Frank Ludwig Jerwa (15 March 1909 – 6 August 1992) was a

Polish-Canadian Polish Canadians ( pl, Polonia w Kanadzie, french: Canadiens Polonais) are Canadian nationality law, citizens of Canada with Polish ancestry, and Poles who Citizenship and Immigration Canada, immigrated to Canada from abroad. At the Canada 2016 c ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

left winger A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. He played for the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

and

St. Louis Eagles The St. Louis Eagles were a professional ice hockey team that played in the National Hockey League (NHL). Based in St. Louis, the Eagles played for only one year, the 1934–35 NHL season. The team was founded in 1883 as the Ottawa Senators, a s ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

and the

Boston Cubs The Boston Tigers were a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts from 1926 until 1936, playing in the Canadian–American Hockey League (CAHL). History The club was known as the Boston Tigers from 1926 until 1931. The team then ...

and

Vancouver Lions Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

, among others, in the minors.

Early life

Jerwa was born in

Jaworzno Jaworzno is a city in southern Poland, near Katowice. It lies in the Silesian Highlands, on the Przemsza river (a tributary of the Vistula). Jaworzno belongs to the historic province of Lesser Poland. The city is situated in the Silesian Voivod ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

(now

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

) on 15 March 1909 to Frank and Anna Jerwa. He had three brothers,

Joe Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

, Art, and Steve, all of whom later played hockey, and a sister, Josephine. The family moved to

Bankhead, Alberta Bankhead, Alberta was a small coal mining town that existed in the early twentieth century, in Banff National Park, near the town of Banff, Alberta. The mine was located at Cascade Mountain, which contains high grade anthracite coal deposits. ...

in 1911, then to nearby Canmore in 1922. He and his brother Joe played for both the Canmore Miners junior and senior teams during the late 1920s. He played for the Miners junior team between 1927 and 1928 before moving on to the Regina Pats for the 1928–1929 season.

Career

Jerwa signed with the

in 1929, where he played alongside his brother Joe. Jerwa was traded to the

in April 1931 and again played with his brother. His debut came against the

Montreal Maroons The Montreal Maroons (officially the Montreal Professional Hockey Club) were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL). They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935. They were the la ...

on November 14, 1931, but it wasn't until February 4, 1932, against the

New York Americans The New York Americans, colloquially known as the Amerks, were a professional ice hockey team based in New York City from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the second to play ...

, where he scored a goal and made an assist, that he earned any points. He played 65 games with the Bruins but spent most of his time in Boston with the

, with whom he played 101 games. He and

Gene Carrigan Eugene Carrigan (July 5, 1906 – March 15, 1945) was a Canadian ice hockey centreman who played 37 games over three seasons in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Eagles. The rest of his career ...

were both traded in January 1935 to the

, though his start was delayed due to a broken arm. He and Joe Lamb hold the title for fastest two goals in the Eagles franchise at 14:50 and 14:53 on March 12, 1935. He played 16 games before the club was disbanded; he returned to the east coast in October 1935, this time for the

New Haven Eagles The New Haven Eagles were a professional ice hockey team that played in New Haven, Connecticut. The Eagles were one of five inaugural franchises in the Canadian American Hockey League, and a founding member of the American Hockey League. History ...

, a Bruins affiliate. After 45 games there, he briefly played for the Vancouver Lions, then went to the

Springfield Indians The Springfield Indians were a minor professional ice hockey franchise, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The Indians were founding members of the American Hockey League. They were in existen ...

for 35 games in November 1936. That year, he also played for the

Can-Am The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an Sports Car Club of America, SCCA/Canadian Auto Sport Clubs, CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1987. History Can-Am started out as a race series for group 7 sports racers with two r ...

All-Star team. In 1937, he signed with the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

, played 88 games, and finished his career as a member of the Lions once more from November 1939 to 1941. He played 140 total career games with the Lions. He retired from professional hockey in October 1941.

Later life

After leaving the professional hockey circuit, he settled 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 ...

and played in the

British Columbia Hockey League The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league from British Columbia under Hockey Canada and BC Hockey. Founded in Vernon in 1961, the BCHL now includes 18 teams. From 1993 to 2021, the league was a member of the Ca ...

with St. Regis. He died on 6 August 1992 in

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha lakes. In the 2016 Canadian Census, its population was 33,761, while its census agglomeration The ce ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. He was survived by his wife Frances Ella, daughter Shirley, 3 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. Frances died in 2002.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jerwa, Frank 1909 births 1992 deaths Boston Bruins players Boston Cubs players Canadian ice hockey left wingers Canadian people of Polish descent Ice hockey people from Alberta New Haven Eagles players People from Banff, Alberta Regina Pats players St. Louis Eagles players Seattle Seahawks (ice hockey) players Springfield Indians players Vancouver Lions players People from Canmore, Alberta Polish ice hockey players Polish ice hockey left wingers People from Jaworzno Sportspeople from Silesian Voivodeship