Al Suomi

Albert William Suomi (October 29, 1913 – September 23, 2014) was an American ice hockey player, who played 5 games in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Black Hawks during the 1936–37 season. Although he did not aspire to play at a professional level, Suomi nevertheless spent his young life playing hockey and was eventually scouted while playing with friends. Suomi began his career playing for the Chicago Baby Ruth team in 1934, a marketing ploy started by the company that produced the candy of the same name. In 1936, he joined a minor league team in Detroit, Michigan and, based on his experiences with the Chicago Baby Ruth team, was deemed too professional to be eligible for the 1936 United States Olympic ice hockey team.

Suomi's time in the National Hockey League came as a result of another marketing ploy, this time on the part of the Chicago Black Hawks. Having benched all of his Canadian players, the manager declared his intent to field a team composed entirely of American players. Suomi was selected from among a pool of novice players to join the team but, after five games, the gimmick was disbanded and replaced with professionals. Retiring from hockey in 1940, he took on a series of small jobs before opening his own hardware store in Chicago. As of 2007, Suomi was the last surviving member of the 1936–37 all-American Chicago Black Hawks team and, following the 2010 death of Louis Holmes, the oldest living former NHL player. He is also believed to be the first former NHL player to reach the age of 100.

Early life Suomi was born to a working-class family in Eveleth, Minnesota on October 29, 1913. and shares the name . Although Suomi never had any serious aspirations to play professional ice hockey, he nevertheless began practicing at local rinks at an early age, focusing on his talents as a left winger. As a teenager, he played at both the high school and college level. His brother, John Suomi, played minor league hockey in Virginia. In 1934, during the Great Depression, he and two of his friends were approached by scout Jack Manley, who offered them a chance to play professional hockey in Chicago. With only one hour to catch the bus to Minneapolis, Minnesota, Suomi decided that he had nothing to lose and took his belongings in a cardboard box with him to the bus station.

Hockey career For the 1934–35 season, Suomi was a member of the Chicago Baby Ruth team of the United States Amateur Hockey Association league, participating in two playoff games and scoring a total of two goals. The team was designed as a marketing gimmick for the Curtis Candy Company and played before all of the Chicago Black Hawk games to increase their attendance. While Suomi made the team, his two friends were rejected and they returned to Minnesota. a title that he held until his death on September 23, 2014, a month before his 101st birthday.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1931–32 Eveleth-Gilbert High School HS-MN — — — — — — — — — — 1934–35 Chicago Baby Ruth USAHA — — — — — 2 2 0 2 — 1935–36 Detroit Tool Shop MOHL 17 8 5 13 6 4 0 1 1 0 1936–37 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 5 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1936–37 Detroit Pontiacs MOHL 20 2 0 2 14 — — — — — NHL totals 5 0 0 0 0 — — — — —