Gordon Jay Wells (born May 18, 1959) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

former 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 h ...

coach and former player. He was nicknamed "The Hammer" for his tough, physical style of play.

Playing career

Jay Wells played his junior hockey with the

Kingston Canadians The Kingston Canadians were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League from 1973 to 1988. The team played home games at the Kingston Memorial Centre in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. History The Kingston Canadians arrival in the Ontario ...

of the OMJHL from 1976–1979, playing in 175 games, and earning 60 points (19 goals-41 assists), along with 385 penalty minutes. He also had 14 points (4G-10A) in 30 playoff games. A solid stay-at-home defenceman, Wells was drafted by the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

in the first round, 16th overall in the

1979 NHL Entry Draft The 1979 NHL Entry Draft was the 17th NHL Entry Draft. It took place on August 9, 1979, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League (NHL) teams selected 126 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in ...

. Wells began the 1979–80 season with the

Binghamton Dusters The Binghamton Dusters were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Binghamton, New York, USA at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. The team logo was designed by Johnny Hart, artist of the comic strip " B.C." an ...

of the AHL, getting 6 assists in 28 games, before joining the Kings, where he had no points in 43 games. He also had no points in 4 playoff games. Wells spent the entire 1980–81 season with Los Angeles, where he got 18 points (5G-13A) in 72 games, and had no points in 4 playoff games. In 1981–82, he played in 60 games, getting 9 points (1G-8A), then added 4 points (1G-3A) in 10 playoff games. Wells offensive production increased in 1982–83, when he got 15 points (3G-12A) in 69 games, and in 1983–84, he set a career high with 21 points (3G-18A) in 69 games, however the Kings failed to make the playoffs in both years. Wells then had 11 points (2G-9A) in 77 games in 1984–85, helping the Kings return to the playoffs, where he recorded an assist in 3 games. Wells had the best season of his career in 1985–86, getting 42 points (11G-31A) in 79 games, however Los Angeles failed to make the playoffs. In 1986–87, Wells had 36 points (7G-29A) in 77 games, and added 3 points (1G-2A) in 5 playoff games. Wells then had 25 points (2G-23A) in 58 games, and had 3 points (1G-2A) in 5 playoff games for the Kings in 1987–88. On September 29, 1988, Wells was traded from the Kings to the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...

for Doug Crossman. In Wells' first season with the Flyers in 1988–89, he registered 21 points (2G-19A) in 67 games, and added 2 points (0G-2A) in 18 playoff games. He began the 1989–90 season with Philadelphia, earning 19 points (3G-16A) in 59 games, before being traded to 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 in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

on March 5, 1990, along with the Flyers fourth-round pick in the

1991 NHL Entry Draft The 1991 NHL Entry Draft was the 29th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 22 at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York. A total of 264 players were drafted. The worst team in the previous 1990–91 season, the Quebec Nordiques, was give ...

in exchange for Kevin Maguire and the Sabres second-round choice in the

1990 NHL Entry Draft The 1990 NHL Entry Draft was the 28th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted by the Vancouver Canucks at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 16, 1990. It is remembered as one of the deeper drafts in NHL history, with fourteen of the twenty- ...

. Wells would play one regular season game with Buffalo in 1989–90, getting an assist in the game before suffering an injury, however he returned in the playoffs and went pointless in six games. In 1990–91, Wells had three points (1G-2A) in 43 games with Buffalo, and in one playoff game, he earned an assist. Wells began the 1991–92 with the Sabres, earning 11 points (2G-9A) in 41 games, before being traded to 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 home ...

on March 9, 1992, in exchange for Randy Moller. Wells played in 11 games for the Rangers at the end of the 1991–92 season, getting no points, and in 13 playoff games, he chipped in with two assists. In 1992–93, Wells had 10 points (1G-9A) in 53 games, however the Rangers failed to qualify for the playoffs. He returned to the team in 1993–94, and had 9 points (2G-7A) in 79 games. Wells played a huge defensive role for the Rangers in the playoffs, as he helped the Rangers win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1940. He played in 23 playoff games, registering no points. Wells had 9 points (2G-7A) for the Rangers in 1994–95 in 43 games, and went pointless in 10 playoff games. On July 31, 1995, the Rangers traded Wells to the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...

for

Doug Lidster John Douglas Andrew Lidster (born October 18, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was an assistant coach for the Vancouver Canucks until the end of the 2016-2017 season. ...

. Wells played in 76 games with the Blues in 1995–96, getting 3 points (0G-3A), and in 12 play-off games, he earned an assist. He was granted free agency after the season, and on August 3, 1996, Wells signed a contract with the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

. In 1996–97, Wells would go pointless in 21 games with Tampa Bay, and retired from the NHL after the season after an 18-year playing career. In 2007, he was named coach of the Brantford Golden Eagles before signing with the AHL's

Manitoba Moose The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and a member of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre, the home arena of its parent club, Winnipeg Jets ...

as an assistant coach from 2008 to 2011. Since 2011, Wells has been an assistant coach with the Barrie Colts of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and achievements

* OMJHL First Team All-Star (

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

) * 1993–94 Stanley Cup Champion (

)

References

External links

*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Jay 1959 births Buffalo Sabres players Canadian ice hockey defencemen Kingston Canadians players Living people Los Angeles Kings draft picks Los Angeles Kings players Manitoba Moose coaches National Hockey League first-round draft picks New York Rangers players Philadelphia Flyers players St. Louis Blues players Tampa Bay Lightning players Ice hockey people from Ontario Sportspeople from the County of Brant Canadian ice hockey coaches