A REGAL AFFAIR, Part 6: Many players brought NHL experience
THE FORGOTTEN STORY OF BRANDON’S PRO HOCKEY TEAM
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Here is a look at the players who skated for the Brandon Regals. They are separated by the players who spent both seasons in Brandon and those who spent a single year.
Some players may have skated in Regina with the Regals during the 1955-56 season and never suited up in Brandon.
For a player’s death date to be listed, direct online evidence had to be found of his passing. When the date couldn’t be found but the player is gone, n/a (not available) was used.
Brandon Regals defenceman Bob Chrystal is shown in a cartoon that ran in the Feb. 7, 1957 edition of The Brandon Sun. The captain, who was from Winnipeg, spent two seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings between 1948 and 1950, and played in the 1949 Memorial Cup with the club. He skated in 132 games in the National Hockey League, joining the Regals in time for the 1956-57 season for the first of his two years with the franchise. He died in 2023. (Brandon Sun files)
BOTH SEASONS
• Frank Boucher,
Kemptville, Ont.
Born: 1901. Died: 1977.
General manager
Head coach in 1955-56
After joining the Mounties for a short time, Boucher resumed his playing career and spent 14 seasons with the New York Rangers, appearing 557 regular season games, winning the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy seven times in eight years as most gentlemanly player. After he retired following the 1937–38 season, the Rangers hired him as head coach, and he actually came out of retirement for 15 games during the 1943-44 season.
He is also known for introducing the two-goalie system. After he left the Rangers following the 1953-54 season, he joined the expansion Regina Regals as head coach and GM. He handed the coaching duties to Don Raleigh for the 1956-57 campaign and later jumped back behind the bench after the team left Brandon.
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958, and served as the first commissioner of the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League, which of course was later renamed the Western Hockey League, which the Wheat Kings play in now.
• Bill Bucyk,
Drumheller, Alta., D.
Born: 1933.
1955-56: 70gp, 2g, 14a, 16p, 56pm.
1956-57: 63gp, 6g, 20a, 26p, 45pm.
The older brother of NHL legend Johnny made it to the top too but as a referee in the World Hockey Association, and was inducted into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022 for his work as an official. As a player, he spent three seasons in the Regals organization, retiring after the 1958-59 campaign.
• Elliot Chorley,
Winnipeg, F.
Born: 1931. Died: 2008.
1955-56: 66gp, 18g, 32a, 50p, 19pm.
1956-57: 69gp, 29g, 29a, 58p, 42pm.
Chorley spent his pro career in the WHL and the International Hockey league, retiring after the 1963-64 season but late playing senior with the Brandon Olympics. He was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 2023.
• Bob Chorley,
Winnipeg, LW.
Born: 1936.
1955-56: 1gp, 0g, 0a, 0p, 0pm.
1956-57: 11gp, 2g, 8a, 10p, 6pm.
After three seasons with the Flin Flon Bombers, Chorley spent three seasons in the Regals organization and then retired from pro hockey, although he continued to play senior hockey at high level. He is the younger brother of Elliot.
• Norm Johnson,
Moose Jaw, C.
Born: 1932. Died: 2016.
1955-56: 69gp, 15g, 22a, 37p, 53pm.
1956-57: 70gp, 32g, 46a, 78p, 75pm.
Johnson played 15 games with the Boston Bruins in the 1957-58 season and 61 NHL games overall but spent the majority of his career in the WHL. He retired after the 1970-71 season after winning a championship with the Portland Buckaroos.
• Ray Manson,
St. Boniface, LW.
Born: 1926. Died: 2004.
1955-56: 69gp, 35g, 28a, 63p, 22pm.
1956-57: 70gp, 40g, 43a, 83p, 18pm.
Brandon’s all-time leading scorer, who played with the Brandon Elks in 1946-47, skated in a pair of NHL games. He hung up his skates after the 1956-57 campaign.
• Bill Voss,
Wilkie, Sask., LW.
Born: 1935.
1955-56: 1gp, 0g, 0a, 0p, 0pm.
1956-57: 68gp, 14g, 21a, 35p, 28pm.
Voss stayed with the Regals for one more year after they left Brandon, eventually retiring after the 1965-66 season.
• Lucien Dechene,
Quebec City, G.
Born: 1925.
1955-56: 68gp, n/a.
1956-57: 66gp, 2.65 gaa.
He played 11 seasons in the WHL, and was named top goalie five times and the league’s most valuable player twice. He spent three seasons in the Regals organization, retiring after the 1960-61 season that he spent with the Calgary Stampeders.
1955-56 ONLY
• Don Raleigh,
Kenora, Ont., C.
Born: 1926. Died: 2012.
Player-coach:
1956-57: 68gp, 13g, 47a, 60p, 14pm.
The former member of the Brandon Elks was a long-serving member of the New York Rangers, playing 535 NHL games and posting 320 points. He spent two seasons in the Regals organization, including one after they left Brandon, serving as player-coach in 1956-57. He retired after the 1957-58 season.
• Doug Bentley,
Delisle, Sask, LW.
Born: 1916. Died: 1972.
1955-56: 60gp, 7g, 26a, 33p, 21pm.
Yes, it’s that Doug Bentley, the one who played 565 NHL games and tied the league scoring record with 73 points in 1942-43. The first-team all-star played on Chicago’s famous Pony Line with his brother Max and Bill Mosienko. He returned to Saskatoon to join the WHL’s Quakers during the 1951-52 season after suffering an injury, and after a brief return with the New York Rangers, became a player-coach back home. He ended up in Brandon for a short time after resigning as coach of the WHL’s Saskatoon Quakers. Bentley was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1964.
• Keith (Bingo) Allen,
Saskatoon, D.
Born: 1923. Died: 2014.
1955-56: 60gp, 0g, 13a, 13p, 40pm.
The season before Allen came to Brandon, he played the last of his 28 NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings. His pro career stretched from 1941-42 to 1956-57, with most of it in the American Hockey League and WHL. He jumped behind the bench, and later coached the Philadelphia Flyers and was their GM until 1983, and executive vice-president until his death.
• Bill Bobenic,
n/a, D/F/G
Born: n/a. Died: n/a.
1955-56: 4gp, 1g, 1a, 2p, 0pm.
Little is known about Bobenic, who spent the next season playing senior hockey in Ontario after his four games with the Regals.
• Gordie Cowan,
Constance, Sask., LW.
Born: 1933.
1955-56: 57gp, 5g, 10a, 15p, 14pm.
Brandon Regals forward Norm Johnson is shown in a cartoon that ran in the Feb. 23, 1957 edition of The Brandon Sun. He played 15 games in the 1957-58 season with the Boston Bruins, with the rest of the year in the American Hockey League. (Brandon Sun files)
Cowan spent most of his minor pro career in the International Hockey League, retiring after three seasons with the Calgary Spurs following the 1967-68 campaign.
• Bob Harder,
n/a., D/F/G
Born: n/a. Died: n/a.
1955-56: 2gp, 0g, 0a, 0p, 0pm.
His only appearance in online databases comes from his two games with the Regals.
• Jim (Red-Eye) Hay,
Saskatoon, D.
Born: 1931. Died: 2018.
1955-56: 70gp, 7g, 7a, 14p, 158pm.
Hay played 21 games of his 74 NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings a year before he arrived in Brandon and ended up with his name on the Stanley Cup. His long pro career finished up after the 1971-72 campaign.
• Vic Howe,
Saskatoon, RW.
Born: 1929. Died: 2015.
1955-56: 3gp, 0g, 0a, 0p, 0pm.
Howe played 33 NHL games, including 29 games with the New York Rangers a year before he joined Brandon. The younger brother of NHL legend Gordie wrapped up his pro career after the 1956-57 season.
• George Hunchuk,
Moose Jaw, D.
Born: 1927. Died: 1996.
1955-56: 15gp, 0g, 4a, 4p, 14pm.
Hunchuk was equally adept at hockey and baseball, once garnering a tryout with the Chicago Cubs and being offered a spot in their organization. He was inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame. On the ice, he played in several pro leagues, retiring from the pro game four years after his season with the Regals.
• Adolph Kukulowicz,
Winnipeg, C.
Born: 1933. Died: 2008.
1955-56: 67gp, 16g, 38a, 54p, 38pm.
He played four games with the New York Rangers in the 1952-53 and 1953-54 seasons before coming to Brandon. He retired after a year with the Canadian National Team in 1964-65.
• Bill Kyle,
Regina, C.
Born: 1924. Died: 1968.
1955-56: 66gp, 13g, 45a, 58p, 44pm.
He played three games with the New York Rangers in the 1949-50 season, and retired after the 1960-61 campaign.
• Pat Lundy,
Saskatoon, C.
Born: 1924. Died: 1999.
1955-56: 23gp, 15g, 5a, 20p, 4pm.
He played 150 NHL games with Chicago and Detroit prior to arriving in Brandon. He retired after the 1959-60 season.
• Lloyd Maxfield,
Saskatoon, C.
Born: 1936.
1955-56: 1gp, 0g, 0a, 0p, 0pm.
Maxfield was just kicking off a decade-long pro career when he got a shot with the Regals, later returning to the SJHL’s Prince Albert Mintos. He spent most of his pro career in International Hockey League, retiring after the 1966-67 campaign.
• Clarence (Curly) Melanchuk,
Oakburn, LW.
Born: 1935.
1955-56: 13gp, 4g, 2a, 6p, 19pm.
Melanchuk only played a couple of pro seasons, and then his trail goes cold.
• Jim Nicholl,
n/a., RW.
Born: n/a. Died: n/a.
1955-56: 3gp, 0g, 0a, 0p, 0pm.
Nicholl suited up with the Wheat Kings the year before, and didn’t appear to play any hockey at a high level after his call-up with the Regals.
• George Senick,
Saskatoon, LW.
Born: 1929. Died: 2003
1955-56: 66gp, 34g, 37a, 71p, 71pm.
Senick played 13 games with the New York Rangers in the 1952-53 season, but spent much of his career in the Pacific Coast Hockey League and WHL, retiring after the 1965-66 season.
• Bill Shadlock,
Brandon, D.
Born: 1929.
1955-56: 3gp, 0g, 0a, 0p, 0pm.
Shadlock’s local hockey pedigree included time with the Wheat Kings in the MJHL and the Athletics, Elks and later the Wheat Kings in the Big Six Intermediate Hockey League.
• Gordon Strate,
Edmonton, D.
Born: 1935.
1955-56: 60gp, 0g, 6a, 6p, 64pm.
Strate spent five games with the Detroit Red Wings after his season in Brandon, and went on to play 61 NHL games, retiring after the 1961-62 season.
• Gord Stratton,
Winnipeg, RW.
Born: 1934. Died: 2015
1955-56: 50gp, 16g, 17a, 33p, 25pm.
After playing with the MJHL’s Winnipeg Black Hawks in 1951-52, he launched a long pro career spent primarily in the old Eastern Hockey League. He retired after the 1971-72 season.
• Dale Sweany,
Miami, Man., LW.
Born: 1932. Died: n/a.
1955-56: 58gp, 8g, 19a, 27p, 18pm.
Sweany spent parts of five seasons in the WHL, retiring after the 1955-56 season.
Brandon Regals goaltender Lucien Dechene is shown in a cartoon that ran in the Dec. 14, 1956 edition of The Brandon Sun. The team’s star netminder was named the Western Hockey League top goalie five times and was the WHL MVP twice. He spent three seasons with the Regals organization, and played four more seasons after they left Brandon. (Brandon Sun files)
• Murray Wilkie,
Rodville, Sask., LW.
Born: 1932.
1955-56: 54gp, 15g, 9a, 24p, 112pm.
Wilkie, who grew up in Neepawa, suited up with the Wheat Kings back in 1951-52 and went on to a long minor pro career, retiring after the 1968-69 season. He is now in the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.
1956-57 ONLY
• Bob Chrystal,
Winnipeg, D.
Born: 1930. Died: 2023.
1956-57: 69gp, 6g, 9a, 15p, 68pm.
The former Brandon Wheat King played two full seasons with the New York Rangers prior to two years with the Regals starting in 1956-57. He was team captain in the championship seaso, and enshrined into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995.
• Les Colwill,
Divide, Sask., RW.
Born: 1935.
1956-57: 68gp, 29g, 26a, 55p, 23pm.
He played 69 NHL games with the New York in the 1958-59 season after two years with the Regals, and retired after the 1959-60 season.
• Les Lilley,
Kimberley, B.C., LW.
Born: 1933.
56-57, 63gp, 27g, 31a, 58p, 8pm.
The well-travelled Lilley split his pro career between the WHL and the Eastern Hockey League, retiring after the 1963-64 campaign.
• Eldred Kobussen,
Vanscoy, Sask., LW.
Born: 1925. Died: 2002.
1956-57: 16gp, 2g, 5a, 7p, 10pm.
Kobussen retired during the 1956-57 season after a long pro career started that in 1943-44 and was played almost entirely in the WHL and American Hockey League.
• Len Haley,
Edmonton, RW.
Born: 1931. Died: 2024.
1956-57: 69gp, 21g, 33a, 54p, 77pm.
Within a couple years of his time in Brandon, Haley played 30 games with the Detroit Red Wings. His long pro career ended after the 1971-72 season.
• Howie Yanosik,
Bracken, Sask., D.
Born: 1933.
1956-57: 67gp, 8g, 24a, 32p, 50pm.
Yanosik went on to play played 605 games for the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears, retiring after the 1966-67 season. The Lethbridge resident was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2015.
• Earl (Ching) Johnson,
Fort Frances, Ont., C.
Born: 1931. Died: 2015.
1956-57: n/a.
Johnson started the season in Brandon but ended up in Vancouver. There is no clear record of how many games he played in Brandon, but he suited up for one NHL game with the Detroit Red Wings in 1953-54.
• Vic Lynn,
Saskatoon, LW.
Born: 1925. Died: 2010.
1956-57: 61gp, 10g, 21a, 31p, 137pm.
Lynn’s claim to fame was that he played for all of the Original Six teams, skating in 327 NHL games. He was three years removed from the Chicago Black Hawks when he joined Brandon, and retired after the 1963-64 season.
• Lyle Willey,
Flin Flon, F.
Born: 1935. Died: 2012.
1956-57: 70gp, 4g, 16a, 20p, 70pm.
Willey, who played with his hometown Flin Flon Bombers for four seasons prior to joining Brandon, retired after two seasons with the Regals, including one after the team moved.
• Howie Milford,
Moose Jaw, D.
Born: 1929. Died: 2007.
1956-57: 58gp, 3g, 8a, 11p, 87pm.
Milford spent most of his WHL career with the Saskatoon Quakers, but played for the Regals for two seasons in 1956-57 and 1957-58. He retired after the 1968-69 season.
• Ted Hampson,
Togo, Sask., C.
Born: 1936.
1956-57: 2gp, 1g, 3a, 4p, 0pm.
The Flin Flon Bomber spent two games in Brandon, and went onto a distinguished NHL career of 676 games, with 305 more in the World Hockey Association. He played a few games with the Central Hockey League’s Oklahoma City Stars in 1980-81 at age 45 as player-coach-GM.
• Frank Kubica,
Saskatoon, G.
Born: n/a. Died: n/a.
1956-57: 1gp, n/a.
Not much can be found on Kubicka, who played in the SJHL with the Saskatoon Wesleys prior to playing 10 games with the Regals over two seasons, including one after they moved.
• Charles Woodland,
n/a., G.
Born: n/a. Died: n/a.
1956-57: 3gp, n/a.
The former Wheat Kings goaltender saw action in three games as a callup and didn’t play pro hockey after that.
» This is the sixth instalment in a 10-part series chronicling the unlikely story of Brandon’s only professional hockey team, their mid-season move to the city, their brief stay and why the Regals eventually left after the 1956-57 season. Tomorrow, the regular season champs head into the playoffs.
» pbergson@brandonsun.com