Gord Donnelly

Gord Donnelly (born April 5, 1962, in Montreal, Quebec) is a former ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League with the Quebec Nordiques, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, and Dallas Stars.

Selected in the third round, 62nd overall in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues, Donnelly acknowledged that one of the main things that attracted scouts was his aggressive style of play. That aggression more often than not ended up in fisticuffs.

The Quebec Nordiques obtained Donnelly's rights, and he played his first NHL game for them in the 1983-84 season. For the next several years he was usually inserted into the Nords' lineup for about 35 games a year, most often to fill in for other injured defensemen.

The 1987-88 season was Donnelly's first full year in the NHL. In 63 games he had seven points and a staggering 301 minutes in the sin bin. He had clearly distinguished himself as the team's number-one enforcer. Midway through the 1988-89 season, the Winnipeg Jets were looking for some added toughness, so they acquired Donnelly. He played three full seasons with the Jets and he scored six goals and ten assists for 16 points in 57 games during the 1988-89 season. In each of his three years in Manitoba, he easily surpassed the 200-minute penalty plateau.

The next stop for Donnelly was the Buffalo Sabres where he continued to hand out his own brand of justice. In his first season in Buffalo he recorded 305 penalty minutes. He toned that down somewhat the following year, sitting in the box for 221 minutes.

Donnelly's final NHL season was in 1994-95 when he dressed for 18 games with the Dallas Stars. He continued to play pro hockey in the International Hockey League until 1997, when he moved to Austria to play in the Austrian Hockey League. He retired following a 32-game season with EV Heraklith in 1999-00.

In his NHL career, Donnelly appeared in 554 games. He scored 28 goals and added 41 assists. In addition, he racked up 2,069 penalty minutes. He is currently a scout for the Chicago Blackhawks.