Mike Walton

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Mike Walton
at St. Michael's College, c. 1962
Born (1945-01-03) January 3, 1945 (age 80)
Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
PositionCentre
ShotLeft
Played for
National team Canada
Playing career1965–1980

Michael Robert Walton (born January 3, 1945) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Walton played forward in the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1965 until 1979.

Early years

[edit]

Walton was born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, but his family lived a transient existence during his youth before settling north of Toronto, Ontario. They operated a restaurant/garage in Sutton, about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of the city. He inherited his nickname "Shakey" from his father, Bob Walton, who would shake his head to throw off opponents as a hockey player in England.[citation needed]

He spent each of his first two years of junior hockey with the only two champions in the Metro Junior A League's brief history. He first attended St. Michael's College School on a partial scholarship.[1] When the Majors' famous hockey program was discontinued after the 1961–62 season, Walton and the rest of the players were transferred to Neil McNeil Catholic Secondary School, where he scored 22 goals in 38 games for the Maroons in 1962–63.[citation needed]

Playing career

[edit]

Toronto Maple Leafs

[edit]

He became a part of the Toronto Maple Leafs' talent pipeline when he joined its Ontario Hockey Association farm team, the Marlboros, where he was the club's second leading scorer with 92 points (41 goals, 51 assists) in 53 games, while helping them win the league championship and Memorial Cup in 1964.[2] He then earned back-to-back minor league Rookie of the Year honours, first with the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Professional Hockey League (CPHL) in 1965, then with the Calder Cup-winning Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 1966.[citation needed]

Walton made his Leafs debut in 1965–66, appearing in only six matches. He established himself on the veteran-dominated team midway through the next campaign. Working exclusively on power-play situations, he scored four goals with three assists while playing in all twelve games of Toronto's postseason run to the 1967 Stanley Cup Championship. He was the club's leading scorer with 59 points (30 goals, 29 assists) in 1967–68, his first full season in the league and most productive with the Leafs.[3]

His time with the Leafs was marred by constant conflict with head coach Punch Imlach and team president Stafford Smythe. Prior to his dismissal in April 1969, the domineering Imlach, disdainful of younger players, clashed with Walton over his hairstyle and bombarded him with negative comments about his on-ice performance. Also at issue was the fact that Walton's agent was Alan Eagleson, who helped establish the NHL Players' Association. Further complicating matters was Walton's marriage to Smythe's niece, and Conn Smythe's granddaughter, Candace.[4] When an independent psychiatrist appointed by the NHL diagnosed Walton with depression in the middle of the 1970–71 season, his departure from the Leafs was imminent.[citation needed]

Boston Bruins

[edit]

Walton was traded by Toronto to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins as part of a three-way deal which also involved the Philadelphia Flyers on January 31, 1971. The Maple Leafs received Bernie Parent and a second-round pick in the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft (Rick Kehoe) from the Flyers who got Bruce Gamble and a first-round selection (Pierre Plante) in the same draft from the Leafs and Rick MacLeish and Danny Schock from the Bruins.[5]

Orr-Walton Sports Camp

Walton blended in well with the Bruins' prolific scorers led by Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr, his business partner at the time with the Orr-Walton Sports Camp in Orillia, Ontario. He became a part of his second Championship when the Bruins defeated the New York Rangers in the 1972 Finals.[citation needed]

He was injured in a bizarre accident in the middle of the 1972–73 season on January 3, 1973 when he tripped and fell through a plate glass door at a St. Louis hotel.[6][7] Despite needing over 100 stitches, he made a complete recovery and returned to action a month later.[8]

Minnesota Fighting Saints

[edit]

The upstart World Hockey Association, attempting to lure talent away from the established league, conducted its General Player Draft on February 12, 1972 to evenly distribute amongst its franchises NHL players with expiring contracts. Even though still under contract with the Bruins, Walton was selected by the Los Angeles Sharks. His WHA rights were traded in June 1973 to the Minnesota Fighting Saints, who succeeded in signing him to a three-year deal worth $450,000.[citation needed]

He made an immediate impact as the WHA's leading scorer with a career-high 117 points (57 goals, 60 assists) in 1973–74.[9] He continued as the team's top scorer for the next two seasons, but left the team on Feb. 25, 1976, three days before financial problems forced the Fighting Saints to cease operations.[citation needed]

He also played for Team Canada when it lost the 1974 Summit Series to the Soviet Union 1–4–3. Observers considered his performance to be the biggest disappointment in the series.[10]

Later career

[edit]

Walton returned to the NHL to finish his 1975–76 campaign, but it was not with the Bruins. Two years earlier on February 7, 1974, they had traded his NHL rights, along with Chris Oddleifson and Fred O'Donnell, to the Vancouver Canucks for Bobby Schmautz. Even though his 66 points (29 goals, 37 assists) in 1977–78 led the Canucks and were the best numbers in his NHL career,[11] he was still dealt to the St. Louis Blues on June 12, 1978. His subsequent season was split between the Blues, Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks and the latter two's AHL affiliates. His final year of professional hockey in 1979–80 was spent with Kölner EC of the Eishockey-Bundesliga in West Germany.[citation needed]

Personal life

[edit]

Walton is married to Candace, and has three daughters: Connie, JJ and Michelle.[12]After his retirement from professional hockey, Walton worked as a real estate agent for RE/MAX in Toronto. His clients included active and former Leafs players, such as Doug Gilmour and Mats Sundin.[13] He was the eponymous and initial proprietor of Shakey's Original Bar and Grill on Bloor Street in the western part of the city.[14]

Awards

[edit]

Career statistics

[edit]

Regular season and playoffs

[edit]
Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
1961–62St. Michael's MajorsOHA-Jr.261311241212771410
1961–62St. Michael's MajorsMC—————51016
1962–63Neil McNeil MaroonsMetJHL3822224432843710
1962–63Neil McNeil MaroonsMC—————641513
1963–64Toronto MarlborosOHA-Jr.5341519262969156
1963–64Rochester AmericansAHL20000—————
1963–64Toronto MarlborosMC—————126202611
1964–65Tulsa OilersCPHL684044848612761316
1965–66Toronto Maple LeafsNHL61340—————
1965–66Rochester AmericansAHL683551866712841243
1966–67Toronto Maple LeafsNHL317101713124372
1966–67Rochester AmericansAHL3619335228—————
1967–68Toronto Maple LeafsNHL7330295948—————
1968–69Toronto Maple LeafsNHL662221433440004
1969–70Toronto Maple LeafsNHL5821345568—————
1970–71Toronto Maple LeafsNHL233101321—————
1970–71Boston BruinsNHL2235810520219
1971–72Boston BruinsNHL762828564515661213
1972–73Boston BruinsNHL562522473751122
1973–74Minnesota Fighting SaintsWHA7857601178811108186
1974–75Minnesota Fighting SaintsWHA7848459333121071710
1975–76Minnesota Fighting SaintsWHA5831407127—————
1975–76Vancouver CanucksNHL108816920005
1976–77Vancouver CanucksNHL407243132—————
1977–78Vancouver CanucksNHL6529376630—————
1978–79St. Louis BluesNHL22711186—————
1978–79Boston BruinsNHL144260—————
1978–79Rochester AmericansAHL11232—————
1978–79Chicago Black HawksNHL26639441010
1978–79New Brunswick HawksAHL71566—————
1979–80Kölner EC1.GBun2012193133—————
NHL totals5882012474483574714102445
WHA totals2111361452811482320153526

International

[edit]
YearTeamEvent GPGAPtsPIM
1974CanadaSS60112

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 1961–62 Toronto St. Michael's (OHA) – Statistics.
  2. ^ 1963–64 Toronto Marlboros (OHA) – Statistics.
  3. ^ 1967–68 Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) – Statistics.
  4. ^ Sanderson, Derek; Shea, Kevin (October 2012). Crossing the Line. Triumph Books. ISBN 9781617499982. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  5. ^ O'Hara, Dave. "Mike Walton Traded to Bruins," The Associated Press, Monday, February 1, 1971.
  6. ^ "Newport Daily News Newspaper Archives, Jan 4, 1973, p. 17". 4 January 1973.
  7. ^ "Lowell Sun Newspaper Archives, Jan 23, 1973, p. 50". 23 January 1973.
  8. ^ "Lowell Sun Newspaper Archives, Feb 11, 1973, p. 70". 11 February 1973.
  9. ^ 1973–74 Minnesota Fighting Saints (WHA) – Statistics.
  10. ^ Mike Walton – The Summit in 1974.
  11. ^ 1977–78 Vancouver Canucks (NHL) – Statistics.
  12. ^ Bidini, Dave (2 February 2015). "Skating and healing: Mike Walton's on-ice joys, troubles offer wisdom to help his daughter". National Post. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  13. ^ Leitch, Carolyn (11 May 2006). "Sundin puts Toronto home up for sale". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Archived from the original on 1 November 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Bars & Clubs Guide: Shakey's Original Bar and Grill". Toronto Life. 2 December 2008. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  15. ^ "WHA Hall of Fame Members". Archived from the original on 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
[edit]

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Cox, Damien & Stellick, Gord. '67: The Maple Leafs, Their Sensational Victory, and The End of an Empire. Toronto, ON: John Wiley & Sons Canada Ltd., 2004.
  • Leonetti, Mike & Barkley, Harold. The Game We Knew: Hockey in the Sixties. Vancouver, BC: Raincoast Books, 1998.
  • Willes, Ed. The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd., 2004.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mike_Walton&oldid=1317799686"
    Mike Walton
    at St. Michael's College, c. 1962
    Born (1945-01-03) January 3, 1945 (age 80)
    Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada
    Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
    Weight175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
    PositionCentre
    ShotLeft
    Played for
    National team Canada
    Playing career1965–1980

    Michael Robert Walton (born January 3, 1945) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Walton played forward in the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1965 until 1979.

    Early years

    Walton was born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, but his family lived a transient existence during his youth before settling north of Toronto, Ontario. They operated a restaurant/garage in Sutton, about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of the city. He inherited his nickname "Shakey" from his father, Bob Walton, who would shake his head to throw off opponents as a hockey player in England.[citation needed]

    He spent each of his first two years of junior hockey with the only two champions in the Metro Junior A League's brief history. He first attended St. Michael's College School on a partial scholarship.[1] When the Majors' famous hockey program was discontinued after the 1961–62 season, Walton and the rest of the players were transferred to Neil McNeil Catholic Secondary School, where he scored 22 goals in 38 games for the Maroons in 1962–63.[citation needed]

    Playing career

    Toronto Maple Leafs

    He became a part of the Toronto Maple Leafs' talent pipeline when he joined its Ontario Hockey Association farm team, the Marlboros, where he was the club's second leading scorer with 92 points (41 goals, 51 assists) in 53 games, while helping them win the league championship and Memorial Cup in 1964.[2] He then earned back-to-back minor league Rookie of the Year honours, first with the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Professional Hockey League (CPHL) in 1965, then with the Calder Cup-winning Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 1966.[citation needed]

    Walton made his Leafs debut in 1965–66, appearing in only six matches. He established himself on the veteran-dominated team midway through the next campaign. Working exclusively on power-play situations, he scored four goals with three assists while playing in all twelve games of Toronto's postseason run to the 1967 Stanley Cup Championship. He was the club's leading scorer with 59 points (30 goals, 29 assists) in 1967–68, his first full season in the league and most productive with the Leafs.[3]

    His time with the Leafs was marred by constant conflict with head coach Punch Imlach and team president Stafford Smythe. Prior to his dismissal in April 1969, the domineering Imlach, disdainful of younger players, clashed with Walton over his hairstyle and bombarded him with negative comments about his on-ice performance. Also at issue was the fact that Walton's agent was Alan Eagleson, who helped establish the NHL Players' Association. Further complicating matters was Walton's marriage to Smythe's niece, and Conn Smythe's granddaughter, Candace.[4] When an independent psychiatrist appointed by the NHL diagnosed Walton with depression in the middle of the 1970–71 season, his departure from the Leafs was imminent.[citation needed]

    Boston Bruins

    Walton was traded by Toronto to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins as part of a three-way deal which also involved the Philadelphia Flyers on January 31, 1971. The Maple Leafs received Bernie Parent and a second-round pick in the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft (Rick Kehoe) from the Flyers who got Bruce Gamble and a first-round selection (Pierre Plante) in the same draft from the Leafs and Rick MacLeish and Danny Schock from the Bruins.[5]

    Orr-Walton Sports Camp

    Walton blended in well with the Bruins' prolific scorers led by Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr, his business partner at the time with the Orr-Walton Sports Camp in Orillia, Ontario. He became a part of his second Championship when the Bruins defeated the New York Rangers in the 1972 Finals.[citation needed]

    He was injured in a bizarre accident in the middle of the 1972–73 season on January 3, 1973 when he tripped and fell through a plate glass door at a St. Louis hotel.[6][7] Despite needing over 100 stitches, he made a complete recovery and returned to action a month later.[8]

    Minnesota Fighting Saints

    The upstart World Hockey Association, attempting to lure talent away from the established league, conducted its General Player Draft on February 12, 1972 to evenly distribute amongst its franchises NHL players with expiring contracts. Even though still under contract with the Bruins, Walton was selected by the Los Angeles Sharks. His WHA rights were traded in June 1973 to the Minnesota Fighting Saints, who succeeded in signing him to a three-year deal worth $450,000.[citation needed]

    He made an immediate impact as the WHA's leading scorer with a career-high 117 points (57 goals, 60 assists) in 1973–74.[9] He continued as the team's top scorer for the next two seasons, but left the team on Feb. 25, 1976, three days before financial problems forced the Fighting Saints to cease operations.[citation needed]

    He also played for Team Canada when it lost the 1974 Summit Series to the Soviet Union 1–4–3. Observers considered his performance to be the biggest disappointment in the series.[10]

    Later career

    Walton returned to the NHL to finish his 1975–76 campaign, but it was not with the Bruins. Two years earlier on February 7, 1974, they had traded his NHL rights, along with Chris Oddleifson and Fred O'Donnell, to the Vancouver Canucks for Bobby Schmautz. Even though his 66 points (29 goals, 37 assists) in 1977–78 led the Canucks and were the best numbers in his NHL career,[11] he was still dealt to the St. Louis Blues on June 12, 1978. His subsequent season was split between the Blues, Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks and the latter two's AHL affiliates. His final year of professional hockey in 1979–80 was spent with Kölner EC of the Eishockey-Bundesliga in West Germany.[citation needed]

    Personal life

    Walton is married to Candace, and has three daughters: Connie, JJ and Michelle.[12]After his retirement from professional hockey, Walton worked as a real estate agent for RE/MAX in Toronto. His clients included active and former Leafs players, such as Doug Gilmour and Mats Sundin.[13] He was the eponymous and initial proprietor of Shakey's Original Bar and Grill on Bloor Street in the western part of the city.[14]

    Awards

    Career statistics

    Regular season and playoffs

    Regular seasonPlayoffs
    SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
    1961–62St. Michael's MajorsOHA-Jr.261311241212771410
    1961–62St. Michael's MajorsMC—————51016
    1962–63Neil McNeil MaroonsMetJHL3822224432843710
    1962–63Neil McNeil MaroonsMC—————641513
    1963–64Toronto MarlborosOHA-Jr.5341519262969156
    1963–64Rochester AmericansAHL20000—————
    1963–64Toronto MarlborosMC—————126202611
    1964–65Tulsa OilersCPHL684044848612761316
    1965–66Toronto Maple LeafsNHL61340—————
    1965–66Rochester AmericansAHL683551866712841243
    1966–67Toronto Maple LeafsNHL317101713124372
    1966–67Rochester AmericansAHL3619335228—————
    1967–68Toronto Maple LeafsNHL7330295948—————
    1968–69Toronto Maple LeafsNHL662221433440004
    1969–70Toronto Maple LeafsNHL5821345568—————
    1970–71Toronto Maple LeafsNHL233101321—————
    1970–71Boston BruinsNHL2235810520219
    1971–72Boston BruinsNHL762828564515661213
    1972–73Boston BruinsNHL562522473751122
    1973–74Minnesota Fighting SaintsWHA7857601178811108186
    1974–75Minnesota Fighting SaintsWHA7848459333121071710
    1975–76Minnesota Fighting SaintsWHA5831407127—————
    1975–76Vancouver CanucksNHL108816920005
    1976–77Vancouver CanucksNHL407243132—————
    1977–78Vancouver CanucksNHL6529376630—————
    1978–79St. Louis BluesNHL22711186—————
    1978–79Boston BruinsNHL144260—————
    1978–79Rochester AmericansAHL11232—————
    1978–79Chicago Black HawksNHL26639441010
    1978–79New Brunswick HawksAHL71566—————
    1979–80Kölner EC1.GBun2012193133—————
    NHL totals5882012474483574714102445
    WHA totals2111361452811482320153526

    International

    YearTeamEvent GPGAPtsPIM
    1974CanadaSS60112

    References

    1. ^ 1961–62 Toronto St. Michael's (OHA) – Statistics.
    2. ^ 1963–64 Toronto Marlboros (OHA) – Statistics.
    3. ^ 1967–68 Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) – Statistics.
    4. ^ Sanderson, Derek; Shea, Kevin (October 2012). Crossing the Line. Triumph Books. ISBN 9781617499982. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
    5. ^ O'Hara, Dave. "Mike Walton Traded to Bruins," The Associated Press, Monday, February 1, 1971.
    6. ^ "Newport Daily News Newspaper Archives, Jan 4, 1973, p. 17". 4 January 1973.
    7. ^ "Lowell Sun Newspaper Archives, Jan 23, 1973, p. 50". 23 January 1973.
    8. ^ "Lowell Sun Newspaper Archives, Feb 11, 1973, p. 70". 11 February 1973.
    9. ^ 1973–74 Minnesota Fighting Saints (WHA) – Statistics.
    10. ^ Mike Walton – The Summit in 1974.
    11. ^ 1977–78 Vancouver Canucks (NHL) – Statistics.
    12. ^ Bidini, Dave (2 February 2015). "Skating and healing: Mike Walton's on-ice joys, troubles offer wisdom to help his daughter". National Post. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
    13. ^ Leitch, Carolyn (11 May 2006). "Sundin puts Toronto home up for sale". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Archived from the original on 1 November 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
    14. ^ "Bars & Clubs Guide: Shakey's Original Bar and Grill". Toronto Life. 2 December 2008. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
    15. ^ "WHA Hall of Fame Members". Archived from the original on 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
    • Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
    • Shakey Walton – Joe Pelletier's Greatest Hockey Legends.com.
    • Picture of Mike Walton's Name on the 1967 Stanley Cup Plaque

    Bibliography

    • Cox, Damien & Stellick, Gord. '67: The Maple Leafs, Their Sensational Victory, and The End of an Empire. Toronto, ON: John Wiley & Sons Canada Ltd., 2004.
    • Leonetti, Mike & Barkley, Harold. The Game We Knew: Hockey in the Sixties. Vancouver, BC: Raincoast Books, 1998.
    • Willes, Ed. The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd., 2004.
    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mike_Walton&oldid=1317799686"