Lawrence Joseph Jeffrey (October 12, 1940 – July 18, 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 ...

player, who played

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

. He played for the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

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 ...

, and

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

of 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 ...

from 1961 to 1969. Jeffrey was a member of the

1967 Stanley Cup The 1967 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1966–67 season, and the culmination of the 1967 Stanley Cup playoffs. A best-of-seven series, it was contested between the Montreal Canadiens and ...

-winning Maple Leafs.

Career

Jeffrey was from

Goderich, Ontario Goderich ( or ) is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario and is the county seat of Huron County. The town was founded by John Galt and William "Tiger" Dunlop of the Canada Company in 1827. First laid out in 1828, the town is named after ...

. He began playing

junior ice hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from ...

in 1956, spending five years with the

Hamilton Tiger Cubs The Hamilton Tiger Cubs were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1953 to 1960. The team was based in Hamilton, Ontario. History The Hamilton juniors which they were called initially in the early part of 195 ...

and

Hamilton Red Wings The Hamilton Red Wings were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1960 to 1974. The team was based in Hamilton, Ontario, at the Barton Street Arena, also known as the Hamilton Forum. History The Hamilton Tiger Cubs we ...

of the

Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the province of Ontario. Founded in 1890, the OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern ...

. He then played for the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Bears have played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still ...

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 ...

(AHL), and the

Edmonton Flyers The Edmonton Flyers are a defunct ice hockey team that was based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The team existed from 1940 until 1963, first as an amateur senior ice hockey team (1940–1951), and then as a professional minor league team. The Fly ...

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 ...

(WHL). He won the WHL's rookie of the year award. With Hamilton, Jeffrey suffered a knee injury that tore a

ligament A ligament is a type of fibrous connective tissue in the body that connects bones to other bones. It also connects flight feathers to bones, in dinosaurs and birds. All 30,000 species of amniotes (land animals with internal bones) have liga ...

and required surgery. Jeffrey made his

(NHL) debut with the

in the 1961–62 season, playing in 18 regular season games. He was injured in a practice and had his second knee surgery to repair a torn ligament. In May 1965, the Red Wings traded Jeffrey,

Marcel Pronovost Joseph René Marcel Pronovost (June 15, 1930April 26, 2015) was a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and coach. He played in List of NHL players with 1000 games played, 1,206 games over 20 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons ...

Aut Erickson Autry Raymond Erickson (January 25, 1938 – August 21, 2010) was a professional ice hockey player who played 226 games in the National Hockey League. He played with the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Oakland Seals. H ...

Eddie Joyal Edward Abel Joyal (born May 8, 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, and Philadelphia Flyers between 1963 and 1972. He also played i ...

, and

Lowell MacDonald Lowell Wilson MacDonald (born August 30, 1941) is a Canadian former professional National Hockey League winger who played during the 1960s and 1970s. Career MacDonald broke into the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings after being promoted from the A ...

to the

for

Andy Bathgate Andrew James Bathgate (August 28, 1932 – February 26, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right wing who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsbu ...

, Billy Harris, and Gary Jarrett. After struggling with

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 ...

Punch Imlach George "Punch" Imlach (March 15, 1918 – December 1, 1987) was a Canadian ice hockey coach and general manager best known for his association with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and t ...

for a season, Jeffrey requested a trade, and Toronto assigned Jeffrey to 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 AHL. After the Americans won the

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...

, the Maple Leafs promoted Jeffrey. Jeffrey played for the Maple Leafs in the 1967 Stanley Cup playoffs, though he injured his leg again in the semifinals against the

Chicago Black Hawks Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, before the Maple Leafs defeated 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 ...

in the

1967 Stanley Cup Finals The 1967 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1966–67 season, and the culmination of the 1967 Stanley Cup playoffs. A best-of-seven series, it was contested between the Montreal Canadiens and ...

. He participated in the trophy presentation on

Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church and Wellesley, Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was originally constructed in 1931 as an indoor arena to host ice hoc ...

ice following the decisive Game 6, wearing a

suit A suit, also called a lounge suit, business suit, dress suit, or formal suit, is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles generally worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt su ...

and on

crutch A crutch is a mobility aid that transfers weight from the human leg, legs to the upper body. It is often used by people who cannot use their legs to support their weight, for reasons ranging from short-term injuries to lifelong disabilities. Hi ...

es. The

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

selected Jeffrey from the Maple Leafs in the

1967 NHL Expansion Draft The 1967 NHL expansion draft was held on June 6, 1967, in the ballroom of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. The draft took place to fill the rosters of the league's six expansion teams for the 1967–68 season: the California Seal ...

and traded him to the

for three minor league players. In June 1969, the Rangers traded Jeffrey to the Red Wings for

Terry Sawchuk Terrance Gordon Sawchuk (December 28, 1929 – May 31, 1970) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kin ...

and Sandy Snow. Jeffrey fractured his kneecap during the preseason, requiring surgery, and retired as a player in 1969 due to the worsening chronic pain in his knee. Jeffrey had 11 knee surgeries over the course of nine years, and 14 knee surgeries in total. He played in 368 NHL games, scoring 39 goals and 62 assists. He had four goals and 10 assists in 38 postseason games. Jeffrey worked as a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

for eight years after his playing career.

Personal life

Jeffrey married Sharon Somerville in 1964, and they had two children. He raised horses and

Hereford cattle The Hereford is a British List of cattle breeds, breed of beef cattle originally from Herefordshire in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It was the result of selective breeding from the mid-eighteenth century by a few famil ...

on his farm north of Goderich. Jeffrey died in Goderich on July 18, 2022, at age 81.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffrey, Larry 1940 births 2022 deaths Canadian ice hockey forwards Detroit Red Wings players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Edmonton Flyers (WHL) players Hamilton Red Wings (OHA) players Hamilton Tiger Cubs players Hershey Bears players New York Rangers players People from Goderich, Ontario Ice hockey people from Huron County, Ontario Pittsburgh Hornets players Rochester Americans players Stanley Cup champions Toronto Maple Leafs players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen