George Sullivan (ice hockey)
| George Sullivan | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
December 24, 1929 Peterborough, ON, CAN | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Boston Bruins Chicago Black Hawks New York Rangers | ||
| Playing career | 1949–1961 | ||
George James "Red" Sullivan (born December 24, 1929) was a professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League from 1949 to 1961.
Playing career
George "Red" Sullivan began his NHL career with the Boston Bruins (1949–1953). He also played for the Chicago Black Hawks (1954–1956) and the New York Rangers (1956–1961). Sullivan led the Chicago Blackhawks in scoring the two years he played for them. Sullivan was nearly killed when Doug Harvey of the Montreal Canadiens speared him in the stomach and ruptured his spleen. A Catholic priest was even called to deliver his last rites yet he survived and resumed his duties with the New York Rangers.[1] During 556 NHL games, he scored 107 goals and 239 assists for 346 points.
In 2009, Sullivan was ranked No. 66 on the all-time list of New York Rangers in the book 100 Ranger Greats (John Wiley & Sons).
Coaching career
Sullivan became coach of the Rangers during the 1962–63 season when fans began to demand that Muzz Patrick resign. He coached a rather bad team until December 1965 when Emile Francis decided that he would take over as coach.
Sullivan then coached the Pittsburgh Penguins in their first season. He was dismissed on March 31, 1969 after two consecutive seasons of the Penguins failing to qualify for the playoffs due to a pair of fifth-place finishes.[2]
During the 1974-1975 NHL season, Sullivan replaced Jim Anderson as head coach of the expansion Washington Capitals. Sullivan posted a 2-16 record as head coach and was replaced later that season by Milt Schmidt.[3]
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1947–48 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA-Jr. | 26 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 1948–49 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA-Jr. | 46 | 32 | 48 | 80 | 53 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 6 | ||
| 1949–50 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA-Jr. | 13 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1949–50 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1949–50 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 51 | 10 | 30 | 40 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1950–51 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 70 | 28 | 56 | 84 | 36 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1950–51 | Boston Bruins | NHL | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1951–52 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 67 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1952–53 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 32 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1952–53 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 36 | 10 | 40 | 50 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1953–54 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 69 | 30 | 89 | 119 | 54 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 4 | ||
| 1954–55 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 19 | 42 | 61 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1955–56 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 63 | 14 | 26 | 40 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1956–57 | New York Rangers | NHL | 42 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 36 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1957–58 | New York Rangers | NHL | 70 | 11 | 35 | 46 | 61 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1958–59 | New York Rangers | NHL | 70 | 21 | 42 | 63 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1959–60 | New York Rangers | NHL | 70 | 12 | 25 | 37 | 81 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1960–61 | New York Rangers | NHL | 70 | 9 | 31 | 40 | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1961–62 | Kitchener-Waterloo Beavers | EPHL | 61 | 16 | 46 | 62 | 81 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 1962–63 | Baltimore Clippers | AHL | 31 | 14 | 22 | 36 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 557 | 107 | 239 | 346 | 441 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||||
Coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
| New York Rangers | 1962–63 | 36 | 11 | 18 | 8 | (56) | 5th in NHL | Missed playoffs |
| New York Rangers | 1963–64 | 70 | 22 | 38 | 10 | 54 | 5th in NHL | Missed playoffs |
| New York Rangers | 1964–65 | 70 | 20 | 38 | 12 | 52 | 5th in NHL | Missed playoffs |
| New York Rangers | 1965–66 | 20 | 5 | 10 | 5 | (47) | 6th in NHL | (fired) |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 1967–68 | 74 | 27 | 34 | 13 | (67) | 5th in West | Missed playoffs |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 1968–69 | 76 | 20 | 45 | 11 | 51 | 5th in West | Missed playoffs |
| Washington Capitals | 1974–75 | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0 | (21) | 5th in Norris | (fired) |
| NHL Total | 364 | 107 | 199 | 59 | ||||
References
External links
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Harry Howell |
New York Rangers captain 1957–61 |
Succeeded by Andy Bathgate |
| Preceded by Muzz Patrick |
Head coach of the New York Rangers 1962–65 |
Succeeded by Emile Francis |
| Preceded by Position created |
Head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins 1967–69 |
Succeeded by Red Kelly |
| Preceded by Jim Anderson |
Head coach of the Washington Capitals 1975 |
Succeeded by Milt Schmidt |