Richard Bonar Starrak (1927-2010) was a Canadian ice hockey

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

and

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...

who played for

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

Career

Starrak started his college career in 1945 just as many college hockey programs were restarting after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After joining the

varsity team In most English-speaking countries, varsity is an abbreviation of the word ''university''. In the United States and Canada, the term is mostly used in relation to sports teams. Varsity in the United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, varsity team ...

in his sophomore year he helped lay the foundation for the Wolveines to be the dominant power for college hockey. The NCAA instituted a national tournament for the

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

season and Starrak helped Michigan win the inaugural tournament. After graduating he played one year of minor hockey before retiring as a player. He worked for several companies in the lumber industry over the course of his professional career including the Capilano Timber Company in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. He eventually rose to become the president of the George McQuesten Lumber Company and retired to live in

Boxford, Massachusetts Boxford is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town's population was 8,203 in 2020. The original town center of Boxford, along with East Boxford and other areas in the eastern part of t ...

Personal life

Starrak's brother

Jim Starrak Roy James Starrak (1928–2013) was a Canadian-born American ice hockey defenseman who played for Colorado College. Career Starrak's collegiate career began in 1947 with the Freshman team at Colorado College. He joined the varsity team the ...

also played college hockey, winning a national championship with

Colorado College Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduates at its campus. The college offer ...

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Starrak, Dick 1927 births 2010 deaths Canadian ice hockey defencemen Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey players NCAA men's ice hockey national champions Ice hockey people from Moose Jaw AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans