Sandy Hucul
Encyclopedia
Alex "Sandy" Hucul is a former Canadian
ice hockey
player
and coach
.
Hucul had a long playing career, turning professional in 1954 with the Calgary Stampeders
of the Western Hockey League
. He would remain with the WHL for almost his entire career (barring a partial season in 1957
with the Buffalo Bisons
of the American Hockey League
), playing for the Spokane Comets
, the Victoria Maple Leafs
and for his final five seasons, the Phoenix Roadrunners. He won the Hal Laycoe Cup as the league's best defenseman in 1968 and 1972, after which he retired as a player.
Hucul served an interim stint as the Roadrunners' head coach
in 1970, and was named the permanent coach after his retirement, also serving as head coach of the WHA Roadrunners
from 1974 to 1976 when the team joined the World Hockey Association
, winning the Howard Baldwin Trophy
as the coach of the year in 1975. After the Roadrunners left the league, he continued as coach for two more seasons in the Central and Pacific minor leagues until the team finally folded after the 1979 season. In the 1980s Hucul survived a bout with rectal cancer and is now enjoying retirement life with his long time wife Shirley, two daughters and two sons in Phoenix, Arizona.
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...
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...
player
Player (game)
A player of a game is a participant therein. The term 'player' is used with this same meaning both in game theory and in ordinary recreational games....
and coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
.
Hucul had a long playing career, turning professional in 1954 with the Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
of the Western Hockey League
Western 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...
. He would remain with the WHL for almost his entire career (barring a partial season in 1957
1956–57 AHL season
The 1956–57 AHL season was the 21st season of the American Hockey League. Six teams played 64 games each in the schedule. The Providence Reds repeated their first overall finish in the regular season...
with the Buffalo Bisons
Buffalo Bisons (AHL)
The Buffalo Bisons were an American Hockey League ice hockey franchise that played from 1940 to 1970 in Buffalo, New York. They replaced the original Buffalo Bisons hockey team, which left the area in 1936 after its arena collapsed...
of 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...
), playing for the Spokane Comets
Spokane Comets
The Spokane Comets are a defunct minor professional ice hockey team that was located in Spokane, Washington. They played in the Western Hockey League from 1960 to 1963.The 1962-63 team was coached by Roy McBride who piloted the team to a 30-38-2 record....
, the Victoria Maple Leafs
Victoria Maple Leafs
The Victoria Maple Leafs were a minor pro ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League that played three seasons in Victoria, British Columbia, beginning in 1964. The previous season they had played as the Invaders in Denver, Colorado, winning the regular season with the best record in the Western...
and for his final five seasons, the Phoenix Roadrunners. He won the Hal Laycoe Cup as the league's best defenseman in 1968 and 1972, after which he retired as a player.
Hucul served an interim stint as the Roadrunners' head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
in 1970, and was named the permanent coach after his retirement, also serving as head coach of the WHA Roadrunners
Phoenix Roadrunners (WHA)
The Phoenix Roadrunners were a team in the now defunct World Hockey Association from 1974 to 1977. They played at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona...
from 1974 to 1976 when the team joined the World Hockey Association
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
, winning the Howard Baldwin Trophy
Howard Baldwin Trophy
The Howard Baldwin Trophy was presented annually to the World Hockey Association's coach of the year.It was named in honour of New England Whalers co-founder Howard Baldwin...
as the coach of the year in 1975. After the Roadrunners left the league, he continued as coach for two more seasons in the Central and Pacific minor leagues until the team finally folded after the 1979 season. In the 1980s Hucul survived a bout with rectal cancer and is now enjoying retirement life with his long time wife Shirley, two daughters and two sons in Phoenix, Arizona.