Bill Joyce (ice hockey)

Bill Joyce
Born	(1957-12-29) December 29, 1957 Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight	174 lb (79 kg; 12 st 6 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Right
Played for	Northern Michigan Milwaukee Admirals Richmond Rifles Toledo Goaldiggers Flint Generals
Playing career	1976–1985

William Joyce (born December 29, 1957) is a Canadian retired ice hockey right wing who was the NCAA Scoring Champion in 1979–80.

Career

Joyce was a member of the inaugural recruiting class for Northern Michigan University when the ice hockey team was promoted to varsity status. He finished second on the team in scoring as a freshman and helped the team to a winning record in their first season. The program joined the CCHA beginning in 1977 and the team was good enough to finish in the top half of the conference. Joyce continued to finish second in team scoring behind Mike Mielke in each of this first three seasons. As a senior, Joyce's scoring exploded and he led the nation with 96 points, besting his previous record by nearly 40 points. Joyce led the Wildcats to a first place finish in the CCHA as well as the program's first conference championship and NCAA tournament appearance. Unfortunately, because the CCHA was still seen as a lesser conference, Joyce was not named an All-American (no players for the CCHA received that honor in 1980). Northern Michigan surprised many in college hockey by winning their first two tournament games to make the 1980 championship game. Joyce scored the first goal for the Wildcats in the title tilt but it came after they were already behind 0–4 and didn't change the final outcome.

After graduating, Joyce began his professional career with a short appearance in 1981 before finding a home with the Toledo Goaldiggers in 1982. He finished second on the team with 112 points and helped the club win both the regular season title and the Turner Cup. Joyce remained with the team for another two and half years, helping them to a second championship in 1983, and finished his career out with the Flint Generals in 1985.

Joyce was inducted into the Northern Michigan Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998 and remains the team's All-Time leading scorer as of 2021. When the CCHA ceased operations after the 2013 season, Joyce was named to the All-Time CCHA Second Team, the only Wildcat to make an appearance.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular Season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1973–74	Bramalea Blues	MJBHL		40	27	29	56	75		—	—	—	—	—
1974–75	Bramalea Blues	MJBHL		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	St. Catharines Black Hawks	OHA		3	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	Northern Michigan	CCHA		28	21	26	47	64		—	—	—	—	—
1977–78	Northern Michigan	CCHA		33	24	31	55	61		—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Northern Michigan	CCHA		29	26	31	57	69		—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Northern Michigan	CCHA		40	41	55	96	40		—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Milwaukee Admirals	IHL		6	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Richmond Rifles	EHL		2	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	Toledo Goaldiggers	IHL		78	40	72	112	75		13	8	9	17	39
1982–83	Toledo Goaldiggers	IHL		64	33	48	81	118		11	2	12	14	11
1983–84	Toledo Goaldiggers	IHL		63	26	35	61	97		12	4	5	9	26
1984–85	Toledo Goaldiggers	IHL		33	12	11	23	64		—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	Flint Generals	IHL		17	5	7	12	4		—	—	—	—	—
NCAA Totals				130	112	143	255	234		—	—	—	—	—
IHL Totals				261	116	173	289	358		—	—	—	—	—

Awards and honors

Award	Year
All-CCHA First Team	1977–78
All-CCHA First Team	1979–80

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database