John McLellan (ice hockey)

John McLellan
Born	(1928-08-06)August 6, 1928 South Porcupine, Ontario, Canada
Died	October 27, 1979(1979-10-27) (aged 51) Agincourt, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	150 lb (68 kg; 10 st 10 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Toronto Maple Leafs
National team	Canada
Playing career	1947–1965

Daniel John McLellan (August 6, 1928 – October 27, 1979) was a Canadian professional hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League. He was a member of teams that won the Memorial Cup, the Allan Cup and the world championships.

Playing career

Born in South Porcupine, Ontario (now part of Timmins), McLellan was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs and brought to Toronto to play for the St. Michael's Buzzers (1945–46) and then the St. Michael's Majors, playing on the team that won the Memorial Cup in 1947. As a senior, McLellan played three seasons with the Toronto Marlboros, winning the Allan Cup in 1950. Both of McLellan's cup victories came under coach Joe Primeau.

McLellan turned professional in 1950, and would play most of the next four seasons with the Pittsburgh Hornets, the Maple Leafs' American Hockey League affiliate. In 1950–51, he also played for the Tulsa Oilers of the United States Hockey League. McLellan was called up to the Maple Leafs for two games in 1951–52, and they would be his only games as a player in the NHL.

He was traded by the Leafs to the AHL Cleveland Barons in September 1954, and played there for four years. In May 1958, the Barons told him he could make his own deal to join another team. For the 1958–59 season, McLellan was reinstated as an amateur and played for the Belleville McFarlands. The team represented Canada at the 1959 Ice Hockey World Championships, winning gold.

McLellan played in other minor professional leagues through the rest of his career, playing for the Milwaukee Falcons of the International Hockey League in 1959–60 and the Timmins Flyers of the Northern Ontario Hockey League in 1960–61. In 1962, he joined the Nashville Dixie Flyers of the Eastern Hockey League and played there for two seasons, before retiring as a player and becoming coach of the Nashville team.

Coaching career

After two years coaching in Nashville–winning the league championship both seasons—McLellan rejoined the Maple Leafs organization in 1967 as the head coach of their top minor league affiliate, the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League. He spent two years in Tulsa and was then brought back to the NHL in 1969 to succeed the fired Punch Imlach as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. McLellan was coach of the Leafs for four seasons—missing 15 games in 1971–72 due to a duodenal ulcer. He was voted NHL coach of the year in 1971. McLellan resigned as coach in 1973 to become the Leafs' assistant general manager.

In 1977, Imlach offered him the head coaching job with the Buffalo Sabres, but McLellan declined. The two were briefly reunited in Toronto when Imlach rejoined the Maple Leafs in 1979. A few months later, the 51-year-old McLellan died from an apparent heart attack after raking leaves at his home in Agincourt, Toronto.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1945–46	St. Michael's Buzzers	OHA-B		8	4	1	5	6		2	0	1	1	0
1946–47	St. Michael's Majors	OHA		30	11	13	24	8		9	0	0	0	0
1946–47	St. Michael's Majors	M-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		8	1	3	4	2
1947–48	Toronto Marlboros	OHA Sr		36	16	26	42	45		5	1	2	3	8
1948–49	Toronto Marlboros	OHA Sr		36	11	19	30	38		10	7	6	13	8
1948–49	Toronto Marlboros	Al-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		13	9	9	18	12
1949–50	Toronto Marlboros	OHA Sr		36	12	20	32	41		14	3	7	10	14
1949–50	Toronto Marlboros	Al-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		17	7	8	15	15
1950–51	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL		37	8	6	14	23		—	—	—	—	—
1950–51	Tulsa Oilers	USHL		14	9	5	14	16		9	4	1	5	9
1951–52	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1951–52	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL		60	21	22	43	43		11	1	1	2	12
1952–53	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL		51	13	24	37	59		10	2	2	4	0
1953–54	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL		55	8	16	24	72		2	0	0	0	0
1954–55	Cleveland Barons	AHL		60	30	31	61	97		4	1	1	2	4
1955–56	Cleveland Barons	AHL		61	12	12	24	72		5	3	1	4	8
1956–57	Cleveland Barons	AHL		57	20	13	33	83		12	7	2	9	12
1957–58	Cleveland Barons	AHL		46	11	15	26	53		4	0	0	0	2
1958–59	Belleville McFarlands	OHA Sr		45	17	27	44	74		—	—	—	—	—
1959–60	Belleville McFarlands	OHA Sr		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1959–60	Milwaukee Falcons	IHL		23	7	18	25	29		—	—	—	—	—
1960–61	Rouyn-Noranda Alouettes	Al-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		3	2	1	3	4
1962–63	Nashville Dixie Flyers	EHL		58	19	37	56	46		3	0	2	2	2
1963–64	Nashville Dixie Flyers	EHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	Nashville Dixie Flyers	EHL		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
AHL totals				427	123	139	262	502		48	14	7	21	38
NHL totals				2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1959	Canada	WC		7	4	7	11	10
Senior totals				7	4	7	11	10

Coaching record

Team	Year	Regular Season						Post Season
		G	W	L	T	Pts	Finish	Result
Toronto Maple Leafs	1969–70	76	29	34	13	71	6th in East	Did not qualify
Toronto Maple Leafs	1970–71	78	37	33	8	82	4th in East	Lost in quarter-finals
Toronto Maple Leafs	1971–72	78	33	31	14	80	4th in East	Lost in quarter-finals
Toronto Maple Leafs	1972–73	78	27	41	10	64	6th in East	Did not qualify
NHL Totals		310	126	139	45	297