Height: 5-10
Weight: 175
Shoot: R
Born: 16 Dec 1939, Rouyn PQ
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
|
Regular Season & Playoff Scoring Record (key)
| year | team | |||||||||||
| 1972-73 | Minnesota | |||||||||||
| 1973-74 | Minnesota | |||||||||||
| 1974-75 | Minnesota | |||||||||||
| 1975-76 | Minnesota | |||||||||||
| Cleveland | ||||||||||||
| Totals (2 teams) | ||||||||||||
| 1976-77 | Calgary | |||||||||||
| Edmonton | ||||||||||||
| Totals (2 teams) | ||||||||||||
| Totals: |
• Uncle of Gary Connelly.
|
Connelly a Quiet Leader • by Charlie Hallman • The Hockey Spectator • November 16, 1973
He never says much, but Wayne Connelly is definitely a leader of the Minnesota Fighting Saints. Last year, Connelly was the most prolific scorer on a team which failed to score much. Wayne gunned in 40 goals and added 30 assists. This year, Connelly has started out like a house on fire, and barring injuries, the 33-year-old native of Rouyn, Quebec, looks to be headed for his best year as a professional. "Wayne had a great first year for us," admitted Minnesota General Manager Glen Sonmor. "He scored a lot of goals. But perhaps as important, he proved to be a real leader on the ice. He also worked for the club this past summer and is excellent at our hockey clinics." Connelly appeared at more than 40 clinics, lecturing on all three forward spots. "It's easy for me to talk about right wing," said Connelly of the position he's played most of his career. "Left wing is more difficult although you really could say it is just the same as playing the right side, only using the other hand and going the other way. "Center, though, is kind of tough for me to talk about because I've never played it that much. I did play some center early in my career, but since I entered the National Hockey League I've always been on the right side."' Since turning pro, the former Peterborough Pete junior ace has spent most of every season (save two) in the NHL. He started in the Montreal chain but was sold to Boston in June of 1961. That year, he played 61 games for the Bruins, scoring only eight times. "I was still too young," said Connelly. "It was extremely difficult for a junior then to jump into the NHL. There were only six teams and if you had a bad shift, you sat out a couple of games." After four seasons of bouncing back and forth between Boston and the San Francisco Seals of the old Western League, Connelly returned to the Bruins for the whole 1966-67 season. He wound up with 13 goals and 30 points and was left unprotected in the expansion draft. "I was happy to come to Minnesota with the North Stars," Connelly said. "I had a fine year and my wife Regina and I really enjoyed the country." After scoring 43 times (eight of those were in the playoffs), Connelly was named "West Division Player of the Year" by the Sporting News and made the West Division All-Star team. But, the following season, Connelly got off to a poor start, scoring only four goals in 19 games and was whistled off to the Detroit Red Wings for an unknown kid by the name of Danny Lawson. "Wren Blair gave up on guys easily in those days," said Connelly. "Oftentimes, it was his best players — Mike McMahon, Andre Boudrias, Dave Balon and later Lawson, Claude Larose and others. I have no ill-feelings against the Bird but he does lack patience. I'm sure he'd be the first to admit he's made some mistakes. We all do." "But if you take a look at what those guys have done since, you'll see a lot of great goal scorers. Look at Lawson — he had 61 last year — and he's averaging better than a goal a game this year." Connelly enjoyed his stay in Detroit, though. He feels the best year of his career was in 1969-70 when he had S9 points for the Wings and played on the greatest power play unit of all time with Carl Brewer, Alex Delvecchio, Gordie Howe and Frank Mahovlich. "I played the right point and was able to get the puck in where Gordie or Alex or Frank could pick up the rebound and hammer it in," Connelly recalled. When new General Manager Ned Harkness walked in, Mahovlich, Garry Unger and Connelly were given their walking papers. Harkness wanted a "tough guy" Bruins-type team. Wayne bounced into St. Louis, then out to Vancouver. "I couldn't see walking into the house one more time and telling Reggie we had to move," said Connelly. That was the major reason Connelly began the "big flux" of NHLers to bolt to the WHA. "We'd made Minnesota our home ever since playing with the North Stars," said Connelly. "So it was natural that we'd go with the Fighting Saints." Connelly signed a five-year contract with the Saints. "I'll finish my career here,'' he says. "And then we'll stay in Minnesota." Wayne and Reggie purchased a home in the suburb of Burnsville, where they live with their two children. "We like it here," says the petite Mrs. Connelly, who is pure French Canadian. Ten years ago, Reggie didn't speak English. Now, she has little trace of an accent. "We decided to speak nothing but English around the house," she says with a smile. "I either had to learn or keep my mouth closed." And Connelly — his value to the Saints is unquestioned. "I'd hate to think of our club being without Wayne Connelly," says Coach Harry Neale. "He's not only a great player but he's one of the classiest guys I've met in this game. Just having a guy like Wayne around makes a coach feel good." |
|
Excerpts from Pro Hockey, WHA 1975-76 (by Dan Proudfoot)
There was no place left for Wayne Connelly in the National Hockey League when he completed a rapid tour of Minnesota, Detroit, St. Louis and Vancouver franchises in 1972. He didn't catch on anywhere. New York Rangers had him briefly, too, for one day when they got him from St. Louis in one trade, and sent him on to Vancouver in another. "Beats me why," said Glen Sonmor, manager of the Minnesota Fighting Saints, "we have had him three years and he's averaged 40 goals every season. Last year, it was 38. He's as sharp around the net as any player I've seen." |
|
Excerpts from Zander Hollander's Guide to Pro Hockey, 1975-76 (by Reyn Davis)
Considered by some to be Minnesota's best all-around hockey player... His ability, however, tends to suffer in heavy contact games... Possesses a great shot which he unleashes in a hurry... Whisked away from Vancouver Canucks by Saints to become WHA's first signing in 1972... Wears cowboy boots... Tied Gary Gambucci as the team efficiency leader, +14... Scored 12 of his 38 goals on power plays... Lead team with six game winners. |
|
Excerpts from Pro Hockey, WHA 1976-77 (by Dan Proudfoot)
At this late moment in his career; 37-year-old Wayne Connelly must feel like a hired gun. He was another casualty of the Minnesota Fighting Saints' collapse, but he was picked up by the Cleveland Crusaders for the final 12 games of the season. He got five goals and two assists and then added another goal in Cleveland's brief playoff stint. Then, before he had much chance to contemplate the Crusaders' move to Hollywood, Fla., his old coach, Harry Neale, arranged for him to play at New England. Why? For his goals, of course. A shooter is always in demand, and Connelly was one of three WHA players who scored five goals in a single night in 1975-76 --- Handling all of the finishing touches in a 5-3 Minnesota win over Cincinnati Stingers. |
_______________________________________
Home • Book • Credits & Legal Stuff
(c) Scott Surgent