Brian McDonald • Brian Harold McDonald

Height: 5-11
Weight: 190
Shoot: R
Born: 23 Mar 1945, Toronto ON

Regular Season & Playoff Scoring Record (key)

year	team	gp	g	a	pts	pim		gp	g	a	pts	pim
1972-73	Houston	71	20	20	40	78		10	3	0	3	16
1973-74	Los Angeles	56	22	30	52	54
1974-75	Michigan	18	3	5	8	15
	Indianapolis	47	14	15	29	19
	Totals (2 teams)	65	17	20	37	34
1975-76	Indianapolis	62	16	18	34	54		7	0	1	1	12
1976-77	Indianapolis	50	15	13	28	48		9	3	4	7	33
	Totals:	304	90	101	191	268		26	6	5	11	61

Aero McDonald a Contented Man • by Joey LeBourgeois • The Hockey Spectator • March 30, 1973 Brian McDonald is a contented man. He's had what he considered a good year, playing his favorite position for the Houston Aeros. Since the Aeros have made the playoffs in the first World Hockey Association season as well, the right winger figures he's in good shape. In his ninth year as a professional hockey player, McDonald reached the 20-goal plateau for the fifth time tn his career March 29, firing in the winning goal as Houston downed the New York Raiders 5-3, to clinch a spot In the second season. The next night the Alberta Oilers downed the Minnesota Fighting Saints to insure a second place finish and home ice advantage for the Aeros, and Big Mac joined his teammates in enjoying a few days of pressure-free relaxation after a month of hectic action. "I'm happy with what I've done this year," he said, "I feel like I'm a fairly good right winger, and I think I've done my part to help the team." "Getting the 20th goal, of course, means a lot to me. That's a figure that all hockey players strive for, and it's a certain accomplishment to make it. I've done it before, but I've aiso barely missed it once. A month ago it looked like I might just miss it again this year, and I was getting concerned about it. Then things fell into place and I made it with just three games left. I'm pretty happy about it." McDonald just missed it in 1968-69 with the Dallas Black Hawks of the CHL, when he finished an injury-prone year with 19 goals and 60 points. Then a season later, healthy again, he had his best year ever with the Denver Spurs. "I was in almost all our games there, and ended up with 34 goals, The next year (with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the WHL) I dropped to 29, then had 24 last year with Phoenix. This makes four years in a row, so I figure I'm doing alright." Playing on a line with Aeros leading scorer Gordon Labossiere and left winger Brian Smith lately, McDonald finds himself getting more chances in that situation, He credits Labossiere. "The guy can do it all," he says. ‘He had a dry spell earlier in the year, but since this line has been together he's picked back up again. He's good to work with because he can get the puck to you. It doesn't have to be right to you. Off the boards is fine if you can get to it." Mac's favorite shot stems from that kind of play, skating in from the blue line for a slapper from the point. If it doesn't go in he'll be after it, too. "I guess I'm sort of a rover," he claims. "I like to go after the puck. There are times when you get in trouble for it, but sometimes it just has to be done. Somebody's got to keep things moving, and if the other guys can't get to it I'd just as soon be the one." It's that kind of attitude that makes the man from Toronto one of the Aeros' strongest right wingers — and there are five of them. "We've had trouble with left wingers on this team because there are only two real ones in the group. Here we've got a situation where five right wingers all have 20 goals or more." The others are Murray Hall (28), Duke Harris (30), Don Grierson (21), Frank Hughes (22), and Ted Taylor (34).

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