| Rich Preston |
| Richard John Preston Right Wing Right-Handed Shot Height: 6' 0", Weight: 185 pounds Born: 5.22.52 Regina, Saskatchewan |
| How he arrived: Traded by the Chicago Blackhawks with Don Dietrich and Blackhawks' 2nd round pick in the 1985 E.D. for Bob MacMillan and Devils' 5th round pick in the 1985 E.D., 6.19.84 How he left: Signed as a free agent by the Chicago Blackhawks, 7.14.86 |
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| Regular Season Statistics with the Franchise Stats in bold signifies team leader. |
Preston could do a lot of good things out on the ice; he was that versatile. This was particularly true when he was playing in the
WHA, where in the last season of the League's existence (1978-79), he, as part of the Winnipeg Jets, won the playoffs MVP as
the Jets won the Avco World Cup.
He got 5 seasons out of the Chicago Blackhawks, most of them good, before coming to the Devils. He got his best production
as a Devil when he was teamed with Mel Bridgman and Peter McNab as what was dubbed as The Fossil Line. (Because they
were the oldest players on the team, which had a lot of young up-and-comers.)
He would return to the Hawks for one more season before calling it a career.
I'm not sure if he went underground for a few years or what happened after retirement, but the next time he would get
mentioned, he was hired as an assistant coach for the Hawks in 1991. After 1995, he left the Hawks to coach the Regina Pats
in the WHL for 2 seasons. He returned to the NHL coaching ranks (kinda) immediately after when the Calgary Flames hired
him, and up until the 08-09 season, had been an assistant coach somewhere in the NHL since. (3 seasons with San Jose
sandwiched in between 2 stints with the Flames for a total of 8 seasons.)
He went back to juniors to become a headman again, this time with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Also with that, he became the
team's GM.
WHA, where in the last season of the League's existence (1978-79), he, as part of the Winnipeg Jets, won the playoffs MVP as
the Jets won the Avco World Cup.
He got 5 seasons out of the Chicago Blackhawks, most of them good, before coming to the Devils. He got his best production
as a Devil when he was teamed with Mel Bridgman and Peter McNab as what was dubbed as The Fossil Line. (Because they
were the oldest players on the team, which had a lot of young up-and-comers.)
He would return to the Hawks for one more season before calling it a career.
I'm not sure if he went underground for a few years or what happened after retirement, but the next time he would get
mentioned, he was hired as an assistant coach for the Hawks in 1991. After 1995, he left the Hawks to coach the Regina Pats
in the WHL for 2 seasons. He returned to the NHL coaching ranks (kinda) immediately after when the Calgary Flames hired
him, and up until the 08-09 season, had been an assistant coach somewhere in the NHL since. (3 seasons with San Jose
sandwiched in between 2 stints with the Flames for a total of 8 seasons.)
He went back to juniors to become a headman again, this time with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Also with that, he became the
team's GM.
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| Entry Draft: None |
