A star with the Cornwall Royals of the QMJHL, Blair MacDonald was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings but chose to start his pro hockey career in the World Hockey Association with the Edmonton Oilers. He did get his chance to play in the National Hockey League but the greatest part of his career was in the WHA with the Oilers and Indianapolis Racers.
Junior and Minor Pro
NHL Career
WHA Career
Coaching Career
Rookie Card
Career Stats
Blair MacDonald – Junior and Minor Pro
Blair MacDonald played three years of junior hockey in the QMJHL with the Cornwall Royals from 1970-71 to 1972-73. Over his three years, the Cornwall born MacDonald scored 132 goals and assisted on 98 for 230 points over 176 regular season games.
In 1971-72, the Orval Tessier coached Royals finished first overall in the ten team league. In the finals, Cornwall met the Quebec Remparts and won the championship in six games. The Royals then went on to a Memorial Cup championship with a 2-1 win over the Peterborough Petes in the final game, held in Ottawa.
Blair tied for tenth in the QMJHL for goals that season with 45. Cornwall was helped immensely between the pipes by another future WHA legend Richard Brodeur.
In 1972-73, Cornwall finished second overall and fell to the Quebec Remparts in the finals. Orval Tessier had moved on to coach the Remparts for his second consecutive QMJHL title.
MacDonald had his best offensive season in 1972-73 with 63 goals and 39 assists for 102 points over 64 regular season games. He placed third in the league for goals and was named a Second Team All-Star. In 16 playoff games, Blair added 28 points.
Blair didn’t spend much time in the minors. However, he did play for Jacques Demers with the 1982-83 Fredericton Express in the American Hockey League. He ended his career with four seasons in Austria.
Blair MacDonald – NHL
Taken in the sixth round of the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft, 86th overall, Blair MacDonald eventually played in 219 regular season NHL games between 1979-8 and 1982-83 with the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. Over that time, he scored 91 and assisted on 100 for a very respectable 191 points. In eleven Stanley Cup playoff games, he added six assists.
His best National Hockey League season was his first. In 1979-80, MacDonald scored 46 goals and assisted on 48 for 94 points over 80 games. He tied for tenth in the race for the Art Ross Trophy with Bernie Federko of the St. Louis Blues. Blair played in the NHL All-Star Game and was the first winner of the Zane Feldman Trophy as the Edmonton Oilers MVP.
MacDonald was traded to the Vancouver Canucks with Lars-Gunnar Pettersson for Ken Berry and Garry Lariviere. Blair spent the rest of his short lived NHL career with the Canucks.
Blair MacDonald – WHA
At the 1973 WHA Amateur Draft, the Alberta Oilers picked Blair MacDonald in the third round, 30th overall. He chose the Oilers over the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and was a big part of the rebel league until it merged with the NHL for the 1979-80 season.
Over 476 regular season WHA games, MacDonald scored 171 goals and assisted on 165 for 336 points. In 39 playoff games, Blair was actually better than a point per game with 41 points.
MacDonald was sent from the Oilers to the Indianapolis Racers midway through the 1975-76 WHA season. He returned to Edmonton for 1977-78. In 1978-79, he was named a Second Team All-Star.
Blair MacDonald – Coaching
From 1986-87 to 2004-05, Blair MacDonald had coaching gigs in Austria, AHL, IHL, Germany and Italy. In 2001-02, he was replaced as the head coach of the Frankfurt Lions of Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) but Butch Goring.
In 1988-89, with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the IHL, Blair coached the team to a first place finish in the ten team league. The Lumberjacks were the Turner Cup champions in the playoffs with a victory over the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in the finals. Muskegon went 12-2 in the playoffs and MacDonald was named the IHL coach of the year, earning the Commissioner’s Trophy.
The following year, the Lumberjacks once again reached the IHL Turner Cup finals. However, it was the Darryl Sutter coached Indianapolis Ice that came out on top.
Blair MacDonald – Rookie Card
Despite his success in the World Hockey Assocation beginning in 1973-74, the Blair MacDonald rookie card did not appear until the 1976-77 O-Pee-Chee WHA set as number 93. Blair is shown as a member of the Indianapolis Racers.
MacDonald appears with the Oilers in the 1977-78 OPC WHA set. He, for some reason, does not appear in the 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee NHL set in Edmonton’s first year in their new league. This is an incredible oversight for a guy who played every game for in the final three years of the WHA and didn’t miss a match in 1979-80.
Blair MacDonald Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1970-71 | Cornwall Royals | QMJHL | 51 | 24 | 14 | 38 | 6 |
| 1971-72 | Cornwall Royals | QMJHL | 61 | 45 | 45 | 90 | 36 |
| 1972-73 | Cornwall Royals | QMJHL | 64 | 63 | 39 | 102 | 44 |
| 1973-74 | Edmonton Oilers | WHA | 78 | 21 | 24 | 45 | 34 |
| 1974-75 | Edmonton Oilers | WHA | 72 | 22 | 24 | 46 | 14 |
| 1975-76 | Edmonton Oilers | WHA | 29 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 8 |
| 1975-76 | Indianapolis Racers | WHA | 56 | 19 | 11 | 30 | 14 |
| 1976-77 | Indianapolis Racers | WHA | 81 | 34 | 30 | 64 | 28 |
| 1977-78 | Edmonton Oilers | WHA | 80 | 34 | 34 | 68 | 11 |
| 1978-79 | Edmonton Oilers | WHA | 80 | 34 | 37 | 71 | 44 |
| 1979-80 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 80 | 46 | 48 | 94 | 6 |
| 1980-81 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 51 | 19 | 24 | 43 | 27 |
| 1980-81 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 12 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 10 |
| 1981-82 | Dallas Black Hawks | CHL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1981-82 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 59 | 18 | 15 | 33 | 20 |
| 1982-83 | Fredericton Express | AHL | 60 | 29 | 37 | 66 | 20 |
| 1982-83 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 17 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
| 1983-84 | Montana Magic | CHL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| NHL Totals | 219 | 91 | 100 | 191 | 65 | ||
| WHA Totals | 476 | 171 | 165 | 336 | 153 |