JOHNNY PEIRSON

JOHNNY PEIRSON: 1925-2021

Johnny Peirson, who played all his National Hockey League games with the Boston Bruins, passed away earlier this month at the age of 95. Born John Frederick Peirson on July 21, 1925, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the Peirson family moved to Montreal, Quebec, when Johnny was 10-years-old.

At the age of 18, Peirson played one season with the Montreal Canadiens junior team in the Junior Amateur Hockey Association. In the playoffs, Peirson and his teammates, faced Concordia in a semi-final series. In the best-of-three series, Montreal and Concordia split the first two games, with Concordia taking game one 3-2, and Montreal demolishing their opponent 11-0 in game two. Despite having momentum on their side, the Canadiens fell by a score of 5-3 in the third and deciding game.

After spending one year in the Canadian Army, Peirson attended the University of McGill and joined their hockey team, the McGill Redmen of the Intercollegiate Hockey League. McGill opened their season against the University of Montreal Carabins at the Forum in Montreal with a 10-4 victory. McGill's attack was led by Peirson, who scored three goals in the first period, and one in each of the remaining periods. Also, he added two assists for a seven-point night.

A first-place tie in the standings with the University of Toronto, resulted in McGill and the Varsity Blues playing a one-game showdown for the championship. The contest took place on March 15, 1946, at the Forum. McGill's first-line, put together by coach Dave Chambers, composed of Peirson and Danny Porteous between Jimmy O'Connor, took control after two scoreless frames. By the 11:10 mark of the third period, McGill connected for three goals. O'Connor scored the first two, with Peirson assisting on his second tally. Peirson's goal came when O'Connor's shot hit the goalpost and the puck dropped to the ice and sat on the red line. After both his linemates took a jab at the puck, "Peirson put the near-hysterical crowd into a frenzy when he barely managed to poke it in at 11:10."

McGill scored another goal to defeat the Varsity Blues, who were coached by former Toronto Maple Leaf star, Ace Bailey, by a score of 4-1. For McGill, it was their first championship since 1939.

Peirson's play with McGill didn't go unnoticed by the Boston Bruins, and they signed the young right-winger to a contract for the 1946-47 campaign. As expected, Peirson was destined for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League for seasoning. But, during the Bruins-Hershey training camp, Peirson broke his wrist. 

He remained in Boston as the year got underway. By mid-December, Peirson was cleared to play and joined the Bruins' farm team in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League, the Boston Olympics. The Bruins took advantage of having Peirson in the vicinity, and when needed, he practiced with the big-club.

On January 3, 1947, Peirson was informed the Boston Bruins were adding him to their roster. He made his  NHL debut on January 4, 1947, when the Bruins took on the Canadiens in Montreal. The visitors fell 4-1 at the Forum. Peirson remained with the Bruins for five games and on January 13, 1947, he was assigned to the Hershey Bears of the AHL. During his short stint in the NHL, Peirson didn't register a point.

The slumping Bruins, dating back to December 1, 1946, only had five victories in their last 18 contests. While the Bruins were ice cold, the same could be said of the streets in Boston. The icy build-up, on roads and sidewalks, resulted in a city councilor to suggest the Bruins take to the streets to practice. "And they need it," said the councilor, who added his two-cents on the state of the Bruins.

In Hershey, Peirson helped the Bears win their first Calder Cup championship. On April 15, 1947, they defeated the Pittsburgh Hornets 5-0 to win the seventh and deciding game of the final. The next night, Peirson attended a dinner at the Hotel Hershey to celebrate the victory. The club, which organized the event, gave each player a watch. Along with their name, an inscription read, "Hershey Hockey Club, American Hockey League champions, 1946-47."

After training camp for the 1947-48 season, Peirson started the year with the Bruins. Tied to the bench for the first seven games, Peirson was sent down to Hershey on November 3 to work on his game, instead of riding the pine and seeing no action.

In late December, the Bruins put out the call for Peirson to return to the club. But in his last outing with the Bears on New Year's Eve, Peirson collided with the Springfield Indians' goalpost and he left the game. Due to being out with a leg injury, and the necessary time to work himself into game shape, Peirson's promotion to the Bruins was put on hold.

On January 30, 1948, Johnny Peirson played his final game in the minors, when Hershey faced the Washington Lions in DC. Peirson scored the opening goal and added two assists on goals by Jack McGill. The Lions mounted a huge comeback in the last twenty-minutes and soared to an 8-7 victory in Peirson's last appearance as a Hershey Bear.

It was now time for Peirson to return to the NHL. The Bruins summoned Peirson to Boston to partake in their game on January 31, against the Chicago Black Hawks at the Garden on Causeway Street.

Peirson joined the Bruins when they had 21 tilts left in their regular schedule. He skated in 15 games and recorded four goals and two helpers. His first National Hockey League goal was scored on March 3, 1948, against Chicago goalie, Emile Francis. A newspaper report noted that Bruins forward, Don Gallinger, "... bobbed and weaved so that three Chicago Black Hawks wound up dizzy on the ice trying to check him before he passed to Peirson." Peirson's goal, Boston's fourth in the game, was the equalizer in a 4-4 tie. 

Once Peirson got settled in the Bruins line-up, coach Dit Clapper teamed him with center Paul Ronty and Kenny Smith at left wing. It didn't take too long for the trio to become known as the "Muscles Line." The name was in complete contrast to the physical appearance of the three linemates. They more resembled lightweights with Smith at 150 pounds, Ronty at 160 pounds, and Peirson at 170 pounds.

When the 1948 Stanley Cup playoffs rolled around, the Boston Bruins found themselves matched up against the defending Cup champs, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Their semi-final round opened on  March 24, 1948. The Maple Leafs prevailed and took the series four games to one.

Boston's lone victory came in game four, when they avoided elimination on home ice. The Bruins defeated the Leafs by a score of 3-2. In a tight checking game, goals were at a premium, with Ed Sandford putting the Bruins on the board first. Toronto's Bill Ezinicki evened the score, then, Johnny Peirson went to work. He scored goals in the first and second periods to give his team the margin for victory.

His first goal, the game-winner, came after Toronto goalie, Turk Broda, stopped shots by Kenny Smith and Paul Ronty. With Broda laid out on the ice, Peirson gained possession of the puck and raised it over the prone Toronto netminder. In the final frame, Ronty and Smith combined on a passing play to get the puck to Peirson. His 20-foot blast beat Broda on his glove-side.

In his first full season with the Bruins in 1948-49, Peirson proved he belonged in the NHL. In this era, the benchmark for an elite goalscorers was 20. Peirson, bagged 22 goals, and along with 21 assists, produced 43 points.

Peirson gave credit to his coach in Hershey, Don Penniston, for helping him improve his game. "He gave me lots of help," Peirson said in a February 1949 interview. "Told me to perfect a slap shot which I did and which has scored many goals for me. Also learned how to cover my wing because Don was always after us to check properly."

The next year, 1949-50, Peirson hit a career high for goals scored with 27, and points with 52 in 57 games.  Also, Ronty and Smith reached the benchmark with 23 and 20 goals respectively. 

Around the NHL, Peirson's gained a reputation for his work ethic. Montreal coach, Dick Irvin, told the following story about Peirson. "In Boston, the Bruins were a man short and we had five men up at their blue line. Johnny Peirson cleared the puck down the ice. And who do you think froze the puck against the boards at our end of the rink? Peirson. He passed five Canadiens in the race for the puck. I don't think I ever saw that happen before in a hockey game."

Peirson's work was recognized as he was selected to play in the NHL All-Star Game on October 8, 1950. The defending Stanley Cup victors, the Detroit Red Wings, walloped the All-Stars 7-1. Peirson set-up Toronto's Sid Smith for the lone goal scored by the All-Stars.

Although his numbers dropped in 1950-51 (70-19-19-38), Peirson, once again, earned a birth on the NHL All-Star Team. Joe Primeau, who guided the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Stanley Cup in 1951, selected him for the First All-Stars Team. A new format for the All-Star Game pitted the First All Stars against the Second All-Stars. The contest took place at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on October 9, 1951. Peirson netted the second tally for the First All-Stars in a 2-2 draw. 

In 1951-52, Peirson returned to the 20-goal club, and increased his point total from 38 to 50. On September 20, 1951, Peirson said good-bye to his center, Paul Ronty, who was traded to the New York Rangers. Peirson went on to play with a number of linemates, most notably, Milt Schmidt, Jack McIntyre, Fleming MacKell, Ed Sandford, Cal Gardner, and Vic Stasiuk, to name a few.

Throughout his career, Peirson was relatively free from spending long amounts of time on the sidelines due to injuries. But in 1952-53, his luck ran out. When the Bruins and Red Wings tangled at the Olympia on December 7, 1952, Peirson took an elbow to his face courtesy of Pete Leswick. As a result, Peirson suffered a broken jaw. To shield Peirson upon his return, Boston trainer, Hammy Moore, crafted a mask to protect Peirson's jaw from further damage. The mask was made of soft leather and foam. President Clarence Campbell of the NHL, gave his permission for Peirson to wear his new piece of equipment.

With his mask in place, Peirson returned to take on the New York Rangers at Boston Garden on January 25, 1953. The Bruins fell to the Rangers by a score of 2-1. 

In the remaining games, Peirson never took off his mask. He only participated in 49 contests, yet, he managed to score 14 goals and amassed 29 points.

For the first time since he joined the Bruins, Peirson played in the Stanley Cup final. The Bruins went up against Montreal and won only one game in the best-of-seven final. Peirson, contributed 9 points in 11 games.

Looking to get back on track, Peirson returned to form in 1953-54. On the injury front, he only missed two games, which enabled him to boost his stats. And that's exacting what Peirson accomplished. He once again became a top scorer with 21 goals and 19 assists for 40 points. It was his fourth term with 20 goals or more.

It appeared Peirson was ready to continue his efforts to help the Boston Bruins, but on September 1, 1954, the club announced Peirson's retirement. The explanation given for the sudden departure was Peirson's desire to work full-time with his father-in-law in the furniture business as a salesman. He spent several summers working in the same capacity.

While Peirson pursued his post-hockey life, the 1954-55 edition of the Boston Bruins, earned a playoff spot, but were vanished by their main nemesis, the Montreal Canadiens, in their semi-final confrontation.

Just as stunning as the news of his retirement from the NHL was, the news of his return to the Bruins was another jaw-breaking moment.

On December 5, 1955, Boston's general manager, Lynn Patrick, told the press that Peirson's name was removed from the voluntary retired list at NHL headquarters.

After game 28 of the Bruins 1955-56 schedule, Peirson, at the age of 30, made his comeback against the Chicago Black Hawks on December 15, 1955. Coach Milt Schmidt placed Peirson on a line with Cal Gardner and fellow winger, Vic Stasiuk. Peirson made the most of his return by scoring a goal and an assist in Boston's 4-1 win. "It felt like old times," said Peirson. 

Despite missing the 1956 playoffs, Peirson had no hesitation in signing a contract for the upcoming season. He put pen to paper in late August.

Not expected to be a contender, Boston exploded out of the gate, and by December 19, 1956, were in first-place with a 17-7-5-39 record.

"This is definitely the best-balanced Bruins' team I've been on since I came into the league back in 1948," stated Peirson. "Every kid when he's starting to play hockey dreams of playing with a winner. Maybe my dream is coming true finally."

At the same time, Peirson reflected on his state of mind and the Bruins infertility, both of which weighed heavily in his decision to retire in September 1954.

"It seems that every year after that first one we had to struggle down to the playoffs, said Peirson. "Usually it went down to the next to last game. We didn't seem to be getting anywhere."

With his confidence restored, Peirson's last two seasons with Boston brought him closer to his dream of winning a Stanley Cup.

In both 1957 and 1958, the Boston Bruins reached the Stanley Cup final. Unfortunately, for Peirson and his teammates, they encountered the powerful Montreal Canadiens. The Habs were a juggernaut in the midst of winning six consecutive Cups from 1955 to 1960.

For the second, and final time in his career, Peirson hung-up his skates. Johnny Peirson played his last game on April 20, 1958, when the Bruins were defeated in game six by Montreal on home ice.

When the book closed on Peirson's 11 years wearing the gold and black of the Boston Bruins, it showed he played in 545 games and scored 153 goals and 173 assists for 326 points. His penalty-minutes totalled 315. In the playoffs, he saw action in 49 games and scored 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points. He served 26 minutes in the penalty box.

With his life as a hockey player behind him, Peirson, at the age of 33, continued to work in the furniture industry. Also, he discovered a way to stay connected to the hockey world.

Peirson got his start as a hockey commentator for Boston Bruins' games on WBZ-Radio. He sat alongside his partner, the legendary Fred Cusick, who served as the play-by-play man. Cusick followed Peirson to WSBK-TV-38 for the 1970-71 season, when Don Earle left the scene. Peirson and Cusick worked together in the broadcast booth from 1970 to 1985.  

Next, Peirson took on a new gig as the studio analyst for the telecasts. In this role, Peirson was like an instructor who taught the game. He used a telestrator to diagram plays he broke down for the audience. 

"I sit and watch and select four or five plays during a period, then pick two or three based on the message I want to give," explained Peirson.

"In a small way, he was responsible for the hockey boom here years ago," said Ken London, who produced games on Channel 38. "How many NHL players from this area grew up listening and learning from Peirson?" 

During his run on radio and television, Peirson continued to work in the furniture business. In 1995, he left broadcasting to concentrate solely on his furniture job and his family.

An avid golfer, Peirson played in many tournaments, including the 1950 Canadian Amateur in Saskatoon. Also, as an amateur, he participated in the 1950 Canadian Open at Royal Montreal. Over four-rounds, Peirson shot 71-76-75-78. 

John Peirson died on April 16, 2021, in Wayland, Massachusetts.