Joseph Richard Crozier (February 19, 1929 – October 11, 2022) was a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

and

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

who played and coached primarily in the minor leagues. After playing the better part of 12 seasons in the minor leagues with the

Quebec Aces The Quebec Aces, also known in French as Les As de Québec, were an amateur and later a professional men's ice hockey team from Quebec City, Quebec. History The Aces were founded in 1928 by Anglo-Canadian Pulp and Paper Mills, the name Aces stan ...

of the Quebec Senior Hockey League, which included a five-game stint in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) with the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

, Crozier retired in 1961 and became a head coach for 22 years, beginning in 1963. He had also previously been a

player-coach A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

for the Aces in 1957–58. As a head coach in several leagues, Crozier was a three-time Calder Cup champion with the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Rochester, New York. They are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home g ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

, a two-time Lester Patrick Cup championship with the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

, and a

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...

champion with the

Kitchener Rangers The Kitchener Rangers are a major junior ice hockey team based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League. The Rangers have won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL ...

of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...

. During his coaching career, he also made brief appearances in the NHL with the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

for seasons and the Maple Leafs from the end of 1979–80 to the first half of 1980–81. In 1985, Crozier was inducted into the

Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is a hall of fame and museum for ice hockey in Manitoba, located on the main level of the Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1985, when the first honoured members were named ...

for his efforts, then once again in 2007 as part of a team induction of the

-runners-up 1948–49

Brandon Wheat Kings The Brandon Wheat Kings are a Canadians, Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Brandon, Manitoba. Founded in 1936, the team was for three decades a successful junior team playing principally in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. The Whe ...

. Crozier was the father of the professional hockey player, Greg Crozier.

Playing career

A native of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, Crozier played junior hockey in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League with the

. In his first season in 1947–48, he was named to the MJHL Second All-Star Team, then the First All-Star Team the following year. His second and final year in Brandon culminated in an eight-game

final series against the

Montreal Royals The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club ( Class AAA) of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; pi ...

. The seven-game series was extended an extra game as game three had ended in a 3–3 tie. Although Crozier scored the first goal in the final and deciding eighth game, the Royals scored four times in the third period to defeat the Wheat Kings 6–4. They were later inducted as a team into the

58 years later in 2007. Turning professional in 1949 with the San Francisco Shamrocks of the Pacific Coast Hockey League, he began a long career in the minor leagues. After playing a season with the

in 1950–51, he joined the

of the Quebec Senior Hockey League. Crozier would remain with the Aces for eight seasons, earning Second All-Star Team honours in 1954 after a 27-point campaign and First Team honours in 1957 after recording 37 points. During the 1957–58 season, Crozier also acted as team head coach. In 1959–60, Crozier joined the

of the

(AHL), then earned a break with the

of the

(NHL). He played five games with the Maple Leafs, his only appearance in the NHL as a player, recording three assists. After his NHL stint, Crozier finished his playing career with the Spokane Spokes of the

in 1959–60 and one more season with the Rochester Americans in 1960–61.

Coaching career

Crozier made his head coaching debut in 1957–58 with the

of the Quebec Senior Hockey League, while still playing defence with the team. Quebec posted a 29–31–4 record. In 1961, he became the head coach and general manager for the

Charlotte Checkers The Charlotte Checkers are a professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the top minor league affiliate of the ...

of the minor professional

Eastern Hockey League The Eastern Hockey League was a minor professional United States ice hockey league. Eastern Amateur Hockey League (1933–1953) The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL). The league was founded by Tommy Lockhart ...

. After one season with the Checkers, he rejoined Rochester of the AHL as their coach. In 1965, his second season as head coach of the Americans, he won his first of three Calder Cups, as AHL champion, during five seasons with the team. The directors of the

of the Western Hockey League purchased the Americans after the 1967–68 season, and Crozier assigned Dick Gamble to coach for Rochester while he coached for Vancouver. Crozier won two Lester Patrick Cups as WHL champion in his two seasons with Vancouver. In 1971, he became the coach and general manager of the Cincinnati Swords of the AHL. After a heart attack to

coach "Punch" Imlach, Crozier was given Imlach's position and made his

coaching debut in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

. He coached the final 37 games for the Sabres. Imlach stepped down as coach after the season, and Crozier succeeded him. He coached the Sabres to a playoff berth the following season, where the Sabres lost to the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

. After finishing his third season with the Sabres out of the playoffs, however, he was replaced by Floyd Smith after the 1973–74 season. Upon leaving the Sabres, he became the general manager of the Vancouver Blazers in the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (N ...

in 1974–75. The team relocated in 1975, becoming the

Calgary Cowboys The Calgary Cowboys were an ice hockey team that played two seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1975 to 1977. The Cowboys played at the Stampede Corral in Calgary. The franchise was founded in 1972 as the Miami Screaming Eagles ...

, and Crozier signed a new five-year contract as coach and general manager. In 1975–76, Crozier made it to the semi-finals with the Cowboys, but lost to the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The Jets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The te ...

. In his third and final season with the Blazers-Cowboys franchise, in which Calgary failed to make the playoffs, Crozier dumped the team's spare hockey sticks from the bench onto the ice during a game in protest of a disputed call. Another incident with the Cowboys involves a mishap while trying to return to Calgary after a game against the San Diego Mariners. The pilot had failed to refuel and there was not enough gas to return home. Although Crozier asked the team to collectively pitch in, they still did not have enough money. The team was bailed out by their play-by-play announcer who used his wife's

Texaco Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American Petroleum, oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its Gasoline, fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an Independ ...

card to front the $1,500 bill. During his stint with the franchise, Crozier also rose to the position of general manager. In 1980–81, Crozier was named to coach the Maple Leafs in the NHL. However, the Leafs started with 13 wins in the first 40 games. After a five-game losing streak in January, Crozier was replaced mid-season with Mike Nykoluk. After his second NHL stint, Crozier joined the

of the major junior

in September 1981 as their coach and general manager, replacing Orval Tessier. The Rangers had just come off a

final game loss to the

Cornwall Royals The Cornwall Royals were a junior ice hockey team based in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. The team played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 1969 to 1981, and the Ontario Hockey League from 1981 to 1992. This team shared its name with o ...

the previous season. In his first season with the team, they returned to the Memorial Cup, winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup as the OHL champion. The Rangers made it to the 1982 Memorial Cup Final and defeated the Sherbrooke Castors 7–4 to capture Crozier and the Rangers' first

Canadian Hockey League The Canadian Hockey League (CHL; , LCH) is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canada-based major junior ice hockey leagues. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League, and is composed of its three me ...

title. Coming off their Memorial Cup championship, Crozier and the Rangers finished with a 45–23–2 record in 1982–83, but fell to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the third round. After two seasons with the Rangers, Crozier quit following a contract dispute. He returned to the Rochester Americans for one season, in which they reached the 1984 Calder Cup Final against the Maine Mariners, but lost in five games. Crozier then retired after the 1983–84 season. Crozier was inducted into the

in 1985 for his efforts. He was elected to the American Hockey League Hall of Fame, Class of 2012, for his career as a player and coach.

Coaching record

Awards and achievements

Playing career *

MJHL The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is a Junior ice hockey, Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The MJHL consists of thirt ...

Second All-Star Team – 1948 * MJHL First All-Star Team – 1949 * QHL Second All-Star Team – 1954 * QHL First All-Star Team – 1957 Coaching career * Calder Cup ( AHL championship;

) –

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

* J. Ross Robertson Cup ( OHL championship;

) – 1982 *

( CHL championship; Kitchener Rangers) – 1982

* Inducted for individual efforts – 1985 * Inducted as part of 1948–49

– 2007 American Hockey League Hall of Fame – 2012

Personal life

Crozier was married twice. He had five children and 11 grandchildren. His son, Greg, also played hockey professionally. Crozier died on October 11, 2022.Sabres Hall of Famer Joe Crozier passes away at 93
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crozier, Joe 1929 births 2022 deaths Brandon Wheat Kings players Buffalo Sabres coaches Calgary Cowboys Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey defencemen Eastern Hockey League coaches Ice hockey people from Winnipeg New Brunswick Hawks Quebec Aces (QSHL) players Rochester Americans coaches Spokane Spokes players Toronto Maple Leafs coaches Vancouver Canucks (WHL) players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen