Danny Belisle

Danny Belisle
With the Vancouver Canucks in 1961
Born	(1937-05-09)May 9, 1937 South Porcupine, Ontario, Canada
Died	November 28, 2022(2022-11-28) (aged 85)
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shot	Right
Played for	New York Rangers
Playing career	1957–1971

Daniel George Belisle (May 9, 1937 – November 28, 2022) was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach. He played 4 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 1960–61 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1957 to 1971, was spent in the minor leagues. He later became a coach in the minor leagues, and also coached the Washington Capitals in the NHL during the 1978–79 and 1979–80 seasons.

Playing career

Belisle played junior hockey for the Guelph Biltmores and the Trois-Rivières Lions. He then signed with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League, but his entire NHL career totaled four games during the 1960–61 season. He played fourteen years in the minor leagues, as a member of fifteen different clubs. Belisle's career year came in 1962-63, when he scored 70 points for the San Francisco Seals of the Western Hockey League.

Coaching career

Belisle began his coaching career with the Des Moines Oak Leafs, the final team for which he played. In 1978, he was named head coach of the Washington Capitals, whom he coached to a 24–41–15 record. After a slow start at the beginning of the 1979–80 NHL season, he was fired and replaced by Gary Green. Belisle was voted Central Hockey League coach of the year in 1981 while coaching the Dallas Black Hawks. The Black Hawks, a farm team for the Vancouver Canucks, compiled a 56-16-7, setting records for most victories by a minor league team, most points by a minor league team, most goals scored by a team and most road victories. Belisle later became an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings during the early 1980s.

Belisle's son Dan Belisle was an ice hockey coach and executive in the North American Hockey League, Southern Hockey League, Colonial Hockey League, and ECHL, most notably serving as general manager for the ECHL's New Orleans Brass, Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies, and Victoria Salmon Kings.

Belisle died November 28, 2022.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1955–56	Guelph Biltmores	OHA		48	25	25	50	25		3	1	0	1	0
1956–57	Guelph Biltmores	OHA		52	36	30	66	70		10	6	10	16	21
1956–57	Guelph Biltmores	M-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		6	2	2	4	8
1957–58	Trois-Rivières Lions	QSHL		55	24	31	55	32		—	—	—	—	—
1957–58	Providence Reds	AHL		7	2	2	4	2		—	—	—	—	—
1958–59	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		70	31	31	62	41		9	4	1	5	13
1959–60	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		68	24	24	48	27		11	6	7	13	0
1960–61	New York Rangers	NHL		4	2	0	2	0		—	—	—	—	—
1960–61	Kitchener Beavers	EPHL		16	8	7	15	14		—	—	—	—	—
1960–61	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		51	30	17	47	17		9	0	2	2	0
1961–62	Los Angeles Blades	WHL		61	30	38	68	27		—	—	—	—	—
1962–63	San Francisco Seals	WHL		63	29	41	70	14		17	8	7	15	2
1963–64	Baltimore Clippers	AHL		13	1	2	3	4		—	—	—	—	—
1963–64	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		52	22	22	44	22		—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	Omaha Knights	CHL		6	2	6	8	2		—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	Quebec Aces	AHL		4	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	Victoria Maple Leafs	WHL		53	23	24	47	40		12	2	5	7	6
1965–66	Memphis Wings	CHL		65	16	30	46	38		—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	California Seals	WHL		62	25	22	47	22		1	0	0	0	0
1967–68	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		66	15	20	35	8		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Jacksonville Rockets	EHL		71	39	46	85	26		4	2	1	3	0
1969–70	Barrie Flyers (1966–1979)	OHA Sr		7	1	2	3	16		—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Columbus Checkers	IHL		58	32	43	75	21		—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Des Moines Oak Leafs	IHL		41	8	21	29	10		—	—	—	—	—
WHL totals				546	229	239	468	218		59	20	22	42	21
NHL totals				4	2	0	2	0		—	—	—	—	—

Coaching record

Team	Year	Regular Season						Post Season
		G	W	L	T	Pts	Finish	Result
Washington Capitals	1978–79	80	21	41	15	63	4th in Norris	Missed playoffs
Washington Capitals	1979–80	16	4	10	2	10	2nd in Smythe	Fired
NHL Totals		96	25	51	17

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database