Bill Sutherland
| Bill Sutherland | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
November 10, 1934 Regina, Saskatchewan |
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| Died | April 9, 2017 (aged 82) Winnipeg, Manitoba |
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| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Montreal Canadiens Philadelphia Flyers Toronto Maple Leafs St. Louis Blues Detroit Red Wings Winnipeg Jets (WHA) |
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| Playing career | 1955–1974 | ||
William Fraser Sutherland (November 10, 1934 – April 9, 2017) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and a former National Hockey League (NHL) coach. He scored the first goal in Philadelphia Flyers history.
Sutherland played two seasons with the St. Boniface Canadiens of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, scoring 60 points in 25 games during the 1954-55 season. He then embarked on a long minor league career, serving stints with the Cincinnati Mohawks, Montreal Royals, Cleveland Barons, and Quebec Aces. He made his NHL debut in 1963, playing two playoff games after a series of injuries to the Montreal Canadiens forward unit.
The 1967 expansion gave Sutherland a chance to finally break into hockey's top league, as the Philadelphia Flyers purchased the Aces as their new top farm team and transferred Quebec's best players to the NHL squad. He scored the first goal in Flyers history on October 11, 1967. He became the first player in NHL history to score the first NHL goal in two arenas in the same season. He scored the first goal at the Long Beach Sports Arena in a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Five days later he scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the first game at the Philadelphia Spectrum.
The next season, the Minnesota North Stars selected Sutherland in the intra-league draft. However, he never played for this franchise, and instead was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs. After 44 games with this club, he was traded back to the Flyers. He spent the next year as a Flyers starter, and he then scored an NHL career high 39 points in 1970-71 with the St. Louis Blues. The next year, he saw limited playing time with two teams: the Blues and the Detroit Red Wings. He ended his playing career with the Winnipeg Jets during their World Hockey Association days.
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