John Duncan Brophy, the great silver haired "hockey lifer", is gone, passing away peacefully on Sunday in his home town of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, at the age of 83. For almost two thirds of a century, the man that some called the "Godfather of Goonery" worked professionally in our game -- two decades as a player in the rough and tumble Eastern Hockey League and many decades more after that as a bench boss during which he became the second winningest coach in pro hockey history with 1,027 victories -- "Broph" was always the center of attention in whatever rink, home or away, that he happened to be on any given night.
And both he and the crowd liked it exactly that way!!!
"John Brophy was the toughest and wildest guy I ever fought" - Dave "The Hammer" Schultz
John Brophy (1933-2016)
Born in Antigonish on January 20, 1933, the tough-as-nails blueliner appeared in his first professional game as a 19-year old in 1952-53 with the IHL Milwaukee Chiefs and later that year played in four more with the EHL Troy Uncle Sam Trojans. While he collected no points in those five tilts he did pick up ten minutes in penalties. Before he retired as a player two decades later he would add another 3,829 minutes in the box to that total.
"He would carve out your eye and not think anything of it" - Garrett Burnett
Brophy spent seven of his 19 EHL seasons with the Long Island Ducks
During his playing career spent entirely in the old Eastern Hockey League Brophy was suspended and/or fined at least seven times for physically and/or verbally abusing on ice officials. In 1,138 games as a player he collected 34 goals and assisted on 300 more but was better known for inciting countless bench clearing brawls. Brophy would also jump into the stands to exact revenge on unruly fans leading to being arrested for assault multiple times. He also fought police and security guards, and when asked about assaulting government officials he would say: "Ah that's just a lot of bull. I'm sure none of them would want to be a hockey Ref for a living." Off the ice Brophy was no less reckless having survived a pair of serious car accidents.
Sometimes it took up to four or more cops to "restrain" Brophy
The Eastern Hockey League of the 1950s and 60s which Brophy dominated in the fifth column of figures -- Penalty Minutes -- was not for that faint of heart. Over those years one of Brophy's most frequent "dance partners" was another legendary EHL "bad man" blueliner, New Haven's Don "Fred" Perry, who Brophy played against for years early in his career and with whom he was a teammate later on with the Long Island Ducks. After one their more memorable brawls, Brophy and Perry were called on the carpet by EHL founder and President Tom Lockhart for another suspension hearing. After reading them the referee's report Lockhart asked the two how long they thought would be a fair suspension for them both to which they replied seemingly in unison: "Oh come on, Tommy, what are you talking about? Just who do you think sells the most tickets in this league?" Lockhart considered their "point" and soon replied, "OK, boys, you're right. So please just be a little more careful next time!"
And that indeed was one thing that John Brophy always did whether as a player of a coach: sold tickets. And the reason for that was that he was always a show -- and he wanted his team to match him in that too.
"Was he tough? That’s not the word for it. I haven’t met a hockey player who wanted to win more than John Brophy did. He’s the most intense player ever, bar none." - John Muckler
John Brophy (back row, 2nd from left), Don Perry (front row, left end) and coach John Muckler (front row, center) with the 1965-66 Long Island Ducks
In the days before glass atop the boards, virtually all buildings used chicken wire making it easier for overwrought fans to abuse players with taunts and often more. This never deterred Brophy, however, who often gave more than he got. If there was an instance of fan abuse, John Brophy would just abuse right back. One such occasion is relayed in Eli Gold's book "From Peanuts to the Pressbox" telling of when a fan had the unwise temerity of spitting on Brophy through the wire. A short time later Brophy hit that particular fan with the butt end of his stick knocking out the guy's teeth which he accompanied by yelling "Now try spitting, you dumb mother...!"
Philadelphia Rambler Brophy in his typical position
While Brophy certainly made an unforgettable name as player, it was as a coach that he made by far his greatest impact on the game while guiding ten different pro teams in nine leagues almost continuously for over a period of three decades.
Brophy coached pro hockey teams almost continuously for more than three decades
"He breathed that old school hockey," said Zenon Konopka who played for Brophy with the ECHL Wheeling Nailers in 2002-03. "The biggest message he gave us is each of us had better make an impact every night, especially if we wanted to move up. He would tell us that if you haven't made an impact late in the game, if you haven't blocked a shot, made a big hit, had a goal, you'd better grab someone and fight and make sure everyone in the building knew you played that night."
Brophy the coach
"Don't consider this a threat boys, but I'm coming after each one of you." - Coach John Brophy
Although his career spanned more than six decades, John Brophy spent less than five years of that working in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs as an assistant and later head coach between 1984 and 1989.
Brophy's only NHL stint came as assistant then head coach of the Maple Leafs (1984-89)
After being fired by the Leafs after 33 games in the 1988-89 season, however, Brophy moved on to where he achieved his greatest success in the game -- and spent the longest time in any one place in his career -- when he went to Norfolk, VA, to coach the East Coast Hockey League expansion Norfolk Admirals for 11 seasons and winning three ECHL titles between 1989 and 2000.
“John Brophy was the best thing that ever happened to us and the league in general,” team owner Blake Cullen said. “At the time, the league had coaches working part-time in gas stations. He was the first full-time, legitimate head coach and he came here directly from the NHL. It caused everyone, the fans, players and coaches, to take the league seriously.”
Brophy was known as "The Grey Ghost" during his time in Norfolk
Brophy finished his coaching career with two years behind the bench of the ECHL Wheeling Nailers from 2001 to 2003 and a one year reprise with the SPHL Richmond Renegades in 2006-07 at age 73 before finally retiring back to his home town of Antigonish. It was with the Nailers on March 20, 2002 that he earned his 1,000th win as a coach with a 3-0 shutout over the Dayton Bombers.
Brophy with his 1,000th win plaque
“Never, in my way of thinking, did I work a day in my life,” Brophy said recently. “Everything was fun. I had the greatest job in the world.”
Although now gone, one final honor that this "hockey lifer" deserves is recognition by the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder of the game, an honor which is well deserved for the impact he had on it for almost two thirds of a century. (Among those known to support such recognition is Mario Lemieux.)
But in the meantime here's a toast to a man who gave more than his full measure to "our game" and a wish to Rest in Peace,"Broph".
Brophy spent his last season as a player as captain of the 1972-73 EHL Jersey Devils (back row, third from right) 
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