His National Hockey League career wasn’t the most lengthy but he was one of the early stars of the Los Angeles Kings. Eddie Joyal had a knack for playing on good teams throughout the 1960’s and even won a championship in the WHL. However, that would be his only win while losing in the Memorial Cup finals, Stanley Cup finals (twice), CPHL finals and Calder Cup finals in the AHL.
Eddie Joyal – Junior and Minor Pro
Joyal, born and bred in Edmonton, Alberta, played his junior hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings. In 1959-60, he helped the team advance to the Memorial Cup finals with a win over the Brandon Wheat Kings. In the finals, the Oil Kings fell to the St. Catherines Teepees in six games. Over the Mem Cup run, Joyal scored 22 and assisted on 14 over 22 games.
In his second and final year with the Oil Kings, 1959-60, Eddie also saw his first pro action, appearing in a single WHL game with the Calgary Stampeders.
Eddie Joyal Collection
In 1961-62, the lone championship came. Playing for the Edmonton Flyers of the WHL, Joyal finished seventh in the league with 37 goals. The Flyers won the championship in seven games over the Spokane Comets. Eddie’s ten goals in 12 playoff games led the team while his 18 points tied him with Len Lunde for tops on the Flyers. Joyal was also teammed with Doug Messier that year, father of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Mark Messier.
The following year saw Joyal see his first NHL action and a move to the American Hockey League to play for the Pittsburgh Hornets. The Hornets finished dead last by a 13 point cushion in the nine team league. Despite playing just 54 of the team’s 72 games, Eddie led the Hornets with 29 goals and 56 points. He also appeared in 14 regular season games with the Detroit Red Wings and eleven Stanley Cup playoff games.
After spending a few years mostly in the NHL, Joyal was bounced down to the Tulsa Oilers of the CPHL for more than half of the 1965-66 season. He also appeared with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Although he played just 44 of 70 games for the Oilers, he finished 5th in the league with 32 goals. Tulsa reached the finals but fell to the Gerry Cheevers led Oklahoma City Blazers. Don Cherry also appeared in 17 games for Tulsa that season.
His last season in the minors was the last year of the Original 6 NHL. Joyal was relegated to the Rochester Americans for the full AHL season. He was sixth in the league with 51 assists and tied for sixth with 83 points. Rochester reached the Calder Cup finals but fell to the Pittsburgh Hornets. It would be the last year for Pittsburgh in the AHL when the Penguins starting up in the NHL the following season.
Eddie Joyal – NHL/WHA
Between 1962-63 and 1971-72, Joyal played 466 regular season games in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers. Over that time, he scored 128 and assisted on 134 for 262 points. He also appeared in 50 Stanley Cup playoff games, adding 19 points.
His first taste of the NHL came in 1962-63, appearing in 14 regular season games for the Detroit Red Wings. He then played eleven in the playoffs as Detroit reached the Stanley Cup finals before losing out to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The following year, he played 47 games during the regular season and 14 more in the playoffs as the Red Wings once again lost to Toronto in the finals.
On May 20, 1965, Joyal was traded, along with Larry Jeffrey, Lowell MacDonald, Marcel Pronovost and Autry Erickson, to the Maple Leafs. Going to Detroit were Andy Bathgate, Gary Jarrett and Billy Harris. Eddie would play just 14 games for Toronto.
At the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, the Los Angeles Kings took Joyal in the fifth round, 25th overall. In 1968-69, he led the Kings with 33 goals and 52 assists. He was left just outside the NHL’s top ten for goal scoring, one behind Norm Ferguson and Danny Grant, both with 34.
In what would be his final season in the NHL, Joyal was traded from the Kings to the Flyers on January 28, 1972. Eddie would jump to the WHA the following season but it was still a lopsided trade for Philadelphia. The Flyers also got Bill Flett, Ross Lonsberry and Jean Potvin. Potvin would move on to the Islanders but Flett and Lonsberry would be integral parts of Philly’s future success. Going to the Kings were Serge Bernier, Jim Johnson and Bill Lesuk.
In the World Hockey Association, Joyal played 239 regular season games between 1972-73 and 1975-76, all with the Edmonton Oilers. Over that time, he scored 57 and assisted on 55 for 112 points. He appeared in just six playoff games over his four years.
Eddie Joyal – Rookie Card
He never got on a hockey card as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. Instead, the Eddie Joyal rookie card appears as number 85 in the 1965-66 Topps set. He is shown with the Toronto Maple Leafs after an off-season trade. However, he played just 14 games with the Maple Leafs, all in 1965-66, before being relegated to the minors.
Eddie’s next card would not appear until 1968-69 when he was shown with the Kings. His only WHA card came in his final season as number 36 in the 1975-76 O-Pee-Chee set.
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1959-60 | Calgary Stampeders | WHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-61 | Edmonton Flyers | WHL | 64 | 20 | 27 | 47 | 12 |
| 1961-62 | Edmonton Flyers | WHL | 70 | 37 | 32 | 69 | 14 |
| 1962-63 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 54 | 29 | 27 | 56 | 6 |
| 1962-63 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 14 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 0 |
| 1963-64 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
| 1963-64 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 47 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 6 |
| 1964-65 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 6 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| 1964-65 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 46 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 4 |
| 1965-66 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 9 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 6 |
| 1965-66 | Tulsa Oilers | CPHL | 44 | 32 | 24 | 56 | 38 |
| 1965-66 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 1966-67 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 70 | 32 | 51 | 83 | 10 |
| 1967-68 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 74 | 23 | 34 | 57 | 20 |
| 1968-69 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 73 | 33 | 19 | 52 | 24 |
| 1969-70 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 59 | 18 | 22 | 40 | 8 |
| 1970-71 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 69 | 20 | 21 | 41 | 14 |
| 1971-72 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 44 | 11 | 3 | 14 | 17 |
| 1971-72 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 26 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 |
| 1972-73 | Alberta Oilers | WHA | 71 | 22 | 16 | 38 | 16 |
| 1973-74 | Edmonton Oilers | WHA | 45 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 2 |
| 1974-75 | Edmonton Oilers | WHA | 78 | 22 | 25 | 47 | 2 |
| 1975-76 | Edmonton Oilers | WHA | 45 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 |
| NHL Totals | 466 | 128 | 134 | 262 | 103 | ||
| WHA Totals | 239 | 57 | 55 | 112 | 26 |