Vic Stasiuk

Stasiuk played junior hockey in his native Lethbridge, Alberta before signing with the Chicago Black Hawks. He played sparingly in Chicago and was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in 1951. He spent time in the minors with the Indianapolis Capitals and the Edmonton Flyers where he put up great numbers leading the Flyers in scoring with 37 goals, 43 assists during the regular season, as the Flyers won the 1953 WHL championship. He was also selected to the WHL First All-Star Team. He was part of three Stanley Cup teams in 1952, 1954, and 1955; he had one assist in the 1952 Final, did not participate in the 1954 Final due to being in the minor leagues, and recorded three goals and three assists in the 1955 Final (although Stasiuk played 42 regular season games for Detroit in 1954, his name was left off the Stanley Cup that year).^[1] During the team’s cup run in 1955 Stasiuk contributed 8 points in 11 games.^[2]

In 1955, Stasiuk was traded to the Boston Bruins and found chemistry with Johnny Bucyk and Bronco Horvath, a grouping dubbed "The Uke line" because of the Ukrainian ancestry of the three players. Stasiuk scored 20 or more goals in four consecutive seasons with Boston from 1957-60. During the 1957-58 season, the line became the first in NHL history to have all three participants reach the 20-goal mark. In 1960, Stasiuk scored a career-high 68 points, and he was selected to play in the NHL All-Star Game. In 1961, he was traded back to Detroit, helping the Red Wings reach the 1961 Stanley Cup Final that spring. He played the next season in Detroit and split the 1962-63 season between the Red Wings and the AHL Pittsburgh Hornets, but was back in Detroit for their playoff run, helping the Red Wings reach the 1963 Stanley Cup Final, before finishing his career in the minors. He played for the Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, and Boston Bruins, He recorded 183 goals and 254 assists in 745 NHL games.^[3]

After retiring, Stasiuk moved to coaching. He took over the Pittsburgh Hornets of the American Hockey League for two seasons and later led the same league's Quebec Aces to back-to-back losses in the Calder Cup finals. in 1967–68 he was awarded the inaugural Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award. Immediately after coaching the EHL Jersey Devils from 1966–68,^[4] Stasiuk earned a job with the Philadelphia Flyers. His team finished out of the playoffs by a single point in 1969-70 and then was eliminated in the first round of the postseason the next year. Stasiuk was fired after the 1970-71 season; the Flyers offered him a scouting position, but he took a head coaching job three games into the NHL season with the California Golden Seals.^[5] Stasiuk was fired after the season due to a stylistic conflict with management, and he then spent one year behind the bench of the Vancouver Canucks before settling into a career in junior hockey coaching, both in Taber coaching them to back to back finals appearances in 1976 and 1977 he finished he coaching career with Medicine Hat in 1979.^[6]

During his retirement Stasiuk enjoyed playing golf, Stasiuk also owned a farm which he converted into Paradise Canyon Golf Course in Lethbridge which he managed for most of his retirement. After his passing the new owners built a lounge area titled Vic’s lounge in his honor.^[7]

Stasiuk was married to his wife Mary, he was a father to his 4 children, Vanessa, Elsa , Victor Jr. and JaeJae, he was a grandfather to 10 grandchildren and a great grandfather to 16.^[8]

He was viewed as a legendary figure in his home town of Lethbridge and was inducted as an inaugural member of the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.^[9] He's been described as a pivotal reason to the success southern Alberta hockey players have to this day and the pioneer of hockey in Lethbridge. Kris Versteeg commented on Stasiuk stating “He was a trailblazer, especially for the Lethbridge hockey community,"^[10]

In 2009 he was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame & Museum in 2009, In 2018 he was inducted into the Ukrainian Sports Hall of Fame.^[11]

Stasiuk died at a Lethbridge nursing home on May 7, 2023, at the age of 93.^[12][13]

In 2023 he would be named one of the top 100 best Bruins players of all time.^[14]

Regular season and playoffs

More information Regular season, Playoffs ...

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1946–47	Lethbridge Native Sons	AJHL		9	0	6	6	11		1	1	1	2	0
1947–48	Wetaskiwin Canadians	EJrHL		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1948–49	Kansas City Pla-Mors	USHL		66	7	13	20	52		2	0	0	0	0
1949–50	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		17	1	1	2	2		—	—	—	—	—
1949–50	Kansas City Pla-Mors	USHL		39	10	13	23	27		—	—	—	—	—
1950–51	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		20	5	3	8	6		—	—	—	—	—
1950–51	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		50	3	10	13	12		—	—	—	—	—
1951–52	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		58	5	9	14	19		7	0	2	2	0
1951–52	Indianapolis Capitals	AHL		8	7	1	8	6		—	—	—	—	—
1952–53	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		3	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1952–53	Edmonton Flyers	WHL		48	37	43	80	71		—	—	—	—	—
1953–54	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		42	5	2	7	4		—	—	—	—	—
1953–54	Edmonton Flyers	WHL		21	6	12	18	37		13	2	6	8	23
1954–55	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		59	8	11	19	67		11	5	3	8	6
1954–55	Edmonton Flyers	WHL		11	7	6	13	32		—	—	—	—	—
1955–56	Boston Bruins	NHL		59	19	18	37	118		—	—	—	—	—
1956–57	Boston Bruins	NHL		64	24	16	40	69		10	2	1	3	2
1957–58	Boston Bruins	NHL		70	21	35	56	55		12	0	5	5	13
1958–59	Boston Bruins	NHL		70	27	33	60	63		7	4	2	6	11
1959–60	Boston Bruins	NHL		60	29	39	68	121		—	—	—	—	—
1960–61	Boston Bruins	NHL		46	5	25	30	35		—	—	—	—	—
1960–61	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		23	10	13	23	16		11	2	5	7	4
1961–62	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		59	15	28	43	45		—	—	—	—	—
1962–63	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		36	6	11	17	37		11	3	0	3	4
1962–63	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL		22	9	20	29	24		—	—	—	—	—
1963–64	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL		42	10	10	20	32		5	0	0	0	4
1964–65	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL		63	14	21	35	58		3	0	0	0	0
1965–66	Memphis Wings	CHL		25	9	3	12	14		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				745	183	254	437	669		69	16	18	34	40

Close

• Stanley Cup Champion (1952,1954, 1955)
• Played in the 1961 NHL All-Star Game
• WHL Champion (1953)
• WHL First All-Star Team (1953)
• Elizabeth C. Dufresne Trophy (1959)
• Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award (1968)
• Inducted into the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame in 1985
• Inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2009
• Inducted into the Ukrainian Sports Hall of Fame in 2018
• Named one of the top 100 best Bruins players of all time

• List of ice hockey line nicknames