Cast away by the National Hockey League after just parts of three seasons, Blaine Stoughton jumped to the WHA when most were starting to create their exit plans. Blaine had a quietly forgotten hockey career that saw him lead the WCHL and NHL in goals for a season each and score 52 in his first season in the WHA.
Blaine Stoughton – Junior
Stoughton spent four years in the WCHL with the Flin Flon Bombers from 1969-70 to 1972-73. The Bombers franchise became the Edmonton Oil Kings for the 1978-79 season and Great Falls Americans for 1979-80. After moving to Spokane, Washington to become the Flyers, the franchise folded part way through the 1981-82 WHL season.
In his first year with Flin Flon, the team was led by Reggie Leach who led the league in scoring. The Bombers finished first overall in the eight team league but fell to the original version of the Edmonton Oil Kings in the finals in a four game sweep.
Stoughton got noticed as a sniper in 1971-72. He scored 60 goals and assisted on 66 for 126 points over 68 regular season games. He led the WCHL in goals, placed fifth for assists and tied for third in the points department with Tom Lysiak and Stan Weir, both of the Medicine Hat Tigers.
In his final season of junior, Blaine’s numbers dropped slightly. He scored 58 goals and assisted on 60 for 118 points over 66 games. He led his team in assists and points while finishing tied for seventh in the WCHL for goals, tied for ninth for assists and placing fifth for points.
Blaine Stoughton – NHL
The Pittsburgh Penguins selected Stoughton seventh overall at the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft. That year, the New York Islanders had the first overall pick and chose Denis Potvin from the Ottawa 67’s. Blaine played a total of 34 games with the Penguins in 1973-74 and was traded in the off-season to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Rick Kehoe.
After a full season with Toronto in 1974-75, Stoughton was banished the the Oklahoma City Blazers of the Central Hockey League for the last half of the 1975-76 season. That was incentive enough to make the risky move to the World Hockey Association.
When the NHL swallowed up the final four WHA teams for the start of the 1979-80 season, Stoughton was on the roster of the Hartford Whalers. He played with the Whalers until a trade to the New York Rangers 54 games into the 1983-84 season. 1983-84 turned out to be his last year in the NHL.
In his first year back in the NHL, 1979-80, Stoughton exploded for 56 goals while assisting on 44 for exactly 100 points over 80 games. The goal total tied Blaine with Danny Gare of the Buffalo Sabres and Charlie Simmer of the Los Angeles Kings for the goal scoring title. His 100 points placed him eighth in the league.
The following year, Stoughton topped the 50 goal plateau once more. In 1981-82, he scored 52 goals and assisted on 39 for 91 points over 80 games. His 52 goals placed him sixth in the NHL while his point total was out of the top ten.
After his final year in the National Hockey League, Stoughton joined the New Haven Nighthawks of the American Hockey League for the 1984-85 season. After some time off, he played one more year of elite level hockey with Asiago in Italy for the 1987-88 season.
Blaine Stoughton – WHA
Blaine was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in the second round of the 1973 WHA Amateur Draft, 14th overall. However, as mentioned, Stoughton took the NHL road, at least to start.
From 1976-77 to 1978-79, Blaine played in the WHA with the Cincinnati Stingers, Indianapolis Racers and New England Whalers. His first year was the only year he stayed with one team. With the Stingers, Stoughton scored 52 and assisted on 52 for 104 points. He tied for fourth in the WHA for goals and placed ninth for points.
Blaine Stoughton – Coaching Staff
For the 1990’s, Stoughton spent most of his time behind the bench or in the front office. He started out as an assistant coach of the Cincinnati Cyclones at the start of the decade. At first, the Cyclones played in the ECHL before switching to the IHL. The team didn’t enjoy much success with Blaine behind the bench.
In 1993-94, Stoughton moved up the AHL and was assistant coach of the Springfield Indians. He remained in Springfield for 1994-95 but the team name changed to the Falcons.
For three years from 1996-97 to 1998-99, Stoughton bought into a WPHL franchise and spent time as an owner and a general manager. The team was the Austin Ice Bats but, unfortunately, like the rest of Blaine’s teams, they weren’t very successful.
Blaine Stoughton – Rookie Card
The Blaine Stoughton rookie card appears as number 348 in the 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee NHL set. He is shown as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Stoughton’s first Topps card didn’t come out until 1975-76. His rookie hockey card is valued at twice that of a common card. Blaine got on the front of just one WHA card, number 6 in the 1977-78 O-Pee-Chee set.
Blaine Stoughton Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1968-69 | Dauphin Kings | MJHL | 33 | 15 | 19 | 34 | 100 |
| 1969-70 | Flin Flon Bombers | WCHL | 59 | 19 | 20 | 39 | 161 |
| 1970-71 | Flin Flon Bombers | WCHL | 35 | 26 | 24 | 50 | 96 |
| 1971-72 | Flin Flon Bombers | WCHL | 68 | 60 | 66 | 126 | 121 |
| 1972-73 | Flin Flon Bombers | WCHL | 66 | 58 | 60 | 118 | 86 |
| 1973-74 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 47 | 23 | 17 | 40 | 35 |
| 1973-74 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 34 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 8 |
| 1974-75 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 78 | 23 | 14 | 37 | 24 |
| 1975-76 | Oklahoma City Blazers | CHL | 30 | 14 | 22 | 36 | 24 |
| 1975-76 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 43 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 8 |
| 1976-77 | Cincinnati Stingers | WHA | 81 | 52 | 52 | 104 | 39 |
| 1977-78 | Cincinnati Stingers | WHA | 30 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 36 |
| 1977-78 | Indianapolis Racers | WHA | 47 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 28 |
| 1978-79 | Indianapolis Racers | WHA | 25 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 16 |
| 1978-79 | New England Whalers | WHA | 36 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 2 |
| 1979-80 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 80 | 56 | 44 | 100 | 16 |
| 1980-81 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 71 | 43 | 30 | 73 | 56 |
| 1981-82 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 80 | 52 | 39 | 91 | 57 |
| 1982-83 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 72 | 45 | 31 | 76 | 27 |
| 1983-84 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 54 | 23 | 14 | 37 | 4 |
| 1983-84 | New York Rangers | NHL | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 |
| 1984-85 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 60 | 20 | 25 | 45 | 35 |
| 1987-88 | Asiago HC | Italy-A | 15 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 2 |
| NHL Totals | 526 | 258 | 191 | 449 | 204 | ||
| WHA Totals | 219 | 89 | 90 | 179 | 121 |