John Adams (ice hockey, born 1946)

John Matthew Adams (born July 27, 1946) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 22 games in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals between 1972 and 1975. He was born in Port Arthur, Ontario.

John Adams
Born (1946-07-27) July 27, 1946 (age 78)
Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for Boston Bruins
Washington Capitals
Playing career 1967–1976

Early life

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A native of Port Arthur, Ontario, Adams played junior hockey with his hometown Port Arthur team. He is one of the only players to appear in four consecutive Memorial Cup tournaments.

Career

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In 1967, Adams signed with the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. Assigned to the minor league Dayton Gems of the International Hockey League, Adams played two seasons with the Gems, winning the leading goaltending award in 1969. In the fall of 1969, he was assigned to the Bruins' leading farm team at the time, the Oklahoma City Blazers of the Central Hockey League, for whom he played for the next two seasons, winning honors as a league first-team all-star in 1972.

During the 1970 playoffs, Adams was recalled to the Bruins as a reserve to back up regular goaltenders Gerry Cheevers and Ed Johnston. He did not play a game, yet the Bruins decided to engrave his name on the Stanley Cup upon winning the championship, making him one of the few players to have his name on the Stanley Cup before playing an NHL game.

Adams would not play his first NHL game for another three seasons. In 1972–73, with Cheevers gone to the World Hockey Association and disruption[clarification needed] in the Boston net, he played fourteen games for the defending champion Bruins while splitting his time with the new Bruins' affiliate Boston Braves of the American Hockey League.

Traded to the minor-league San Diego Gulls of the Western Hockey League the following year, Adams won second-team all-star honors before being sold to the Washington Capitals in 1974. He played only eight games with the Capitals, again splitting the season between the NHL and the minor leagues.

Adams was named a player-coach for the Thunder Bay Twins of the Ontario Senior League the following year, before retiring as a player five seasons later, settling in the Thunder Bay area in retirement. His final position in professional hockey was as an assistant coach for the Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks of the Colonial Hockey League in 1991.

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1963–64 Port Arthur North Stars TBJHL
1963–64 Port Arthur North Stars M-Cup 6 3 3 360 25 0 4.17
1964–65 Port Arthur North Stars TBJHL 22 13 8 1 1320 88 0 4.00
1964–65 Port Arthur North Stars M-Cup 5 1 3 250 25 0 6.00
1965–66 Port Arthur North Stars TBJHL 26 18 6 2 1530 93 0 3.65
1965–66 Fort William Canadiens M-Cup 11 6 4 630 33 0 3.14
1966–67 Port Arthur Marrs TBJHL 30 20 8 2 1800 114 3 3.80
1966–67 Port Arthur Marrs M-Cup 19 11 8 1160 71 1 3.67
1967–68 Dayton Gems IHL 45 2570 148 2 3.46 4 240 21 0 5.25
1968–69 Dayton Gems IHL 32 1900 91 2 2.87 6 365 15 1 2.47
1969–70 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 51 18 26 7 3027 176 5 3.49
1970–71 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 57 25 22 10 3417 195 3 3.42 5 1 4 280 21 0 4.50
1971–72 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 43 15 15 3 2168 129 2 3.57
1972–73 Boston Bruins NHL 14 9 3 1 780 39 1 3.00 .906
1972–73 Boston Braves AHL 23 1179 65 1 3.31 8 4 4 420 34 0 4.86
1973–74 San Diego Gulls WHL 69 38 26 4 4094 223 1 3.27 .904 4 0 4 261 19 0 4.37
1974–75 Washington Capitals NHL 8 0 7 0 400 46 0 6.90 .833
1974–75 Richmond Robins AHL 28 7 13 3 1424 105 1 4.42 .869
1975–76 Thunder Bay Twins OHA Sr 12 720 33 3 2.75
1976–77 Thunder Bay Twins TBSHL
1977–78 Thunder Bay Twins TBSHL
1978–79 Thunder Bay Twins TBSHL
1979–80 Thunder Bay Twins TBSHL
NHL totals 22 9 10 1 1180 85 1 4.32 .877
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