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Jerry Toppazzini
Jerry "Topper" Toppazzini (July 29, 1931 — April 21, 2012) was a Canadian ice hockey forward who played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), most notably for the Boston Bruins, between 1952 and 1964. A skilled defensive specialist and penalty killer, he set the then-NHL record for shorthanded goals in a season in 1958 with seven.[1] Playing careerToppazzini was born and raised in Copper Cliff, Ontario. He began playing ice hockey for his local team in Copper Cliff before beginning his junior career. He played junior league hockey in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA), most notably with the Barrie Flyers. In his final season with Barrie in 1951–52, he led the team with 40 goals and 90 points in 54 games, going on to add another 34 points in 23 playoff games to spearhead the Flyers to its first Memorial Cup championship. Signing with the Boston Bruins, he spent the following season with their American Hockey League (AHL) farm team, the Hershey Bears, playing with his younger brother Teddy and helping the Bears to a division title with 20 goals and 45 points in 54 games. In the subsequent 1952–53 season, Toppazzini made his National Hockey League (NHL) debut with the Bruins, scoring 23 points in 69 games. The following season, splitting time between Hershey and the major league club, he was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks for centre Gus Bodnar, and was subsequently dealt to the Detroit Red Wings in an eight-man multi-player deal, which at the time was the largest transaction in league history. He was traded back to the Bruins in 1956 for centre Murray Costello and left wing Lorne Ferguson. Toppazzini made an immediate impact, as the Bruins – in last place at the time – made a run for the playoffs, missing at the end by a single win.[2] Toppazzini remained with Boston for the next nine seasons, blossoming into a skilled two-way player while playing on a line with smooth centre Don McKenney and hard charging left wing Fleming Mackell; the trio was Boston's best line as they surged to the 1957 Stanley Cup Finals, knocking off the heavily favoured former champion Detroit Red Wings en route.[3] His best seasons statistically were 1957–58, when he scored a career-high 25 goals in the regular season and added nine goals in the Stanley Cup playoffs (with a hat-trick against the New York Rangers and three game-winning goals) in leading the Bruins to the 1958 Stanley Cup Finals, as Boston would mount a serious challenge to the dynastic Montreal Canadiens for NHL supremacy and 1961–62, when he scored 19 goals en route to a career-high 50 points.[4] Always a fan favourite, he won the Elizabeth C. Dufresne Trophy twice in a row, in 1956–57 and 1957–58, as the best performing and most popular Boston Bruin at home games. He was noted in his time with the Bruins for his "crazy chatter" in the locker room. According to teammate Bronco Horvath:
Boston traded the fading Toppazzini in the 1964 off-season, and he played the remaining four seasons of his professional career in the minor leagues, spending the 1964–65 season with the Pittsburgh Hornets of the AHL. His rights were then acquired by the Los Angeles Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the 1965 reverse draft; he initially held out before joining the Blades for the 1965–66 and 1966–67 seasons.[6][7] He finished his playing career in 1967–68 as the player-coach of the Port Huron Flags of the International Hockey League (IHL). Goaltending stintDuring the 1960–61 season, on October 16, 1960, Toppazzini substituted for Boston goaltender Don Simmons, who was injured with 30 seconds left in a match against the Chicago Black Hawks, in which the Bruins were losing 5–2.[8] At the time, teams were not required to carry a backup goaltender on the bench, although they were required to have one available in the arena. Reportedly, Toppazzini did not want to wait for the Black Hawks' house goaltender to suit up.[9] He faced no shots in his brief stint.[10] By the 1965 Stanley Cup playoffs, the NHL ruled that all teams must have a spare goaltender on the bench and ready to play.[11] Toppazzini is thus the last position player to substitute in goal during an NHL match.[12] Coaching careerAfter his retirement as a player, Toppazzini was named coach of the Springfield Kings of the American Hockey League in 1972, but was let go after two seasons in which the Kings finished in last place both years. He went on to coach the Sudbury Wolves of the OHA between 1975 and 1977, and met with much better success, leading the team to a first and second-place finish and winning the Matt Leyden Trophy as the OHA's Coach of the Year award in 1976. Retirement and deathAfter his retirement from coaching, Toppazzini settled in Sudbury, Ontario, where he opened a men's clothing store.[13] He also opened a well-known Bruins-themed bar in Sudbury known as the "Beef n'Bird."[14] He remained active in local charitable affairs.[15] Toppazzini died on April 21, 2012, following a short illness.[14] Career statisticsRegular season and playoffs
Achievements and legacy
Transactions
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