James Joseph Pappin (September 10, 1939 – June 29, 2022) 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 h ...
right winger
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
who played 14 seasons in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL). He played for 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 ...
,
Chicago Black Hawks
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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,
California Golden Seals
The California Golden Seals were a professional ice hockey club that competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1967 to 1976. Based in Oakland, California, they played their home games at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena. The ...
, and
Cleveland Barons from 1963 to 1977. After retiring he worked as a
scout for the Black Hawks,
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 ...
, and
Anaheim Ducks, and briefly served as head coach of the
Milwaukee Admirals
The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena. They are affiliated with the NHL's Nashvil ...
.
Pappin was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1960 and played for its
Rochester Americans
The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, ...
affiliate throughout his eight seasons with the franchise. He was part of Rochester's
Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. 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 its cur ...
-winning sides in 1965, 1966, and 1968, and won the
Stanley Cup with the Leafs in
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
and
1967
Events
January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
, scoring the Cup-winning goal in the latter championship series. After being traded to the Black Hawks, he had the best statistical season of his career in
1972–73 and reached two more Stanley Cup Finals in
1971 and
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
. He later played for the Golden Seals and Barons before retiring in 1976.
Early life
Pappin was born in
Copper Cliff
This is a list of neighbourhoods in the urban core of Greater Sudbury, Ontario. This list includes only those neighbourhoods that fall within the pre-2001 city limits of Sudbury — for communities within the former suburban municipalities, see t ...
in
Greater Sudbury,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, on September 10, 1939.
His father, Joseph Gerard Pappin, was employed as a
machinist for a mining company; his mother was Geraldine Fitzgerald.
Pappin began his junior career by playing two seasons for the
Toronto Marlboros
The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was founded in 1903. It operated junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association and later the Ontario Hockey League. The Marlboros ...
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 ...
(OHL) from 1958 to 1960. He then joined the
Sudbury Wolves in the middle of the 1959–60 season.
Career
Rochester Americans (1960–1968)
Pappin began his professional hockey career in 1960 with the
Rochester Americans
The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, ...
in the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...
(AHL).
He played on its
Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. 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 its cur ...
-winning teams in 1965, 1966, and 1968. He scored the most goals during the 1965 and 1966 playoffs,
[ including the game-winning goals in the both Cup-clinching games. He went on to score 134 goals in 275 regular-season games for the Americans and was later inducted into the team's hall of fame in 1996.][
]
Toronto Maple Leafs (1963–1968)
Pappin was added to 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 ...
roster during the 1963–64 season. He made his NHL debut for the franchise on November 23, 1963, against 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 t ...
at Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was initially constructed in 1931 as an arena to host ice hockey games, though it has sinc ...
. He continued to go back and forth between the Leafs and its Rochester affiliate throughout his tenure with the franchise. He won his first Stanley Cup in 1964, and played in his first NHL All-Star Game
The National Hockey League All-Star Game (french: Match des Étoiles de la Ligue Nationale de Hockey, links=no) is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many o ...
later that year.
During the 1966–67 season, Pappin led the league in game-winning goals (7) and finished eighth in shooting percentage (15.3) and power-play goals (6). However, he had a poor relationship with general manager and coach 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 ...
, who sent Pappin down to Rochester in February 1967 after he scored only six goals
A goal is an objective that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve.
Goal may also refer to:
Sport
* Goal (sports), a method of scoring in many sports, or the physical structure or area where scoring occurs
** Goals, the goal frame in ...
. He was recalled to Toronto after six games, around the time when Imlach temporarily stepped aside due to illness and King Clancy
Francis Michael "King" Clancy (February 25, 1902 – November 8, 1986) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, referee, coach and executive. Clancy played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Ottawa Senators and Toronto ...
became interim coach.[ Pappin thrived with Clancy at the helm, scoring 15 goals in the last 22 games of the regular season.][ He went on to win his second Stanley Cup championship that same season, scoring the series-winning goal in Game 6.] At the time of his death in 2022, it was the Leafs' most recent championship-clinching goal. Although his shot was deflected in off the skate of teammate Pete Stemkowski and credit was given to the latter at first, they privately agreed to give Pappin the goal as he was in the running for a contract bonus should he score the most goals in that year's Stanley Cup playoffs
The Stanley Cup playoffs (french: Les séries éliminatoires de la Coupe Stanley) is an elimination tournament in the National Hockey League (NHL) consisting of four rounds of best-of-seven series to determine the league champion and the winner ...
. He ultimately scored the most goals (7) and points (15), and recorded the highest shooting percentage (15.9) of any player in that series. Pappin reportedly accorded Stemkowski unlimited access to the backyard pool that he constructed with the bonus payment. Pappin was also in line for a C$1,000 bonus after scoring a combined 25 goals in the NHL and AHL, but Imlach refused to honour the agreement.[
In the offseason, Imlach raised Pappin's salary to $22,000, which was $3,000 less than what the latter had requested.][ He appeared in his second All-Star Game in 1968,] but was also sent down to the Americans again by Imlach.[ He was traded to the ]Chicago Black Hawks
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
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on May 23 that same year in exchange for Pierre Pilote
Joseph Albert Pierre Paul Pilote (December 11, 1931 – September 9, 2017) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and perennial All-Star, most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League (NHL), for which he served ...
. The move – which was instigated by Imlach – aggrieved Pappin and spurred him to give his 1967 championship ring
A championship ring or premiership ring is a ring presented to members of winning teams in North American professional sports leagues, and college tournaments.
Championship rings are mostly confined to North American sports. Since only one ...
to his father-in-law.
Chicago Black Hawks (1968–1975)
Pappin made a strong start with the Black Hawks, scoring six goals in his first three games and accumulating 19 goals by Christmas. He also recorded his first hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
in the NHL,[ achieving this on October 16, 1968, against the ]Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
. During his first season with the franchise, he finished fourth in the NHL in game-winning goals (7) and fifth in shooting percentage (17.7). He scored ten goals during the 1971 playoffs,[ helping the team advance to the Stanley Cup Finals which they lost to 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 ...
in seven games. Pappin later set a franchise record by scoring two goals within six seconds against 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 ...
on February 16, 1972.[
In the 1972–73 season – arguably Pappin's best season as a professional – he recorded career-highs in goals (41), assists (51), and points (92).][ He finished third in the league in shooting percentage (22.5), sixth in goals, seventh in goals per game (0.54), eighth in points per game (1.21), and tenth in points. He was also named to his third ]All-Star Game
An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...
that year. The Black Hawks reached the 1973 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1973 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1972–73 season, and the culmination of the 1973 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Chicago Black Hawks and the Montreal Canadiens, a ...
on the back of Pappin's eight goals and seven assists during the playoffs,[ but lost to the Canadiens again. Pappin proceeded to lead the NHL in games played with 78 the following season, and was again selected to the All-Star Game that year.] He played in his fifth and final All-Star Game in 1975 and posted the second-best shooting percentage (23.1) in the league that year after Peter McNab.
Later years
Pappin was traded to the California Golden Seals
The California Golden Seals were a professional ice hockey club that competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1967 to 1976. Based in Oakland, California, they played their home games at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena. The ...
on June 1, 1975, in exchange for Joey Johnston. He played his final two seasons for the franchise, which relocated to Cleveland to become the Cleveland Barons in 1976. He played his final NHL game on December 11, 1976, at the age of 37. Three days later, he notified general manager Bill McCreary Sr. of his retirement.
Post-playing career
After retiring from professional hockey, Pappin worked as a scout for the Black Hawks. He continued in that capacity until the middle of the 1984–85 season, when he was hired as a replacement head coach for the Milwaukee Admirals
The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena. They are affiliated with the NHL's Nashvil ...
of the International Hockey League . During his tenure, the team posted a record of 12 wins and 14 losses. He subsequently returned to the Black Hawks as its director of U.S. scouting. He later scouted for 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 ...
and Anaheim Ducks.
Aside from hockey, Pappin had a keen interest in harness racing and owned several standardbred horse
The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace i ...
s. He also ran a tennis facility in his hometown of Sudbury. His 1967 Stanley Cup ring – which his father-in-law lost at a beach during the 1970s – was found in 2007 by treasure hunter Mark DesErmia in the Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...
.[ Pappin eventually struck a deal with the treasure hunter and the ring was returned for a reward.]
Personal life
During the NHL offseason, Pappin operated a hockey school that also functioned as a horse-riding camp. His first marriage was to Karen Kyrzakos. Together, they had three children: Arne, Merrill, and Mary. They eventually divorced in 1982.[ He married Peggy two years later.][ He developed Bell's palsy during his time with the Black Hawks and Golden Seals.][
Pappin died on June 29, 2022, at his home in ]Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs, northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census. The city has bee ...
. He was 82, and was diagnosed with cancer shortly before his death.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
References
Specific
Bibliography
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pappin, Jim
1939 births
2022 deaths
Anaheim Ducks scouts
California Golden Seals players
Canadian ice hockey forwards
Chicago Blackhawks coaches
Chicago Blackhawks players
Chicago Blackhawks scouts
Cleveland Barons (NHL) players
Ice hockey people from Ontario
Rochester Americans players
St. Louis Blues scouts
Sportspeople from Greater Sudbury
Stanley Cup champions
Sudbury Wolves (EPHL) players
Toronto Maple Leafs players
Toronto Marlboros players
Canadian ice hockey coaches