Butch Goring

Robert Thomas "Butch" Goring, born October 22, 1949, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. Over 16 NHL seasons, he played for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders, and Boston Bruins. With the Islanders, he won four consecutive Stanley Cups and is widely regarded as a cornerstone of that dynasty.

After retiring as a player, Goring became head coach of both the Bruins and the Islanders. Since 2023, he has worked as a television colour commentator for the Islanders on MSG Network and for select TNT games alongside play-by-play announcer Brendan Burke, with ice-level reporter Darren Pang joining for certain broadcasts.

Goring grew up in St. Boniface, Winnipeg, with his twin sister and two brothers. His father Bob was a welder for the Canadian National Railway, and his parents were of Scottish and British descent. As a child, he idolized the Detroit Red Wings and wore jersey number 9 in honor of Gordie Howe.

In junior hockey, Goring played for the Winnipeg Rangers and Winnipeg Jets of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL). During his rookie season with the Rangers, he recorded 66 points and earned the 1967 Lorne "Windy" Lyndon Memorial Trophy as the league's most sportsmanlike player. He also had a one-game stint with Canada's national team against the Manitoba Senior League All-Stars. The next season, he played for the Hull Nationals in the Quebec Provincial Senior Hockey League alongside future NHLer Bob Berry, leading the team in scoring in 1968–69 before joining the Western Hockey League's Winnipeg Jets.

Although rumors circulated that the Jets offered him a car to sign, owner Benny Hatskin denied it. By December 1968, Goring ranked third in league scoring with 33 points and second in goals. He left the Jets in February 1969 for the Dauphin Kings of the MJHL, citing unhappiness with the team's operations. He was then drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the fifth round (51st overall) of the 1969 NHL amateur draft.

Goring began his professional career with the Kings' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Kings, in 1969–70. Playing alongside Mike Corrigan and Randy Miller, the trio became Springfield's top scoring line, and Goring was an early candidate for AHL Rookie of the Year. By late November 1969, he had 13 goals and 7 assists in 19 games. When the Los Angeles Kings struggled offensively, Goring and Corrigan were called up on November 26 and placed on a line with veteran Eddie Shack. Goring scored his first NHL goal on November 30 against the Detroit Red Wings. He played with Shack for the rest of the season, though Corrigan was later replaced by Ross Lonsberry.

Before the 1970–71 season, Goring arrived at Kings training camp eight pounds underweight and feeling lethargic. Tests revealed mononucleosis and mild hepatitis, and he was admitted to Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital. In November 1970, he was reassigned to Springfield and lived with the team's physician while regaining strength. After returning to the lineup, he scored 8 goals and 15 assists before being recalled to the NHL in early January 1971 as an injury replacement.

He recorded 2 goals and 5 assists in 19 games but was sent back to Springfield when Bob Pulford returned. Goring finished the season with Springfield, scoring the game-winning goal that clinched a Calder Cup playoff berth. In the finals, he tied Jean-Guy Gendron's record for most playoff points after a hat trick in Game 3, finishing with a record-setting 11 goals and 25 points to lead the Kings to the Calder Cup championship.

Fully recovered from mononucleosis, Goring returned to Los Angeles for the 1971–72 season but was often benched by new head coach Fred Glover in favor of veterans. In late November 1971, Glover put Goring on a line with Lucien Grenier and Mike Corrigan, and the team won two of their next three games. The trio, nicknamed the "Light Brigade" because their heaviest player weighed 175 pounds, became the Kings' top scoring line after Grenier was replaced by Bob Berry. On February 5, 1972, Goring set a franchise record with 2 goals and 4 assists in an 8–1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Over the final 11 games of February, his line combined for 15 goals and 23 assists. Goring scored his first NHL hat trick on April 1 against the California Golden Seals, finishing the season with 21 goals.

In the 1976 Stanley Cup playoff quarterfinals against the Boston Bruins, Goring scored overtime game-winners in Games 2 and 6. During the 1977–78 season, he won both the Bill Masterton Trophy and the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, becoming the first player to win both in the same year. Before the 1978–79 season, the WHA's Edmonton Oilers offered him a five-year, $1 million contract, but Goring re-signed with the Kings.