Winning seemed to follow John Tonelli, or maybe it was the other way around. He reached the Avco World Trophy finals in his first year in the WHA. He won four Stanley Cup championships in the NHL, along with going to the finals two more times. He was a Canada Cup champion, and the tournament MVP.
One major championship that eluded the New York Islanders star came in junior. Tonelli played a major role in the Toronto Marlboros first place finish in 1974-75. However, due to a dispute between him and the club over his future with the Houston Aeros, John refused to participate in the post season. He missed out on a league championship, followed by a Memorial Cup win.
Junior Career
WHA Career
NHL Career
Rookie Card
Career Stats
John Tonelli – Junior Hockey
John Tonelli played two years of major junior hockey with the Toronto Marlboros, 1973-74 and 1974-75. With the 1974-75 Toronto Marlboros, Tonelli scored 49 goals and assisted on 86 for 135 points over 70 games. His goal total tied teammate John Anderson for tenth in the league. He finished fourth for assists and fourth in the race for the Eddie Powers Trophy.
He was named a First Team All-Star for his play during the regular season but that was where his campaign came to an end. The Marlies went on to beat the Hamilton Fincups in the finals for the OMJHL title. At the Memorial Cup tournament, Toronto beat the New Westminster Bruins in the final to become Canada’s top major junior hockey team.
Tonelli did not play in any of those post season games. The Marlboros insisted that he was signed for three more years with the junior team. The Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association has signed him to a big money contract starting in 1975-76. Because he signed with Toronto before his 18th birthday and without his parents being involved, that contract was nullified and he was off to Houston and the start of his pro hockey career.
John Tonelli had the fortune of never playing a game in the minors. He jumped right to the WHA then continued on into a role in the National Hockey League after the Aeros franchise dissolved.
John Tonelli – WHA
John Tonelli played three seasons in the World Hockey Association, 1975-76 to 1977-78, all with the Houston Aeros. Over that time, he scored 64 goals and assisted on 86 for 150 points in 224 regular season games. He topped the 20 goal plateau in each of his final two seasons with the team.
In the Avco World Trophy playoffs, Tonelli scored eleven goals and assisted on 14 for 25 points in 34 games. In his first year, Houston reached the finals before falling to the Winnipeg Jets.
John Tonelli – NHL
Between 1978-79 and 1991-92, John Tonelli played in 1,028 regular season National Hockey League games with the New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks and Quebec Nordiques. Over that time, he scored 325 goals and assisted on 511 for 836 points.
In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Tonelli scored 40 and assisted on 75 for 115 points over 172 games. He won four Stanley Cup championships with the Islanders from 1979-80 to 1982-83. He lost in the finals with New York in 1983-84 to the Edmonton Oilers. With the Calgary Flames in 1985-86, John once again reached the finals before his team lost to the Montreal Canadiens.
The Islanders selected John in the second round of the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft, 33rd overall, when he was with the Houston Aeros. Nine times over his career, he topped the 20 goal plateau. Five times, he scored 30 or more. His top offensive season came in 1984-85 with New York when he scored 42 goals and totaled 100 points over 80 games. Later, he scored matching 31 goal seasons with the Kings in 1988-89 and 1989-90.
Twice, Tonelli was named to the NHL Second All-Star Team. He was first picked in 1981-82 after a season with 35 goals and 93 points for the Islanders. He also added 16 points in 19 playoff games that year. In his 100 point season, 1984-85, he was also placed on the Second Team.
In 1984, Tonelli played for Canada at the Canada Cup. In eight games, he scored three and assisted on six in the tournament. Canada won the championship over Sweden and Tonelli was added to the All-Star team, along other forwards Wayne Gretzky and Sergei Makarov. He was named most valuable player in the tournament.
John Tonelli – Rookie Card
The John Tonelli rookie card appears as number 146 in the 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee NHL hockey card set. He is shown as a member of the New York Islanders and his career totals on the back, although not stated, include his time in the WHA with the Houston Aeros.
Tonelli’s final card is included in several sets in 1992-93, all showing him with the Quebec Nordiques. All this, despite the fact that he would not play any games that season with his final NHL action coming in 1991-92, a season split between the Blackhawks and Nordiques.
John Tonelli – Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1973-74 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA | 69 | 18 | 37 | 55 | 62 |
| 1974-75 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA | 70 | 49 | 86 | 135 | 85 |
| 1975-76 | Houston Aeros | WHA | 79 | 17 | 14 | 31 | 66 |
| 1976-77 | Houston Aeros | WHA | 80 | 24 | 31 | 55 | 109 |
| 1977-78 | Houston Aeros | WHA | 65 | 23 | 41 | 64 | 103 |
| 1978-79 | New York Islanders | NHL | 73 | 17 | 39 | 56 | 44 |
| 1979-80 | New York Islanders | NHL | 77 | 14 | 30 | 44 | 49 |
| 1980-81 | New York Islanders | NHL | 70 | 20 | 32 | 52 | 57 |
| 1981-82 | New York Islanders | NHL | 80 | 35 | 58 | 93 | 57 |
| 1982-83 | New York Islanders | NHL | 76 | 31 | 40 | 71 | 55 |
| 1983-84 | New York Islanders | NHL | 73 | 27 | 40 | 67 | 66 |
| 1984-85 | New York Islanders | NHL | 80 | 42 | 58 | 100 | 95 |
| 1985-86 | New York Islanders | NHL | 65 | 20 | 41 | 61 | 50 |
| 1985-86 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 9 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 |
| 1986-87 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 78 | 20 | 31 | 51 | 72 |
| 1987-88 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 74 | 17 | 41 | 58 | 84 |
| 1988-89 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 77 | 31 | 33 | 64 | 110 |
| 1989-90 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 73 | 31 | 37 | 68 | 62 |
| 1990-91 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 71 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 49 |
| 1991-92 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 33 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 37 |
| 1991-92 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 19 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 |
| NHL Totals | 1028 | 325 | 511 | 836 | 911 | ||
| WHA Totals | 224 | 64 | 86 | 150 | 278 |