Butch Goring

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Robert Thomas "Butch" Goring (born October 22, 1949 in St. Boniface, Manitoba) was a Canadian ice hockey player.

[edit] Playing career

After finishing up his junior career with the Winnipeg Jets of the WHL, Goring was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1969 Entry Draft, 51st overall. He played parts of two seasons for the Kings in 1970 and 1971 while generally toiling for Los Angeles' Springfield AHL farm team; he had a spectacular season for Springfield in 1971, leading the league in goals, assists and points in the playoffs to lead his team (along with future Hall of Fame goaltender Billy Smith) to 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, becoming well known for skilled faceoff, defensive and penalty killing work and scoring thirty or more goals four times. Goring was also known for his explosive speed. He won both the Bill Masterton Trophy and the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1978. In the 1980 season, Goring was traded in March to the New York Islanders, and was widely regarded as being one of the key elements that pushed the Islanders over the top to become champions. That season, he would score 19 points in 21 playoff games to help Long Island to the first of four consecutive Stanley Cup championships. The next season,(1980-1981), 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. In the 1981 Cup final, The Minnesota North Stars dubbed Goring "The Charlie Hustle" of hockey, thoroughly exasperated by Goring's boundless energy on the ice. During the 1982 and 1983 regular season campaigns Goring, who had the dubious distinction of being the teams oldest player, struggled, but when the playoffs came, Goring was a solid contributor to the Islanders third and fourth consecutive Stanley Cups.

Goring's final NHL season was 1985, where after his release by the Islanders he played effectively for half a season with the Boston Bruins, before becoming the Bruins' coach for a season and a half. After he was fired as the Bruins' coach in 1987, he played briefly for the Nova Scotia Oilers of the AHL before retiring for good.

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 history for anyone playing in more than a thousand games. Many of his fans will always remember his trademark "JOFA" helmet worn with a loose chinstrap with Goring's long, dirty blonde hair streaming out of the back of it, as he darted with a reckless abandon on the ice.

[edit] Coaching Career

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; he also coached the New York Islanders in the 1999-2000 season and most of the following season -- he was fired by the Islanders on March 4, 2001. He also served as the head coach for several minor league teams, including the Capital District Islanders, Las Vegas Thunder, Denver Grizzlies, Utah Grizzlies, and Anchorage Aces, winning two championships. In 2002/2003 he took over the Krefeld Penguins of the german hockey league and led them to their first championship since 1952. In 2004 and 2005, he was the coach of the DEG Metro Stars hockey team in Germany.

[edit] Career achievements and facts

Won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1978.
Won the Bill Masterton Trophy in 1978.
Played in the NHL All-Star Game in 1980.
Won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1981.
One of the first players in the league to regularly wear a helmet.
The very last active player that had played during the 1960s.

Preceded by Marcel Dionne	Winner of the Lady Byng Trophy 1978	Succeeded by Bob MacMillan
Preceded by Ed Westfall	Winner of the Bill Masterton Trophy 1978	Succeeded by Serge Savard
Preceded by Bryan Trottier	Winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy 1981	Succeeded by Mike Bossy

Boston Bruins Head Coaches
Ross • Denneny • F. Patrick • Weiland • Clapper • Boucher • L. Patrick • Schmidt • Watson • Sinden • Johnson • Guidolin • Cherry • Creighton • Cheevers • Goring • O'Reilly • Milbury • Bowness • Sutter • Kasper • Burns • Keenan • Ftorek • O'Connell • Sullivan • Lewis

New York Islanders Head Coaches
Goyette • Ingarfield • Arbour • Simpson • Henning • Milbury • Bowness • Stewart • Goring • Laviolette • Stirling • Shaw • Nolan