Jim Pappin obit

Former Chicago Blackhawks player Jim Pappin dead at 82

 

He was not on the list.

Former Hawks' player Jim Pappin dead at 82 originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago.

Former Chicago Blackhawks winger Jim Pappin died at the age of 82. He was born in
Sudbury, Ontario.

The news of his death was shared by another one of his former teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Pappin won the Stanley Cup with the Maple Leafs in 1964 and 1967.

After spending his entire career with Toronto up until that point, Pappin joined the Hawks in the 1968-69 season. He had a solid first campaign where he played 75 games, scored 30 goals and contributed 40 assists. His best season came in 1972-73 where he played 76 games and scored 41 goals alongside 51 assists.

The Hawks also expressed their condolences.

He played seven seasons with the Hawks, tallying 466 games, 216 goals, 228 assists and 444 points. With his 216 goals, Pappin ranks 17th in all-time goal scorers for the Hawks. During his time with Chicago, he never finished a season scoring fewer than 22 goals.

Pappin finished out his NHL career in 1976 with the Cleveland Barons.

He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Black Hawks, California Golden Seals, and Cleveland Barons from 1963 to 1977. He won the Stanley Cup in 1964 and 1967 with the Leafs. Pappin led the league in playoff goals and points in 1967 with four goals and six assists in the Finals, including the Cup-winning goal in Game 6 on May 2, 1967.

After playing for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL) in the early 1960s, Pappin played in 767 NHL games between 1963 and 1977, scoring 278 goals and 295 assists for 573 points. The 1972–73 season was his statistical best, when he scored 41 goals and 92 points with Chicago.

Pappin was added to the Toronto Maple Leafs roster during the 1963–64 season. He made his NHL debut for the franchise on November 23, 1963,[8] against the Boston Bruins at Maple Leaf Gardens. He continued to go back and forth between the Leafs and its Rochester affiliate throughout his tenure with the franchise. He won his first Stanley Cup in 1964, and played in his first NHL All-Star Game later that year.

During the 1966–67 season, Pappin led the league in game-winning goals and finished eighth in shooting percentage (15.3) and power-play goals (6). He went on to win his second Stanley Cup championship that same season, scoring the series-winning goal in Game 6. At the time of his death in 2022, it was the Leafs most recent championship-clinching goal. Although his shot was deflected in off the skate of teammate Pete Stemkowski and credit was given to the latter at first, they privately agreed to give Pappin the goal as he was in the running for a contract bonus should he score the most goals in that year's Stanley Cup playoffs. Pappin reportedly accorded Stemkowski with unlimited access to the backyard pool that he constructed with the bonus payment.

Pappin appeared in his second All-Star Game in 1968. He was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks on May 23 that same year in exchange for Pierre Pilote. The move aggrieved Pappin and spurred him to give his 1967 championship ring to his father-in-law.

During his first season with the Black Hawks, Pappin finished fourth in the NHL in game-winning goals (7) and fifth in shooting percentage (17.7). In the 1972–73 season – arguably Pappin's best season as a professional – he recorded career-highs in goals (41), assists (51), and points (92). He finished third in the league in shooting percentage (22.5), sixth in goals, seventh in goals per game (0.54), eighth in points per game (1.21), and tenth in points. He was also named to his third All-Star Game that year. Pappin proceeded to lead the league in games played with 78 the following season, and was again selected to the All-Star Game that year. He played in his fifth and final All-Star Game in 1975 and posted the second-best shooting percentage (23.1) in the NHL that year after Peter McNab.

Pappin was traded to the California Golden Seals on June 1, 1975, in exchange for Joey Johnston. He played his final two seasons for the franchise, which relocated to Cleveland to become the Cleveland Barons in 1976. He played his final NHL game on December 11, 1976, at the age of 37. Three days later, he notified general manager Bill McCreary Sr. of his retirement.

After retiring from professional hockey, Pappin worked as a scout for the Black Hawks. He continued in that capacity until the middle of the 1984–85 season, when he was hired as a replacement head coach of the International Hockey League's Milwaukee Admirals. During his tenure, the team posted a record of 12 wins and 14 losses. He subsequently returned to the Black Hawks as its director of U.S. scouting. He later scouted for the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks

Aside from hockey, Pappin had a keen interest in harness racing and owned several standardbred horses. He also became a ran a tennis facility in his hometown. In 2007, his lost 1967 Stanley Cup ring was found by treasure hunter Mark DesErmia in the Gulf of Mexico. Pappin eventually struck a deal with the treasure hunter and the ring was returned for a reward.