Mush March

Harold " Mush " March ( born October 18, 1908 in Silton, Saskatchewan, Canada, † January 9, 2002 in Paxton, Illinois, United States) was a Canadian ice hockey player. Between 1928 and 1945 he played for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League for the position of right winger. During this time he won with the Blackhawks in 1934 and 1938, the Stanley Cup.

Career

Harold March began his career in 1925 at the Regina Falcons. Three years later, he won with the Regina Monarchs, today's Regina Pats, the Memorial Cup in 1928. On November 29, 1928 it took the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League ( NHL) under contract. March and failed to jump from junior hockey to the NHL, which was highly unusual at the time. Nicknamed the " Mush " he received after the same name, then popular tiny cartoon character from the comic strip Dick Tracy.

In the following 17 seasons Mush March completed a total of 804 games for the Blackhawks, thereby pass him 410 points scorer. On 12 November 1931, he scored the first goal in the newly built Maple Leaf Gardens, home arena of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The puck with which he scored the hit, he kept all his life and threw it on 12 February 1999, when the last hockey game took place in the arena before the move of the Maple Leafs in the Air Canada Centre, in a solemn ceremony at the ice.

In the NHL season 1933/34 he won with the Chicago Blackhawks the Stanley Cup. March scoring in the fourth game of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Detroit Red Wings the decisive goal in overtime. As for March, it was the first win of the Cup for Chicago. In 1937 he took part on the side of the NHL All-Stars at the Howie Morenz Memorial Game. 1938 was followed by another Stanley Cup win with the Blackhawks.

Mush March ended at the end of the season 1944/45, his career as a player. In 1988, he was inducted into the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame. He died on 9 January 2002 at the age of 93 years from the effects of pneumonia. Until his death he was a long time the oldest, still living NHL player.

Awards and achievements

Career Stats

( Key to Career statistics: Sp or GP = Games Played, T or G = goals scored, V or A = achieved assists; Pts or Pts = scored points scorer, SM or PIM = received penalty minutes, / - = Plus / Minus balance sheet; PP = scored majority gates; SH = scored shorthanded goals, GW = achieved victory gates; Play-downs/Relegation 1 )