George James "Red" Sullivan (December 24, 1929 – January 19, 2019) was a Canadian professional

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 ...

player who played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

(NHL) from

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

. After finishing his playing career Sullivan became a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

, serving in that role between 1962 and 1975.

Playing career

George "Red" Sullivan began his NHL career with the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making ...

(

–

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito is chosen President of Yugosl ...

). He also played for the

Chicago Black Hawks (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

(

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

–

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...

) and the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its ho ...

(

–

). Sullivan led the Chicago Black Hawks in scoring in the two years he played with them. Sullivan was severely injured, and very nearly killed, when defenceman Doug Harvey of the Montreal Canadiens speared him in the stomach, rupturing his spleen, where a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

priest was even brought to the hospital to deliver his

last rites The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. They may be administered to those awaiting execution, mortall ...

, however Sullivan survived and resumed his career with the

. During 556 NHL games, he scored 107 goals with 239 assists for 346 points. In the 2009 book ''100 Ranger Greats'', the authors ranked Sullivan at No. 66 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.

Coaching career

Sullivan became the head coach of the Rangers during the 1962–63 season when fans began to demand

Muzz Patrick Frederick Murray "Muzz" Patrick (June 28, 1915 – July 27, 1998) was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and general manager. He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers from 1938 to 1941, and then from 1945 to 1946. He wa ...

resign. He coached a rather bad team until December 1965 when the Rangers' general manager,

Emile Francis Emile Percival Francis (September 13, 1926 – February 19, 2022), nicknamed "The Cat", was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and general manager in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers f ...

decided he himself would take over as head coach. Sullivan then coached the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

in their first season. He was dismissed on March 31, 1969 after two consecutive seasons of the Penguins failing to qualify for the playoffs due to a pair of fifth-place finishes. During the 1974-1975 NHL season, Sullivan replaced Jim Anderson as head coach of the expansion

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

. Sullivan posted a 2-16 record as head coach and was replaced later that season by Milt Schmidt.Washington Capitals Club History
He died on January 19, 2019, after suffering for a number of years with Alzheimer's / dementia.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Coaching record

References

External links

* 1929 births 2019 deaths Baltimore Clippers players Boston Bruins players Boston Bruins scouts Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian people of Irish descent Chicago Blackhawks players Hershey Bears players Ice hockey people from Ontario Kitchener Beavers (EPHL) players New York Rangers coaches New York Rangers players Philadelphia Flyers scouts Pittsburgh Penguins coaches Pittsburgh Penguins scouts St. Catharines Teepees players Sportspeople from Peterborough, Ontario Washington Capitals coaches Washington Capitals scouts {{Canada-icehockey-coach-stub