Bill Mosienko

William Mosienko (November 2, 1921 – July 9, 1994) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who was a right winger for 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Black Hawks from 1942 to 1955. He is best noted for recording the fastest hat trick in NHL history. In a 1952 game against the New York Rangers, Mosienko scored three goals in 21 seconds.

In the NHL, Mosienko won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1945 as the most gentlemanly player in the league, played in five All-Star Games and was twice named to the second All-Star team. He left the league in 1955 to help bring professional hockey to his hometown of Winnipeg. He helped create the Winnipeg Warriors of the Western Hockey League and was a three-time All-Star in his four years of play in the league. He won the league championship in 1956.

Mosienko was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965 and into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1980.

Early life Mosienko was born on November 2, 1921, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was one of 13 children, having eight brothers and four sisters. His parents, Daniel and Natalia, were Ukrainian immigrants who came from Ekaterinoslav (modern Dnipro, Ukraine). In Canada Daniel worked as a boilermaker with the Canadian Pacific Railway.

He developed a passion for hockey and began playing at the age of 10 with the Tobans and later Sherburn athletic clubs. At 17, he sought to try out with the St. James Canadians junior team in 1939 and after being told he was too young, instead joined the Winnipeg Monarchs.

Playing career

Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Black Hawks player Joe Cooper discovered Mosienko playing on outdoor rinks in Winnipeg and recommended that Hawks management sign him. He had also been signed by the New York Rangers, but as Chicago submitted their claim first, they retained Mosienko's rights. Mosienko signed with Chicago at the age of 18 and was assigned to their minor league team, the Providence Reds of the American Hockey League. He played 36 games with Providence during the 1940–41 season, scoring 33 points, before being reassigned to the Kansas City Americans of the American Hockey Association, whom Chicago had just purchased as an additional minor-league affiliate. The Black Hawks first recalled Mosienko in 1942, replacing players who had left to fight World War II. He scored his first two NHL goals on February 9, 1942, 21 seconds apart. An ankle injury kept him out for several weeks, and he finished the season with 14 points in 12 NHL games.

Mosineko returned to Winnipeg for the summer of 1942 and worked in a defence plant. He tried to enlist in the military but was refused for medical reasons, likely related to his small size. He was also unable to cross into the United States as a result of travel restrictions and played the 1942–43 season primarily with the Quebec Aces of the Quebec Senior Hockey League, appearing in 8 games for them and scoring 5 points. He appeared in two games when the Hawks traveled to Toronto. He finally established himself as an NHL regular in 1943–44 and scored a career high 70 points. Mosienko and his linemates Clint Smith and Doug Bentley combined to score 219 points, at that time an NHL record. He was also voted the most popular player on the team by its fans.

The following season, Chicago coach Johnny Gottselig paired Mosienko with the Bentley brothers: Max and Doug. The trio formed what came to be known as the "Pony Line" due to their speed and small size and emerged as one of the top scoring trios in the NHL. Mosienko finished sixth. He was again named a second-team All-Star. He ultimately missed the first two months of play, while the Pony Line was broken up for good shortly after his injury when Max Bentley was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Linemate Gus Bodnar assisted on all three goals, and suffered numerous injuries as a result. He played 64 games and had 27 points in the 1954–55 season, his last in the NHL. Feeling the Black Hawks lowballed him in regards to salary, Mosienko retired a second and final time from the NHL in 1955.

Winnipeg Warriors Retired from the NHL, Mosienko returned to Winnipeg, where he was offered a contract with the newly founded Winnipeg Warriors of the Western Hockey League. He led the Warriors to the President's Cup championship in the team's first year of 1955–56 and helped the Warriors defeat the Quebec Hockey League's Montreal Royals for the Edinburgh Trophy, Canada's minor professional championship. He was named to the WHL All-Star team three times: 1957, 1958 and 1959. He coached the team for one season in 1959–60, but quit after one year as he found it took up too much time.

At the time of his retirement from the NHL, Mosienko was seventh all-time in league scoring with 540 points.

Off the ice In 1947 Mosienko and Joe Cooper built a bowling alley in Winnipeg, which opened in 1948. Cooper ran the business during Mosienko's playing career, though Mosienko would actively take a role during summers when he was in Winnipeg. On retiring from hockey Mosienko became more involved, though his relationship with Cooper worsened, and Mosienko ultimately bought out Cooper's interest in the bowling alleys. Mosienko and his family owned and operated them until 2007. He was a supporter of Winnipeg minor hockey and Manitoba oldtimers associations.

Mosienko had known his wife, Wanda Swita, since they were both children; they were married on July 13, 1946. They had three children: two sons and one daughter. His grandson, Tyler, was also a professional hockey player. The younger Mosienko remembers his grandfather as a humble man who would join him on the family's backyard rink when he was learning to skate as a child. He was buried in Brookside Cemetery in Winnipeg. In October 2021, a book about Mosienko's life titled Mosienko: The Man Who Caught Lightning In A Bottle by Ty Dilello was published.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1939–40 Winnipeg Monarchs MJHL 24 21 8 29 14 7 8 3 11 2 1940–41 Providence Reds AHL 36 14 19 33 8 — — — — — 1940–41 Kansas City Americans AHA 7 2 2 4 0 8 4 1 5 2 1941–42 Kansas City Americans AHA 33 12 19 31 9 — — — — — 1941–42 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 11 6 8 14 4 3 2 0 2 0 1942–43 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 2 2 0 2 0 — — — — — 1942–43 Quebec Aces QSHL 8 5 3 8 2 4 2 2 4 2 1943–44 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 50 32 38 70 10 8 2 2 4 6 1944–45 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 50 28 26 54 0 — — — — — 1945–46 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 40 18 30 48 12 4 2 0 2 2 1946–47 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 59 25 27 52 2 — — — — — 1947–48 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 40 16 9 25 9 — — — — — 1948–49 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 60 17 25 42 6 — — — — — 1949–50 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 69 18 28 46 10 — — — — — 1950–51 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 65 21 15 36 18 — — — — — 1951–52 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 31 22 53 10 — — — — — 1952–53 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 65 17 20 37 8 7 4 2 6 7 1953–54 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 65 15 19 34 17 — — — — — 1954–55 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 64 12 15 27 24 — — — — — 1955–56 Winnipeg Warriors WHL 64 22 23 45 37 14 6 12 18 4 1955–56 Winnipeg Warriors Ed-Cup — — — — — 6 6 3 9 6 1956–57 Winnipeg Warriors WHL 61 27 26 53 25 — — — — — 1957–58 Winnipeg Warriors WHL 65 38 36 74 43 7 1 0 1 6 1958–59 Winnipeg Warriors WHL 63 42 46 88 55 7 1 3 4 10 NHL totals 710 258 282 540 121 22 10 4 14 15

Awards and honours Award Year National Hockey League Lady Byng Memorial Trophy 1944–45 second-team All-Star 1944–451945–46 Western Hockey League WHL All-Star team 1956–571957–581958–59 Other Manitoba Athlete of the Year 1957