John Brophy John Brophy ( born January 20 , 1933 in Halifax , Nova Scotia ) is a Canadian coach and former hockey player who has spent most of his career in minor professional leagues , including 18 years as a player in the Eastern Hockey League and 13 seasons as a coach in the East Coast Hockey League . From 1986 to 1988 Brophy was head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League . Playing career . Brophy was a tough defenseman who played 18 seasons in the Eastern Hockey League , racking up nearly 4 , 000 career penalty minutes between 1955 and 1973 — the most in EHL history — playing parts of nine seasons with the Long Island Ducks and retiring at the age of 40 . He was reported to be the model for the character Reggie Dunlop ( played by Paul Newman ) in the movie " Slap Shot " . Early coaching career . Brophy had briefly been player - coach with the Ducks in the 1968 - 69 season , and became a full - time coach following his retirement as a player . He coached the Hampton Gulls for four seasons until the team folded during the 1977 - 78 season . He then joined the Birmingham Bulls of the World Hockey Association as assistant to coach Glen Sonmor , becoming head coach in 1978 - 79 when Sonmor joined the Minnesota North Stars . His team finished last in the league , but included several future NHL stars at the beginning of their professional careers : Rick Vaive , Michel Goulet , Rob Ramage , Craig Hartsburg , and Gaston Gingras , as well as a 36 - year - old Paul Henderson . Even though his team was the only one in the league not to make the playoffs , Brophy was awarded the Robert Schmertz Memorial Trophy as the WHA ' s coach of the year . After the collapse of the WHA , Birmingham moved to the Central Hockey League and Brophy coached the team for another two seasons . In 1981 , Brophy was hired by the Montreal Canadiens to return home and coach their AHL affiliate , the Nova Scotia Voyageurs . He held the job for three seasons . Toronto Maple Leafs . Brophy then joined the Toronto Maple Leafs organization , first as an assistant coach with the Leafs , then briefly as head coach of the Leafs ' AHL team , the St . Catharines Saints , and then as head coach of the Leafs for the 1986 - 87 season . The Leafs showed some promise during Brophy ' s first season as coach , despite finishing the year with a losing record , but it all went downhill from there with an embarrassing season in 1987 - 88 . Brophy feuded with general manager Gerry McNamara , who tried to have Brophy fired but ended up being fired himself . After an equally poor start to the 1988 - 89 season , and despite being a favourite of Leafs owner Harold Ballard , Brophy was fired in December 1988 , 33 games into the season . ECHL . Brophy then found a home in Norfolk , Virginia with the Hampton Roads Admirals of the East Coast Hockey League . He coached the team for 11 seasons , from 1989 to 2000 , winning the league championship in 1991 , 1992 , and 1998 . The Admirals did not have a losing season with Brophy behind the bench . After a game in January 1999 , a fight broke out on the ice , and fans were throwing batteries . Brophy was accused of assaulting two security guards , but the guards said they were trying to keep him away from the Roanoke fans . In the end , Brophy pleaded guilty , was fined $ 1 , 000 , and suspended for six games . On June 25 , 2000 , Brophy was badly injured in a car accident near New Glasgow , Nova Scotia . He was listed in critical condition with a broken leg and a head injury . Brophy had fallen asleep at the wheel while driving . After a successful recuperation , Brophy returned to the ECHL in 2001 as coach of the Wheeling Nailers for two seasons and retired . The ECHL ' s coach of the year award was renamed the John Brophy Award in 2003 . As of 2006 , Brophy is the all - time leader among ECHL coaches in regular season wins ( 480 ) , playoff games ( 94 ) and playoff wins ( 55 ) . Recent coaching positions . In 2004 - 05 , he coached his hometown junior team , the Antigonish Bulldogs of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League . For 2006 - 07 , at age 73 , he went back to Virginia as head coach of the Richmond Renegades of the Southern Professional Hockey League . As a professional hockey coach , Brophy has accumulated 1 , 027 victories , the second highest amount in all of professional hockey , behind only Scotty Bowman . After one season with the Richmond Renegades , it was announced that Brophy would be released from his contract . His replacement in Richmond is former team captain Brian Goudie .