Bill Lochead

William Alexander "Whip" Lochead
Born	William Alexander Lochead (1954-10-13) October 13, 1954 Forest, Ontario, Canada
Other names	Billy Lochead, Whip
Occupation(s)	Ice hockey forward, coach, player agent
Years active	1969–1988 (player), 1988–1999 (coach)
Known for	Professional ice hockey forward in NHL and European leagues; ice hockey coach; player agent

William Alexander "Whip" Lochead ( ; born October 13, 1954, in Forest, Ontario) is a former professional ice hockey forward who currently works as a player agent. His junior hockey journey began in the 1969–70 season with the Sarnia Bees of the OHA Western Jr. B, where he set a remarkable record by netting 72 goals across 42 games during the 1970–71 campaign. In 1971, he was picked second overall by the OHA's Oshawa Generals. Later, in the 1974 drafts, he was selected ninth overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL draft and also taken 32nd overall by the Indianapolis Racers in the WHA draft. Throughout his NHL tenure, he was commonly known as Billy Lochead and carried the nickname "Whip".

Minor league hockey

Lochead progressed to Jr. A hockey with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey Association starting in 1971. Despite facing some injury setbacks early on, he managed to accumulate 110 points (56 goals) in the 1972–73 season and improved to 121 points (57 goals) in 1973–74, achievements that earned him spots on the second and first all-star teams respectively. The Detroit Red Wings selected him as their top pick in the 1974 NHL draft.

National Hockey League

In his rookie year with Detroit during the 1974–75 season, Lochead contributed 16 goals while playing alongside teammates Bill Hogaboam and Nick Libett. Over nearly five seasons, his output increased, peaking at 20 goals in 1977–78. That year, he played an instrumental role in helping Detroit return to the playoffs after an eight-year absence, scoring two crucial goals that secured a series victory over the Atlanta Flames—Detroit’s sole playoff series win between 1967 and 1986.

Lochead missed two months of the following season due to a knee injury but was claimed off waivers by the Colorado Rockies on February 9, 1979, where he completed that season. Subsequently traded to the New York Rangers, he appeared in just seven NHL games that year but excelled with their AHL affiliate, the New Haven Nighthawks, tallying an impressive 46 goals and earning a place on the AHL first all-star team. He played a vital role during the playoffs as New Haven advanced to the semi-finals and received the "Minor League Player of the Year Award" for his outstanding performance.

International play

Beginning with the 1980–81 season, Lochead transitioned to Germany’s premier ice hockey competition, the Bundesliga. He started with Kolner EC, appearing in 17 games before transferring to ESV Kaufbeuren, where he finished with an impressive total of 43 goals over 39 games and added five points during the playoffs. His prowess earned him a move to EC Bad Nauheim for the 1981–82 season, where he led the league by scoring 66 goals and providing 34 assists across 42 games. Despite his team missing postseason play, he was honored as the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). Following this success, Lochead joined Bundesliga powerhouse Mannheimer ERC, maintaining his scoring consistency among strong teammates and being voted team MVP for the 1982–83 campaign. Returning to Bad Nauheim for their stint in the second-tier 2nd Bundesliga during 1984–85, he posted career-high statistics including an outstanding 71 goals and 49 assists (120 points) over just 45 games in the 1985–86 season. In addition to his club career, Lochead represented Team Canada at the Pravda Cup tournament held in Leningrad in 1986. After brief engagements with Chur in Switzerland and with Austria’s Vienna Capitals of the Austrian Hockey League, he concluded his professional playing career following the 1987–88 season.

Coaching career

Following his retirement from playing, Lochead shifted into coaching, initially stepping in midseason for ESC Wolfsburg in 1988. During the 1988–89 campaign, he achieved a 16–12–4 record with the team. Subsequently, he took the helm of Swiss clubs Solothurn and Olten before making a return to Germany to coach Sauerland Iserlohn ECD in the 1993–94 season. Advancing to Germany’s premier league, the DEL, Lochead served as head coach of the Ratinger Löwen from 1994–95 through 1996–97. Despite operating under financial constraints, he managed to guide Ratingen to an impressive 10th place out of 18 teams in the 1995–96 season; however, monetary difficulties resulted in his exit after a disappointing subsequent year. Lochead then led the Kassel Huskies to a .520 winning percentage in 1997–98 and wrapped up his coaching tenure as assistant coach for the Frankfurt Lions during the 1998–99 season. Presently, he is a prominent hockey player agent based in Frankfurt, Germany.

Awards and achievements

• OMJHL Second All-Star Team (1973)
• OMJHL First All-Star Team (1974)
• AHL First All-Star Team (1980), Minor League Player of the Year
• 1st Bundesliga Deutschland MVP (1982)
• 2nd Bundesliga Deutschland MVP, 1st All-Star Team (1986)

Career statistics

  1982–83   Mannheimer ERC   1.GBun   34   36   24   60   117   1983–84   Mannheimer ERC   1.GBun   47   36   27   63   77  1984–85  EHC Chur  NDA  5  1  3  4                                               1984–85 EC Bad Nauheim FRG.2 16 28 20 48 61 - - - - - 1985–86 EC Bad Nauheim FRG.2 45 71 49 120 78 10 37 16 53 - 1986–87 EC Bad Nauheim FRG.2 27 23 26 49 35 - - - - - Wiener EV AUT 19 12 8 20 24 - - - - -

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1971–72	Oshawa Generals	OHA-Jr.		37	27	20	47	62		11	2	2	4	21
1972–73	Oshawa Generals	OHA-Jr.		59	56	54	110	89		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Oshawa Generals	OHA-Jr.		62	57	64	121	108		—	—	—	—	—
1974–75	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		65	16	12	28	34		—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		53	9	11	20	22		—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	New Haven Nighthawks	AHL		24	17	13	30	24		—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		61	16	14	30	39		—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	Kansas City Blues	CHL		10	8	8	16	0
1977–78	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		77	20	16	36	47		7	3	0	3	6
1978–79	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		40	4	7	11	20
1978–79	Colorado Rockies	NHL		27	4	2	6	14
1979–80	New York Rangers	NHL		7	0	0	0	4		3	4	1	5	13
1979–80	New Haven Nighthawks	AHL		68	46	43	89	90		10	6	5	11	8
1980–81	Kölner EC	1.GBun		17	16	8	24	61
1980–81	ESV Kaufbeuren	1.GBun		22	27	25	52	59
1981–82	VfL Bad Nauheim	1.GBun		42	66	34	100	195
NHL totals				330	69	62	131	180		10	7	1	8	19
1.GBun totals				162	181	118	299	509
FRG.2 totals				88	122	95	217	174		10	37	16	53

External links

• Biography of Bill on Hockey Draft Central.com