Ian Turnbull

Ian "Bull" Turnbull (born December 22, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League from 1973–74 until 1982–83. He and Börje Salming combined to make one of the best 1–2 defensive punches in Toronto Maple Leafs history during the 1970s.

Career Overview Turnbull played 628 career NHL games, scoring 123 goals and 317 assists for 440 points. In his best offensive season, (1976–77 while with the Maple Leafs), he set career highs with 22 goals, 57 assists, 79 points, and a +47 plus/minus rating. The 79 points still stands over 40 years later as the Maple Leaf team record for most points in a season by a defenceman. He also still holds the NHL record for most goals in a game by a defenceman, with 5 in a game on February 2, 1977, in a 9–1 victory against the Detroit Red Wings. Turnbull only had five shots in the game, making him the first player in NHL history to score five goals on five shots. Turnbull was outstanding in the 1978 playoff series against the New York Islanders, eventually won by Toronto 4 games to 3, anchoring the team’s defensive corps after an eye injury forced all-star defenceman Börje Salming out of the Maple Leafs line-up.

Early in the 1981-82 season, Turnbull was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for veteran forward Billy Harris and defenseman John Gibson. Turnbull's time with the Kings was brief, playing just 42-games, but one of them was quite memorable. On December 12, 1981, Turnbull scored four goals in a 7–5 Kings victory over the Vancouver Canucks.

Turnbull joined the Penguins for the 1982-83 season but played just six games for them before a back injury forced him out of the lineup and into retirement.

Turnbull was the IT Director at Martin Chevrolet in Torrance, California, United States, until he retired in 2022.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1968–69 West Island Flyers MMJHL 25 16 7 23 — — — — — — 1969–70 Montreal Jr. Canadiens OHA-Jr. 53 4 21 25 88 16 3 3 6 8 1969–70 Montreal Jr. Canadiens MC — — — — — 6 6 4 10 6 1970–71 Montreal Jr. Canadiens OHA-Jr. 59 17 45 62 85 11 3 8 11 6 1971–72 Montreal Jr. Canadiens OHA-Jr. 63 34 48 82 85 — — — — — 1972–73 Ottawa 67's OHA-Jr. 60 31 50 81 98 9 6 11 17 8 1973–74 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 78 8 27 35 74 4 0 0 0 8 1974–75 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 8 2 1 3 15 — — — — — 1974–75 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 22 6 7 13 44 7 0 2 2 4 1975–76 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 76 20 36 56 90 10 2 9 11 29 1976–77 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 80 22 57 79 84 9 4 4 8 10 1977–78 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 77 14 47 61 77 13 6 10 16 10 1978–79 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 80 12 51 63 80 6 0 4 4 27 1979–80 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 75 11 28 39 90 3 0 3 3 2 1980–81 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 80 19 47 66 104 3 1 0 1 4 1981–82 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 12 0 2 2 8 — — — — — 1981–82 Los Angeles Kings NHL 42 11 15 26 81 — — — — — 1981–82 New Haven Nighthawks AHL 13 1 7 8 4 3 0 0 0 0 1982–83 Baltimore Skipjacks AHL 13 3 8 11 10 — — — — — 1982–83 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 6 0 0 0 4 — — — — — NHL totals 628 123 317 440 736 55 13 32 45 94

Honors and awards OHA-Jr 2nd All-Star Team: 1972, 1973 NHL All-Star Game: 1977 2018 J. P. Bickell Memorial Award