Russ Blinco
{{short description|Canadian ice hockey player}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| image = Russ Blinco crop.jpg
| image_size =
| position = Centre
| played_for = Montreal Maroons
Chicago Black Hawks
| shoots = Left
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 10
| weight_lb = 171
| birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1906|3|12}}
| birth_place = Grand-Mère, Quebec, Canada
| death_date = {{death date and age|1982|6|28|1906|3|12}}
| death_place = Bedford, Quebec, Canada
| career_start = 1932
| career_end = 1939
| halloffame =
}}
Russell Percival Blinco (March 12, 1906 – June 28, 1982) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played six seasons in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Maroons and Chicago Black Hawks. He won the Stanley Cup with the Maroons in 1934-35.
Playing career
Blinco began his hockey career with the local Grand-Mere Maroons in 1928–29. In 1929–30, he joined the Brooklyn Crescents of the USAHA, for whom he played for three seasons. He joined the Windsor Bulldogs of the International Hockey League in 1932–33; he also played part of that season with the Springfield Indians in the Canadian-American Hockey League. In 1933–34, Blinco recorded 11 points in 16 games with the Bulldogs, then signed on with the Montreal Maroons in mid-season.
In his first season with the Maroons, Blinco recorded 23 points in 34 games, and received the Calder Memorial Trophy for Rookie of the Year. In 1934–35, he helped the Maroons reach the Stanley Cup Finals and defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs in three games to win the Stanley Cup. In 1937, he took part in the Howie Morenz Memorial Game. In 1938 he was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks along with teammates Baldy Northcott and Earl Robinson for $30,000 cash. He retired from playing after one season with the Hawks. Blinco was the first NHL player to wear spectacles while playing.{{cite book|last=Weekes|first=Don|title=The Best and Worst of Hockey's Firsts: The Unofficial Guide|year=2003|publisher=Greystone Books|location=Canada|isbn=9781550548600|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bestworstofhocke0000week/page/240 240]|url=https://archive.org/details/bestworstofhocke0000week/page/240}}
He died in 1982 in Bedford, Quebec, Canada, aged 76.[https://www.ubishops.ca/gaiters/wall/1991.html RBC Wall of Distinction] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515075215/http://www.ubishops.ca/gaiters/wall/1991.html |date=2011-05-15 }}Quebec Death Index
Awards and achievements
- Calder Memorial Trophy winner in 1934.
- Stanley Cup champion in 1935.
- Played in Howie Morenz Memorial Game.
Career statistics
=Regular season and playoffs=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Regular season ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Playoffs | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season ! Team ! League ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM | ||||||||
| 1926–27
| MCHL | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1927–28 | McGill University | OQAA | — | — | — | — | —
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1928–29
| Grand'Mere Maroons | PIHL | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1929–30 | USAHA | — | — | — | — | —
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1930–31
| Brooklyn Crescents | USAHA | — | — | — | — | —
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1931–32 | Brooklyn Crescents | USAHA | — | — | — | — | —
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1932–33
| IHL | 28 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 12
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1932–33 | Can-Am | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1933–34
| Windsor Bulldogs | IHL | 16 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 4
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1933–34 | NHL | 31 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 2
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1934–35
| Montreal Maroons | NHL | 48 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 4
| 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1935–36 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 46 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 10
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1936–37
| Montreal Maroons | NHL | 48 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 2
| 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1937–38 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 47 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 4
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1938–39
| NHL | 48 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 2
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! 268 !! 59 !! 66 !! 125 !! 24 ! 19 !! 3 !! 3 !! 6 !! 4 |
Transactions
- December 18, 1932 - Traded to the Montreal Maroons (Windsor Bulldogs-IHL) by the New York Rangers after Springfield Indians (Can-Am) franchise folded.
- September 15, 1932 - Traded to the Chicago Black Hawks by the Montreal Maroons with Baldy Northcott and Earl Robinson for $30,000 cash.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Ice hockey stats}}
{{s-start}}
{{succession box | before = Carl Voss | title = NHL Rookie of the Year| years = 1934 | after = Sweeney Schriner }}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blinco, Russ}}
Category:Calder Trophy winners
Category:Canadian ice hockey centres
Category:Chicago Blackhawks players
Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Category:Ice hockey people from Shawinigan
Category:Montreal Maroons players
Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen