Veteran NHLer and Former Leaf Dies at 80

In Memoriam

Former NHL player and coach Billy MacMillan has died. The Charlottetown, PEI native passed away on Saturday evening at the age of 80. A cause of death has not yet been announced.

MacMillan played seven NHL seasons, his first two being with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1970 to 1972, before one season with the Atlanta Flames and four as a New York Islander. He'd rack up 151 points in 446 NHL games before retiring as a player in 1978.

He'd get hired by the Islanders as an assistant coach in 1979 before becoming head coach of the Colorado Rockies the following year before their relocation to New Jersey as the Devils, where he'd spend two more seasons as head coach.

MacMillan is a member of the Prince Edward Island Sports Hall of Fame. After his NHL coaching career, he returned to his native province to coach the University of PEI's hockey team.