockey League. Two new teams, the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks made their debuts and were both put into the East Division. The Chicago Black Hawks were moved to the West Division. The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup by beating the Black Hawks in seven games in the finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Kessel</span> American ice hockey player (born 1987)

Philip Joseph Kessel Jr. is an American professional ice hockey winger who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He has previously played for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Arizona Coyotes, and the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Kessel is a three-time Stanley Cup champion, winning back-to-back championships with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017 and with the Golden Knights in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Bailey (ice hockey)</span> Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1931)

Robert Allan "Bashin' Bob" Bailey was a Canadian ice hockey right winger. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League between 1953 and 1958. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1947 to 1968, was spent in various minor leagues. During his career he was involved in trades for over twenty players, including three separate trades for Bill Dineen. He was inducted into the Dayton Hockey Hall of Fame in 1970 for his time with the Dayton Gems of the International Hockey League, where he played the last four seasons of his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikolay Kulemin</span> Russian ice hockey player

Nikolay Vladimirovich Kulemin is a Russian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Kulemin previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders, the former of which drafted him in the second round, 44th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Weir</span> Canadian ice hockey player

Stanley Brian Weir is a Canadian former ice hockey centre. He played on five different teams for the National Hockey League, and one season in the World Hockey Association, over an 11-year career that lasted from 1972 to 1983. Weir was drafted 2nd by the California Golden Seals in the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft, and made his debut with the team in 1972, playing three seasons there. Traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs Weir spent three seasons there before signing with the Edmonton Oilers of the WHA in 1978, playing one season there and returning to the NHL with the Oilers, where he played a further three seasons. He finished his NHL career with brief stints with the Colorado Rockies and Detroit Red Wings, and spent two seasons in the minor leagues before retiring as a professional in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray Hall (ice hockey)</span> Ice hockey player

Murray Winston Hall is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association during the 1960s and 1970s.

Henry Stanley "Hank" Nowak is a |Canadian retired professional ice hockey player. He played 180 games in the National Hockey League with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, and Boston Bruins between 1973 and 1977. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1970 to 1980, was spent in the minor leagues.

The 1975–76 Toronto Maple Leafs season saw the Maple Leafs finish in third place in the Adams Division with a record of 34 wins, 31 losses, and 15 ties for 83 points. They defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins two games to one in the preliminary round before losing the Quarter-Finals in seven games to the Philadelphia Flyers.

The 1963–64 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' 38th season in the NHL, and the club was coming off a second-place finish in 1962–63, as Chicago won a team record 32 games and also set a club record with 81 points. The Hawks would then be defeated by the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL-semi finals, making it the first time since 1960 that Chicago did not play in the Stanley Cup finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bert Olmstead</span> Canadian ice hockey player

Murray Albert Olmstead was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Black Hawks and Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League (NHL). Olmstead began his career with the Black Hawks in 1949. In December 1950, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens via Detroit. Olmstead had his best statistical years playing for Montreal, leading the league in assists in 1954–55 with 48, and setting a league record for assists with 56 the following season. During this time he frequently played on Montreal's top line with Jean Beliveau and Bernie Geoffrion. Olmstead was claimed in the 1958 NHL Intra-League Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and played there until his retirement in 1962.

References

  1. 1 2 "Personalities". The Prince Edward Island Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved Dec 6, 2009.
Preceded by Detroit Red Wings captain
1980–81
with Reed Larson
Succeeded by