Larry Regan

Larry Regan (born August 9, 1930, in North Bay, Ontario died March 9, 2009 in Ottawa, Ontario), was a retired Canadian National Hockey League(NHL) player and hockey executive. He played for the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs after a long senior hockey career, winning the Allan Cup in 1948. He later managed and coached the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL and was president of the NHL Alumni Association.

Playing Career
Regan moved to Ottawa as a youth. As a 16-year-old, he joined the Ottawa Senators organization in 1946, first playing for their junior-age team in the Ottawa City Junior League. He played two seasons in the organization joining the senior team halfway through his first season, and was member of their 1948 Allan Cup-winning squad. He moved to Toronto to play two seasons with the Toronto Marlboros organization, first as a junior, then at the senior level. He returned to the Senators in 1950, playing two seasons before joining the Shawinigan Falls Cataractes. He then moved on to the Johnstown Jets of the EHL and then finally the Quebec Aces of the QHL.

In 1956–57, Larry finally got his chance in the NHL with the Boston Bruins as a 27-year-old. He scored 14 goals that season, which would be his career high, and he won the Calder Trophy. He played two and a half seasons with the Bruins before being claimed off waiver by the Toronto Maple Leafs in January 1959. He played two further seasons with the Leafs before being demoted to their Pittsburgh Hornets American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate in 1961. In 1962, he moved to Innsbruck, Austria, playing three seasons with Innsbrucker EV before returning to the AHL with the Baltimore Clippers in 1965–66 for one final season.

Hockey Executive Career
While still playing, Regan became a playing-coach in 1961–62 with the Pittsburgh Hornets for part of the season. He was named to coach the junior B Etobicoke Indians of the Ontario Hockey Association in 1966, but left the position to join Jack Kent Cooke, owner of the expansion Los Angeles Kings as head scout, later promoted to general manager. Regan was also the head coach for the 1970–71 and part of the 1971–72 seasons and he remained in the job until 1973.

As coach, Regan was once fined $1,000 by NHL president Clarence Campbell for punching referee Bruce Hood in the face following a game in Oakland, California in 1968. He was upset after a late penalty cost the Kings a victory against the California Seals. Regan was quoted as saying "Someone had to do something with officiating like that." More than 10,000 attended the next Kings' game.

After his time with the Los Angeles Kings, he moved to Montreal where he coached the Montreal Juniors in the 1974–75 season, quitting after the one season.

NHL Alumni Association and Alan Eagleson Inquiry
After leaving the Montreal Juniors, Regan became involved in the National Hockey League Alumni Association (NHLAA), an association of retired NHL players, eventually becoming the head of the organization. In the 1980s, former NHL stars such as Gordie Howe and Bobby Orr noticed that they were not being paid to the full amount that they should have been paid for their pensions. An investigation by a Boston-area reporter named Russ Conway led to Alan Eagleson being indicted and convicted on fraud and was sentenced to prison. Regan was head of the NHLPA at the time and he participated in the investigation, contacting any player involved with Eagleson.

Post NHL
Mr. Regan retired soon after the Eagleson inquiry and he lived in Ottawa, Ontario with his wife Pauline until his death in 2009. He had been suffering from Parkinson's disease prior to his death.

Awards & Achievements

 * Won Allan Cup 1949
 * Won Calder Trophy (1957)
 * 136 NHL career points
 * 5 NHL seasons with the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs