Immortalized for just three of his 258 National Hockey League goals. Bill Mosienko was more than the fastest hat trick in NHL history. Mosienko was the bright light on a rather unsuccessful Chicago Blackhawks team and his career was worthy of induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Bill Mosienko – Junior and Minor Pro
A Winnipeg boy, Mosienko played his junior hockey with the Winnipeg Monarchs. His time in the minors was limited before his NHL career started. However, he left the Blackhawks after the 1954-55 season to help start up the Winnipeg Warriors WHL franchise.
Out of junior, Bill split his 1940-41 season between the Providence Reds of the American Hockey League and the Kansas City Americans of the AHA. The following year, he started the season with 33 games for Kansas City before catching on with the Blackhawks for the rest of the 1941-42 season.
Bill Mosienko Collection
Mosienko went home to Winnipeg for 1955-56 to play for the upstart Warriors. The team and Bill enjoyed immediate success. Teamed with the likes of Fred Shero and Eric Nesterenko with Ed Chadwick in net, the Warriors finished first overall in the nine team Western Hockey League.
In the 1955-56 WHL playoffs, Mosienko contributed 18 points over 14 games. The Warriors won the Lester Patrick Cup by beating the Vancouver Canucks in the finals in six games. Winnipeg then went on to win the Edinburgh Cup over the Quebec Aces for the Canadian minor pro championship.
Two years later, Mosienko ramped up his scoring with 38 goals and 36 assists for 74 points over 65 regular season games. He tied for sixth in goal scoring with teammate Howie Glover. His 74 points tied him for tenth in the league with Max McNab of the New Westminster Royals.
Despite finishing second overall in that 1957-58 season, Winnipeg was upset in the opening round. The Vancouver Canucks took the full seven games to eliminate the Warriors. Mosienko was shut down, scoring just a single goal over the seven games.
1958-59 was Bill’s last year of pro hockey. It also turned out to be one of his best on an individual level. His 42 goals placed him second in the WHL, three behind leader Lou Jankowski of the Calgary Stampeders. His 88 points placed him fourth. The Warriors were once again bounced in the opening round of the playoffs, going the full seven games before succumbing to defeat.
After he left, the Warriors went downhill. Winnipeg lasted two more years in the WHL but did not reach the post season in either season.
Bill Mosienko – NHL
Mosienko played 710 regular season games in the National Hockey League between 1941-42 to 1954-55. Over that time, he scored 258 and assisted on 282 for 540 points while sitting just 121 minutes in the penalty box. Playing his entire NHL career for the Blackhawks, Bill was limited to just 22 Stanley Cup playoff games. He added ten goals and 14 points in the post season.
1943-44 stands as one of his best, and one of Chicago’s best for the era. Mosienko tied for sixth in the NHL with 32 goals, equaling Maurice Richard of the Montreal Canadiens and Syd Howe of the Detroit Red Wings. His 38 assists tied him for tenth with Lorne Carr of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bill’s 70 points put him eighth in the race for the overall scoring title, four years before the Art Ross Trophy was introduced.
The Blackhawks, despite finishing fourth with just 49 points in 50 games, reached the Stanley Cup finals. Chicago upset the second seed Red Wings in the opening round, four games to one. They outscored Detroit 17-8 on the series. In the finals, the Canadiens, with one of the best hockey teams of all-time, swept the Blackhawks.
The 1944-45 Blackhawks, depleted by the Second World War, finished with just 33 points in 50 games, one point ahead of the last place New York Rangers. Yet, Mosienko had another outstanding season. His 28 goals were good for fifth in the NHL, his 26 assists were good for ninth and he tied for fifth with four other players with 54 points.
His zero minutes in the box earned him the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. Bill was named to the Second All-Star Team, an honour he would repeat in 1945-46.
In 1946-47, Bill continued to be the lone shining light in Chicago. He tied Syl Apps of the Maple Leafs for tenth in the NHL with 25 goals. His 27 assists were good for tenth and his 52 points tied Woody Dumart of the Bruins for ninth.
Mosienko’s swan song season came in 1951-52. He placed second overall with 31 goals, a hefty 16 behind the leader Gordie Howe. Bill tied for seventh in the race for the Art Ross Trophy with Sid Abel of the Red Wings, each with 53 points.
But, it was that game against the Rangers on March 23, 1952 that put Mosienko in the record books. Bill scored three goals in a span of just 21 seconds, a feat that has never been matched or beaten.
In 1965, Bill Mosienko was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Bill Mosienko – Rookie Card
The Bill Mosienko rookie card appears as number 49 in the iconic 1951-52 Parkhurst set. Because the hockey card business restarted so late in his career, Bill appeared on just three other cards, 1952-53 and 1953-54 Parkhurst, along with 1954-55 Topps.
The 1954-55 Topps card refers to him running a bowling alley in the off-season. In fact, he had a chain of bowling alleys in Winnipeg. The Billy Mosienko Lanes are still run members of his family today.
Bill Mosienko Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1940-41 | Providence Reds | AHL | 36 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 8 |
| 1940-41 | Kansas City Americans | AHA | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 1941-42 | Kansas City Americans | AHA | 33 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 9 |
| 1941-42 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 11 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 4 |
| 1942-43 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1943-44 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 50 | 32 | 38 | 70 | 10 |
| 1944-45 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 50 | 28 | 26 | 54 | 0 |
| 1945-46 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 40 | 18 | 30 | 48 | 12 |
| 1946-47 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 59 | 25 | 27 | 52 | 2 |
| 1947-48 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 40 | 16 | 9 | 25 | 0 |
| 1948-49 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 60 | 17 | 25 | 42 | 6 |
| 1949-50 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 69 | 18 | 28 | 46 | 10 |
| 1950-51 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 65 | 21 | 15 | 36 | 18 |
| 1951-52 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 70 | 31 | 22 | 53 | 10 |
| 1952-53 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 65 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 8 |
| 1953-54 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 65 | 15 | 19 | 34 | 17 |
| 1954-55 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 64 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 24 |
| 1955-56 | Winnipeg Warriors | WHL | 64 | 22 | 23 | 45 | 37 |
| 1956-57 | Winnipeg Warriors | WHL | 61 | 27 | 26 | 53 | 25 |
| 1957-58 | Winnipeg Warriors | WHL | 65 | 38 | 36 | 74 | 43 |
| 1958-59 | Winnipeg Warriors | WHL | 63 | 42 | 46 | 88 | 55 |
| NHL Totals | 710 | 258 | 282 | 540 | 121 |