Lonny Bohonos
Encyclopedia
Lonnie Bohonos is a retired Canadian
professional ice hockey
right winger
. He played most notably for the Vancouver Canucks
of the National Hockey League
and also appeared in several games for the Toronto Maple Leafs
. In the later stages of his career, he played overseas in the Swiss
Nationalliga A
.
for the Moose Jaw Warriors
, Seattle Thunderbirds
and Portland Winter Hawks
. After a 63-point season in 1992–93 split between Seattle and Portland, Bohonos dramatically rose to a league-leading 62 goals, 90 assists and 152 points the following season. In addition to the Bob Clarke Trophy
as the league's leading scorer, Bohonos was also awarded the Brad Hornung Trophy
as the most sportsmanlike player.
Unselected in the NHL Entry Draft
, Bohonos' successful final year with the Portland Winter Hawks earned him an NHL
contract from the Vancouver Canucks
.
He turned pro in 1994–95
with Vancouver's AHL
affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch
. He quickly established himself as an offensive threat, scoring 75 points in his rookie season. The following year he led Syracuse in goals and points, and earned a three-game callup to the NHL, recording an assist.
However, he was considered a very one-dimensional player and his NHL potential was questioned as a result. These criticisms dogged him throughout his career - while Bohonos had unquestionable skill and natural hockey sense as well as an excellent touch around the net, his defensive game and intangibles were considered below-par. Bohonos was also ripped by analysts and scouts as being a "lazy" player.
He continued to produce in the AHL in 1996–97
and finally earned his big break around mid-season with an extended call-up to the Canucks. In a disappointing year for the team, Bohonos was a bright light in the second half, playing well on a scoring line with Trevor Linden
and Martin Gelinas
, and finishing with 11 goals and 22 points in 36 games.
The following season, however, was a huge disappointment. While he cracked the Canucks' NHL roster out of training camp for the first time, he was used predominantly on the team's fourth line in a checking role for which he was ill-suited. After recording only 3 points in 31 games and being returned to the AHL, Bohonos was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs
for Brandon Convery
in an exchange of struggling talents. He again showcased his talent in a late-season call-up, putting up 6 points in 6 games for the Leafs.
The 1998–99 season saw him back in the AHL, where he led the Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate, the St. John's Maple Leafs
, in scoring. In 7 games with Toronto, Bohonos again produced, scoring three goals. The highlight of his career, though, would come in the 1999 Stanley Cup Playoffs
. With Igor Korolev
and Fredrik Modin
injured, and Derek King
struggling, Bohonos was recalled and given an opportunity to skate on a scoring line with Mats Sundin
. He responded in style, putting up 3 goals and 6 assists in 9 games to help Toronto to the Conference Finals.
After a year in the IHL with the Manitoba Moose
, Bohonos left North America
to sign with Davos HC in the Switzerland
. He became one of the top players in the Nationalliga A, leading the league in scoring with 60 points in 2000–01. That same year, he won a Spengler Cup
with Davos, defeating Canada in the final. He spent another year with Davos and was the Spengler Cup runner-up in 2002, then joined the ZSC Lions
.
Bohonos returned to North America to spend the 2004–05
season with the Chicago Wolves
, but again went back to Europe
for the 2005–06 season, this time with the Mannheim Eagles in the German
Deutsche Eishockey Liga. In November 2005, he suffered a serious neck injury in a collision with Denis Pederson
of Berlin
and was sidelined for the year. He was expected to make a full recovery for the 2006–07 season, but had to end his career, due to problems resulting from the injury.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional ice 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...
right winger
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
. He played most notably for the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
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...
and also appeared in several games for 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...
. In the later stages of his career, he played overseas in the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
Nationalliga A
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
.
Playing career
Bohonos played major junior in the Western Hockey LeagueWestern Hockey League
The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
for the Moose Jaw Warriors
Moose Jaw Warriors
The Moose Jaw Warriors are a major junior ice hockey team of the Western Hockey League which are based out of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The team plays its home games at Mosaic Place. The franchise moved to Moose Jaw from Winnipeg after the 1983–84 season, where they had previously been named the...
, Seattle Thunderbirds
Seattle Thunderbirds
The Seattle Thunderbirds are a junior ice hockey team based in Kent, a suburb of Seattle, Washington. They are part of the U.S. Division of the Western Hockey League, and play in the ShoWare Center...
and Portland Winter Hawks
Portland Winter Hawks
The Portland Winterhawks are a major junior ice hockey team based in Portland, Oregon, playing in the Western Hockey League, a member league in the Canadian Hockey League. They play their home games at the Memorial Coliseum, though typically a few games each season are also played in the...
. After a 63-point season in 1992–93 split between Seattle and Portland, Bohonos dramatically rose to a league-leading 62 goals, 90 assists and 152 points the following season. In addition to the Bob Clarke Trophy
Bob Clarke Trophy
The Bob Clarke Trophy is awarded annually to the top scorer in the Western Hockey League.It is named after National Hockey League Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke who was one of the WHL's early stars...
as the league's leading scorer, Bohonos was also awarded the Brad Hornung Trophy
Brad Hornung Trophy
The Brad Hornung Trophy is awarded annually to the most sportsmanlike player of the Western Hockey League.It is named after former Regina Pats player Brad Hornung who was paralyzed during a game on March 1, 1987.-List of winners:...
as the most sportsmanlike player.
Unselected in the NHL Entry Draft
NHL Entry Draft
The NHL Entry Draft is an annual meeting in which every franchise of the National Hockey League systematically select the rights to available amateur ice hockey players who meet draft eligibility requirements...
, Bohonos' successful final year with the Portland Winter Hawks earned him an 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...
contract from the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
.
He turned pro in 1994–95
1994–95 AHL season
The 1994–95 AHL season was the 59th season of the American Hockey League. The All-Star Game is revived, with All-Stars grouped into "Team Canada" and "Team USA." Sixteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule...
with Vancouver's AHL
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...
affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch
Syracuse Crunch
The Syracuse Crunch are a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Syracuse, New York, at the War Memorial at Oncenter...
. He quickly established himself as an offensive threat, scoring 75 points in his rookie season. The following year he led Syracuse in goals and points, and earned a three-game callup to the NHL, recording an assist.
However, he was considered a very one-dimensional player and his NHL potential was questioned as a result. These criticisms dogged him throughout his career - while Bohonos had unquestionable skill and natural hockey sense as well as an excellent touch around the net, his defensive game and intangibles were considered below-par. Bohonos was also ripped by analysts and scouts as being a "lazy" player.
He continued to produce in the AHL in 1996–97
1996–97 AHL season
The 1996–97 AHL season was the 61st season of the American Hockey League. The league renames its divisions due to relocating teams. The Northern Conferences consists of the Atlantic Division becoming the Canadian Division, and the Central Division becoming the Empire State Division...
and finally earned his big break around mid-season with an extended call-up to the Canucks. In a disappointing year for the team, Bohonos was a bright light in the second half, playing well on a scoring line with Trevor Linden
Trevor Linden
Trevor John Linden, C.M., O.B.C. is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played centre and right wing with four different teams: the Vancouver Canucks , New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals...
and Martin Gelinas
Martin Gelinas
Martin Gélinas is a former professional ice hockey forward and the current director of player development with the Nashville Predators.-Playing career:Gelinas made a splash in 1987–88 with the Hull Olympiques of the QMJHL with a 63-goal, 131-point campaign...
, and finishing with 11 goals and 22 points in 36 games.
The following season, however, was a huge disappointment. While he cracked the Canucks' NHL roster out of training camp for the first time, he was used predominantly on the team's fourth line in a checking role for which he was ill-suited. After recording only 3 points in 31 games and being returned to the AHL, Bohonos was dealt to 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...
for Brandon Convery
Brandon Convery
Brandon William Convery is a retired professional ice hockey player who played briefly in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and Los Angeles Kings. He played Center and shot right-handed....
in an exchange of struggling talents. He again showcased his talent in a late-season call-up, putting up 6 points in 6 games for the Leafs.
The 1998–99 season saw him back in the AHL, where he led the Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate, the St. John's Maple Leafs
St. John's Maple Leafs
The St. John's Maple Leafs were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada at Memorial Stadium from 1991–2001, and at Mile One Stadium from 2001–2005.-History:...
, in scoring. In 7 games with Toronto, Bohonos again produced, scoring three goals. The highlight of his career, though, would come in the 1999 Stanley Cup Playoffs
1999 Stanley Cup Playoffs
The 1999 Stanley Cup playoffs, the championship of the National Hockey League , began in April, 1999, following the 1998–99 NHL season. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-7 series for conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and then the...
. With Igor Korolev
Igor Korolev
Igor Borisovich Korolev was a Russian/Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Korolev played over 700 games in the National Hockey League from 1992 until 2004. Korolev returned to Russia, and played a further seven seasons in the Russian Super League and the Kontinental Hockey League ...
and Fredrik Modin
Fredrik Modin
Fredrik "Freddy" Modin is a Swedish former professional ice hockey left winger, who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League and most notably won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2003–04 season....
injured, and Derek King
Derek King
Derek King is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1986–87 until 1999–2000....
struggling, Bohonos was recalled and given an opportunity to skate on a scoring line with Mats Sundin
Mats Sundin
Mats Johan Sundin is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey player. Originally drafted first overall in 1989, Sundin played his first four seasons in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques. He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1994, where he played the majority of his career, serving 11...
. He responded in style, putting up 3 goals and 6 assists in 9 games to help Toronto to the Conference Finals.
After a year in the IHL with the Manitoba Moose
Manitoba Moose
The Manitoba Moose were a Canadian professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba that played in the International Hockey League from 1996 to 2001 and American Hockey League from 2001 to 2011. The team moved to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador in 2011 to become the St...
, Bohonos left North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
to sign with Davos HC in the Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He became one of the top players in the Nationalliga A, leading the league in scoring with 60 points in 2000–01. That same year, he won a Spengler Cup
Spengler Cup
The Spengler Cup is an annual ice hockey tournament held in Davos, Switzerland. First held in 1923, the Spengler Cup is often cited as the oldest invitational ice hockey tournament in the world. The event is hosted by the Swiss team HC Davos and played each year in Davos, Switzerland, between...
with Davos, defeating Canada in the final. He spent another year with Davos and was the Spengler Cup runner-up in 2002, then joined the ZSC Lions
ZSC Lions
The Zürcher Schlittschuh Club Lions are a professional ice hockey team located in Zürich, Switzerland, playing in the National League A. The home arena, the 10,700 seat Hallenstadion, is in the Zürich district of Oerlikon...
.
Bohonos returned to North America to spend the 2004–05
2004–05 AHL season
The 2004–05 AHL season was the 69th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-eight teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Rochester Americans finished first overall in the regular season...
season with the Chicago Wolves
Chicago Wolves
The Chicago Wolves are a professional hockey team playing in the American Hockey League. They are the top affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois...
, but again went back to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for the 2005–06 season, this time with the Mannheim Eagles in the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Deutsche Eishockey Liga. In November 2005, he suffered a serious neck injury in a collision with Denis Pederson
Denis Pederson
Denis Erio Pederson is a professional ice hockey player currently playing with the Eisbären Berlin of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga...
of Berlin
Eisbären Berlin
' are a professional ice hockey team based in Berlin, Germany. The team competes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga , the highest level of play in professional German ice hockey and is also one of the league's founding members...
and was sidelined for the year. He was expected to make a full recovery for the 2006–07 season, but had to end his career, due to problems resulting from the injury.
Awards & achievements
- Named to the WHLWestern Hockey LeagueThe Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
West First All-Star Team (1994). - Named to the CHLCanadian Hockey LeagueThe Canadian Hockey League is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canadian-based major junior ice hockey leagues for players 16 to 20 years of age. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League, and is composed of its three member leagues, the Western Hockey...
First All-Star Team (1994). - Awarded the Bob Clarke TrophyBob Clarke TrophyThe Bob Clarke Trophy is awarded annually to the top scorer in the Western Hockey League.It is named after National Hockey League Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke who was one of the WHL's early stars...
as the WHL's leading scorer (1994). - Awarded the Brad Hornung TrophyBrad Hornung TrophyThe Brad Hornung Trophy is awarded annually to the most sportsmanlike player of the Western Hockey League.It is named after former Regina Pats player Brad Hornung who was paralyzed during a game on March 1, 1987.-List of winners:...
as the WHL's most sportsmanlike player (1994). - Led Nationalliga A in scoring (2001).
- Won a Spengler CupSpengler CupThe Spengler Cup is an annual ice hockey tournament held in Davos, Switzerland. First held in 1923, the Spengler Cup is often cited as the oldest invitational ice hockey tournament in the world. The event is hosted by the Swiss team HC Davos and played each year in Davos, Switzerland, between...
with Davos HC (2001).
Records
- Syracuse CrunchSyracuse CrunchThe Syracuse Crunch are a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Syracuse, New York, at the War Memorial at Oncenter...
franchise single-season goals record - 40 in 1995–96 - Syracuse Crunch single-season points record - 79 in 1995–96 (tied with Bill BowlerBill BowlerBill Bowler is a former professional ice hockey centre. He played nine games in the National Hockey League with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2000–01 season, recording two assists...
, 2000–01) - Previous Syracuse Crunch all-time goal scoring record - 104 (surpassed by Mark HartiganMark HartiganMark Hartigan is a professional ice hockey centre, currently playing for the Dinamo Riga. He now lives in Plymouth, Minnesota.-Playing career:...
on January 19, 2007)