John Albert McDonald (November 24, 1921 – March 13, 1990) was a 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 hock ...

player who played 43 games 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 ...

with 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 ...

during the 1943–44 season.

Career

McDonald was born November 24, 1921 in Swan River, Manitoba. Known as Jack, he had a playing height of 6'1" and 215 lbs, which was big for the era. A high-scoring left winger, he captained the

Portage Terriers The Portage Terriers are a Canadian junior "A" ice hockey team from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada. They are members of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, a part of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. History The Portage Terriers were fou ...

during the 1939–40 and 1941–42 seasons that won the

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...

. The 1942-43 season was spent with the

Flin Flon Bombers The Flin Flon Bombers are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in Flin Flon, a city located on the Manitoba-Saskatchewan provincial border. The Bombers are members of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), which is a member of the Canadian ...

of the

Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League The Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League (SSHL) was a senior amateur ice hockey league that operated in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan on-and-off from 1938 to 1971. History Before the 1938–39 season there were Northern and Southern leagues in ...

. McDonald joined the

for the 1943–44 season, one of several wartime additions. Playing in 43 NHL games, McDonald scored 10 goals and 9 assists. Persuaded to play in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major 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 h ...

by good friend

Alex Shibicky Alexandre Dimitri Shibicky (May 19, 1914 – July 9, 2005) was a Canadian ice hockey forward who played for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League from 1935 to 1946. Shibicky was also a Stanley Cup winner in 1940, and the vice-presi ...

, McDonald played in the west for the next 6 years. After his hockey career he worked for the

Hudson Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

as a bush pilot in northern Manitoba and Ontario. A long time recreation professional Jack managed hockey rinks all over Canada. His last stop was at the

Burnaby Winter Club Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...

where he and Shibicky reunited some 30 years later and coached many players who went on to NHL careers.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* 1921 births 1990 deaths Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey right wingers Edmonton Flyers (WHL) players Flin Flon Bombers players Ice hockey people from Manitoba New Westminster Royals (WHL) players New York Rangers players People from Swan River, Manitoba Portage Terriers players Portland Eagles players {{Canada-icehockey-winger-1920s-stub