Juha Widing
Encyclopedia
Juha Markku "Whitey, Flying Finn" Widing (July 4, 1947 – December 30, 1984) was a professional
ice hockey
centre
who was the third Finnish-born player to play in the National Hockey League
. Widing played in the National Hockey League
for eight seasons, mostly with the Los Angeles Kings
.
and both his parents were Swedish. In 1964, along with his family, he moved to Brandon, Manitoba
, Canada
, to play junior hockey for the Brandon Wheat Kings
. He played three seasons there, improving his point total each season from 38 to 114 and then finally to 144 in only a 50-game schedule. Widing joined the New York Rangers
of the NHL in 1969–70, however after only forty-four games he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings
along with Réal Lemieux
for Ted Irvine
. It was in LA where he developed into a legitimate scoring threat, garnering at least 55 points in five consecutive seasons. It was also in L.A. that Kings' owner Jack Kent Cooke
gave him the nickname "Whitey" and instructed his announcers to pronounce his last name as "why-ding" as opposed to the real pronunciation of "vee-ding." He often played on a line with Bob Berry and Mike Corrigan
known as "the hot line."
However by 1976–77 his productivity had dropped considerably, and he was traded to the Cleveland Barons
. In 1977–78, Widing played for the Edmonton Oilers
of the World Hockey Association
, scoring 42 points in his final professional season. After the season, he was traded to the Indianapolis Racers
for Bill Goldsworthy
, but he was already finished playing hockey. After retiring, Widing settled in British Columbia
. He died on December 30, 1984 from a heart attack, aged 37.
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
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...
centre
Centre (ice hockey)
The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player...
who was the third Finnish-born player to play 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...
. Widing played 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...
for eight seasons, mostly with the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
.
Playing career
Widing, although born in Finland, grew up in SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and both his parents were Swedish. In 1964, along with his family, he moved to Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...
, Canada
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...
, to play junior hockey for the Brandon Wheat Kings
Brandon Wheat Kings
The Brandon Wheat Kings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Brandon, Manitoba. They compete in the Western Hockey League, and joined the league in the 1967–68 season. Prior to that they played in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and were known as the Brandon Elks for a short time in the...
. He played three seasons there, improving his point total each season from 38 to 114 and then finally to 144 in only a 50-game schedule. Widing joined the New York Rangers
New 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...
of the NHL in 1969–70, however after only forty-four games he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
along with Réal Lemieux
Real Lemieux
Réal "Frenchy" Lemieux is a former ice hockey right wing. He played in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres....
for Ted Irvine
Ted Irvine
Edward Amos Irvine is a former NHL hockey player.- Career :Irvine was a left winger. He amassed a total of 331 points in 774 games played over a 15 year professional career. In his NHL career, Irvine played for the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and St...
. It was in LA where he developed into a legitimate scoring threat, garnering at least 55 points in five consecutive seasons. It was also in L.A. that Kings' owner Jack Kent Cooke
Jack Kent Cooke
Jack Kent Cooke was a Canadian entrepreneur and former owner of the Washington Redskins , the Los Angeles Lakers , and the Los Angeles Kings , and built The Forum in Inglewood, California and FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.-Early career:Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Cooke moved with his family to...
gave him the nickname "Whitey" and instructed his announcers to pronounce his last name as "why-ding" as opposed to the real pronunciation of "vee-ding." He often played on a line with Bob Berry and Mike Corrigan
Mike Corrigan
Michael Douglas Corrigan is a retired professional ice hockey forward who played 594 games in the National Hockey League. He played for the Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, and Pittsburgh Penguins...
known as "the hot line."
However by 1976–77 his productivity had dropped considerably, and he was traded to the Cleveland Barons
Cleveland Barons (NHL)
The Cleveland Barons were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League from 1976–78. They were a relocation of the California Golden Seals franchise, which had played in Oakland since 1967...
. In 1977–78, Widing played for the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
of the World Hockey Association
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
, scoring 42 points in his final professional season. After the season, he was traded to the Indianapolis Racers
Indianapolis Racers
The Indianapolis Racers were a franchise in the former World Hockey Association from 1974 to 1978. They competed in five seasons, folding 25 games into the 1978–79 season. They played at Market Square Arena...
for Bill Goldsworthy
Bill Goldsworthy
William Alfred Goldsworthy was a professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League for 14 seasons between 1964 and 1978, most notably for the Minnesota North Stars.-Playing career:...
, but he was already finished playing hockey. After retiring, Widing settled in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. He died on December 30, 1984 from a heart attack, aged 37.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1966–67 | Brandon Wheat Kings Brandon Wheat Kings The Brandon Wheat Kings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Brandon, Manitoba. They compete in the Western Hockey League, and joined the league in the 1967–68 season. Prior to that they played in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and were known as the Brandon Elks for a short time in the... |
MJHL Manitoba Junior Hockey League The Manitoba Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The MJHL is one of eleven Junior 'A' Hockey Leagues in Canada and is a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League .... |
43 | 70 | 74 | 144 | 64 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 6 | ||
| 1967–68 | Omaha Knights Omaha Knights The Omaha Knights were a minor league professional ice hockey team from 1959 to 1975, based in Omaha, Nebraska at the Ak-Sar-Ben arena. The Knights were founded in 1959 as members of the International Hockey League... |
CPHL | 62 | 27 | 33 | 60 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Omaha Knights | CHL | 72 | 41 | 39 | 80 | 58 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 1969–70 | Los Angeles Kings Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | New York Rangers New 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... |
NHL | 44 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 78 | 25 | 40 | 65 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 78 | 27 | 28 | 55 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 77 | 16 | 54 | 70 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 71 | 27 | 30 | 57 | 26 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1974–75 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 80 | 24 | 36 | 60 | 46 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1975–76 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 67 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 47 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Cleveland Barons Cleveland Barons (NHL) The Cleveland Barons were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League from 1976–78. They were a relocation of the California Golden Seals franchise, which had played in Oakland since 1967... |
NHL | 29 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Edmonton Oilers Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League .... |
WHA World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926... |
71 | 18 | 24 | 42 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| WHA totals | 71 | 18 | 24 | 42 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 575 | 144 | 226 | 370 | 208 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||||