John Arbour

John Gilbert Arbour (born September 28, 1945) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played in both the National Hockey League and the World Hockey Association. A stocky, physical defenceman, Arbour also developed an offensive dimension to his game later in his career.

John Arbour
Born (1945-09-28) September 28, 1945
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 194 lb (88 kg; 13 st 12 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for Boston Bruins
Pittsburgh Penguins
Vancouver Canucks
St. Louis Blues
Minnesota Fighting Saints (WHA)
Calgary Cowboys (WHA)
Playing career 19651977

Playing career

NHL years

Arbour came up through the Boston Bruins organization, but only played 6 games in Boston before being sold to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1968. He appeared in 17 games for the Penguins in 1968–69, but found himself in the WHL for 1969–70 with the Vancouver Canucks. After a fine season in Vancouver, Arbour was one of 6 players to remain a Vancouver Canuck when the team became an NHL franchise the following year. However, he only lasted 13 games before being dealt to the St. Louis Blues. 1970–71 would be his only full NHL campaign, as he appeared in 66 games between Vancouver and St. Louis, recording his only career NHL goal and 7 points. The following year, he appeared in 17 more games for the Blues, but again found himself mainly in the WHL.

WHA years

Arbour jumped to the upstart World Hockey Association in 1972, joining the Minnesota Fighting Saints. In Minnesota, he experienced the most successful portion of his pro career. He immediately established himself as one of the club's top defenceman, finishing his first season with 6 goals and 33 points, along with 186 penalty minutes. In 1973–74, his numbers continued to improve, as he led the Saints' defenceman in scoring with 6 goals and 49 points. In 1974–75, he posted career highs of 12 goals and 55 points, again the highest-scoring defenceman on his team.

Early in the 1975–76 season, he was dealt to the Denver Spurs, who ultimately folded mid-season. For 1976–77, he found himself back with the Fighting Saints, but finished out the season with the Calgary Cowboys after Minnesota, too, folded mid-year. He then chose to retire from pro hockey.

Arbour appeared in 106 NHL games, recording 1 goal and 10 points, along with 149 PIM. He also recorded 30 goals and 194 points in 335 WHA games, along with 568 PIM.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1963–64 Niagara Falls Flyers OHA 56126180
1965–66 Niagara Falls Flyers OHA 47133144196
1965–66 Boston Bruins NHL 20000
1965–66 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 30000 30000
1966–67 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 6732124140 901111
1967–68 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 6221517224 710142
1967–68 Boston Bruins NHL 401111
1968–69 Baltimore Clippers AHL 5941721157 400015
1968–69 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 1702235
1969–70 Vancouver Canucks WHL 7272835251 1123542
1970–71 Vancouver Canucks NHL 1300012
1970–71 St. Louis Blues NHL 5316781 50000
1971–72 Denver Spurs WHL 204121673
1971–72 St. Louis Blues NHL 1700010
1972–73 Minnesota Fighting Saints WHA 7662733186 603322
1973–74 Minnesota Fighting Saints WHA 7764349192 1136927
1974–75 Minnesota Fighting Saints WHA 7012435567 1206623
1975–76 Minnesota Fighting Saints WHA 704414
1975–76 Denver Spurs/Ottawa Civics WHA 352131549
1976–77 Calgary Cowboys WHA 371151638
1976–77 Minnesota Fighting Saints WHA 333192222
WHA totals 33530164194568 293151872
NHL totals 1061910149 50000
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