William Darren "Jock" Callander (born April 23, 1961 in Regina, Saskatchewan) is a former professional ice hockey player, and current assistant coach/TV analyst for the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League.
Video Jock Callander
Career
Jock, the younger brother of Drew, replaced a small NHL career with a historic one in the IHL. Never drafted, he had brief stops with the St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Tampa Bay Lightning, but with the Muskegon/Cleveland Lumberjacks he was sensational, breaking the all-time points mark during the 1999-2000 season when he registered his 1,383rd career point, breaking the record of Len Thornson.
Callander started slowly in junior with Regina Pats, but in his last two seasons he produced staggering totals of 146 goals and 343 points, leading the league in 1981-82. Nonetheless, he was never drafted by an NHL team, signing with St. Louis as a free agent, though never playing for the Blues. Instead, he had to settle for a start in the CHL and IHL, where he spent the first five pro years of his career. He signed with Pittsburgh, and over the next three years split his time between the Penguins and the IHL.
The highlight of his NHL time came in 1991-92. After playing the whole year with Muskegon, he came up to the Penguins for the playoffs, appearing in a dozen games en route to the Stanley Cup. At the 1992 Victory Celebration for the Pittsburgh Penguins at Three Rivers Stadium, Callander lost his watch to a fan who had inadvertently grabbed it while slapping hands. Over the summer, though, he became a free agent and Pittsburgh did not sign him--he went to Tampa Bay. Callander played eight games with the Lightning and most of the next eight years back in the IHL with Cleveland.
Maps Jock Callander
Personal life
Callander retired from hockey following the 1999-2000 season and became an assistant coach for Cleveland in 2000-01 before joining the Houston Aeros the following year.
In 2007, Callander returned to Cleveland to work with the city's then new American Hockey League franchise, the Lake Erie Monsters. He is a color analyst for the team's TV broadcasts, serves as an assistant coach (for games not televised), and works in the team's front office as Sr. Director of Hockey Affairs and Team Services.
On December 16, 2011, before a Monsters game at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Callander had his number 15 retired in honor of his career as a member of the Lumberjacks, as well as his involvement in hockey initiatives in the Cleveland area.
Career statistics
Awards and honors
- Two-time IHL All-Star Team Selection - 1987, 1992
- Leo P. Lamoureux Memorial Trophy (Leading Scorer - IHL) (1987) (tied with Jeff Pyle)
- James Gatschene Memorial Trophy (MVP - IHL) (1987) (co-winner - Jeff Pyle)
- 1992 Stanley Cup Championship (as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins)
- Two-time Turner Cup Champion (as a member of the Muskegon Lumberjacks) - 1986, 1989
- 2016 Calder Cup Champion (as an assistant coach/front office executive/announcer for the Lake Erie Monsters)
- Number retired by the Cleveland Monsters (#15)
- Number retired by the Regina Pats (#15)
References
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database
Source of article : Wikipedia
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