Stan Jonathan

Last updated
Stan Jonathan
Stan Jonathan.jpg
Jonathan in 1980
Born (1955-09-05) September 5, 1955 (age 69)
Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Boston Bruins
Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL draft 86th overall, 1975
Boston Bruins
WHA draft 103rd overall, 198@
Indianapolis Racers
Playing career 19751983

Stanley Carl "Bulldog" Jonathan (born September 5, 1955) is a Canadian former ice hockey left winger, most notably for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League, for whom he played for parts of eight seasons, and featured in two Stanley Cup Finals (1977, 1978).

Contents

Playing career

Stan Jonathan was drafted in the fifth round (86th overall) of the 1975 NHL entry draft by the Bruins. Ignored by most other scouts and by Bruins general manager Harry Sinden, Jonathan was picked up thanks to the shrewdness of Don Cherry, who had seen him play with the Peterborough Petes earlier that season, Jonathan's third season in Peterborough. [1] Cherry stated later that the proudest discovery of his hockey career was Stan Jonathan. [1]

While Jonathan played with Peterborough, they represented Canada well as they placed third at the first unofficial world junior championship in 1973–1974. [2]

Jonathan started his NHL career with one game in the 1975–76 NHL season, before being called up permanently for the 1976–77 season. He typified Bruins hockey, displaying both outstanding offensive ability and toughness.[ citation needed ] Jonathan was adept at knocking in rebounds, and Cherry, his coach at the time, stated that he had the most accurate shot in the league. [3] As a rookie, he led all NHL players in shooting percentage, putting goals in at a clip of 23.9%. [1] That year, 1977–78, was his most productive season as he scored 27 goals with 25 assists. He also had 116 penalty minutes that year. [2] his second season, he was again among the top-ten players in shooting percentage, at 22.3%. [1] That year he won the Bruins' "7th Player Award" voted on by the fans for the player who exceeded expectations.

Besides his scoring touch, Jonathan was also a capable enforcer, having fought Keith Magnuson, Dave "The Hammer" Schultz, and Andre "Moose" Dupont. Arguably Jonathan's most famous moment [4] was his savage beating of Pierre Bouchard in a brawl during Game 4 of the 1978 Stanley Cup Finals. Challenged by Bouchard, who outweighed Jonathan by thirty pounds and stood six inches taller, Jonathan held his own, breaking Bouchard's nose and cheekbone and knocking him to the ice. [1]

His 1978–79 season was shortened by an injury, but Jonathan played in all 11 playoff games of 1979. Jonathan scored a hat-trick in Game #6 of Boston's semifinal series versus Montreal, contributing to a 5–2 win in game 6 of the semi-finals against the Montreal Canadiens, which forced a game 7. [5] He returned the following year and scored 21 goals and 19 assists. He also added 208 penalty minutes. [2]

The Bruins traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 8, 1982, in exchange for cash. Jonathan played 19 games for Pittsburgh and retired after the 1983 season. He finished his NHL career with 91 goals and 110 assists in 411 games. [2]

He is a full-blooded Tuscarora, [6] born in Ohsweken, Ontario, a Six Nations reserve near Brantford, Ontario, Canada.

Stan Jonathan was charged with criminal negligence in a hunting accident on the Six Nations reserve that killed Peter Kosid of Hamilton, Ontario, on Sunday, November 11, 2012. [7] The criminal charges against Jonathan in the hunting death of Peter Kosid have been withdrawn. [8]

In 2023 he would be named one of the top 100 Bruins players of all time. [9]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1972–73 Peterborough Petes OHA-Jr. 63143549107
1973–74 Peterborough PetesOHA-Jr.701933521271145914
1974–75 Peterborough PetesOMJHL703639751381145914
1975–76 Rochester Americans AHL 61120
1975–76 Boston Bruins NHL 10000
1975–76 Dayton Gems IHL 69264773192151382154
1976–77 Rochester AmericansAHL30007
1976–77 Boston BruinsNHL69171330691442624
1977–78 Boston BruinsNHL682725521161501136
1978–79 Boston BruinsNHL336915961141512
1979–80 Boston BruinsNHL79211940208900029
1980–81 Boston BruinsNHL74142438192300030
1981–82 Boston BruinsNHL676172357110006
1982–83 Boston BruinsNHL10000
1982–83 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL1903313
1982–83 Baltimore Skipjacks AHL4813233686
1985–86 Brantford Motts Clamatos OHA-Sr.
1986–87Brantford Motts ClamatosOHA-Sr.10002
NHL totals41191110201751638412137

International

YearTeamEventGPGAPtsPIM
1974 Canada WJC 50008
Junior totals50008

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Stan Jonathan". GreatestHockeyLegends.com. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Stan Jonathan". www.legendsofhockey.net. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  3. davey boy phelan (December 9, 2012). "They Call me Chief Ch 03 of 09". Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved January 2, 2017 via YouTube.
  4. Boston Herald (2014-02-19), Boston Herald Talk of the Town : Former Boston Bruin Stan Jonathan, archived from the original on 2021-12-13, retrieved 2017-03-25
  5. Network, Canadian Heritage Information. "Stan Jonathan". www.virtualmuseum.ca. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  6. King, C. Richard (2015-03-10). Native Americans in Sports. Routledge. ISBN   9781317464037.
  7. "Former NHL player Stan Jonathan charged in fatal hunting accident on Six Nations reserve - Toronto Star". TheStar.com. November 14, 2012. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  8. Peeling, Mike (April 3, 2015). "Ex-NHL player's charges dropped in 'tragic' hunting death". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  9. Bruins Announce “Historic 100” Ahead of All-Centennial Team Reveal https://www.nhl.com/bruins/news/bruins-announce-historic-100-ahead-of-all-centennial-team-reveal