Red Berenson

Red Berenson
Born	December 8, 1939 (1939-12-08) (age 71) Regina, SK, CAN
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	SJHL  Omaha Knights NCAA  Michigan Wolverines NHL  Montreal Canadiens  New York Rangers  St. Louis Blues  Detroit Red Wings AHL  Quebec Aces
National team	Canada
Playing career	1961–1978

Gordon Arthur "Red, The Red Baron" Berenson (born December 8, 1939) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre and is currently in his 27th year as head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team.

Playing career

Started playing on outdoor ice rinks in Regina , at Rink 11 not far from his home and later on played indoors on Saturday mornings in the early years while attending high school ..... 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 (No. 9) cuts behind the net against Colorado College 1961

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.^[1] 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.

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 730–338–72, a record which currently places him 6th in NCAA history for career victories. The Wolverines have also won 12 Great Lakes Invitational titles under Berenson.

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

Legal trouble

Berenson was charged with drunken driving and public urination in March 1994.^[2] The charges were later reduced to driving while visibly impaired, and Berenson was allowed to continue coaching the Michigan hockey team.^[3]

See also

• List of college men's ice hockey coaches with 300 career wins
• List of players with 5 or more goals in an NHL game
• University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor

References

1. ^ Hockey’s Book of Firsts, p.27, James Duplacey, JG Press, ISBN 978-1-57215-037-9
2. ^ "Was coach dumped for boozing or losing?". The Minnesota Daily. May 19, 1995. http://www.mndaily.com/search/gopherarticle.php?id=38954. Retrieved January 25, 2008. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ "How to build a hockey program". The Michigan Daily. March 21, 1997. http://www.pub.umich.edu/daily/1997/mar/03-21-97/news/ff1.html. Retrieved January 25, 2008. ^{[dead link]}

External links

• Red Berenson's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Red Berenson's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Red of the Blues - TIME
• Profile from University of Michigan official site

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

Persondata
Name	Berenson, Red
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	December 8, 1939
Place of birth	Regina, SK, CAN
Date of death
Place of death