I was adding some 1958-59 Topps hockey cards to the VHCR virtual collection the other day and the back of one card caught my attention. It was the number 27 card of Nick Mickoski of the Detroit Red Wings. In that little info blurb on the back it said, “Nick’s an avowed bachelor, says hockey and marriage don’t mix”.
I thought to myself, I have no idea who Nick Mickoski was but this would seem to be a man that was dedicated to the game. Considering he was a decade into his NHL career at the time, I wondered if maybe he just didn’t like women. Not the case, Mickoski did eventually marry. Nick passed away in 2002 with Leona Anne Mickoski preceding him to the grave in 1990.
Nick Mickoski – The Player
It turns out, this guy I never heard of had a pretty decent hockey career. Mickoski played a bit of junior in the OHA with the St. Catherines Falcons in 1943-44. It was the first year in franchise history. The Falcons changed names to the Teepees then Black Hawks before relocating as the Niagara Falls Flyers, North Bay Centennials and eventually to their current location as the Saginaw Spirit.
Nick saw his first NHL action in 1947-48, playing two Stanley Cup playoff games for the New York Rangers. He became a regular the year after and stayed in the National Hockey League until the 1959-60 season. Over that time, he played in 703 regular season games, scoring 158 goals and assisting on 185 for 343 points. Playing for the Ranger, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins at all the wrong times meant that Mickoski appeared in just 18 playoff games, totalling seven points.
12 of those 18 playoff games came in 1949-50 with the Rangers. New York placed fourth in the six team league during the regular season, capturing the final playoff spot. The Blue Shirts then upset the second place Montreal Canadiens in the opening round, four games to one. In the finals, it took the first place, and heavily favoured, Red Wings the full seven games to eliminate the Rangers. Three games, including game seven, were decided in overtime.
Nick Mickoski Collection
Nick was part of a pretty big time trade in November of 1954. He, along with Allan Stanley, were traded from New York to Chicago in exchange for Pete Conacher and Bill Gadsby.
After leaving the NHL after the 1959-60 season, Mickoski carried on for several years in the Western Hockey League. The pinnacle of his career came in 1962-63 with the San Francisco Seals. Over 68 regular season games, Nick scored 41 and assisted on 54 for 95 points.
He placed third in the WHL for goals, fifth for assists and second, just two points behind Guyle Fielder of the Seattle Totems for the scoring lead. The Seals and the Totems were by far the top two teams in the WHL during the regular season and would meet in the playoff finals. San Francisco won the championship in a series that went the full seven games, despite being outscored by Seattle 25-24.
Not a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Nick is, however a member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum and the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. He was listed as number 77 in the 2009 book ‘100 Rangers Greats’.
Nick Mickoski – The Coach
In 1963-64 and 1964-65, Nick got his first taste of coaching, acting as player/coach with the Seals. He spent one year as head coach of the Winnipeg Jets in the WCHL. The junior Jets finished sixth out of eight teams that year.
In 1972-73 and 1973-74 he was once again behind the bench of the Winnipeg Jets but this time as assistant coach and this time in the World Hockey Association. The head coach was also the star player in Bobby Hull. In the first year, the inaugural season of the WHA, the Jets placed first in the Western Division and reached the finals before losing to the New England Whalers in five games.
In 1973-74, coaching and being the franchise player took a toll on Hull and the team slipped to fourth in the Western Division. The Jets were swept by the Howe Family and the Houston Aeros in the opening round, outscored 23-9 in the series and 10-1 in game three. Houston went on to capture the championship.
The following year, Nick was gone and Rudy Pilous was head coach in Winnipeg. Pilous coached the Chicago Black Hawks to a Stanley Cup championship in 1960-61 with Bobby Hull, of course, leading the way. Pilous didn’t last the full season in Winnipeg and Mickoski didn’t return to coaching.
Nick Mickoski – Rookie Card
That Nick Mickoski 1958-59 Topps hockey card with a bit of marriage advice for hockey players is valued as nothing more than a common card. The Nick Mickoski rookie card appears as number 97 in the famed 1951-52 Parkhurst set and is also relegated to common card status.
Nick Mickoski Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1946-47 | Stratford Kroehlers | OHA | 16 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 34 |
| 1946-47 | New York Rovers | EHL | 25 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 8 |
| 1947-48 | New York Rovers | EHL | 10 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 10 |
| 1947-48 | New York Rovers | QSHL | 30 | 25 | 16 | 41 | 16 |
| 1947-48 | New Haven Ramblers | AHL | 22 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 4 |
| 1947-48 | New York Rangers | NHL | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1948-49 | New York Rangers | NHL | 54 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 20 |
| 1949-50 | New York Rangers | NHL | 47 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 10 |
| 1949-50 | New Haven Ramblers | AHL | 23 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 7 |
| 1950-51 | New York Rangers | NHL | 64 | 20 | 15 | 35 | 12 |
| 1951-52 | New York Rangers | NHL | 43 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 20 |
| 1951-52 | Cincinnati Mohawks | AHL | 22 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 15 |
| 1952-53 | New York Rangers | NHL | 70 | 19 | 16 | 35 | 39 |
| 1953-54 | New York Rangers | NHL | 68 | 19 | 16 | 35 | 22 |
| 1954-55 | New York Rangers | NHL | 18 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 6 |
| 1954-55 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 52 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 42 |
| 1955-56 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 70 | 19 | 20 | 39 | 52 |
| 1956-57 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 70 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 24 |
| 1957-58 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 28 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 20 |
| 1957-58 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 37 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 30 |
| 1958-59 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 66 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 20 |
| 1959-60 | Providence Reds | AHL | 48 | 29 | 22 | 51 | 6 |
| 1959-60 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1960-61 | Winnipeg Warriors | WHL | 69 | 25 | 24 | 49 | 16 |
| 1961-62 | San Francisco Seals | WHL | 70 | 31 | 48 | 79 | 24 |
| 1962-63 | San Francisco Seals | WHL | 68 | 41 | 54 | 95 | 20 |
| 1963-64 | San Francisco Seals | WHL | 68 | 20 | 37 | 57 | 28 |
| 1964-65 | San Francisco Seals | WHL | 60 | 13 | 33 | 46 | 24 |
| NHL Totals | 705 | 158 | 184 | 342 | 319 |