Orval Tessier
| Orval Tessier | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
June 30, 1933 Cornwall, ON, CAN | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | ||
| Weight | 178 lb (81 kg; 12 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Center | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Montreal Canadiens Boston Bruins Portland Buckaroos Clinton Comets Quebec Aces Springfield Indians Hershey Bears | ||
| Playing career | 1965–1951 | ||
Orval Roy Tessier (born June 30, 1933) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre and coach who played three seasons in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins. Tessier played only 59 regular season games in the NHL. However, he was a solid offensive player in minor professional leagues winning two scoring titles with the EPHL's Kingston Frontenacs, voted the league's most valuable player and most sportsmanlike player in the 1961–62 season.
After playing, Tessier had a successful coaching career. In junior ice hockey, Tessier coached the Cornwall Royals to Memorial Cup victory in 1972. Tessier coached the 1981 Memorial Cup finalists, the Kitchener Rangers. The next season, Tessier was hired to coach the New Brunswick Hawks in the American Hockey League. He led the Hawks to a Calder Cup victory in 1982. Tessier was promoted, and named head coach of the Chicago Black Hawks, which lasted for three seasons.
Tessier may be best remembered for a quote during the 1983 Campbell Conference finals. After the Black Hawks gave up 16 goals in falling behind 2–0 to the Edmonton Oilers, Tessier fumed that Chicago players needed "heart transplants". The quip failed to inspire the Hawks, who dropped the final two games of the series at Chicago Stadium, marking the second consecutive year Chicago lost in the Campbell Conference final (both times, the opponent was presented the Clarence Campbell Bowl on Stadium ice). The Hawks would lose in the semifinals again in 1985, 1989 and 1990 before finally breaking through in 1992, although they would not win the Stanley Cup until 2010.
Tessier won the Stanley Cup in 2001 with the Colorado Avalanche while serving as a scout for the team.
Coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | Pts | Division rank | Result | ||
| CHI | 1982–83 | 80 | 47 | 23 | 10 | 104 | 1st in Norris | Lost in third round |
| CHI | 1983–84 | 80 | 30 | 42 | 8 | 68 | 4th in Norris | Lost in first round |
| CHI | 1984–85 | 53 | 22 | 28 | 3 | 47 | 2nd in Norris | Fired |
| Total | 213 | 99 | 93 | 21 | 219 | |||
Awards and achievements
- 1961–62 - Most valuable player & Sportsmanship award (Kingston Frontenacs)
- 1982–83 - Jack Adams Award (Chicago Black Hawks)
External links
- Orval Tessier's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
- Orval Tessier's biography at Legends of Hockey
| Preceded by Tom Watt |
Winner of the Jack Adams Award 1983 |
Succeeded by Bryan Murray |
| Preceded by Bob Pulford |
Head coach of the Chicago Black Hawks 1982-85 |
Succeeded by Bob Pulford |