Phat Wilson
Encyclopedia
Gordon Allan "Phat" Wilson (December 29, 1895 – August, 1970) was a Canadian
amateur ice hockey
forward
who won the Allan Cup
three times as a member of the Port Arthur Bearcats
. Regarded as one of the top amateur players of his time, Wilson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
in 1962.
, Wilson did not even know how to skate when he joined the town's church league in 1914. Serving as a substitute, he improved his skating enough that he earned a full-time role on his team the following year and played two seasons of junior hockey before joining the Port Arthur War Veterans senior team at the age of 18.
Wilson moved to Iroquois Falls, Ontario
for a season to play in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) in 1921–22 before returning to Port Arthur a year later to play for the Port Arthur Bearcats
. He was a top player in the NOHA, leading Port Arthur to an Allan Cup
championship in 1925 as Canada's national senior champions. Wilson and the Bearcats repeated as champions the following year and won a third Allan Cup in 1929. Professional teams took note of his play; teams from Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto all offered him but he declined, preferring to remain in his hometown.
He was an outstanding offensive defenceman who won several scoring titles during his career. He retired as a player in 1932 at the age of 37 and took on the dual role of coach and manager of the Bearcats. In recognition of his career in Port Arthur, Wilson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
in 1962 and the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in its inaugural class of 1982.
and served as a volunteer and executive in both sports. He was named the first president of Port Arthur's little league when it was founded in 1952 and helped found the community's girls hockey league, serving also as a coach and referee.
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...
amateur 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...
forward
Forward (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...
who won the Allan Cup
Allan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men’s ice hockey champions of Canada. It has been competed for since 1909. The current champion is the Clarenville Caribous hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:...
three times as a member of the Port Arthur Bearcats
Port Arthur Bearcats
The Port Arthur Bearcats were an amateur men's senior ice hockey team based in Port Arthur, Ontario . Port Arthur were champions Canadian Amateur Hockey Association four times, and were chosen once to represent Canada as the Canada national men's ice hockey team at international competitions...
. Regarded as one of the top amateur players of his time, Wilson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
in 1962.
Hockey career
A native of Port Arthur, OntarioPort Arthur, Ontario
Port Arthur was a city in Northern Ontario which amalgamated with Fort William and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970. Port Arthur was the district seat of Thunder Bay District.- History :...
, Wilson did not even know how to skate when he joined the town's church league in 1914. Serving as a substitute, he improved his skating enough that he earned a full-time role on his team the following year and played two seasons of junior hockey before joining the Port Arthur War Veterans senior team at the age of 18.
Wilson moved to Iroquois Falls, Ontario
Iroquois Falls, Ontario
Iroquois Falls is a small town in Northern Ontario, Canada, with a population of 4,729 in the Canada 2006 Census.The town centre lies just off of Hwy 11 on the banks the Abitibi River, west of Lake Abitibi. Timmins, one of the largest cities in northern Ontario is approximately to the west...
for a season to play in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) in 1921–22 before returning to Port Arthur a year later to play for the Port Arthur Bearcats
Port Arthur Bearcats
The Port Arthur Bearcats were an amateur men's senior ice hockey team based in Port Arthur, Ontario . Port Arthur were champions Canadian Amateur Hockey Association four times, and were chosen once to represent Canada as the Canada national men's ice hockey team at international competitions...
. He was a top player in the NOHA, leading Port Arthur to an Allan Cup
Allan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men’s ice hockey champions of Canada. It has been competed for since 1909. The current champion is the Clarenville Caribous hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:...
championship in 1925 as Canada's national senior champions. Wilson and the Bearcats repeated as champions the following year and won a third Allan Cup in 1929. Professional teams took note of his play; teams from Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto all offered him but he declined, preferring to remain in his hometown.
He was an outstanding offensive defenceman who won several scoring titles during his career. He retired as a player in 1932 at the age of 37 and took on the dual role of coach and manager of the Bearcats. In recognition of his career in Port Arthur, Wilson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
in 1962 and the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in its inaugural class of 1982.
Off the ice
In addition to hockey, Wilson played baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and served as a volunteer and executive in both sports. He was named the first president of Port Arthur's little league when it was founded in 1952 and helped found the community's girls hockey league, serving also as a coach and referee.