Thomas James Wiley (April 28, 1950 – December 26, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey center and coach. He played 62 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1972 and 1977, split between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks, with the bulk of his career being spent in the minor Central Hockey League. Wiley retired as a player in 1980, and in 1984 became a coach in the United States Hockey League, and later coached in several minor leagues. In 1995–96 Wiley coached the NHL's San Jose Sharks for the final 57 games of the season, before returning to the minors. His last season as a coach was in 2008.

Jim Wiley
Born (1950-04-28)April 28, 1950
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
Died December 26, 2021(2021-12-26) (aged 71)
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Pittsburgh Penguins
Vancouver Canucks
Coached for San Jose Sharks
Playing career 1972–1980
Coaching career 1984–2008

Playing career

edit

Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Wiley signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1972 following a fine collegiate career at Lake Superior State University, becoming the first Lakers alum to play in the NHL. He spent the majority of the next two seasons with the Hershey Bears, Pittsburgh's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, although he did appear in 26 games for the Penguins over that stretch, recording four assists.

Wiley was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1974 NHL Intra-League Draft, but continued to find himself toiling in minor pro. He earned a two-game callup in 1975–76, and had his longest NHL stint in 1976–77, when he recorded four goals and ten points in 34 games for the Canucks. He retired in 1980 without seeing any further NHL action.

Wiley appeared in 62 NHL games, recording four goals and ten assists for 14 points along with eight penalty minutes.

Coaching career

edit

Following his retirement, Wiley moved into coaching. He was the long-time coach of the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League before breaking into the pro ranks in 1993 as head coach of the Kansas City Blades, the top affiliate of the San Jose Sharks.

When the Sharks fired head coach Kevin Constantine after a dismal 3–18–4 start, Wiley was promoted to the head coaching position with the NHL club. While his 17–37–3 record was somewhat of an improvement over their start, it was not enough for Wiley to keep his job. Following the season, he was reassigned back to the Sharks' top farm team, then the Kentucky Thoroughblades, where he served until 1998.

After leaving the Sharks organization, Wiley made stops in the East Coast Hockey League, Central Hockey League, and United Hockey League.

Personal life and death

edit

Wiley died on December 26, 2021, at the age of 71.[1]

Career statistics

edit

Regular season and playoffs

edit
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1966–67 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds NOJHL 25 13 22 35 13 12 11 7 18 4
1967–68 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds NOJHL 38 21 31 52 34 11 2 3 5 6
1968–69 Lake Superior State University ICHA 26 9 15 24 4
1969–70 Lake Superior State University ICHA 25 21 17 38 11
1970–71 Lake Superior State University ICHA 25 18 19 37 13
1971–72 Lake Superior State University ICHA 28 22 34 56 24
1972–73 Hershey Bears AHL 71 30 45 75 30 7 1 1 2 5
1972–73 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 4 0 1 1 0
1973–74 Hershey Bears AHL 47 21 33 54 26 14 5 11 16 15
1973–74 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 22 0 3 3 2
1974–75 Seattle Totems CHL 51 10 25 35 24
1975–76 Tulsa Oilers CHL 76 33 63 96 21 9 5 4 9 38
1975–76 Vancouver Canucks NHL 2 0 0 0 0
1976–77 Tulsa Oilers CHL 29 17 17 34 27 9 4 4 8 4
1976–77 Vancouver Canucks NHL 34 4 6 10 4
1978–79 Tulsa Oilers CHL 73 23 45 68 29
1979–80 Tulsa Oilers CHL 76 18 36 54 30 3 0 2 2 0
CHL totals 305 101 186 287 131 21 9 10 19 42
NHL totals 62 4 10 14 8

Coaching

edit
Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Finish Result
SJ 1995-96 57 17 37 3 (47) 7th in Pacific Missed Playoffs

Other leagues

edit
Team Season W L OTL/T
Kansas City Blades 1993–94 40 31 10
Kansas City Blades 1994–95 35 40 6
Kansas City Blades 1995–96 2 1 0
Kentucky Thoroughblades 1996–97 36 35 9
Kentucky Thoroughblades 1997–98 29 39 12
Lexington Men O' War 2002–03 34 31 7
Memphis RiverKings 2003–04 17 14 0
Roanoke Valley Vipers 2005–06 12 26 5
Amarillo Gorillas 2006–07 32 28 4
Amarillo Gorillas 2007–08 22 32 10

References

edit
  1. ^ Pashelka, Curtis (27 December 2021). "Former San Jose Sharks head coach dies at 71". The Mercury News. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
edit
Sporting positions
Preceded by CHL Leading Scorer
1975–76
Succeeded by
Preceded by Head coach of the San Jose Sharks
1995–96
Succeeded by