Butch Goring

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Robert Thomas "Butch" Goring (born October 22, 1949 in St. Boniface, Manitoba) is a retired Canadian ice hockey player.

[edit] Playing career

After finishing his junior career with the Dauphin Kings of the [Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL)], Goring was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1969 Entry Draft, 51st overall. He played parts of two seasons for the Kings in 1970 and 1971 while generally toiling for Los Angeles' Springfield AHL farm team; he had a spectacular season for Springfield in 1971, leading the league in goals, assists and points in the playoffs to lead his team (along with future Hall of Fame goaltender Billy Smith) to the Calder Cup championship.

The next season Goring was promoted for good to the NHL, and starred for nine seasons for the Los Angeles Kings, becoming well known for skilled faceoff, defensive and penalty killing work and scoring thirty or more goals four times. Goring was also known for his explosive speed. He won both the Bill Masterton Trophy and the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1978. Prior to the 1978-79 season he was offered a five-year, $1-million contract by the World Hockey Association's Edmonton Oilers^[1]. Although he turned the offer down, he realized he wasn't under appreciated around the NHL as he had suspected.

In the 1980 season, Goring was traded in March to the New York Islanders in exchange for Billy Harris and Dave Lewis, and was widely regarded as being one of the key elements that pushed the Islanders over the top to become champions. That season, he scored 19 points in 21 playoff games to help Long Island to the first of four consecutive Stanley Cup championships. The next season (1980–1981), he improved upon his previous playoff run, scoring 10 goals and 10 assists in 20 playoff games, and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff most valuable player, as the Islanders won their second Cup.

Goring's final NHL season was 1985, where after his release by the Islanders he played effectively for half a season with the Boston Bruins, before becoming the Bruins' coach for a season and a half. After he was fired as the Bruins' coach in 1987, he played briefly for the Nova Scotia Oilers of the AHL before retiring for good.

Goring retired having played 1107 games, with 375 goals and 513 assists for 888 points. He recorded only 102 penalty minutes, the lowest total in history for anyone playing in more than a thousand games. Many of his fans will always remember his trademark "JOFA" helmet worn with a loose chinstrap with Goring's long, dirty blonde hair streaming out of the back of it, as he darted with a reckless abandon on the ice and his habit of going barefoot in his skates (which were not laced but tightened with velcro straps).

Goring was most recognizable for a helmet that he had worn since he was 12 years old and continued to wear throughout his entire professional career. He also had a reputation as one of the poorest dressers in the league. In the 1970's, on a road trip with the Kings, a burglar broke into his hotel room and stole everything that belonged to his roommate but left all of Goring's clothes hanging in the closet untouched^[2].

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] Coaching career

Goring served two stints as an NHL head coach. He coached the Bruins in the 1985–86 season and the early part of the following campaign; he also coached the New York Islanders in the 1999–2000 season and most of the following season -- he was fired by the Islanders on March 4, 2001. He also served as the head coach for several minor league teams, including the Capital District Islanders, Las Vegas Thunder, Denver Grizzlies, Utah Grizzlies, and Anchorage Aces, winning two championships. In 2002–2003 he took over the Krefeld Penguins of the elite German Hockey League (DEL) and led them to their first championship since 1952. In 2004–2005, he was the coach of the DEG Metro Stars hockey team in Germany.

[edit] Career achievements and facts

• MJHL Hockey Ability and Sportsmanship Award Winner (1967)
• Turnbull Cup MJHL Championship (1969)
• Calder Cup (AHL) Championship (1971)
• Bill Masterton Trophy Winner (1978)
• Lady Byng Trophy Winner (1978)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (1980)
• Stanley Cup Championships (1980, 1981, 1982, & 1983)
• Conn Smythe Trophy Winner (1981)
• Played in the Canada Cup Tournament for Team Canada (1981)
• Named Manitoba's Athlete of the Year (1981)
• IHL Coach of Year (1995 & 1996)
• Turner Cup (IHL) Championships (1995 & 1996)

• One of the first players in the league to wear a helmet regularly.
• The very last active player that had played during the 1960s[1]
• Inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1992
• “Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame

[edit] External links

• Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com
• Butch Goring's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Butch Goring's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Butch Goring’s biography at Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
• Butch Goring's biography at Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame

[edit] References