Gord Hannigan was a decent playmaking centre who spent parts of four seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 50s. He was also well known in the AHL where he reached the 20-goal mark twice. The solid pivot was the younger brother of Ray Hannigan, a right-winger who played briefly with Toronto in the late 40s.
Born in Schumacher, Ontario, Hannigan was a proficient scorer in junior with the St. Michael's Majors. After a decent year with the OHA senior Toronto Marlboros in 1949-50, the young pivot excelled with the St. Michael's Monarchs of the same league. During his first year as a pro, Hannigan impressed with 24 goals for the AHL's Pittsburgh Hornets.
Hannigan notched 35 points as a Maple Leafs rookie in 1952-53 and formed a solid line with Eric Nesterenko and Bob Hassard. The next year he only scored eight points and missed nearly half the season before scoring two goals in the semifinal loss to the Detroit Red Wings. After spending most of the next season in the AHL, Hannigan played 48 games on a checking unit with Nesterenko and Gerry James. He spent a year each with the Rochester Americans of the AHL and the WHL's Edmonton Flyers before retiring in 1958.
