A Look At Johnny Peirson (Part 1)
The late Johnny Peirson was a fantastic forward for the NHL's Boston Bruins in the 1940s and 1950s.
For four NHL seasons, from 1948-49 through 1951-52, only Ted Lindsay, Sid Abel and Gordie Howe scored more goals than Johnny Peirson’s 88 he had in that time period. Over that stretch Peirson scored more goals than such better-known forwards as Ted Kennedy, Max Bentley, Bill Mosienko and Milt Schmidt.
“Peirson is one of those players with a knack of putting the puck into the net. He probably scores more goals more different ways than any player in the league,” once recalled Lynn Patrick, former coach of the Boston Bruins.
“He may not have the power of Richard or Howe,” recalled Patrick, “but he can carry the puck from end-to-end. He may not get as many tip-ins as Hergesheimer, but he gets them. He may not have a Geoffrion shot, but he has several good shots. He’s a strong, graceful skater, an alert player, and he has that indefinable knack of putting the puck into the net. That’s how Peirson scores the goals he does.”
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to NHL History with Ty Di Lello to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.