Bert Olmstead
Encyclopedia
Murray Albert Olmstead is a retired Canadian
professional ice hockey
left winger
who played for the Montreal Canadiens
, Chicago Black Hawks
and Toronto Maple Leafs
in the National Hockey League
(NHL). Olmstead began his career with the Black Hawks in 1949. In December 1950, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens via Detroit. Olmstead had his best statistical years playing for Montreal, leading the league in assists in 1954–55 with 48, and setting a league record for assists with 56 the following season. Olmstead was claimed in an Intra-League Draft by Toronto Maple Leafs in 1958, and played there until his retirement in 1962. In the 1967–68 season, Olmstead served as coach of the expansion Oakland Seals. Olmstead played in the Stanley Cup
final in 11 of his 14 seasons in the NHL, winning it five times. He won it four times with Montreal, in 1953, and from 1956 to 1958, and once with Toronto, in 1962, which was his last season. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
in 1985.
, Saskatchewan
, a small village with a population less than 200, in southwestern Saskatchewan. In 1944, at the age of 18, he moved to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, to play junior hockey. In his first year, Olmstead and the Moose Jaw Canucks challenged for the Memorial Cup
, after finishing the playoffs with a 15–1 record. They were unsuccessful in the series against the St. Michael's Majors
. Olmstead had 10 goals and eight assists in the 17 playoff games he played. He played another season in Moose Jaw, before being assigned to the Kansas City Pla-Mors of the United States Hockey League
(USHL) by the Montreal Canadiens
.
. The same season, Olmstead made his NHL debut, called after scoring 33 goals and 44 assists, for 77 points, in 52 games, playing nine games for the Black Hawks, and collecting two assists. Olmstead played the entire following season for the Black Hawks, appearing in 70 games, and scoring 20 goals.
Olmstead split the 1950–51 season between four teams, playing for all but one of them. He began the season playing for the Black Hawks franchise, playing 15 games in the NHL and 12 in the USHL, for the Milwaukee Sea Gulls. On December 2, 1950, Olmstead, with Vic Stasiuk
, was traded to the Detroit Red Wings
, in exchange for Lee Fogolin
and Steve Black
. On December 19, 1950, 17 days after the trade to Detroit, he was traded again, without ever suiting up for the Red Wings, to Montreal, for Leo Gravelle
. Olmstead would never leave the NHL until his retirement in 1962, playing 39 games that season on a line with Maurice Richard
and Elmer Lach
, scoring 38 points. Olmstead also appeared in 11 playoff games, collecting six points, as the Canadiens lost the best-of-seven Stanley Cup finals to the Toronto Maple Leafs
in five games.
for the first time. Earning 45 points in 69 games, he was named to the Second All-Star Team. On the last game of the season, Olmstead bodychecked Gordie Howe
, stopping him from tying Maurice Richard's record of 50 goals in a season. Olmstead played all the 70 games in the next two seasons, scoring 52 and 58 points in the 1953–54 and 1954–55 seasons, respectively. The Canadiens lost to the Red Wings once more in the Stanley Cup finals, in both seasons. In the 1954–55 season, Olmstead led the league in assists, with 48, as Montreal lost another Stanley Cup Final to Detroit.
The 1955–56 season saw the start of Montreal's five consecutive Stanley Cup championships. In that season, Olmstead played on a line with Jean Beliveau
and Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion. He set a record for assists, with 56, and also scored eight points in game, recording four goals and four assists, tying Rocket Richard's record. This record would be broken in 1976 by Darryl Sittler
, who scored six goals and four assists, for ten points. As well as winning the Stanley Cup, Olmstead was again named to the Second All-Star Team.
Olmstead won two more Stanley Cups in the 1956–57 and 1957–58 seasons. After the conclusion of the 1957–58 seasons, doctors informed him that he had no strength left in his knees, and that he should contemplate retirement. As a result of this prognosis, the Canadiens left Olmstead unprotected in the Intra-League Draft, and he was claimed by Billy Reay
, the head coach of the Canadiens' chief rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs
.
, the assistant general manager of the Leafs, fired Reay, installed himself as head coach, and appointed Olmstead as the playing assistant coach. This meant that while Imlach coached the team during games, Olmstead was in charge of the practices; however, Olmstead only last three months as assistant coach, resigning to devote more time to improving his play. The same season, the Leafs went on a long winning streak in order to qualify for the playoffs, but they lost to the Canadiens in the finals. After losing in the Finals the next season, and falling short of the Finals the next season, Olmstead won his fifth and final Stanley Cup in 1962, missing two months of the season with a broken shoulder, and being limited to only four out of the 12 playoff games.
claimed Olmstead in the Intra-League Draft on June 4, 1962. This came as a surprise to Olmstead, who refused to report to the team. The Canadiens offered to acquire him from the Rangers, within a month; Olmstead demanded an immediate trade. Since no deal came, he retired at the age of 35. During his 14-year NHL career, Olmstead scored 181 goals and 421 assists, for 602 points; in the playoffs, he collected 59 points, in 115 games. In his 14 seasons, Olmstead appeared in the Stanley Cup final 11 times. He won five times, four of them with the Montreal Canadiens, and once with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After retiring from playing, Olmstead attempted coaching. In the 1965–66 season, Olmstead coached the Vancouver Canucks, of the WHL; he finished with a 33–35–4 record, for a .486 winning percentage. In the 1967–68 season, Olmstead coached the expansion Oakland Seals, in the NHL. Olmstead did not last the full season, stepping aside after 64 games, having only won 11 games, with a .297 winning percentage.
, making hard hits and winning in battles in the corners. He was not a very good skater, and thus he had to compromise with his bodychecking. Olmstead was not regularly involved in fights
, but in the ones he participated, the majority were started with his hits.
Olmstead was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
in 1985. Olmstead, with his wife Nora, visited the town of Okotoks on August 13, 2005, with the Stanley Cup. He had previously declined to spend a day with it, believing that it was being given to much older winners only because of the lockout. Olmstead also noted, at the end of the day, that he was happy to have the Stanley Cup again.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
left winger
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
who played for the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
, Chicago Black Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
and Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL). Olmstead began his career with the Black Hawks in 1949. In December 1950, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens via Detroit. Olmstead had his best statistical years playing for Montreal, leading the league in assists in 1954–55 with 48, and setting a league record for assists with 56 the following season. Olmstead was claimed in an Intra-League Draft by Toronto Maple Leafs in 1958, and played there until his retirement in 1962. In the 1967–68 season, Olmstead served as coach of the expansion Oakland Seals. Olmstead played in the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
final in 11 of his 14 seasons in the NHL, winning it five times. He won it four times with Montreal, in 1953, and from 1956 to 1958, and once with Toronto, in 1962, which was his last season. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
in 1985.
Early life
Olmstead was born in SceptreSceptre, Saskatchewan
Sceptre is a village in southwestern Saskatchewan, with a population of 99 as of the 2006 census.The former school was reopened in 1988 as the Great Sandhills Museum, with exhibits showcasing the area's natural and human history....
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, a small village with a population less than 200, in southwestern Saskatchewan. In 1944, at the age of 18, he moved to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, to play junior hockey. In his first year, Olmstead and the Moose Jaw Canucks challenged for the Memorial Cup
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...
, after finishing the playoffs with a 15–1 record. They were unsuccessful in the series against the St. Michael's Majors
Toronto St. Michael's Majors
The Toronto St. Michael's Majors, was a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The hockey program was founded and operated by St. Michael's College School in 1906, and adopted the name "Majors" in 1934, and was commonly referred to as St. Mike's...
. Olmstead had 10 goals and eight assists in the 17 playoff games he played. He played another season in Moose Jaw, before being assigned to the Kansas City Pla-Mors of the United States Hockey League
United States Hockey League
The United States Hockey League is the top junior ice hockey league in the United States. The USHL has 16 member teams located in the Midwestern United States, consisting of players who are 20 years of age and younger...
(USHL) by the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
.
Chicago Black Hawks
Olmstead played three full seasons for Kansas City, and a part of another, later in 1950, for the Milwaukee Sea Gulls. In the 1946–47 season, Olmstead joined the Pla-Mors, finishing the season with 42 points in 60 games. In 1948–49, the Canadiens, who had originally sponsored him and owned his rights, traded him to the Chicago Black HawksChicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
. The same season, Olmstead made his NHL debut, called after scoring 33 goals and 44 assists, for 77 points, in 52 games, playing nine games for the Black Hawks, and collecting two assists. Olmstead played the entire following season for the Black Hawks, appearing in 70 games, and scoring 20 goals.
Olmstead split the 1950–51 season between four teams, playing for all but one of them. He began the season playing for the Black Hawks franchise, playing 15 games in the NHL and 12 in the USHL, for the Milwaukee Sea Gulls. On December 2, 1950, Olmstead, with Vic Stasiuk
Vic Stasiuk
Victor John Stasiuk is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey left winger and a former NHL head coach. He played for the Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, and Boston Bruins, recording 183 goals and 254 assists in 745 games. Stasiuk won 3 Stanley Cups in 1952, 1954, 1955 with Detroit...
, was traded to the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
, in exchange for Lee Fogolin
Lee Fogolin
Lee Joseph Fogolin , is a retired defenseman who played in the National Hockey League...
and Steve Black
Steve Black
Stephen Black was a professional ice hockey player from Thunder Bay, Ontario in the NHL.-Junior career:Steve Black played five years for the Port Arthur Flyers of the TBJHL making two trips to the Memorial Cup Tournament before joining the PCHL.-Professional career:In 1946 Black joined the Oakland...
. On December 19, 1950, 17 days after the trade to Detroit, he was traded again, without ever suiting up for the Red Wings, to Montreal, for Leo Gravelle
Leo Gravelle
Joseph Gerard Leo Gravelle is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 223 games in the National Hockey League. He played with the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens. Web site: www.leogravelle.com...
. Olmstead would never leave the NHL until his retirement in 1962, playing 39 games that season on a line with Maurice Richard
Maurice Richard
Joseph Henri Maurice "the Rocket" Richard, Sr., was a French-Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League from 1942 to 1960. The "Rocket" was the most prolific goal-scorer of his era, the first to achieve the feat of 50 goals in 50...
and Elmer Lach
Elmer Lach
Elmer James Lach is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 14 seasons for the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League. He was part of the Punch line, along with Maurice Richard and Toe Blake. He led the league in scoring twice, and was awarded the Hart Memorial...
, scoring 38 points. Olmstead also appeared in 11 playoff games, collecting six points, as the Canadiens lost the best-of-seven Stanley Cup finals to the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in five games.
Montreal Canadiens
Olmstead and the Canadiens appeared in the Stanley Cup finals again in the 1951–52 season, losing to the Detroit Red Wings; after recording 35 points in 69 regular season games, Olmstead was limited to an assist in 11 playoff games. In his third season with the Canadiens, Olmstead and the Canadiens won the Stanley CupStanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
for the first time. Earning 45 points in 69 games, he was named to the Second All-Star Team. On the last game of the season, Olmstead bodychecked Gordie Howe
Gordie Howe
Gordon "Gordie" Howe, OC is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played for the Detroit Red Wings and Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League , and the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers in the World Hockey Association . Howe is often referred to as Mr...
, stopping him from tying Maurice Richard's record of 50 goals in a season. Olmstead played all the 70 games in the next two seasons, scoring 52 and 58 points in the 1953–54 and 1954–55 seasons, respectively. The Canadiens lost to the Red Wings once more in the Stanley Cup finals, in both seasons. In the 1954–55 season, Olmstead led the league in assists, with 48, as Montreal lost another Stanley Cup Final to Detroit.
The 1955–56 season saw the start of Montreal's five consecutive Stanley Cup championships. In that season, Olmstead played on a line with Jean Beliveau
Jean Béliveau
Jean Arthur "Le Gros Bill" Béliveau, is a former professional ice hockey player who played parts of 20 seasons with the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens. As a player, he won the Stanley Cup 10 times, and as an executive he was part of another seven championship teams, the most Stanley...
and Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion. He set a record for assists, with 56, and also scored eight points in game, recording four goals and four assists, tying Rocket Richard's record. This record would be broken in 1976 by Darryl Sittler
Darryl Sittler
Darryl Glen Sittler is a retired professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League from 1970 until 1985 for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Detroit Red Wings. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989.On February 7, 1976, Sittler set an NHL...
, who scored six goals and four assists, for ten points. As well as winning the Stanley Cup, Olmstead was again named to the Second All-Star Team.
Olmstead won two more Stanley Cups in the 1956–57 and 1957–58 seasons. After the conclusion of the 1957–58 seasons, doctors informed him that he had no strength left in his knees, and that he should contemplate retirement. As a result of this prognosis, the Canadiens left Olmstead unprotected in the Intra-League Draft, and he was claimed by Billy Reay
Billy Reay
William Tulip Reay was a Canadian National Hockey League hockey player and coach.Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he played in the NHL for 10 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings. In 479 games, he scored 105 goals and 267 points and in 63 playoff games, he scored 13 goals and...
, the head coach of the Canadiens' chief rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Early in the 1958–59 season, Punch ImlachPunch Imlach
George "Punch" Imlach , was an NHL coach and general manager. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.-Early career:...
, the assistant general manager of the Leafs, fired Reay, installed himself as head coach, and appointed Olmstead as the playing assistant coach. This meant that while Imlach coached the team during games, Olmstead was in charge of the practices; however, Olmstead only last three months as assistant coach, resigning to devote more time to improving his play. The same season, the Leafs went on a long winning streak in order to qualify for the playoffs, but they lost to the Canadiens in the finals. After losing in the Finals the next season, and falling short of the Finals the next season, Olmstead won his fifth and final Stanley Cup in 1962, missing two months of the season with a broken shoulder, and being limited to only four out of the 12 playoff games.
Retirement
After his fifth Stanley Cup win, with Toronto, the New York RangersNew York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
claimed Olmstead in the Intra-League Draft on June 4, 1962. This came as a surprise to Olmstead, who refused to report to the team. The Canadiens offered to acquire him from the Rangers, within a month; Olmstead demanded an immediate trade. Since no deal came, he retired at the age of 35. During his 14-year NHL career, Olmstead scored 181 goals and 421 assists, for 602 points; in the playoffs, he collected 59 points, in 115 games. In his 14 seasons, Olmstead appeared in the Stanley Cup final 11 times. He won five times, four of them with the Montreal Canadiens, and once with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After retiring from playing, Olmstead attempted coaching. In the 1965–66 season, Olmstead coached the Vancouver Canucks, of the WHL; he finished with a 33–35–4 record, for a .486 winning percentage. In the 1967–68 season, Olmstead coached the expansion Oakland Seals, in the NHL. Olmstead did not last the full season, stepping aside after 64 games, having only won 11 games, with a .297 winning percentage.
Legacy
Known as "Dirty Bertie" because of physical playing style, Olmstead was a power forwardPower forward (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, power forward is a loosely applied characterization of a forward who is big and strong, equally capable of playing physically or scoring goals and would most likely have high totals in both points and penalties...
, making hard hits and winning in battles in the corners. He was not a very good skater, and thus he had to compromise with his bodychecking. Olmstead was not regularly involved in fights
Fighting in ice hockey
Fighting in ice hockey is an established tradition of the sport in North America, with a long history involving many levels of amateur and professional play and including some notable individual fights. Although a definite source of criticism, it is a considerable draw for the sport, and some fans...
, but in the ones he participated, the majority were started with his hits.
Olmstead was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
in 1985. Olmstead, with his wife Nora, visited the town of Okotoks on August 13, 2005, with the Stanley Cup. He had previously declined to spend a day with it, believing that it was being given to much older winners only because of the lockout. Olmstead also noted, at the end of the day, that he was happy to have the Stanley Cup again.