George Armstrong | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Name | George Armstrong | |||
Position | Center | |||
Date of Birth | July 6, 1930 | |||
Birthplace | Skead, ON, Canada | |||
Professional Career | 1949-1971 | |||
Toronto Captain | 1957-1969 | |||
Hall of Fame | 1975 | |||
George Edward "Chief" Armstrong is a former professional hockey player who played twenty-one professional seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. George Armstrong was captain of the Maple Leafs for eleven seasons, and holds the club record for longest service as team captain. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975, Armstrong is a four-time Stanley Cup champion, winning the championship with the Maple Leafs in 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1967.
Career[]
Armstrong was born on July 6, 1930 in Skead, Ontario. Armstrong began his hockey career playing with the Toronto Kroehlers of the Ontario Hockey Asociation in 1947-1948. He then was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1949, and played 2 NHL games before moving to the American Hockey League, where he played parts of two seasons with the Pittsburgh Hornets.
Armstrong finally earned a permanent spot with the Maple Leafs in the 1951-52 season, and went on to play twenty more seasons with the Maple Leafs. Nicknamed "the Chief", Armstrong served as the Maple Leafs' captain for eleven seasons, the longest such tenure in team history. Thus, while Armstrong was never regarded as a top-tier player, his steady leadership contributed to the longest string of success the Maple Leafs have seen to date. Armstrong scored an empty net goal in game six of the 1967 Stanley Cup playoffs to clinch the championship victory over the Montreal Canadiens. The Maple Leafs have not won a championship since.
In 1188 career NHL games, Armstrong scored 296 goals, and recorded 417 assists for a total of 713 career points. In addition to being a four-time Stanley Cup champion, Armstrong is also a seven time all-star, playing in the All-Star Game in 156, 1957, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1968. His career total of 1188 career games played is a Maple Leaf record, and Armstrong is tied for sixth in franchise goal scoring and fifth all-time in points as a Maple Leaf. As evidence of his status as a complete player, Armstrong's total for penalty minutes of 721 ranks fifteenth all-time among Maple Leaf players. Armstrong was rewarded for his outstanding play in 1975, when he was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Coaching Career[]
After his playing career, Armstrong moved on to a fairly successful coaching career. Armstrong coached the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey League to a Memorial Cup championship in 1975, the same year with which Armstrong was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Armstrong's merit as a coach did not go unnoticed by the Maple Leafs, as Armstrong was appointed to serve as an interim head coach for the Maple Leafs for forty-seven regular season games during the 1988-89 season.
Career Statistics[]
As Player[]
Year | Gp | G | A | P | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1949-1950 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1951-1952 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 30 |
1952-1953 | 52 | 14 | 11 | 25 | 54 |
1953-1954 | 63 | 17 | 15 | 32 | 60 |
1954-1955 | 66 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 80 |
1955-1956 | 67 | 16 | 32 | 48 | 97 |
1956-1957 | 54 | 18 | 26 | 44 | 37 |
1957-1958 | 59 | 17 | 25 | 42 | 93 |
1958-1959 | 59 | 20 | 16 | 36 | 37 |
1959-1960 | 70 | 23 | 28 | 51 | 60 |
1960-1961 | 47 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 21 |
1961-1962 | 70 | 21 | 32 | 53 | 27 |
1962-1963 | 70 | 19 | 24 | 43 | 27 |
1963-1964 | 67 | 20 | 17 | 37 | 14 |
1964-1965 | 59 | 15 | 22 | 37 | 14 |
1965-1966 | 70 | 16 | 35 | 51 | 12 |
1966-1967 | 70 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 26 |
1967-1968 | 62 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 4 |
1968-1969 | 53 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 10 |
1969-1970 | 49 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 12 |
1970-1971 | 59 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 6 |
TOTALS | 1188 | 296 | 417 | 713 | 721 |
Year | Gp | G | A | P | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1951-1952 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
1953-1954 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
1954-1955 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
1955-1956 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
1958-1959 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
1959-1960 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
1960-1961 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
1961-1962 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 2 |
1962-1963 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 4 |
1963-1964 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 10 |
1964-1965 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
1965-1966 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
1966-1967 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
1968-1969 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1970-1971 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
TOTALS | 110 | 26 | 34 | 60 | 52 |
As Head Coach[]
Year | Gp | W | L | T | Playoff Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1988-1989 | 47 | 17 | 26 | 4 | Did not qualify |
TOTALS | 47 | 17 | 26 | 4 | 0 Playoff Appearances |
- Came in as mid-season replacement