Billy MacMillan
William Stewart MacMillan (born March 7, 1943) is a Canadian former hockey coach and player. MacMillan played and later coached in the National Hockey League (NHL). After several years with the Canadian national team, including playing at two World Championships and the 1968 Winter Olympics, winning a bronze medal, MacMillan made his NHL debut in 1970 with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He played for Toronto, the Atlanta Flames, and New York Islanders between 1970 and 1977, and retired from playing in 1978. He became a coach during his final year, spent in the minor CHL and moved to the NHL in 1979 when he became an assistant coach for the Islanders. He was named the head coach of the Colorado Rockies in 1980, also serving as general manager the next season. MacMillan stayed with the team as they relocated in 1982 to become the New Jersey Devils, and was let go early in the 1983–84 season. Billy is the brother of Bob MacMillan.
| Billy MacMillan | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 with the St. Michaels Majors, c. 1961 | |||
| Born |
March 7, 1943 Charlottetown, PEI, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Toronto Maple Leafs Atlanta Flames New York Islanders | ||
| National team |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada | ||
| Playing career | 1966–1978 | ||
Early career
MacMillan grew up in Prince Edward Island and excelled at a variety of sports, including hockey, rugby, and track. He left home as a teenager for the more fertile hockey ground of Ontario. He appeared in three Memorial Cup tournaments with the powerful St. Michael's Majors junior team. He later played university hockey at the now merged Saint Dunstan's University, after returning to PEI to complete his academic studies. He subsequently appeared in various minor leagues.[1][2]
NHL career
A powerful body checker and solid defensive forward, MacMillan was a late bloomer who did not make an NHL roster until age 27. He scored a surprising 22 goals as a rookie with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but saw his playing time reduced the next season. He was selected in the 1972 expansion draft by the Atlanta Flames, playing in a checking role with the team during its inaugural season. He was then traded to the New York Islanders, where he played for an additional four years. After failing to make the NHL roster in 1977, he played one year with the Fort Worth Texans before retiring.[1][2]
Coaching career
MacMillan was hired as an assistant coach by Al Arbour with the New York Islanders for the 1979-80 season, and he helped lead this franchise to its first Stanley Cup. The next season, he was hired by the Colorado Rockies to serve a dual role as general manager and head coach. After one season, he was relieved of his coaching duties, but after the team moved and became the New Jersey Devils in 1982, he returned to a capacity behind the bench. He was fired 20 games into the following season.[1][2]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1959–60 | St. Michael's Buzzers | OHA-B | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1959–60 | St. Michael's Majors | OHA | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1960–61 | St. Michael's Majors | OHA | 46 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1960–61 | St. Michael's Majors | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1961–62 | St. Michael's Majors | OHA | 32 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 2 | 14 | 41 | ||
| 1961–62 | St. Michael's Majors | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 1962–63 | Sudbury Wolves | EPHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1962–63 | Toronto Neil McNeil Maroons | MTJHL | 32 | 25 | 12 | 37 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 9 | ||
| 1962–63 | Toronto Neil McNeil Maroons | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 18 | ||
| 1963–64 | St. Dunstan's University | MIAU | 11 | 25 | 11 | 36 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1964–65 | St. Dunstan's University | AUAA | 20 | 25 | — | 25 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1965–66 | Canadian National Team | Intl | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1966–67 | Canadian National Team | Intl | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | Ottawa Nationals | OHA Sr | 20 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | Canadian National Team | Intl | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Canadian National Team | Intl | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 3 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Canadian National Team | Intl | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 76 | 22 | 19 | 41 | 42 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1971–72 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 61 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 39 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1972–73 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 78 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | New York Islanders | NHL | 55 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | New York Islanders | NHL | 69 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 12 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 23 | ||
| 1975–76 | New York Islanders | NHL | 64 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 10 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 8 | ||
| 1976–77 | Fort Worth Texans | CHL | 12 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Rhode Island Reds | AHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | New York Islanders | NHL | 43 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 1977–78 | Fort Worth Texans | CHL | 59 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 26 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 446 | 74 | 77 | 151 | 184 | 53 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 40 | ||||
International
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Canada | ||
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 1968 Grenoble | |
| World Championships | ||
| 1966 Yugoslavia | |
| 1967 Austria | |
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Canada | WC | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | |
| 1967 | Canada | WC | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1968 | Canada | OLY | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| Senior totals | 20 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 6 | |||
Coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
| Colorado Rockies | 1980–81 | 80 | 22 | 45 | 13 | 57 | 5th in Smythe | Missed playoffs |
| New Jersey Devils | 1982–83 | 80 | 17 | 49 | 14 | 48 | 5th in Patrick | Missed playoffs |
| New Jersey Devils | 1983–84 | 20 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 5th in Patrick | (fired) |
| Total | 180 | 41 | 112 | 27 | ||||
References
- "Billy Stewart MacMillan". Legends of Hockey. Hockey Hall of Fame.
- "William Stewart (Billy) MacMillan". PEI Sports Hall of Fame. August 2013.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database
| Preceded by Don Cherry |
Head coach of the Colorado Rockies 1980–81 |
Succeeded by Bert Marshall |
| Preceded by Colorado Rockies coaches Marshall Johnston |
Head coach of the New Jersey Devils 1982–83 |
Succeeded by Tom McVie |
| Preceded by Ray Miron |
General manager of the Colorado Rockies/New Jersey Devils 1981–83 |
Succeeded by Max McNab |