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| Hockey Hall of Fame, Petition Launched by Hockey Nova Scotia www.paristotoronto.com | |||
| Born | August 1, 1946 Windsor, NS, Canada | ||
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| Height | 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) | ||
John Paris Jr. (born August 1, 1946) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, coach, and scout. The Windsor, NS native who stands at just 5-foot-5 played hockey on championship teams at many levels. John is a member of the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. [1]
Paris’ playing career ended in 1970 after playing in the MMJHL, [2] the QJAHL, the AHL, the WHL, the EHL, and even a few NHL exhibition games.
In 1962-64, John played hockey for the Windsor Royals Midgets junior hockey club and, due to the nature of his performance with the club, he received invitation letters to attend the camps of several NHL teams. In May 1963, the Paris family received a visit at home from Montreal Canadiens scout Scotty Bowman, who had taken a 17-hour long train ride to meet Paris. As a result of the visit, Paris tried out for the Junior Canadiens and began training at the Montreal Forum facility with the likes of future NHL players Jacques Lemaire, Carol Vadnais, Serge Savard, Andre Lacroix , and Christian Bordeleau, along with NHL players such as Henri Richard, Jean Beliveau, [3] and several other notable NHL players.
At 17 years old, suffering from an unknown health condition and weighing only 135 pounds, Paris didn’t make the team. Instead, he played the following season in the Montreal Metropolitan Junior Hockey League with the Maisonneuve Braves. In the 1966 season, he played with the Junior A Quebec Aces, together with Guy Lafleur and Gilles Gilbert. [4] His skating and scoring prowess with the Aces earned him the nickname “Chocolate Rocket.” John quickly rose through the organization and later entered the minor professional leagues in the 1967-68 season when he joined the Knoxville Knights in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL). Due to numerous health issues, John's playing career ended with only nine games played for the Knights. [5]
While his playing career was ultimately cut short by his battles with Hodgkin's lymphoma and ulcerative colitis, Paris later began a successful coaching career.
During the 1970-71 season, Paris began coaching minor hockey in Sorel, in Midget, and in junior hockey with the Black Hawks (renamed Les Éperviers).
In the 1986-1987 season, Paris led his team, the Riverains du Richelieu, to win the Air Canada Cup, the national midget 'AAA' hockey championship, and was named coach of the year. [6] He was the first Black coach in Midget AAA Major.
In 1987, he became the first Black scout in the NHL, for the St. Louis Blues of the NHL, and became the first Black Coach and first Black General Manager in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), initially with the Trois-Rivières Draveurs, followed by the Granby Bisons.
In the 1993-94 season, Paris was hired by the Atlanta Knights of the International Hockey League (IHL), the farm team of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning. His move to Atlanta made him the first Black coach in professional hockey, and he found success as he led the Knights to win the Turner Cup, the IHL’s championship title. [7]
In 1996, Paris was named Head Coach and General Manager of the new Macon Whoopees, a new team from the Central Hockey League (CHL). He became the first General Manager in professional hockey.
From 2000 to 2003, Paris was the Director of the hockey program at IMG Academy and the Assistant Director of the United States Junior Development Program (USJDP), where he coached for 19 years.
Now living in Fort Worth, Texas with his wife and daughter, John remains actively involved in hockey as a consultant for professional players.
In February 2023, Hockey Nova Scotia launched a petition to have Paris considered by the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee as an inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder. Presented on the Web and in Social Media under the slogan “Paris to Toronto”, the initiative garnered support and attention from the media and the general population. [8]
