John Tonelli
| John Tonelli | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
March 23, 1957 Milton, ON, CAN |
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| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Houston Aeros New York Islanders Calgary Flames Los Angeles Kings Chicago Blackhawks Quebec Nordiques |
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| National team |
 Canada
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| NHL Draft | 33rd overall, 1977 New York Islanders |
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| Playing career | 1975–1992 | ||
John A. Tonelli (born March 23, 1957) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He was a four-time Stanley Cup champion with the New York Islanders, and also played with the Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks, and the Quebec Nordiques of the National Hockey League.
John Tonelli was born at St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario on March 23, 1957 to his parents Alex Jr. Tonelli and Joy Sclisizzi of Milton. John has a brother Raymond, who is five years older than him. Tonelli's mother Joy Sclisizzi is a relative of Enio Sclisizzi, who was Milton's first NHLer.
As young man, Tonelli worked in Sclisizzi's bronze-plaque making factory where he washed the finished plaques.
Tonelli's father, who worked for 40 years in the steel business and set an example for his son for hard work, used to dam up the water in a culvert next to their home, which would freeze, and allowed Tonelli endless access to skating time near their home on Ontario St. in Milton.
Tonelli was a mult-sport athlete in his youth, serving as pitcher for the Red Sox in the Milton Minor Baseball Association in 1966, when he hit a grand slam in the same game he served as pitcher. In 1968, with his father as an assistant coach, Tonelli won an OBA championship for the Milton Mowbray Tykes. He had four one-hitters as a pitcher in the 1970 baseball season.
In 1971, he was Holy Rosary School's top basketball scorer with 42 points.
In 1972, as a 15-year-old, he pitched a perfect game as a bantam baseball player.
Tonelli began his hockey career in earnest when he played one year with the Milton Flyers of the Central Junior B Hockey League before joining the Marlies.
Tonelli was the first 15-year-old player to ever be signed by the Toronto Marlies OHA team, and the first Milton boy to play with the Marlies since Murray "Cowboy" Grenke in the 1948-49 and 1949-50 seasons.
In just his first season with them, Marlies' coach George Armstrong noted Tonelli was pro material.
Tonelli was one of the first players to challenge the Ontario Hockey Association and the Marlies OHA team, with which he had signed a contract at age 16. As he reached age 18, the WHA's Houston team offered him a contract worth $500,000 ($2.2 million CAD in 2016), but his contract with the Marlies tied him to the OHA team for three years plus and option.
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