Don Willson

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Don Willson
Born (1913-01-13)January 13, 1913
Chatham, Ontario, Canada
Died March 23, 1967(1967-03-23) (aged 54)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 157 lb (71 kg; 11 st 3 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Montreal Canadiens
Earls Court Rangers
Playing career 1935–1948

Donald Walter Willson (January 13, 1913 – March 23, 1967) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He played 22 games in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens during the 1937–38 and 1938–39 seasons. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1935 to 1948, was mainly spent in the minor leagues.

Biography

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Willson was born in Chatham, Ontario, but grew up in Bradford, Ontario.[1] In 1929 he joined the junior hockey team the Newmarket Redmen, and played with them in the Memorial Cup four times, winning in 1933. He moved on to the Toronto St. Michael's Majors in 1933 and was a member of the 1934 Memorial Cup-winning team.

In 1934, Willson entered senior hockey with the Oshawa Chevies for a season, then moved to England to play in the English National League with the Earls Court Rangers for two seasons.

Willson returned to North America for the 1937–38 season, when Willson played for the Verdun Maple Leafs and 18 games for the Montreal Canadiens. Willson played a further four games for the Canadiens in the 1938–39 season. Willson played the rest of the season for the New Haven Eagles and a further three seasons for the Eagles before Willson enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force for wartime service.

Willson returned after World War II and played four seasons of organized senior ice hockey before retiring in 1949. Willson died at a Toronto hospital in 1967 at the age of 54.[2]

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
1931–32 Newmarket Royals Exhib 7 6 0 6 2 — — — — —
1931–32 Newmarket Redmen M-Cup — — — — — 6 11 1 12 —
1932–33 Newmarket Royals Exhib 17 15 5 20 — — — — — —
1932–33 Newmarket Redmen M-Cup — — — — — 19 7 2 9 10
1933–34 St. Michael's Majors OHA 8 9 9 18 0 3 1 1 2 0
1933–34 St. Michael's Majors M-Cup — — — — — 11 7 12 19 8
1934–35 Oshawa Chevies OHA 15 10 6 16 8 — — — — —
1935–36 Earls Court Rangers ENL — 22 16 38 — — — — — —
1936–37 Earls Court Rangers ENL 38 37 28 65 16 — — — — —
1937–38 Montreal Canadiens NHL 18 2 7 9 0 3 0 0 0 0
1937–38 Verdun Maple Leafs QSHL 14 9 13 22 2 — — — — —
1938–39 Montreal Canadiens NHL 4 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1938–39 New Haven Eagles IAHL 42 10 10 20 2 — — — — —
1939–40 New Haven Eagles IAHL 54 12 32 44 6 3 0 3 3 —
1940–41 New Haven Eagles AHL 49 11 19 30 6 — — — — —
1941–42 New Haven Eagles AHL 53 16 24 40 10 2 0 1 1 0
1942–43 Toronto RCAF OHA Sr 9 7 9 16 2 2 1 0 1 2
1945–46 Toronto Staffords OHA Sr 16 18 9 27 4 10 6 10 16 0
1946–47 Toronto Staffords OHA Sr 24 2 5 7 20 5 1 2 3 2
1947–48 Toronto Marlboros OHA Sr 11 0 2 2 5 — — — — —
IAHL/AHL totals 198 49 85 134 24 2 0 1 1 0
NHL totals 22 2 7 9 0 3 0 0 0 0

References

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  1. ^ Date of birth per records at Trull Funeral Home, Yonge Street, Toronto
  2. ^ Obituary, The Globe and Mail, March 23, 1967, pg. 38
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