Parker MacDonald
Encyclopedia
Calvin Parker MacDonald (born June 14, 1933 in Sydney
, Nova Scotia
) was a professional ice hockey
left winger
who played for a number of NHL
teams in his 18 year career. He later coached the Minnesota North Stars
and the Los Angeles Kings
.
for the Toronto Marlboros
in the 1951–52 season and starting turning heads. He was a natural goal-scorer but the management felt he needed time to blossom. He made his NHL debut in 1952, playing one game for the Toronto Maple Leafs
. The management liked what they saw and promoted MacDonald to the AHL
the following season. There MacDonald played for the Pittsburgh Hornets until he finally earned full time status with the Leafs in 1954. After that season the New York Rangers
plucked MacDonald from the Leafs' roster in the Intra-League Draft, where he continued to be shuffled between the Rangers and their AHL affiliates. When New York finally gave up on MacDonald, he sought out a doctor to examine his chronically sore shoulder and was surprised to find that a chunk of metal was still embedded in it, the result of a broken drill left in him from a previous operation
.
Following this news, the Detroit Red Wings
decided to take a chance and grabbed MacDonald in the 1960 Intra-League Draft. That season he found his stride and reached his full potential playing centre
on a line with Gordie Howe
and Alex Delvecchio
of the famed "Production line"
. He had a career year in the 1962–63 season when he scored 33 goals with eight of those being game winning goals. MacDonald would remain with the Wings until May 31, 1965 when he was traded to the Boston Bruins
along with Albert Langlois, Ron Harris
and Bob Dillabough
for Ab McDonald
, Bob McCord
and Ken Stephanson
, only to be traded back for Pit Martin
after just half a season.
During the 1967 Expansion Draft
, MacDonald was chosen by the Minnesota North Stars
18th overall. He would contribute 62 points, including 9 in the playoffs to the Stars in two seasons. He retired in 1969, with 323 career NHL points in 676 games played.
of the Central Hockey League and led them to a 35–26–11 record, losing in the finals. He moved on to coaching fulltime with the New Haven Nighthawks
for a year and then returned to his former team in the NHL, Minnesota, as head coach. He performed well with the North Stars but decided to return to coaching the Nighthawks, as the pressure was too great. He would coach the Nighthawks for the next five seasons, always with a winning record but always losing in the playoffs, including losing in the finals twice. He even received the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award for the AHL's best coach after the 1978–79 season
. He decided to give the NHL one more shot as he accepted an assistant coaching position for the Los Angeles Kings
in 1980 followed by the head coach position in the 1981–82 season. MacDonald retired midway through the season with a record of 13–24–5.
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
) was a 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...
left winger
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
who played for a number of NHL
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...
teams in his 18 year career. He later coached the Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
and 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...
.
Playing career
MacDonald played in the Ontario Hockey AssociationOntario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
for the Toronto Marlboros
Toronto Marlboros
The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was founded in 1903. It operated a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association and Ontario Hockey League from 1904 to 1989...
in the 1951–52 season and starting turning heads. He was a natural goal-scorer but the management felt he needed time to blossom. He made his NHL debut in 1952, playing one game for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. The management liked what they saw and promoted MacDonald to the AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
the following season. There MacDonald played for the Pittsburgh Hornets until he finally earned full time status with the Leafs in 1954. After that season the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
plucked MacDonald from the Leafs' roster in the Intra-League Draft, where he continued to be shuffled between the Rangers and their AHL affiliates. When New York finally gave up on MacDonald, he sought out a doctor to examine his chronically sore shoulder and was surprised to find that a chunk of metal was still embedded in it, the result of a broken drill left in him from a previous operation
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
.
Following this news, the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
decided to take a chance and grabbed MacDonald in the 1960 Intra-League Draft. That season he found his stride and reached his full potential playing centre
Centre (ice hockey)
The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player...
on a line with Gordie Howe
Gordie Howe
Gordon "Gordie" Howe, OC is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played for the Detroit Red Wings and Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League , and the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers in the World Hockey Association . Howe is often referred to as Mr...
and Alex Delvecchio
Alex Delvecchio
Alexander Peter "Fats" Delvecchio is a former ice hockey player and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.After playing a single junior league season for the Oshawa Generals of the OHA Delvecchio joined the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League for the 1952 season, and helped the team to...
of the famed "Production line"
Production line (hockey)
The Production Line was a nickname for one of the most famous scoring lines in the NHL's history. The line consisted of Gordie Howe, Sid Abel and Ted Lindsay, all members of the Detroit Red Wings....
. He had a career year in the 1962–63 season when he scored 33 goals with eight of those being game winning goals. MacDonald would remain with the Wings until May 31, 1965 when he was traded to the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
along with Albert Langlois, Ron Harris
Ron Harris (ice hockey)
Ronald Thomas Harris is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 476 games in the National Hockey League. He played for the Detroit Red Wings, Oakland Seals, Atlanta Flames, and New York Rangers....
and Bob Dillabough
Bob Dillabough
Robert Wellington Dillabough was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 283 games in the National Hockey League and 72 games in the World Hockey Association. Born in Belleville, Ontario he played for the Detroit Red Wings, California Golden Seals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Cleveland...
for Ab McDonald
Ab McDonald
Alvin Brian "Ab" McDonald is a retired Canadian ice hockey forward.McDonald began his National Hockey League career with the Montreal Canadiens in 1958 and retired in 1972. He also played for the Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, and the St. Louis Blues...
, Bob McCord
Bob McCord
Robert Lomer McCord is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 316 games in the National Hockey League. He played for the Minnesota North Stars, Detroit Red Wings, and Boston Bruins.- External links :...
and Ken Stephanson
Ken Stephanson
Ken Stephanson is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 106 games in the World Hockey Association for the Winnipeg Jets and Ottawa Civics.-External links:...
, only to be traded back for Pit Martin
Pit Martin
Hubert Jacques "Pit" Martin was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who served as captain for the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League from 1975 to 1977...
after just half a season.
During the 1967 Expansion Draft
1967 NHL Expansion Draft
The 1967 NHL Expansion Draft was held on June 6, 1967, in the ballroom of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The draft took place to fill the rosters of the league's six expansion teams for the 1967–68 season: the California Seals, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars,...
, MacDonald was chosen by the Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
18th overall. He would contribute 62 points, including 9 in the playoffs to the Stars in two seasons. He retired in 1969, with 323 career NHL points in 676 games played.
MacDonald the coach
Following his retirement, MacDonald became a player-coach for the Iowa StarsIowa Stars
The Iowa Chops were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. The club was based in Des Moines, Iowa at the Wells Fargo Arena.-History:...
of the Central Hockey League and led them to a 35–26–11 record, losing in the finals. He moved on to coaching fulltime with the New Haven Nighthawks
New Haven Nighthawks
The New Haven Nighthawks are a former ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 1972 to 1992. They had affiliations with the Minnesota North Stars , New York Islanders , New York Rangers , and Los Angeles Kings...
for a year and then returned to his former team in the NHL, Minnesota, as head coach. He performed well with the North Stars but decided to return to coaching the Nighthawks, as the pressure was too great. He would coach the Nighthawks for the next five seasons, always with a winning record but always losing in the playoffs, including losing in the finals twice. He even received the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award for the AHL's best coach after the 1978–79 season
1978–79 AHL season
The 1978–79 AHL season was the 43rd season of the American Hockey League. The league inaugurates the Ken McKenzie Award, for the most outstanding marketing executive, showing its commitment to marketing and public relations....
. He decided to give the NHL one more shot as he accepted an assistant coaching position for 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 1980 followed by the head coach position in the 1981–82 season. MacDonald retired midway through the season with a record of 13–24–5.
Awards
- AHL Second All-Star Team (1956, 1960)
- Received the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award (1978–79)
- Elected to the Cape Breton Sports Hall of Fame in 1987.