John McLellan

Daniel John McLellan (August 6, 1928 – October 27, 1979) was a Canadian professional hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League. He was a member of teams that won the Memorial Cup, the Allan Cup and the world championships.

Playing career Born in South Porcupine, Ontario (now part of Timmins), McLellan was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs and brought to Toronto to play for the St. Michael's Buzzers (1945–46) and then the St. Michael's Majors, playing on the team that won the Memorial Cup in 1947. As a senior, McLellan played three seasons with the Toronto Marlboros, winning the Allan Cup in 1950. Both of McLellan's cup victories came under coach Joe Primeau.

McLellan turned professional in 1950, and would play most of the next four seasons with the Pittsburgh Hornets, the Maple Leafs' American Hockey League affiliate. In 1950–51, he also played for the Tulsa Oilers of the United States Hockey League. McLellan was called up to the Maple Leafs for two games in 1951–52, and they would be his only games as a player in the NHL.

He was traded by the Leafs to the AHL Cleveland Barons in September 1954, and played there for four years. In May 1958, the Barons told him he could make his own deal to join another team. For the 1958–59 season, McLellan was reinstated as an amateur and played for the Belleville McFarlands. The team represented Canada at the 1959 Ice Hockey World Championships, winning gold.

McLellan played in other minor professional leagues through the rest of his career, playing for the Milwaukee Falcons of the International Hockey League in 1959–60 and the Timmins Flyers of the Northern Ontario Hockey League in 1960–61. In 1962, he joined the Nashville Dixie Flyers of the Eastern Hockey League and played there for two seasons, before retiring as a player and becoming coach of the Nashville team.

Coaching career After two years coaching in Nashville–winning the league championship both seasons—McLellan rejoined the Maple Leafs organization in 1967 as the head coach of their top minor league affiliate, the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League. He spent two years in Tulsa and was then brought back to the NHL in 1969 to succeed the fired Punch Imlach as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. McLellan was coach of the Leafs for four seasons—missing 15 games in 1971–72 due to a duodenal ulcer. He was voted NHL coach of the year in 1971. McLellan resigned as coach in 1973 to become the Leafs' assistant general manager.

In 1977, Imlach offered him the head coaching job with the Buffalo Sabres, but McLellan declined. The two were briefly reunited in Toronto when Imlach rejoined the Maple Leafs in 1979. A few months later, the 51-year-old McLellan died from an apparent heart attack after raking leaves at his home in Agincourt, Toronto.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1945–46 St. Michael's Buzzers OHA-B 8 4 1 5 6 2 0 1 1 0 1946–47 St. Michael's Majors OHA 30 11 13 24 8 9 0 0 0 0 1946–47 St. Michael's Majors M-Cup — — — — — 8 1 3 4 2 1947–48 Toronto Marlboros OHA Sr 36 16 26 42 45 5 1 2 3 8 1948–49 Toronto Marlboros OHA Sr 36 11 19 30 38 10 7 6 13 8 1948–49 Toronto Marlboros Al-Cup — — — — — 13 9 9 18 12 1949–50 Toronto Marlboros OHA Sr 36 12 20 32 41 14 3 7 10 14 1949–50 Toronto Marlboros Al-Cup — — — — — 17 7 8 15 15 1950–51 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 37 8 6 14 23 — — — — — 1950–51 Tulsa Oilers USHL 14 9 5 14 16 9 4 1 5 9 1951–52 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1951–52 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 60 21 22 43 43 11 1 1 2 12 1952–53 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 51 13 24 37 59 10 2 2 4 0 1953–54 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 55 8 16 24 72 2 0 0 0 0 1954–55 Cleveland Barons AHL 60 30 31 61 97 4 1 1 2 4 1955–56 Cleveland Barons AHL 61 12 12 24 72 5 3 1 4 8 1956–57 Cleveland Barons AHL 57 20 13 33 83 12 7 2 9 12 1957–58 Cleveland Barons AHL 46 11 15 26 53 4 0 0 0 2 1958–59 Belleville McFarlands OHA Sr 45 17 27 44 74 — — — — — 1959–60 Belleville McFarlands OHA Sr — — — — — — — — — — 1959–60 Milwaukee Falcons IHL 23 7 18 25 29 — — — — — 1960–61 Rouyn-Noranda Alouettes Al-Cup — — — — — 3 2 1 3 4 1962–63 Nashville Dixie Flyers EHL 58 19 37 56 46 3 0 2 2 2 1963–64 Nashville Dixie Flyers EHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1964–65 Nashville Dixie Flyers EHL — — — — — — — — — — AHL totals 427 123 139 262 502 48 14 7 21 38 NHL totals 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1959 Canada WC 7 4 7 11 10 Senior totals 7 4 7 11 10

Coaching record Team Year Regular Season Post Season G W L T Pts Finish Result Toronto Maple Leafs 1969–70 76 29 34 13 71 6th in East Did not qualify Toronto Maple Leafs 1970–71 78 37 33 8 82 4th in East Lost in quarter-finals Toronto Maple Leafs 1971–72 78 33 31 14 80 4th in East Lost in quarter-finals Toronto Maple Leafs 1972–73 78 27 41 10 64 6th in East Did not qualifyNHL Totals 310 126 139 45 297