Alexander Douglas MacLellan (April 30, 1930 – March 18, 2022) was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman who won three consecutive national championships with Michigan.[1]
| Alex MacLellan | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
April 30, 1930 Montreal, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Died | March 18, 2022 (aged 91) | ||
| Position | Defenceman | ||
| Played for | Michigan | ||
| Playing career | 1950–1953 | ||
Career
editHailing from Montreal, MacLellan was one of a slew of Canadians who played for Vic Heyliger on his powerhouse Michigan teams in the 1950s. After a year on the freshman team, MacLellan joined the varsity squad for the 1950–51 season and the team didn't miss a beat; the Wolverines finished the regular season with a record of 20–4–1 and received the top western seed. Michigan dominated the competition, winning both games by 6 goals and captured their second national championship. The following year was more of the same and the Wolverines' 20–4 mark got them the top seed once more. MacLellan scored his first postseason goal against St. Lawrence in the semifinal and the Wolverines completely shut down Colorado College in the final.[2]
In MacLellan's senior season the Wolverines took a step back, finishing with a 15–7 record but tied for the MCHL lead, giving them a sixth consecutive tournament berth.[3] While the offense had declined during the season, the defense was still a force to be reckoned with and, as the leader of the group, MacLellan was named as an AHCA First Team All-American.[4] In the tournament the offense returned in full and blew the competition out of the water; Michigan scored 21 goals in two games and won their third consecutive title. MacLellan and the three other seniors on the team are the only players in the history of the NCAA to win three consecutive Division I championships (as of 2020).
MacLellan graduated from the school of Business Administration and was inducted into the Michigan Dekers Hall of Fame in 1978. In 2018 MacLellan was ranked as the 45th best player in the history of the program.[5] MacLellan died on March 18, 2022, aged 91.[6]
Statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1950–51 | Michigan | NCAA | 27 | — | — | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1951–52 | Michigan | MCHL | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1952–53 | Michigan | MCHL | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NCAA totals | 77 | 11 | 38 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and honors
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-MCHL Second Team | 1952–53 | [7] |
| AHCA First Team All-American | 1952–53 | [4] |
| NCAA All-Tournament First Team | 1953 | [8] |
References
edit- ^ "Hall of Fame: Alex MacLellan (1978)". Dekers Club. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "NCAA Division 1 Tournament". College Hockey Historical Archives. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
- ^ "Through the Years: Season-By-Season Results" (PDF). Michigan Wolverines. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 31, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
- ^ a b "1952-1953 All-American Team". The American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
- ^ "Michigan hockey's best 50 players of all time". Michigan Live. February 20, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Alexander MACLELLAN Obituary". Vancouver Sun and Province. April 2, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ "WCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
- ^ "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database