Wayne Maxner

Wayne Maxner was a long time coach, best known for three stints in Windsor where he is a legend with the OHL Spitfires, as well as with the London Knights. He also coached the NHL's Detroit Red Wings.

But not everyone realized that Maxner was also a NHL player. He was a playmaking winger with the Niagara Falls Flyers, playing with the likes of Terry Crisp and Gary Dornhoefer. Those two went on to long NHL careers, but Maxner, who was the OHA MVP and leading scorer in 1963, only appeared in a total of 62 NHL games with the Boston Bruins in 1964-65.

Part of the problem was Maxner was forced from his customary left wing spot to center ice while with the Bruins. The Bruins were pretty strong on the left side with Johnny Bucyk, Reggie Fleming, Dean Prentice and Ab McDonald already on the roster. But they were weak at center ice, with only Murray Oliver to count on as a big league pivot. So they tried Maxner at center, on a line with Prentice and right winger Ed Westfall. The experiment may have lasted through 30 games in the season when Prentice broke his back and was done for the year. Maxner switched back to left wing, but never found his footing in the National Hockey League.

He is probably better remembered as a coach, especially in Windsor and London as well as by long time Detroit Red Wings fans.