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Uploaded By: PRESIDENT on September 11th, 2017

Glen Frederick Skov - Born January 26, 1931 in Wheatley, Ontario – Died September 10, 2013 in Palm Harbor, Florida was a Canadian/American ice Hockey centre and coach.

- Stanley Cup Champion 1952, 1954, 1955 with Detroit Red Wings.

- Prince of Wales Trophy Champion 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955 with Detroit Red Wings.

- Eastern Professional Hockey League / EPHL Champion 1961 with Hull-Ottawa Canadiens.

Skov played his junior Hockey for 3 teams between 1948 and 1950, first with the Windsor Spitfires (actually 3 times) of the OHA, then the Detroit Hettche and the Windsor Ryancretes, both of the IHL. In his final campaign with the Spitfires in 1949-50, he was a scoring machine with 51 goals and 51 assists in only 47 games. A skate slashed the lower part of his left calf in the OHA playoffs. Without Skov in the lineup, his team lost in the J. Ross Robertson Cup Junior finals.

Skov was property of the Detroit Red Wings, and they had brought him up for 2 games, where he made his NHL debut on February 4, 1950 vs Toronto Maple Leafs at Maple Leaf Gardens in a 3-3 tie. He also played the next night vs New York Rangers.

Skov started his first season as a pro with the Omaha Knights of the United States Hockey League / USHL in 1950-51. There, he continued to score, putting up 26 goals, 33 assists in 45 games. His ability to play a solid, physical game too, as he had 55 minutes in penalties. Detroit took notice, and Skov was back in the NHL in February. He scored his 1st NHL goal vs Harry Lumley of the Chicago Black Hawks on February 7, 1951 at 13:25 of the 3rd period at The Olympia in a 11-3 Detroit win. Skov had 2 goals, 1 assist in the game.

Skov finished the season in Detroit, and played his first NHL playoff games vs the Canadiens, which Montreal won in 6 games.

His role as a forward, however, underwent a change. In Detroit, the roster was already filled with top-line offensively oriented scorers. To secure his place farther down the ranks, Skov had to play as a two-way centre who made his top priority to neutralize the opposition's number-one centreman. Along with Marty Pavelich and Tony Leswick, he led a terrific trio that specialized in checking opposing scorers and contributed greatly to the rise of the Detroit Red Wings dynasty in the early 1950s. While his line was in charge of smothering the likes of Rocket Richard and Jean Beliveau.

Skov and Detroit claimed the Prince of Wales Trophy as champions of the National Hockey League regular season in each of the six seasons the hard-nosed centre spent with the Red Wings - 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955 and won 3 Stanley Cup championships in 1952, 1954, and 1955. Skov assisted on the game 7 overtime goal to win the 1954 Stanley Cup.

After the third Stanley Cup, Skov was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks, who were last in the NHL, and with no direction or leadership.

Skov later quoted - "I think what we did eventually was instill a good attitude. Let's not be a last place team. Let's make ourselves contenders and work up the ladder."

In 1960, the Hawks traded him to the Montreal Canadiens who wanted him to coach one of their minor-league affiliates. Skov was open to offers but couldn't agree on a salary that satisfied his requirements, and played in only 3 games for the Canadiens. As a result, he retired after spending the bulk of the 1960-61 season with the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens of the EPHL as a player/coach.

After retiring, Skov also teamed with the Black Hawks’ Stan Mikita in operating a Hockey school for hearing impaired players.

Glen Skov was inducted into the Windsor/Essex County Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.

Sourced from www.capsports2000.com.

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