The name Phil Maloney means two different things to two different
generations of Vancouver Canucks' fans, but his name remains synonymous
with West Coast hockey.
As a player, Phil Maloney was consistency personified.
When he first broke into the NHL, as a rookie with the Boston Bruins in
1949, his star was shining brightly. He finished that season with 15
goals and 31 assists in 70, and was second to teammate Jack Gelineau in
balloting for the Calder Trophy for the league's top rookie.
Although Maloney appeared in over 150 NHL games - with the Bruins,
Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Black Hawks, stretching over a 10-year
period - it was as a member of the Western Hockey League's Vancouver
Canucks that Maloney really shone.
Maloney was the heart and sole of the WHL Canucks for 12 different
seasons, starting in 1954 and ending with his retirement as a player
during the 1969/1970 season.
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He also had stints with the American Hockey
League's Buffalo Bisons and the NHL's Black Hawks, but he returned to
the Canucks for his final nine years as a player.
By the time Maloney retired as a player he had amassed 923 WHL points,
to rank third on the league's all-time scoring list. He also holds the
league record for most points in a single game, scoring two and adding
six assists in one game. He was twice named the league's most valuable
player and three times he was the WHL's most gentlemanly player.
After retiring as a player, Maloney turned his attention to coaching,
first in the junior ranks, and then in minor pro. His association with
the Canucks continued after the team joined the NHL as he coached the
club from the 1973/1974 season through to the 196/1977 campaign. He
also served as the team's general manager from 1974 to 1977.
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