Albert Pudas
| Albert Pudas | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
February 17, 1899 Siikajoki, Grand Duchy of Finland | ||
| Died |
October 28, 1976 (aged 77) Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
NHL Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
| Playing career | 1921–1928 | ||
Juho Albert Pudas (originally Putaansuu) (February 17, 1899 – October 28, 1976) was a Finnish-Canadian hockey player and coach. He was the first Finnish-born hockey player in the National Hockey League and possibly in North America. Following his hockey career Pudas was active in the capacity of referee.
Pudas moved to Canada at the age of 18 months. He began his hockey career in Port Arthur, Ontario with the Pascoes, Ports, and later, the Port Arthur Bearcats. On October 28, 1926, Pudas accepted a contract offer from the Toronto St. Pats, along with fellow Bearcats Bill Brydge, Danny Cox and Lorne Chabot. Pudas was recalled December 29, 1926, by the Toronto St. Pats (renamed the Maple Leafs that same season on February 14, 1927) to play four games. These four games made Pudas officially the first Finnish-born player to play in the NHL.
In 1936, Pudas coached the Port Arthur Bearcats who represented Canada in the Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Canada won a silver medal with Pudas as coach (the only medal Canada won at these games).
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- 1899 births
- 1976 deaths
- Canada men's national ice hockey team coaches
- Canadian ice hockey forwards
- Finnish emigrants to Canada
- Finnish ice hockey players
- Ice hockey people from Ontario
- Ice hockey players at the 1936 Winter Olympics
- Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Canada
- Olympic silver medalists for Canada
- Sportspeople from Thunder Bay
- Toronto Maple Leafs players