Born: 18 Sep 1932, Arvida PQ (d. 2016)
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Regular Season & Playoff Coaching Record (key)
| Regular Season | Playoffs |
| year | team | finish | finish | |||||||||
| 1972-73 | Houston | 2-W | SF | |||||||||
| 1973-74 | Houston | 1-W | F: Won AVCO Cup | |||||||||
| 1974-75 | Houston | 1-W | F: Won AVCO Cup | |||||||||
| 1975-76 | Houston | 1-W | Finals | |||||||||
| 1976-77 | Houston | 1-W | SF | |||||||||
| 1977-78 | Houston | 3-L | QF | |||||||||
| 1978-79 | New England | DNF | ||||||||||
• Winner, Robert Schmertz Trophy (Coach of the Year), 1976-77.
• Winner, Robert Schmertz Trophy (Coach of the Year), 1977-78.
• Missed a handful of games during 1972-73 season; team was coached by Doug Harvey in the interim.
• Missed several games during February and March of 1978, during which Ted Taylor and Wayne Rutledge coached the team in the interim.
• Succeeded as coach by Don Blackburn on April 1, 1979.
• Coached in NHL, Phi (1991-93).
• Member, WHA Hall of Fame.
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Excerpts from Pro Hockey, WHA 1975-76 (by Dan Proudfoot)
Whenever hockey men analyse the success of the Houston Aeros, winners of the Avco World Trophy in 1974 and 1975, Bill (The Fox) Dineen gets full credit. For the longest time coach Dineen operated without the title of general manager but, from the start, it was he who assembled the talent that now makes up the WHA powerhouse team. The key, perhaps, is Dineen's age. He's only 43, and he moved from a lengthy career as a player to coaching the Aeros, where he quickly proved he had been carefully assessing talent and taking mental notes through all his years as a solid, if not spectacular, on-ice performer. The Fox played for Detroit Red Wings when Gordie Howe was at his peak. Naturally, that helped when Aeros drafted Gordie's sons, Mark and Marty, in 1973, and Dineen was successful in signing them. The Fox also had a lot to do with Papa Howe joining his sons, starring for two seasons and now ending up as the Aeros' president. Even more astounding than the Howe family's contributions has been the success of a forward line that was accorded no respect at all by the major leagues, until Dineen brought them to Houston. Larry Lund, Frank Hughes and Andre Hinse were three guys who never got much notice from the NHL, despite their success as a forward unit in the Western Hockey League. Dineen, however, played against them during his own Western league days. He knew they could be effective at the major league level and, sure enough, they formed the third-highest scoring line in the WHA in 1974-75. Ironically, Aeros' impressive lineup has been recognized more on the road then at home. Aeros held the distinction of being the top attraction in the WHA, filling the arenas they visited to an average of 71.1 per cent of capacity. At home, however, attendance actually dropped slightly, from a total of 265,622 in 1973-74 to 265,230 in 1974-75. Crowds should grow immensely this season. Aeros are moving into a new arena, The Summit, with a capacity of 16,000. There's new ownership, too, an important factor when considering the success of the team at the gate. The old ownership couldn't afford the promotions and development work necessary to make a hockey team part of the sports scene in Texas. Another benefit of the new ownership structure is that Dineen now holds the general manager's title he has deserved for so long. There never has been any doubts about Dineen's correct name among Aero's office staff, though — even the receptionist refers to him as The Fox. His uncanny ability to judge hockey talent made the Aeros the champions they are today. Aeros' attempts to sign 18-year-old John Tonelli, one of the best junior centers in Canada, met with failure when the WHA ruled his contract bound him to Toronto Marlboros, his junior team, until he's 20. "His agent says he's going to sue," says The Fox. "That would be fine with us. We'll take him any way we can." |
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Excerpts from Zander Hollander Complete Hockey Handbook, 1975-76 (by Reyn Davis)
Lone surviving coach from among the 12 who began behind the benches of the WHA three seasons ago ... His nickname is "Fox" or "Foxy" ... Doesn't take credit, but certainly played a prominent role in the How caper, luring father Gordie and his two sons, Mark and Marty, to Houston ... Admits his work has been made much easier by Howe's presence ... Would love to have Gordie back for yet another season, and feels that How could do it, but prefers to see him stick by retirement plans ... Firm but not a regimentalist ... Has great faith in his players ... After winning the first two Avco World Trophy titles in a row, he was named Texas Professional Coach of the year in 1974 ... Another indication of the growing seed of hockey interest in Texas planted by the Aeros. |
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