Gord Hannigan

Gord Hannigan
Born January 19, 1929
Schumacher, ON, CAN
Died November 16, 1966 (aged 37)
Height 5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight 163 lb (74 kg; 11 st 9 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career 1951–1958

John Gordon Hannigan (January 19, 1929 in Schumacher, Ontario – November 16, 1966) was a professional ice hockey forward who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League.

Playing career

Hannigan was a left winger and centre for the Toronto Maple Leafs (1952-1956) of the NHL, Pittsburgh Hornets (1951-1952), (1954-1955), (1955-1956) and Rochester Americans (1956-1957) of the AHL and the Edmonton Flyers (1957-1958) of the WHL.

He played for the St. Michael's College School Monarchs as a 155 pound, fast-skating left winger, in 1951. He worked out with Toronto for the first time in February 1949, along with Tim Horton. The two college players were allowed to play in the NHL but not in the Ontario Hockey Association, because of a strange rule. The OHA refused to permit Hannigan and Horton to play for the Toronto Marlboros, a Maple Leafs affiliate. Leafs' President Conn Smythe did not like the ruling but granted the junior players a trial after four of his team's forwards were injured. In October 1953 Hannigan sustained a rib injury in practice and was out of the Maple Leafs lineup for three weeks.

He was purchased by Edmonton from Toronto in October 1957. He played the previous season for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League. Hannigan's first game for the Flyers was against the Saskatoon/St. Paul Regals. He replaced Johnny Utendale, a rookie who had a sprained ankle.

Jack Perrin, President of the Winnipeg Warriors (1955–1961), made overtures to buy Hannigan from the Maple Leafs in September 1957. However, Hannigan told him that he would only consider an offer from Edmonton, if he could not play for Toronto. His younger brother, Pat Hannigan, played for Winnipeg in (1956–1957), the New Westminster Royals (1957–1959), the Maple Leafs (1959–1960) and the New York Rangers (1960–1962).

Gord Hannigan was a partner in a successful Edmonton ice cream business at the time of his acquisition by the Flyers. He also had other interests in the Alberta city. He married Ann Mary Conboy of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in August 1953. Together they had nine children, before he had a tragic death of a heart attack.

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