William "Wild Bill" Ezinicki (March 11, 1924 – October 11, 2012) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Toronto Maple Leafs (1944–1950), the Boston Bruins (1950–1952), and the New York Rangers (1954–1955) of the NHL.

Bill Ezinicki
Ezinicki pictured c. 1946
Born (1924-03-11)March 11, 1924
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Died October 11, 2012(2012-10-11) (aged 88)
Gloucester, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Right wing
Shot Right
Played for Toronto Maple Leafs
Boston Bruins
New York Rangers
Playing career 1944–1956

Playing career

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Ezinicki was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was best known as a gritty hard-hitting player. He won the Stanley Cup three times with the Toronto Maple Leafs, in 1947, 1948 and 1949.

Later life

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Ezinicki became a professional golfer after retiring from hockey. He was head professional at The International in Bolton, Massachusetts. He won several tournaments in the New England region including four state opens in 1960. He was elected to the New England section of the PGA Hall of Fame in 1997.

Ezinicki, a long-time resident of Bolton, Massachusetts, died at the age of 88 on October 11, 2012.[1]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1941–42 Winnipeg Rangers MJHL 2 3 0 3 0
1942–43 Oshawa Generals OHA 16 21 10 31 21 10 13 10 23 26
1942–43 Oshawa Generals M-Cup 11 17 6 23 33
1943–44 Oshawa Generals OHA 25 38 25 63 33 11 13 3 16 49
1943–44 Oshawa Generals M-Cup 10 12 11 23 34
1944–45 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 8 1 4 5 17
1944–45 Toronto Army Shamrocks TIHL 1 1 2 3 10
1945–46 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 24 4 8 12 29
1945–46 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 27 9 12 21 23
1946–47 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 60 17 20 37 93 11 0 2 2 30
1947–48 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 60 11 20 31 97 9 3 1 4 6
1948–49 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 52 13 15 28 145 9 1 4 5 20
1949–50 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 67 10 12 22 144 5 0 0 0 13
1950–51 Boston Bruins NHL 53 16 19 35 119 6 1 1 2 18
1950–51 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 13 6 3 9 24
1951–52 Boston Bruins NHL 28 5 5 10 47
1951–52 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 16 4 9 13 53 11 3 1 4 67
1952–53 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 41 15 13 28 115 7 0 3 3 8
1954–55 Ottawa Senators QHL 18 5 6 11 39
1954–55 Vancouver Canucks WHL 15 5 2 7 50
1954–55 New York Rangers NHL 16 2 2 4 22
1956–57 Sudbury Wolves NOHA 19 5 4 9 32 12 1 9 10 29
NHL totals 368 79 105 184 713 40 5 8 13 87

Achievements and awards

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Golf tournament wins

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this list may be incomplete

References

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  1. ^ "William Ezinicki, 88, former Bruins player, PGA golf champion". Boston Herald. October 15, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  2. ^ "Ex-Bruin scores on golf links". The Evening Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. AP. June 28, 1965. p. 30.
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