Doug Favell

Doug Favell
Born	(1945-04-05) April 5, 1945 St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Occupation(s)	Professional ice hockey goaltender, lacrosse player
Years active	1960s–1979 (ice hockey)
Known for	NHL goaltender for Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies; professional lacrosse player

Douglas Robert Favell (born April 5, 1945) is a retired Canadian professional athlete known for his roles as an ice hockey goaltender and a box lacrosse player. His National Hockey League (NHL) career included stints with the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Colorado Rockies.

Playing career

Favell and Bernie Parent, who would later become teammates on the Flyers, both played junior hockey with the Niagara Falls Flyers in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA). After securing the Memorial Cup in 1965, they transitioned to professional play within the Boston Bruins organization. Favell spent two seasons developing in the Bruins' minor league affiliates.

In an era when goaltenders primarily used the stand-up style, Favell, along with Tony Esposito of the Chicago Black Hawks, was among the pioneers of the butterfly technique, frequently dropping to his knees to stop shots.

During the NHL expansion in 1967–68, which introduced six new teams, both Favell and Parent were acquired by the Philadelphia Flyers through the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft. They split goaltending responsibilities as the Flyers led the Western Division, with Favell achieving a 2.27 goals-against average (GAA) and recording four shutouts. Parent was traded to Toronto in February 1971, making Favell Philadelphia's main goaltender.

Favell then played seasons consisting of 44, 54, and 44 games respectively, posting GAAs of 2.66, 2.81, and 2.83 while contributing to a strengthening Flyers team. In the 1973 playoffs, he was instrumental by participating in 11 games with a 2.60 GAA and one shutout as Philadelphia advanced to the semifinals.

Ahead of the 1973–74 season, Favell was traded to Toronto in exchange for Bernie Parent. Despite Toronto’s strong goaltending roster, Favell led in games played that season and maintained a respectable 2.71 GAA over 32 games. The following year saw him struggle with a career-worst 4.05 GAA across 39 appearances. His third season with the Leafs was curtailed by injury to just three games.

For the 1976–77 season, Favell’s NHL rights were transferred to the Colorado Rockies. He appeared in 30 games initially and became their primary netminder with 47 games played during the 1977–78 campaign. Injuries limited his final NHL season (1978–79) to seven games where he recorded a 0-5-2 record and a 5.38 GAA; most of that year he spent playing for Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate, the Firebirds.

Selected by Edmonton in the 1979 NHL Expansion Draft but opting not to join an expansion team, Favell retired instead. Notably, he is the only player drafted in both the 1967 and 1979 NHL Expansion Drafts. He was also recognized for his uniquely curved blocker pad and was among the first goaltenders to feature painted mask designs, unveiling one shortly before Halloween in 1970.

Lacrosse

Favell also competed professionally in lacrosse, playing for Detroit Olympics of the National Lacrosse Association in 1968 and later for Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League in 1974. His contributions earned him induction into the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2005.

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season										Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%		GP	W	L	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
1962–63	St. Catharines Black Hawks	OHA		1	—	—	—	60	2	0	2.00	—		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1963–64	Niagara Falls Flyers	OHA		28	—	—	—	1748	98	3	3.36	—		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	Niagara Falls Flyers	OHA		22	—	—	—	1320	79	0	3.59	—		3	2	1	180	9	0	3.00	—
1964–65	Niagara Falls Flyers	M-Cup		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		2	1	0	80	3	0	2.25	—
1964–65	Minneapolis Bruins	CPHL		1	1	0	0	60	3	0	3.00	—		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1965–66	Oklahoma City Blazers	CPHL		18	4	8	5	1060	59	0	3.34	—		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1965–66	San Francisco Seals	WHL		2	1	1	0	120	6	0	3.00	—		2	0	2	113	10	0	5.31	—
1966–67	Oklahoma City Blazers	CPHL		33	14	13	4	1860	88	1	2.83	—		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		37	15	15	6	2192	83	4	2.27	.931		2	1	1	120	8	0	4.00	.871
1968–69	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		21	3	12	5	1195	71	1	3.56	.902		1	0	1	60	5	0	5.00	.861
1968–69	Quebec Aces	AHL		4	0	4	199	16	0	4.82	—
1969–70	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		15	4	5	4	820	43	1	3.15	.917
1970–71	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		44	16	15	9	2434	108	2	2.66	.915		2	0	2	119	8	0	4.00	.867
1971–72	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		54	18	25	9	2993	140	5	2.81	.916
1972–73	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		44	20	15	4	2419	114	3	2.83	.913		11	5	6	666	29	1	2.60	.920
1973–74	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		32		14		7		9		1752			79				2.71		909	3				181		10				3.31		912
1974–75	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		39		12		17		6		2149			145		1		4.05		878
1975–76	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		3		0		2		1		160			15				5.63		786
1975–76	Oklahoma City Blazers	CHL		4		3		1		240		12			3.00		—
1976–77	Colorado Rockies	NHL		30		8		15		3		1614			105		3.90		895
1977–78	Colorado Rockies	NHL		47		13		20		11		2663			159		1		3.58		888
1978–79	Colorado Rockies	NHL		7		0		5		2		380			34		5.37		816	2			120  || 6  ||   || 3.00 || 933
1978–79	Philadelphia Firebirds	AHL		32	12  || 15  || 4   || 1834 || 137 || 1 || 4.48 || —
NHL totals				373	123	153	69	20771	1096	18	3.17	.905		21	6	15	1265	66	1	3.13	.908