Lowell MacDonald
MacDonald with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1970s
Born (1941-08-30) August 30, 1941
Thorburn, Nova Scotia, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shot Right
Played for Detroit Red Wings
Los Angeles Kings
Pittsburgh Penguins
Playing career 19621978

Lowell Wilson MacDonald (born August 30, 1941) is a Canadian former professional National Hockey League winger who played during the 1960s and 1970s.

Career

MacDonald broke into the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings after being promoted from the AHL's Pittsburgh Hornets. He spent parts of three seasons in the Los Angeles Kings organization but sat out most of the 1970 campaign to work on his college degree. That summer, his former coach with the Kings, Red Kelly, had been hired by the Pittsburgh Penguins and selected MacDonald In the intra-league draft. He played just 10 games for Pittsburgh before an old knee injury flared up and forced him to consider retirement. After sitting out all of the 1971–72 season, his wife, Joyce, cajoled Lowell into attempting a comeback.[1] MacDonald made the Penguins out of training camp and went on to set new career records for goals and points. His stunning return earned MacDonald the 1973 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.[2]

In 1973, MacDonald was placed on Pittsburgh's top line alongside Syl Apps Jr. and Jean Pronovost. The 'Century Line', as they would come to be known, would be the driving force for the Penguins for three seasons with MacDonald leading the team in goals in 1974. Unfortunately, his time as a star was cut short when he suffered a seventh knee injury that ended his 1977 season after just 3 games. He returned the following year for a brief stint but ended up retiring before the end of the campaign. In 506 NHL games, MacDonald recorded 180 goals, 210 assists, 390 points, and only 92 penalty minutes.

After hanging up his skates, MacDonald became the head coach at the University School of Milwaukee, a prep school in Wisconsin. Over his 18 years with the school, MacDonald compiled a 263-180-17 record and was later inducted into the Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Hall of Fame.[3]

Personal

Two of Lowell's sons had careers involved with ice hockey. Lowell Jr. was a producer for TV broadcasts but was most noted for a controversy in 2010 that caused him to be suspended by FSN Pittsburgh.[4] Lane had an outstanding college career that saw him win both the NCAA Championship and Hobey Baker Award while at Harvard. Unfortunately, persistent migraines forced Lane to retire in 1991.

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1959–60 Hamilton Tiger Cubs OHA-Jr. 48 17 19 36 7
1960–61 Hamilton Red Wings OHA-Jr. 48 26 28 54 15 11 6 9 15 4
1961–62 Hamilton Red Wings OHA-Jr. 50 46 39 85 10 10 7 5 12 8
1961–62 Hamilton Red Wings M-Cup 14 17 7 24 14
1961–62 Detroit Red Wings NHL 1 0 0 0 2
1962–63 Detroit Red Wings NHL 26 2 1 3 8 1 0 0 0 2
1962–63 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 41 20 19 39 4
1963–64 Detroit Red Wings NHL 10 1 4 5 0
1963–64 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 59 31 29 60 6 5 3 1 4 2
1964–65 Detroit Red Wings NHL 9 2 1 3 0
1964–65 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 59 16 20 36 10 2 0 0 0 0
1965–66 Rochester Americans AHL 1 0 0 0 0
1965–66 Tulsa Oilers CPHL 57 33 25 58 4 11 5 4 9 0
1966–67 Tulsa Oilers CPHL 33 14 17 31 8
1967–68 Los Angeles Kings NHL 74 21 24 45 12 7 3 4 7 2
1968–69 Los Angeles Kings NHL 58 14 14 28 10 7 2 3 5 0
1968–69 Springfield Kings AHL 9 6 9 15 0
1969–70 Springfield Kings AHL 14 4 3 7 0 3 0 0 0 0
1970–71 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 10 0 1 1 0
1972–73 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 78 34 41 75 8
1973–74 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 78 43 39 82 14
1974–75 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 71 27 33 60 24 9 4 2 6 4
1975–76 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 69 30 43 73 12 3 1 0 1 0
1976–77 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 3 1 1 2 0 3 1 2 3 4
1977–78 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 19 5 8 13 2
NHL totals 506 180 210 390 92 30 11 11 22 12

Awards

Transactions

References

  1. "Who wore it best: No. 18, Lowell MacDonald". DK Pittsburgh Sports. July 12, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  2. Dinger, Ralph (1932). National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book (2004 ed.). Toronto: Dan Diamond. ISBN 0-920445-84-5.
  3. "WHCA HALL OF FAME". Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  4. "FSN Pittsburgh suspends producer". ESPN. January 12, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
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