Johnny Bucyk

Last updated
Johnny Bucyk
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1981
JohnnyBucyk.jpg
Bucyk in 2010
Born (1935-05-12) May 12, 1935 (age 90)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shot Left
Played for Detroit Red Wings
Boston Bruins
Playing career 19551978

John Paul "Chief" Bucyk (born May 12, 1935) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Having played most of his career with the Boston Bruins, he has been associated in one capacity or another with the Bruins' organization since the late 1950s. Bucyk was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in 2017. [1]

Contents

Bucyk was a skilled left winger who was the largest of his day. [2] While he never was regarded as the best at his position (being a contemporary of superstars Bobby Hull and Frank Mahovlich), he had a long and stellar career, and retired as the fourth leading point scorer of all time and having played the third-most games in history, and recorded sixteen seasons of scoring twenty goals or more. [3] Despite his reputation for devastating hip checks, [4] he was a notably clean player who won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship in 1971 and 1974. Bucyk was the senior alternate captain of the Bruins when they won Stanley Cups in 1970 and 1972.

Early life

Bucyk was born in Edmonton to Sam and Pearl Bucyk, Ukrainian immigrants from the village of Butsiv, in what is now Yavoriv Raion, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. [5] The family was poor, with Pearl working two jobs and his father, Sam, was unemployed for over four years. His father died when Bucyk was 11 years old. [4] Poverty prevented Bucyk from owning a pair of ice skates until he was 13 years old. [6]

During the offseason, Bucyk returned to Edmonton and worked at the car dealership that sponsored his junior team. [7]

Junior and minor-league career

Bucyk played junior hockey for four seasons for his hometown Edmonton Oil Kings before signing with the Detroit Red Wings in 1955. [2] Bucyk was originally an awkward skater, and Oil Kings coach Ken McAuley arranged for Bucyk to train offseason with a figure skater until his technique improved. [4] He went on to be one of the leading scorers on a strong Oil Kings squad that included future Hall of Famer Norm Ullman. Bucyk and the Oil Kings went to the 1954 Memorial Cup final against the St. Catharines Teepees, with Bucyk scoring a blistering 28 goals in 21 playoff games to lead the WCHL, as well as 14 goals in 14 Memorial Cup games to lead all scorers that season. [8]

Following the Memorial Cup final, Bucyk signed a professional contract with the Edmonton Flyers of the Western Hockey League, the minor league affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. There, he was reunited with junior teammate Ullman, and paired on a line with future Bruins teammates Bronco Horvath and Vic Stasiuk. [9] It was during this time that Horvath was responsible for nicknaming Bucyk "Chief," purportedly out of Horvath's admiration for how Bucyk used his stick like a tomahawk to fight for pucks along the boards. [4] In 1955, his lone full season with the Flyers, he finished second on the team to Horvath with 30 goals, 58 assists and 88 points as the Flyers won the league championship. [10] [11]

NHL career

Detroit Red Wings

Following the 1955 WHL playoffs, Detroit called Bucyk up for the 1955 Stanley Cup playoffs. Practicing with the team as a so-called "Black Ace," [4] he saw no game action, as Detroit defeated the Montreal Canadiens four games to three for the Cup. Unusually, his first NHL game was in the 1955 All-Star Game, played in October between the defending Cup champion Red Wings and an all-star team from the rest of the league. [12] He saw only spot duty in his rookie season of 1956 scoring his first NHL goal on December 11th 1955 in a 2-0 victory over the Rangers. He then had modest production on the third and fourth lines the year following.

Boston Bruins

1950s

Going into the 1958 season, the Boston Bruins had acquired Horvath and Stasiuk, and general manager Lynn Patrick believed that reuniting them with Bucyk would recapture the success they had in Edmonton. [4] Detroit dealt him to the Bruins in a surprising deal for Terry Sawchuk, one of the greatest goaltenders of the day. [3]

Bucyk became the top left wing in Boston playing with his "Uke Line" partners of Stasiuk and Horvath, who had previously played together in Edmonton. [9] The trio had an immediate impact, leading the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1958, with Horvath finishing fifth in league scoring, and Bucyk and Stasiuk each scoring 21 goals. [13] The moniker "Uke Line" came from the trio's purported Ukrainian background (in fact, Stasiuk was of Hungarian origins). Bucyk's first hat trick was scored in one of the first nationally televised games, a 7–4 win over the New York Rangers. [14]

1960s

Bucyk and his Uke Line linemates continued to star together (Horvath losing the league scoring championship to Bobby Hull by a single point in 1960), but by the 1961 season, the trio's defensive deficiencies caused coach Milt Schmidt to break the lineup. [15] Bucyk was paired with Stasiuk and Jerry Toppazzini, before the Ukes were reunited, but the line was permanently broken up with Stasiuk and Horvath both being traded by the 1961 offseason, with the team missing the playoffs for a second straight year.

Boston fell on hard times in the 1960s, finishing in last place five straight seasons, during which time Bucyk — generally paired with centre Murray Oliver and winger Tommy Williams as the "BOW" line [16] — led the team in scoring several times. As one of the team's only stars, he was named to play in All-Star Games in 1963, 1964 and 1965. He went on to score his 200th goal in the 1967 season (during which he was named team captain), the eighth straight year—a then-league record—in which the Bruins would miss the playoffs. [17]

Return to glory

Assembling a team behind the acquisitions of Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito, Boston rocketed to the playoffs in 1968, with Bucyk having his first of 7 30+ goal seasons finishing second behind Esposito in team scoring (and ninth in league scoring), being named to his fifth All-Star Game, and being selected as the league's Second Team All-Star. [18] [3] Bucyk proved particularly effective playing on the left side on Boston's greatly feared power-play unit, which featured Phil Esposito, John McKenzie, Bobby Orr and Fred Stanfield. He also was a highly accurate shooter, finishing in the top ten in the league in shooting percentage in eleven seasons, and leading the league in 1971, 1973, and 1974. [3]

Two seasons later, Bucyk would play a pivotal role in helping the Bruins win their fourth Stanley Cup, with Bucyk finishing fourth in team scoring and second in goal scoring in the playoffs, and being named to play in the 1970 NHL All-Star Game. [19] In game 1 of the 1970 Stanley cup finals Bucyk would score a hat trick as the Bruins won 6-0. Then in game 4 Bucyk would score a pivotal goal to tie the game up and send it to overtime, which led to Bobby Orr iconic series winning goal. [20] While he had not been the team's captain after 1967, as the senior assistant captain, he had the honor of being the first to ceremonially skate the Stanley Cup around the Boston Garden ice.

The 1970–71 season saw the Bruins break 37 individual and team league records en route to the best record in league history. [21] Bucyk had his best statistical season, with 116 points and being the 5th player in league history to score 50 goals (on March 16, 1971) [22] and the 5th to score 100 points (on March 13, 1971). [23] He was named to play in his seventh All-Star Game, [3] and further honored by being named as the league's First Team All-Star and being awarded his first Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the league's most gentlemanly player. At age 35, he was the oldest player in league history to score 50 goals (a record that stood until 2022 when broken by Alexander Ovechkin), [24] broke the league record for assists and points by a left winger, and remains the oldest player ever to score 50 goals for the first time. He ultimately finished third in league scoring (behind Orr and Esposito), and second in goals and power-play goals. Among Boston's numerous records was having four hundred point scorers (Esposito, Orr, Bucyk, and Ken Hodge), the first time that had happened, only repeated by Edmonton in 1983, as well as finishing 1-2-3-4 in league scoring, also the first time that had happened, only repeated by the Bruins in 1974.

The following year Bucyk had a 83 point season finishing eighth in league scoring. Then during the postseason he helped the Bruins win another Stanley cup in 1972 having a career best 20 points in 15 playoff games. He would remain a star for most of the 1970s, being named team captain again in 1973 and finishing as a top 10 scorer with 93 points. He would then once again win the Lady Byng again in 1974. Bucky scored his 500th career goal on October 30th 1975 in Bruins 3-2 victory over St Louis. [25] Even as he got older Bucyk was still a top point scorer for the Bruins having 2 more 80 plus point seasons in 1975 and 1976. In fact Bucyk is only one of 3 players in NHL history to score 30+ goals while be 40 years old or older. [26] In 1977, he was awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy for contributions to hockey in the United States.

Harry Sinden, the Hall of Fame coach, and former general manager and president of the Bruins. Would later describe Bucyk “as the most dangerous winger he’s ever seen when in front of the net. Hall of fame goalie Tony Esposito, often quipped that Bucyk was like the scary butler Lurch from “The Addams Family” television series of the 1960s because he’d suddenly appear in the slot, seemingly from out of nowhere. [27]

Retirement and legacy

Bucyk starred into his penultimate season (during which he surrendered his team captaincy, while suffering an injury, to Wayne Cashman), and ended his playing career after the 1978 season, after which the Bruins retired his number #9 jersey in 1980. [28]

At the time of his retirement, Bucyk was fourth all-time in points (behind Gordie Howe, Esposito and Stan Mikita) (currently 28th) and in goals (currently 27th), third in games played behind Howe and Alex Delvecchio (currently 17th), and was the leading career point scorer among left wings, a record since surpassed by Luc Robitaille. [3]

During Bucyk’s time with the Bruins he scored 545 career goals, 794 assists, and registered 1339 career points His 1436 games played is second only to Ray Bourque in Bruins’ history. His 88 game-winning goals is also a Bruins’ record. In the playoffs, Bucyk was just as effective, collecting 100 points in only 109 games. His 45 power play points place him at number three all-time for Boston, behind only Ray Bourque and Brad Marchand. His 545 goals as a Bruin, remains the most in franchise history. Only Ray Bourque has subsequently passed his team marks for points and assists. [29]

Bucyk received numerous honors after his retirement. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1981. Then being indicted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. In 1998, he was ranked number 45 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. In 2017, Bucyk was part of the first group of players to be named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history by the National Hockey League. [30] Among the Bruins' team awards is the John P. Bucyk Award, presented each year to the Bruins player who provides exceptional off-ice charitable contributions. [31]

There is a hockey arena named in his honor in Creston British Columbia. [32]

In 2004 Bucyk was honored by the Sports museums tradition event at the TD garden as a member of that year’s class. Also being given the hockey legacy award. Since Bucyk has been a regular at the event and has started to be the one that presents the award to the recipients. [33] [34]

Bucyk remains affiliated with the Bruins, serving color analyst for the team’s flagship radio station for fourteen years and in the front office. He previously served as the team's director of road services and is now listed by the team as an ambassador, being known as the "unofficial mayor of TD Garden". [35] As part of Boston's coaching and administrative staff, Bucyk had his name engraved on the Stanley Cup for a third time with the Bruins in 2011, his 67th consecutive season with the organization. As of the 2025 season, Bucyk's 71 years in professional hockey is the longest such tenure on record. [7] To this day he still remains one of the most beloved figures in Bruins history. [36]

During a game in 2007 the Bruins held Hail to the Chief night at the TD Garden. To celebrate Bucyk’s 50th year as a member of the team. Before the game Bucyk stood at center ice and gave a speech to the Bruins fans with many of his former teammates by his side. [37]

Bucyk was inducted into the Ukrainian Sports hall of fame in 2017. His uke line teammates would later be inducted in subsequent years. [38]

In 2022 Bucyk served as the parade marshal for the Thanksgiving day celebrations in Plymouth, also honoring the 50 anniversary of the 1972 Bruins team. [39]

He has dropped the ceremonial puck at numerous times at Bruins home games, most recently along side Bobby Orr during the 2023 NHL winter classic at Fenway park. [40]

He was honored during the Bruins centennial celebration’s in 2024, being Named to the Boston Bruins All-Centennial Team. [41]

On May 12th 2025 the Bruins held a special event at the TD garden to celebrate Bucyk’s 90th birthday. The event seen Bucyk’s family and numerous Bruins players from the past and present all come together for the celebration. [42]

Family/personal life

His nephew Randy Bucyk played for the Northeastern University Huskies and the Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames organizations, earning a Stanley Cup ring with Montreal in 1986. Randy Bucyk also played for the Canadian national team in 1989. Bucyk also played with his older brother William Bucyk, a defenseman for the Oil Kings who played several seasons in the minor league Western Hockey League in the late 1950s. [43]

Bucyk was married to his wife Anne for 53 years. She died in 2012 the 2 had 3 children together. Jo-Anne, Michael and Larry. [44] Bucyk resides in Boxford and enjoys playing golf. [45] He also owns a summer property near Kootenay Lake in Canada. [46]

Bucyk has also been involved in numerous charitable activities being regarded as one of the Boston most generous sports figures with regards to charitable work he has raised millions of dollars for causes such as the Heart Foundation and the Children's Glaucoma Foundation. In regards to his kind nature Bruins owner Jermey Jacob’s ones stated "It's often been said that if any of us wanted an elephant, Johnny Bucyk would get it for us." [47] Bucyk has also made visits to hospitals in the Boston area to greet children and their families. [48]

Bucyk served as the state chairman for the American Heart association (AHA) for over 20 years. In 1992 he was awarded the Paul Dudley White Award for his significant contributions to the field of cardiovascular health. [49]

In 2023 The 200 Foundation (a Massachusetts based charity organization) named Bucyk their Honoree of the year, for his consistent contributions to charity and local organizations in Massachusetts. [50] In addition the Bay state brewing company made a limited addition Johnny Bucyk #9 beer with the proceeds going to the charity. [51]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1951–52Edmonton Maple LeafsAJHL
1951–52 Edmonton Oil Kings WCJHL10000
1952–53Edmonton Oil KingsWCJHL39191231241251614
1953–54Edmonton Oil KingsWCJHL33293867382128174530
1953–54 Edmonton Flyers WHL 22022
1953–54 Edmonton Oil Kings M-Cup 1414102410
1954–55 Edmonton FlyersWHL703058885791677
1954–55Edmonton Flyers Ed-Cup 723522
1955–56 Detroit Red Wings NHL 3818918101128
1955–56 Edmonton FlyersWHL60009
1956–57 Detroit Red WingsNHL661011213950110
1957–58 Boston Bruins NHL68213152571204416
1958–59 Boston BruinsNHL692436603672466
1959–60 Boston BruinsNHL5616365226
1960–61 Boston BruinsNHL7019203948
1961–62 Boston BruinsNHL6720406032
1962–63 Boston BruinsNHL6927396636
1963–64 Boston BruinsNHL6218365436
1964–65 Boston BruinsNHL6826295524
1965–66 Boston BruinsNHL6327305712
1966–67 Boston BruinsNHL5918304812
1967–68 Boston BruinsNHL72303969830220
1968–69 Boston BruinsNHL70244266181056110
1969–70 Boston BruinsNHL763138691314118192
1970–71 Boston BruinsNHL785165116872570
1971–72 Boston BruinsNHL78325183415911206
1972–73 Boston BruinsNHL784053931250330
1973–74 Boston BruinsNHL76314475816810184
1974–75 Boston BruinsNHL782952811031010
1975–76 Boston BruinsNHL7736478320122790
1976–77 Boston BruinsNHL492023431250000
1977–78 Boston BruinsNHL53513184
NHL totals1,5405568131,369493124416210342

Statistics via Hockey Reference [3]

Achievements and facts

See also

References

  1. "100 Greatest NHL Players". NHL.com. January 1, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  2. 1 2 Coleman, Charles (1976). Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol III. Sherbrooke, PQ: Progressive Publications. p. 680.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "John Bucyk Stats". Hockey Reference. Sports Reference LLC.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hackel, Stu. "Johnny Bucyk: 100 Greatest NHL Players". NHL.com. National Hockey League.
  5. "Наш Вождь" (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
  6. Pelletier, Joe. "Johnny Bucyk". Greatest Hockey Legends.
  7. 1 2 Stubbs, Dave (June 16, 2023). "Bucyk still enjoying lifelong relationship with Bruins". National Hockey League.
  8. "M-Cup - 1953-1954". eliteprospects.com. Elite Prospects.
  9. 1 2 Coleman, Charles (1976). Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol III. Sherbrooke, PQ: Progressive Publications. p. 327.
  10. Slate, Ralph. "Edmonton Flyers 1954-55 roster and statistics". hockeydb.com. The Internet Hockey Database.
  11. Slate, Ralph. "1954-55Western Hockey League Standings". hockeydb.com. The Internet Hockey Database.
  12. Podnieks, Andrew (2000). The NHL All-Star Game: Fifty Years of the Great Tradition. Toronto, PO: HarperCollins. ISBN   0-00-200058-X.
  13. Coleman, Charles (1976). Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol III. Sherbrooke, PQ: Progressive Publications. p. 339.
  14. Vautour, Kevin (1998). The Bruins Book. Toronto: ECW Press. p. 134. ISBN   1-55022-334-8.
  15. Coleman, Charles (1976). Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol III. Sherbrooke, PQ: Progressive Publications. p. 416.
  16. Vautour, Kevin (1998). The Bruins Book. Toronto: ECW Press. p. 148. ISBN   1-55022-334-8.
  17. Vautour, Kevin (1998). The Bruins Book. Toronto: ECW Press. p. 161. ISBN   1-55022-334-8.
  18. Podnieks, Andrew (2000). The NHL All-Star Game: Fifty Years of the Great Tradition. Toronto, PO: HarperCollins. p. 200. ISBN   0-00-200058-X.
  19. Podnieks, Andrew (2000). The NHL All-Star Game: Fifty Years of the Great Tradition. Toronto, PO: HarperCollins. p. 113. ISBN   0-00-200058-X.
  20. "Bucyk Had His Own Big Goal in Cup Clincher | Boston Bruins". www.nhl.com. 2020-05-07. Retrieved 2025-08-02.
  21. Vautour, Kevin (1998). The Bruins Book. Toronto: ECW Press. p. 178. ISBN   1-55022-334-8.
  22. National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book. Toronto: Dan Diamond & Associates. 2002. p. 194. ISBN   0-920445-79-9.
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  24. Gulitti, Tom (April 21, 2022). "Ovechkin scores twice, ties Gretzky, Bossy with nine 50-goal NHL seasons". NHL.com. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  25. "1975 - John Bucyk scores his 500th NHL goal". BOSTON BRUINS ALUMNI. Retrieved 2025-08-02.
  26. "Oldest Player To Score 30 Goals In A Season". StatMuse. Retrieved 2025-08-02.
  27. Buckley, Steve (2022-12-12). "NHL99: Johnny Bucyk and the house that helped forge one of the most dangerous wingers ever". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-08-03.
  28. Vautour, Kevin (1998). The Bruins Book. Toronto: ECW Press. p. 215. ISBN   1-55022-334-8.
  29. Vautour, Kevin (1998). The Bruins Book. Toronto: ECW Press. p. 293. ISBN   1-55022-334-8.
  30. "100 Greatest NHL Players". NHL.com. January 1, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  31. "Boston Bruins Announce 2022-23 Season Awards". The Official Site of the Boston Bruins. Boston Professional Hockey Association. 25 October 2023.
  32. Canada, 1000 Towns of (2022-08-16). "Home Town of Johnny Bucyk - Creston | British Columbia". 1000 Towns of Canada. Retrieved 2025-08-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  33. Crowley, Tim (2023-11-30). "Boston Sports Legends Honored At 2023 Edition Of 'The Tradition'". NESN.com. Retrieved 2025-08-02.
  34. "USA TODAY - Breaking News and Latest News Today". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2025-08-02.
  35. "Club Directory". Boston Bruins. Boston Professional Hockey Association.
  36. "Bucyk still enjoying lifelong relationship with Bruins | NHL.com". www.nhl.com. 2023-06-17. Retrieved 2025-08-02.
  37. dafoomie (2007-02-13). Johnny Bucyk night in Boston . Retrieved 2025-08-12 via YouTube.
  38. "Ukrainian Sports Hall Of Fame And Museum - 2017 Ukrainian Sport Hall Of Fame Inductions Banquet". Ukrainian Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. 2020-01-01. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
  39. Bucyk leads float celebrating 50th anniversary of Bruins' 1972 title. 2022-11-19. Retrieved 2025-08-27 via www.wcvb.com.
  40. "Bobby Orr to take part in ceremonial puck drop for 2023 Winter Classic at Fenway Park - CBS Boston". www.cbsnews.com. 2022-12-28. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  41. "Bruins Announce All-Centennial Team | Boston Bruins". www.nhl.com. 2023-10-13. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  42. "Photos: Johnny Bucyk's 90th Birthday Celebration | Boston Bruins". www.nhl.com. 2025-05-13. Retrieved 2025-08-02.
  43. "William Bucyk". eliteprospects.com. Elite Prospects.
  44. User, Legacy. "Anne Bucyk dies". www.boston.com. Retrieved 2025-07-11.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  45. Haggerty • •, Joe (2020-05-14). "Bruins alumni help legendary Johnny Bucyk celebrate 85th birthday in style". NBC Sports Boston. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
  46. Canada, 1000 Towns of (2022-08-16). "Home Town of Johnny Bucyk - Creston | British Columbia". 1000 Towns of Canada. Retrieved 2025-08-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  47. "Bucyk to be honoured by Bruins". The Globe and Mail. 2007-02-12. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  48. "New England Teams Join Forces at Boston Children's Hospital". www.patriots.com. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  49. "Past Paul Dudley White Award Recipients". www.heart.org. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
  50. "Home | The 200 Foundation" . Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  51. Chip (2023-10-26). "Bay State Brewing is honored to support Mr. Bucyk!". Bay State Brewing Company. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  52. "Rookie Award award winners at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  53. Gulitti, Tom (April 21, 2022). "Ovechkin scores twice, ties Gretzky, Bossy with nine 50-goal NHL seasons". NHL.com. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  54. https://albertasportshallmembers.ca/home/profiles/77
  55. "Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame Recipients". www.mahockey.org. Retrieved 2025-08-16.
  56. "2016 AHHF Induction Class | Hockey Alberta". Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame (AHHF). Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  57. "100 Greatest NHL Players". NHL.com. January 1, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
Preceded by Boston Bruins captain
1966–67 & 197377
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Lady Byng Trophy
1971
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Lady Byng Trophy
1974
Succeeded by