Butch Goring

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Butch Goring
Goring with the New York Islanders in the 1980s
Born (1949-10-22) October 22, 1949 (age 74)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Los Angeles Kings
New York Islanders
Boston Bruins
National team  Canada
NHL Draft 51st overall, 1969
Los Angeles Kings
Playing career 1969–1987

Robert Thomas "Butch" Goring[1] (born October 22, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. He played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders and Boston Bruins. A four-time Stanley Cup winner with the Islanders, he has been cited as a key figure of the Islanders dynasty.[2]

Since retiring as a player he has served as head coach of both the Bruins and Islanders. He currently serves as the Islanders' television color commentator on MSG Network and select games for TNT alongside lead team and #2 TNT play-by-play announcer Brendan Burke.[3] In addition, ice-level reporter Darren Pang join the pair for select games.[4][5]

Playing career[edit]

After finishing his junior career with the Dauphin Kings of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), Goring was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the fifth round (51st overall) of the 1969 NHL Entry Draft. He played parts of two seasons for the Kings in 1970 and 1971, bouncing back and forth between Los Angeles and their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Springfield Kings. He had a very successful season in Springfield in 1971, leading the league in playoff goals, assists and points in helping his team (along with future Hall of Fame goaltender and future Islanders' teammate Billy Smith) win the Calder Cup championship.

The next season Goring was promoted for good to the NHL, and starred for nine seasons for the Los Angeles Kings, developing into one of the most complete players in the league. In the 1975–76 playoff quarterfinal series against the Boston Bruins, Goring scored the overtime game-winning goal in game 2 and game 6. He won both the Bill Masterton Trophy and the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1978, becoming the first player to win both trophies the same year.[6] Prior to the 1978–79 season he was offered a five-year, $1-million contract by the World Hockey Association's Edmonton Oilers;[1] Goring re-signed with the Kings after they countered with an offer of $1.25-million over the same term.[7][8]

In the 1980 season, Goring was traded in March to the New York Islanders in exchange for Billy Harris and Dave Lewis, and was widely regarded as being the "final piece of the puzzle".[9][10] That season, he scored 19 points in 21 playoff games to help the Islanders to the first of four consecutive Stanley Cups. The next season (1980–81), he improved upon his previous playoff run, scoring 10 goals and 10 assists in 20 playoff games, and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff most valuable player, as the Islanders won their second Cup.[6] Goring played 78 games and did not receive a single penalty, but did not win the Lady Byng Trophy that year.[11]

Goring's final NHL season was 1984-85. After his release by the Islanders, he played effectively for half a season with the Boston Bruins, before retiring and becoming the Bruins' head coach for a season and a half.[12][13] After he was fired as the Bruins' coach in 1986-87,[14] he played briefly for the Nova Scotia Oilers of the AHL before retiring for good.[15][16]

Goring retired having played 1107 games, with 375 goals and 513 assists for 888 points. He recorded only 102 penalty minutes, the lowest total in NHL history for a player appearing in more than a thousand games. He was a very effective penalty-killer throughout his career as he finished in the top ten for short-handed goals nine seasons in his career amassing a career total of 40 short-handed goals, the fifth most of all-time.

Legacy[edit]

Goring was most recognizable on the ice for the Sven Tumba-endorsed Spaps brand helmet that he had worn since childhood and continued to wear throughout his entire professional career.[17] He also developed a reputation for perhaps the poorest fashion sense in the league. In the 1970s, on a road trip with the Kings, a burglar broke into his hotel room and stole everything that belonged to his roommate but left all of Goring's clothes hanging in the closet untouched.[1][17][18]

Former Islanders' teammate Mike Bossy stated on a 2010 episode of Off the Record with Michael Landsberg that Goring is quite likely the originator of the NHL's tradition of growing a beard in the Stanley Cup playoffs, commonly called a "playoff beard".[19] Other former Islanders, including Dave Lewis and Clark Gillies, point to the tradition starting in the mid-1970s, before Goring's time with the team,[20] although Goring certainly participated in the tradition once he joined the Islanders.[21]

Goring's No. 91 was retired by the Islanders on February 29, 2020, ahead of a game against the Boston Bruins.[22]

Career statistics[edit]

Regular season and playoffs[edit]

Team   Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1965–66 Winnipeg Rangers MJHL 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 1 0
1966–67 Winnipeg Rangers MJHL 51 35 31 66 2 8 2 6 8 0
1967–68 Hull Nationals Que-Sr. 40 16 41 57 4 — — — — —
1967–68 Winnipeg Jets MJHL — — — — — 1 2 1 3 0
1967–68 St. Boniface Mohawks AC — — — — — 12 5 6 11 2
1968–69 Winnipeg Jets WCHL 39 42 33 75 0 — — — — —
1968–69 Dauphin Kings MC — — — — — 12 8 8 16 5
1968–69 Regina Pats MC — — — — — 2 2 3 5 0
1969–70 Los Angeles Kings NHL 59 13 23 36 8 — — — — —
1969–70 Springfield Kings AHL 19 13 7 20 0 — — — — —
1970–71 Los Angeles Kings NHL 19 2 5 7 2 — — — — —
1970–71 Springfield Kings AHL 40 23 32 55 4 12 11 14 25 0
1971–72 Los Angeles Kings NHL 74 21 29 50 2 — — — — —
1972–73 Los Angeles Kings NHL 67 28 31 59 2 — — — — —
1973–74 Los Angeles Kings NHL 70 28 33 61 2 5 0 1 1 0
1974–75 Los Angeles Kings NHL 60 27 33 60 6 3 0 0 0 0
1975–76 Los Angeles Kings NHL 80 33 40 73 8 9 2 3 5 4
1976–77 Los Angeles Kings NHL 78 30 55 85 6 9 7 5 12 0
1977–78 Los Angeles Kings NHL 80 37 36 73 2 2 0 0 0 2
1978–79 Los Angeles Kings NHL 80 36 51 87 16 2 0 0 0 0
1979–80 Los Angeles Kings NHL 69 20 48 68 12 — — — — —
1979–80 New York Islanders NHL 12 6 5 11 2 21 7 12 19 2
1980–81 New York Islanders NHL 78 23 37 60 0 18 10 10 20 6
1981–82 New York Islanders NHL 67 15 17 32 10 19 6 5 11 12
1982–83 New York Islanders NHL 75 19 20 39 8 20 4 8 12 4
1983–84 New York Islanders NHL 71 22 24 46 8 21 1 5 6 2
1984–85 New York Islanders NHL 29 2 5 7 2 — — — — —
1984–85 Boston Bruins NHL 39 13 21 34 6 5 1 1 2 0
1986–87 Nova Scotia Oilers AHL 10 3 5 8 2 — — — — —
NHL totals 1,107 375 513 888 102 134 38 50 88 32

International[edit]

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1981 Canada CC 7 3 2 5 4

Coaching career[edit]

Goring served two stints as an NHL head coach. He coached the Bruins in the 1985–86 season and the early part of the following campaign;[14] he also coached the New York Islanders in the 1999–2000 season[23][24][25] and most of the following season – he was fired by the Islanders on March 4, 2001.[26] He also served as the head coach for several minor league teams, including the Capital District Islanders, Las Vegas Thunder, Denver Grizzlies,[23] Utah Grizzlies, and Anchorage Aces, winning two championships. In 2002–2003 he took over the Krefeld Penguins of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga and led them to their first championship since 1952. In 2004–2005, he was the coach of the DEG Metro Stars hockey team in Germany.

Coaching record[edit]

Team Year Regular season Postseason
G W L T OTL Pts Finish W L Win% Result
BOS 1985–86 80 37 31 12 — 86 3rd in Adams 0 3 .000 Lost in Division Semifinals
BOS 1986–87 13 5 7 1 — (11) (fired) — — — —
NYI 1999–2000 82 24 48 9 1 58 5th in Atlantic — — — Missed playoffs
NYI 2000–01 65 17 40 5 3 (52) (fired) — — — —
Total 240 83 126 27 4 193 0 3 .000 1 playoff appearance

Career achievements[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "legendsofhockey.net profile of Butch Goring". Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  2. ^ Bleacher Report [dead link]
  3. ^ Best, Neil (October 13, 2021). "Brendan Burke is on the road again with the Islanders -- and now Turner Sports". Newsday. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  4. ^ "Turner Sports Announces Commentators for 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs Presented by GEICO Coverage, Starting on TNT and TBS, Thursday, May 5". pressroom.warnermedia.com (Press release). Warner Media, LLC. May 2, 2022.
  5. ^ "Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Announces Commentators for Additional First Round Coverage of 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs Presented by GEICO". Warner Bros. Discovery. April 21, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Honoured Members Database - Butch Goring". honouredmembers.sportmanitoba.ca. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  7. ^ Mole, Rich (2006). Edmonton Oilers: Against All Odds. Heritage House Publishing Co. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-55439-227-8. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  8. ^ Goring Inks Kings' Pact, web: The Sacramento Bee, 1978, retrieved March 13, 2023
  9. ^ Fischler, Stan (February 22, 2019). "Maven's Memories: The Butch Goring Trade". NHL.com. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  10. ^ Kreiser, John (March 9, 2020). "March 10: Goring traded to Islanders". NHL.com. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  11. ^ Ippolito, Casey (April 27, 2014). "Top 5: Most gentlemanly Lady Byng winners". TheHockeyNews. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  12. ^ Archives, L. A. Times (May 7, 1985). "Former King Butch Goring Named Coach of the Boston Bruins". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  13. ^ "Butch Goring, who helped the New York Islanders to... - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Goring calls his firing 'premature' - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  15. ^ "Butch Goring, fired as Boston Bruins coach earlier this... - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  16. ^ Finn, Robin (December 4, 1986). "PLAYERS; Goring Tries Comeback". New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Vecsey, George (January 3, 1981). "Sports of The Times; Venerable Helmet". The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  18. ^ Baker, Chris (October 22, 1985). "Butch Goring: 'Seed' of Kings Finds His New Job Suits Him". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  19. ^ Perry, Thomas (July 14, 2017). "Rock tee up Goring". Timmins Daily Press. Archived from the original on July 14, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  20. ^ McGourty, John (October 25, 2009). "Devils resumed Islanders' playoff beard tradition". NHL.com. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  21. ^ Caldwell, Dave (May 24, 2017). "The legend and twisted origin of playoff beards". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  22. ^ "Tonelli and Goring 'Honored' and 'Humbled' by Number Retirement". NHL.com. December 18, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  23. ^ a b "Grizzlies head man Goring hired to coach struggling Islanders Grizz lose the only coach in their Utah history". Deseret News. May 1, 1999. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  24. ^ El-Bashir, Tarik (May 1, 1999). "HOCKEY; Isles Turn to Goring to Bring Back Glory". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  25. ^ Tribune, Chicago (May 1, 1999). "ISLANDERS NAME GORING COACH". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  26. ^ Archives, L. A. Times (March 5, 2001). "Islanders Fire Goring as Coach". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  27. ^ "Lengths of Hockey Players' Careers Through the Ages". Sentex.net. Retrieved October 1, 2012.

External links[edit]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Winner of the Lady Byng Trophy
1978 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Bill Masterton Trophy
1978 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy
1981 		Succeeded by
Sporting positions
Preceded by Head coach of the Boston Bruins
1985–86 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Head coach of the New York Islanders
1999–2001 		Succeeded by
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