Armand “Bep” Guidolin

Hockey

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Armand “Bep” Guidolin was born in Thorold, Ontario, on December 9, 1925. He moved to Barrie in 1968, where he lived with his wife and 4 children until his passing in 2008.

Bep, as he was known, played junior hockey with the Oshawa Generals of the OHA, playing in the Memorial Cup in 1942. In November of that year, he became the youngest player to ever play in the NHL at 16. The Boston Bruins were in need of replacements to fill the holes created by so many players leaving for military service. Guidolin did the job with surprising success. In his second season, he tallied 42 points in 47 games. He continued a respectable tempo for two more seasons with the Bruins before trades took him to Detroit and Chicago. In 1949-1950, Guidolin had his best NHL season recording 17 goals and 34 assists with the Hawks. In 9 NHL seasons and 517 games, he registered 107 goals and 171 assists.

Bep Guidolin was an OHA head coach with the Oshawa Generals in 1965-1966, and the London Knights in 1969-1970 and 1970-1971. His knowledge of the game earned him a coaching position in the AHL with the Boston Braves for the 1971-1972 season. He then received the call every hockey coach dreams of, a chance to coach in the NHL. In 1972-1973 he joined the Boston Bruins as their head coach where he coached the team to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1973-1974. In 104 regular season games, his coaching record was 72-23-9.

Guidolin next coached the expansion Kansas City Scouts for a brief stint. He later moved on to coach the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association. He ended his NHL coaching career with the Colorado Rockies in 1979-1980. With his professional career over, Guidolin gave back to the city he loved. He coached Junior B and Senior A teams in Barrie. He also volunteered his time to many Barrie charities, as well as running numerous practices for the BMHA.

Guidolin’s statistics at Hockey Database
Guidolin’s biography at Legends of Hockey
Guidolin’s biography at Hockey History Blog