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| 1963 NHL DRAFT PICK |
 | Gerry
Meehan
Selected in fourth round
No.
21 overall by Toronto Maple Leafs
Born
September 3, 1946
 | Position:
Center
Height: 6-2 Weight:
200 Shot: L
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|
| BEFORE THE DRAFT |
Last Team:
Neil McNeil Maroons (MTJHL)
Birthplace:
Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
Hometown: Newmarket, Ontario |
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| PRE-DRAFT
STATISTICS | | Year | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | | 1962-63 | Neil
McNeil | MTJHL | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
|
| NHL CAREER |
Debut: December 1, 1968 (Toronto at New
York).
Numbers: 27, 26 (Toronto); 23 (Philadelphia); 15
(Buffalo); 26 (Vancouver); 10 (Atlanta); 14 (Washington)
Stanley Cup: Never won.
Playing Status:
Retired 1979 |
| CAREER NHL STATISTICS | | Years |
Teams | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | | 1968-1978 |
Toronto, Philadelphia, Buffalo,
Vancouver, Atlanta, Wash. | 670 |
180 | 243 | 423 | 111 |
|
| CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS | | Years | Teams | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | | 1969-1973 | Philadelphia,
Buffalo | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
|
NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
Buffalo
Captain: October 1971 to Oct. 14, 1974
Washington MVP: 1976-77
1970-71: Played on first Buffalo Sabres team.
Management Career: Named Buffalo assistant general manager in July
1984 and remained in position until Dec. 22, 1986. ... Named Buffalo
general manager on Dec. 22, 1986, added title of team Vice-President during
1991-92 season and remained in position until July 30, 1993. ... Named
Buffalo Executive Vice-President of Sports Operations on July 30, 1993, and
held position through 1995 season.
Miscellaneous: Also played left wing during his NHL
career, playing exclusively at left wing until 1970-71 season. ... Left unprotected by Philadelphia for the 1970 NHL Expansion
Draft. He was selected by Buffalo on June 10, 1970. ... Took first minor
penalty in Buffalo Sabres history. ... Scored first NHL
goal in 43rd NHL game by beating Les Binkley in Buffalo's Oct. 18, 1970,
game vs. Pittsburgh. ... Earned votes in Hart
Trophy race for 1970-71 after scoring 24 goals and 55 points. ... Beat
Bernie Parent from 80 feet out for game-winning goal with only four seconds
remaining in Buffalo's 1971-72 regular-season finale vs. Philadelphia on
April 2, 1972. The goal prevented the Flyers from reaching the playoffs. ... Missed
part of 1973-74 season with left knee injury, suffered during Buffalo's Dec.
27 game vs. Detroit. He did not return to action until Buffalo's Jan. 10,
1974, game N.Y. Rangers. ... Ended run as Buffalo captain when he and
teammate Mike Robitaille were traded to Vancouver for Jocelyn Guevremont and Bryan McSheffrey just three games into the 1974-75 season on
Oct. 14, 1974. At the time he left, he ranked third on Buffalo's career
scoring list and was the last of the Sabres' 1970 Expansion Draft picks
still playing in Buffalo. ... Traded by Vancouver to Atlanta for
Bob Murray on March 9, 1975. ... Traded by Atlanta with Jean Lemieux and
Buffalo's 1976 first-round pick (previously obtained from Sabres; Washington
used pick to draft Greg Carroll) in exchange for Bill Clement on Jan. 22,
1976. ... Played on line with Blair Stewart and Harvey Bennett for
Washington in 1975-76. ... Led Washington with four two-goal games in 1975-76. ... Used on
point during power plays by Washington in 1975-76. ... Became first
Washington player to win official NHL Player of the Week honors by scoring
two goals and five assists over week ending Jan. 28, 1977. ... Played on line
with Bill Riley and Craig Patrick for Washington in 1976-77, when he scored
a career-high 64 points. He scored 43 points over the season's final 40
games. ... Led
Washington with six game-winning goals in 1976-77. ... Became first player
in Washington history to score 100 points in a Capitals uniform when he
achieved feat on Nov. 9, 1977, with power-play goal at Detroit. ... Led
Washington with seven power-play goals in 1977-78. ... Became first former
Sabres player to work in Buffalo's front office when Scotty Bowman hired him
as assistant general manager. ... Tied for second in voting for Sporting
News NHL Executive of Year in 1987-88. ... Served as chairman of NHL
General Manager's Committee in 1991-92 and 1992-93.
Meehan's NHL Exit: Meehan's career
as an NHL player came to a sudden end in early December 1978, when his pro hockey rights
were sold by Washington to Cincinnati (WHA). Upset by the move, Meehan
initially refused to report to Cincinnati and took his family back to their
home in Buffalo. After a few days, Meehan decided to honor his contract and
accept the deal rather than retire. He went to Cincinnati, where he was
promptly injured on his first shift and ended up playing a total of only two
WHA games before opting to retire in 1979. |
| NON-NHL CAREER |
Post-Draft Teams: Toronto (OHA); Rochester (AHL);
Tulsa (CHL); Phoenix (WHL); Seattle (WHL); Cincinnati (WHA)
NON-NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
Memorial Cup:
1964, 1967 (Toronto)
CHL Adams Cup: 1968 (Tulsa)
WHA Draft Pick: 1972 (by Los Angeles)
OHA Junior A All-Star First Team:
1966-67 (Toronto)
Education:
Attended University of Toronto and Canisius College during his playing days
in Toronto and Buffalo.
... Returned to Canisius after his retirement in 1979 to complete his
bachelor's degree. ... Received law degree from University of Buffalo in
1982.
Miscellaneous: Ran
hockey school in Buffalo during summers of 1974 through 1976. ... Missed
part of 1978-79 WHA season with bruised shoulder, an injury suffered during
his first WHA shift in Cincinnati's Dec. 12, 1978, game vs. Edmonton. He
returned to play only one more game before retiring from hockey. ... Took
job with Buffalo law firm of Cohen, Swados, Wright, Hanifin, Bradford and
Brett upon his graduation from law school in 1982 and admittance to the New
York State bar in 1983. Some of the work he did
there involved writing player contracts on behalf of the Sabres. ...
Admitted to Ontario bar in 1998. ... Served as adjunct professor of Sports
Law at Buffalo's Canisius College from 1995 to 1997. ... Went into sports
management consulting in 1997, founding Cardinal Sports Management Inc. in
Richmond Hill, Ontario, and serving as its chairman of the board. The
company helped market the Pointstreak.com real-time scoring software to
hockey teams throughout the U.S. He remained in that position into 2008. ...
Also continued to practice law at the firm of Hiscock & Barclay, LLP, in
Richmond Hill.
Personal: Full name is Gerard Marcus Meehan. |
| HOW HE GOT AWAY |
| TRADE:
Toronto traded Meehan, Mike Byers and Bill Sutherland to Philadelphia for
Brit Selby and Forbes Kennedy on March 2, 1969. | |
AUTOGRAPH |
 | AUTOGRAPH SOURCE:
1978-79 Topps card |
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|
SNAPSHOT '63 | | Total Selected: |
21 | | Forwards: |
13 | | Defense: |
6 | | Goaltenders: |
0 | | Position n/a: |
2 | | Major Junior: |
4 |
| College Players: |
0 |
| Canadian: |
21 |
| American: |
0 |
| European: |
0 |
| Reached NHL: |
5 |
| Won Stanley Cup: |
1 | | Hall of Fame: |
0 |
| All-Star Game: |
2
|
| Year-end All-Star: |
0
|
| Olympians: |
0
|
| Picks Traded: |
0 |
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