Kenny Wharram
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Malcolm Wharram (born July 2, 1933 in Ferris
, Ontario
) is a retired professional
ice hockey
right winger
who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League
, all with the Chicago Black Hawks
. He won a Stanley Cup
in 1961.
for whom he played three seasons. He played one match for the Galt team's parent club the Chicago Black Hawks in 1951 before returning for another season to Galt. He played 29 matches for the Hawks in 1953–54 but spent an equal amount of time at the Quebec Aces
in the Quebec Hockey League before joining the American Hockey League
Buffalo Bisons
in 1954. Under the training of Bisons' coach Harry Watson
he enjoyed four productive seasons, made the AHL's second all star team in 1955, and returned to Chicago to stay in 1958.
. Mikita and Wharram meshed well together and Wharram's production - attributable to his considerable speed and puck-handling skills - soared. He would have seven straight seasons scoring 20 or more goals.
All that was needed was a left winger, and the Hawks got one in veteran Ted Lindsay
, then near the end of his career. It would be Lindsay, Mikita and Wharram who formed the original Scooter Line. After Lindsay retired, Ab McDonald
assumed the honors, and it would be this version of the Scooter Line in force when the Hawks won the 1961 Stanley Cup
. After McDonald was traded to the Boston Bruins
, Doug Mohns
was placed in the left wing spot.
where he was diagnosed with myocarditis
. Wharram's condition worsened to the point where he needed to be trained how to stay awake. The process took weeks, and while Wharram's life was eventually out of danger, the stress of playing hockey made a comeback out of the question. He officially retired in September 1970.
Neighbourhoods in North Bay, Ontario
The Canadian city of North Bay, Ontario, is divided into numerous neighbourhoods.-Downtown:North Bay's Downtown is located along the shore of Lake Nipissing, between the Gateway and Ferris neighbourhoods...
, 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....
) is a retired professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
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...
right winger
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
who played 14 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...
, all with 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 a 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 1961.
Early life and career
Wharram started his hockey career with his hometown team the North Bay Black Hawks in 1949 before switching the next season to the Galt Black HawksGalt Black Hawks
The Galt Black Hawks were a junior ice hockey team based in Galt, Ontario, now a part of the city of Cambridge. They played in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1949 to 1955 and were operated as an affiliate of the Chicago Black Hawks...
for whom he played three seasons. He played one match for the Galt team's parent club the Chicago Black Hawks in 1951 before returning for another season to Galt. He played 29 matches for the Hawks in 1953–54 but spent an equal amount of time at the Quebec Aces
Quebec Aces
The Quebec Aces, also known in French as Les As de Québec, were an amateur and later a professional men's ice hockey team from Quebec City, Quebec. The Aces were founded in 1928, and played until 1971. The team played home games at the Quebec Coliseum from 1930 to 1971.The Aces were Allan Cup...
in the Quebec Hockey League before joining the American Hockey League
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...
Buffalo Bisons
Buffalo Bisons (AHL)
The Buffalo Bisons were an American Hockey League ice hockey franchise that played from 1940 to 1970 in Buffalo, New York. They replaced the original Buffalo Bisons hockey team, which left the area in 1936 after its arena collapsed...
in 1954. Under the training of Bisons' coach Harry Watson
Harry Watson (ice hockey b. 1923)
Harold Percival "Whipper" Watson was a Canadian professional ice hockey left wing who played for the Brooklyn Americans, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Chicago Black Hawks, winning five Stanley Cups over a 14-year career in the National Hockey League.-Playing career:Born in Saskatoon,...
he enjoyed four productive seasons, made the AHL's second all star team in 1955, and returned to Chicago to stay in 1958.
The Scooter Line
Wharram still seemed to struggle to find a spot on the Hawks until he was teamed on a line with Stan MikitaStan Mikita
Stanislav "Stan" Mikita , is a Slovak-born Canadian retired professional ice hockey player, generally regarded as the best centre of the 1960s. In 1961, he won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks, with whom he played his entire career.-Early life:Mikita was born in Sokolče, Slovak Republic...
. Mikita and Wharram meshed well together and Wharram's production - attributable to his considerable speed and puck-handling skills - soared. He would have seven straight seasons scoring 20 or more goals.
All that was needed was a left winger, and the Hawks got one in veteran Ted Lindsay
Ted Lindsay
Robert Blake Theodore Lindsay is a former professional ice hockey player, a forward for the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League . He scored over 800 points in his Hockey Hall of Fame career, won the Art Ross Trophy in 1950, and won the Stanley Cup four times...
, then near the end of his career. It would be Lindsay, Mikita and Wharram who formed the original Scooter Line. After Lindsay retired, Ab McDonald
Ab McDonald
Alvin Brian "Ab" McDonald is a retired Canadian ice hockey forward.McDonald began his National Hockey League career with the Montreal Canadiens in 1958 and retired in 1972. He also played for the Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, and the St. Louis Blues...
assumed the honors, and it would be this version of the Scooter Line in force when the Hawks won the 1961 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...
. After McDonald was traded to the 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...
, Doug Mohns
Doug Mohns
Douglas Allen "Diesel" Mohns is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1953–54 until 1974–75. Mohns twice won the most coveted prize in junior hockey, the Memorial Cup...
was placed in the left wing spot.
Sudden retirement
Wharram was attending the Black Hawks' training camp on September 16, 1969 when he noticed he was having chest pains. He was quickly sent to a hospital intensive care unitIntensive Care Unit
thumb|220px|ICU roomAn intensive-care unit , critical-care unit , intensive-therapy unit/intensive-treatment unit is a specialized department in a hospital that provides intensive-care medicine...
where he was diagnosed with myocarditis
Myocarditis
Myocarditis is inflammation of heart muscle . It resembles a heart attack but coronary arteries are not blocked.Myocarditis is most often due to infection by common viruses, such as parvovirus B19, less commonly non-viral pathogens such as Borrelia burgdorferi or Trypanosoma cruzi, or as a...
. Wharram's condition worsened to the point where he needed to be trained how to stay awake. The process took weeks, and while Wharram's life was eventually out of danger, the stress of playing hockey made a comeback out of the question. He officially retired in September 1970.
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 | ||
| 1951–52 | Galt Black Hawks Galt Black Hawks The Galt Black Hawks were a junior ice hockey team based in Galt, Ontario, now a part of the city of Cambridge. They played in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1949 to 1955 and were operated as an affiliate of the Chicago Black Hawks... |
OHA Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the... |
45 | 35 | 79 | 114 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1951–52 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1952–53 | Galt Black Hawks | OHA | 54 | 34 | 40 | 74 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1953–54 | Quebec Aces Quebec Aces The Quebec Aces, also known in French as Les As de Québec, were an amateur and later a professional men's ice hockey team from Quebec City, Quebec. The Aces were founded in 1928, and played until 1971. The team played home games at the Quebec Coliseum from 1930 to 1971.The Aces were Allan Cup... |
QHL | 29 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1953–54 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 29 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1954–55 1954–55 AHL season The 1954–55 AHL season was the 19th season of the American Hockey League. Six teams played 64 games each in the schedule. The "Carl Liscombe Trophy" for the league's top scorer is renamed to the John B. Sollenberger Trophy. The All-Star game is revived, with the AHL All-Stars taking on the... |
Buffalo Bisons Buffalo Bisons (AHL) The Buffalo Bisons were an American Hockey League ice hockey franchise that played from 1940 to 1970 in Buffalo, New York. They replaced the original Buffalo Bisons hockey team, which left the area in 1936 after its arena collapsed... |
AHL | 63 | 33 | 49 | 82 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 16 | 4 | ||
| 1955–56 1955–56 AHL season The 1955–56 AHL season was the 20th season of the American Hockey League. Six teams played 64 games each in the schedule. The Providence Reds finished first overall in the regular season, and won their fourth Calder Cup championship.-Final standings:... |
Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 59 | 27 | 63 | 90 | 27 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 1955–56 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1956–57 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... |
Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 64 | 28 | 49 | 77 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1957–58 1957–58 AHL season The 1957–58 AHL season was the 22nd season of the American Hockey League. Six teams each played 70 games in their schedules. The Hershey Bears finished first overall in the regular season, and won their second Calder Cup championship.-Final standings:... |
Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 58 | 31 | 26 | 57 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1958–59 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 66 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1959–60 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 59 | 14 | 11 | 25 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1960–61 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 64 | 16 | 29 | 45 | 12 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | ||
| 1961–62 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 62 | 14 | 23 | 37 | 24 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | ||
| 1962–63 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 55 | 20 | 18 | 38 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 1963–64 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 39 | 32 | 71 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 1964–65 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 68 | 20 | 24 | 44 | 27 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 1965–66 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 69 | 26 | 17 | 43 | 28 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1966–67 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 70 | 31 | 34 | 65 | 21 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1967–68 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 74 | 27 | 42 | 69 | 18 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 1968–69 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 76 | 30 | 39 | 69 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 766 | 252 | 281 | 533 | 222 | 80 | 16 | 27 | 43 | 38 | ||||