Hockey Gods

SIMILAR IMAGES

IMAGE INFORMATION

Edit
Uploaded By: PRESIDENT on February 3rd, 2018

Pentti Alexander Lund - Born December 6, 1925 in Karijoki, Finland – Died April 16, 2013 in Thunder Bay, Ontario was a Finnish Canadian professional ice Hockey right winger.

Lund moved to Canada from Finland at the age of six, and later began his junior career with his local Port Arthur Bruins and Port Arthur West-Enders in the Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League in 1942, then on to the Port Arthur Navy and the Port Arthur Flyers in 1944 . Lund led the league in scoring during his two seasons with the Navy team, where, in 19 regular season games, he scored an impressive 47 goals.

Lund turned pro in 1945–46 with the Boston Olympics of the Eastern Amateur Hockey League, a minor affiliate team of the Boston Bruins. He scored 33 points during the regular season and scored 15 points in 9 playoff games with the Olympics helping the team win the league championship - The Boardwalk Challenge Trophy (Atlantic City Boardwalk Trophy), along with the Walker Cup.

Next season, Lund scored a league high 49 goals with 92 points in 56 games, and was also the leading scorer in the playoffs with 8 assists and 15 points, helping the Boston Olympics to another Boardwalk Trophy and Walker Cup. His impressive season even gave him the opportunity to make his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins in the 1947 playoffs (one game).

In 1947-48, he graduated to the AHL where he skated for the Hershey Bears. He put up very solid numbers over the course of the regular season and was rewarded with an appearance in two Boston Bruin playoff games. During the off-season, however, Lund was traded to the New York Rangers. There, he got his NHL career off to a great start by winning the 1949 Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's top rookie on the strength of his 30 points (14 goals and 16 assists) in 59 games and thus becoming the first Finnish-born player to score a goal in the NHL.

In his second year with the Rangers, he scored a career high 18 goals. Lund and the Rangers made a great run to the Stanley Cup Finals as the fourth seeded team. Lund not only led all playoff scorers with 11 points (6 goals and 5 assists) in 12 games but also managed to shut down Montreal's super star Maurice "Rocket " Richard. Richard only managed to score in one of the five games thanks to Lund's relentless checking of him. Pentti himself managed to score a hat trick in a 4-1 win in game three. After the series he was dubbed "Lucky Lund" by the Montreal media. He then continued with his fine play in the finals, but the Rangers would lose the Stanley Cup to the first-place Detroit Red Wings in seven games.

Lund stayed on with the Rangers through the end of the 1950-51 campaign. His offensive numbers slipped, however, and, as a result, he was traded back to Boston.

As a Bruin again, the most defining moment of Lund's career occurred early in the 1951-52 season. Some suggest that the superstitiously prone number 13 played a role. The date was November 13, with Lund skating with number 13 on his jersey and it was the 13th game of the season for the Bruins. On that night, he and his mates went up against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Clare Martin, a Black Hawk blueliner had a habit of clearing his zone by backhanding the puck with a strong upward motion. Lund came over the blueline and got too close to Martin's stick, catching the blade in the right eye. The blow was so severe he lost almost all of his sight on the right side. He was sidelined for three months, but, remarkably, he staged a comeback to complete the season. He also made the team for the following year and managed to pot 17 points (8 goals and 9 assists) with only one eye.

After the close of the 1952-53 campaign, Lund was traded to the Victoria Cougars. But instead of reporting to the West Coast, he decided to reclaim his amateur status with a senior club in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Lund finished his career with the Soo Greyhounds of the North Ontario Hockey Association / NOHA. where he played until 1955.

Pentti Lund was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame on September 29, 1984.

Pentti Lund was inducted into the Finnish Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992

0 COMMENTS

No comments have been made yet.

LEAVE A COMMENT

Please login to comment. Click here to sign up. It's quick, easy and free!