Johnny Gottselig was a major player in the early history of the Chicago Blackhawks. Not a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Gottselig was a Chicago team leader in the 1930’s, serving as team captain for several years and helping the Blackhawks to their first two Stanley Cup championships. He is also known as one of the first Russia born players to appear in the National Hockey League.
Johnny Gottselig – Junior and Minor Pro
Although born in Odessa in the Russia Empire on June 24, 1906, Gottselig moved to Saskatchewan at a young age. It was with the Regina Pats that he enjoyed early hockey success and got noticed as an NHL prospect.
In 1924-25, Johnny led the Pats to a berth in the Memorial Cup finals. The series was held in Toronto at the Arena Gardens (aka Mutual Street Arena) and consisted of a two game, total goal battle between Regina and Toronto Aura Lee. Regina came out on top with seven goals to Toronto’s three. It was the first Memorial Cup championship for the Pats.
Mutual Street Arena was opened in 1912 and was the home of the Toronto Arenas / St. Pats / Maple Leafs until the end of the 1930-31 season when the Maple Leaf Gardens opened for business. Mutual Street Arena was demolished in 1989.
Prior to joining the Blackhawks, Gottselig played a year in the AHA with the Winnipeg Maroons in 1927-28. He returned to the AHA for part of the 1940-41 season and all of 1941-42 with the Kansas City Americans.
In 1941-42, Johnny acted as head coach of the Americans while leading the team with 25 goals and 35 assists for 60 points over 40 regular season games. Gottselig played fourth in the AHA for points. Kansas City placed first in the four team South Division and second overall in the eight team league. The Americans reached the finals before being swept in three games by the Omaha Knights.
Johnny Gottselig – NHL
Gottselig played in the NHL from 1928-29 to 1944-45, all with the Blackhawks. The young franchise had just played their first season in the National Hockey League a few years before in 1926-27. Over his career, Johnny played 590 regular season games, scoring 176 goals and assisting on 195 for 371 points. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Gottselig played an additional 43 games, adding 26 points.
In his third season, 1930-31, Johnny led Chicago with 20 goals and 32 points. His goal total placed him tied for ninth in the NHL with Marty Barry of the Boston Bruins. The Blackhawks reached the Stanley Cup finals before falling to the Montreal Canadiens, three games to two.
Chicago was back in the finals in 1933-34, this time winning their first ever Stanley Cup championship. The Blackhawks beat the Detroit Red Wings three games to one with two games decided in overtime.
In 1937-38, Chicago was the playoff powerhouse again. The Blackhawks won their second championship, beating the Toronto Maple Leafs three games to one in the finals. It was a historic season as that Chicago team remains the Stanley Cup champion with the worst regular season record. The Hawks won just 14 of 48 games while losing 25 and tying nine for 37 points. Gottselig led the team in the playoffs with five goals and eight points over ten games.
Johnny’s top offensive season came in 1938-39. He scored 16 goals and assisted on 23 for 39 points over 48 games. He tied for ninth in the NHL for goals with Nels Stewart of the New York Americans and Syd Howe of the Detroit Red Wings. His 23 assists tied him for seventh with Toe Blake of the Habs and Ott Heller of the New York Rangers. Gottselig placed eighth for points.
Johnny Gottselig served as team captain of the Chicago Blackhawks from 1935-36 to 1939-40. He passed away at the age of 80 in 1986.
Johnny Gottselig – Coach
His duties as player / coach of the Kansas City Americans served as training to become the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks. His transition from player to coach was pretty much seamless, taking over the head coaching job midway through the 1944-45 season. Chicago placed fifth in the six team league that year and did not qualify for the post season.
In 1945-46, the Blackhawks improved to third seed. However, Chicago met up with the powerful Montreal Canadiens in the opening round. Montreal swept the series in four games, outscoring Chicago 26-7.
In his final full season as head coach of the Blackhawks, Gottselig’s team finished dead last in the six team league with just 42 points in 60 games. Chicago placed eight points behind the fifth place Rangers and out of the playoffs. Despite their record, the Blackhawks had the highest average attendance in the NHL by over 2,300 per game.
After a dismal start ot the 1947-48 season, Johnny was replaced 28 games in by Charlie Conacher.
Johnny Gottselig – Rookie Card
The Johnny Gottselig rookie card appears as number 80 in the 1935-36 O-Pee-Chee V304C set. Even the hockey card world doesn’t truly appreciate Gottselig. The rookie card is rated as a common card with a book value of around $150.
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1926-27 | Regina Capitals | PrHL | 32 | 23 | 7 | 30 | 21 |
| 1927-28 | Winnipeg Maroons | AHA | 39 | 14 | 5 | 19 | 24 |
| 1928-29 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 44 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 26 |
| 1929-30 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 39 | 21 | 4 | 25 | 28 |
| 1930-31 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 42 | 20 | 12 | 32 | 14 |
| 1931-32 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 44 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 28 |
| 1932-33 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 41 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 6 |
| 1933-34 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 48 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 4 |
| 1934-35 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 48 | 19 | 18 | 37 | 16 |
| 1935-36 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 41 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 4 |
| 1936-37 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 47 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 10 |
| 1937-38 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 48 | 13 | 19 | 32 | 22 |
| 1938-39 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 48 | 16 | 23 | 39 | 15 |
| 1939-40 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 39 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 7 |
| 1940-41 | Kansas City Americans | AHA | 13 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 2 |
| 1940-41 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| 1941-42 | Kansas City Americans | AHA | 40 | 25 | 35 | 60 | 22 |
| 1942-43 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 10 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 12 |
| 1943-44 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 45 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 6 |
| 1944-45 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NHL Totals | 590 | 176 | 195 | 371 | 203 |