Right-winger John Gould played over 500 NHL gamest for three different clubs in the 70s and 80s. He was a clever goal scorer whose speed and anticipation were useful on the power play and penalty killing units.
Born in Beeton, Ontario, Gould played junior hockey with the OHA's London Nationals. He signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Sabres after scoring 48 goals for the EHL's Charlotte Checkers in 1970-71. The young winger spent most of his first two years in the organization providing offense for the AHL's Cincinnati Swords. In 1973 he led all playoff goal scorers while helping Cinci win the Calder Cup.
Gould made the Sabres out of training camp in 1973-74 but was soon traded to the Vancouver Canucks along with Tracy Pratt for Jerry Korab. The clever forward hit his stride on the west coast in 1974-75 by scoring 34 goals while playing on a line with...He followed his breakthrough year up with a 32-goal performance but soon fell out of favour as the team began to decline. Gould was traded to the Atlanta Flames in December, 1976 and was a solid player for 2 1/2 years. He was claimed by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1979 Expansion Draft then shipped back to Buffalo a few weeks later. Gould played 52 games for Buffalo in 1979-80 then retired when he was sent to the minors before the playoffs.
