Former Bruin Johnny McKenzie Was Born on This Date

By: Steve McClure | Follow me on Twitter / X @stmcclure1993

On this date in 1937, John McKenzie was born in High River, Alberta. The popular Bruins’ agitator was a central figure in Boston’s championships of the early ‘70s.

After spending his early years with Chicago, Detroit, and New York, McKenzie found a home in Boston. The right-winger was traded from the Rangers to the Bruins for the left-winger Reggie Fleming in January of 1966. McKenzie would make his mark by producing 22 points—including thirteen goals—in only 36 games.

Though only 175 lbs, McKenzie enjoyed playing the part of ‘the pest’ to rival teams. Playing with a swath of reckless abandon, the right-wing didn’t mind mixing it up with opponents. The one-for-all attitude of those Big, Bad Bruins clubs of the era allowed the 5’9” forward to be heavily involved in on-ice shenanigans, including four seasons with 100+ penalty minutes. 

From the 1967-68 season through the 1971-72 campaign—his final season in Boston—McKenzie managed at least 22 or more goals per year. His 31-46-77 in 1970-71 was his career high-water mark for production. Playing on a second line with John Bucyk at left wing and Fred Stanfield at center, his 20.5% shooting percentage that record-breaking season was second best on the team behind Bucyk’s 22.7%. Stanley Cup favorites leading into the playoffs that year, the Bruins were upset by the Canadiens and their rookie goaltending sensation Ken Dryden in seven games. In Game One McKenzie suffered what would later be found to be a fractured skull.  According to MacKenzie, “I ran into Dryden’s stick, but he said, ‘Excuse me,’ so how could I get mad at a nice thief like him?” He took seven stitches on the bridge of his nose that night and played the rest of the series with his eyes almost swollen shut. “Some commentators blamed my eyes for getting only two goals in the series, but I could see all right. It was that four-story goalkeeper (Dryden) who was responsible. On eight of my 23 shots, I was so sure I’d scored that I wheeled away with arms upraised for the benefit of fans in the rinks, on TV and all the ships at sea, only to find the game continuing.”  

Nicknamed ‘Pie’ by teammates—due, at the time, to his resemblance to a popular candy bar cartoon’s ‘pie-face’—the Bruins’ fan-favorite racked up 169 goals and 710 penalty minutes over the course of 454 regular season games in Boston. He was named the recipient of the Bruins’ Seventh Player Award for his 1969-70 play and churned out seventeen playoff points in fourteen games (fourth on the team) to help Boston to the 1970 Stanley Cup title.

After another Stanley Cup win in 1972, ‘Pie’ was left unprotected by Boston in the NHL expansion draft, resulting in his signing with the WHA’s Philadelphia Blazers as a player/coach. He would play six seasons in the WHA before retiring from hockey after the 1978-79 season.

On June 9, 2018, Johnny MacKenzie died at home in Wakefield, Massachusetts, after a long illness. The Bruins named McKenzie as part of the club’s ‘Historic 100’ in the fall of 2023. He played in two NHL All-Star games, in 1970 and 1972.

Let’s all remember this Bruins champion with a birthday salute. Happy birthday, ‘Pie’!

*Special thanks to Dave Stubbs for the quotation in his NHL.com article published on June 10, 2018.