| Wren Blair | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 2, 1925 Lindsay, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | January 2, 2013 (aged 87) Oshawa, Ontario, Canada |
Wren Alvin Blair (October 2, 1925 – January 2, 2013) was a Canadian ice hockey coach. Blair was born in Lindsay, Ontario. He was the first general manager of the Minnesota North Stars, serving from 1967 to 1974. Blair was the North Stars' first head coach in the 1967-68 season, and returned to that role midway through the 1968-69 season, relinquishing the role again during the 1969-70 season. He was also the General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins from July 1975 to December 1976. Blair was responsible for notifying the Boston Bruins about Bobby Orr and helped train him for the NHL.
Prior to an NHL career, Blair was the coach / manager of the Whitby Dunlops team that won Allan Cups in 1957 and 1959, and a gold medal at the 1958 Ice Hockey World Championships. He also coached the Kingston Frontenacs to the final EPHL championship in the 1962–63 season.
He died on January 2, 2013 aged 87 in Oshawa, Ontario.[1][2]
Coaching record[edit]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
| Minnesota North Stars | 1967–68 | 74 | 27 | 32 | 15 | 69 | 4th in West | Lost in Semi-Finals |
| Minnesota North Stars | 1968–69 | 41 | 12 | 20 | 9 | (35) | 6th in West | (moved to GM role) |
| Minnesota North Stars | 1969–70 | 32 | 9 | 13 | 10 | (29) | 3rd in West | (returned to GM role) |
| Total | 147 | 48 | 65 | 34 | ||||
References[edit]
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Saginaw hockey pioneer Wren Blair passes away". mlive.com. 2013-01-03. Retrieved 2013-01-03.
External links[edit]
| Preceded by Position created |
General Manager of the Minnesota North Stars 1967–74 |
Succeeded by Jack Gordon |
| Preceded by Jack Button |
General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins 1975–76 |
Succeeded by Baz Bastien |
| Preceded by Position created John Muckler |
Head coach of the Minnesota North Stars 1967–68 1968–70 |
Succeeded by John Muckler Charlie Burns |
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