A Look At Johnny Peirson (Part 2)
The late Johnny Peirson was a fantastic forward for the NHL's Boston Bruins in the 1940s and 1950s.
In the early 1950’s, Johnny Peirson later played on a line with Fleming Mackell and Ed Sandford. The line was instrumental in the Bruins upset of the powerhouse Detroit Red Wings in the 1953 playoffs. Boston eventually fell to the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup finals in five games. For Peirson, that would be the closest he would ever come to the holy grail.
“John was the right wing on my line,” recalled Bruins teammate Ed Sandford. “He was an astute hockey player; a smart right-handed shot and a good skater who played his position well. I'd call him a thinking man's hockey player-always watching what the other guy was doing to offset him. I liked playing with Peirson because I knew pretty well what he was going to do when we were on the ice. The line I played on with Johnny Peirson and Fleming Mackell got hot in the playoffs and we defended very well against the likes of Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay.”
Johnny thrived in Boston and was one of the team’s more reliable forwards during the 1950’s. He scored 326 points in 545 games over eleven NHL seasons, all with the Boston Bruins, retiring at the conclusion of the 1957-58 season. And he reached the 20-goal plateau on four separate occasions which was a very solid achievement in those days. Johnny also played in both the 1950 and 1951 NHL All Star Games.
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