John Anderson (ice hockey)

John Anderson
Born	(1957-03-28) March 28, 1957 (age 66) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Toronto Maple Leafs Quebec Nordiques Hartford Whalers
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	11th overall, 1977 Toronto Maple Leafs
WHA Draft	14th overall, 1977 Quebec Nordiques
Playing career	1977–1994

John Murray Anderson (born March 28, 1957) is a Canadian former ice hockey right winger. He was the head coach of the Chicago Wolves of the International Hockey League (IHL) and American Hockey League (AHL) from 1997 to 2008 ,again from 2013 to 2016. Anderson also serves as interim head coach for the Wolves in 2023. In the National Hockey League (NHL), he is a former head coach of the Atlanta Thrashers and assistant coach of the Phoenix Coyotes and Minnesota Wild. He played 12 seasons in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Quebec Nordiques, and Hartford Whalers.

Playing career

As a youth, Anderson played in the 1969 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Wexford, Toronto. ^[1] Anderson was the captain of his junior team, the Toronto Marlboros.

Anderson was drafted in the first round, 11th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1977 NHL Entry Draft. He played 814 career NHL games, scoring 282 goals and 349 assists for 631 points from 1977–78 until 1988–89. Anderson was beginning to establish himself during his third season in Toronto when the club made a four-player trade with the Vancouver Canucks that brought winger Rick Vaive and centre Bill Derlago to Toronto. Anderson was paired with the two new acquisitions to form a high scoring line for the Maple Leafs. His best statistical season was the 1982–83 season, when he set career highs with 49 assists and 80 points. Following the 1984–85 season, the fourth year in a row that Anderson had scored 30-or-more goals for the Maple Leafs, he was traded to the Quebec Nordiques for defensemen Brad Maxwell.

Anderson continued to be a valued goal scorer with Quebec and had scored 21 goals when he was traded to the Hartford Whalers. Anderson then ended the 1985–86 season in Hartford with 25 points in 14 games following the trade, finishing the season with 29 goals and 74 points before scoring another 13 points in ten playoff games. The following year, his first full year with Hartford, Whalers sniper Sylvain Turgeon battled injuries and Anderson filled in as the top left wing on the team. He hit the 30-goal plateau for the fifth and final time of his career finishing with 31 goals and 75 points, good for the third highest point total on the team. Anderson scored the winning goal against the New York Rangers on April 4, 1987, to give the Hartford Whalers their only division championship. He played two more years in Hartford before playing the last five seasons of his career in the minor leagues, primarily the International Hockey League, where he was a solid goal scorer.

Post-playing career

Chicago Wolves banner honoring Anderson's coaching history with the franchise

Anderson coached the 1995–96 Winston-Salem Mammoths to the Southern Hockey League finals during the league's only season where they lost to the Huntsville Channel Cats. ^[2] In 1996–97, Anderson coached the Quad City Mallards to their first Colonial Hockey League championship in the franchise's second season. ^[3]

In 1997, Anderson was hired as the head coach of the Chicago Wolves in the International Hockey League (IHL) and later in the American Hockey League (AHL). He became the Wolves' all-time coaching leader in wins with 371 and for postseason victories with 80. Anderson led the Wolves in winning the Turner Cup and Calder Cup four times in his initial eleven seasons at the team's helm. His team was crowned league champions in 1998, 2000 in the IHL and 2002 and 2008 in the AHL. ^[4] Anderson coached the American gold medal-winning team in the 2007 Jewish World Cup hockey tournament in Israel. ^[5]

On June 20, 2008, Anderson was named as the fourth head coach of the Atlanta Thrashers. ^[6] On October 10, 2008, Anderson won his first game as an NHL coach 7–4 against his good friend Bruce Boudreau's Washington Capitals. On April 14, 2010, Anderson was released as head coach of the Thrashers after two seasons. ^[7]

On July 12, 2011, Anderson became an assistant coach for the Phoenix Coyotes. ^[8] On July 10, 2013, Anderson was rehired as the head coach of the Chicago Wolves. After leaving the Wolves in 2016, ^[4] he joined the Minnesota Wild as an assistant head coach until 2018. ^[9] In February 2022, he agreed to join the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL as an assistant coach for the remainder of the 2021–22 season. ^[10]

For his achievements with coaching the Wolves, he was named to the AHL Hall of Fame in 2019. ^[11]

Anderson also helped establish John Anderson's, a diner best known for its "Banquet Burger", as well as its $4 breakfast special. The original restaurant is located at Victoria Park Ave. and Van Horne Ave. in Toronto, Ontario. ^[12]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1972–73	Markham Waxers	MetJHL		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Markham Waxers	OPJHL		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Toronto Marlboros	OHA		38	22	22	44	6		—	—	—	—	—
1974–75	Toronto Marlboros	OMJHL		70	49	64	113	31		22	16	14	30	14
1974–75	Toronto Marlboros	M-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		4	4	6	10	2
1975–76	Toronto Marlboros	OMJHL		39	26	25	51	19		10	7	4	11	7
1976–77	Toronto Marlboros	OMJHL		64	57	62	119	42		6	3	5	8	0
1977–78	Dallas Black Hawks	CHL		52	22	23	45	6		13	11	8	19	2
1977–78	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		17	1	2	3	2		2	0	0	0	0
1978–79	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		71	15	11	26	10		6	0	2	2	0
1979–80	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		74	25	28	53	22		3	1	1	2	0
1980–81	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		75	17	26	43	31		2	0	0	0	0
1981–82	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		69	31	26	57	30		—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		80	31	49	80	24		4	2	4	6	0
1983–84	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		73	37	31	68	22		—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		75	32	31	63	27		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		65	21	28	49	26		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Hartford Whalers	NHL		14	8	17	25	2		10	5	8	13	0
1986–87	Hartford Whalers	NHL		76	31	44	75	19		6	1	2	3	0
1987–88	Hartford Whalers	NHL		63	17	32	49	20		—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	Hartford Whalers	NHL		62	16	24	40	28		4	0	1	1	2
1989–90	Binghamton Whalers	AHL		3	1	1	2	0		—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	HC Milano Saima	ITA		9	7	9	16	18		—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	EHC Chur	CHE-2		3	2	0	2	0		—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Fort Wayne Komets	IHL		63	40	43	83	24		1	3	0	3	0
1991–92	New Haven Nighthawks	AHL		68	41	54	95	24		4	0	4	4	0
1992–93	San Diego Gulls	IHL		65	34	46	80	18		11	5	6	11	4
1993–94	San Diego Gulls	IHL		72	24	24	48	32		4	1	1	2	8
NHL totals				814	282	349	631	263		37	9	18	27	2

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1977	Canada	WJC		7	10	5	15	6
1983	Canada	WC		6	2	2	4	6
1985	Canada	WC		9	5	2	7	18
Senior totals				15	7	4	11	24

NHL coaching statistics

Team	Year	Regular season						Post season
		G	W	L	OTL	Pts	Division rank	Result
ATL	2008–09	82	35	41	6	76	4th in Southeast	Missed playoffs
ATL	2009–10	82	35	34	13	83	2nd in Southeast	Missed playoffs
Total		164	70	75	19

References

1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
2. "John Anderson". hockeydb.com. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
3. Wendland, Jeff (January 11, 2017). "Making a difference: Cornfield built the Mallards into a winner on and off the ice". The Dispatch/The Rock Island Argus. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
4. Kuc, Chris (June 2, 2016). "AHL's Chicago Wolves part ways with coach John Anderson". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
5. Lungen, Paul (November 13, 2008). "Bench Bosses Named for World Jewish Tournament". The Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved August 11, 2018. The Americans, who promise to be strong again in 2009, were led by former NHLer John Anderson to their gold-medal win in 2007
6. "Atlanta Thrashers Hire John Anderson as New Head Coach". The Hockey News. The Canadian Press. June 20, 2008. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
7. "Thrashers fire John Anderson". The Globe and Mail. April 14, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
8. "Coyotes add Anderson as assistant coach". Sportsnet. July 12, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
9. "Wild Hire John Anderson To Fill Out Boudreau's Staff". minnesota.cbslocal.com. June 8, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
10. "AHL Hall of Famer John Anderson Joins Condors as Assistant Coach". OurSports Central. February 16, 2022.
11. "AHL Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2019". AHL. October 4, 2018.
12. Duhatschek, Eric (May 31, 2005). "Anderson's name lives on, with a little sizzle". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 11, 2018.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Eurohockey.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database

Preceded by Don Waddell	Head coaches of the Atlanta Thrashers 2008–10	Succeeded by Craig Ramsay
Preceded by Alpo Suhonen	Head coaches of the Chicago Wolves 1997–2008	Succeeded by Don Granato
Preceded by Don Ashby	Toronto Maple Leafs first round draft pick 1977	Succeeded by Trevor Johansen