Ed Litzenberger

Edward Charles John "Eddie" Litzenberger (July 15, 1932 – November 1, 2010) was a Canadian ice hockey right winger from Neudorf, Saskatchewan. Litzenberger was "donated" to the Chicago Black Hawks by the Montreal Canadiens in his first year in the National Hockey League (NHL). At the time the Black Hawks were struggling to survive as a franchise, and the league governors decided to help the team remain viable.

Playing career Litzenberger began his hockey career with the Regina Pats in the Western Canada Junior Hockey League. In 1950–51, he led the league in scoring with 44 goals in 40 games and led the playoffs in scoring with 14 goals in 12 games. In 1952–53, he made his debut with the Montreal Canadiens, playing two games with the Canadiens while splitting his time with the Montreal Royals. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in the Quebec Senior Hockey League, and was chosen for the Second All-Star Team.

After playing 29 games with the Canadiens, Litzenberger was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks in 1954–55. He posted 40 points in 44 games with the Black Hawks and was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy. He also played in the NHL All-Star Game that year. With the teams having played an uneven number of games in the 70-game season at the time of the trade, Litzenberger broke the league record for games played in a single season with 73, a record he held until 1976, when the schedule was expanded to 76 games.

After posting three consecutive 30-goal seasons and being named to the NHL Second All-Star Team in 1956–57,

He is also the only player in North American hockey history to win six straight pro hockey championships by winning the Stanley Cup in 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1964, and the Calder Cup in 1965 and 1966.

He spent his final years living in Ontario.

Achievements QSHL Top Rookie of the Year Award winner in 1953. Selected to the QSHL Second All-Star Team in 1953. Selected to the QHL Second All-Star Team in 1954. Calder Memorial Trophy winner in 1955. Played in 1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1962, and 1963 NHL All-Star Games. Selected to the NHL Second All-Star Team in 1957. Stanley Cup champion in 1961 (Chicago Black Hawks). Stanley Cup champion in 1962, 1963 and 1964 (Toronto Maple Leafs). Calder Cup champion in 1965, and 1966 (Rochester Americans).

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1949–50 Regina Pats WCJHL 40 25 19 44 16 9 11 4 15 4 1949–50 Regina Pats M-Cup — — — — — 14 12 10 22 2 1950–51 Regina Pats WCJHL 40 44 35 79 23 12 14 16 30 6 1950–51 Regina Pats M-Cup — — — — — 17 12 10 22 14 1951–52 Regina Pats WCJHL 41 42 29 71 75 8 8 5 13 8 1951–52 Regina Pats M-Cup — — — — — 14 14 12 26 12 1952–53 Montreal Canadiens NHL 2 1 0 1 2 — — — — — 1952–53 Montreal Royals QMHL 59 26 24 50 42 16 8 4 12 15 1953–54 Montreal Canadiens NHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1953–54 Montreal Royals QHL 67 31 39 70 44 11 4 5 9 6 1954–55 Montreal Canadiens NHL 29 7 4 11 12 — — — — — 1954–55 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 44 16 24 40 28 — — — — — 1955–56 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 10 29 39 36 — — — — — 1956–57 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 32 32 64 48 — — — — — 1957–58 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 32 30 62 63 — — — — — 1958–59 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 33 44 77 37 6 3 5 8 8 1959–60 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 52 12 18 30 15 4 0 1 1 4 1960–61 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 62 10 22 32 14 10 1 3 4 2 1961–62 Detroit Red Wings NHL 32 8 12 20 4 — — — — — 1961–62 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 37 10 10 20 14 10 0 2 2 4 1962–63 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 58 5 13 18 10 9 1 2 3 6 1963–64 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 19 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 10 1963–64 Rochester Americans AHL 33 15 14 29 26 2 1 1 2 2 1964–65 Rochester Americans AHL 72 25 61 86 34 10 1 3 4 6 1965–66 Victoria Maple Leafs WHL 23 7 17 24 26 — — — — — 1965–66 Rochester Americans AHL 47 7 15 22 10 12 1 5 6 8 NHL totals 618 178 238 416 283 40 5 13 18 34

Death Litzenberger, died on November 1, 2010, age 78.