John Davidson | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | February 27, 1953||
Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) | ||
Position | Goaltender | ||
Caught | Left | ||
Played for | St. Louis Blues New York Rangers | ||
NHL Draft | 5th overall, 1973 St. Louis Blues | ||
Playing career | 1973–1983 |
John Arthur Davidson (born February 27, 1953) is a Canadian-American professional ice hockey executive and former player, who serves as president of hockey operations, alternate governor, and interim general manager for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). As a goaltender, he played in the NHL for the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers, and helped the Rangers reach the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals.
Davidson was also a long-time hockey broadcaster, and was honored by the Hockey Hall of Fame with the 2009 Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for his contributions to broadcasting. [1]
Davidson grew up in western Canada and played junior hockey in Calgary, Alberta. He was drafted fifth overall in the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft, and became the first goalie in NHL history to jump directly from a major junior league to the NHL.
Davidson split duties with veteran Wayne Stephenson during his rookie year and posted slightly better numbers than the veteran, including a goals-against average of 3.08. Just before the start of his second season, the Blues dealt Stephenson to the Philadelphia Flyers and Davidson became the Blues' starting goaltender. His goals-against average rose to 3.66 that season. The following summer, the Blues traded Davidson and Bill Collins to the New York Rangers for Jerry Butler, Ted Irvine and Bert Wilson.
In New York, Davidson was to share goaltending duties with Ed Giacomin, who had tended goal for the Rangers for the ten previous seasons. However, early in Davidson's first season with the Rangers, the team placed Giacomin on waivers from which he was claimed by the Detroit Red Wings, making Davidson the starting goaltender for the team. He played 56 games for New York that year, the most in his career and a total he was unable to match due to a string of injuries in the years to come. He helped lead the Rangers to the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals despite an injured left knee. He wore jersey numbers 35, 00 and 30. [2] He was the first, and one of only two, NHL players to wear the number 00; after Martin Biron wore it briefly in 1995, the league banned the use of the number. [3]
Davidson was the inspiration for the song "Double Vision" by the rock group Foreigner, released in 1978. Some members of the band who were Rangers fans were watching a Stanley Cup playoff game between the Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres. Davidson was shaken up when the puck hit him on his mask. Later, announcers Jim Gordon and Bill Chadwick said Davidson was suffering from "double vision." [4] [5]
After retiring due to injury, he joined MSG Network's hockey coverage staff in 1983, and was the color commentator for Rangers games from 1986–87 to 2005–06, working with Sam Rosen. [6] [7] He was known by the nickname "J.D.", became one of the most prominent color commentators in the sport, and his hockey insight is so well respected that he currently sits on the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee. Long-time network TV partner Mike Emrick also sits on that committee, and the two shared the 2004 Lester Patrick Trophy for service to hockey in the U.S. [8]
In 1994, the Rangers won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 54 years, in the highest-rated game in MSG Network's history; Davidson announced, "No more 1940, it's gone!" [9] [10] On January 31, 2014 he was recognized before the Rangers-Islanders game for thirty years of service with the MSG Network, with a special called "This One Will Last a Lifetime: 30 Years of Sam Rosen", which was announced at intermission as a present to him by Davidson.
Davidson has also contributed to NHL coverage on such national television networks as CBC, Fox, ESPN/ABC, NBC/OLN, SportsChannel America, and Global. He served as the lead color commentator, alongside lead play-by-play announcer Mike Emrick, for the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, the NHL on Fox from 1994–1999, and again for the NHL on NBC and NHL on OLN from 2005–2006. [11] [12]
Davidson was known for his signature phrase "Oh, baby!" He was also featured in full motion videos shot for the EA Sports video game NHL 97 . He co-authored the book Hockey for Dummies (of the popular For Dummies series) with sportswriter John Steinbreder.
Davidson was named president of the St. Louis Blues on June 30, 2006. [13] He left the Blues after agreeing to a buyout of his contract on October 9, 2012. [14]
He was named president of the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 24, 2012, [15] and held this position until his resignation on May 17, 2019. [16]
On May 17, 2019, Davidson was named president of the New York Rangers. [17] [18] [19] On May 5, 2021, Davidson was fired as president and alternate governor (along with general manager Jeff Gorton) after the Rangers failed to make the playoffs. [20]
On May 20, 2021, the Blue Jackets announced that Davidson would return to Columbus as President of Hockey Operations and alternate governor. Davidson agreed to a five-year contract with the team. [21] [22] On February 15, 2024, Davidson was named interim general manager of the Blue Jackets, after the firing of Jarmo Kekalainen. [23]
Source: [25]
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
1969–70 | Lethbridge Sugar Kings | AJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1969–70 | Calgary Centennials | WCHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1970–71 | Lethbridge Sugar Kings | AJHL | 46 | — | — | — | 2,760 | 142 | 3 | 3.09 | — | 9 | — | — | — | 540 | 23 | 1 | 2.56 | — | ||
1970–71 | Calgary Centennials | WCHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 3.16 | — | ||
1971–72 | Calgary Centennials | WCHL | 66 | — | — | — | 3,970 | 157 | 8 | 2.37 | — | 13 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 780 | 39 | 0 | 3.00 | — | ||
1971–72 | Calgary Centennials | MC | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | — | 118 | 9 | 0 | 4.58 | — | ||
1972–73 | Calgary Centennials | WCHL | 63 | — | — | — | 3,735 | 201 | 2 | 3.30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1973–74 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 39 | 13 | 19 | 7 | 2,300 | 118 | 0 | 3.08 | .902 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1974–75 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 40 | 17 | 15 | 7 | 2,360 | 144 | 0 | 3.66 | .887 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | 60 | 4 | 0 | 4.00 | .846 | ||
1974–75 | Denver Spurs | CHL | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 420 | 27 | 0 | 3.86 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1975–76 | New York Rangers | NHL | 56 | 22 | 28 | 5 | 3,207 | 212 | 3 | 3.97 | .880 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1976–77 | New York Rangers | NHL | 39 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 2,116 | 125 | 1 | 3.54 | .896 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1976–77 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 2 | — | — | — | 119 | 5 | 0 | 2.52 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1977–78 | New York Rangers | NHL | 34 | 14 | 13 | 4 | 1,848 | 98 | 1 | 3.18 | .899 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 122 | 7 | 0 | 3.44 | .901 | ||
1978–79 | New York Rangers | NHL | 39 | 20 | 12 | 5 | 2,232 | 131 | 0 | 3.52 | .873 | 18 | 11 | 7 | — | 1,106 | 42 | 1 | 2.28 | .922 | ||
1979–80 | New York Rangers | NHL | 41 | 20 | 15 | 4 | 2,306 | 122 | 2 | 3.17 | .885 | 9 | 4 | 5 | — | 541 | 21 | 0 | 2.33 | .927 | ||
1979–80 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 238 | 16 | 0 | 4.02 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1980–81 | New York Rangers | NHL | 10 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 560 | 48 | 0 | 5.14 | .832 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1981–82 | New York Rangers | NHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 1 | 0 | 1.00 | .966 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 33 | 3 | 0 | 5.45 | .769 | ||
1981–82 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 8 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 437 | 24 | 0 | 3.30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1982–83 | New York Rangers | NHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 120 | 5 | 0 | 2.50 | .909 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
NHL totals | 301 | 123 | 124 | 39 | 17,109 | 1004 | 7 | 3.52 | .887 | 31 | 16 | 14 | — | 1,862 | 77 | 1 | 2.48 | .918 |
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Madison Square Garden, an arena they share with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). They are one of three NHL franchises located in the New York metropolitan area; the others being the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, and began play as an expansion team in 2000.
The 2003–04 NHL season was the 87th regular season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup champions were the Tampa Bay Lightning, who won the best of seven series four games to three against the Calgary Flames.
Emmanuel Legace is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender, who played most notably in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, and later the St. Louis Blues between 1998 and 2010. Legace also enjoyed spells with the Los Angeles Kings, Carolina Hurricanes, and Iserlohn Roosters of the DEL. He finished his playing career for the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League, for whom he is the career leader in goaltending wins. Legace is the former goaltending coach for the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets.
John Tortorella is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player. He serves as the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Tortorella was previously the head coach of the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vancouver Canucks. He led Tampa Bay to the 2004 Stanley Cup championship.
Michael Thomas Richter is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played his entire National Hockey League career, from 1989 to 2002, with the New York Rangers organization, and led the team to the Stanley Cup in 1994. He also represented the United States in international play on several occasions. Richter was named to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, alongside his former Rangers and U.S. teammate Brian Leetch, in 2008.
Kenneth Gary Albert is an American sportscaster, the son of NBA sportscaster Marv Albert and nephew of sportscasters Al Albert and Steve Albert. He is the only sportscaster who currently does play-by-play for all four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada.
The 2005–06 NHL season was the 89th season of operation of the National Hockey League (NHL). This season succeeded the 2004–05 season which had all of its scheduled games canceled due to a labor dispute with the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) over the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the League and its players. The season featured the first time that all 30 of its member teams played games on the same day, which happened the first day of the season, October 5, 2005.
Michael Edward Keenan is a Canadian professional hockey coach currently serving as head coach of the Italian men's national ice hockey team. Previously, he served as head coach and/or general manager with several NHL teams between 1984 and 2009. He currently ranks fifth in playoff wins with 96. He is noted for his early career success in coaching Team Canada to win the 1987 Canada Cup round-robin tournament in a thrilling best-of-three series finale against Viktor Tikhonov's Red Army team. He is one of three coaches to coach in a playoff Game 7 ten times, for which he won five times.
Henrik Lundqvist is a Swedish former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played his entire 15-season career with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Before winning the Vezina Trophy in 2012, he was nominated in each of his first three seasons, and is the only goaltender in NHL history to record eleven 30-win seasons in his first twelve seasons. He holds the record for most wins by a European-born goaltender in the NHL. His dominating play during his rookie season resulted in the New York media and Rangers fans giving him the nickname "King Henrik". During the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, he led the Swedish men's team to their second Olympic gold medal.
Edward "Ed" Giacomin is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League between 1965 and 1978.
Sam Rosen is an American sportscaster and Hockey Hall of Famer, best known as the primary play-by-play announcer for the National Hockey League's New York Rangers games on MSG. On June 8, 2008, Rosen was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. On November 14, 2016, Rosen was enshrined as the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winner for outstanding contributions as a broadcaster by the Hockey Hall of Fame. Rosen is currently the longest-tenured active broadcaster in the NHL.
The NHL on Fox is the branding used for broadcasts of National Hockey League (NHL) games that were produced by Fox Sports and televised on the Fox network from the 1994–1995 NHL season until the 1998–1999 NHL season. NHL games continued to air on the Fox Sports Networks in the form of regional game telecasts until the 2021 rebrand to Bally Sports.
Joseph Robert Micheletti is an American ice hockey analyst and reporter, and a former defenseman who played in 142 World Hockey Association (WHA) games with the Calgary Cowboys and Edmonton Oilers between 1977 and 1979, and 158 National Hockey League (NHL) games with the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Rockies between 1979 and 1982. He is the brother of former NHL player Pat Micheletti.
Joseph Hector Gilles Villemure is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played for the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks in the 1960s and 1970s. Villemure was born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec.
The history of the New York Rangers hockey team began in 1926 when the National Hockey League (NHL) granted a franchise to Tex Rickard, the founder of the team. The New York Rangers experienced early success, winning the Stanley Cup in only their second season of existence, and would go on to win two more in the next 12 years.
Robert Wayne Thomas is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, and New York Rangers between 1972 and 1981. He also held several positions in coaching and management in the NHL and the minor leagues, including 22 years in management with the San Jose Sharks.
The 1993–94 New York Rangers season was the franchise's 68th season. The highlight of the season was winning the Stanley Cup and hosting the NHL All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers clinched their second Presidents' Trophy and sixth division title by finishing with the best record in the NHL at 52–24–8, setting a then-franchise record with 112 points.
Jonathan Douglas Quick is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Quick was selected in the third round, 72nd overall, by the Los Angeles Kings at the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
The 2012–13 Columbus Blue Jackets season was the 13th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on June 25, 1997. The regular season was reduced from its usual 82 games to 48 due to a lockout.