Don Awrey

Don Awrey
Born (1943-07-18) July 18, 1943 (age 81)
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for Boston Bruins
St. Louis Blues
Montreal Canadiens
Pittsburgh Penguins
New York Rangers
Colorado Rockies
National team  Canada
Playing career 1960–1979

Donald William Awrey (born July 18, 1943) is a Canadian former professional hockey defenceman. He played 979 career National Hockey League (NHL) games with the Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, and Colorado Rockies.

He overcame a back injury while attending high school after surgery to fuse three vertebrae and being confined to a Stryker frame for three weeks.[1]

A defensive defenceman, known for his superb shot-blocking and bone-jarring bodychecks, Awrey played for the Niagara Falls Flyers of the OHA before being signed by the Bruins. Despite being an exceptionally fast skater, he rarely scored goals. He made his NHL debut in 1963–64 for the Bruins, his first of 16 seasons in the league. Awrey scored his first NHL goal on March 15, 1964 in Boston's 3-1 home win over Montreal.

Awrey was part of two Stanley Cup winning teams with the Bruins, in 1970 and 1972. He was also part of the Montreal Canadiens team that won the Stanley Cup in 1976, but did not play in any playoff games that season, and so does not have his name engraved on the cup for that year even though he qualified. Awrey was named to Team Canada for the Summit Series,[2] playing in two of the eight games.[1]

Awrey was acquired by the Canadiens from the Blues for Chuck Lefley on November 28, 1974.[3] He was dealt from the Canadiens to the Penguins for a third-round selection in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft (42nd overall–Richard David) and cash on August 11, 1976.[4][5] His last season in the NHL was 1978–79, when he played for the Colorado Rockies. He now lives in Fort Myers, Florida.[1]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1960–61 Waterloo Siskins CJHL — — — — — — — — — —
1960–61 Niagara Falls Flyers OHA-Jr. 3 0 0 0 11 — — — — —
1961–62 Niagara Falls Flyers OHA-Jr. 41 6 12 18 90 10 0 3 3 15
1962–63 Niagara Falls Flyers OHA-Jr. 50 7 23 30 111 9 4 9 13 29
1962–63 Niagara Falls Flyers M-Cup — — — — — 16 4 8 12 58
1963–64 Boston Bruins NHL 16 1 0 1 4 — — — — —
1963–64 Minneapolis Bruins CPHL 54 4 15 19 136 5 0 0 0 9
1964–65 Boston Bruins NHL 47 2 3 5 41 — — — — —
1964–65 Hershey Bears AHL 23 2 4 6 38 15 0 1 1 29
1965–66 Boston Bruins NHL 70 4 3 7 74 — — — — —
1966–67 Boston Bruins NHL 4 1 0 1 6 — — — — —
1966–67 Hershey Bears AHL 63 1 13 14 153 5 0 0 0 19
1967–68 Boston Bruins NHL 74 3 12 15 153 4 0 1 1 4
1968–69 Boston Bruins NHL 73 0 13 13 149 10 0 1 1 28
1969–70 Boston Bruins NHL 73 3 10 13 120 14 0 5 5 32
1970–71 Boston Bruins NHL 74 4 21 25 143 7 0 0 0 17
1971–72 Boston Braves AHL 3 0 1 1 2 — — — — —
1971–72 Boston Bruins NHL 34 1 8 9 52 15 0 4 4 45
1972–73 Boston Bruins NHL 78 2 17 19 90 4 0 0 0 6
1973–74 St. Louis Blues NHL 75 5 16 21 51 — — — — —
1974–75 St. Louis Blues NHL 20 0 8 8 4 — — — — —
1974–75 Montreal Canadiens NHL 56 1 11 12 58 11 0 6 6 12
1975–76 Montreal Canadiens NHL 72 0 12 12 29 — — — — —
1976–77 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 79 1 12 13 40 3 0 1 1 0
1977–78 New York Rangers NHL 78 2 8 10 38 3 0 0 0 6
1978–79 New Haven Nighthawks AHL 6 2 1 3 6 — — — — —
1978–79 Colorado Rockies NHL 56 1 4 5 18 — — — — —
NHL totals 979 31 158 189 1068 71 0 18 18 150

International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1972 Canada SS 2 0 0 0 0

References

  1. ^ a b c Stubbs, Dave. "Awrey symbol of grit for Bruins alumni at Stanley Cup Final," NHL.com, Monday, May 27, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  2. ^ "Sports News in Brief," The Canadian Press, Thursday, July 13, 1972. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  3. ^ Bergson, Perry. "Alumni Spotlight: Chuck Lefley," The Brandon (MB) Sun, Saturday, January 18, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  4. ^ "Awrey moves to Canadiens," The Associated Press (AP), Thursday, August 12, 1976. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  5. ^ 1978 NHL Amateur Draft Pick Transactions, June 15 – Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved February 24, 2023.