Hockey Hall of Famer George Armstrong dies at 90
George Armstrong, who captained the Toronto Maple Leafs to 4 Stanley Cups within the Nineteen Sixties, has died. He was 90.
His loss of life was introduced Sunday by the Maple Leafs, who mentioned he died of coronary heart issues, citing his household.
Armstrong had 296 targets and 417 assists over 21 seasons for the Leafs, together with 12 seasons as crew captain, and stays the franchise’s chief in video games performed, variously listed at 1,187 or 1,888. The proper wing had 26 targets and 34 assists in 110 playoff video games.
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Known because the “Chief,” Armstrong was one of the primary gamers of Indigenous descent to play skilled hockey.
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975. (*90*) 41 years later, Armstrong was voted No. 12 on the franchise’s checklist of 100 biggest Maple Leafs in its centennial season.
“George is part of the very fabric of the Toronto Maple Leaf organization and will be deeply missed,” Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan mentioned in an announcement.
“A proud yet humble man, he loved being a Maple Leaf, but never sought the spotlight even though no player played more games for Toronto or captained the team longer. Always one to celebrate his teammates rather than himself, George couldn’t even bring himself to deliver his speech the day he was immortalized on Legends Row.”
Armstrong would grow to be one of a number of Leafs honored with a banner at Scotiabank Arena, and his quantity was retired in October 2016 at the crew’s centennial anniversary dwelling opener.
In 2015, Armstrong was added to the Leafs’ Legends Row. The crew launched an announcement Sunday with the phrases from Armstrong’s unread speech that evening.
“Hockey is a great game and I love it. I am part of a fading generation that you will never have again. Every one of us is one of a kind, that will never be repeated. To all of my friends and acquaintances, thank you for your advice and direction, that helped make me who I am today … a very, very happy person.”
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman paid tribute Sunday to the previous Leafs captain.
“The National Hockey League family is saddened to learn of the passing of George Armstrong,” Bettman mentioned in an announcement. “For 70 years, he represented his beloved Maple Leafs and the entire NHL with class and distinction as a player, coach, executive and ambassador.
“A humble man and revered chief, Armstrong captained the Leafs for 12 seasons — together with to 3 straight Stanley Cups in 1962, 1963 and 1964 and the beautiful 1967 title — and scored the ultimate purpose of the Original Six Era in Game 6 of the ’67 Final.
“Our game will miss him dearly.”
After retiring in 1971, Armstrong coached the Toronto Marlboros to Memorial Cup victories in 1972-73 and 1974-75 earlier than accepting a scouting place with the Quebec Nordiques in 1978.
He spent 9 years with Quebec earlier than returning to Toronto as assistant normal supervisor and scout in 1988. Armstrong served as interim coach for the ultimate 47 video games of the 1988-89 season after John Brophy was fired following an 11-20-2 begin.
The subsequent yr, Armstrong returned to his position as a scout for the Leafs.
Armstrong scored 20 targets 4 occasions throughout his profession however was higher recognized for his management and work ethic, serving to restore the franchise’s successful contact. A wise participant and proficient backchecker, he labored the angles to get the perfect shot at his opponent and fashioned a formidable penalty-killing tandem with Hall of Famer Dave Keon.
Born in Bowland’s Bay, Ontario, to an Irish father and an Iroquois mom, Armstrong honed his hockey abilities close to the nickel mines the place his father labored.
It was in the course of the Allan Cup event in 1950, particularly a go to to the Stoney Indian Reserve in Alberta, that he bought his nickname. When the band heard of Armstrong’s ancestral background, they made him an honorary member with the identify “Chief Shoot-the-Puck” and offered him with a ceremonial headdress.
It was a distinct period and “The Chief” nickname caught. Armstrong, who was proud of his mom’s heritage, would grow to be the primary participant of Indigenous descent to attain within the NHL.
He spent most of two seasons in Pittsburgh with the Leafs’ American Hockey League farm crew earlier than making the large league. He made his NHL debut in December 1949 and have become a full-time member of the Leafs in time for the beginning of the 1952-53 season.
Toronto proprietor and GM Conn Smythe named Armstrong his captain earlier than the 1957-58 season. Smythe would later name Armstrong “the best captain, as a captain, the Leafs have ever had.”
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The Leafs gained the Stanley Cup in 1962, the primary of three straight championships.
Armstrong was 36 when the veteran Leafs gained the franchise’s most up-to-date championship in 1967. His insurance coverage empty-net purpose with 47 seconds remaining within the clinching 3-1 Game 6 win was the ultimate purpose of the Original Six period.
The 6-foot-1, 204-pounder performed a number of extra seasons however suffered a knee damage in the course of the 1969-70 season that compelled him to retire. Armstrong was persuaded to come back again for the 1970-71 season earlier than quitting for good at age 40.
