Paul Jerrard
View on WikipediaPaul C. Jerrard (April 20, 1965 – February 15, 2023) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played five games in the National Hockey League for the Minnesota North Stars.
Key Information
Jerrard was an assistant coach for the Omaha Mavericks of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). He was previously a coach for the Stars AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. He served as assistant coach for the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League, and then, an assistant coach for the Calgary Flames.
Playing career
[edit]Jerrard was drafted in the 9th round of the 1983 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers from Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Saskatchewan, a famous hockey school in Canada. After being drafted by the New York Rangers, he left Canada to play college hockey at Lake Superior State University, where he played all four seasons for the Lakers.
After graduating from LSSU, he joined the Colorado Rangers of the IHL. He would be traded to the Minnesota North Stars in 1988, where he played five games for in the 1988–89 NHL season. After this brief stint on the NHL, he would remain in the minors for the rest of his career, ending it with the Hershey Bears in 1997.
Coaching career
[edit]Jerrard began his coaching career with the Lowell Lock Monsters of the AHL in 1998.[1] After coaching one season, he joined the staff of his alma mater, the Lake Superior State University hockey team. He spent four seasons with the Lakers before joining the Colorado Avalanche as an assistant coach. He left the next year for the Hershey Bears, where he stayed for 2 years before returning to the former Minnesota North Stars organization.
Jerrard remained with the Iowa Stars as an assistant coach before leaving in 2008. He rejoined the Dallas Stars organization in 2009 for the newly created Texas Stars, where he coached under Glen Gulutzan. When Gulutzan was promoted to become the coach of the Dallas Stars, he brought Jerrard with him. On May 14, 2013, Gulutzan and Jerrard were fired.[2]
On August 12, 2013, Jerrard was hired by the Vancouver Canucks to be assistant coach of their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.
On July 6, 2016, Jerrard was hired by the Calgary Flames as an assistant coach, who focused on developing Calgary's defence corps and improving their penalty kill.[3] He was fired on April 17, 2018, along with assistant coach Dave Cameron and head coach Glen Gulutzan.[4]
Jerrard then took an assistant coach job with the Omaha Mavericks of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) on May 25, 2018.[5]
Personal life and death
[edit]Jerrard was biracial, with a white Canadian father and Jamaican mother.[6] He died from cancer on February 15, 2023, at a hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, at the age of 57. Jerrard was survived by his wife and two daughters.[7][8][9]
Career statistics
[edit]| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1982–83 | Notre Dame Hounds | SMAAAHL | 60 | 34 | 37 | 71 | 150 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Lake Superior State University | NCAA | 40 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Lake Superior State University | NCAA | 43 | 9 | 25 | 34 | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Lake Superior State University | NCAA | 38 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Lake Superior State University | NCAA | 35 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Colorado Rangers | IHL | 77 | 20 | 28 | 48 | 182 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 40 | ||
| 1988–89 | Denver Rangers | IHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Kalamazoo Wings | IHL | 68 | 15 | 25 | 40 | 195 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 37 | ||
| 1989–90 | Kalamazoo Wings | IHL | 60 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 134 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 | ||
| 1990–91 | Kalamazoo Wings | IHL | 62 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 111 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | ||
| 1990–91 | Albany Choppers | IHL | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Kalamazoo Wings | IHL | 76 | 4 | 24 | 28 | 123 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 31 | ||
| 1992–93 | Kalamazoo Wings | IHL | 80 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 187 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Kalamazoo Wings | IHL | 24 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Milwaukee Admirals | IHL | 28 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 58 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 1994–95 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 66 | 17 | 11 | 28 | 118 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | ||
| 1995–96 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 25 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 43 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1996–97 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 62 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 144 | 22 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 24 | ||
| NHL totals | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| AHL totals | 153 | 21 | 31 | 52 | 325 | 28 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 43 | ||||
| IHL totals | 503 | 73 | 139 | 212 | 1,144 | 49 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 142 | ||||
References
[edit]- ^ "Paul Jerrard, Dallas Stars – Assistant Coach".[dead link]
- ^ "Gulutzan and Jerrard relieved of coaching duties". Archived from the original on February 6, 2016.
- ^ "Freshly fired Sens coach Cameron signs as assistant with Flames". Archived from the original on July 7, 2016.
- ^ "Flames clean house by firing coach Glen Gulutzan, assistants | NHL | Sporting News". www.sportingnews.com. Archived from the original on 2018-08-10.
- ^ "UNO".
- ^ "Burnside: Hockey's relatively obscure pioneer". ESPN.com. February 26, 2007.
- ^ "Paul Jerrard". Omaha Mavericks. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ "Paul Jerrard (1965-2023)". American Hockey League. February 16, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
- ^ "Paul Jerrard, former NHL assistant, dies of cancer at 57". ESPN.com. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
External links
[edit]- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
Paul Jerrard
View on GrokipediaEarly life and education
Family background
Paul Jerrard was born on April 20, 1965, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.[8][6] He was biracial, with a Canadian father named John and a mother named Merline who had immigrated to Canada from Jamaica.[9] His mother's Jamaican heritage contributed to his mixed ethnic background, as noted in historical records of Black players in Minnesota hockey.[10] Jerrard grew up in Winnipeg's East Kildonan neighborhood, a working-class area that shaped his early environment.[9] His parents emphasized the importance of education and perseverance, values that Merline instilled after arriving in Canada with limited resources.[9] This family foundation provided a stable context for his formative years in the city's multicultural community.[11]Collegiate career
Paul Jerrard enrolled at Lake Superior State University in 1983, where he played as a right-shooting defenceman for the Lakers men's ice hockey team in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) over four seasons, from 1983 to 1987.[12] Prior to university, Jerrard's development in Winnipeg's hockey scene helped pave his path to collegiate competition.[6] In the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, Jerrard was selected by the New York Rangers in the ninth round, 173rd overall, marking his entry into professional scouting radars while still a freshman.[1] As a steady defensive presence with offensive contributions from the blue line, he balanced physical play and point production, accumulating 113 points (40 goals, 73 assists) in 156 games during his tenure.[13] Jerrard's collegiate performance evolved progressively, with his strongest seasons in goals and assists coming in his junior and senior years. The following table summarizes his key statistics:| Season | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | Penalty Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983–84 | 40 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 48 |
| 1984–85 | 43 | 9 | 25 | 34 | 61 |
| 1985–86 | 38 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 34 |
| 1986–87 | 35 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 56 |
Professional playing career
Minor league tenure
Jerrard began his professional career in the 1987–88 season with the Colorado Rangers of the International Hockey League (IHL), the primary affiliate of the New York Rangers, where he recorded 20 goals and 28 assists in 77 games as a rookie defenseman.[12] Following his selection by the New York Rangers in the ninth round (173rd overall) of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft,[1] this debut marked his entry into professional development.[3] On October 11, 1988, Jerrard was traded by the New York Rangers to the Minnesota North Stars organization as part of a multi-player deal that included Mike Sullivan, Mark Tinordi, Bret Barnett, and a 1989 third-round draft pick in exchange for Rick Bennett, Brian Lawton, and Igor Liba, facilitating his transition to the North Stars' affiliates.[3] He briefly appeared with the Denver Rangers (2 games) before joining the Kalamazoo Wings, the North Stars' IHL affiliate, for 68 games in the 1988–89 season, contributing 15 goals and 25 assists. Over the subsequent seasons, Jerrard established himself as a steady defenseman with Kalamazoo, playing there from 1989–90 through 1992–93 and accumulating consistent production, including 33 points in 62 games during the 1990–91 season and 28 points in 76 games in 1991–92, while also suiting up for seven games with the Albany Choppers in 1990–91.[12] In 1993–94, he split time between Kalamazoo (24 games) and the Milwaukee Admirals (28 games), both IHL teams, before a brief stint with the Fort Wayne Komets in 1995–96 (19 games). Across his IHL tenure from 1987 to 1996, Jerrard played 503 games, scoring 73 goals and 139 assists for 212 points and accumulating 1,144 penalty minutes, showcasing his physical, two-way defensive style.[12] Transitioning to the American Hockey League (AHL) in 1994–95, Jerrard joined the Hershey Bears, the Philadelphia Flyers' affiliate, where he posted 17 goals and 11 assists in 66 games during his first season. He continued with Hershey in 1995–96 (25 games, 8 points) before returning full-time for the 1996–97 campaign, appearing in 62 regular-season games (3 goals, 13 assists) and contributing to their playoff run. That season, the Bears won the Calder Cup championship, defeating the Hamilton Bulldogs in the finals, with Jerrard assisting on Hershey's opening playoff goal and scoring their second postseason tally.[5][4] Over three AHL seasons with Hershey from 1994 to 1997, he played 153 games, tallying 21 goals, 31 assists for 52 points, and 325 penalty minutes.[12]| League | Seasons | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | Penalty Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IHL | 1987–1996 | 503 | 73 | 139 | 212 | 1,144 |
| AHL | 1994–1997 | 153 | 21 | 31 | 52 | 325 |
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