Pentti Lund facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pentti Lund |
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Lund with the New York Rangers during the 1949–1950 season
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| Born | December 6, 1925 Karijoki, Finland |
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| Died | April 16, 2013 (aged 87) Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | NHL Boston Bruins New York Rangers |
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| Playing career | 1943–1953 | ||
Pentti Alexander Lund (born December 6, 1925 – died April 16, 2013) was a professional ice hockey player. He was a right winger who played in the NHL. Pentti played for two famous teams: the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers. Many people say he was the first Finnish player ever in the NHL. However, another player named Albert Pudas played a few games earlier. But Pentti was the first Finnish-born player to score a goal in the NHL!
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Early Life and Junior Hockey
Pentti Lund was born in Karijoki, Finland. When he was six years old, his family moved to Canada. He grew up in a place called Port Arthur, which is now part of Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Pentti started playing junior hockey there. From 1942 to 1945, he played for local teams in the Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League. He was a fantastic scorer! In two seasons with the Navy team, he scored an amazing 47 goals in just 19 regular season games. He was the top scorer in the league for two years in a row.
Starting His Pro Career
In 1945, Pentti became a professional hockey player. He joined the Boston Olympics team. This team was part of the Eastern Amateur Hockey League, which was a minor league connected to the Boston Bruins.
In his first year, he scored 33 points. He also helped his team win a championship by scoring 15 points in 9 playoff games. The next season, Pentti was even better! He led the entire league in scoring with 92 points in 56 games. Because of his great play, the Boston Bruins called him up to play one playoff game in the NHL.
In 1947, Pentti moved to another team, the Hershey Bears, in the American Hockey League. He continued to play very well. His strong performance earned him two more playoff games with the Boston Bruins.
Becoming a Star in the NHL
After that season, Pentti was traded to the New York Rangers. This was a big moment for him! In his first year with the Rangers (1948-1949), he won the Calder Memorial Trophy. This award is given to the best rookie (first-year player) in the NHL. He scored 14 goals and made 16 assists that season.
He also made history by becoming the first player born in Finland to score a goal in the NHL! In his second year with the Rangers, he scored a career-high 18 goals.
Pentti and the Rangers had an amazing run in 1950. Even though they were the fourth-place team, they made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals! Pentti played incredibly well in the playoffs, getting 11 points in 12 games. The Rangers played against the Detroit Red Wings in a very close series. They lost in the seventh and final game.
Facing Challenges and Retirement
In the middle of the 1951-1952 season, Pentti was traded back to the Boston Bruins. During this season, he had a very serious eye injury. On November 13, in his 13th game of the season, while wearing jersey number 13, he was hit by a high stick. Many people thought the number 13 brought him bad luck. The injury was so bad that he almost lost all sight in his right eye.
Pentti tried to come back and play after being out for three months. In the 1952-1953 season, he managed to get 17 points even with only one good eye. After that, he played two more seasons with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds before retiring from ice hockey in 1955.
Pentti Lund passed away on April 16, 2013, when he was 87 years old.
Amazing Achievements
Pentti Lund was a very talented player and achieved many great things:
- He led the TBJHL in scoring in both 1944 and 1945.
- He won the EAHL championship in 1946.
- He was chosen for the EAHL First All-Star Team in 1947.
- He was the EAHL Top Scorer in 1947.
- He won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1949, as the best rookie in the NHL.
- He was the first player born in Finland to score a goal in the NHL.
- He was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1984.
- He was inducted into the Finnish Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.
