Mel Wakabayashi
Encyclopedia
Hitoshi "Mel" Wakabayashi (born April 23, 1943, in Slocan City, British Columbia) is a former All-American ice hockey
player, a right-handed center, who played for the 1964 NCAA
champion Michigan Wolverines hockey team
. He was also named Player of the Year in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association
in 1966. He went on to play 11 season in the Japan Ice Hockey League
and to coach the Japan men's national ice hockey team at international competitions, including the 1980 Winter Olympics
. After his hockey career ended, Wakabayashi became the President of Seibu
Canada. In 2001, Wakabayashi was selected by the WCHA as one of the Top 50 Players in 50-year history of the conference. He was also inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
in 2006.
, his parents were placed in a Japanese-Canadian internment camp
at Slocan City, British Columbia. It was at the barren internment camp at Slocan City that Mel was born. Along with thousands of other Japanese-Canadian families, the Wakabayashi family was moved to a second internment camp in Northern Ontario shortly after Mel was born. When Mel's brother, Osamu "Herb" Wakabayashi, was born in December 1944, the family was living in the Neys, Ontario internment camp on the northern shore of Lake Superior
. In 1950, the family moved to Chatham, Ontario, where Mel grew up with his seven siblings. He excelled in both hockey and baseball, playing junior hockey with the Chatham Maroons
and baseball for the Ontario Baseball Association championship team. As a youth, Wakabayashi was a baseball teammate of Chatham native and future Baseball Hall of Famer
Ferguson Jenkins
.
hockey coach Al Renfrew
visited Chatham to watch Wakabayashi play, and invited him to play hockey for the Wolverines. In January 1963, Wakabayashi enrolled at Michigan, but due to the freshman eligibility rule, Wakabayashi had to wait until January 1964 to play for the hockey team. Wakabayashi made an immediate impact, scoring 21 goals and 17 assists in 1964. He helped the Wolverines win the 1964 NCAA championship and scored two goals in the championship game against the University of Denver
. As a junior in 1965, he was the leading scorer for Michigan and in the WCHA. He was awarded the Hall Downes Award as the team's Most Valuable Player and was named a first-team All-American. As a senior in 1966, he was the leading scorer in the WCHA and was named the league's Player of the Year.
Wakabayashi was known for his ability to avoid penalties. In three years of collegiate hockey, Wakabayashi received only one penalty, a tripping call in his sophomore season. He later recalled, "Since I started playing hockey in pee wees, my coaches really banged it into my head that I was supposed to score the goals, not try to knock the big guys around and end up getting hurt or getting a penalty. I remember very clearly the feeling of sitting in that penalty box-and how much I realized I didn't like sitting in that box!"
In a 2002 profile, writer John U. Bacon wrote that Wakayabayashi "is perhaps the most unlikely star in the long history of Michigan sports, and surely one of the most inspirational." Former teammate Dean Lucier said, "The college game was made for him. He's the best player I've ever stepped on the ice with, for or against, and that includes Tony Esposito
and Keith Magnuson
."
Wakabayashi also played baseball at the University of Michigan and was named to the All-Big Ten Conference team as a second baseman.
and was assigned to play with the Red Wings' farm club in Memphis, Tennessee
. He played in 1967 for the Memphis Red Wings and the Johnstown Jets
. However, as one columnist later observed, "5-6, 150 pound Japanese forwards were not in great demand in the National Hockey League." In 1968, Wakabayashi moved to Japan where he played 11 years in the Japan Ice Hockey League
, mostly for the Kokudo Bunnies
. He was regularly among the league's leading scorers and played seven consecutive seasons without a penalty. While still playing, Wakabayashi also became the team's head coach in 1978. Wakabayashi also coached the Japan men's national ice hockey team at several international events, including the 1980 Winter Olympics
. He continued to coach in the Japanese Hockey League until 1994.
, owned the Seibu
department store chain, the Seibu railroads and was Japan’s largest landowner. After Wakabayashi’s hockey career ended, Tsutsumi hired him as President of Seibu Canada, owner of the Westin Prince Hotel in Toronto. In a 2002 interview, Wakabayashi credited his Michigan experience as the key to his success: "If not for Al Renfrew and the Michigan hockey team, I would probably be working with my dad in the factory in Chatham. I don't even want to think about that one."
players (along with Red Berenson and John Matchefts
) selected by the WCHA as one of the Top 50 Players in 50-year history of the conference. He was inducted into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
in 2006.
Wakabayashi's younger brother, Osamu "Herb" Wakabayashi, has also been inducted into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame.
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...
player, a right-handed center, who played for the 1964 NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
champion Michigan Wolverines hockey team
Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey
The Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Earning varsity status in 1922, the program is competing in its 90th season...
. He was also named Player of the Year in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association
Western Collegiate Hockey Association
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference....
in 1966. He went on to play 11 season in the Japan Ice Hockey League
Japan Ice Hockey League
The Japan Ice Hockey League was an annual ice hockey league that began in 1966 and ended in 2004 when it was replaced by Asia League Ice Hockey...
and to coach the Japan men's national ice hockey team at international competitions, including the 1980 Winter Olympics
1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...
. After his hockey career ended, Wakabayashi became the President of Seibu
Seibu Department Stores
is a Japanese department store. The first store to trade under the name opened its doors in 1949. Seibu is typical of Japanese department stores with a wide variety of stores doing business on several floors. The company is now a subsidiary of Seven & I Holdings Co., Ltd..-Japan:The Seibu...
Canada. In 2001, Wakabayashi was selected by the WCHA as one of the Top 50 Players in 50-year history of the conference. He was also inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs...
in 2006.
Youth in Canada
Wakabayashi was the son of Japanese-born parents who lived in Vancouver, British Columbia. During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, his parents were placed in a Japanese-Canadian internment camp
Japanese Canadian internment
Japanese Canadian internment refers to confinement of Japanese Canadians in British Columbia during World War II. The internment began in December 1941, following the attack by carrier-borne forces of Imperial Japan on American naval and army facilities at Pearl Harbor...
at Slocan City, British Columbia. It was at the barren internment camp at Slocan City that Mel was born. Along with thousands of other Japanese-Canadian families, the Wakabayashi family was moved to a second internment camp in Northern Ontario shortly after Mel was born. When Mel's brother, Osamu "Herb" Wakabayashi, was born in December 1944, the family was living in the Neys, Ontario internment camp on the northern shore of Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
. In 1950, the family moved to Chatham, Ontario, where Mel grew up with his seven siblings. He excelled in both hockey and baseball, playing junior hockey with the Chatham Maroons
Chatham Maroons
----The Chatham Maroons are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Chatham, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.-History:...
and baseball for the Ontario Baseball Association championship team. As a youth, Wakabayashi was a baseball teammate of Chatham native and future Baseball Hall of Famer
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
Ferguson Jenkins
Ferguson Jenkins
Ferguson Arthur "Fergie" Jenkins, CM, is a Canadian former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was a three-time All-Star and the 1971 NL Cy Young Award winner. In 1991, Jenkins was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. During a 19-year career, he pitched for four different teams,...
.
University of Michigan
University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
hockey coach Al Renfrew
Al Renfrew
Al Renfrew was a hockey player at the University of Michigan in the late 1940s and a college hockey coach with Michigan Technological University , the University of North Dakota , and the University of Michigan...
visited Chatham to watch Wakabayashi play, and invited him to play hockey for the Wolverines. In January 1963, Wakabayashi enrolled at Michigan, but due to the freshman eligibility rule, Wakabayashi had to wait until January 1964 to play for the hockey team. Wakabayashi made an immediate impact, scoring 21 goals and 17 assists in 1964. He helped the Wolverines win the 1964 NCAA championship and scored two goals in the championship game against the University of Denver
Denver Pioneers
The Denver Pioneers are the sports teams of the University of Denver. They play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I, with most teams participating in the Sun Belt Conference. The Western Athletic Conference will become Denver's primary sports conference on July 1, 2012.The...
. As a junior in 1965, he was the leading scorer for Michigan and in the WCHA. He was awarded the Hall Downes Award as the team's Most Valuable Player and was named a first-team All-American. As a senior in 1966, he was the leading scorer in the WCHA and was named the league's Player of the Year.
Wakabayashi was known for his ability to avoid penalties. In three years of collegiate hockey, Wakabayashi received only one penalty, a tripping call in his sophomore season. He later recalled, "Since I started playing hockey in pee wees, my coaches really banged it into my head that I was supposed to score the goals, not try to knock the big guys around and end up getting hurt or getting a penalty. I remember very clearly the feeling of sitting in that penalty box-and how much I realized I didn't like sitting in that box!"
In a 2002 profile, writer John U. Bacon wrote that Wakayabayashi "is perhaps the most unlikely star in the long history of Michigan sports, and surely one of the most inspirational." Former teammate Dean Lucier said, "The college game was made for him. He's the best player I've ever stepped on the ice with, for or against, and that includes Tony Esposito
Tony Esposito
For the Italian musician, please see Tony Esposito .Anthony James "Tony O" Esposito is a retired Canadian-American professional ice hockey goaltender, who played in the National Hockey League, most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks. He was one of the pioneers of the now popular butterfly style....
and Keith Magnuson
Keith Magnuson
Keith Arlen Magnuson was a professional ice hockey defenceman from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan who played in the National Hockey League between 1969 and 1979...
."
Wakabayashi also played baseball at the University of Michigan and was named to the All-Big Ten Conference team as a second baseman.
Japanese hockey
In January 1967, Wakabayashi signed with the Detroit Red WingsDetroit 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...
and was assigned to play with the Red Wings' farm club in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. He played in 1967 for the Memphis Red Wings and the Johnstown Jets
Johnstown Jets
The Johnstown Jets were a professional ice hockey team from Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The Jets were founded in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League for the 1950–51 season, playing at the newly constructed Cambria County War Memorial Arena...
. However, as one columnist later observed, "5-6, 150 pound Japanese forwards were not in great demand in the National Hockey League." In 1968, Wakabayashi moved to Japan where he played 11 years in the Japan Ice Hockey League
Japan Ice Hockey League
The Japan Ice Hockey League was an annual ice hockey league that began in 1966 and ended in 2004 when it was replaced by Asia League Ice Hockey...
, mostly for the Kokudo Bunnies
Seibu Prince Rabbits
The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nishitōkyō City in Tokyo, Japan that was folded in 2009. The Rabbits played at the DyDo Drinco Ice Arena from 2006-07 to 2008-09...
. He was regularly among the league's leading scorers and played seven consecutive seasons without a penalty. While still playing, Wakabayashi also became the team's head coach in 1978. Wakabayashi also coached the Japan men's national ice hockey team at several international events, including the 1980 Winter Olympics
1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...
. He continued to coach in the Japanese Hockey League until 1994.
Career with Seibu Canada
The owner of the Kokudo Bunnies, Yoshiaki TsutsumiYoshiaki Tsutsumi
Yoshiaki Tsutsumi is a Japanese businessman. During the Japanese economic bubble in the late 1980s, Tsutsumi was the wealthiest person in the world for a brief period due to his extensive real estate investments through the Seibu Corporation, which he controlled...
, owned the Seibu
Seibu
Seibu may refer to:*Saitama Seibu Lions*Seibu Department Stores*Seibu Kaihatsu*Seibu Railway*Sogo & Seibu...
department store chain, the Seibu railroads and was Japan’s largest landowner. After Wakabayashi’s hockey career ended, Tsutsumi hired him as President of Seibu Canada, owner of the Westin Prince Hotel in Toronto. In a 2002 interview, Wakabayashi credited his Michigan experience as the key to his success: "If not for Al Renfrew and the Michigan hockey team, I would probably be working with my dad in the factory in Chatham. I don't even want to think about that one."
Honors
In 2001, Wakabayashi was one of three University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
players (along with Red Berenson and John Matchefts
John Matchefts
John Peter "Johnny" Matchefts is a retired ice hockey player. Matchefts played for the American 1956 Winter Olympics ice hockey team. He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991....
) selected by the WCHA as one of the Top 50 Players in 50-year history of the conference. He was inducted into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs...
in 2006.
Wakabayashi's younger brother, Osamu "Herb" Wakabayashi, has also been inducted into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame.