Billy Harris (ice hockey, born 1952)

William Edward Harris (born January 29, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League who played from 1972 to 1984. He helped the New York Islanders reach the NHL playoff semi-finals four times in five seasons from 1975 to 1979.

Billy Harris
Harris in 1973
Born (1952-01-29) January 29, 1952 (age 72)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 197 lb (89 kg; 14 st 1 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shot Left
Played for New York Islanders
Los Angeles Kings
Toronto Maple Leafs
NHL draft 1st overall, 1972
New York Islanders
Playing career 1972–1984

Playing career

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As a youth, Harris played in the 1964 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Toronto Shopsy's minor ice hockey team.[1]

Harris was drafted first overall in the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft by the expansion New York Islanders. He is known for being the first New York Islander. He played on Long Island until he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings on March 10, 1980, along with Dave Lewis for Butch Goring.[2][3] Later that year, the Islanders won their first Stanley Cup of four in a row. Harris was never part of a winning Cup team, but he is remembered for helping the Islanders grow from their initial days as an expansion franchise to a dominant team in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Harris played more than 500 consecutive games for the Islanders before he was traded. He finished off the last few seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs before retiring after the 1983–84 season.

Career statistics

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    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1968–69 Toronto Marlboros OHA-Jr. 41 9 18 27 14 6 2 2 4
1969–70 Toronto Marlboros OHA-Jr. 46 13 17 30 75 18 4 9 13 26
1970–71 Toronto Marlboros OHA-Jr. 48 34 48 82 61 13 8 9 17 14
1971–72 Toronto Marlboros OHA-Jr. 63 57 72 129 87 10 13 10 23 26
1972–73 New York Islanders NHL 78 28 22 50 35
1973–74 New York Islanders NHL 78 23 27 50 34
1974–75 New York Islanders NHL 80 25 37 62 34 17 3 7 10 12
1975–76 New York Islanders NHL 80 32 38 70 54 13 5 2 7 10
1976–77 New York Islanders NHL 80 24 43 67 44 12 7 7 14 8
1977–78 New York Islanders NHL 80 22 38 60 40 7 0 0 0 4
1978–79 New York Islanders NHL 80 15 39 54 18 10 2 1 3 10
1979–80 New York Islanders NHL 67 15 15 30 37
1979–80 Los Angeles Kings NHL 11 4 3 7 6 4 0 0 0 2
1980–81 Los Angeles Kings NHL 80 20 29 49 36 4 2 1 3 0
1981–82 Los Angeles Kings NHL 16 1 3 4 6
1981–82 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 20 2 0 2 4
1982–83 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 76 11 19 30 26 4 0 1 1 2
1983–84 St. Catharines Saints AHL 2 0 1 1 0
1983–84 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 50 7 10 17 14
1983–84 Los Angeles Kings NHL 21 2 4 6 6
NHL totals 897 231 327 558 394 71 19 19 38 48

References

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  1. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  2. ^ Fischler, Stan (February 22, 2019). "Maven's Memories: The Butch Goring Trade". NHL.com. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  3. ^ Kreiser, John (March 9, 2020). "March 10: Goring traded to Islanders". NHL.com. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
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Preceded by NHL first overall draft pick
1972
Succeeded by
Preceded by
None
New York Islanders first round draft pick
1972
Succeeded by