Terry O'Reilly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Right Wing |
| Nickname(s) | Terry, Tazmanian Devil |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 01 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg/14 st 4 lb) |
| Pro clubs | Boston Bruins |
| Nationality |  Canada |
| Born | June 7, 1951 , Niagara Falls, Ontario |
| NHL Draft | Rnd 1, 14th overall, 1971 Bruins |
| Pro career | 1971 – 1985 |
- This article is about the ice hockey player. For the radio broadcaster, see Terry O'Reilly (broadcaster).
Joseph James Terrence (Terry) O'Reilly (born June 7, 1951 in Niagara Falls, Ontario) is a retired ice hockey right-winger.
Contents |
[edit] Career
O'Reilly was picked by the Boston Bruins in the 1st round as the 14th pick overall in the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft. O'Reilly spent his entire career in Boston, serving as the captain of the Bruins team during the 1983-84 and 1984-85 seasons before his retirement. The Bruins retired his playing number (#24) on October 24, 2002[1].
O'Reilly was known for being a tough player, racking up over 200 penalty minutes in five consecutive seasons, and earning for himself the nickname "Bloody O'Reilly" in the press. He was very protective of his teammates causing Ray Bourque to note, when the Bruins retired his number, that the banner "hangs next to mine, protecting me again. That's awesome."[1]
On top of his physical presence, he also had a decent scoring touch for an enforcer, highlighted by his 29-goal, 90-point season in 1977-78. He added to that with a 77 point effort the following campaign. He had 211 and 205 minutes in penalties in those seasons respectively, displaying an excellent balance of grit and scoring that any hockey GM would cherish. He finished his 13 year career with 204 goals, 402 assists for 606 points, a +212 plus/minus (a tribute to his good defensive skills) and 2,095 minutes in penalties.
In an infamous December 26, 1979 incident at Madison Square Garden, during a post-game scrum, a New York Rangers fan stole Stan Jonathan's stick and hit him with it. O'Reilly scaled the glass boards and charged into the stands. His teammates followed when other fans tried to intervene.[2] At one point a shoe (presumably from a Rangers fan) was thrown. While O'Reilly was grappling with the fan who had stolen the stick, some of his teammates moved further up into the stands looking for a fan with one shoe. When they found him, they hit him with his own shoe. O'Reilly was suspended eight games for his part in the brawl.[2]
He became the replacement head coach of the Bruins during the 1986-87 NHL season and kept his job until 1989, when he left to care for, and spend more time with, his son who was seriously ill with liver disease. In that time, he took the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1988, where they were defeated by the Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers. Terry also was an assistant coach for the Rangers for the two seasons prior to the lockout.
[edit] Trivia
In the Adam Sandler movie Happy Gilmore, O'Reilly is mentioned as Happy Gilmore's favorite hockey player growing up because of his tough style.
| Preceded by Wayne Cashman |
Boston Bruins captains 1983-85 |
Succeeded by Ray Bourque Rick Middleton |
| Preceded by Butch Goring |
Head coaches of the Boston Bruins 1986-1989 |
Succeeded by Mike Milbury |
|
|||||
|
|||||
[edit] References
- ^ Bruce Allen (October 24, 2002). Terry O'Reilly gets his number. Boston Sports Media Watch. Retrieved on 2006-07-18.
- ^ 1971 NHL Amateur Draft — Terry O'Reilly. Retrieved on 2006-07-18.
Terry O'Reilly is also going to be on a NESN reality show which was conceived by Brad Park.
[edit] External links
- Article about number retirement and achievements at bostonbruins.com
- Terry O'Reilly's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
