Stan Jonathan Explained

Position:Left wing
Shoots:Left
Height Ft:5
Height In:8
Weight Lb:175
Played For:Boston Bruins
Pittsburgh Penguins
Birth Date:September 5, 1955
Birth Place:Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada
Draft:86th overall
Draft Year:1975
Draft Team:Boston Bruins
Wha Draft:103rd overall
Wha Draft Year:1975
Wha Draft Team:Indianapolis Racers
Career Start:1975
Career End:1983

Stanley Carl "Bulldog" Jonathan (born September 5, 1955) is a Canadian former ice hockey left winger, most notably for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League, for whom he played for parts of eight seasons, and featured in two Stanley Cup Finals (1977, 1978). Jonathan was born in Ohsweken, Ontario, but grew up in Hagersville, Ontario.

Playing career

Stan Jonathan was drafted in the fifth round (86th overall) of the 1975 NHL entry draft by the Bruins. Ignored by most other scouts and by Bruins general manager Harry Sinden, Jonathan was picked up thanks to the shrewdness of Don Cherry, who had seen him play with the Peterborough Petes earlier that season, Jonathan's third season in Peterborough.[1] Cherry stated later that the proudest discovery of his hockey career was Stan Jonathan.[1]

While Jonathan played with Peterborough, they represented Canada well as they placed third at the first unofficial world junior championship in 1973–1974.[2]

Jonathan started his NHL career with one game in the 1975–76 NHL season, before being called up permanently for the 1976–77 season. He typified Bruins hockey, displaying both outstanding offensive ability and toughness. Jonathan was adept at knocking in rebounds, and Cherry, his coach at the time, stated that he had the most accurate shot in the league.[3] As a rookie, he led all NHL players in shooting percentage, putting goals in at a clip of 23.9%. That year, 1977–78, was his most productive season as he scored 27 goals with 25 assists. He also had 116 penalty minutes that year. his second season, he was again among the top-ten players in shooting percentage, at 22.3%. That year he won the Bruins' "7th Player Award" voted on by the fans for the player who exceeded expectations.

Besides his scoring touch, Jonathan was also a capable enforcer, having fought Keith Magnuson, Dave "The Hammer" Schultz, and Andre "Moose" Dupont. Arguably Jonathan's most famous moment was his savage beating of Pierre Bouchard in a brawl during Game 4 of the 1978 Stanley Cup Finals. Challenged by Bouchard, who outweighed Jonathan by thirty pounds and stood six inches taller, Jonathan held his own, breaking Bouchard's nose and cheekbone and knocking him to the ice.

His 1978–79 season was shortened by an injury, but Jonathan played in all 11 playoff games of 1979. Jonathan scored a hat-trick in Game #6 of Boston's semifinal series versus Montreal, contributing to a 5–2 win in game 6 of the semi-finals against the Montreal Canadiens, which forced a game 7.[4] He returned the following year and scored 21 goals and 19 assists. He also added 208 penalty minutes.

The Bruins traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 8, 1982, in exchange for cash. Jonathan played 19 games for Pittsburgh and retired after the 1983 season. He finished his NHL career with 91 goals and 110 assists in 411 games.

He is a full-blooded Tuscarora,[5] born in Ohsweken, Ontario, a Six Nations reserve near Brantford, Ontario, Canada.

Stan Jonathan was charged with criminal negligence in a hunting accident on the Six Nations reserve that killed Peter Kosid of Hamilton, Ontario, on Sunday, November 11, 2012.[6] The criminal charges against Jonathan in the hunting death of Peter Kosid have been withdrawn.[7]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGP PIMGP G A Pts PIM
1972–73Peterborough PetesOHA-Jr.63 14 35 49 107
1973–74Peterborough PetesOHA-Jr.70 19 33 52 12711 4 5 9 14
1974–75Peterborough PetesOMJHL70 36 39 75 13811 4 5 9 14
1975–76Rochester AmericansAHL6 1 1 2 0
1975–76Boston BruinsNHL1 0 0 0 0
1975–76Dayton GemsIHL6926 47 73 19215 13 8 21 54
1976–77Rochester AmericansAHL3 0 0 0 7
1976–77Boston BruinsNHL69 17 13 30 6914 4 2 6 24
1977–78Boston BruinsNHL68 27 25 52 11615 0 1 1 36
1978–79Boston BruinsNHL33 6 9 15 9611 4 1 5 12
1979–80Boston BruinsNHL79 21 19 40 2089 0 0 0 29
1980–81Boston BruinsNHL74 14 24 38 1923 0 0 0 30
1981–82Boston BruinsNHL67 6 17 23 57 11 0 0 0 6
1982–83Boston BruinsNHL1 0 0 0 0
1982–83Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL19 0 3 3 13
1982–83Baltimore SkipjacksAHL48 13 23 36 86
1985–86Brantford Motts ClamatosOHA-Sr.
1986–87Brantford Motts ClamatosOHA-Sr.1 0 0 0 2
NHL totals411 91 110 201 75163 8 4 12 137

International

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Stan Jonathan. GreatestHockeyLegends.com. January 2, 2017.
  2. Web site: Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Stan Jonathan. www.legendsofhockey.net. 2017-03-25.
  3. Web site: They Call me Chief Ch 03 of 09. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/RBrx-Q_1COY . 2021-12-13 . live. davey boy phelan. December 9, 2012. January 2, 2017. YouTube.
  4. Web site: Stan Jonathan. Network. Canadian Heritage Information. www.virtualmuseum.ca. EN. 2017-03-25.
  5. Book: King, C. Richard. Native Americans in Sports. 2015-03-10. Routledge. 9781317464037. en.
  6. Web site: Former NHL player Stan Jonathan charged in fatal hunting accident on Six Nations reserve - Toronto Star. November 14, 2012. TheStar.com. January 2, 2017.
  7. News: Ex-NHL player's charges dropped in 'tragic' hunting death. April 3, 2015. January 2, 2017. The Hamilton Spectator. Peeling. Mike.