Al Suomi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Al Suomi |
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Al Suomi, in 1937 with the Chicago Hornets of the Arena Hockey League.
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| Born | October 29, 1913 Eveleth, Minnesota, U.S. |
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| Died | September 23, 2014 (aged 100) La Grange, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Chicago Black Hawks | ||
| Playing career | 1936–1937 | ||
Albert William Suomi (born October 29, 1913 – died September 23, 2014) was an American ice hockey player. He played in the NHL for the Chicago Black Hawks during the 1936–37 NHL season. Even though he didn't plan to become a professional player, Al Suomi loved playing hockey. He was eventually noticed by a scout while playing with his friends.
Suomi started his hockey career in 1934 with the Chicago Baby Ruth team. This team was a marketing idea from the company that made the Baby Ruth candy bar. In 1936, he joined a smaller league team in Detroit, Michigan. Because of his time with the Chicago Baby Ruth team, he was considered too professional to play for the 1936 United States Olympic ice hockey team.
Suomi's only season in the NHL happened because of another marketing idea. The manager of the Chicago Black Hawks decided to bench all his Canadian players. He wanted a team made up only of American players. Suomi was chosen from many new players to join the team. But after five games, this idea was stopped, and professional players returned. Suomi retired from hockey in 1940. He worked several small jobs before opening his own hardware store in Chicago. By 2007, Suomi was the last player alive from that 1936–37 all-American Chicago Black Hawks team. After Louis Holmes passed away in 2010, Suomi became the oldest living former NHL player. He is also thought to be the first former NHL player to live to be 100 years old.
Early Life and Discovering Hockey
Al Suomi was born on October 29, 1913, in Eveleth, Minnesota. His family was working-class, and his father had moved from Finland. Even though Al didn't dream of playing professional ice hockey, he started practicing at local rinks when he was young. He was very good as a left winger. As a teenager, he played hockey in both high school and college. His brother, John Suomi, also played hockey in a smaller league in Virginia.
In 1934, during the Great Depression, Al and two friends met a scout named Jack Manley. Manley offered them a chance to play professional hockey in Chicago. Suomi had only one hour to catch the bus to Minneapolis. He decided he had nothing to lose. He packed his things in a cardboard box and went to the bus station.
Hockey Career Highlights
For the 1934–35 season, Suomi played for the Chicago Baby Ruth team. This team was part of the United States Amateur Hockey Association league. He played in two playoff games and scored two goals. The team was a marketing idea for the Curtis Candy Company. They played before Chicago Black Hawks games to help get more people to watch. Suomi made the team, but his two friends did not, and they went back to Minnesota.
For the next season, 1935–36, he moved to Michigan. He joined the Detroit Tool Shop team in the Michigan-Ontario Hockey League. He was given a chance to try out for the 1936 Olympic ice hockey team for the United States. However, because he had played for the Chicago Baby Ruth team, he was told he was too professional for the amateur Olympic team. He played 17 regular season games for the Detroit Tool Shop. He scored eight goals and made five assists, totaling 13 points. He also spent six penalty minutes during the regular season. In the playoffs, he played four games and had one assist.
In 1936, Suomi and other players from his league took jobs in Denver. But Al received an invitation to try out for the Chicago Black Hawks. He accepted, even though his employer threatened to sue him. This was another marketing idea by Black Hawks owner Frederic McLaughlin. He had benched all his Canadian players. He said he wanted a team made up only of players born in the United States.
The 1936–37 season was Suomi's only season in the National Hockey League. He played five games with the Black Hawks but did not score any points. After four wins and one loss, Suomi and the other American players were let go. They were replaced by the professional players.
Some records show that Suomi spent the rest of the 1936–37 season with the Detroit Pontiacs. This team was also in the Michigan-Ontario Hockey League. In 20 games, he scored only two points and spent 14 minutes in the penalty box. However, in an interview in 2002, he said he never played for that team. His last season in hockey was with the Chicago Hornets of the Arena Hockey League.
Life After Hockey
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After the Arena Hockey League stopped in 1940, Suomi started working as an referee. But he soon stopped doing that. He then worked as a welder and an electrician. He was not called to serve in World War II. Later, he opened his own business called "Al's Hardware" in Countryside, Illinois. His children eventually took over running the store.
By 2007, Al Suomi was the last living member of that special all-American Black Hawks team. After Louis Holmes passed away in March 2010, Al Suomi became the oldest living former NHL player. He held this title until he passed away at the age of 100 on September 23, 2014.
