Red Berenson

Red Berenson
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Nickname(s)	The Red Baron
Height Weight	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 195 lb (89 kg)
Teams	SJHL  Regina Pats NCAA  Michigan Wolverines NHL  Montreal Canadiens  New York Rangers  St. Louis Blues  Detroit Red Wings AHL  Quebec Aces Central Hockey League  Omaha Knights
Nationality	Canadian
Born	(1939-12-08)December 8, 1939, Regina, SK, CAN
Pro Career	1961 – 1978

Gordon Arthur "Red" Berenson (born December 8, 1939 in Regina, Saskatchewan) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre and retired as the NCAA head coach of the Michigan Wolverines after 33 years.

Playing Career

Berenson played junior hockey with the Regina Pats, participating in the 1955-56 Memorial Cup Final and the 1957-58 Memorial Cup Final. In 1959, Berenson played for the World Champion Belleville McFarlands.

Berenson moved on to, and a graduated from Michigan's Ross School of Business and played collegiately at the University of Michigan, winning All-American honors there with an NCAA-leading 43 goals in his final year.

He signed thereafter with the Montreal Canadiens, playing five years in their system before being traded to the New York Rangers, where he played parts of two seasons without success.

Seven weeks into the 1967/1968 NHL season, the St. Louis Blues acquired Red Berenson along with Barclay Plager from the New York Rangers. It was with the Blues where he became one of the new Western Division's first great stars, leading the Blues to three straight Stanley Cup finals and being named the division's best player by his peers in The Sporting News' annual poll each of those years.

His most notable scoring feat came on November 7, 1968, in a road game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Berenson scored six goals, including four over a nine-minute span. The six-goal total was one shy of the all-time NHL record (set by Joe Malone in 1920), and has been accomplished only once since.

Red Berenson scores the 2nd of 6 goals, November 7, 1968.

Berenson was named team captain in 1970; however, already 31 years old, the Blues felt his skills could only decline, and traded him in what was considered a shocking deal to the Detroit Red Wings, a multi-player trade receiving centre Garry Unger in return. He was an impact player for Detroit for four seasons, but was having a poor fifth season when he was dealt back to the Blues. The trade rejuvenated him, and he was an effective player for three and a half more seasons before he retired after the 1977–1978 campaign.

Berenson played in the legendary eight-game Summit Series for Team Canada against the Soviet Union in 1972. He played in six NHL All-Star Games.

Altogether, in 17 NHL seasons, Berenson recorded 261 goals and 397 assists in 987 games.

Coaching Career

Berenson retired from playing in 1978 and joined the Blues' coaching staff. He became the team's head coach midway through the 1979–80 season. A year later, he won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year. He returned to his alma mater as head coach in 1984 and has remained in the position ever since. Berenson has led the Wolverines to ten Frozen Four appearances, and NCAA championships in 1996 and 1998. In CCHA competition, his teams have won nine regular-season and 8 tournament titles, and the Wolverines have not failed to secure a winning record since Berenson's second year at the helm. In addition, Berenson's squad has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 18 seasons. This marks the longest streak ever in college hockey. His all-time record as Michigan's coach is 848–426–92*, a record which currently places him 4th in NCAA history for career victories. The Wolverines have also won 11 Great Lakes Invitational titles under Berenson.

*record through the 2019–20 season

Career Statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1961–62	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		4	1	2	3	4		5	2	0	2	4
1962–63	Hull-Ottawa Canadiens	EPHL		30	23	25	48	28		—	—	—	—	—
1962–63	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		37	2	6	8	15		5	0	0	0	0
1963–64	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		69	7	9	16	12		7	0	0	0	4
1964–65	Quebec Aces	AHL		65	22	34	56	16		5	1	2	3	8
1964–65	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		3	1	2	3	0		9	0	1	1	2
1965–66	Quebec Aces	AHL		34	17	36	53	14		6	1	5	6	2
1965–66	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		23	3	4	7	12		—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	New York Rangers	NHL		30	0	5	5	2		4	0	1	1	2
1967–68	New York Rangers	NHL		19	2	1	3	2		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	St. Louis Blues	NHL		76	35	47	82	43		12	7	3	10	20
1969–70	St. Louis Blues	NHL		67	33	39	72	38		16	7	5	12	8
1970–71	St. Louis Blues	NHL		45	16	26	42	12		—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		24	5	12	17	4		—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		78	28	41	69	16		—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		78	13	30	43	8		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		76	24	42	66	28		—	—	—	—	—
1974–75	St. Louis Blues	NHL		27	3	3	6	8		—	—	—	—	—
1974–75	St. Louis Blues	NHL		44	12	19	31	12		2	1	0	1	-
1975–76	St. Louis Blues	NHL		72	20	27	47	47		3	1	2	3	0
1976–77	St. Louis Blues	NHL		80	21	28	49	8		4	0	0	0	4
1977–78	St. Louis Blues	NHL		80	13	25	38	12		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				987	261	397	658	305		85	23	14	37	49

Gallery

Gerry Melnyk from Don McKenney and Red Berenson, December 27, 1967.

See Also

• Magazine covers

External Links

• Red Berenson's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

Preceded by Al Arbour	St.Louis Blues captains 1970–71	Succeeded by Al Arbour
Preceded by Nick Libett	Detroit Red Wings captains 1973	Succeeded by Gary Bergman
Preceded by Barclay Plager	St. Louis Blues captains 1976	Succeeded by Garry Unger
Preceded by Garry Unger	St. Louis Blues captains 1977–78	Succeeded by Barry Gibbs
Preceded by Pat Quinn	Winner of the Jack Adams Award 1981	Succeeded by Tom Watt