Team History

 

 

In 1954 a Lincoln Continental was raffled off to help finance entry into the Western Jr. B Hockey League.  Many changes in the league have occurred since that day, however the one constant has been the St. Marys Lincolns Hockey Club.  Competing against larger centres throughout South Western Ontario, the Lincolns have won the Ontario Championship twice, Ontario finalist several times, and numerous league titles.

Situated in the heart of Southwestern Ontario, this prosperous and picturesque town of 6,300 has been a hockey stop for some truly great players, many moving on to Major ‘A’, University Scholarships and the Professional ranks.  The town is dotted with former Lincolns who now call St. Marys home, after been exposed to this fine community through hockey.

The Lincolns alumni includes several former NHL players such as Jean Paul Parise, (1972 Team Canada leader and NHL veteran), Terry Crisp (2 time Stanley Cup Champion as player and coach), Don Luce, and Bob Boughner.  The number of others who have moved on to other levels of professional hockey and University Scholarships are too numerous to list here.

The St. Marys Lincolns offer an opportunity to show your talent in an organization and a league with a great hockey history. Many have passed through this town by way of the Lincolns, and many have remained, all remember the quality hockey and organization offered in St. Marys.  As our town logo states, “a town worth living in’.

 

 


Below are brief biographies of the various Lincolns to graduate to the National Hockey League, in order of number of NHL games played:

 

Don Luce

Don, a native of London, played two seasons for the St. Marys Lincolns (1963-65) before ultimately going on to play 13 NHL Seasons (1969-82) with New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, Los Angeles Kings, and Toronto Maple Leafs.  He recorded 225 goals, 329 assists and 554 points in 894 regular season games.  His longevity in the NHL was in large part due to developing an outstanding two-way game.  In 1974-75, the year that the Sabres advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, he scored some eight short-handed goals, played in his only NHL All-Star Game, and was also named winner of the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.  His career included six consecutive seasons of 20 goals or more.  After retiring, he became a scout for the Sabres and then director of scouting for the organization.  Since December 2006, he has been employed as Director of Hockey Development for the Philadelphia Flyers.

 

J.P. Parise

Jean-Paul (“J.P.”) Parise played 14 NHL Seasons from 1965 to 1979 with Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Minnesota North Stars, New York Islanders and Cleveland Barons.  The native of Smooth Rock Falls, Ontario recorded 238 goals, 356 assists and 594 points in 890 regular season NHL games.  One of the most memorable moments in Parise’s career came at the 1972 Summit Series versus Russia.  Parise’s inclusion on this superb Canadian roster was the culmination of years of hard playing.  He was put on a line with Wayne Cashman and Phil Esposito, and the pluggers were supposed to dig the puck out and get it to Espo in the slot.  It worked, because Phil led the Series in goals along with Paul Henderson.  J.P. played for the Lincolns during the 1960-61 season.

 

Bob Boughner

Played defence for 10 NHL Seasons from 1995 to 2006 with the Buffalo Sabres, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche.  Bob recorded 15 goals, 57 assists, 72 points and 1382 PIM in 630 regular season games.  Bob played one season in St. Marys, recording 22 points and 177 PIM in 36 games during 1987-88.  He then played three years for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and was selected 32nd overall in the 1989 Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings.  After retiring in June 2006, a group of investors including Bob purchased the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL, bringing Bob back to his hometown.  He currently serves as Head Coach of the Spitfires.

 

Terry Crisp

Terry, a native of Parry Sound, played 11 NHL Seasons from 1965 to 1977 with Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers after his tenure with the Lincolns from 1960-62.  Known as a fine checking forward, he won two Stanley Cups as a player with Philadelphia in 1974 and 1975.  The following season, while still playing for Philly, he received one of the oddest demotions in league history.  The Flyers sent him down to Springfield, not to play but to act as temporary coach for the Indians while incumbent John Hanna recovered from a car accident.  Crisp returned shortly after to resume his career over which he recorded 67 goals, 134 assists and 201 points in 536 regular season NHL games.  However, he would return to coaching after his playing days and led the Calgary Flames to their Stanley Cup in 1989, thus becoming one of only 14 individuals to win the Stanley Cup as both a player and a coach.  Later, in 1992, he became the first-ever coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Following his coaching career, he entered the field of broadcasting and is currently in his 8th year with the Nashville Predators.  As a member of the Lincolns, Terry won back-to-back scoring titles in 1959-60 and 1960-61, leading the team both years to the Western League Championship.  In 1960-61, he tallied an amazing 120 points in 32 games played.

 

Dan Bylsma

Played defence for 9 NHL Seasons from 1995 to 2004 with the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Mighty Ducks.  Dan recorded 19 goals, 43 assists and 62 points in 429 regular season games.  The native of Grand Haven, Michigan played for the Lincolns during 1986-87 and 1987-88, recording 111 points in 67 games before playing four years with Bowling Green and getting drafted by the Winnipeg Jets as a 7th round selection in 1989.  Dan and his father have written three books to date, including two on hockey: “So Your Son Wants to Be in the NHL” and “Pitcher’s Hand is Out”.  He currently is the head coach for the Wilkes Barre Penguins in the AHL. Top farm team for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

 

Jack Valiquette

Jack played 7 NHL Seasons from 1974 to 1981 with Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Rockies.  The St. Thomas native recorded 84 goals, 134 assists and 218 points in 350 regular season NHL games.  He played for the St. Marys Lincolns during the 1972-73 season.

 

Steve Shields

Steve has tended goal in 246 regular season NHL games with the Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and Atlanta Thrashers since entering the league in 1995.  Over his NHL career, the Toronto native has recorded 80 wins and an impressive 2.67 GAA.  In 2006-07, Steve was a member of the Houston Aeros of the AHL.  Steve played the 1989-90 season with the Lincolns before moving on to the University of Michigan for four successful years, compiling a record of 121-25-8.  He was a 5th round selection of Buffalo in the 1991 Entry Draft.  In 1995-96, Steve led Buffalo’s AHL team (Rochester Americans) to the Calder Cup.

 

Nathan Perrott

Nathan has played 89 regular season NHL games since he broke into the league with the Nashville Predators in 2001.  To date he has recorded 4 goals, 9 points and 251 PIM during stints with Nashville, Toronto, and Dallas.  In 2006-07, Perrott played four games for the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.  Nathan played for St. Marys during the 1993-94 season, recording 37 points and 249 PIM in 41 games.  He went on to play junior A with the Oshawa Generals and was a 2nd round selection (44th overall) of the New Jersey Devils. Nathan is now playing hockey in Russia.

 

Lonnie Loach

Played 2 NHL Seasons from 1992 to 1994 with the Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Mighty Ducks.  Lonnie recorded 10 goals, 13 assists and 23 points in 56 regular season games, then played in the International Hockey League then to Switzerland.  He played for St. Marys during the 1984-85 season.

 

John Tripp

John, a native of Kingston, played for the Lincolns during the 1993-94 season recording 44 points in 42 games.  A 2nd round draft pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, he has played 43 regular season NHL games (2002 to 2004) with the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings, registering 2 goals, 7 assists and 9 points.  In 2006-07, John was a member of ERC Ingolstadt of the German Hockey League, scoring 34 points in 39 games.

 

Rick McCann

Played 6 NHL Seasons from 1967 to 1975 with the Detroit Red Wings.  Rick recorded 1 goal, 4 assists and 5 points in 43 regular season games as a frequent call-up from Detroit’s AHL club where he was a reliable scorer.  Rick played for the Lincolns for the 1963-64 season.

 

Josh Gratton

Josh played his first season in 2005-06 with the Pheonix Coyotes under the coaching of Wayne Gretzky.  Through the 2006-07 season he has recorded two goals, one assist and 232 PIM in 66 games, and is back with the Coyotes for the 2007-08 season.  Josh played for the Lincolns in 1999-2000. Josh has signed with the Nashville Predators for the 2008-2009 season.

 

Mike Minard

Tended goal for one game for the Edmonton Oilers during the 1999-2000 season.  Allowed 3 goals and earned the win, thus becoming one of the few goaltenders in NHL history never to lose a single game.  Mike was a Lincoln for two seasons, from 1992-94.  He currently plays for the Belfast Giants in Ireland.

 

Scott Driscoll – Linesman

 

Played for St. Marys from 1986-89.

 

Steve Miller – Linesman

Played for St. Marys from 1990-91