Chick Webster
John Robert "Chick" Webster (November 3, 1920 – January 18, 2018) was a Canadian ice hockey player who played 14 games in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers during the 1949–50 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1940 to 1953, was spent in the minor leagues. He also was a soldier in the Second World War.
| Chick Webster | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Webster with the Petawawa Grenades, circa 1940s | |||
| Born |
November 3, 1920 Toronto, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Died |
January 18, 2018 (aged 97) Mattawa, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | New York Rangers | ||
| Playing career | 1940–1953 | ||
Biography
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Webster played 14 games with the New York Rangers during the 1949–50 season.[1] His brother, Don Webster, also played briefly in the NHL, appearing in 27 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs.[2] During World War II, he was a forward observer and gunner for the 13th Field Regiment of the 3rd Canadian Division. He served in Germany, Holland, England, France and the North Sea.[3]
Webster lived in Richmond Hill, Ontario, during his time with the Stouffville Clippers in 1960s, and afterward lived in Mattawa, Ontario.[4] After Milt Schmidt's death in January 2017, he became the oldest living former NHL player.[5] His wife, Leona, died in 2009 of Alzheimer's disease. He died at home in Mattawa on January 18, 2018, at the age of 97.[2][3] His nickname, Chick, was given to him in his playing days for his love for chewing Chiclets gum.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1937–38 | Toronto Native Sons | OHA | 12 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1938–39 | Toronto Native Sons | OHA | 14 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 8 | ||
| 1939–40 | Toronto Native Sons | OHA | 11 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1939–40 | Toronto Stockyards | TMHL | 13 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1940–41 | Baltimore Orioles | EAHL | 62 | 24 | 37 | 61 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1941–42 | St. Catharines Saints | OHA Sr | 12 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1941–42 | Toronto Stockyards | RMHL | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1941–42 | Camp Borden Army | NDHL | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1942–43 | Petawawa Grenades | UOVHL | 3 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 1942–43 | Petawawa Grenates | Al-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 21 | ||
| 1945–46 | Toronto Uptown Tires | TMHL | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1945–46 | Baltimore Clippers | EAHL | 15 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1946–47 | New Haven Ramblers | AHL | 47 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1946–47 | New York Rovers | EAHL | 13 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1947–48 | New Haven Ramblers | AHL | 65 | 22 | 37 | 59 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1948–49 | New Haven Ramblers | AHL | 65 | 16 | 33 | 49 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1949–50 | New York Rangers | NHL | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1949–50 | New Haven Ramblers | AHL | 38 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1950–51 | Tacoma Rockets | PCHL | 63 | 20 | 28 | 48 | 36 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1951–52 | Cincinnati Mohawks | AHL | 49 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 1952–53 | Syracuse Warriors | AHL | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1952–53 | Vancouver Canucks | WHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1952–53 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | NOHA | 12 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| AHL totals | 227 | 64 | 116 | 180 | 93 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | ||||
| NHL totals | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
References
- Jason Brough (January 24, 2017). "Pre-game reading: Do the Leafs still need a No. 1 defenseman?". NBC Sports. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- Curtis Rush (January 23, 2017). "Chick Webster, Thought to Be N.H.L.'s Oldest Ex-Player, Stays Wry at 96". New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ""Obituary for John Robert "Chick" Webster", Martyn Funeral Home". Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- "Former New York Rangers player ‘Chick’ Webster, 95, hoping to renew acquaintances with former Willowdale teammates", by Fannie Sunshine, North York Mirror
- Milt Schmidt was a gentleman off the ice, relentless on it
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database