IMAGE INFORMATION
EditFrank Sydney Mathers - Born March 29, 1924 in Winnipeg, Manitoba - Died February 9, 2005 in Hershey, Pennsylvania was a Canadian/American ice Hockey defenceman, coach, general manager and president.
- Memorial Cup Champion 1943 with Winnipeg Rangers.
- Abbott Memorial Cup Champion 1943 with Winnipeg Rangers.
- Quebec Senior Hockey League Champion 1948 with Ottawa Senators.
Allan Cup finalist 1948.
- Calder Cup Champion 1952, 1955 with Pittsburgh Hornets, 1958, 1959, 1969 (coach), 1974, 1980, 1988 (general manager) with Hershey Bears.
Calder Cup finalist 1951, 1953, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1976, 1986.
- F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy Champion 1952, 1955 with Pittsburgh Hornets, 1958, 1967 (coach), 1968 (coach), 1969 (coach) with Hershey Bears.
- Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award Winner 1969.
- James C. Hendy Memorial Award Winner 1977
- Lester Patrick Trophy Recipient 1987.
Mathers played his junior Hockey with his local Winnipeg Rangers, helped them win the 1943 Abbott Cup, but fractured his ankle and was unable to play in the 1943 Memorial Cup final, which his team won.
Mathers then served as a pilot in the Canadian Air Force during World War II from 1943 to 1945.
Mathers then joined the Ottawa Senators in the Quebec Senior Hockey League in 1946, playing with them until 1948, helping them win the league championship in 1948 and made the finals of the 1948 Allan Cup.
Mathers made his NHL debut with Toronto Maple Leafs on October 16, 1948 vs Boston Bruins at Maple Leaf Gardens in a 4-1 Bruins win.
Mathers scored his 1st NHL goal vs Jim Henry of Chicago Black Hawks at 1:30 of 1st period on October 23, 1948 at Maple Leaf Gardens in a 6-1 Toronto win.
Mathers played in 23 regular season NHL games, scoring 1 goal, 3 assists with 4 penalty minutes. No NHL playoff games.
Mathers played in the 1948 NHL All-Star Game.
Mathers played in 799 regular season AHL games, scoring 67 goals, 340 assists with 636 penalty minutes and 86 AHL playoff games, scoring 9 goals, 35 assists with 64 penalty minutes.
Mathers was selected to AHL First All-Star Teams 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956.
Mathers was set to retire from playing after the Pittsburgh Hornets ceased operations in 1956, but was persuaded by John Sollenberger, general manager and president of the Hershey Bears to join his team as the player coach.
Mathers played for another 6 seasons, winning 2 AHL championships in 1958, 1959 before he turned to coaching full time in 1962.
Mathers added the duties of general manager and president in 1968, while still coaching the Bears until 1973. He continued his general manager and president position until 1990.
Mathers compiled a record of 610-513-134 in 1,257 games as Hershey Bears head coach.
Mathers was honored with the prestigious Lester Patrick Award in 1987 for service to Hockey in the United States.
Frank Mathers was inducted as a builder to Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.
Frank Mathers was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.
Frank Mathers was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in 2006.
Frank Mathers was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.
NOTE
Mathers led Hershey to the Calder Cup Playoffs in 16 of his 17 seasons behind the bench, including 6 Finals appearances.
In 1996, the AHL instituted the Frank S. Mathers Trophy, which is presently awarded to the Eastern Conference's regular season champions.
Frank Mathers is considered one of the American Hockey League’s greatest players, coaches, executives in it's history.
