Blair MacDonald
Encyclopedia
Blair Neil Joseph "B.J." MacDonald (born November 17, 1953 in Cornwall
, Ontario
) is a retired professional ice hockey
player who played in the National Hockey League
and World Hockey Association
between 1973 and 1983. He is best known for his time with the Edmonton Oilers
, the club where he spent the majority of his career and where he served as one of Wayne Gretzky
's first linemates at the start of Gretzky's NHL career.
of the QMJHL
in which he scored 63 goals in 64 games, MacDonald was selected 86th overall by the Los Angeles Kings
in the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft
. However, he was also selected 30th overall by the Edmonton Oilers
of the rival World Hockey Association in their draft, and chose to forego the NHL to sign in Edmonton.
MacDonald would have a solid rookie professional season in 1973–74, finishing the year with 21 goals and 45 points in 78 games, and would post nearly identical numbers 1974–75 with 22 goals and 46 points. After a sluggish start to the 1975–76 campaign, he was dealt to the Indianapolis Racers
, where he rediscovered his scoring touch to finish the year with a career-high 26 goals. In 1976–77, he blossomed into a top player for the Racers, leading the team with 34 goals and finishing with 64 points, and then added 15 points in 9 games in the playoffs.
For 1977–78, MacDonald was dealt back to the Oilers, where he would put up another fine season with 34 goals and 68 points. Just after the start of the 1978–79 season, Edmonton traded for 17 year old wunderkind Wayne Gretzky
, who would dominate the sport for the next two decades. As the Oilers' top right winger and a natural sniper, MacDonald became one of Gretzky's regular wingers along with Brett Callighen
and finished the year with 34 goals and a career high 71 points.
MacDonald continued to produce well in 1980–81, but ultimately lost his place on the Oilers' top line with the development of talented young players like Mark Messier
, Glenn Anderson
, and especially Finnish star Jari Kurri
, who would form the most lethal scoring duo in the league with Gretzky for most of the 1980s. At the trade deadline, MacDonald was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks, where he responded well with 14 points in 12 games to finish the season with 24 goals and 57 points in 63 games between Edmonton and Vancouver.
Despite scoring fairly regularly when in the Canucks' lineup, MacDonald would have a tumultuous tenure in Vancouver where his lack of grit and defensive play failed to endear him to the coaching staff. He scored 18 goals and 33 points in 59 games for the Canucks in 1981–82, but was briefly assigned to the minors for the first time in his career and then barely played in the playoffs as the Canucks reached the Stanley Cup
Finals. He would appear in only 17 games for the Canucks in 1982–83, spending most of the season in the minors before being released at the end of the year.
After being released by the Canucks, MacDonald spent three more seasons playing in Austria
before retiring in 1986. He finished his career with 91 goals and 100 assists for 191 points in 219 NHL games, and added 171 goals and 165 assists for 336 points in 476 games in the WHA.
Following the conclusion of his playing career, MacDonald accepted a head coaching job in Austria, and has spent most of his time since coaching in both Europe and North America. In 1988–89, he was named the International Hockey League Coach of the Year after leading the Muskegon Lumberjacks
to a 57–18–7 record and the league championship.
Cornwall, Ontario
Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada and the seat of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Ontario. Cornwall is Ontario's easternmost city, located on the St...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
) is a retired professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player who played in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
and World Hockey Association
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
between 1973 and 1983. He is best known for his time with the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
, the club where he spent the majority of his career and where he served as one of Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
's first linemates at the start of Gretzky's NHL career.
WHA
After a stellar final year of junior hockey with the Cornwall RoyalsCornwall Royals
The Cornwall Royals were a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 1969 to 1981 and the Ontario Hockey League from 1981 to 1992. This team should not be confused with other Cornwall Royals teams that played in the QSHL, MMJHL, or OHA-B.-History:From 1961 until 1969, the...
of the QMJHL
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League...
in which he scored 63 goals in 64 games, MacDonald was selected 86th overall by the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
in the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft
1973 NHL Amateur Draft
The 1973 NHL Amateur Draft, the 11th National Hockey League draft was the first to be held on a separate day from other league activities on May 15, 1973, at the Mount Royal Hotel in Montreal, Quebec so it would not overshadow the rest of the league meetings. Previously, the league had held the...
. However, he was also selected 30th overall by the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
of the rival World Hockey Association in their draft, and chose to forego the NHL to sign in Edmonton.
MacDonald would have a solid rookie professional season in 1973–74, finishing the year with 21 goals and 45 points in 78 games, and would post nearly identical numbers 1974–75 with 22 goals and 46 points. After a sluggish start to the 1975–76 campaign, he was dealt to the Indianapolis Racers
Indianapolis Racers
The Indianapolis Racers were a franchise in the former World Hockey Association from 1974 to 1978. They competed in five seasons, folding 25 games into the 1978–79 season. They played at Market Square Arena...
, where he rediscovered his scoring touch to finish the year with a career-high 26 goals. In 1976–77, he blossomed into a top player for the Racers, leading the team with 34 goals and finishing with 64 points, and then added 15 points in 9 games in the playoffs.
For 1977–78, MacDonald was dealt back to the Oilers, where he would put up another fine season with 34 goals and 68 points. Just after the start of the 1978–79 season, Edmonton traded for 17 year old wunderkind Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
, who would dominate the sport for the next two decades. As the Oilers' top right winger and a natural sniper, MacDonald became one of Gretzky's regular wingers along with Brett Callighen
Brett Callighen
Brett Callighen is a retired professional ice hockey forward who played 160 games in the National Hockey League and 213 games in the World Hockey Association. He played for the New England Whalers and Edmonton Oilers. He was Wayne Gretzky's first regular left winger...
and finished the year with 34 goals and a career high 71 points.
NHL
For the 1979–80 campaign, Edmonton joined the NHL as part of the WHA merger, and MacDonald would have the finest year of his career. Riding the playmaking wizardry of Gretzky, he would finish the season with 46 goals and 48 assists for 94 points, a total good for 10th in the league. He was also selected to represent the Oilers at the 1980 NHL All-Star Game. With just 6 penalty minutes all season, he finished 4th in balloting for the Lady Byng Trophy as the league's most gentlemanly player, an award ultimately won by Gretzky.MacDonald continued to produce well in 1980–81, but ultimately lost his place on the Oilers' top line with the development of talented young players like Mark Messier
Mark Messier
Mark Douglas Messier is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League and current special assistant to the president and general manager of the New York Rangers. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver...
, Glenn Anderson
Glenn Anderson
Glenn Christopher Anderson is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger in the National Hockey League who played for the Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, and St. Louis Blues...
, and especially Finnish star Jari Kurri
Jari Kurri
Jari Pekka Kurri is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey right winger and a five-time Stanley Cup champion. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001. He is currently the general manager of Team Finland....
, who would form the most lethal scoring duo in the league with Gretzky for most of the 1980s. At the trade deadline, MacDonald was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks, where he responded well with 14 points in 12 games to finish the season with 24 goals and 57 points in 63 games between Edmonton and Vancouver.
Despite scoring fairly regularly when in the Canucks' lineup, MacDonald would have a tumultuous tenure in Vancouver where his lack of grit and defensive play failed to endear him to the coaching staff. He scored 18 goals and 33 points in 59 games for the Canucks in 1981–82, but was briefly assigned to the minors for the first time in his career and then barely played in the playoffs as the Canucks reached the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
Finals. He would appear in only 17 games for the Canucks in 1982–83, spending most of the season in the minors before being released at the end of the year.
After being released by the Canucks, MacDonald spent three more seasons playing in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
before retiring in 1986. He finished his career with 91 goals and 100 assists for 191 points in 219 NHL games, and added 171 goals and 165 assists for 336 points in 476 games in the WHA.
Following the conclusion of his playing career, MacDonald accepted a head coaching job in Austria, and has spent most of his time since coaching in both Europe and North America. In 1988–89, he was named the International Hockey League Coach of the Year after leading the Muskegon Lumberjacks
Muskegon Lumberjacks
The Muskegon Lumberjacks were an International Hockey League team based in Muskegon, Michigan.-Facts:-Season-by-Season record:Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses/Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in...
to a 57–18–7 record and the league championship.
Career statistics
--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1970-71 Cornwall Royals QMJHL 51 24 14 38 6 -- -- -- -- --
1971-72 Cornwall Royals QMJHL 61 45 45 90 36
1972-73 Cornwall Royals QMJHL 64 63 39 102 44
1973-74 Edmonton Oilers WHA 78 21 24 45 34 5 4 2 6 2
1974-75 Edmonton Oilers WHA 72 22 24 46 14 -- -- -- -- --
1975-76 Edmonton Oilers WHA 29 7 5 12 8 -- -- -- -- --
1975-76 Indianapolis Racers WHA 56 19 11 30 14 7 0 0 0 0
1976-77 Indianapolis Racers WHA 81 34 30 64 28 9 7 8 15 4
1977-78 Edmonton Oilers WHA 80 34 34 68 11 5 1 1 2 0
1978-79 Edmonton Oilers WHA 80 34 37 71 44 13 8 10 18 6
1979-80 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 46 48 94 6 3 0 3 3 0
1980-81 Edmonton Oilers NHL 51 19 24 43 27 -- -- -- -- --
1980-81 Vancouver Canucks NHL 12 5 9 14 10 3 0 1 1 2
1981-82 Dallas Black Hawks CHL 3 1 1 2 0 -- -- -- -- --
1981-82 Vancouver Canucks NHL 59 18 15 33 20 3 0 0 0 0
1982-83 Fredericton Express AHL 60 29 37 66 20 7 2 3 5 2
1982-83 Vancouver Canucks NHL 17 3 4 7 2 2 0 2 2 0
1983-84 Montana Magic CHL 4 1 0 1 0 -- -- -- -- --
1985-86 Innsbruck EV Aust 23 20 18 38 8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHA Totals 476 171 165 336 153 39 20 21 41 12
NHL Totals 219 91 100 191 65 11 0 6 6 2