Wally Grant (ice hockey)
Encyclopedia
Wally Grant is a retired ice hockey
player. Grant helped the University of Michigan
win the first NCAA National Championship in 1948. He was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
in 1987 and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
in 1994.
. He was the son of an immigrant father who had worked in an open-pit ore mine since he was a young man, and had become a superintendent for U.S. Steel. Grant learned to skate on an ice rink that his father made by flooding a small grassy area near their home. Nicknamed "Cedar Legs" because of his bowed legs, Grant attended nearby Eveleth High School, where he was the left wing and captain of the hockey team that won the first Minnesota state hockey championship in 1945. Eveleth outscored the competition 30-3 in the inaugural tournament. Grant played most of the game in the finals against Thief River Falls and scored the game-tying and game-winning goals within a span of 61 seconds in the third period.
Interviewed in 2001, Grant said the 1945 state championship still blinked in his memory like giant neon billboards. He told a reporter, "I remember my father was behind the net at the other end. He was cheering us on. ... Dad wasn't a man known for emotional displays. He was very aloof, but you knew he was proud after we won."
Eveleth, Minnesota
, a city of fewer than 5,000 residents in Minnesota's Iron Range
, is the site of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
and has produced a string of college, Olympic and professional hockey stars, including Frank Brimsek
, John Matchefts
, John Mayasich
, Willard Ikola
, Sam LoPresti
, Wally Grant, Oscar Almquist, Serge Gambucci, Mike Karakas
, John Mariucci
, Mark Pavelich
, and Connie Pleban.
, where he played four seasons of hockey between 1945 and 1950. He took one year off after his freshman year to serve in the U.S. Army. In 1948, he played on the first NCAA Frozen Four ice hockey championship team. Four teams were selected to play in the first NCAA ice hockey championship, held at the Broadmoor Hotel Ice Palace in Colorado Springs, Colorado
. The four teams to play in the inaugural Frozen Four were Michigan, Boston College
, Dartmouth and Colorado College. Grant played on Michigan's famous "G" line, which included Wally Gacek
and Ted Greer. Each of the three linemates scored a third-period goal in Michigan’s championship win over Dartmouth in 1948. Michigan's hockey title in 1948 capped off a year in which Michigan had also won the National Championship in football, and the conference basketball championship.
Grant was named an All-American three times, in 1948, 1949 and 1950, and captain of the 1950 team. In his four years at Michigan, Grant scored 63 goals and 83 assists for 146 career points. Michigan coach Vic Heyliger
called Grant "the best two-way hockey player I have ever seen." Grant was not a large player, but he was fast. He later recalled, "I was 5'8 and 165 pounds, but I was fast enough to get around some of those defensemen. That was my advantage."
Grant was inducted in the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
in 1987, and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame
in 1994.
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. Grant helped the University of Michigan
University 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...
win the first NCAA National Championship in 1948. He was 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 1987 and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
United States Hockey Hall of Fame
The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the rich history of the game in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and teams....
in 1994.
Minnesota state championship
Grant was born and raised in Leonidas, MinnesotaLeonidas, Minnesota
Leonidas is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 52 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
. He was the son of an immigrant father who had worked in an open-pit ore mine since he was a young man, and had become a superintendent for U.S. Steel. Grant learned to skate on an ice rink that his father made by flooding a small grassy area near their home. Nicknamed "Cedar Legs" because of his bowed legs, Grant attended nearby Eveleth High School, where he was the left wing and captain of the hockey team that won the first Minnesota state hockey championship in 1945. Eveleth outscored the competition 30-3 in the inaugural tournament. Grant played most of the game in the finals against Thief River Falls and scored the game-tying and game-winning goals within a span of 61 seconds in the third period.
Interviewed in 2001, Grant said the 1945 state championship still blinked in his memory like giant neon billboards. He told a reporter, "I remember my father was behind the net at the other end. He was cheering us on. ... Dad wasn't a man known for emotional displays. He was very aloof, but you knew he was proud after we won."
Eveleth, Minnesota
Eveleth, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,865 people, 1,717 households, and 971 families residing in the city. The population density was 611.0 people per square mile . There were 1,965 housing units at an average density of 310.6 per square mile...
, a city of fewer than 5,000 residents in Minnesota's Iron Range
Iron Range
The Iron Range is a region that makes up the northeastern section of Minnesota in the United States. "The Range", as it is known by locals, is a region with multiple distinct bands of iron ore...
, is the site of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
United States Hockey Hall of Fame
The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the rich history of the game in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and teams....
and has produced a string of college, Olympic and professional hockey stars, including Frank Brimsek
Frank Brimsek
Francis Charles "Mister Zero" Brimsek was an American professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Boston Bruins and Chicago Black Hawks in the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...
, 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....
, John Mayasich
John Mayasich
John Edward Mayasich is a former American ice hockey player. He was a member of the U.S. ice hockey team that won a silver medal at the 1956 Winter Olympics and a gold medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics....
, Willard Ikola
Willard Ikola
Willard Ikola was an American ice hockey player and high school boy's hockey coach. Born in Eveleth, Minnesota, a powerhouse in hockey he began playing hockey as a young boy, eventually going on...
, Sam LoPresti
Sam LoPresti
Samuel LoPresti was an ice hockey goaltender. LoPresti played in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks. On March 4, 1941, LoPresti set a still-unbroken NHL record when he faced 83 shots against the Boston Bruins. He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973...
, Wally Grant, Oscar Almquist, Serge Gambucci, Mike Karakas
Mike Karakas
Mike Karakas was an American professional ice hockey goaltender in the National Hockey League who was the league's first American-born and trained goaltender. Karakas played six full seasons and parts of two others with Chicago Black Hawks. He appeared in two Stanley Cup Finals, winning once...
, John Mariucci
John Mariucci
John Mariucci was an American ice hockey player, administrator and coach. Mariucci was born in Eveleth, Minnesota. He attended the University of Minnesota where he played for both the hockey and football teams. He was named an All-American in hockey in 1940...
, Mark Pavelich
Mark Pavelich
Mark Thomas Pavelich is a retired US professional ice hockey forward who played 355 regular season games in the NHL for the New York Rangers, Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks between 1981 and 1992 and was a member of the 1980 U.S...
, and Connie Pleban.
University of Michigan
After graduating from high school, Grant enrolled in at the 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...
, where he played four seasons of hockey between 1945 and 1950. He took one year off after his freshman year to serve in the U.S. Army. In 1948, he played on the first NCAA Frozen Four ice hockey championship team. Four teams were selected to play in the first NCAA ice hockey championship, held at the Broadmoor Hotel Ice Palace in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
. The four teams to play in the inaugural Frozen Four were Michigan, Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
, Dartmouth and Colorado College. Grant played on Michigan's famous "G" line, which included Wally Gacek
Wally Gacek
Wally Gacek is a former ice hockey player who was a member of the Michigan Wolverines team that won the first NCAA Frozen Four ice hockey championship in 1948. He played four years of hockey at Michigan from 1946-1949.-Junior Hockey:...
and Ted Greer. Each of the three linemates scored a third-period goal in Michigan’s championship win over Dartmouth in 1948. Michigan's hockey title in 1948 capped off a year in which Michigan had also won the National Championship in football, and the conference basketball championship.
Grant was named an All-American three times, in 1948, 1949 and 1950, and captain of the 1950 team. In his four years at Michigan, Grant scored 63 goals and 83 assists for 146 career points. Michigan coach Vic Heyliger
Vic Heyliger
Victor Heyliger was a National Hockey League center and the head coach of the University of Michigan ice hockey team....
called Grant "the best two-way hockey player I have ever seen." Grant was not a large player, but he was fast. He later recalled, "I was 5'8 and 165 pounds, but I was fast enough to get around some of those defensemen. That was my advantage."
Later years and honors
Grant graduated from Michigan with a business degree in 1950 and worked for 37 years for General Motors, retiring in 1987 as comptroller of the Warren Division of Hydra-Matic. He continued to follow Michigan Wolverines hockey and was the vice president of the Dekers Blue Line Club — a Michigan hockey booster organization. He and wife raised three children in the Ann Arbor area. In 2007, Grant and his wife endowed the Mickey and Wally Grant Scholarship for Hockey at the University of Michigan.Grant was inducted in 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 1987, and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame
United States Hockey Hall of Fame
The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the rich history of the game in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and teams....
in 1994.
See also
- University of Michigan Athletic Hall of HonorUniversity of Michigan Athletic Hall of HonorThe 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...
- 1948 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament1948 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey TournamentThe 1948 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament involved 4 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college ice hockey. It began on March 18, 1948, and ended with the championship game on March 20...