Poul Popiel
Encyclopedia
Poul Peter Popiel is a retired NHL
defenceman
, and head coach. He played in the OHA
, AHL
, WHA
, NHL
, CPHL
, and IHL. He played a brief 12
games in the IHL with the Muskegon Mohawks
, then halfway through the year, he retired and became the head coach. He was the first player along with Garry Peters
to win the Ken McKenzie Trophy
(In 1963-64.). His younger brother Jan Popiel
is also a former professional hockey player.
Popiel was in the news briefly in early 2007. The New York Islanders
recalled Frans Nielsen
and he made his NHL
debut on January 6. At the time of his recall, the Islanders believed that Nielsen would be the first Danish-born player to play in the NHL. It turned out that Popiel had him beaten—by about forty-seven years.
Popiel (whose family moved to Canada
in 1951 when he was a child ) had become an American citizen prior to his debut, however, leaving Nielsen with the honor of being the first Danish citizen to appear in an NHL game. Additionally, Nielsen is the first Danish NHL player at least partially trained in the Danish junior hockey system.
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...
defenceman
Defenceman (ice hockey)
Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...
, and head coach. He played in the 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...
, 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...
, WHA
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
, 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...
, CPHL
CPHL
CPHL may refer to:*Central Hockey League , a minor pro ice hockey league that operated in North America*Canadian Professional Hockey League, a minor pro league that operated predominantly in Canada from 1926 through 1929...
, and IHL. He played a brief 12
12
Year 12 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caesar and Capito...
games in the IHL with the Muskegon Mohawks
Muskegon Mohawks
The Muskegon Mohawks were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League from 1965 to 1984. Muskegon were Turner Cup champions in 1968....
, then halfway through the year, he retired and became the head coach. He was the first player along with Garry Peters
Garry Peters
Garry Lorne Peters is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre and head coach who played in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins...
to win the Ken McKenzie Trophy
Ken McKenzie Trophy
The Ken McKenzie Trophy is awarded annually to the Central Hockey League's leading points scorer in the regular season. The award is named for Ken McKenzie, the co-founder and longtime president and publisher of The Hockey News....
(In 1963-64.). His younger brother Jan Popiel
Jan Popiel
Jan Popiel is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 296 games in the World Hockey Association. He played for the Chicago Cougars, Denver Spurs, Ottawa Civics, Houston Aeros and Phoenix Roadrunners...
is also a former professional hockey player.
Popiel was in the news briefly in early 2007. The New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
recalled Frans Nielsen
Frans Nielsen
Frans Nielsen is a Danish professional ice hockey player currently playing with the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League . He is the first Danish citizen to play in the NHL.-Playing career:...
and he made his 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...
debut on January 6. At the time of his recall, the Islanders believed that Nielsen would be the first Danish-born player to play in the NHL. It turned out that Popiel had him beaten—by about forty-seven years.
Popiel (whose family moved to Canada
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...
in 1951 when he was a child ) had become an American citizen prior to his debut, however, leaving Nielsen with the honor of being the first Danish citizen to appear in an NHL game. Additionally, Nielsen is the first Danish NHL player at least partially trained in the Danish junior hockey system.
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 | ||
| 1960–61 | St. Catharines Teepees St. Catharines Teepees The St. Catharines Teepees were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1947 to 1962. The team was based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.-History:... |
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.... |
38 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1961–62 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA | 49 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1962–63 | St. Catharines Black Hawks St. Catharines Black Hawks The St. Catharines Black Hawks were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1962 to 1976. The team was based in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.-History:... |
OHA | 50 | 11 | 34 | 45 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 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:... |
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 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... |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1963–64 | St. Louis Braves St. Louis Braves The St. Louis Braves were a minor league hockey club located in St. Louis, Missouri. The team originated as the Syracuse Braves in the Eastern Professional Hockey League's final season of 1962–63. The team was moved to St. Louis mid-season, and continued in the new Central Hockey League after the... |
CPHL | 54 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 78 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | ||
| 1963–64 1963–64 AHL season The 1963–64 AHL season was the 28th season of the American Hockey League. Nine teams played 72 games each in the schedule. The Quebec Aces finished first overall in the regular season... |
Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1964–65 1964–65 AHL season The 1964–65 AHL season was the 29th season of the American Hockey League. The league inaugurates the James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding media coverage of the AHL.Nine teams played 72 games each in the schedule... |
Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 48 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 76 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 29 | ||
| 1965–66 1965–66 AHL season The 1965–66 AHL season was the 30th season of the American Hockey League. Nine teams played 72 games each in the schedule. The league played a limited interlocking schedule with the Western Hockey League which was repeated two seasons later. The Quebec Aces finished first overall in the regular... |
Hershey Bears Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears Hockey Club is a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League, and is currently the top affiliate of the NHL Washington Capitals. The hockey club is based in the unincorporated town of Hershey, Pennsylvania, located within Derry Township some 14 miles east of... |
AHL | 63 | 6 | 26 | 32 | 101 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1965–66 | 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... |
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... |
3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1966–67 1966–67 AHL season The 1966–67 AHL season was the 31st season of the American Hockey League. Nine teams played 72 games each in the schedule. The Pittsburgh Hornets finished first overall in the regular season, and won their first Calder Cup championship since being resurrected in 1961–62... |
Hershey Bears | AHL | 63 | 5 | 27 | 32 | 134 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 1967–68 1967–68 AHL season The 1967–68 AHL season was the 32nd season of the American Hockey League. Eight teams played 72 games each in the schedule. The league played a limited interlocking schedule with the Western Hockey League which was a repeat of the experiment two seasons earlier. The Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial... |
Springfield Kings | AHL | 72 | 8 | 27 | 35 | 180 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1967–68 | Los Angeles Kings Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1968–69 1968–69 AHL season The 1968–69 AHL season was the 33rd season of the American Hockey League. Eight teams played 74 games each in the schedule. The Buffalo Bisons finished first overall in the regular season... |
Springfield Kings | AHL | 13 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | 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... |
NHL | 62 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 1969–70 AHL season The 1969–70 AHL season was the 34th season of the American Hockey League. Nine teams played 72 games each in the schedule. The Montreal Voyageurs became the second Canadian-based team in the league, and finished first overall in the regular season... |
Cleveland Barons | AHL | 22 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 32 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1970–71 | Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,... |
NHL | 78 | 10 | 22 | 32 | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 1971–72 AHL season The 1971–72 AHL season was the 36th season of the American Hockey League. Major changes occurred in the off-season. The league welcomed four expansion teams, and lost both Quebec-based teams. Eleven teams played 76 games each in the schedule. The Boston Braves finished first overall in the regular... |
Rochester Americans Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and a top affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial... |
AHL | 12 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 38 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Houston Aeros Houston Aeros (WHA) The Houston Aeros were a professional ice hockey team in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1978.-Franchise history:The Aeros became one of the original franchises in the World Hockey Association when the Dayton Arrows franchise was moved to Houston in 1972... |
WHA World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926... |
73 | 16 | 48 | 64 | 158 | 10 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 23 | ||
| 1973–74 | Houston Aeros | WHA | 78 | 7 | 41 | 48 | 126 | 14 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 22 | ||
| 1974–75 | Houston Aeros | WHA | 78 | 11 | 53 | 64 | 123 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 34 | ||
| 1975–76 | Houston Aeros | WHA | 78 | 10 | 36 | 46 | 71 | 17 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 16 | ||
| 1976–77 | Houston Aeros | WHA | 80 | 12 | 56 | 68 | 87 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | ||
| 1977–78 | Houston Aeros | WHA | 80 | 6 | 31 | 37 | 53 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 13 | ||
| 1979–80 | Edmonton Oilers Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League .... |
NHL | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Houston Apollos Houston Apollos The Houston Apollos were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Houston, Texas. They played in the Central Hockey League from 1965 to 1969, and then from 1979 to 1981.... |
CHL Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League is a mid-level professional hockey league, owned by Global Entertainment Corporation. Its current champions are the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, which defeated the Colorado Eagles four games to three in the 2011 playoffs.... |
57 | 2 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 1981–82 | Muskegon Mohawks Muskegon Mohawks The Muskegon Mohawks were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League from 1965 to 1984. Muskegon were Turner Cup champions in 1968.... |
IHL | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 224 | 13 | 41 | 54 | 212 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||||
| WHA totals | 467 | 62 | 265 | 327 | 618 | 71 | 7 | 47 | 54 | 118 | ||||
Coaching statistics
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | W% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–82 | Muskegon Mohawks | IHL | 55 | 24 | 30 | 0.445 |