William "Wild Bill" Ezinicki (March 11, 1924 – October 11, 2012) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Toronto Maple Leafs (1944–1950), the Boston Bruins (1950–1952), and the New York Rangers (1954–1955) of the NHL.
| Bill Ezinicki | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Ezinicki pictured c. 1946 | |||
| Born | March 11, 1924 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | ||
| Died | October 11, 2012 (aged 88) Gloucester, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Toronto Maple Leafs Boston Bruins New York Rangers | ||
| Playing career | 1944–1956 | ||
Playing career
editEzinicki was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was best known as a gritty hard-hitting player. He won the Stanley Cup three times with the Toronto Maple Leafs, in 1947, 1948 and 1949.
Later life
editEzinicki became a professional golfer after retiring from hockey. He was head professional at The International in Bolton, Massachusetts. He won several tournaments in the New England region including four state opens in 1960. He was elected to the New England section of the PGA Hall of Fame in 1997.
Ezinicki, a long-time resident of Bolton, Massachusetts, died at the age of 88 on October 11, 2012.[1]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1941–42 | Winnipeg Rangers | MJHL | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1942–43 | Oshawa Generals | OHA | 16 | 21 | 10 | 31 | 21 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 26 | ||
| 1942–43 | Oshawa Generals | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 17 | 6 | 23 | 33 | ||
| 1943–44 | Oshawa Generals | OHA | 25 | 38 | 25 | 63 | 33 | 11 | 13 | 3 | 16 | 49 | ||
| 1943–44 | Oshawa Generals | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 34 | ||
| 1944–45 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1944–45 | Toronto Army Shamrocks | TIHL | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1945–46 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 24 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1945–46 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 27 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1946–47 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 60 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 93 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 30 | ||
| 1947–48 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 60 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 97 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 1948–49 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 52 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 145 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 20 | ||
| 1949–50 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 67 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 144 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | ||
| 1950–51 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 53 | 16 | 19 | 35 | 119 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18 | ||
| 1950–51 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 13 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1951–52 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 28 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1951–52 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 16 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 53 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 67 | ||
| 1952–53 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 41 | 15 | 13 | 28 | 115 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 1954–55 | Ottawa Senators | QHL | 18 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1954–55 | Vancouver Canucks | WHL | 15 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1954–55 | New York Rangers | NHL | 16 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1956–57 | Sudbury Wolves | NOHA | 19 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 32 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 29 | ||
| NHL totals | 368 | 79 | 105 | 184 | 713 | 40 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 87 | ||||
Achievements and awards
edit- Memorial Cup Championship (1944)
- Stanley Cup Championships (1947, 1948, & 1949)
- Honoured Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
Golf tournament wins
editthis list may be incomplete
- 1956 New England PGA Championship
- 1958 New England PGA Championship, Rhode Island Open, New Hampshire Open
- 1959 Rhode Island Open
- 1960 Massachusetts Open, Rhode Island Open, New Hampshire Open, Maine Open
- 1964 Massachusetts Open
- 1965 Maritime Open[2]
- 1969 Newfoundland Open
References
edit- ^ "William Ezinicki, 88, former Bruins player, PGA golf champion". Boston Herald. October 15, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
- ^ "Ex-Bruin scores on golf links". The Evening Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. AP. June 28, 1965. p. 30.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Bill Ezinicki's biography at Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
- Bill Ezinicki’s biography at Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame
- Profile at New England section PGA Hall of Fame[permanent dead link]
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