Flash Hollett

Flash Hollett
Born April 13, 1911
North Sydney, NS, CAN
Died April 20, 1999 (aged 88)
Mississauga, ON, CAN
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Right
Played for Syracuse Stars (IHL)
Buffalo Bisons (IHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)
Ottawa Senators (NHL)
Boston Bruin Cubs (CAHL)
Boston Bruins (NHL)
Detroit Red Wings (NHL)
Playing career 19321946

Frank William "Bill, Flash" Hollett (April 13, 1911 in North Sydney, Nova Scotia – April 20, 1999 in Mississauga, Ontario) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings.

Playing career

Hollett was first noticed by Maple Leafs' owner Conn Smythe as he was playing lacrosse with then-Leafs captain Lionel Conacher.[1] He apprenticed in the minor leagues before being loaned to the Senators for the 1933–34 NHL season. After that - which was the original Senators' final season in Ottawa - Bill played for the Leafs for a season and a half before being sold to the Bruins for $16,000, at the time one of the highest prices ever paid for a player.

Known for his swift skating stride and strong puckhandling ability, Hollett became one of the top offensive defencemen of his day. He played for eight seasons in Boston, and was a star defenceman on the Bruins' Stanley Cup championship teams of 1939 and 1941. In 1942, he set a record for goals by a defenceman with 19, a mark he tied the following season, after which he was named to the league's Second All-Star Team.

Hollett was traded to the Red Wings midseason in 1944, and the following year broke his own mark for goals in a season by a defenceman with 20[2] en route to a citation on the league's First All-Star Team; this record would stand for a quarter-century before being surpassed by Bobby Orr.

Retirement

After his record-setting season, Hollett's offensive numbers declined sharply in 1946, with the previously war-depleted NHL regaining many former stars. In the wake of an acrimonious contract dispute with Detroit general manager Jack Adams, he was traded to the New York Rangers, but following his wife's wishes to live closer to home in Ontario, Hollett retired from the NHL.[1]

He played for five more seasons in senior leagues, most notably for the Toronto Marlboros, which he led to the Allan Cup in 1950, his last in organized hockey. He coached the Marlboros for a single season in 1951, recording a 19–12–1 record.

Hollett retired having scored 132 goals and 181 assists for 313 points in 565 NHL games; at the time of his retirement, he was the highest scoring defenceman in league history. In 79 NHL playoff games, he added 8 goals and 26 assists for 34 points. Hollett was the last member of the original-era Ottawa Senators still active at the time of his retirement.

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1932–33Syracuse StarsIHL?02216
1933–34Buffalo BisonsIHL?5498
1933–34Toronto Maple LeafsNHL41014
1933–34Ottawa SenatorsNHL30641021
1934–35Toronto Maple LeafsNHL481016263870006
1935–36Syracuse StarsIHL?2138
1935–36Boston Bruin CubsCAHL?6152124
1935–36Toronto Maple LeafsNHL111458
1935–36Boston BruinsNHL61232
1936–37Boston BruinsNHL4737102230002
1937–38Boston BruinsNHL48410145430110
1938–39Boston BruinsNHL4710172727121342
1939–40Boston BruinsNHL441018281861232
1940–41Hershey BearsAHL54262
1940–41Boston BruinsNHL429152423113478
1941–42Boston BruinsNHL481914332150112
1942–43Boston BruinsNHL501925441990994
1943–44Boston BruinsNHL2597164
1943–44Detroit Red WingsNHL27612183450006
1944–45Detroit Red WingsNHL5020214139143476
1945–46Detroit Red WingsNHL3849131650220
NHL totals 565 132 181 313 350 80 8 26 34 38

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Legends of Hockey - NHL Player Search - Player - Flash Hollett
  2. Hockey’s Book of Firsts, p.23, James Duplacey, JG Press, ISBN 978-1-57215-037-9

External links

Preceded by
Mud Bruneteau
Detroit Red Wings captain
194445
Succeeded by
Sid Abel