John "Red" Doran

At six feet and 205 pounds, John "Red" Doran was one of hockey's big boys when he played in the 1930s.

Doran, who was born in Belleville, Ontario in 1911, played parts of five seasons in the National Hockey League, including the better parts of three seasons with the New York Americans. The physical but plodding defenseman would also briefly play with the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens later in the decade. He totalled 98 NHL games with five goals and fifteen points.

When Doran joined the Canadiens, the Montreal Gazette newspaper reported on his arrival in creative fashion:

"Doran is a chunky, hefty and lusty fellow who loves to throw his weight around with gay abandon and considerable destructive force as some of these same Canadiens can recall when Doran was handing out stiff body-checks on the Americans' rearguard."

John Doran passed away in Detroit of 1975 of an apparent heart attack.

John "Red" Doran should not be confused with Lloyd "Red" Doran, who played 24 games with Detroit after World War II.  The two are not immediately related.