Not a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame like his older brother Tiny Thompson, Paul Thompson does have his name scribbled all over the Stanley Cup. In fact, Paul played for both the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks first ever Stanley Cup winning teams.
The winning started in junior when his Calgary Canadians won the Memorial Cup and ended with the Vancouver Canucks when he coached the team to a PCHL championship.
Playing Career
Coaching Career
Rookie Card
Career Stats
Paul Thompson – Playing Career
Paul Thompson spent two years playing junior hockey for his hometown Calgary Canadians in 1924-25 and 1925-26. In his second season, the Canadians reached the Memorial Cup finals and faced off against Queen’s University on neutral ground in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The series was played at Shea’s Amphitheatre, a 5,000 seat venue that was demolished in 1956, a year after the Winnipeg Arena rendered it obsolete. The Canadians came out on top in the best of three series with Queen’s winning just one game.
Paul Thompson played in the National Hockey League from 1926-27 to 1938-39. He played for the New York Rangers until the end of the 1930-31 season and finished his career with the Chicago Blackhawks. Over his career, Thompson played 582 regular season games, scoring 153 and assisting on 179 for 332 points. He played an additional 48 games in the Stanley Cup playoffs, adding 22 points.
Three times, Thompson played for a Stanley Cup champion. None of the three teams were considered a favourite to win the title. In 1927-28, the Rangers finished second in the five team American Division and fifth overall in the ten team league.
The Lester Patrick coached team then reached the finals and a showdown with the now defunct Montreal Maroons. Despite being outscored 6-5 in the best of five series, New York came out on top 3-2. All five games were played in Montreal as Madison Square Garden was booked up with the circus. It was the first ever Stanley Cup championship for the franchise.
With the 1933-34 Chicago Blackhawks, Thompson led the team in goals and points during the regular season. He tied for sixth in the NHL for goals with Eddie Burke of the New York Americans, Busher Jackson of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Baldy Northcott of the Montreal Maroons. Paul was tenth in the NHL for points.
With teammates Art Coulter, Johnny Gottselig and Lionel Conacher, the Blackhawks finished second in the four team American Division and third overall in the nine team NHL. Chicacgo met Detroit in the finals and won the series three games to one. It was Chicago’s first ever Stanley Cup championship.
The 1937-38 Chicago Blackhawks were at best infamous Stanley Cup champions. The team won just 14 of 48 games over the regular season and totalled just 37 points. Chicago was third in the four team American Division and sixth of eight in the NHL. Yet, the Blackhawks plowed through to the finals and took out the Toronto Maple Leafs three games to one. That year, Thompson led the Blackhawks in goals, assists and points. He placed third in the NHL for both goals and points.
On an individual basis, 1935-36 stands as one of Thompson’s best years. Over 45 games, he scored 17 and assisted on 23 for 40 points. He placed seventh in the NHL for goals and tied for fourth for assists with Herbie Lewis of the Red Wings. In the overall scoring race, Paul tied for second with Marty Barry of Detroit, five points behind Sweeney Schriner of the New York Americans. Thompson was named a Second Team All-Star.
Paul Thompson – Coaching Career
33 games into his final year as a player in the National Hockey League, 1938-39, Paul Thompson jumped behind the bench to take over the head coaching role for the Blackhawks from Bill Stewart. He coached Chicago until being replaced by longtime teammate Johnny Gottselig during the 1944-45 campaign.
In 1943-44, Thompson nearly had another Stanley Cup championship. Once again, the Blackhawks were not a favourite, finishing the regular season fourth of six with 49 points over 50 games. Chicago upset the second place Red Wings in the opening round, four games to one. However, the 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens are still today considered one of the best hockey teams of all-time. Montreal easily swept the Blackhawks in the finals.
Paul finished up his pro coaching career with two years behind the bench of the Vancouver Canucks in the PCHL, 1945-46 and 1946-47. The 1945-46 Canucks finished first in the four team North Division and first overall in the nine team PCHL. It should be noted that the teams in the North played 58 games each while the teams in the South played just 40 games each.
In the PCHL finals, Vancouver met the Hollywood Wolves, a farm team of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. On the roster for Hollywood was a young Bill Barilko. Despite the presence of a future, yet short lived star, the Wolves fell to the Canucks in five games.
Paul Thompson – Rookie Card
The Paul Thompson rookie card appears as number 50 in the 1933-34 V129 set. Thompson is shown as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. The card has a book value of $200, slightly higher than the lowest valued cards at $150. The highest valued card in the set is at a whopping $15,000.
Paul Thompson Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1926-27 | New York Rangers | NHL | 43 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 12 |
| 1927-28 | New York Rangers | NHL | 41 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 22 |
| 1928-29 | New York Rangers | NHL | 44 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 38 |
| 1929-30 | New York Rangers | NHL | 44 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 36 |
| 1930-31 | New York Rangers | NHL | 44 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 36 |
| 1931-32 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 48 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 34 |
| 1932-33 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 48 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 27 |
| 1933-34 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 48 | 20 | 16 | 36 | 17 |
| 1934-35 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 48 | 16 | 23 | 39 | 20 |
| 1935-36 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 45 | 17 | 23 | 40 | 19 |
| 1936-37 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 47 | 17 | 18 | 35 | 28 |
| 1937-38 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 48 | 22 | 22 | 44 | 14 |
| 1938-39 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 33 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 33 |
| NHL Totals | 581 | 153 | 179 | 332 | 336 |