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Bill Mosienko

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Bill Mosienko
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1965
Born (1921-11-02)November 2, 1921
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Died July 9, 1994(1994-07-09) (aged 72)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st 6 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shot Right
Played for Chicago Black Hawks
Playing career 1940–1959

William Mosienko (November 2, 1921 – July 9, 1994) was a Ukrainian Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Black Hawks. He is best noted for recording the fastest hat trick in NHL history. In a 1952 game against the New York Rangers, Mosienko scored three goals in 21 seconds.

In the NHL, Mosienko won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1945 as the most gentlemanly player in the league, played in five All-Star Games and was twice named to the second All-Star Team. He left the league in 1955 to help bring professional hockey to his hometown of Winnipeg. He helped create the Winnipeg Warriors of the Western Hockey League and was a three-time All-Star in his four years of play in the league. He won the league championship in 1956.

Mosienko was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965 and into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1980.

Early life

Mosienko was born on November 2, 1921 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was one of 14 children, having nine brothers and four sisters.[1] His father was a Ukrainian immigrant and worked as a boilermaker with the Canadian Pacific Railway.[2] Mosienko grew up in Winnipeg's north end.[1]

He developed a passion for hockey and began playing at the age of 10 with the Tobans and later Sherburn athletic clubs.[3] At 17, he sought to try out with the St. James Canadians junior team in 1939 and after being told he was too young, instead joined the Winnipeg Monarchs.[1]

Playing career

Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago Blackhawks player Joe Cooper discovered Mosienko playing on outdoor rinks in Winnipeg and recommended that Hawks management sign him.[2] Mosienko signed with Chicago at the age of 18 and was assigned to their minor league team, the Kansas City Americans. In his first two seasons, he split time between the Americans, the Providence Reds and the Blackhawks.[4] The Blackhawks first recalled Mosienko in 1942, replacing players who had left to fight World War II. He scored his first two NHL goals on February 9, 1942, 21 seconds apart.[5]

Exempted from military service for medical reasons likely related to his small size, Mosienko was unable to cross into the United States as a result of travel restrictions and played the 1942–43 season primarily with the Quebec Aces of the Quebec Senior Hockey League. He appeared in two games when the Hawks traveled to Toronto.[6] He finally established himself as an NHL regular in 1943–44 and scored a career high 70 points. Mosienko and his linemates Clint Smith and Doug Bentley combined to score 219 points, at that time an NHL record.[2] His 70 points set a team rookie record that stood for 37 years until broken by Denis Savard in 1980–81.[6]

In 1944–45, Mosienko finished sixth in league scoring with 54 points and did not record a single penalty minute throughout the course of the season.[5] He was awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most gentlemanly player and named a Second-Team All-Star.[4] He was also voted the most popular player on the team by its fans.[7]

The following season, Chicago coach Johnny Gottselig paired Mosienko with the Bentley brothers: Max and Doug. The trio formed what came to be known as the "Pony Line" due to their speed and small size and emerged as one of the top scoring trios in the NHL.[2] Max Bentley led the league in scoring in 1945–46, and despite missing time with a knee injury,[8] Mosienko finished sixth. He was again named a Second-Team All-Star.[5] He played in the first National Hockey League All-Star Game prior to the start of the 1947–48 season, during which he suffered a broken leg and was initially feared lost for the year.[9] He ultimately missed the first two months of play, while the Pony Line was broken up for good shortly after his injury when Max Bentley was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.[5]

Mosienko remained a key contributor to the Blackhawks offence, appearing in five All-Star Games during his career.[4] His most famous moment came on March 23, 1952, in a game against the New York Rangers on the final night of the regular season. He scored three goals in a 21-second span of the third period against New York's Lorne Anderson to set a new record for the fastest hat-trick by one player.[10] Linemate Gus Bodnar assisted on all three goals,[4] and he nearly had a fourth goal 45 seconds later on a shot that deflected off the goalpost.[10] Mosienko's feat remains an NHL record.[5]

Due to his small size, Mosienko was a frequent target of physical abuse from larger opponents,[11] and suffered numerous injuries as a result.[12] Despite this, he refrained from retaliation and was well regarded across the league for his gentlemanly conduct. In 14 NHL seasons, he totaled only 121 penalty minutes and had just one fight.[2]

Winnipeg Warriors

Mosienko left the NHL in 1955 and joined fellow player Alf Pike in bringing professional hockey back to Winnipeg. They joined the new Winnipeg Warriors of the Western Hockey League. He led the Warriors to the President's Cup championship in the team's first year of 1955–56 and helped the Warriors defeat the Quebec Hockey League's Montreal Royals for the Edinburgh Trophy, Canada's minor professional championship.[5] He scored two goals in the deciding sixth game of a 3–1 victory to capture the trophy.[13] He was named to the WHL All-Star Team three times: 1957, 1958 and 1959.[4] Though he scored 88 points in the 1958–59 season, Mosienko announced his retirement after 18 seasons of professional hockey.[12] He coached the team for one season in 1959–60.[2]

At the time of his retirement from the NHL, Mosienko was seventh all-time in league scoring with 540 points.[12] He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965, and to the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1980.[3] Additionally, Mosienko is honoured by the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and in 2000 was named to its provincial All-Century First All-Star Team.[14]

Off the ice

Following his retirement, Mosienko and Joe Cooper operated a string of bowling alleys in Winnipeg,[2] one of which continues to be operated by his family.[15] He was a supporter of Winnipeg minor hockey and Manitoba oldtimers associations.[4] There is an arena named in Mosienko's honor in his hometown of Winnipeg.[16]

Mosienko died of cancer in Winnipeg in 1994 at the age of 72.[5] He had a wife, Wanda, two sons and one daughter.[17] His grandson, Tyler, is also a professional hockey player.[15][18] The younger Mosienko remembers his grandfather as a humble man who would join him on the family's backyard rink when he was learning to skate as a child.[15]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1939–40 Winnipeg Monarchs MJHL 24 21 8 29 14 7 8 3 11 2
1940–41 Providence Reds AHL 36 14 19 33 8 — — — — —
1940–41 Kansas City Americans AHA 7 2 2 4 0 8 4 1 5 2
1941–42 Kansas City Americans AHA 33 12 19 31 9 — — — — —
1941–42 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 11 6 8 14 4 3 2 0 2 0
1942–43 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 2 2 0 2 0 — — — — —
1942–43 Quebec Aces QSHL 8 5 3 8 2 4 2 2 4 2
1943–44 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 50 32 38 70 10 8 2 2 4 6
1944–45 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 50 28 26 54 0 — — — — —
1945–46 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 40 18 30 48 12 4 2 0 2 2
1946–47 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 59 25 27 52 2 — — — — —
1947–48 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 40 16 9 25 9 — — — — —
1948–49 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 60 17 25 42 6 — — — — —
1949–50 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 69 18 28 46 10 — — — — —
1950–51 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 65 21 15 36 18 — — — — —
1951–52 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 31 22 53 10 — — — — —
1952–53 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 65 17 20 37 8 7 4 2 6 7
1953–54 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 65 15 19 34 17 — — — — —
1954–55 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 64 12 15 27 24 — — — — —
1955–56 Winnipeg Warriors WHL 64 22 23 45 37 14 6 12 18 4
1955–56 Winnipeg Warriors Ed-Cup — — — — — 6 6 3 9 6
1956–57 Winnipeg Warriors WHL 61 27 26 53 25 — — — — —
1957–58 Winnipeg Warriors WHL 65 38 36 74 43 7 1 0 1 6
1958–59 Winnipeg Warriors WHL 63 42 46 88 55 7 1 3 4 10
NHL totals 710 258 282 540 121 22 10 4 14 15

Awards and honours

Award Year
National Hockey League
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy 1944–45 [19]
Second-Team All-Star 1944–45
1945–46 		[19]
Western Hockey League
WHL All-Star Team 1956–57
1957–58
1958–59 		[5]
Other
Manitoba Athlete of the Year 1957 [5]

References

  1. ^ a b c Stewart, Monte (2006). Great right wingers: Stars of hockey's golden age. Canada: Heritage Group Distribution. p. 117. ISBN 1-55439-086-9.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Podnieks, Andrew (2003). Players: The ultimate A–Z guide of everyone who has ever played in the NHL. Toronto: Doubleday Canada. p. 605. ISBN 0-385-25999-9.
  3. ^ a b "Bill Mosienko Biography". Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on 2011-08-27. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Bill Mosienko biography". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Shea, Kevin (2010-05-21). "One on one with Bill Mosienko". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
  6. ^ a b Stewart, Monte (2006). Great right wingers: Stars of hockey's golden age. Canada: Heritage Group Distribution. p. 119. ISBN 1-55439-086-9.
  7. ^ "Chicago puck fans high on Mosienko". Ottawa Citizen. 1945-02-28. p. 11. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
  8. ^ Carroll, Dink (1946-01-10). "Playing the field". Montreal Gazette. p. 12. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
  9. ^ MacDougall, Fraser (1947-10-14). "Hawk star may be finished". Ottawa Citizen. p. 18. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
  10. ^ a b Pincus, Arthur (2006). The Official Illustrated NHL History. Readers Digest. ISBN 0-88850-800-X.
  11. ^ Stewart, Monte (2006). Great right wingers: Stars of hockey's golden age. Canada: Heritage Group Distribution. p. 121. ISBN 1-55439-086-9.
  12. ^ a b c "Mosienko hangs up ice gear". Ottawa Citizen. 1959-10-05. p. 14. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
  13. ^ "Mosienko scores two for record 10,072 fans". Montreal Gazette. 1956-05-04. p. 25. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
  14. ^ "Bill Mosienko biography". Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2012-02-15. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
  15. ^ a b c Etheridge, Chris (2009-03-21). "Newest Ice Hog has rich Blackhawks heritage". American Hockey League. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
  16. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-09-14. Retrieved 2011-12-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. ^ "Bill Mosienko; hockey player, 72". New York Times. 1994-07-10. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
  18. ^ "Tyler Mosienko playing statistics". The Internet Hockey Database. Archived from the original on 19 August 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
  19. ^ a b "Bill Mosienko statistics". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
Preceded by Winner of the Lady Byng Trophy
1945 		Succeeded by

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