John Gordon obit

JOHN GORDON OBITUARY

 

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John "Jack" Gordon passed away on Monday, June 27, 2022. He was born March 3, 1928, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Jack played professional hockey in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers. Jack was coach and General Manager for the NHL Minnesota North Stars and Director of Hockey Operations for the NHL Vancouver Canucks. In 2012, he was inducted into the American Hockey League Hall of Fame and is a member of the Manitoba, Canada Hockey Hall of Fame. Survivors include his loving wife of 72 years, Joyce; son, John (Sue); daughter, Janice; grandchildren, Sara (Patrick) and Ian; great-grandchildren, Grayden, Kendall, and Callen and numerous other relatives and friends.

Despite seeing limited NHL action, Gordon was a consistent scoring threat over a long 14-year career in the American Hockey League. He made his first appearance as a 19-year-old in 1947 with the New Haven Ramblers. Two years later, he recorded 60 assists, good for second in the league, and 83 points. He was acquired by the Cincinnati Mohawks in 1951 and was the leading scorer in his one season with the club. Gordon then spent eight years as a major contributor with the Cleveland Barons. He scored 102 points in 1954, which was good for second in the AHL, as his team won the Calder Cup. In 1957, he also became coach of the Barons, and he led the squad to another Calder Cup in his first year. After the 1959 season, he retired as a player, but he served three more years as coach. He returned to coach the team during the 1969 and 1970 teams, after a three-year stint as assistant GM of the New York Rangers concluded.