| Round | Overall |
| 4 | 37 |
 |
 |
Right-hand shot
Pre-Draft Statistics
| Year | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PIM |
| 1966-67 | Oshawa | OHA | 36 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 44 |
| 1967-68 | Oshawa | OHA | 44 | 24 | 14 | 38 | 72 |
| 1968-69 | Oshawa | OHA | 54 | 31 | 27 | 58 | 124 |
Pre-Draft Notes
Played for Gananoque (OHA Jr. C) in 1965-66.
Career Vitals
| First contract: | 1970 |
| Debut: | October 8, 1972 (Boston vs. Los Angeles) |
| Final NHL game: | February 7, 1974 (Boston vs. St. Louis) |
| Retired: | 1976 |
| Stanley Cup: | Never won |
| Number worn: | 16 |
Career NHL Statistics
Team: Boston
Years: 1972-1974. Playoffs: 1973
| Regular Season | |||||
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 2 years | 115 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 98 |
| Stanley Cup Playoffs | |||||
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 1 year | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Complete statistics available at NHL.com | |||||
Career Highlights
Also played left wing during his pro career. ... Named Oklahoma City
(CHL) Rookie of Year for 1970-71. ... Played on 1971-72 Boston team that
shared AHL regular-season title. ... Named OUAA Coach of the Year with
Queen's University in 1979-80. ... Won OUAA Queen's Cup as head coach of
Queen's University in 1981. ... Inducted into the
Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame in builder's category in 2012.
O'Donnell Exits the NHL
O'Donnell's career in the NHL was brief and somewhat turbulent. He initially refused to sign with Minnesota after being drafted by the North Stars and enrolled at Queen's University for the 1969-70 school year. By making this move, O'Donnell was able to convince Minnesota to trade him to Boston -- an organization he knew well from having played for the Bruins' former junior team in Oshawa. He was a regular for two seasons with the Bruins, but on Feb. 7, 1974, when Boston tried to trade him to Vancouver, O'Donnell refused to report to the Canucks because his wife was pregnant with the couple's first child. The trade was announced right after O'Donnell had an assist and fought St. Louis enforcer Bob Gassoff in what would prove to be his final game. On Feb. 9, the Canucks officially suspended O'Donnell without pay, but he remained away from the team for more than two weeks. During this time, he worked out a deal to jump to the WHA with the New England Whalers for the 1974-75 season. Once that deal was finalized, O'Donnell reported to Vancouver on Feb. 26, 1974, and offered to play for the Canucks for the balance of the 1973-74 season. Vancouver coach Phil Maloney was not interested in having a player with O'Donnell's attitude and sent him home. O'Donnell waited out the rest of the season and then joined New England for the 1974-75 season. By jumping to the WHA in such an abrupt fashion, O'Donnell effectively blackballed himself from ever returning to the NHL because of the animosity between the two leagues. Two years later, the Whalers dealt O'Donnell to the former Cleveland Crusaders franchis, but he had no interest in playing for that team, which was in the process of relocating to South Florida at the time he was traded there. The Florida move later fell through, and the Crusaders instead opted to relocate to Minnesota -- the same place he originally refused to go to when drafted into the NHL. He opted to retire from pro hockey and went home to Ontario to complete his education.
Transaction History
Nov. 14, 1969 -- Sent by Boston to Minnesota to complete the future transactions portion of the May 7, 1969, trade in which Minnesota sent Barry Gibbs and Tommy Williams to Boston in exchange for 1969 first-round pick (Don Tannahill) and future considerations). June 1972 -- WHA rights traded by Winnipeg to New England in exchange for future considerations. Feb. 7, 1974 -- Traded by Boston with Chris Oddleifson to Vancouver in exchange for Bobby Schmautz. February 1974 -- Signed WHA contract with New England to begin in 1974-75 season. June 30, 1976 -- Traded by New England (WHA) with Bob McManama to Florida (WHA) in exchange for Wayne Connelly and future considerations.
Significant Injuries
Missed end of 1971-72 regular season and entire 1972 playoffs with eye injury. The njury plagued him for the rest of his career and factored into his decision to retire.
Life Outside the NHL
Full Name: Frederick
James O'Donnell
Nickname: "Ferd"
Other Post-Draft Teams: Kingston (OHA Sr.); Oklahoma City (CHL); Boston (AHL); New England (WHA)
Coaching Career: Named Queen's
University (OUAA) head coach prior to 1977-78 season and remained in
that position through 1984-85 season. Named Kingston (OHL) head coach in
August 1985 and held position through 1986-87
season.
Management Career: Named Kingston (OHL)
general manager in August 1985 and remained in that position through 1986-87
season.
Education: Earned business degree
from Queen's
University in Kingston, Ontario. He attended summer school there during off-seasons of his playing career.
Career Beyond Hockey: Remained in
Kingston, Ontario, and pursued a career in real estate after retirement
from coaching. Became a Sales Representative with
Royal LePage. ... Also joined the Ottawa Senators Alumni team to
take part in oldtimers' games as he is an active men's league player.
Miscellaneous:
| Selected by Winnipeg Jets in 1972 WHA Draft -- the first-ever WHA Draft -- in February 1972. | Played on line with Rich Leduc and Don Tannahill for Boston (AHL) in 1971-72. | Scored hat trick for New England (WHA) in March 11, 1975, game vs. Winnipeg. | Worked as a New England radio color commentator while injured during 1974-75 season. |
| SNAPSHOT '69 | |
| Total Selected: | 84 |
| Forwards: | 58 |
| Defense: | 18 |
| Goaltenders: | 8 |
| Major Junior: | 68 |
| College Players: | 8 |
| Canadian: | 78 |
| Euro-Canadian: | 1 |
| American: | 4 |
| European: | 1 |
| Reached NHL: | 49 |
| Won Stanley Cup: | 10 |
| Hall of Fame: | 1 |
| All-Star Game: | 7 |
| Year-end All-Star: | 1 |
| Olympians: | 2 |
| Picks Traded: | 11 |
| 1969 PICKS BY TEAM | ||
| Boston | Chicago | Detroit |
| Los Angeles | Minnesota | Montreal |
| New York | Oakland | Philadelphia |
| Pittsburgh | St. Louis | Toronto |
OTHERS DRAFTED IN 1969