Red Berenson : biography
Gordon Arthur "Red, The Red Baron" Berenson (born December 8, 1939) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre and is currently in his 30th year as head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men’s ice hockey team.
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 11 Frozen Four appearances, and NCAA championships in 1996 and 1998. In CCHA competition, his teams have won 11 regular-season and 9 tournament titles, and the Wolverines have secured a winning record since Berenson’s second year at the helm. In addition, Berenson’s squads have qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 21 seasons. This is the longest streak ever in college hockey history. His all-time record as Michigan’s Head Coach is 749–350–77, a record which currently places him 5th in NCAA history for career victories. The Wolverines have also won 13 Great Lakes Invitational titles under Berenson.
Berenson pled guilty in 1994 to a charge of impaired driving.
Playing career
Berenson played junior ice hockey with the Regina Pats, participating in two Memorial Cups in 1956 and 1958. In 1959, Berenson played for the World Champion Belleville McFarlands. Berenson moved on to, and graduated from, Michigan’s 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 and being on a Stanley Cup-winning squad in 1965 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. He became the first player to score a double hat trick on a road game.Hockey’s Book of Firsts, p.27, James Duplacey, JG Press, ISBN 978-1-57215-037-9 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.
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, as well as in the “old-timers” rematch of the Canada Cup in 1987. He played in six NHL All-Star Games.
Altogether, in 17 NHL seasons, Berenson recorded 261 goals and 397 assists in 987 games.
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 | — | — | — | — | — |
1967–68 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 55 | 22 | 29 | 51 | 22 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 9 |
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 | Detroit Red Wings | 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 |