Original LA King Bill White Passes Away at 77

By Jeff Duarte
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Updated: May 23, 2017

One of the original pioneers of our Los Angeles Kings, Bill White, has sadly passed away at the age of 77. Picked up by the Kings during the 1967 expansion draft, he along with Captain Bob Wall, “Cowboy” Bill Flett, “Jet” Eddie Joyal, Ted Irvine (who is the father of WWE superstar Chris Jericho), “Frenchy” Real Lemieux, legendary Hall of Fame goaltender Terry Sawchuk, and head coach and Hall of Fame player Red Kelly, defenseman Bill White helped usher in the professional sport of hockey with the expansion LA Kings to the NHL’s final frontier, the state of California.

(photo credit to lakings.nhl.com)

A six-time All-Star in the NHL, and a natural leader, White led the Kings’ defense twice in scoring, while serving as the Assistant/Alternate Captain to team Captain Bob Wall. He was then traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in 1970, where he and fellow defenseman Pat Stapleton formed a solid defensive duo that helped the Hawks reach the Stanley Cup Final twice in 1971 and 1973.

White is best remembered though, for being a crucial part of Team Canada in the epic, best on best, 8 game Summit Series, (before there was the “Miracle on Ice”, there was the 1972 Summit Series!), against the Soviet Union in 1972, leading his team with a plus-7 in a very high scoring and brutally physical series.

(photo credit to nhl.com)

White finished his playing career with 265 points in 604 regular season games and a plus-158, along with 39 points in 91 playoff games, before becoming the head coach of the Blackhawks during the 1976-77 season for the final 46 games.

We here at CaliSports News send our sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of Bill White. Though his time in Los Angeles was short, it was memorable and as an original pioneer, his contributions to the franchise will forever be enshrined in Kings’ history and lore.

Rest in paradise Bill White. You will never be forgotten.

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