Bill Gadsby
Defenceman who set assists record and never won the Stanley Cup.
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Bill Gadsby was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, New York Rangers, and Detroit Red Wings from 1946 to 1966. He is notable for being a three-time First Team All-Star and four-time Second Team All-Star, and for holding the record for most assists by a defenceman in a season (46) in 1958–59. At retirement, he was the leading career scorer among defencemen with 568 points.
Background
Gadsby began his hockey career in Calgary, playing for 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, where he served as captain twice during his eight years with the team. In 1952, he contracted polio and spent three weeks in the hospital but fought back without interrupting his hockey career. Earlier, in 1939, he was travelling with his mother on the passenger liner Athenia when it was hit by a torpedo from a German U-boat and sank; he and his mother spent several hours in a lifeboat before being rescued.
Despite a long NHL career, Gadsby never won the Stanley Cup. He came closest in 1964, when the Detroit Red Wings lost a seven-game final series to the Toronto Maple Leafs. After retiring as a player, he became head coach of the Red Wings in 1968 but was fired shortly into his second season. He also played baseball for the Calgary Buffalo for parts of three seasons from 1950 to 1954 during the hockey offseason.
Career statistics and honours
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 |
| Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 48 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1946–47 | Kansas City Pla-Mors | USHL | 12 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 60 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1948–49 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 50 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 85 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 10 | 25 | 35 | 138 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 25 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 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 |
| Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 12 | 29 | 41 | 108 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 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 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 7 | 30 | 37 | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 4 | 24 | 28 | 116 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 36 | |
| 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 | ||
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Bill Gadsby (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Bill Gadsby (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
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