Jack Bionda
Encyclopedia
John Arthur James "Jack" Bionda (September 18, 1933 – November 3, 1999) was a lacrosse
and hockey
player. He was a lacrosse superstar, dominating the sport throughout the 1950s and early 1960s.
. From the time he was eleven years old he loved lacrosse, practicing for four to five hours per day. Just before his 19th birthday, Bionda led his Brampton
Excelsiors to victory over the Kerrisdale
Kerries of Vancouver in the 1952 Minto Cup
playoffs.
In 1954, he joined the Victoria Shamrocks
, capturing the league scoring title and leading the Shamrocks to the Mann Cup
tournament, won by Peterborough. He played some games in 1955 and returned to the team in 1957, taking his second scoring title. The Shamrocks won the Mann Cup in 1955 and 1957, but Bionda was unable to play in either tournament due to hockey commitments.
Bionda then played for the New Westminster Salmonbellies
in 1958 and 1959, winning the Mann Cup both years, and receiving the Mike Kelly Memorial Trophy
as series MVP in 1959. He joined the Nanaimo Timbermen in 1960, registering his fifth scoring title with 70 goals and 48 assists, while again leading his team to the Mann Cup tournament, won by Port Credit. He made it to the Mann Cup one last time in 1962 with New Westminster, sweeping Brampton in four games to take the championship. After being held scoreless in the first game, Bionda scored eight goals and eight assists in the next three games to lead his team to the Cup. He was again named the series MVP. In 1970, Bionda played for the Huntsville Hawks senior team in the Ontario Lacrosse Association. Outside of sports, he ran a restaurant in Huntsville.
of the Ontario Hockey Association
from 1951 to 1954, and was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs
of the National Hockey League
. Bionda played 13 games with the Leafs in the 1955–56 season, but spent most of the year with the Pittsburgh Hornets, the Leafs' affiliate in the American Hockey League
. He led the AHL in penalty minutes with 190, despite playing only 46 games of the league's 64-game schedule.
Bionda was claimed by the Boston Bruins
in the intraleague draft in June 1956, and would split the next three seasons between the Bruins and their AHL affiliates, the Springfield Indians
and the Providence Reds
. Over four seasons in the NHL, Bionda played 93 games, with three goals, 12 points, and 113 penalty minutes.
Bionda then played eight seasons in the minor professional Western Hockey League
: one year with the Victoria Cougars (1959–60) and seven years with the Portland Buckaroos
. The team made it to the league championship in six of those seven years, winning twice: 1960–61 and 1964–65. Bionda retired in 1967.
(1982), and the B.C.
Sports Hall of Fame (1998).
Bionda died in London, Ontario
at age 66. In June 2001, Huntsville, Ontario named its arena the Jack Bionda Arena.
After the arena got a major overhaul in 2010 for the G8 Summit, the new building was named the Summit Centre and a new, Olympic size ice pad was placed along side the old ice surface. The old ice surface has kept the Jack Bionda name, and a permanent display showcasing historical pictures, newspaper and magazine clippings, old lacrosse sticks used and designed by Jack, and some other memorabilia is on display.
Box lacrosse
Box lacrosse, also known as indoor lacrosse and sometimes shortened to boxla, LAX or simply box, is an indoor version of lacrosse played mostly in North America. The game originated in Canada, where it is the most popular version of the game played in contrast to the traditional field lacrosse game...
and hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player. He was a lacrosse superstar, dominating the sport throughout the 1950s and early 1960s.
Lacrosse
Bionda was born in Huntsville, OntarioHuntsville, Ontario
Huntsville is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located north of Toronto and south of North Bay....
. From the time he was eleven years old he loved lacrosse, practicing for four to five hours per day. Just before his 19th birthday, Bionda led his Brampton
Brampton, Ontario
Brampton is the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada and the seat of Peel Region. As of the 2006 census, Brampton's population stood at 433,806, making it the 11th largest city in Canada. It is also one of Canada's fastest growing municipalities, with an average...
Excelsiors to victory over the Kerrisdale
Kerrisdale
Kerrisdale is a neighbourhood in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.Kerrisdale is a neighbourhood featuring a mix of newer houses and older bungalows as well as various low and mid-rise rental and condo apartment buildings in its northern section. The neighbourhood is an ethnic mix of...
Kerries of Vancouver in the 1952 Minto Cup
Minto Cup
The Minto Cup is awarded annually to the champion junior men's lacrosse team of Canada.It was donated in 1901 by the Governor-General, Lord Minto, and from 1901 until 1909 awarded to the senior men's champion of Canada...
playoffs.
In 1954, he joined the Victoria Shamrocks
Victoria Shamrocks
The Victoria Shamrocks are a Senior A box lacrosse club, based in Victoria, British Columbia. The team competes in the 7-team Western Lacrosse Association .The Shamrocks have won the Mann Cup 8 times...
, capturing the league scoring title and leading the Shamrocks to the Mann Cup
Mann Cup
The Mann Cup is the trophy awarded to the senior men's lacrosse champions of Canada. The championship series is played between the Western Lacrosse Association champion and the Major Series Lacrosse champion...
tournament, won by Peterborough. He played some games in 1955 and returned to the team in 1957, taking his second scoring title. The Shamrocks won the Mann Cup in 1955 and 1957, but Bionda was unable to play in either tournament due to hockey commitments.
Bionda then played for the New Westminster Salmonbellies
New Westminster Salmonbellies
The New Westminster Salmonbellies are a Men's Senior 'A' lacrosse team located in New Westminster, BC. Their home arena is Queen's Park Arena. They compete as part of the Western Lacrosse Association and have won the Mann Cup 24 times, most recently in 1991...
in 1958 and 1959, winning the Mann Cup both years, and receiving the Mike Kelly Memorial Trophy
Mike Kelly Memorial Trophy
The Mike Kelly Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the Most Valuable Player in Mann Cup competition. The Mann Cup is the senior men's lacrosse championship of Canada. The championship series is played between the Western Lacrosse Association champion and the Major Series Lacrosse champion....
as series MVP in 1959. He joined the Nanaimo Timbermen in 1960, registering his fifth scoring title with 70 goals and 48 assists, while again leading his team to the Mann Cup tournament, won by Port Credit. He made it to the Mann Cup one last time in 1962 with New Westminster, sweeping Brampton in four games to take the championship. After being held scoreless in the first game, Bionda scored eight goals and eight assists in the next three games to lead his team to the Cup. He was again named the series MVP. In 1970, Bionda played for the Huntsville Hawks senior team in the Ontario Lacrosse Association. Outside of sports, he ran a restaurant in Huntsville.
Hockey
At the same time that Bionda was establishing himself as Canada's greatest lacrosse player, he also had a full career in hockey. He played junior hockey for the Toronto MarlborosToronto Marlboros
The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was founded in 1903. It operated a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association and Ontario Hockey League from 1904 to 1989...
of the Ontario Hockey Association
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
from 1951 to 1954, and was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. Bionda played 13 games with the Leafs in the 1955–56 season, but spent most of the year with the Pittsburgh Hornets, the Leafs' affiliate in the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
. He led the AHL in penalty minutes with 190, despite playing only 46 games of the league's 64-game schedule.
Bionda was claimed by the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
in the intraleague draft in June 1956, and would split the next three seasons between the Bruins and their AHL affiliates, the Springfield Indians
Springfield Indians
The Springfield Indians were a minor professional ice hockey franchise, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The Indians were founding members of the American Hockey League. They were in existence for a total of 60 seasons from 1926 to 1994, with...
and the Providence Reds
Providence Reds
The Providence Reds were a hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League between 1926–1936 and the American Hockey League from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Reds. The team won the Calder Cup in 1938, 1940, 1949, and 1956...
. Over four seasons in the NHL, Bionda played 93 games, with three goals, 12 points, and 113 penalty minutes.
Bionda then played eight seasons in the minor professional Western Hockey League
Western Hockey League (minor pro)
The Western Hockey League was a minor pro ice hockey league that operated from 1952 to 1974. Managed for most of its history by Hockey Hall of Fame member Al Leader, it was created out of the merger of the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Canada Senior Hockey League...
: one year with the Victoria Cougars (1959–60) and seven years with the Portland Buckaroos
Portland Buckaroos
The Portland Buckaroos was the name of several professional ice hockey teams based in Portland, Oregon.-PCHL/NWHL era :The first incarnation of Portland Buckaroos played their home games at the Portland Ice Arena. The Buckaroos initially played in the four-team Pacific Coast Hockey League from...
. The team made it to the league championship in six of those seven years, winning twice: 1960–61 and 1964–65. Bionda retired in 1967.
Honours
Bionda has been inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame (1974), Canada's Sports Hall of FameCanada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established in 1955 to "preserve the record of Canadian sports achievements and to promote a greater awareness of Canada's heritage of sport." It is located at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta...
(1982), and the B.C.
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
Sports Hall of Fame (1998).
Bionda died in London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
at age 66. In June 2001, Huntsville, Ontario named its arena the Jack Bionda Arena.
After the arena got a major overhaul in 2010 for the G8 Summit, the new building was named the Summit Centre and a new, Olympic size ice pad was placed along side the old ice surface. The old ice surface has kept the Jack Bionda name, and a permanent display showcasing historical pictures, newspaper and magazine clippings, old lacrosse sticks used and designed by Jack, and some other memorabilia is on display.