Playing career

Nicknamed "The Riverton Rifle" and "The Chief", Leach was drafted third overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft. Boston traded Leach, Rick Smith and Bob Stewart to California for Carol Vadnais and Don O'Donoghue on February 23, 1972. After playing three seasons in Oakland, the Golden Seals traded Leach to Philadelphia for Larry Wright, Al MacAdam and 1974 first rounder (Ron Chipperfield) on May 24, 1974. He contributed to the Philadelphia Flyers' Stanley Cup win in 1974-75. He finished his NHL career with a one season stop with the Detroit Red Wings.

His best season was the 1975-76 season with the Philadelphia Flyers, when he set career highs in goals (61), points (91), game-winning goals (11), and plus-minus with a +73 rating. Leach's 61 goals earned him the goal-scoring title (now the Richard Trophy) for that season, as well as the current Flyers franchise record for most goals in a season.

He is best remembered as being one of very few players, and to date, the only skater (non-goaltender), to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, as MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs, as a member of the losing team in the final, a distinction he achieved while playing for the Philadelphia Flyers in 1976. The Flyers were defeated by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1976 final, but he won the trophy after setting a record for most goals in a single playoff season, with 19. (The record has since been tied by Edmonton's Jari Kurri although Reggie achieved this record in fewer games than Kurri - Reggie in 16 games and Jari in 19 games.)

During that same playoff season Leach recorded a five-goal game vs. the Boston Bruins, a record he shares today with Maurice Richard, Darryl Sittler, Mario Lemieux and Newsy Lalonde. Also, his total of 80 goals for the season and playoffs together set a new NHL record which stood until 1980-81 when Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders scored 85.

He played 934 career NHL games, scoring 381 goals and 285 assists for 666 points. Reggie was also part of the Flyers' 35-game unbeaten streak in 1980, which is a record that still stands today, as well as the Flyer's home game unbeaten streak of 22 games in the same year. Leach also played for Team Canada in the 1976 Canada Cup helping to win the championship. He was also a member of the NHL All-Star teams in 1976 and 1980.

Coaching career

In late 2007, Leach joined the Manitoulin Islanders of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League as an associate coach. In the spring of 2008, it was announced that Leach would return to Manitoulin for the 2008-09 season as the full-time head coach and director of hockey operations.

Family

Leach is of Ojibwe ethnicity, a member of Berens River First Nation in Manitoba. His son, Jamie Leach played in the NHL for parts of 5 seasons, winning the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and 1992. Reggie and his two children have all represented Canada - Reggie with Team Canada in 1976; Jamie in the World Juniors in 1989; and his daughter Brandie also represented Canada in the world Lacrosse championships in Scotland in 1991-92.

In 1985, he entered rehab for alcohol abuse and has remained sober for close to 30 years.

Awards

• MJHL First All-Star Team (1967)
• Turnbull Cup MJHL Championship (1967)
• WCJHL First All-Star Team (1968, 1969, and 1970)
• WCJHL Goal Scoring Leader (1968 and 1970)
• WCJHL Scoring Champion (1970)
• WCJHL Player of the Year (1970)
• Stanley Cup championship (1975)
• NHL Goal Scoring Leader (1976)
• NHL Second All-Star Team (1976)
• Conn Smythe Trophy (1976)
• Played in the Canada Cup Tournament for Team Canada (1976)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (1976 and 1980)
• Inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1997
• Selected to Manitoba's All-Century Second All-Star Team
• "Honoured Member" of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
• Inducted into Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Fame (1992)
• Selected as the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards recipient in the sports category (2011)
• Named to the Order of Manitoba (2016)

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

In bold are NHL record(s) (tied with Jari Kurri)

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1966-67	Flin Flon Bombers	MJHL		45	67	46	113	118		14	18	12	30	15
1966-67	Flin Flon Bombers	M-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		6	6	1	7	11
1967-68	Flin Flon Bombers	WCHL		59	87	44	131	208		15	12	3	15	48
1968-69	Flin Flon Bombers	WCHL		22	36	10	46	49		18	13	8	21	0
1969-70	Flin Flon Bombers	WCHL		57	65	46	111	168		17	16	11	27	50
1970-71	Boston Bruins	NHL		23	2	4	6	0		3	0	0	0	0
1970-71	Oklahoma City Blazers	CHL		41	24	18	42	32		—	—	—	—	—
1971-72	Boston Bruins	NHL		56	7	13	20	12		—	—	—	—	—
1971-72	California Golden Seals	NHL		17	6	7	13	7		—	—	—	—	—
1972-73	California Golden Seals	NHL		76	23	12	35	45		—	—	—	—	—
1973-74	California Golden Seals	NHL		78	22	24	46	34		—	—	—	—	—
1974-75	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		80	45	33	78	63		17	8	2	10	6
1975-76	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		80	61	30	91	41		16	19	5	24	8
1976-77	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		77	32	14	46	23		10	4	5	9	0
1977-78	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		72	24	28	52	24		12	2	2	4	8
1978-79	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		76	34	20	54	20		8	5	1	6	0
1979-80	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		76	50	26	76	28		19	9	7	16	6
1980-81	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		79	34	36	70	59		9	0	0	0	2
1981-82	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		66	26	21	47	18		—	—	—	—	—
1982-83	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		78	15	17	32	13		—	—	—	—	—
1983-84	Montana Magic	CHL		76	21	29	50	34		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				934	381	285	666	387		94	47	22	69	22
WCJHL totals				138	188	100	288	425		50	41	22	63	98
CHL totals				117	45	47	92	66		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1976	Canada	CC		6	1	1	2	4
Senior int'l totals				6	1	1	2	4

Popular culture

John K. Samson wrote and recorded a song about Leach, which was titled "Petition" on his 2010 EP Provincial Road 222 and retitled "www.ipetitions.com/petition/rivertonrifle/" on his 2012 album Provincial. The song recites the text of Samson's own petition to have Leach inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and was formally presented to the HHOF in 2013.

And Leach was the answer to a radio question in the TV series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. In the fourth episode of the show's sixth season, Mac wins a radio prize after guessing Leach's name at the last second to the question, "Who holds the Philadelphia Flyers' franchise record for goals in a season?"

[ Source: Wikipedia ]