Tom Reid (born June 24, 1946 in Fort Erie, Ontario) is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 690 games in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota North Stars. Tom Reid played his junior hockeywith the St. Catharines Blackhawks of the OHA during the mid-1960s. He graduated from the amateur ranks just in time to take advantage of the NHL's expansion in 1967. After a brief time in the minors, he joined the Chicago Blackhawk blueline corps and quickly established himself as a stay-at-home defender who viewed the offensive zone as a distant moon.Reid lasted with Chicago until 1969, at which time the Minnesota North Stars acquired him. For the ten seasons that followed with the Stars, he served as a sort of third goal post, firmly anchored to his own zone. With the Minnesota North Stars his forte was keeping the puck out of the net, not putting it in. He did it all defensively, taking out foes, blocking innumerable shots, checking the puck away from opposing forwards, the whole gamut of defensive skills. "Tommy is important to our defense," coach Ted Harris was quoted as saying.
Reid stood as a North Star mainstay until 1977-1978 season. It was at that time that a small red rash appeared on his arm. Massive itching sensations soon followed as his skin began to deteriorate. His affliction soon took on the name "Gunk." As the league's doctors, trainers, and equipment producers began to investigate, they discovered that about 100 players across the NHL were suffering from various degrees of the affliction. But no case was as severe as Reid's. His skin got so bad that he could only sleep while sitting upright in a wooden chair. Before the season was over, his suffering grew so severe that he was forced to retire. In the end, the doctors concluded that he was allergic to his equipment and to the die found in his uniform.
Since his forced departure from hockey, Reid has worked as a color analyst for North Stars home games, Minnesota Gophers hockey, and the Minnesota Wild. Today Tom is one of the radio voices of the Minnesota Wild for every home game. Tom can usually be seen walking the halls of the X-Cel energy center at nearly any hockey event in St. Paul, and also at his ever popular "Tom Reids Hockey City Pub" near the X-Cel Energy Center that numerous hockey fans of the Minnesota Wild today know Tom of. his Reid's Bar and Grill features lots of hockey artifacts, photos, and jerseys from Minnesota's hockey past and is a great "watering hole" for numerous hockey fans alike.
Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
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Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts. | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts. | PIM |
1964-65 | St. Catharines Black Hawks | OHA | 56 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 0 | |||||
1965-66 | St. Catharines Black Hawks | OHA | 45 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 74 | |||||
1966-67 | St. Catharines Black Hawks | OHA | 45 | 5 | 19 | 24 | 120 | |||||
1966-67 | St. Louis Braves | CPHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
1967-68 | Dallas Black Hawks | CPHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||
1967-68 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 56 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 25 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
1968-69 | Dallas Black Hawks | CHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||
1968-69 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 30 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 | |||||
1968-69 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 18 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 38 | |||||
1969-70 | Iowa Stars | CHL | 9 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | |||||
1969-70 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 66 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 51 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
1970-71 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 73 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 62 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 20 |
1971-72 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 78 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 107 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 17 |
1972-73 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 60 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 50 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
1973-74 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 76 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 81 | |||||
1974-75 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 74 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 103 | |||||
1975-76 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 69 | 0 | 15 | 15 | 52 | |||||
1976-77 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 54 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 52 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
1977-78 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 36 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 21 | |||||
NHL Totals | 690 | 17 | 113 | 130 | 654 | 42 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 49 |