Dan Maloney

Daniel Charles "Snowshoes" Maloney (September 24, 1950 – November 19, 2018) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger in the National Hockey League (NHL) and NHL coach. He featured in the 1971 Stanley Cup Final with the Chicago Blackhawks.

He coached the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1984 to 1986 and the Winnipeg Jets from 1986 to 1989.

Playing career

Drafted 14th overall by the Chicago Black Hawks in the 1970 NHL entry draft, Maloney played two seasons for the Black Hawks and later played for the Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs tallying 192 goals, 259 assists and 451 points in 737 games over the course of his playing career. Upon retiring as a player he was offered an assistant coach position with the Maple Leafs in 1982, and promoted to head coach in 1984. He coached two seasons with the Leafs, then coached three more years as head coach of the Winnipeg Jets.

Maloney is known as having had one of the hardest right-hand punches in his day, and is considered by many hockey fans to have been the greatest fighter (along with the Flyers' Dave Schultz) in NHL history. The two finally squared off in a fight in a game in Los Angeles on January 4, 1975, with Maloney considered the winner. But Maloney was more than a fighter, as he tallied 27 goals in back to back seasons (1974–75 and 1975–76). Maloney was part of the trade that sent Marcel Dionne from Detroit to the Los Angeles Kings. Schultz was traded to the Kings a year later to replace Maloney as their enforcer.

As a member of the Red Wings, he was the third NHL player to be charged by local authorities with a crime resulting from action on the ice. In the second period of a 7–3 loss to Toronto at Maple Leaf Gardens on November 5, 1975, Maloney came to the defense of teammate Bryan Hextall by attacking the Maple Leafs' Brian Glennie from behind, flattening him with a right‐hand punch, hitting him several more times and repeatedly lifting and dropping him, face first, to the ice. Glennie sustained a mild concussion. Despite Glennie's hit on Hextall being described by The Associated Press as "a clean check", Maloney claimed the force of the contact was excessive and that he had no intention of injuring him. He was charged with assault by Attorney General of Ontario Roy McMurtry the following day on November 6, but was acquitted just under eight months later on June 30, 1976.

Personal life During his time with the Red Wings, Maloney lived year-round in Detroit area (Southfield, Michigan). Maloney's nephew, Trenton Bourque, was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 2017.

In his later years Maloney lived in the Barrie or Orillia, Ontario, area. Maloney died on November 19, 2018, after a period of declining health; he was 68. He would posthumously be diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1967–68 Markham Seal-a-Wax MetJHL — — — — — — — — — — 1968–69 London Knights OHA-Jr. 53 12 28 40 62 6 2 1 3 16 1969–70 London Knights OHA-Jr. 54 31 35 66 232 11 1 3 4 66 1970–71 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 74 12 14 26 174 10 0 1 1 8 1971–72 Dallas Black Hawks CHL 72 25 45 70 161 12 4 5 9 44 1972–73 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 57 13 17 30 63 — — — — — 1972–73 Los Angeles Kings NHL 14 4 7 11 18 — — — — — 1973–74 Los Angeles Kings NHL 65 15 17 32 113 5 0 0 0 2 1974–75 Los Angeles Kings NHL 80 27 39 66 165 3 0 0 0 2 1975–76 Detroit Red Wings NHL 77 27 39 66 203 — — — — — 1976–77 Detroit Red Wings NHL 34 13 13 26 64 — — — — — 1977–78 Detroit Red Wings NHL 68 16 29 45 151 — — — — — 1977–78 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 13 3 4 7 25 13 1 3 4 17 1978–79 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 77 17 36 53 157 6 3 3 6 2 1979–80 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 71 17 16 33 102 — — — — — 1980–81 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 65 20 21 41 183 3 0 0 0 4 1981–82 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 44 8 7 15 71 — — — — — NHL totals 737 192 259 451 1,489 40 4 7 11 35

Coaching record Team Year Regular season Postseason G W L T Pts Finish ResultToronto Maple Leafs1984–858020528485th in NorrisMissed playoffsToronto Maple Leafs1985–868025487574th in NorrisWon in division semi-finals (3-0 vs. CHI) Lost in division finals (3-4 vs. STL)Winnipeg Jets1986–878040328883rd in SmytheWon in division semi-finals (4-2 vs. CGY) Lost in division finals (0-4 vs. EDM)Winnipeg Jets1987–8880333611773rd in SmytheLost in division semi-finals (1-4 vs. EDM)Winnipeg Jets1988–895218259(64)5th in SmytheFiredWinnipeg Total 2129193282105-10 (0.333)Toronto Total 16045100151056-4 (0.600)Total 3721361934331511-14 (0.440)