Frank Fredrickson

Sigurður Franklin Fredrickson (June 3, 1895 – May 28, 1979) was an Icelandic-Canadian ice hockey player and coach who was significant to both the amateur and professional sport as it evolved in North America in the early 20th century.[2] Fredrickson's career was interrupted by military service during World War I and prematurely ended by a knee injury in 1931.[3]

Frank Fredrickson
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1958
Frank Fredrickson representing Canada at the 1920 Summer Olympics.
Born (1895-06-03)June 3, 1895
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Died May 28, 1979(1979-05-28) (aged 83)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada[1]
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Detroit Olympics (IHL)
Detroit Falcons (NHL)
Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL)
Boston Bruins (NHL)
Detroit Cougars (NHL)
Victoria Cougars (WCHL)
Victoria Cougars (PCHA)
Victoria Aristocrats (PCHA)
National team  Canada
Playing career 1913–1932
Olympic medal record
Men's Ice hockey
Representing  Canada
1920 Antwerp Team competition
Fredrickson with the Victoria Cougars.

The Icelandic spelling of his last name is Friðriksson and the alternate English spelling Frederickson.[4]

Early life

Fredrickson was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Icelandic immigrants Jón Vídalín Friðriksson and Guðlaug S. Sigurðardóttir.[4]

Amateur career

Fredrickson attended Kelvin Technical Institute and Central Collegiate before enrolling at the University of Manitoba law school, where he captained the hockey team. After serving in the 196th Battalion, the 223rd Battalion, and the Royal Flying Corps in World War I, he captained the Winnipeg Falcons,[5] to the 1920 Allan Cup and then to the first gold medal offered in the sport at the 1920 Olympics at Antwerp.[6]

Professional career

Professionally, Fredrickson played for the Victoria Cougars of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Detroit Falcons in the National Hockey League. He helped Victoria win the Stanley Cup in 1925.

On January 18, 1927, Fredrickson scored four goals in a single game for Boston in the Bruins' 7-3 victory over the New York Rangers. He became the second Bruin to achieve this feat. Teammate Harry Oliver had done it exactly one week before.

On December 21, 1928 Fredrickson was traded from the Boston Bruins to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Mickey MacKay. When the Stanley Cup was redone during the 1957–58 NHL season his name was engraved, contrary to NHL rules, on the Cup with the 1929 Bruins. Fredrickson was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates the day Boston won the Cup. This made him ineligible to be on the cup with Boston.

Fredrickson coached hockey and lacrosse after his retirement. He coached the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 1929–1930 season, when he also played 9 games, but the team went 5-36-3 and moved to Philadelphia the next season before folding. In 1933, Fredrickson was named coach of the Princeton University ice hockey team.[7] Fredrickson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958[1] and is also a member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Fredrickson was of Icelandic and Irish heritage.

Playing style
"... Freddie was a bit nervous at the start, and was cut across the legs by the hot Skinner, who drew a penalty. In the second period Freddie got his legs, and in the final session he was a perfect marvel. His skating, stickhandling and dazzling speed as well as his terrific shot made him a most dangerous man. Vancouver tried to box him, but he was too fast, and was continually on top of Lehman."

Victoria Daily Times describing Fredrickson's first professional game with the Victoria Aristocrats on January 1, 1921.[8]

Fredrickson was a natural centre forward, a left-hand shot, and with all the valuable traits of a franchise pivot man: skating, speed, stick-handling, size and a terrific shot.

When Fredrickson made his long-awaited professional debut in the PCHA with the Victoria Aristocrats against the Vancouver Millionaires on New Year's Day 1921 he was already 25 years old and an Allan Cup and Olympic champion, and the anticipations among the home fans in Victoria were sky high, although there were also some doubters who wondered if he could star in the PCHA circuit. Fredrickson did not let anyone down, when he was finally let on by coach Lester Patrick after 10 minutes of play, after he had shaken off his last nerves. During the last period of the game Fredrickson had one goal and two assists when Victoria turned the game around and won 5 goals to 3, with the local newspaper Victoria Daily Times hailing him as the new "Babe Ruth of hockey" and claiming that "he showed everything and lacked nothing."[8]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1913–14 Winnipeg Falcons MHL-Sr. 11137200 —————
1914–15 Winnipeg Falcons MHL-Sr. 8105150 11010
1915–16 Winnipeg Falcons MHL-Sr. 61331614 —————
1916–17 Winnipeg 223rd Battalion MHL-Sr. 81732040 —————
1919–20 Winnipeg Falcons MHL-Sr. 102352812 6225272
1920–21 Victoria Aristocrats PCHA 212012323 —————
1921–22 Victoria Aristocrats PCHA 2415102526 —————
1922–23 Victoria Cougars PCHA 3039165526 22024
1923–24 Victoria Cougars PCHA 301982728 —————
1924–25 Victoria Cougars WCHL 282283043 43142
1924–25 Victoria Cougars St-Cup ————— 43256
1925–26 Victoria Cougars WHL 301682489 42136
1925–26 Victoria Cougars St-Cup ————— 411210
1926–27 Detroit Cougars NHL 16461012 —————
1926–27 Boston Bruins NHL 281472133 822420
1927–28 Boston Bruins NHL 411041483 20114
1928–29 Boston Bruins NHL 1231424 —————
1928–29 Pittsburgh Pirates NHL 31371028 —————
1929–30 Pittsburgh Pirates NHL 9471120 —————
1930–31 Detroit Falcons NHL 241236 —————
1930–31 Detroit Olympics IHL 60112 —————
PCHA totals 105934613983 22024
WCHL/WHL totals 58381654132 85278
NHL totals 161393473206 1023524

  • All statistics taken from NHL.com[9]

Awards and achievements
Fredrickson (far left in the back row, right behind the lady) with the Winnipeg Falcons en route to the 1920 Olympics.

Coaching statistics

Coaching record
TeamYearRegular seasonPost season
GWLTPtsDivision rankResult
PIT1929–30 445363135th in AmericanMissed playoffs
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gollark: So this may not help, but I thought it was relevant.

References
  1. Hockey Hall of Fame 2003, p. 28.
  2. "Frank Fredrickson Biography". legendsofhockety.net. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
  3. "Frank Fredrickson Biography". Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
  4. "Winnipeg Falcons - Military Biographies". Icelandic Veteran's Database (in Icelandic). 1923. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
  5. "Spalding, as reproduced on Winnipeg falcons.com". Spalding's Athletic Library. 1919. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
  6. "Winners in first Olympic ice hockey tournament" Victoria Daily Times, April 28, 1920 (p. 10). Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  7. "Tigers Here Saturday". The Baltimore Sun. December 31, 1933. p. 11.
  8. "Frederickson Will Be Babe Ruth of the P.C.H.A.", Victoria Daily Times. Jan. 3, 1921 (p. 12). Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  9. NHL.com (2009). "Frank Fredrickson's NHL Profile". NHL.com. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
General references
Preceded by
Odie Cleghorn		 Head coach of the Pittsburgh Pirates
1929–30		 Succeeded by
Philadelphia Quakers coaches
Cooper Smeaton
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