Who was Billy MacMillan? First coach of New Jersey Devils dies at 80

William Stewart MacMillan best known as Billy MacMillan, a Canadian hockey coach and player has died. MacMillan was born on March 7, 1943, and died on July 15, 2023, at the age of 80.

MacMillan was a former Maple Leaf forward who was involved with many 1970s NHL expansion teams as a player and coach.

After several years with the Canadian national team, including appearances at two World Championships and the 1968 Winter Olympics, MacMillan made his NHL debut in 1970 with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Between 1970 and 1977, MacMillan played for Toronto, the Atlanta Flames, and the New York Islanders before retiring in 1978.

He became a coach during his final year in the lower Leagues before moving to the NHL as an assistant coach for the Islanders in 1979. In 1980, he was hired as head coach of the Colorado Rockies, and the next season, he also served as general manager.

MacMillan remained with the organization when it relocated to New Jersey to become the New Jersey Devils in 1982, but was let go early in the 1983-84 season.

MacMillan, a tough body checker and solid defensive forward was a late bloomer who did not join an NHL squad until he was 27 years old.

The Atlanta Flames selected him in the 1972 expansion draft and he played checking for the team during its inaugural season. He was then traded to the New York Islanders, where he spent the next four years. He played one year with the Fort Worth Texans before retiring after failing to reach the NHL squad in 1977.

Billy MacMillan was inducted into the PEI Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.

Source: abtc.ng