John Brophy passes away at 83

It is with great sadness on Monday the Toronto Maple Leafs learned of the passing of former head coach John Brophy. He was 83 years old.

A native of Antigonish, N.S., Brophy was a defenceman for a number of years in the minor league ranks — primarily in the Eastern Hockey League — where he carved out a reputation as a rough-and-tumble blueliner. He played 18 seasons in the Eastern League beginning in 1955-56 and had at least 100 penalty minutes in every one of them.

Brophy’s transition into coaching began during his playing days. In 1967-68, he became player-coach of the EHL’s Long Island Ducks and took the club to the playoffs in his first season in the role. He held the player-coach title until he was sent to the New Haven Blades to close out the 1968-69 season. In fact, it’s believed that Brophy served as inspiration for the player-coach protagonist of the movie Slap Shot, Reggie Dunlop, played by Hollywood legend Paul Newman.

“He was the type of guy who gave you the most every game, came to play every night,” said longtime NHL coach and executive John Muckler of Brophy in 2006. “He was a rugged, aggressive player and would do anything under his power to win the game — some legal, some illegal.”

Brophy’s playing career continued until the 1972-73 season with the Eastern League’s Jersey Devils where he had a goal, 12 points and 220 penalty minutes in 73 games before retiring.

That offseason, the Eastern Hockey League dissolved into the North American Hockey League and the Southern Hockey League. Brophy became the head coach of the …

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