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Max Kaminsky (ice hockey)

Max Kaminsky
Black and white photo of a hockey player holding a hockey stick, in uniform with a number 7 on the front
Kaminsky, c. 1939
Born (1912-04-19)April 19, 1912
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Died May 5, 1961(1961-05-05) (aged 49)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Ottawa Senators
St. Louis Eagles
Boston Bruins
Montreal Maroons
Playing career 1932–1945

Max Kaminsky (April 19, 1912 – May 5, 1961) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. He played four seasons in the National Hockey League, followed by nine seasons in the American Hockey League where he won two Calder Cup championships. He later coached the Pittsburgh Hornets and Philadelphia Rockets, then led the St. Catharines Teepees to the 1960 Memorial Cup championship. The Max Kaminsky Trophy was established by the Ontario Hockey Association in his honour in 1961, and he was posthumously inducted into the Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame in 1992.

Early life

Max Kaminsky was born April 19, 1912, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, to parents Harry Kaminsky and Toby Tabacznokov. The family name was spelled Kamensky before his parents immigrated to Canada from Russia. Kaminsky's father worked as a tailor in Canada.[1] Both of his parents had Russian-Jewish heritage.[2]

Kaminsky played minor ice hockey in Niagara Falls.[3] He later played on Niagara Falls Cataracts teams which won an Ontario Hockey Association junior championship in the 1930–31 season, and a senior championship in the 1932–33 season. He also played baseball in Niagara Falls, and was scouted by several Major League Baseball teams.[4]

Playing career

Kaminsky played the centre position, and was listed as 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) and 170 pounds (77 kg).[5] In 1933, he was one of four players from the Cataracts to be signed by the Ottawa Senators in the National Hockey League (NHL).[4] He an assist in his first NHL game.[2] He subsequently played in the NHL for the St. Louis Eagles, Boston Bruins, and Montreal Maroons.[6]

Kaminsky later played in the American Hockey League (AHL). During the 1939–40 AHL season, he scored 11 goals and 29 assists, and was named a second team AHL all-star.[2] He later won two Calder Cup championships in the American Hockey League playing for the Buffalo Bisons. He was later the player-coach of the Pittsburgh Hornets.[3] In Pittsburgh, he received the Dapper Dan Award as the city's outstanding sports person.[4]

Coaching career

Kaminsky coached the Philadelphia Rockets for three seasons, then coached the Niagara Falls Cataracts in the senior ice hockey B-division of the Ontario Hockey Association for the 1955–56 season. After three seasons away from hockey, he coached the St. Catharines Teepees during the 1959–60 season.[3] During the 1960 playoffs for the George Richardson Memorial Trophy versus the Montreal Junior Canadiens, he suffered from pleurisy and was relieved on the bench on two occasions. He returned and led the Teepees to the 1960 Memorial Cup championship versus the Edmonton Oil Kings.[3]

Personal life

Kaminsky played amateur baseball during the summer, and coached youth teams in the Niagara Falls Baseball Association leagues. He played with Niagara Falls Brights seniors from 1938 to 1941, won four Niagara District championships, and Ontario Baseball Association titles in 1940 and 1941. He was also a player coach of the 1942 Niagara Falls senior team, and later played and coached in Welland, Ontario.[4]

Kaminsky was married and had three children. He lived the final 12 years of his life in Niagara Falls, New York, where he operated a restaurant. He resigned from coaching less than one month after winning the Memorial Cup, due to health issues. He died from cancer on May 5, 1961, at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.[3]

Honours and legacy

The Max Kaminsky Trophy was established by the Ontario Hockey Association in his honour in 1961, awarded to the most gentlemanly player in the junior-A series.[7] Since 1969, the trophy was awarded to the most outstanding defenceman in the Ontario Hockey League.[6]

Kaminsky was posthumously inducted into the Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame in 1992.[4]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Ornate silver bowl mounted on a two-tier black wooden plinth
The Calder Cup trophy
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1929–30 Niagara Falls Cataracts OHA Jr 6 9 4 13 2 2 5 1 6 0
1929–30 Niagara Falls Cataracts Mem-Cup — — — — — 6 7 8 15 2
1930–31 Niagara Falls Cataracts OHA Jr 7 14 15 29 0 2 3 0 3 4
1930–31 Niagara Falls Brights On-Sr. B 1 1 1 2 0 — — — — —
1931–32 Niagara Falls Cataracts OHA Sr 20 12 3 15 18 2 0 0 0 2
1932–33 Niagara Falls Cataracts OHA Sr 21 11 7 18 36 5 2 1 3 13
1932–33 Niagara Falls Cataracts Al-Cup — — — — — 6 3 1 4 2
1933–34 Niagara Falls Cataracts OHA Sr 6 5 3 8 8 — — — — —
1933–34 Ottawa Senators NHL 38 9 17 26 14 — — — — —
1934–35 St. Louis Eagles NHL 12 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1934–35 Boston Bruins NHL 38 12 15 27 4 4 0 0 0 0
1935–36 Boston Bruins NHL 36 1 2 3 20 — — — — —
1936–37 Montreal Maroons NHL 6 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1936–37 Providence Reds IAHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1936–37 New Haven Eagles IAHL 20 3 5 8 6 — — — — —
1937–38 New Haven Eagles IAHL 15 2 4 6 4 — — — — —
1937–38 Springfield Indians IAHL 31 3 4 7 14 — — — — —
1938–39 Springfield Indians IAHL 46 7 14 21 8 3 0 1 1 2
1939–40 Springfield Indians IAHL 53 11 29 40 20 3 0 2 2 0
1940–41 Springfield Indians AHL 40 13 9 22 9 3 2 0 2 0
1941–42 Springfield Indians AHL 53 18 23 41 9 5 0 2 2 0
1942–43 Buffalo Bisons AHL 42 10 36 46 6 9 2 12 14 4
1943–44 Buffalo Bisons AHL 42 7 29 36 17 9 4 2 6 2
1944–45 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 54 5 28 33 17 — — — — —
IAHL/AHL totals 398 79 181 260 110 32 8 19 27 8
NHL totals 130 22 34 56 38 4 0 0 0 0

Source:[5]

References

  1. ^ Seymour, W. J. (July 15, 1912), Schedule B, Births: County of Welland, Division of Niagara Falls, Certificate #054717, Niagara Falls, Ontario: Division registrar of Niagara Falls, p. 91
  2. ^ a b c "Kaminsky, Max". Jews In Sports. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Coached Teepees Last Season, Max Kaminsky Passes On at 49". North Bay Nugget. North Bay, Ontario. The Canadian Press. May 6, 1961. p. 12.Free access icon
  4. ^ a b c d e "Kaminsky, Max 1911–1961". Niagara Falls Heritage. Niagara Falls Public Library. 1992. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Max Kaminsky Hockey Stats and Profile". Hockey Database. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "OHL Awards: Max Kaminsky Trophy (Defenceman of the Year)". Ontario Hockey League. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  7. ^ "Award for Irish Star". Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario. The Canadian Press. April 15, 1961. p. 27.Free access icon
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