John Blum Explained

Position:Defense
Shoots:Right
Height Ft:6
Height In:3
Weight Lb:205
Played For:Edmonton Oilers
Boston Bruins
Washington Capitals
Detroit Red Wings
Birth Date:September 8, 1959
Birth Place:Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Draft:Undrafted
Career Start:1981
Career End:1995

John Joseph Blum (born September 8, 1959) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He played in the National Hockey League with the Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, and Detroit Red Wings between 1982 and 1990. He also spent considerable time in the minor American Hockey League, and retired in 1995.

Playing career

Blum was born in Detroit, Michigan. He is a graduate of Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods, Michigan. His high school hockey teammates were comedian Dave Coulier and other well known players and personalities.[1] Blum played both high school and college hockey under head coach John Giordano.

Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Edmonton Oilers in 1981, Blum played mostly in the minors before being traded to the Boston Bruins, a team that he would play for three different times during his career. He also played for the Washington Capitals and Detroit Red Wings.

Blum scored in first NHL goal on April 1, 1984—in the last game of Boston's 1983-84 schedule—during his team's 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils. It was the game-winning goal.

Post-playing career

Blum would later serve as an assistant coach in the minor leagues for the Detroit Falcons, Saginaw Lumber Kings, Detroit Vipers, Toledo Storm, and Motor City Mechanics.

He is also a new addition to the Detroit Red Wings Alumni Team and a former employee at De La Salle Collegiate High School in Warren, MI.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGP PIMGP G A Pts PIM
1976–77Harper Woods High SchoolHS-MI
1977–78University of MichiganB-107 0 0 0 4
1978–79University of MichiganB-1035 1 11 12 87
1979–80University of MichiganB-1037 9 41 50 79
1980–81University of MichiganB-1038 9 43 52 93
1981–82Wichita WindCHL78 8 33 41 2477 0 3 3 24
1982–83Edmonton OilersNHL5 0 3 3 24
1982–83Moncton AlpinesAHL76 10 30 40 219
1983–84Edmonton OilersNHL4 0 1 1 2
1983–84Moncton AlpinesAHL57 3 22 25 202
1983–84Boston BruinsNHL12 1 1 2 303 0 0 0 4
1984–85Boston BruinsNHL75 3 13 16 2635 0 0 0 13
1985–86Boston BruinsNHL61 1 7 8 803 0 0 0 6
1985–86Moncton Golden FlamesAHL12 1 5 6 37
1986–87Washington CapitalsNHL66 2 8 10 1336 0 1 1 4
1987–88Boston BruinsNHL19 0 1 1 703 0 1 1 0
1987–88Maine MarinersAHL43 5 18 23 1368 0 6 6 35
1988–89Detroit Red WingsNHL6 0 0 0 8
1988–89Adirondack Red WingsAHL56 1 19 20 16812 0 1 1 18
1989–90Boston BruinsNHL2 0 0 0 0
1989–90Maine MarinersAHL77 1 20 21 134
1990–91Maine MarinersAHL57 4 8 12 751 0 0 0 2
1991–92Capital District IslandersAHL51 0 6 6 761 0 0 0 2
1993–94Daytona Beach Sun DevilsSuHL12 0 2 2 67
1994–95Detroit FalconsCoHL71 1 14 15 9812 0 2 2 20
AHL totals429 25 128 153 104722 0 7 7 57
NHL totals250 7 34 41 61020 0 2 2 27

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Q&A: Detroit celebrity and Red Wings’ fan, Dave Coulier ’77 (NDHS) . www.ndpma.org . https://web.archive.org/web/20120314112557/http://www.ndpma.org/drupal/files/Coulier%20Q%26A%20with%20Borri.pdf . 2012-03-14.
  2. News: WCHA All-Teams. College Hockey Historical Archives. May 19, 2013.