Don Lever

Donald Lever
Donald Lever
Born	November 14, 1952 (age 73); Timmins, Ontario, Canada
Occupation(s)	Ice hockey player, coach
Years active	1972–1987 (player), 1987–2009+ (coach)
Known for	NHL left winger, first captain of New Jersey Devils, assistant coach of Montreal Canadiens, head coach of Chicago Wolves and Hamilton Bulldogs

Donald Richard Lever (born November 14, 1952) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who competed in the National Hockey League for 15 seasons, spanning from 1972–73 through 1986–87. He played a key role in leading the Calgary Flames to their inaugural NHL playoff semifinal appearance in 1981.

Playing career

Selected third overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft, Lever achieved the milestone of scoring 20 goals in six separate seasons with Vancouver. He also represented Canada at the 1978 World Championships. On February 8, 1980, Lever was traded to the Atlanta Flames alongside Brad Smith in exchange for Ivan Boldirev and Darcy Rota. Subsequently, he became the first-ever captain of the New Jersey Devils and recorded the franchise’s first goal. Renowned for his abilities in both penalty killing and powerplay situations, Lever appeared in 1,020 NHL contests, amassing 313 goals and 367 assists, totaling 680 points. On March 9, 2009, following Guy Carbonneau’s dismissal, Bob Gainey appointed Lever as assistant coach of the Montreal Canadiens. After his contract concluded without renewal, Lever was named head coach of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves on October 21, 2009.

Awards and achievements

1972: Named to the OHA First All-Star Team
1972: Awarded the Red Tilson Trophy as OHA MVP
1982: Participated in the NHL All-Star Game
1990–91: Recipient of the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award
2006–07: Guided Hamilton Bulldogs as head coach to their first Calder Cup championship (AHL)

Regular season and playoffs

1977–78 Vancouver Canucks NHL 75 17 32 49 58 — — — — — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1978–79 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL |71 |23 |21 |44 |17 |3 |2 |1 |3 |2 |- | 1979–80 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL |51 |21 |17 |38 |32 |— |— |— |— |— |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" |1979–80 |Atlanta Flames |NHL |28 |14 |16 |30 |4 |4 |1 |1 |2 |0 |- |1980–81 |Calgary Flames |NHL |62 |26 |31 |57 |56 |16 |4 |7 |11 |20 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" |1981–82 |Calgary Flames |NHL |23 |8 |11 |19 |6 |— |— |— |— |— |- |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1981–82 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 59 | 22 | 28 | 50 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — 1983–84 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 70 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 44 | — | — | — | — | —

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1969–70	Niagara Falls Flyers	OHA-Jr.	2	0	1	1	4	—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Niagara Falls Flyers	OHA-Jr.	59	35	36	71	112	—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Niagara Falls Flyers	OHA-Jr.	69	61	65	126	69	6	3	1	4	45
1972–73	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	78	12	26	38	49	—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	78	23	25	48	28	—	—	—	—	—
1974–75	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	80	38	30	68	49	5	0	1	1	4
1975–76	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	80	25	40	65	93	2	0	0	0	0
1976–77	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	80	27	30	57	28	—	—	—	—	—
1982–83 \| New Jersey Devils \| NHL \| 79 \| 23 \| 30 \| 53 \| 68 \| — \| — \| — \| — \| —
1984–85 \| New Jersey Devils \| NHL \| 67 \| 10 \| 8 \| 18 \| 31 \| — \| — \| — \| — \| —
1985–86 \| Rochester Americans \| AHL \| 29 \| 6 \| 11 \| 17 \| 16 \| — \| — \| — \| — \| —
1985–86 \| Buffalo Sabres \| NHL \| 29 \| 7 \| 1 \| 8 \| 6 \| — \| — \| — \| — \| —
1986–87 \| Rochester Americans \| AHL \| 57 29 25 54 69 18 4 3 7 14 \|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"	1986–87 \| Buffalo Sabres \| NHL \| 10 \| 3 \| 2 \| 5 \| 4 \| —	—	—	—	—
NHL totals !1,020			313	367	680	593 !30 !7 !10 !17 !26

International

Year	Team	Tournament		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1978	Canada	WC		10	4	3	7	4

Coaching statistics

Season      Organization        League Role             GP   W   L   T  OTL  Win %    Outcome 
1987–88    Buffalo Sabres       NHL    Assistant coach  
1988–89    Buffalo Sabres       NHL    Assistant coach 
1990–91    Rochester Americans  AHL    Head coach        80  45  26   9   0   0.619   Finals runner-up 
1991–92    Rochester Americans  AHL    Head coach        80  37  31  12   0   0.537   Eliminated in third round 
1992–93    Buffalo Sabres       NHL    Assistant coach 
1993–94    Buffalo Sabres       NHL    Assistant coach 
1994–95    Buffalo Sabres       NHL    Assistant coach 
1995–96    Buffalo Sabres       NHL    Associate coach 
1996–97    Buffalo Sabres       NHL    Assistant coach 
1997–98    Buffalo Sabres       NHL    Associate coach 
1998–99    Buffalo Sabres       NHL    Associate coach 
1999–00    Buffalo Sabres       NHL    Associate coach 
2000–01    Buffalo Sabres       NHL    Assistant coach 
2001–02    Buffalo Sabres       NHL    Assistant coach 
2002–03    St. Louis Blues      NHL    Assistant coach 
2003–04    St. Louis Blues      NHL    Assistant coach 
2005–06    Hamilton Bulldogs     AHL   Head coach        80  35  41   0   4   0.463   Did not qualify for playoffs 
2006–07    Hamilton Bulldogs     AHL   Head coach        80  43  28   0   9   0.594   Secured championship title 
2007–08    Hamilton Bulldogs     AHL   Head coach        80  36  34   0 10   0.512   Missed postseason 
2008–09    Hamilton Bulldogs     AHL   Head coach        65 39   24   0   2   0.615   
           Montreal Canadiens     NHL   Assistant coach

Personal life

Lever and his spouse Karen are parents to three children: Michael, Sarah, and Caitlin.

External links