Bill Gadsby

Bill Gadsby
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1970
Gadsby with the Detroit Red Wings in the 1960s
Born (1927-08-08)August 8, 1927
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Died March 10, 2016(2016-03-10) (aged 88)
Farmington Hills, Michigan, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for Chicago Black Hawks
New York Rangers
Detroit Red Wings
Playing career 1946–1966

William Alexander Gadsby (August 8, 1927 – March 10, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Chicago Black Hawks, New York Rangers, and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League between 1946 and 1966.[1]

Playing career

Gadsby began his outstanding hockey career in Calgary playing for several minor league teams including the Alberta Midget champions in 1942. He played two years for the Edmonton Junior Canadians before joining the Chicago Black Hawks in 1946. He was captain twice during his eight years with them. Gadsby contracted polio in 1952 but fought back without interrupting his hockey career,[2] although he spent three weeks in the hospital. That was not his first brush with danger, however—in 1939 he was travelling with his mother on the passenger liner Athenia when it was hit by a torpedo fired by a German U-boat and sank, and he and his mother spent several hours in a lifeboat before being rescued.[3]

Gadsby was a First Team All-Star three times and a Second Team All-Star four times. In 1958–59, he set a record for assists by a defenceman, with 46.[4]

Despite a long (20 seasons) NHL hockey career, Gadsby never won the Stanley Cup. He came closest to winning the Cup in 1964, when the Detroit Red Wings lost a seven-game final series to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

When he retired he was the leading career scorer among defencemen with 568 points.

Bill Gadsby was inducted to the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1986 as an athlete.[2]

Gadsby was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1970. In 1998, he was ranked number 99 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, the authors ranked Gadsby at No. 63 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.[5]

Retirement and death

Gadsby was an "Honored Member" of the Detroit Red Wings Alumni Association, and was active in its efforts to raise money for children's charities in Metro Detroit.

He would also return to Canada in the Hockey Offseason to play Baseball for the Calgary Buffalo for parts of three seasons from 1950 to 1954.

He died at the age of 88 on March 10, 2016, in Farmington Hills, Michigan, following a period of failing health.[6][7]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1943–44 Calgary Grills AHA-B 9 4 1 5 4 — — — — —
1944–45 Edmonton Canadians AJHL — — — — — — — — — —
1945–46 Edmonton Canadians AJHL — 14 12 26 — — — — — —
1945–46 Edmonton Canadians M-Cup — — — — — 14 12 5 17 22
1946–47 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 48 8 10 18 31 — — — — —
1946–47 Kansas City Pla-Mors USHL 12 2 3 5 8 — — — — —
1947–48 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 60 6 10 16 66 — — — — —
1948–49 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 50 3 10 13 85 — — — — —
1949–50 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 10 25 35 138 — — — — —
1950–51 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 25 3 7 10 32 — — — — —
1951–52 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 59 7 15 22 87 — — — — —
1952–53 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 68 2 20 22 84 7 0 1 1 4
1953–54 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 12 29 41 108 — — — — —
1954–55 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 18 3 5 8 17 — — — — —
1954–55 New York Rangers NHL 52 8 8 16 44 — — — — —
1955–56 New York Rangers NHL 70 9 42 51 84 5 1 3 4 4
1956–57 New York Rangers NHL 70 4 37 41 72 5 1 2 3 2
1957–58 New York Rangers NHL 65 14 32 46 48 6 0 3 3 4
1958–59 New York Rangers NHL 70 5 46 51 56 — — — — —
1959–60 New York Rangers NHL 65 9 22 31 60 — — — — —
1960–61 New York Rangers NHL 65 9 26 35 49 — — — — —
1961–62 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 7 30 37 88 — — — — —
1962–63 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 4 24 28 116 11 1 4 5 36
1963–64 Detroit Red Wings NHL 64 2 16 18 80 14 0 4 4 22
1964–65 Detroit Red Wings NHL 61 0 12 12 122 7 0 3 3 8
1965–66 Detroit Red Wings NHL 58 5 12 17 72 12 1 3 4 12
NHL totals 1,248 130 438 568 1,539 67 4 23 27 92

NHL coaching record

Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Finish Result
Detroit Red Wings 1968–69 76 33 31 12 78 5th in East Missed playoffs
Detroit Red Wings 1969–70 2 2 0 0 2 3rd in East Resigned

See also

References

  1. ^ "Bill Gadsby NHL Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  2. ^ a b "William Gadsby". Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved October 26, 2018.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ "Bill Gadsby | Canadian ice hockey player | Britannica.com". Archived from the original on 2016-06-23.
  4. ^ "Bill Gadsby Biography". legendsofhockey.net. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  5. ^ Cohen, Russ; Halligan, John; Raider, Adam (2009). 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters. John Wiley & Sons. p. 86. ISBN 978-0470736197. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  6. ^ Goldstein, Richard (11 March 2016). "Bill Gadsby, N.H.L. Star With Scars to Prove It, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  7. ^ Krupa, Gregg (March 10, 2016). "Wings Hall of Famer Bill Gadsby dies at 88". The Detroit News. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
Preceded by Chicago Black Hawks captain
1952–54 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Head coach of the Detroit Red Wings
1968–1970 		Succeeded by