Long before Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne, Pentti Lund was the first player born in Finland to play a game in the National Hockey League. He was also the first Finnish born player to score a goal in the NHL. Unlike Koivu and Selanne, Lund moved to Canada when he was six and learned the game on Canadian soil.
After starring in junior at Port Arthur, Ontario (Thunder Bay), Lund became property of the Boston Bruins. He spent his first two seasons as a pro, 1945-46 and 1946-47, with the Boston Olympics of the EAHL. In both those years, Boston won the Boardwalk Trophy as EAHL champions, there third and fourth of four straight.
In Pentti Lund’s second season with the Olympics, he exploded offensively. In 56 regular season games, Lund scored 49 goals and assisted on 43 for 92 points. His goal and point totals were the best in the league. The 92 points earned him the John Carlin Trophy as the top point-getter. He was, of course, named to the First All-Star Team. He also saw his first NHL action, playing one playoff game with the Bruins.
The following year saw Lund graduate to the AHL where he totalled 62 points in 68 games for the Hershey Bears. He once again played for the Bruins in the playoffs, this time appearing in two games. Despite his great potential, Boston traded Pentti to the New York Rangers for the 1948-49 season.
1948-49 was Lund’s breakout season in the NHL. With the last place Rangers, Pentti contributed 30 points in 59 regular season games and earned the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s top rookie.
Pentti Lund Collection
The following year, Lund’s numbers were down but the Rangers were much improved, finishing fourth and qualifying for the post season. New York upset the number 2 seed Montreal Canadiens in the semi-finals before falling in seven games to the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup finals. Lund scored six and assisted on five in twelve playoff games.
Lund had one more season with the Rangers before returning to Boston for the 1951-52 season. Bad luck found Pentti in the form of a stick to the eye. Almost losing the sight in his right eye, Lund missed most of the season. He returned for 1952-53 with the Bruins, playing 54 games but reaching just the 17 point mark.
By the following season, Lund’s NHL days were over. He played two more years of amateur hockey with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds before hanging up the blades for good.
Lund’s only other hockey card is number 83 in the 1952-53 Parkhurst set. That card is rated as a common card and is valued at $30. Both cards show Lund in a Bruins uniform.
Pentti was inducted into the Finnish Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.
Pentti Lund Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1945-46 | Boston Olympics | EHL | 34 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 10 |
| 1946-47 | Boston Olympics | EHL | 56 | 49 | 43 | 92 | 21 |
| 1946-47 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-48 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 68 | 26 | 36 | 62 | 21 |
| 1947-48 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-49 | New York Rangers | NHL | 59 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 16 |
| 1949-50 | New York Rangers | NHL | 64 | 18 | 9 | 27 | 16 |
| 1950-51 | New York Rangers | NHL | 59 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 6 |
| 1951-52 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 1951-52 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 23 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 1952-53 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 54 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 2 |
| NHL Totals | 259 | 44 | 55 | 99 | 40 |