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Portland Buckaroo player biographies - Page 2
Connie Madigan, Defense # 2/26, 1964-1974
Connie Madigan official team photoConnie Madigan must have doubted that he would ever play in the NHL. After playing junior hockey with his home town Port Arthur Bruins, he embarked on a hockey Odyssey that took him to Penticton, Vernon, Nelson, Spokane, Fort Wayne, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Providence, Portland, and Dallas before he got his big break in 1973 at the age of 38. Connie was the oldest rookie ever to play in the NHL with St. Louis.
In fact, his coach, Jean-Guy Talbot, was only two years older than Madigan and had been retired for two seasons after a 16-year career. Some of his St.Louis Blues team mates had not been born when Madigan began his professional hockey career. Nonetheless, he was ecstatic to get the opportunity to play.
It is important to remember that St.Louis had entered the NHL in 1967 using the last legs of veteran stars like Glen Hall, Doug Harvey, and Dickie Moore to build a foundation. But how about a 38-year old rookie....The Blues had defensemen Brent Hughes and Bob McCord out with injuries, and the veteran Madigan's experience couldn't hurt the team. He played in 20 NHL games during 1972-73, providing solid if unspectacular defense, but by September 1973, Connie Madigan was sold to Portland of the Western Hockey League. Madigan had played nine seasons with Portland's Buckaroos, and he finished his career playing parts of two more seasons in Oregon.
Connie, like many other Portland Buckaroos settled in Portland after his playing days were over.




Connie Madigan
Regular Season Playoffs
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1958-59 Spokane Spokes WHL 3 1 1 2 2
1959-60 Fort Wayne Komets IHL 66 7 50 57 272
1960-61 Fort Wayne Komets IHL 57 9 28 37 231 8 2 4 6 26
1960-61 Cleveland Barons AHL 8 0 2 2 13
1961-62 Fort Wayne Komets IHL 2 0 0 0 9
1961-62 Spokane Comets WHL 63 9 28 37 171 16 0 4 4 28
1962-63 Spokane Comets WHL 48 7 15 22 115
1963-64 Denver-Los Angeles WHL 68 10 27 37 120
1963-64 Los-Angeles Blades WHL 12 2 4 6 49
1964-65 Portland Buckaroos WHL 60 11 20 31 158 10 1 4 5 18
1964-65 Providence Reds AHL 10 1 2 3 34
1965-66 Portland Buckaroos WHL 72 13 31 44 159 14 1 6 7 15
1966-67 Portland Buckaroos WHL 72 9 42 51 147 4 2 1 3 6
1967-68 Portland Buckaroos WHL 59 7 25 32 105 12 1 5 6 16
1968-69 Portland Buckaroos WHL 71 3 25 28 175 10 1 8 9 22
1969-70 Portland Buckaroos WHL 60 5 28 33 101 11 0 6 6 59
1969-70 Dallas Black Hawks CHL 10 1 4 5 26
1970-71 Portland Buckaroos WHL 72 8 59 67 175 3 0 3 3 38
1971-72 Portland Buckaroos WHL 61 8 48 56 170 11 0 7 7 44
1972-73 Portland Buckaroos WHL 42 3 26 29 146
1972-73 St. Louis Blues NHL 20 0 3 3 25 5 0 0 0 4
1973-74 San Diego Gulls WHL 39 3 19 22 88
1973-74 Portland Buckaroos WHL 16 0 12 12 14 9 0 2 2 40
1974-75 Portland Buckaroos WIHL 0 2 11 13 20
NHL Totals 20 0 3 3 25 5 0 0 0 4

WHL Awards:
First Team All Star - 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969
Second Team All Star - 1965, 1971, 1972
Hal Laycoe Cup (WHL Top Defenseman) - 1966

WIHL Awards:
First Team All Star - 1959

IHL Awards:
Second Team All Star - 1960

(If you want to know more about Connie Madigan go to the News articles page to read more.)
Don Head, Goaltender #1, 1960-1967 & 1971-1972
Don Head official team photoGoaltender Don Head was a highly decorated, multiple All-Star in the Western Hockey League but he also spent a single season in the National Hockey League. Head played Senior hockey in Stratford and Windsor, then moved on to the Northern Ontario Hockey Association for two years before rejoining Windsor for another season of Senior play. That season he also joined Team Canada for the 1960 Olympic Winter Games in Squaw Valley, California.
Head's solid play back stopped the Canadiens to a 5-1 record and a silver medal. His rock solid netminding earned him a contract offer from the WHL's Portland Buckaroos for the 1960-61 campaign. Head enjoyed a banner year his first season in Portland by leading the league in games played, wins, shutouts and goals against average. He was named rookie of the year, goaltender of the year and First Team All-Star for efforts. He then capped his amazing season by winning ten more games in the playoffs and adding two more shutouts en route to leading his team to a championship title.
The Bruins, who were using Portland as a farm team, decided they liked what they saw in the young goaltender and made a deal to bring him to Beantown.The 1961-62 season saw Head become a starter in the National Hockey League, though the lowly Bruins weren't the ideal franchise to break in with. While Head stole the starting job from incumbent Bruce Gamble, he wasn't able to do much with the role posting just nine victories in his 38 starts. At the end of the season, the Bruins dealt Head back to the Buckaroos and his NHL career was over.
Back in Portland Head picked up exactly where he left off. He better his win total from his rookie year when he once again led the league with 43 victories. Once again he was a First Team All-Star and he repeated as the league's top netminder. For the next four years Head was a star for the Buckaroos before he left the team to join the Seattle Totems in 1967.
Head was very successful during his first year with the Totems earning his third and final First All-Star berth, though the 1967-68 season would prove to be his last hurrah. Though he had one more solid year with Seattle, his numbers began to slip. During his final two years with the club he was relegated to a back-up role and managed just 12 wins over his final two seasons before hanging up his goal pads following the 1970-71 campaign.
Don as so many of the other Buckaroos settled in Portland after his playing days were over.


Don Head
Season Team Lge GP PIM Min GA EN SO GAA W L T Svs Pct GP G A PIM
1956-57 Windsor Bulldogs OHASr 50 0 0 144 0 6 2.88 0 0 0 0 0.00
1960-61 Portland Buckaroos WHL 70 101 14 0 0 14
1961-62 Portland Buckaroos WHL 5 2
1961-62 Boston Bruins NHL 38 14
1962-63 Portland Buckaroos WHL 70 34 7 0 0 0
1963-64 Portland Buckaroos WHL 15 4
1964-65 Portland Buckaroos WHL 50 49 9 0 0 0
1965-66 Portland Buckaroos WHL 35 24
1966-67 Portland Buckaroos WHL 44 49 0 120 3 3 2.73 0 0 0 0 0.000 4 0 0 0
1967-68 Seattle Totems WHL 0 0 2717 114 0 3 2.52 23 19 4 0 0.000 9 0 0 4
1968-69 Seattle Totems WHL 43 42 2377 120 1 1 3.03 0 0 0 0 0.000 4 0 0 2
1969-70 Seattle Totems WHL 20 16 1200 71 0 0 3.55 0 0 0 0 0.000
1970-71 Seattle Totems WHL 16 2 769 45 0 0 3.51 0 0 0 0 0.000
1971-72 Portland Buckaroos WHL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0 0 0 0 0.000
1974-75 Portland Buckaroos WIHL 0 0

WHL Awards:
First Team All Star - 1961, 1963, 1968
Second Team All Star - 1965, 1966
WHL Rookie of the Year Award - 1961
WHL Leading Goaltender Award - 1961, 1963, 1966 (shared w/Dave Kelly)

NOHA Awards:
First Team All Star - 1959

Larry Leach, Center # 19/6, 1960-61 & 1964-1973
Larry Leach official team photo Centre Larry Leach spent parts of three years with the Boston Bruins in the 50's and 60's. He was a solid worker who could check and create scoring opportunities especially during a productive career in the Western Hockey League. Born in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, Leach was a junior standout with the Humboldt Indians of the SJHL.
He began his pro career with the WHL's Victoria Cougars and later spent a year with the Springfield Indians of the AHL before scoring 16 points in 29 games for Boston in 1958-59. The next year he recorded 19 points and was a useful checker on a line with Dick Meissner and Fleming Mackell.
In 1961-62 Leach split his playing time between Boston and the Providence Reds of the AHL before he was relegated to the minors for the remainder of his career. The solid forward was a regular on the WHL's Portland Buckaroos between 1964-65 and 1972-73. He helped the club win league championships in 1965 and 1971 while hitting double figures in goals four times. After retiring in 1973 Leach spent a year coaching SJHL's Lloydminster Blazers.






Larry Leach
Regular Season Playoffs
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1955-56 Victoria Cougars WHL 3 1 0 1 6 4 0 0 0 0
1956-57 Victoria Cougars WHL 66 6 10 16 72 3 0 0 0 2
1957-58 Victoria Cougars WHL 33 7 9 16 23
1957-58 Springfield Indians AHL 35 1 9 10 8 13 3 1 4 12
1958-59 Providence Reds AHL 37 12 17 29 24
1958-59 Boston Bruins NHL 29 4 12 16 26 7 1 1 2 8
1959-60 Boston Bruins NHL 69 7 12 19 47
1960-61 Portland Buckaroos WHL 64 13 16 29 80 14 6 7 13 22
1961-62 Providence Reds AHL 25 8 11 19 33
1961-62 Boston Bruins NHL 28 2 5 7 18
1962-63 Providence Reds AHL 52 22 24 46 56
1963-64 Providence Reds AHL 60 12 30 42 43 3 1 1 2 16
1964-65 Portland Buckaroos WHL 52 7 10 17 48 10 2 1 3 6
1965-66 Portland Buckaroos WHL 72 18 23 41 57 3 0 0 0 6
1966-67 Portland Buckaroos WHL 60 18 17 35 43 4 0 0 0 0
1967-68 Portland Buckaroos WHL 72 21 20 41 48 11 1 0 1 8
1968-69 Portland Buckaroos WHL 72 8 18 26 50 9 0 0 0 2
1969-70 Portland Buckaroos WHL 72 6 17 23 44 11 0 2 2 12
1970-71 Portland Buckaroos WHL 60 6 15 21 28 11 3 3 6 6
1971-72 Portland Buckaroos WHL 54 15 21 36 32 6 0 0 0 6
1972-73 Portland Buckaroos WHL 71 5 14 19 42
NHL Totals 126 13 29 42 91 7 1 1 2 8
Jim McLeod, Goaltender # 1, 1967-1972
Jm McLeod official team photo Goaltender Jim McLeod broke into the Western Hockey League in 1960 playing 7 games for the Seattle Totems due to their regular goalie, Bev Bentley being injured. The amazing thing is that Jimmy (as they call him) wasn’t even a professional hockey player …yet. Jim was brought in under an emergency ruling due to the need for an immediate replacement for Bev Bentley. When Bentley returned to action, Jim McLeod was sent to the Omaha Knights of the IHL to attain professional status since he was still an amateur at the time of his call-up to the Totems.
Jim then replaced the Totems goalie in October, 1961 and the critics at that time thought the coach of the Totems may have been flirting with disaster by trusting a netminder that only had seven games under his belt in the WHL. However, Jim would prove them wrong in his first game as he sparked Seattle to a 2-2 tie again the Portland Buckaroos. He would even stop the great Gordon Fashoway on a break-away that preserved the tie for the Totems. The article in the paper the next day states that “McLeod did almost everything but stop the pucks with his teeth”. This statement would hold true throughout Jim’s career as his unorthodox, yet effective style made him one of the best goaltenders ever in the Western Hockey League. Jim would play 12 games in 1961-62 for the Seattle Totems and then finish out the season with the Muskegon Zephyrs of the IHL. He would then be traded to the San Francisco Seals in October 1962 for Barney Krake.
For the 1962-63 season Jim posted a record of 43 wins, 23 losses, 1 tie and a 3.01 goals against average while leading his team to the Play-Offs were they would beat the Portland Buckaroos and claim the Lester Patrick Cup, as champions of the WHL. Jim shared with me that his biggest thrill or memory as a player was winning the Lester Patrick Cup that year and then getting kissed by Kim Novak at the presentation ceremony! In September 1963 the Los Angeles Blades would acquire the services of McLeod and he would finish the season with 18 wins, 15 losses and 6 ties while posting a 3.26 GAA. In August 1964 it was the Seattle Totems that would come calling and Jim would remain with them through the 1966-67 season. Jim’s performance with the Totems was spectacular and he would establish himself as one of the best goalies in the WHL. He did so by winning the WHL’s leading goaltender (fewest goals against) in 1965 and 1967 with a 2.74 and 2.40 GAA, being named a First Team All-Star in 1965 and winning the Lester Patrick Cup in 1967.
However, on September 12, 1967 the Portland Buckaroos acquired Jim McLeod, by trading Don Head to the Totems. The trade for McLeod gave the Buckaroos a goalie that was four years younger than Head and by then well established as a premier goalie. He had just lead the Totems to the Lester Patrick Cup and had posted a 1.88 average as the Totems swept the playoffs in eight straight games. In addition, Jim had finished the regular season with a 2.44 average, flirting with the WHL all-time record of 2.40. When informed of the trade at his home in Port Arthur, Ontario, McLeod said, "I'm very pleased to be going to Portland, I'll be on my way tomorrow." As with all the other teams Jimmy played for he was a stellar performer in Portland. During his time with the Bucks, Jim won the WHL Leading Goaltender Award in 1968 (sharing it with Marv Edwards), 1969 and 1971 (sharing it with Dave Kelly). He was also a WHL First All-Star in 1969 and a WHL Second All-Star in 1968 and 1971). Jim also set the WHL all time record for goals against average at 2.29 in 42 games in 1968-69. Jim McLeod also was a member of the 1971 Lester Patrick Cup Championship while sharing the goaltending duties with Dave Kelly.
In June, 1971 the St. Louis Blues claimed McLeod in the Inter-League Draft and he appeared in the only 16 games of his NHL career with the Blues in 1971-72, posting an official 6-6-4 record. The Blues seemed uncertain as to who their top goalie was to be that year, rotating no less than five goalies, including McLeod. The others were; Ernie Wakely, Jacques Caron, Peter McDuffe and Wayne Stephenson.
The arrival of the WHA in 1972-73 presented an alternative for players like McLeod, who was drafted by the Chicago Cougars. It was the chance to finally make the kind of money which, until then had exclusively been reserved for those good enough to play in the NHL. He was installed as Chicago's number-one netminder, playing 54 games. In the offseason he was traded to the New York Raiders, but after starting just ten games was traded again to the Los Angeles Sharks. He posted a combined record of seven wins and 20 losses.
McLeod followed the Sharks franchise when it relocated to Michigan for the 1974-75 season and was renamed the Stags but again posted a losing record of 3-6-1. After playing a handful of games in the minors, he retired at the age of 38.


Jim McLeod
Season Team Lge GP PIM Min GA EN SO GAA W L T Svs Pct GP G A PIM
1960-61 Muskegon Zephyrs IHL 62 16 0 269 0 1 4.34 0 0 0 0 0.000 13 0 1 24
1960-61 Seattle Totems WHL 7 0
1961-62 Johnstown Jets EHL 1 0
1961-62 Muskegon Zephyrs IHL 47 18 0 157 0 1 3.34 0 0 0 1544 0.908 9 0 0 4
1961-62 Seattle Totems WHL 12 2
1962-63 San-Francisco Seals WHL 67 18 17 0 0 0
1963-64 Los-Angeles Blades WHL 39 4 5 0 1 4
1964-65 Seattle Totems WHL 65 32 7 0 1 0
1965-66 Seattle Totems WHL 45 4
1966-67 Seattle Totems WHL 41 8 0 101 4 4 2.44 0 0 0 0 0.000 8 0 0 0
1967-68 Portland Buckaroos WHL 0 0 1961 73 0 4 2.23 18 10 4 0 0.000 8 0 1 2
1968-69 Portland Buckaroos WHL 42 8 2363 90 1 3 2.29 0 0 0 0 0.000 8 0 0 14
1969-70 Portland Buckaroos WHL 30 2 1794 103 1 0 3.45 0 0 0 0 0.000 9 0 2 2
1970-71 Portland Buckaroos WHL 47 31 2710 122 0 5 2.70 0 0 0 0 0.000 11 0 2 4
1971-72 Portland Buckaroos WHL 13 4 735 34 1 0 2.78 0 0 0 0 0.000 11 0 1 7
1971-72 St. Louis Blues NHL 16 0 880 44 1 0 3.00 6 6 4 0 0.000
1972-73 Chicago Cougars WHA 54 2 2996 166 4 1 3.32 22 25 2 1576 0.905
1973-74 New-York Golden Blades WHA 10 2 516 36 1 0 4.18 3 7 0 260 0.878
1973-74 Los-Angeles Sharks WHA 17 0 969 69 1 1 4.27 4 13 0 412 0.857
1974-75 Greensboro Generals SHL 2 0
1974-75 Syracuse Blazers NAHL 3 0 180 5 0 0 1.67 3 0 0 0 0.000
1974-75 Michigan - Baltimore WHA 16 0 694 53 1 0 4.58 3 6 1 368 0.874

WHL Awards:
WHL All-Star First Team, 1964-65, 1968-69,
WHL All-Star Second Team, 1967-68, 1970-71
WHL Leading Goaltender Award, 1964-65, 1966-67 (shared w/Marv Edwards),
1967-68 (shared w/Dave Kelly), 1968-69, 1970-71.
Jim "Red-Eye" Hay, Defense # 23, 1964-1970
Jm Hay official team photo Defensemen Jim Hay spent parts of three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings in the early 50s. He was a punishing hitter in his own zone and could move the puck up ice with efficiency. The majority of his long pro career was spent in the minors, particularly the Western League.
Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Hay played junior with the OHA's Windsor Spitfires. He spent the early part of his pro career jumping from the IHL to the USHL then the AHL. He scored 24 goals for the Omaha Knights in 1950-51 and was voted on to the USHL second all-star team. In 1952-53 he was a solid addition to the Detroit Red Wings' blueline and was on hand when the club lost to the Boston Bruins in the semifinals. Over the next two seasons he was a utility player on the club and played more games in the minors. Hay was recalled in time for the 1955 post-season and scored a goal while helping the Motowners win the Stanley Cup.
Beginning in 1955-56, Hay spent 14 of the next 15 seasons in the WHL and helped the Portland Buckaroos win a league championship in 1965. In the early 70's he joined the Jersey Devils for parts of two seasons before retiring in 1972. Hay then stepped behind the club's bench as a head coach in 1972-73 before stepping away from the game.
Jim also settled in Portland like so many of the other Buckaroos did.



Jim Hay
Regular Season Playoffs
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1947-48 Detroit Auto Club IHL 25 10 15 25 37
1948-49 Detroit Auto Club IHL 10 5 3 8 5
1950-51 Omaha Knights USHL 64 24 22 46 150 4 1 2 3 4
1951-52 Indianapolis Capitals AHL 68 7 15 22 129
1952-53 Edmonton Flyers WHL 26 2 1 3 49
1952-53 Detroit Red Wings NHL 42 1 4 5 2 4 0 0 0 0
1953-54 Sherbrooke Saints QHL 54 4 6 10 98
1953-54 Detroit Red Wings NHL 12 0 0 0 0
1954-55 Quebec Aces QHL 38 5 13 18 107
1954-55 Detroit Red Wings NHL 20 0 1 1 20 5 1 0 1 0
1955-56 Regina/Brandon Regals WHL 70 7 7 14 158
1956-57 Edmonton Flyers WHL 52 3 13 16 120
1957-58 Troy Bruins IHL 64 14 29 43 125
1958-59 Victoria Cougars WHL 67 5 23 28 110 3 0 1 1 4
1959-60 Victoria Cougars WHL 70 4 19 23 118 11 1 2 3 17
1960-61 Victoria Cougars WHL 70 7 21 28 88 5 0 0 0 0
1961-62 Los-Angeles Blades WHL 4 0 1 1 0
1961-62 San-Francisco Seals WHL 57 4 15 19 101 2 0 1 1 0
1962-63 Seattle Totems WHL 70 9 21 30 109 17 2 5 7 10
1963-64 Seattle Totems WHL 70 3 6 9 65
1964-65 Portland Buckaroos WHL 64 2 15 17 115 10 0 4 4 14
1965-66 Portland Buckaroos WHL 72 3 20 23 115 14 0 1 1 8
1966-67 Portland Buckaroos WHL 51 1 9 10 49
1967-68 Portland Buckaroos WHL 72 5 18 23 75 12 0 2 2 15
1968-69 Portland Buckaroos WHL 74 0 23 23 71 10 0 2 2 17
1969-70 SLC-Portland WHL 61 2 7 9 105
1969-70 Portland Buckaroos WHL 3 1 1 2 6
1970-71 Jersey Devils EHL 18 1 6 7 37
1970-71 Salt-Lake Golden Eagles WHL 11 1 0 1 14
1971-72 Jersey Devils EHL 74 2 18 20 134
NHL Totals 74 1 5 6 22 9 1 0 1 0

USHL Awards:
Second Team All Star - 1951

Rick Foley, Defense # 3, 1968-1971
Rick Foley official team photo Rick Foley was a huge defensemen who played in the NHL and WHA in the early 1970s. The 6'4" 223-pounder was a force in the minors where he played an intimidating physical role and also displayed some offensive ability.
Born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Foley played Junior B with the St. Thomas Barons and skated in the OHA with the Toronto Marlboros and Oshawa Generals. During the late 1960s he was dominant player in the EHL with the Charlotte Checkers and Jersey Knights. After scoring 175 points in 1968 and 1969, he was named to the EHL south first all-star team both years.
In 1970-71 he played two games with the Chicago Black Hawks but spent most of his time in the WHL with the Portland Buckaroos. He scored 71 points for Portland and led the league with 306 penalty minutes. Prior to the 1972-72, Foley was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers and seemed to find an NHL home with 36 points. His success in Philly was short-lived and he was relegated to the minors in 1972-73 then traded to the Detroit Red Wings. The hulking blueliner played seven games for the Wings in 1973-74 then went to the AHL where he continued to rack up points and penalties.
Foley signed with the WHA's Toronto Toros in June 1975 then played a few games for them the following season. After several years of running into opponents, Foley's body was worn out. He played two years of senior hockey with the Brantford Alexanders then retired in 1978.


Rick Foley
Regular Season Playoffs
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1963-64 Oshawa Generals OHA 8 0 3 3 0
1966-67 Jersey-Charlotte EHL 68 5 42 47 222
1967-68 Charlotte Checkers EHL 71 17 78 95 192
1968-69 Charlotte Checkers EHL 66 22 58 80 216
1968-69 Portland Buckaroos WHL 5 0 0 0 10
1968-69 Dallas Black Hawks CHL 2 0 0 0 4
1969-70 Portland Buckaroos WHL 71 7 38 45 227 8 0 4 4 65
1970-71 Portland Buckaroos WHL 66 17 54 71 306 9 2 9 11 44
1970-71 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 2 0 1 1 8 4 0 1 1 4
1971-72 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 58 11 25 36 168
1972-73 San Diego Gulls WHL 31 5 14 19 110 6 2 6 8 32
1972-73 Richmond Robins AHL 26 6 15 21 69
1973-74 Baltimore Clippers AHL 65 14 56 70 164 9 2 6 8 28
1973-74 Detroit Red Wings NHL 7 0 0 0 4
1974-75 Syracuse Eagles AHL 69 13 40 53 306 1 0 2 2 0
1975-76 Baltimore Clippers AHL 4 2 2 4 14
1975-76 Toronto Toros WHA 11 1 2 3 6
1976-77 Brantford Alexanders OHASr 17 2 14 16 76
1977-78 Brantford Alexanders OHASr 6 1 3 4 20
WHA Totals 11 1 2 3 6
NHL Totals 67 11 26 37 180 4 0 1 1 4
Guyle Fielder, Center # 11, 1971-1973
Guyle Fielder official team photo Born in Potlach, Idaho on November 21, 1930 Guyle "Guy" Fielder spent parts of four seasons in the NHL during his twenty-year hockey career. He played three years of junior hockey in Canada and made his NHL debut during his fourth. While with the Lethbridge Native Sons, Fielder suited up with the Chicago Black Hawks for four games.
The next season, Fielder joined the New Westminster Royals of the Pacific Hockey League and was named the Rookie of the Year. In September 1952, the Black Hawks traded Fielder to the Detroit Red Wings, and though he spent the entire regular season in the minors (where he won Rookie of the Year in the American Hockey League), the Wings summoned him for a four game stint during the playoffs.
Almost exactly a year to the day that Red Wings acquired Fielder he was on the move again, this time off to the Boston Bruins. Again, he didn't see any regular season action, but come playoff time the Bruins gave him the call and he played in two contests for them.
For the next three years, Fielder lit up the Western Hockey League, collecting All-Star accolades and piling up points. His hard work in minor pro paid off and he was given another chance at the big leagues. On June 15, 1957 the Bruins dealt Fielder back to the Detroit Red Wings where he played six games that season on a line with Gordie Howe. With him and Howe both being the type of player that wants to control and carry the puck, the chemistry wasn't right. Fielder was released.
They would end up being the last games he'd play as an NHL player. Fielder didn't register a point in the nine regular season and six playoff games he played in the NHL, but he was very prolific in his minor pro career, which continued for many years after his second Red Wing stint was over.
Fielder played 15 more seasons, almost exclusively in the Western Hockey League, seven of those years he led the league in points and ten of those campaigns he was the top assist man in the league. By the time he retired in 1973 at age 42, he had multiple MVPs, Most Gentlemanly Player awards, and All-Star selections to show for his highly successful WHL career.




Guyle Fielder
Regular Season Playoffs
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1950-51 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 3 0 0 0 0
1951-52 New Westminster Royals PCHL 57 25 50 75 10
1952-53 Edmonton Flyers WHL 3 0 1 1 0
1952-53 St. Louis Flyers AHL 62 22 61 83 12
1952-53 Detroit Red Wings NHL 4 0 0 0 0
1953-54 Seattle Bombers WHL 68 24 64 88 20
1953-54 Boston Bruins NHL 2 0 0 0 2
1954-55 New Westminster Royals WHL 70 20 67 87 37
1955-56 Seattle Americans WHL 70 18 61 79 42
1956-57 Seattle Americans WHL 69 33 89 122 30 6 2 4 6 0
1957-58 Seattle Americans WHL 62 26 85 111 22 9 2 9 11 2
1957-58 Detroit Red Wings NHL 6 0 0 0 2
1958-59 Seattle Totems WHL 69 24 95 119 18 12 4 9 13 4
1959-60 Seattle Totems WHL 69 31 64 95 12 4 1 1 2 0
1960-61 Seattle Totems WHL 69 24 71 95 32 11 2 9 11 4
1961-62 Seattle Totems WHL 69 21 52 73 46 2 0 0 0 0
1962-63 Seattle Totems WHL 69 17 80 97 20 17 5 17 22 6
1963-64 Seattle Totems WHL 66 17 85 102 34
1963-64 Quebec Aces AHL 1 0 0 0 0
1964-65 Seattle Totems WHL 70 14 78 92 38 7 0 7 7 2
1965-66 Seattle Totems WHL 70 19 75 94 10
1966-67 Seattle Totems WHL 72 20 71 91 22 10 2 7 9 12
1967-68 Seattle Totems WHL 70 15 55 70 26 9 6 5 11 2
1968-69 Seattle Totems WHL 74 20 74 94 12 4 0 2 2