Cully Dahlstrom
Encyclopedia
Carl S. "Cully" Dahlstrom (July 3, 1913 – December 19, 1998) was an American
professional ice hockey
center
who played eight seasons in the National Hockey League
(NHL) for the Chicago Black Hawks
. He won the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie for the 1937–38 season
and won the Stanley Cup
in the same season. He played 342 career NHL games, scoring 88 goals and 118 assists for 206 points. In 1973 he was elected to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
.
. Following his second season with the Millers, Dahlstrom made his first attempt at becoming a National Hockey League
(NHL) player when he was invited to Boston Bruins
training camp. He failed to make the team. He returned to the Millers and had his best season with the team, scoring 28 points in 43 games. Following his third year with Minneapolis he joined the St. Paul Saints and improved his point total to 36, playing 44 games. At season's end he was named a Second Team CHL All-Star. The following season the Saints changed leagues, joining the American Hockey Association
(AHA). In his first year in the AHA Dahlstrom scored 20 goals and 43 points in 46 games. He was named an AHA First Team All-Star. During this time Frederic McLaughlin
was scouting the AHA for American talent for the NHL's Chicago Black Hawks
. Initially McLaughlin was interested in Dahlstrom's teammate, Oscar Hanson
, but Black Hawks' coach Bill Stewart
persuaded him to sign Dahlstrom. Dahlstrom attended the Hawks training camp in 1936 but did not make the team. He played one more season with the Saints before being selected by the Black Hawks in an Inter-League Draft on May 9, 1937.
Dahlstrom made his NHL debut in the 1937–38 season
. In his rookie year he scored 10 goals and 19 points in 48 games and was awarded the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year. That season Chicago finished with a 14–25–9 recorded, but still managed to earn a playoff berth, finishing two points ahead of the Detroit Red Wings
in the American Division. In the first round of the playoffs the Black Hawks defeated the Montreal Canadiens
in a three game series 2–1. The second round featured the Black Hawks facing off against the New York Americans
. After losing the opening game, Chicago faced elimination as game two went into double overtime
tied 0–0. Then at the 13:01 mark of the second overtime Dahlstrom scored, giving Chicago the win. The Black Hawks went on to win the following game, advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals
. In the Finals the Black Hawks faced the heavily favored Toronto Maple Leafs
. Chicago took a 2–1 series lead. In game 4 Dahlstrom scored the first goal in a 4–1 win to capture the Stanley Cup
, becoming the "most improbable" championship team in NHL history. Dahlstrom was one of a recorded eight American-born players on the championship team, a record that stood until 1995.
Over the next three seasons he averaged 25 points in 44 games. Entering the 1940–41 playoffs the Black Hawks had not won a playoff round since their Stanley Cup victory. Chicago and Montreal played in the first round with the teams splitting the first two games of the series. The third game decided the series; in that game Dahlstrom scored two goals, helping Chicago to the 3–2 victory. Chicago was eliminated in the next round by Detroit. Three years later during the 1943–44 season Dahlstrom notched his first career hat-trick
in a game vs. the New York Rangers
. Three months later he recorded his second and final career hat-trick, again against the Rangers. The season proved to be Dahlstrom's most successful as he set career highs in games played, goals, assists, and points. The success did not last as he tied his career low in points during the 1944–45 season. Following the end of the season he was traded to the Seattle Ironmen
in the Pacific Coast Hockey League
(PCHL) for cash. He never played a game for Seattle as he chose to retire following the 1944–45 season. In 1973 Dahlstrom was elected to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
as part of the inaugural class. On December 19, 1998 Dahlstrom died at age 85.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
center
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 played eight seasons 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...
(NHL) for the Chicago Black Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
. He won the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie for the 1937–38 season
1937–38 NHL season
-European tour:After the Stanley Cup final finished, the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens played a nine-game exhibition series in Europe, becoming the first NHL teams to play outside North America. Six games were played in England, three in France...
and won the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
in the same season. He played 342 career NHL games, scoring 88 goals and 118 assists for 206 points. In 1973 he was elected to 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....
.
Playing career
Dahlstrom began his playing career at Minneapolis South High School, after which he went on to play professionally in the Central Hockey League (CHL) with the Minneapolis MillersMinneapolis Millers (AHA)
The Minneapolis Millers were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Minneapolis Arena. The Millers originated in the Central Hockey League as a semi-professional team from the 1925-26 season. The team moved to the American Hockey Association along with...
. Following his second season with the Millers, Dahlstrom made his first attempt at becoming a 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...
(NHL) player when he was invited to Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
training camp. He failed to make the team. He returned to the Millers and had his best season with the team, scoring 28 points in 43 games. Following his third year with Minneapolis he joined the St. Paul Saints and improved his point total to 36, playing 44 games. At season's end he was named a Second Team CHL All-Star. The following season the Saints changed leagues, joining the American Hockey Association
American Hockey Association (1926–1942)
The American Hockey Association was a minor professional hockey league that operated between 1926 and 1942. It had previously operated as the Central Hockey League , and before that as part of the United States Amateur Hockey Association. The founding president was Alvin Warren, who also owned the St...
(AHA). In his first year in the AHA Dahlstrom scored 20 goals and 43 points in 46 games. He was named an AHA First Team All-Star. During this time Frederic McLaughlin
Frederic McLaughlin
Frederic McLaughlin was the first owner of the Chicago Black Hawks.Born in Chicago, Illinois, McLaughlin inherited a successful coffee business from his father, who died in 1905. McLaughlin was a graduate of Harvard University and served in the United States Army during World War I...
was scouting the AHA for American talent for the NHL's Chicago Black Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
. Initially McLaughlin was interested in Dahlstrom's teammate, Oscar Hanson
Oscar Hanson
Oscar Edward "Ossie, King Oscar" Hanson was a professional ice hockey centre. He played in 8 NHL games for the Chicago Black Hawks.-External links:...
, but Black Hawks' coach Bill Stewart
Bill Stewart (ice hockey)
William Donald Stewart is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and former head coach of the New York Islanders.-Playing career:...
persuaded him to sign Dahlstrom. Dahlstrom attended the Hawks training camp in 1936 but did not make the team. He played one more season with the Saints before being selected by the Black Hawks in an Inter-League Draft on May 9, 1937.
Dahlstrom made his NHL debut in the 1937–38 season
1937–38 NHL season
-European tour:After the Stanley Cup final finished, the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens played a nine-game exhibition series in Europe, becoming the first NHL teams to play outside North America. Six games were played in England, three in France...
. In his rookie year he scored 10 goals and 19 points in 48 games and was awarded the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year. That season Chicago finished with a 14–25–9 recorded, but still managed to earn a playoff berth, finishing two points ahead of the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit 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...
in the American Division. In the first round of the playoffs the Black Hawks defeated the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
in a three game series 2–1. The second round featured the Black Hawks facing off against the New York Americans
New York Americans
The New York Americans were a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League and the second to play in the United States. The team never won the Stanley Cup, but reached the semifinals...
. After losing the opening game, Chicago faced elimination as game two went into double overtime
Overtime (ice hockey)
Overtime is a method of determining the winner and loser of an ice hockey match when the scores are tied after regulation. The two main methods are the overtime period and the shootout.-Overtime periods:...
tied 0–0. Then at the 13:01 mark of the second overtime Dahlstrom scored, giving Chicago the win. The Black Hawks went on to win the following game, advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals
1938 Stanley Cup Finals
-References & notes:* Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame . Lord Stanley's Cup. Bolton, Ont.: Fenn Pub. pp 12, 50. ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7...
. In the Finals the Black Hawks faced the heavily favored Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. Chicago took a 2–1 series lead. In game 4 Dahlstrom scored the first goal in a 4–1 win to capture the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
, becoming the "most improbable" championship team in NHL history. Dahlstrom was one of a recorded eight American-born players on the championship team, a record that stood until 1995.
Over the next three seasons he averaged 25 points in 44 games. Entering the 1940–41 playoffs the Black Hawks had not won a playoff round since their Stanley Cup victory. Chicago and Montreal played in the first round with the teams splitting the first two games of the series. The third game decided the series; in that game Dahlstrom scored two goals, helping Chicago to the 3–2 victory. Chicago was eliminated in the next round by Detroit. Three years later during the 1943–44 season Dahlstrom notched his first career hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in a game vs. 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...
. Three months later he recorded his second and final career hat-trick, again against the Rangers. The season proved to be Dahlstrom's most successful as he set career highs in games played, goals, assists, and points. The success did not last as he tied his career low in points during the 1944–45 season. Following the end of the season he was traded to the Seattle Ironmen
Seattle Ironmen
The Seattle Ironmen were a minor pro ice hockey franchise based in Seattle, Washington. They played in the Pacific Coast Hockey League from 1944-1952.-History:After World War II, the Pacific Coast Hockey League was resurrected as a semi-professional loop...
in the Pacific Coast Hockey League
Pacific Coast Hockey League
The Pacific Coast Hockey League was an ice hockey minor league with teams in the western United States and western Canada that existed in several incarnations: from 1928 to 1931, from 1936 to 1941, and from 1944 to 1952.-PCHL 1928-1931:...
(PCHL) for cash. He never played a game for Seattle as he chose to retire following the 1944–45 season. In 1973 Dahlstrom was elected to 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....
as part of the inaugural class. On December 19, 1998 Dahlstrom died at age 85.
Awards and achievements
- Selected to the CHL Second All-Star Team in 1935.
- Selected to the AHA First All-Star Team in 1936.
- Calder Memorial TrophyCalder Memorial TrophyThe Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League." The Rookie of the Year trophy has been awarded 79 times since its creation for the 1936–37 NHL season...
winner in 1938. - Stanley CupStanley CupThe Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
champion in 19381938 Stanley Cup Finals-References & notes:* Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame . Lord Stanley's Cup. Bolton, Ont.: Fenn Pub. pp 12, 50. ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7...
. - Inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of FameUnited States Hockey Hall of FameThe 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 1973.
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 | ||
| 1931–32 | Minneapolis Millers Minneapolis Millers (AHA) The Minneapolis Millers were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Minneapolis Arena. The Millers originated in the Central Hockey League as a semi-professional team from the 1925-26 season. The team moved to the American Hockey Association along with... |
CHL | 30 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1932–33 | Minneapolis Millers | CHL | 27 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 27 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1933–34 | Minneapolis Millers | CHL | 43 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 1934–35 | St. Paul Saints | CHL | 44 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 30 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1935–36 | St. Paul Saints | AHA American Hockey Association (1926–1942) The American Hockey Association was a minor professional hockey league that operated between 1926 and 1942. It had previously operated as the Central Hockey League , and before that as part of the United States Amateur Hockey Association. The founding president was Alvin Warren, who also owned the St... |
46 | 20 | 23 | 43 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1936–37 | St. Paul Saints | AHA | 47 | 23 | 19 | 42 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1937–38 1937–38 NHL season -European tour:After the Stanley Cup final finished, the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens played a nine-game exhibition series in Europe, becoming the first NHL teams to play outside North America. Six games were played in England, three in France... |
Chicago Black Hawks | NHL 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... |
48 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1938–39 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 48 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1939–40 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 45 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1940–41 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 40 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 1941–42 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 33 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1942–43 1942–43 NHL season -NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes-Leading goaltenders:... |
Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 38 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1943–44 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 50 | 20 | 22 | 42 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 1944–45 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 40 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 342 | 88 | 118 | 206 | 58 | 29 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 10 | ||||