To write this article on Metro Prystai was originally solely decided on the fact that he willingly allowed Parkhurst to print his name as ‘Meatball’ on his 1951-52 rookie card. The art of the nickname has long been lost in the sporting world. These days, we’re way too often limited to the first syllable of guys last name, followed by either ‘sie or just ‘s – maybe even the odd time ‘er. That was one great feature of that 1951-52 set in that nicknames were printed for a number of players.
It turns out, Prystai was much, much more than a cool nickname – or an overall cool and unusual name. He played in two Memorial Cup finals as a junior and won two Stanley Cup championships in the National Hockey League. One year, he even made a decent run at the goal scoring lead and the Art Ross Trophy.
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Metro Prystai – Junior and Minor Pro
Hailing from Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Prystai played his junior hockey in the SJHL with the Moose Jaw Canucks. He played four years from 1943-44 to 1946-47. In his second year, the Canucks beat the Winnipeg Monarchs for the Abbott Cup championship as top junior team in Western Canada. At the Memorial Cup finals, held at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Moose Jaw fell in five games to St. Michael’s.
After losing in the Abbott Cup semi-finals to the Edmonton Canadians in 1945-46, Moose Jaw was once again at the top of their game in 1946-47. The Canucks won the Abbott Cup over the Brandon Elks, but it wasn’t easy. The series went eight games with one game resulting in a tie. At one point, Brandon had a three games to one lead over Moose Jaw but the Canucks stormed back with three straight victories.
At the Memorial Cup finals, jointly held in Winnipeg, Moose Jaw and Regina, Prystai and the Canucks once again faced off against St. Michael’s. The team from Toronto easily handled Moose Jaw, winning the series in four games and outscoring their opponents 29-7. St. Mike’s was coached by legendary Joe Primeau and had future stars like Red Kelly and Fleming Mackell on the ice.
As for the minors, Metro played minimally at the end of his career. In 1957-58, he appeared in 21 games for the Edmonton Flyers in the WHL, while splitting the season with the Detroit Red Wings. In 1958-59, he played just four more games with Edmonton before hanging up the blades.
Metro Prystai – NHL
Jumping right to the NHL out of junior, Prystai played from 1947-48 to 1957-58 with the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. He appeared in 674 regular season games, scoring 151 and assisting on 179 for 330 points. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Metro added 26 points over 43 games.
Metro Prystai Collection:
Prystai’s career was odd in that he beat a path between Chicago and Detroit. After starting his NHL career with the Blackhawks, he was traded to the Red Wings for the start of the 1950-51 season. He was returned to Chicago early in the 1954-55 season before getting traded back to Detroit early in 1955-56. That first transaction between the two teams was a blockbuster with Bob Goldham, Jim Henry and Gaye Stewart travelling with Metro to Detroit in exchange for Pete Babando, Al Dewsbury, Harry Lumley, Jack Stewart and Don Morrison.
1949-50 was easily Prystai’s best season on an individual basis. Over 65 games with the Blackhawks, he scored 29 and assisted on 22 for 51 points. At the time, each team played a 70 game schedule. His 29 goals placed Metro fourth in the NHL behind Rocket Richard, Gordie Howe and Sid Abel. His 51 points tied Prystai for ninth in the race for the Art Ross Trophy with Chicago teammate Bep Guidolin. The Hawks didn’t benefit, though. With some terrible defense, Chicago finished dead last in the six team league.
Prystai’s first Stanley Cup championship came in 1951-52 as the Red Wings took out the Montreal Canadiens in the finals. Metro, Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay led Detroit with seven points each. Two years later, Detroit again beat out the Habs in the finals for Prystai’s second Stanley Cup championship. In 1955-56, Metro would play in one last finals series but this time the Canadiens had the upper hand.
Metro Prystai – Head Coach
In his only year as head coach in professional hockey, Prystai was behind the bench for the 1959-60 Omaha Knights in the IHL. The team managed just 15 wins and 35 points over 67 regular season games, finished eighth in the eight team league. Fred Shero’s St. Paul Saints were all the rage that year and won the championship. Interestingly, a Walter Prystai played a single game in net for the Knights that year, his only game in pro hockey. All I know is that it was not Metro’s son…
Prystai then returned to where it all started, the SJHL. For three years, from 1960-61 to 1962-63, he was head coach of his beloved Moose Jaw Canucks. He helped mold Larry Mickey into a National Hockey League player over those three years. Mickey went on to play 292 games in the NHL, spread out over seven teams (Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres).
Metro spent two more years in the SJHL coaching the Melville Millionaires in 1963-64 and 1964-65.
Metro Prystai – Rookie Card
The Metro Prystai rookie card appears as number 65 in the 1951-52 Parkhurst set. He is shown with the Detroit Red Wings and the card is valued as a common. Prystai would be on the front of just four more hockey cards during his playing career, three more with Parkhurst and one with Topps. In 1954-55, he was featured in the sets of both Parkhurst and Topps.
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1947-48 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 54 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 25 |
| 1948-49 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 59 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 19 |
| 1949-50 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 65 | 29 | 22 | 51 | 31 |
| 1950-51 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 62 | 20 | 17 | 37 | 27 |
| 1951-52 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 69 | 21 | 22 | 43 | 16 |
| 1952-53 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 16 | 34 | 50 | 12 |
| 1953-54 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 26 |
| 1954-55 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 12 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| 1954-55 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 57 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 28 |
| 1955-56 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| 1955-56 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 63 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 10 |
| 1956-57 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 16 |
| 1957-58 | Edmonton Flyers | WHL | 21 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 6 |
| 1957-58 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 1958-59 | Edmonton Flyers | WHL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| NHL Totals | 674 | 151 | 179 | 330 | 231 |