Bill Gadsby

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Gadsby began his 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, although he spent three weeks in the hospital. 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. 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. 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. In 1968, he became head coach of the Red Wings but was fired shortly into his second season. When he retired he was the leading career scorer among defencemen with 568 points. Gadsby was inducted to the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1986 as an athlete. He 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.

In Their Own Story

When Gadsby retired, he held the record as the leading career scorer among defencemen with 568 points. His time in Chicago was foundational; he played eight seasons there and captained the team twice before moving on. He eventually joined the Detroit Red Wings, where his playing career concluded. In 1968, he returned to the organization as head coach but was fired shortly into his second season. His legacy extends beyond the rink; in 1950 through 1954, he balanced hockey with baseball, playing for the Calgary Buffalo during NHL off-seasons. He was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1986 and ranked No. 63 all-time among New York Rangers players in the 2009 book '100 Ranger Greats'.

Reader's Guide

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.

Did You Know?

• Gadsby contracted polio in 1952 but fought back without interrupting his hockey career, although he spent three weeks in the hospital.
• 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.
• Despite a long (20 seasons) NHL hockey career, Gadsby never won the Stanley Cup.