Tom Colley Explained

Birth Date:August 21, 1953
Birth Place:Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Death Place:Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada
Height Ft:5
Height In:9
Weight Lb:162
Position:Centre
Shoots:Left
Played For:Minnesota North Stars
Draft:57th overall
Draft Year:1973
Draft Team:Minnesota North Stars
Wha Draft:38th overall
Wha Draft Year:1973
Wha Draft Team:New England Whalers
Career Start:1973
Career End:1986

Thomas Lewis Colley (August 21, 1953 – November 17, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre. He played one game in the National Hockey League, with the Minnesota North Stars on March 12, 1975. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1973 to 1986, was spent in the minor leagues. Colley's son, Kevin, also played in the NHL.

Playing career

As a youth, Colley played in the 1966 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Toronto Weston minor ice hockey team.[1]

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Colley played junior hockey for the Niagara Falls Flyers and the Sudbury Wolves, scoring 117 points including 81 assists. Colley was drafted 57th overall by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft and 38th overall by the New England Whalers in the 1973 WHA Amateur Draft. Like most WHA draftees, Colley chose to report to the NHL and signed with the North Stars, playing one game for the North Stars during the 1974-75 NHL season. He was assigned to the New Haven Nighthawks of the American Hockey League and spent a total of seven seasons with the team, helping them to two division titles in 1979 and 1980 as well as the regular season title in 1980. He also made the Calder Cup finals three times with the Nighthawks, in 1975 losing to the Springfield Indians and in 1978 and 1979, losing to the Maine Mariners on both occasions. He is the Nighthawks' all-time leader in goals (204), assists (281), points (485) and games (534).

In 1980, Colley spent a season with the Binghamton Whalers before spending the next five seasons playing senior hockey for the Collingwood Royals. He retired as a player in 1986. Colley died on November 17, 2021.[2] [3]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGP PIMGP G A Pts PIM
1970–71Weston DodgersMetJBHL52 51 103
1971–72Niagara Falls FlyersOHA63 23 22 45 536 3 1 4 14
1972–73Sudbury WolvesOHA67 36 81 117 844 0 2 2 0
1973–74New Haven NighthawksAHL66 9 18 27 2810 2 2 4 4
1974–75Minnesota North StarsNHL1 0 0 0 2
1974–75New Haven NighthawksAHL76 29 47 76 5116 6 12 18 8
1975–76New Haven NighthawksAHL76 38 31 69 353 0 1 1 0
1976–77New Haven NighthawksAHL80 37 56 93 366 2 2 4 0
1977–78New Haven NighthawksAHL80 32 54 86 1715 2 6 8 2
1978–79New Haven NighthawksAHL77 36 32 68 2410 3 9 12 2
1979–80New Haven NighthawksAHL79 23 43 66 437 0 4 4 4
1980–81Binghamton WhalersAHL74 17 33 50 316 4 3 7 2
1981–82Collingwood ShipbuildersOHA Int30 21 42 63
1982–83Collingwood ShipbuildersOHA Sr30 22 36 58
1983–84Collingwood ShipbuildersOHA Sr37 40 53 93
1984–85Collingwood ShipbuildersOHA Sr20 48 68
1985–86Collingwood ShipbuildersOHA Sr36 21 34 55
AHL totals608 221 314 535 26573 19 39 58 22
NHL totals1 0 0 0 2

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA. 2018. Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2019-01-06.
  2. Web site: Tom Colley, New Haven Nighthawks hockey legend, die.
  3. Web site: Tom Colley obituary.