Fred Glover (ice hockey)


Frederick Austin Glover was a Canadian National Hockey League and American Hockey League player and coach. He was the brother of Howie Glover, who also played in the NHL.

Playing career

Glover played junior hockey in his native Toronto. At age 21, he signed his first professional hockey contract and debuted with the American Hockey League's Indianapolis Capitals, leading his team in scoring as a rookie. In 1950, he won the first of his record five Calder Cup championships, and he received his first NHL recall during the same year. He scored a career high 48 goals in 1951. Glover played 54 games with the Detroit Red Wings in 1951–52, but he was not active during the playoffs as the Wings won the Stanley Cup. Glover was traded to the Cleveland Barons in 1953, and he became the most celebrated player in team history. In fifteen seasons with Cleveland, he won four Calder Cups and three league MVP awards. He scored a career high 107 points in 1960. He retired in 1968 as the AHL's career leader in games played, goals, assists, points and penalty minutes.

Coaching career

Between 1962 and 1968, Glover served a dual role as both star player and head coach. He won his 1964 championship while working in this capacity. He took a job as an NHL bench boss in 1968 as he joined the Oakland Seals. As a rookie coach, he was honored by The Sporting News as coach of the year, as he led his second year expansion franchise to a 22-point improvement over their initial season. However the team's performance diminished in each of the next two seasons, and he was fired just three games into the 1971–72 campaign. Just weeks later, he became the first coach to manage two teams in one season, as he joined the Los Angeles Kings and finished out their season after the franchise had fired coach Larry Regan. He returned to the Seals in 1972 as a mid-season replacement, coaching the team to a last place finish, before being fired during the next season.

Awards and honors