Tim Ecclestone
Encyclopedia
Timothy James Ecclestone (born September 24, 1947 in Toronto
, Ontario
) is a former professional
ice hockey
left winger
who played eleven seasons in the National Hockey League
from 1967 until 1978. Ecclestone played 692 career NHL games, scoring 126 goals and 233 assists for 359 points. He achieved two 50+ point seasons in his career.
at the age of 17, in the 1964 NHL Entry Draft. He played one more season of Juniors, his time in Junior A with the Kitchener Rangers
. Ecclestone signed with the New York Rangers following the 1966–67 season with Kitchener. However, his rights were traded to the St. Louis Blues
immediately following the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft
. Ecclestone played three seasons with the Blues before management became unhappy with Red Berenson's association with the NHL Players' Association and cleaned house. Since Ecclestone had some involvement with the NHLPA the Blues decided to trade him to the Detroit Red Wings
. The Wings were perennial losers at the time and after four season in Detroit, Ecclestone requested to be traded. The Wings accommodated his request and he was shipped off to the Toronto Maple Leafs
. Following a shoulder injury in his second season in Toronto, the leafs traded Ecclestone to the Washington Capitals
who in turn traded him to the Atlanta Flames
, on the same day. Following a knee injury during the 1977-78 season he served as an assistant coach for the Flames. Ecclestone retired at the end of the season but remained with the Flames as an assistant coach until they relocated to Calgary
in 1980.
Ecclestone remained in the Atlanta following the departure of the Flames organization, as part owner of sports bar named Timothy-John's Restaurant and Lounge in Sandy Springs, Georgia
, a restaurant he helped open during his years as a Flames assistant coach. In 1990, he opened his own sports bar, called T.J.'s Sports Bar and Grill, in Alpharetta, Georgia
.
where he cited the Winnipeg
area as the size of Cobb County during an interview with WAGA
and the population was still large enough to keep the Thrashers in town but he cited poor management led the team to departure from Atlanta to Winnipeg. He considered himself a Thrasher fan.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
) is a former professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
left winger
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
who played eleven seasons in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
from 1967 until 1978. Ecclestone played 692 career NHL games, scoring 126 goals and 233 assists for 359 points. He achieved two 50+ point seasons in his career.
Playing career
Ecclestone began his career in Junior B with the Etobicoke Indians. After one season he was selected 9th overall by the New York RangersNew York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
at the age of 17, in the 1964 NHL Entry Draft. He played one more season of Juniors, his time in Junior A with the Kitchener Rangers
Kitchener Rangers
The Kitchener Rangers are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League that have called Kitchener, Ontario, Canada their home since 1963. The Rangers are a publicly owned hockey team, governed by a 40-person Board of Directors made up of season ticket subscribers. The Rangers hosted...
. Ecclestone signed with the New York Rangers following the 1966–67 season with Kitchener. However, his rights were traded to the St. Louis Blues
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade...
immediately following the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft
1967 NHL Expansion Draft
The 1967 NHL Expansion Draft was held on June 6, 1967, in the ballroom of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The draft took place to fill the rosters of the league's six expansion teams for the 1967–68 season: the California Seals, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars,...
. Ecclestone played three seasons with the Blues before management became unhappy with Red Berenson's association with the NHL Players' Association and cleaned house. Since Ecclestone had some involvement with the NHLPA the Blues decided to trade him to the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
. The Wings were perennial losers at the time and after four season in Detroit, Ecclestone requested to be traded. The Wings accommodated his request and he was shipped off to the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. Following a shoulder injury in his second season in Toronto, the leafs traded Ecclestone to the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
who in turn traded him to the Atlanta Flames
Atlanta Flames
The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA from 1972 to 1980. The team, a member of the National Hockey League , was relocated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the start of the 1980–81 NHL season and were re-named the Calgary Flames. The NHL returned to the...
, on the same day. Following a knee injury during the 1977-78 season he served as an assistant coach for the Flames. Ecclestone retired at the end of the season but remained with the Flames as an assistant coach until they relocated to Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
in 1980.
Ecclestone remained in the Atlanta following the departure of the Flames organization, as part owner of sports bar named Timothy-John's Restaurant and Lounge in Sandy Springs, Georgia
Sandy Springs, Georgia
Sandy Springs is a city in north Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. With a 2010 population of 93,853, Sandy Springs is the sixth-largest city in the state and the second-largest city in Metro Atlanta. Sandy Springs is located in north Fulton County, Georgia, just south of...
, a restaurant he helped open during his years as a Flames assistant coach. In 1990, he opened his own sports bar, called T.J.'s Sports Bar and Grill, in Alpharetta, Georgia
Alpharetta, Georgia
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 34,854 people, 13,911 households, and 8,916 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,631.6 people per square mile . There were 14,670 housing units at an average density of 686.7 per square mile...
.
Transactions
- Traded to St. Louis by New York Rangers with Gary SabourinGary SabourinGary Bruce Sabourin is a retired professional ice hockey right winger who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League from 1967–68 until 1976–77.-Career:...
, Bob PlagerBob PlagerRobert Bryant Plager is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League for fourteen seasons from 1964–65 until 1977–78. He had two brothers, Bill and Barclay, who also played in the NHL....
and Gord Kannegiesser for Rod SeilingRod SeilingRodney Albert Seiling is a retired Canadian ice hockey defenceman.Signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1962, Seiling played only one game with the Leafs and spent most of his time in the minors. The next year he would participate with the Canadian hockey team that played in the 1964 Winter...
on June 6, 1967. - Traded to Detroit by St. Louis with Red Berenson for Garry UngerGarry UngerGarry Douglas "Iron Man" Unger is a former professional ice hockey centre who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1967 until 1983.- Playing career :...
and Wayne ConnellyWayne ConnellyWayne Francis Connelly is a Canadian former ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota North Stars, Detroit Red Wings, St...
on February 6, 1971. - Traded to Toronto by Detroit for Pierre JarryPierre JarryPierre Joseph Raynald Jarry is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 344 games in the National Hockey League and 18 games in the World Hockey Association. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Minnesota North Stars, Detroit Red Wings, and Edmonton Oilers.-External...
on November 29, 1973. - Traded to Washington by Toronto with Willie BrossartWillie BrossartWilliam James Brossart is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League with the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals-Playing career:...
for Rod SeilingRod SeilingRodney Albert Seiling is a retired Canadian ice hockey defenceman.Signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1962, Seiling played only one game with the Leafs and spent most of his time in the minors. The next year he would participate with the Canadian hockey team that played in the 1964 Winter...
on November 2, 1974. - Traded to Atlanta by Washington for cash on November 2, 1974.
Thrashers Farewell
In June 2011, 790 AM The Zone conducted a farewell to the Atlanta ThrashersAtlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season...
where he cited the Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
area as the size of Cobb County during an interview with WAGA
Waga
Waga is an isolated small town in Colombo District, Sri Lanka. Administrated by Seethawaka Pradeshiya Sabha , it is part of the Padukka Divisional Secretary's Division. The town can be reached on road from Colombo via A4 road, turning off at either Meepe near Padukka or at Kaluaggala near Hanwella...
and the population was still large enough to keep the Thrashers in town but he cited poor management led the team to departure from Atlanta to Winnipeg. He considered himself a Thrasher fan.