JOHN FERGUSON WAS ONE OF THE MOST FEARED PLAYERS IN THE LEAGUE, A TITLE HE WOULD BEAR RIGHT UNTIL THE DAY HE RETIRED.

Twelve seconds into his NHL debut, John Ferguson had been awarded his first fighting penalty. By the time the contest ended, he had also added two goals and an assist to his lifetime stats.

Named to the team to start the 1963-64 season, the Habs looked to the 25-year-old rookie to add toughness to their lineup and he did not disappoint. Named runner-up for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder served notice that there was a new cop on the beat. No longer would opponents be permitted to take liberties with the Montreal Canadiens’ star players. John Bowie Ferguson quickly became the most feared man in the league, retaining the distinction until his retirement eight years later.

“Fergy” had but one mission on the ice: to help carry the Canadiens to victory. A lot of men have claimed that they would go through a wall for their team. In John Ferguson’s case, it was no exaggeration. Strong, skilled, canny, fearless and mean, Ferguson neither expected nor gave any quarter.

Hockey was a war for Ferguson and he put every weapon at his disposal towards emerging victorious. With intensity and pugilistic ability reminiscent of Eddie Shore, Ferguson dropped his gloves and regularly administered punishment to those who stepped across the line in their dealings with his teammates. It was not unheard of for him to stage the occasional pre-emptive strike, erasing the line completely.

Hostilities extended well beyond the limits imposed by the game clock. He walked out of restaurants rather than breathe the same air as the enemy and crossed the street rather than cross paths with opponents. Other players were beginning to socialize, if only in the offseason, with men who wore different uniforms but Ferguson steadfastly refused to fraternize.

Best known for the reputation he built using his bare hands, Ferguson could also take care of business with the gloves on. On a team loaded with natural scorers, “Fergy” posed an offensive threat. He finished among the team’s top 10 scorers in each of his seasons with the Habs, four times finishing in the top five. Ferguson scored 29 goals in 1968-69, a season that saw him pick up a career high 185 penalty minutes and notch the Stanley Cup-winning goal.

Ferguson’s toughness played a large part in the five Stanley Cup Championships the Canadiens won between 1965 and 1971, re-establishing the team as the class of the league. Ferguson retired after the victory parade in the spring of 1971 and served as second-in-command for Team Canada’s 1972 Summit Series against the Soviets. A few guys on the team shared his “take no prisoners” philosophy. Without their robust contributions, the outcome might well have been different.

Ferguson returned to the NHL during the 1975-76 season. Named General Manager of the Rangers, he also coached the team for the next season and a half and spent a decade directing the fortunes of the Winnipeg Jets. After a stint in the Ottawa Senators’ front office, Ferguson moved on to a scouting role with the San Jose Sharks.

His son, John Ferguson Jr., played four seasons in the AHL and served as the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs until January 2008.

After a lengthy battle with cancer, John Ferguson passed away at the age of 68 on July 14, 2007.