Bill Lesuk
Canadian ice hockey player (born 1946)
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William Anton Lesuk (/lɛˈsuːk/ leh-SOOK;[1] born November 1, 1946) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Washington Capitals, and Winnipeg Jets. He also played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) with Winnipeg. He won the Stanley Cup in 1970 with the Bruins. He was traded along with Serge Bernier and Jim Johnson from the Flyers to the Kings for Ross Lonsberry, Bill Flett, Jean Potvin and Eddie Joyal on January 28, 1972.[2]
| Bill Lesuk | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||
| Born |
November 1, 1946 Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Left wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Boston Bruins Philadelphia Flyers Los Angeles Kings Washington Capitals Winnipeg Jets | ||
| Playing career | 1967–1980 | ||
Career
Nicknamed the tractor Lesuk, a junior with Weyburn Red Wings, he had 3 successive years with the red wings including an appearance in the memorial cup. Then the following year in 1966–67 after having a 82-point season in 56 games for the Red wings He was then drafted to the Boston Bruins. Playing for the Bruins affiliate team the Oklahoma City Blazers in 1967–68. He then spent a majority of the year with the Blazers the following year but also made 5 appearances for the Bruins as well during the 1968-69 season. The following year in 1969–70 season he played 70 games with the Hershey Bears but also made a few appearances for the Boston Bruins including 2 playoff games with the Bruins winning the 1970 Stanley cup. He then went on to play 388 total games in the NHL with the Boston Bruins Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles kings and Washington capitals finishing with 44 goals and 63 assists.
In 1975 he joined the Winnipeg Jets of the WHA. Being a decent offensive player but his real value was as a defensive forward. Those Jet teams had great offense, but they needed a shut-down winger like Lesuk. During his time with the team he helped them win the Avco Cup in 1976, 1978 and 1979. He would play one final year in the NHL during the 1979-80 season when the jets joined the league. after retiring, Lesuk was a scout for Boston, Chicago and Winnipeg-Phoenix. He still lives in the Winnipeg area.[3]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1963–64 | Weyburn Red Wings | SJHL | 62 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 78 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 18 | ||
| 1964–65 | Weyburn Red Wings | SJHL | 55 | 25 | 33 | 58 | 73 | 15 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 28 | ||
| 1965–66 | Weyburn Red Wings | SJHL | 60 | 36 | 40 | 76 | 111 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 40 | ||
| 1965–66 | Weyburn Red Wings | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1966–67 | Weyburn Red Wings | SJHL | 56 | 36 | 46 | 82 | 62 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 1967–68 | Oklahoma City Blazers | CHL | 67 | 14 | 10 | 24 | 53 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 1968–69 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1968–69 | Oklahoma City Blazers | CHL | 64 | 17 | 30 | 47 | 46 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 1969–70 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1969–70 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 70 | 20 | 20 | 40 | 82 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 1970–71 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 78 | 17 | 19 | 36 | 81 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 1971–72 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 45 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 27 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 67 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 90 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 35 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1974–75 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 79 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Winnipeg Jets | WHA | 81 | 15 | 21 | 36 | 92 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 1976–77 | Winnipeg Jets | WHA | 78 | 14 | 27 | 41 | 85 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 22 | ||
| 1977–78 | Winnipeg Jets | WHA | 80 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 48 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 12 | ||
| 1978–79 | Winnipeg Jets | WHA | 79 | 17 | 15 | 32 | 44 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 1979–80 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 49 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| WHA totals | 318 | 55 | 81 | 136 | 269 | 50 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 48 | ||||
| NHL totals | 388 | 44 | 63 | 107 | 368 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | ||||
Awards
- CMJHL Second All-Star Team – 1967
- Stanley Cup champion —1970
- Avco Cup champion — 1976, 1978 and 1979
- Honoured Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
