Johnny Gottselig
Encyclopedia
John Gottselig (24 June 1906 - 15 May 1986) was a professional ice hockey
left winger who played 17 seasons for the Chicago Black Hawks
of the National Hockey League
(NHL) between 1928 and 1946. He was the second player born in the Russian Empire to play in the NHL, as well as the first European-born head coach in the league's history. He won two Stanley Cup
s in his playing career: in 1934, and 1938 (as captain
). He was also with Chicago in 1961, as Director of Public Relations, when the Black Hawks won their third Stanley Cup. Gottselig was included on the team, but his name was not engraved onto the Stanley Cup.
in the Kherson Governorate
of the Russian Empire
(now part of Ukraine
) and emigrated to Canada the same year. In later years, he would say he was from the better-known city of Odessa
which was the largest centre in the general vicinity of his birthplace. His parents were Albert Gottselig and Margarethe Weber.
before joining Chicago. Gottselig's entire NHL career was with Chicago, playing 589 career NHL games, scoring 176 goals and 195 assists for 371 points. After his hockey playing career was finished, he became the team's head coach. After coaching, he stayed on as the team's Director of Public Relations.
Gottselig also served for several years as a manager of women's baseball teams in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
. He guided the Racine Belles
in 1943–1944, the Peoria Redwings
in 1947 and the Kenosha Comets
in 1949–1950. He later became an executive with Stone Construction.
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...
left winger who played 17 seasons for the Chicago Black Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
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...
(NHL) between 1928 and 1946. He was the second player born in the Russian Empire to play in the NHL, as well as the first European-born head coach in the league's history. He won two Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
s in his playing career: in 1934, and 1938 (as captain
Captain (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, each team can designate an official captain for each game. The player serving as captain during the game wears a "C" on his or her jersey...
). He was also with Chicago in 1961, as Director of Public Relations, when the Black Hawks won their third Stanley Cup. Gottselig was included on the team, but his name was not engraved onto the Stanley Cup.
Background
Gottselig was born along the banks of Dnieper River in a tiny German Catholic village of Klosterdorf in the Swedish districtGammalsvenskby
Verbivka is now part of the village of Zmiyivka in Beryslav Raion of Kherson Oblast, Ukraine which has a Swedish cultural heritage...
in the Kherson Governorate
Kherson Governorate
The Kherson Governorate or Government of Kherson was a guberniya, or administrative territorial unit, in the Southern Ukrainian region, between the Dnieper and Dniester Rivers, of the Russian Empire. It was one of three governorates created in 1802 when the Novorossiya guberniya was abolished...
of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
(now part of Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) and emigrated to Canada the same year. In later years, he would say he was from the better-known city of Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
which was the largest centre in the general vicinity of his birthplace. His parents were Albert Gottselig and Margarethe Weber.
Career
He played junior hockey with the Regina PatsRegina Pats
The Regina Pats are a junior ice hockey team that plays in the Western Hockey League. The Pats are based out of Regina, Saskatchewan and the Brandt Centre is their home arena.-History:...
before joining Chicago. Gottselig's entire NHL career was with Chicago, playing 589 career NHL games, scoring 176 goals and 195 assists for 371 points. After his hockey playing career was finished, he became the team's head coach. After coaching, he stayed on as the team's Director of Public Relations.
Gottselig also served for several years as a manager of women's baseball teams in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. During the league's history, over 600 women played ball.-History:...
. He guided the Racine Belles
Racine Belles
The Racine Belles were one of the original teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing from through out of Racine, Wisconsin. The team played its home games at Horlick Field.-History:...
in 1943–1944, the Peoria Redwings
Peoria Redwings
The Peoria Redwings were a women's professional baseball team who joined the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the season. The team represented Peoria, Illinois....
in 1947 and the Kenosha Comets
Kenosha Comets
Based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Kenosha Comets were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The team played their home games at Kenosha's Lake Front Stadium, but later moved to Simmons Field.The Kenosha Comets were one...
in 1949–1950. He later became an executive with Stone Construction.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1923–24 | Regina Pats Regina Pats The Regina Pats are a junior ice hockey team that plays in the Western Hockey League. The Pats are based out of Regina, Saskatchewan and the Brandt Centre is their home arena.-History:... |
S-SJHL Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior A ice hockey league under Hockey Canada, a part of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Open to North American-born players 20 years of age or younger, the SJHL's 12 teams play in two divisions: the Bauer and Sherwood conferences... |
6 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1924–25 | Regina Pats | S-SJHL | 5 | 18 | 2 | 20 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1924–25 | Regina Victorias Regina Victorias The Regina Victorias were both a senior and junior ice hockey team from Regina, Saskatchewan. They have played in the Allan Cup Finals three times , winning the Allan Cup in their first appearance... |
S-SSHL Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League The Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League was a senior amateur ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan on-and-off from 1938-1971.-Champions:*1938-39: Saskatoon Quakers*1939-40: Moose Jaw Millers*1940-41: Regina Rangers... |
1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1925–26 | Regina Victorias | S-SSHL | 16 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1926–27 | Regina Capitals Regina Capitals The Regina Capitals were a professional ice hockey team originally based in the city of Regina, Saskatchewan in the Western Canada Hockey League , founded in 1921.-Franchise history:... |
PrHL Prairie Hockey League The Prairie Hockey League was a Canadian professional ice hockey league in Alberta and Saskatchewan that was created following the demise of the Western Hockey League in 1926. It operated for two seasons.... |
32 | 23 | 7 | 30 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1927–28 | Winnipeg Maroons Winnipeg Maroons (ice hockey) The Winnipeg Maroons were an ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The 1964 team beat the Woodstock Athletics to win the Allan Cup, the championship trophy for senior hockey in Canada.... |
AHA American Hockey Association (1926–1942) The American Hockey Association was a minor professional hockey league that operated between 1926 and 1942. It had previously operated as the Central Hockey League , and before that as part of the United States Amateur Hockey Association. The founding president was Alvin Warren, who also owned the St... |
39 | 15 | 4 | 19 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1928–29 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL 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... |
44 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1929–30 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 39 | 21 | 4 | 25 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1930–31 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 42 | 20 | 12 | 32 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 1931–32 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 44 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1932–33 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 41 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1933–34 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 48 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 1934–35 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 48 | 19 | 18 | 37 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1935–36 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 40 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1936–37 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 47 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1937–38 1937–38 NHL season -European tour:After the Stanley Cup final finished, the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens played a nine-game exhibition series in Europe, becoming the first NHL teams to play outside North America. Six games were played in England, three in France... |
Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 48 | 13 | 19 | 32 | 22 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 4 | ||
| 1938–39 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 48 | 16 | 23 | 39 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1939–40 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 39 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1940–41 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1940–41 | Kansas City Americans | AHA | 13 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1941–42 | Kansas City Americans | AHA | 40 | 25 | 35 | 60 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 1942–43 1942–43 NHL season -NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes-Leading goaltenders:... |
Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 10 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1943–44 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 45 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1944–45 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 589 | 176 | 195 | 371 | 203 | 43 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 18 | ||||
| AHA totals | 92 | 49 | 45 | 94 | 48 | 14 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 4 | ||||
Coaching statistics
Season Team Lge Type GP W L T OTL Pct Result
1940-41 Kansas City Americans AHA Player-Head Coach
1941-42 Kansas City Americans AHA Player-Head Coach 50 31 17 2 0 0.640
1944-45 Chicago Black Hawks NHL Head Coach
1945-46 Chicago Black Hawks NHL Head Coach 50 23 20 7 0 0.530 Lost in round 1
1946-47 Chicago Black Hawks NHL Head Coach 60 19 37 4 0 0.350 Out of Playoffs
1947-48 Chicago Black Hawks NHL Head Coach 28 7 19 2 0 0.286
External links
- http.www.ancestry.com for John B. Gottselig's birthplace, immigration and parentage