Gordon Arthur Drillon (October 23, 1913 – September 23, 1986) was a Canadian

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

player. He was born in Moncton,

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, Canada. From

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

through to

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in w ...

he was part of one of the NHL's most prolific scoring lines as a member of 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. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

. He won a Stanley Cup during the 1941–42 season, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975.

Playing career

Drillon played seven seasons in the NHL, six of those with Toronto and one with the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

. A winger noted for his deadly accurate shot, he created a specific style of play that made him a leading scorer. Drillon's strong frame made it difficult for opposing

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

to clear him from the front of the net. He was able to securely park himself in front of the opposing netminder to re-direct shots or pick up rebounds. This style of play would earn him a league scoring title in the 1937–38 season. Future stars such as

Phil Esposito Philip Anthony Esposito ( , ; born February 20, 1942) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, coach and executive, and current broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Lightning. A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, he played 18 seasons in ...

Dino Ciccarelli Dino Ciccarelli (born February 8, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League, primarily with the Minnesota North Stars, but also notably with the Detroit Red Wings, with whom he h ...

, and Dave Andreychuk emulated his innovative style with great success. Traded to the

for the

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 ...

season, Drillon finished second on the team in goals scored. At season's end, Drillon cut short his hockey career and joined the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

, serving for the remainder of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. After the war, he worked as a hockey coach in

Grand Falls-Windsor Grand Falls-Windsor is a town located in the central region of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, with a population of 13,853 at the 2021 census. The town is the largest in the central region, the si ...

, Newfoundland in the 1948/49 season. Drillon later returned to his native New Brunswick where he was employed as a scout for the Maple Leafs, covering the

Maritime provinces The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of Ca ...

. He eventually accepted a job with the New Brunswick civil service. In 1975, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Drillon died in

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of K ...

, in 1986 and was interred there in the Ocean View Memorial Gardens cemetery.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Awards

* Lady Byng Memorial Trophy ( 1938) * League Scoring Champion (1938) * First All-Star team — (1938, 1939) *Second All-Star team — (

)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Drillon, Gordie 1913 births 1986 deaths Canadian ice hockey left wingers Canadian military personnel of World War II Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Ice hockey people from New Brunswick New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame inductees Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winners Montreal Canadiens players National Hockey League scoring leaders (prior to 1947–48) Ontario Hockey Association Senior A League (1890–1979) players Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets (EHL) players Sportspeople from Moncton Stanley Cup champions Toronto Maple Leafs players Toronto Maple Leafs scouts Toronto Young Rangers players Valleyfield Braves players