William Sweeney was a Canadian

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...

 player. He was born in Guelph

Guelph

Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

. Sweeney played only four games during the 1959–60 NHL season for 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...

, but was a top scorer in the minors, and juniors

Junior ice hockey

Junior hockey is a catch-all term used to describe various levels of ice hockey competition for players generally between 16 and 20 years of age...

.

Sweeney led the OHA

Ontario Hockey League

The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....

 in scoring while playing for the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters

Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters

The Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1940 to 1942, and 1947 to 1960. The team was often known as the "Biltmores" and sponsored by the Guelph Biltmore Hat Company, and played home games at the Guelph Memorial Gardens.- History :The...

 in 1956–57, then followed that up winning the 1957–58 AHL

American Hockey League

The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

 rookie of the year award playing for the Providence Reds

Providence Reds

The Providence Reds were a hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League between 1926–1936 and the American Hockey League from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Reds. The team won the Calder Cup in 1938, 1940, 1949, and 1956...

. Sweeney later won three consecutive Calder Cup

Calder Cup

The Calder Cup is awarded annually to the playoff champion of the American Hockey League. The trophy is the world's second oldest continuous professional ice hockey championship, having first been awarded in 1937 following the 1936-37 AHL season, and continuously being awarded every year.The cup...

 championships with the Springfield Indians

Springfield Indians

The Springfield Indians were a minor professional ice hockey franchise, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The Indians were founding members of the American Hockey League. They were in existence for a total of 60 seasons from 1926 to 1994, with...

, also leading the league in scoring three consecutive seasons. Sweeney later played for the Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver Canucks (WHL)

The Vancouver Canucks were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. Inaugurated in 1945 with the PCHL, they became a WHL team with the merger of the PCHL with the Western Canada Senior Hockey League in 1952...

 in the Western Hockey League

Western Hockey League (minor pro)

The Western Hockey League was a minor pro ice hockey league that operated from 1952 to 1974. Managed for most of its history by Hockey Hall of Fame member Al Leader, it was created out of the merger of the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Canada Senior Hockey League...

 during 1967–68.

Awards

• 1956–57 - Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy
  Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy
  The Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the top scorer in the Ontario Hockey League. The trophy was donated by the Toronto Marlboro Athletic Club in memory of Edward Powers, and was first awarded to Tod Sloan of St...
  
  
• 1957–58
  1956–57 AHL season
  The 1956–57 AHL season was the 21st season of the American Hockey League. Six teams played 64 games each in the schedule. The Providence Reds repeated their first overall finish in the regular season...
  
   - Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award
• 1960–61
  1960–61 AHL season
  The 1960–61 AHL season was the 25th season of the American Hockey League. Seven teams played 72 games each in the schedule. The All-Star Game was not played, and put on hold until resurrected in the 1994–95 AHL season...
  
   - John B. Sollenberger Trophy
  John B. Sollenberger Trophy
  The John B. Sollenberger Trophy is given to American Hockey League's leading scorer for the season.The award was named for John B. Sollenberger in 1955. Sollenberger was a long-time contributor to the league as manager and president of the Hershey Bears and former Chairman of the Board of Governors...
  
  
• 1961–62
  1961–62 AHL season
  The 1961–62 AHL season was the 26th season of the American Hockey League. The league initiates the James C. Hendy Memorial Award for outstanding team or league executives. The league resumes East and West Divisions. The John D. Chick Trophy is first awarded for the West Division champions of the...
  
   - John B. Sollenberger Trophy
• 1962–63
  1962–63 AHL season
  The 1962–63 AHL season was the 27th season of the American Hockey League. Nine teams played 72 games each in the schedule. The Buffalo Bisons finished first overall in the regular season, and won their fourth Calder Cup championship.-Team changes:...
  
   - John B. Sollenberger Trophy

External links