Grit and Goals: Stan Jonathan’s Big Night vs. Don Cherry

In the 1979-80 NHL season, Don Cherry made the jump from Boston to Colorado, taking over as head coach of the struggling Rockies. But when his new team met his old one, Cherry got a dose of “sour grapes” from one of his all-time favourites, Stan Jonathan.

On January 13, 1980, at Boston Garden, the Bruins hosted the Rockies for their third meeting of the season. Colorado got on the board first, with Lanny McDonald scoring at 5:31 of the opening period. But it didn’t take long for Boston’s grinders to respond.

Just 22 seconds later, John Wensink tied the game with help from Terry O’Reilly and Peter McNab. Then, Stan Jonathan took over. The rugged winger, known for his heart, grit, and fierce loyalty to Cherry during their Bruins days, scored twice before the first period was over, putting Boston ahead 3-1.

Jonathan completed his hat trick in the third period, netting his 12th of the season and sealing a 6-2 Bruins win. Despite racking up 208 penalty minutes that year, Jonathan managed to stay out of the box on this night, letting his stick do the talking instead.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a classic Bruins game without a few fights. Early in the second, Lanny McDonald and Terry O’Reilly dropped the gloves in a spirited battle that must have brought a nostalgic grin to Cherry’s face. Not long after, Al Secord and Rob Ramage tangled to keep the energy high.

About Stan Jonathan 

Stan Jonathan played 411 regular season and 63 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1975-76 and 1982-83 with the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins. His time in Pittsburgh was limited ot 19 games at the end of his career. Originally, he was a fifth round pick by the Bruins at the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft out of the Peterborough Petes.

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NHL Hockey Trivia: Stan Jonathan

Much more NHL hockey trivia can be found at our website: World's Best Hockey Trivia

1. Which NHL team did Stan Jonathan play the majority of his career with?
   Colorado Rockies
   Boston Bruins
   Toronto Maple Leafs
   Detroit Red Wings


2. What was Stan Jonathan best known for besides his offensive contributions?
   His toughness and fighting ability
   His speed and playmaking
   His defensive positioning
   His leadership as a captain


3. In the 1977 Stanley Cup Final against Montreal, Stan Jonathan famously fought which Canadiens player?
   Larry Robinson
   Mario Tremblay
   Pierre Bouchard
   Yvon Lambert


4. What was Stan Jonathan’s career-high goal total in a single NHL season?
   15
   18
   27
   31


5. After his NHL days, what sport did Stan Jonathan later participate in at the local level in Ontario?
   Curling
   Lacrosse
   Baseball
   Softball

Hockey Trivia: 1979 NHL Entry Draft

The 1979 NHL Entry Draft had one of the best first rounds ever. All 21 players selected in the first round went on to careers in the NHL in some degree. The least regular season NHL games any of the first round picks went on to play was 238 (Ray Allison – 18^th overall by the Hartford Whalers).

Test and expand your hockey trivia knowledge of the 1979 NHL Entry Draft with the following four trivia questions.

Q. Who was the first overall pick in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft?

A. The Colorado Rockies chose Rob Ramage as the first overall pick. Ramage was drafted from the Birmingham Bulls of the World Hockey Association, though he played his junior hockey with the London Knights of the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League. Ramage played in the NHL from 1979-80 to 1993-94 with the Rockies, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Minnesota North Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers.

Q. What player was the only one to be drafted in the first round of the 1979 NHL Entry Draft from the U.S. University system?

A. Mike Ramsey was selected eleventh overall by the Buffalo Sabres. Ramsey previously played for the University of Minnesota. Mike played over 1,000 career NHL games from 1979-80 to 1996-97 with the Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings.

Q. What Hockey Hall of Fame member who played 1756 regular season games in the NHL was not selected until the third round of the 1979 NHL Entry Draft?

A. Mark Messier was selected 48^th overall by the Edmonton Oilers after a season with the Cincinnati Stingers of the WHA. Messier scored 694 regular season goals during his NHL career and contributed 1,887 points with the Oilers, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks. Mark was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007.

Mark’s point total places him second all-time in National Hockey League history. He sits just ahead of Gordie Howe but nearly 1,000 points behind Wayne Gretzky. Messier was just recently pushed down to eighth overall for goals scored by Jaromir Jagr. His 1,756 regular season games puts Mark just eleven games behind Howe for the most all-time.

Q. Who was the first European selected in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft?

A. The first round of the 1979 Draft featured players from North America only. In the second round, the New York Islanders selected Tomas Jonsson 25^th overall. Jonsson, from Sweden, played 552 NHL regular season games from 1981-82 to 1988-89 before returning to Sweden to play nine years for Leksands in the Swedish Elite League. Two other Swedes were selected in that second round, Pelle Lindbergh by the Philadelphia Flyers and Mats Naslund by the Montreal Canadiens.