Orland Kurtenbach
Orland Kurtenbach | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Cudworth, Saskatchewan, Canada | September 7, 1936||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb) | ||
Position | Centre | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for |
New York Rangers Boston Bruins Toronto Maple Leafs Vancouver Canucks | ||
Playing career | 1954–1974 |
Orland John Kurtenbach (born September 7, 1936) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. A centre notable for his defensive skill and as one of the toughest fighters in the game, he played for several National Hockey League (NHL) teams during his twenty professional seasons, principally the Vancouver Canucks, with whom he became the NHL franchise's inaugural captain.
Early life
Kurtenbach was born in Cudworth, Saskatchewan. He grew up on a farm until his family moved to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, at age 10.[1] It was at this time that Kurtenbach began playing organized hockey.[1] Beginning as a defenceman, he moved to the centre position later in his career.[1]
Playing career
Kurtenbach played in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) with the Prince Albert Mintos for two seasons, also making brief appearances with the Saskatoon Quakers of the minor professional Western Hockey League (WHL) during that time. In 1957, after Prince Albert was eliminated from the SJHL playoffs, Kurtenbach finished the season with the Flin Flon Bombers, where he helped the team win a Memorial Cup.
Kurtenbach turned professional in 1957–58, signing a C-form with the Vancouver Canucks of the WHL.[1] He scored 54 points in 52 games en route to earning Rookie of the Year honours. In the playoffs, he helped the Canucks to a President's Cup championship.
The majority of Kurtenbach's early professional career was spent in the minors, splitting time between the
During his time in the minors, Kurtenbach made two brief appearances in the
Kurtenbach was obtained by the Canucks and was named the franchise's first NHL captain.[1] On December 12, 1970, he recorded the first hat trick in Canucks history in a 5-2 victory over the California Golden Seals, it was also the only hat trick he ever recorded in his career. He recorded an NHL career-high point-per-game pace with 53 points in 52 games, despite suffering a serious injury on December 23 that sidelined him until March 3.[2] The following season, he registered a career-high 61 points in 78 games. Many of Vancouver's players left the club that season, defecting to the nascent World Hockey Association (WHA) for larger salaries.[3] Kurtenbach himself was offered a $150,000 contract with the Los Angeles Sharks, but he declined.[3] He often played on a line with Wayne Maki and Murray Hall.[1] Kurtenbach retired from the NHL after his fourth season with Vancouver.
Kurtenbach finished his NHL career with 119 goals and 213 assists for 332 points in 639 games, adding 628 penalty minutes. On October 26, 2010, Kurtenbach was the first Canucks player inducted into the team's Ring of Honour.[1] A ceremony was held before a Canucks' game against the Colorado Avalanche.[1]
Coaching career
The season after his NHL retirement, Kurtenbach joined the
In 1976–77, Kurtenbach returned to the NHL to replace Phil Maloney midway through the season as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. This marked the third time in his playing and coaching career that he would represent Vancouver. However, after one and a half seasons and a 36–62–27 record, Kurtenbach was replaced by Harry Neale at the end of the 1977–78 season. Upon his replacement, Kurtenbach only returned to coaching to represent the Springfield Indians of the AHL in 1982 and the Richmond Sockeyes of the BCHL in 1986 (whom he guided to the 1987 Centennial Cup) before retiring.
Personal life
During his time with the Vancouver Canucks of the WHL, he met his wife.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Regular season
|
Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1953–54 | Prince Albert Mintos | SJHL | 47 | 29 | 40 | 69 | 48 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 14 | ||
1954–55 | Prince Albert Mintos | SJHL | 48 | 30 | 41 | 71 | 57 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 0 | ||
1954–55 | Saskatoon Quakers | WHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1955–56 | Prince Albert Mintos | SJHL | 43 | 41 | 38 | 79 | 66 | 12 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 13 | ||
1955–56 | Saskatoon Quakers | WHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1955–56 | Flin Flon Bombers | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
1956–57 | Prince Albert Mintos | SJHL | 50 | 48 | 54 | 102 | 115 | 13 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 13 | ||
1956–57 | Prince Albert Mintos | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
1957–58 | Vancouver Canucks | WHL | 52 | 15 | 39 | 54 | 58 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | ||
1958–59 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 70 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 73 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
1959–60 | Vancouver Canucks | WHL | 42 | 11 | 27 | 38 | 51 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 11 | ||
1959–60 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 14 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1960–61 | Vancouver Canucks | WHL | 55 | 20 | 27 | 47 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1960–61 | New York Rangers | NHL | 10 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1961–62 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1961–62 | Providence Reds | AHL | 64 | 31 | 33 | 64 | 51 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
1962–63 | San Francisco Seals | WHL | 70 | 30 | 57 | 87 | 94 | 17 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 51 | ||
1963–64 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 70 | 12 | 25 | 37 | 91 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1964–65 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 64 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 86 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1965–66 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 54 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | ||
1966–67 | New York Rangers | NHL | 60 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 58 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
1967–68 | New York Rangers | NHL | 73 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 82 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 26 | ||
1968–69 | Omaha Knights | CHL
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1968–69 | New York Rangers | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1969–70 | New York Rangers | NHL | 53 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 47 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 24 | ||
1969–70 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1970–71 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 52 | 21 | 32 | 53 | 84 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1971–72 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 78 | 24 | 37 | 61 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1972–73 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 47 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1973–74 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 52 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
WHL totals | 223 | 76 | 150 | 226 | 238 | 38 | 8 | 21 | 29 | 70 | ||||
NHL totals | 639 | 119 | 213 | 332 | 628 | 19 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 70 |
Awards and achievements
Player
- WHL Rookie of the Year - 1958
- Cyclone Taylor Trophy (Vancouver Canucks' MVP) - 1971, 1972, 1973
- Cyrus H. McLean Trophy (Vancouver Canucks' leading scorer) - 1972 (tied with André Boudrias)
Coach
- CHLcoach of the year) - 1976
Coaching record
Team | Year | Regular season |
Post season
| |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | L | T | Pts | Division rank | Result | ||
Vancouver Canucks | 1976-77
|
45 | 16 | 19 | 10 | (42) | 4th in Smythe | Missed playoffs |
Vancouver Canucks | 1977-78
|
80 | 20 | 43 | 17 | 57 | 3rd in Smythe | Missed playoffs |
Total | 125 | 36 | 62 | 27 |
References
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Article Title[usurped]