Bill Armstrong (ice hockey, born 1966)

William Harold Armstrong
Born	(1966-06-25) June 25, 1966 London, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Professional ice hockey player (retired)
Years active	1984–1998
Known for	Creating the "high wrap" lacrosse-style shot

William Harold Armstrong (born June 25, 1966) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey athlete.

Early life

Originating from London, Ontario, Armstrong participated in the 1979 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament representing a local youth hockey squad. He was a collegiate player at Western Michigan University between 1986 and 1989.

Career

Armstrong appeared in a single game within the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers during the 1990–91 campaign, while the majority of his professional tenure unfolded in the American Hockey League (AHL) and the IHL. His playing days were cut short due to a brain tumor that necessitated surgical intervention.

He is credited with creating the "high wrap," a lacrosse-inspired shot technique he employed to score goals starting in the 1993–94 AHL season with the Albany River Rats. This innovative move gained wider recognition through fellow London native Mike Legg, who adopted it during informal shinny games with Armstrong. Legg's execution of the shot in the 1996 NCAA tournament while playing for the Michigan Wolverines led to its popular nickname, the "Michigan goal," in the United States. The high wrap—also referred to as the lacrosse-style or Michigan goal—has since been embraced by elite players such as Sidney Crosby, Mikael Granlund, and Andrei Svechnikov, attracting considerable attention in professional hockey circles.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1984–85	London Diamonds	OHA-B		43	17	21	38	102		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	London Diamonds	OHA-B		41	26	23	49	81		—	—	—	—	—
1986–87	Western Michigan Broncos	CCHA		43	13	20	33	86		—	—	—	—	—
1987–88	Western Michigan Broncos	CCHA		41	22	17	39	88		—	—	—	—	—
Western Michigan Broncos	CCHA	40		23	19	42	97	—		—	—	—	—
1989–90	Hershey Bears	AHL		58	10	6	16	99		—	—	—	—	—
Philadelphia Flyers	NHL	1		0	1	1	0
1990–91 AHL season	Hershey Bears	AHL		70	36	27	63	150		6	2	8	10	19
'13'	'6'	'5'		'11'	'20'
'12'	'6'	'2'		'8'	'15'
'10'	'3'	'6'		'9'	'29'
'5'	'0'	'2'		'2'	'11'
NHL totals !1 !0 !1 !1 !0 ! — ! — ! — ! — ! — | } See also List of players with a single NHL appearance External links