Frank Sydney Mathers (March 29, 1924 – February 9, 2005) was a professional
ice hockey player during the 1940s and 1950s. He competed with the
National Hockey League's
Toronto Maple Leafs and the
American Hockey League's
Pittsburgh Hornets
The Pittsburgh Hornets were a minor-league professional men's ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Contrary to popular belief, the Pittsburgh Hornets did not evolve from the International Hockey League's Pittsburgh Shamrocks. The ...
and Hershey Bears. He is best known for his 35-year association with the Bears as a player, coach, GM and President and was elected as a member of the
Hockey Hall of Fame
, logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg
, logo_upright = 0.5
, image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg
, caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992
, map_type =
, former_name =
, established = 1943
, location = 30 Y ...
in the builder's category in 1992.
One of the AHL's most accomplished players, Mathers stood as the all-time assist- and point-scoring leader among AHL defencemen upon his retirement as a player in 1962. He was selected to the AHL All Star Team five consecutive years. As a player or executive, he won eight
Calder Cups—two as a player for Pittsburgh (1952 and 1955), two as a player/coach for Hershey (1958 and 1959), one as a coach for Hershey (1969), and three as a general manager for Hershey (1974, 1980 and 1988). In 1987, he was awarded the
Lester Patrick Trophy for his lifelong commitment to hockey in the United States. Mathers retired from the Bears in 1991 after 35 years with the Hershey Bears (17 as a coach, with the first 6 as a player/coach, and 18 as general manager/team president). The Bears have retired number 3 in his honor.
He is one of few Honored Members of the Hockey Hall of Fame whose North American career was almost entirely outside of the NHL (having played just 23 NHL games), having been enshrined in 1992 in the builders' category. Mathers was also inducted as a charter member of the AHL Hall of Fame in 2006 in Winnipeg.
Early life
Mathers was born on March 29, 1924, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Growing up in
Wolseley, Winnipeg, Mathers played junior ice hockey for the Excelsiors Hockey Club and Winnipeg Rangers with whom he won a provincial bantam B and two midget championships and two juvenile titles.
While attending
Gordon Bell High School, Mathers competed in the City High School football league. At the start of the 1941 season, he led the team to a 31–0 win, the most decisive victory in the schools history. ''
The Winnipeg Tribune'' reporter
Vince Leah described Mathers as "a big, bulky, likeable kid, modest almost to a fault, extremely good-natured and best of all a true gentleman."
While competing with the Rangers during the 1943–44 season, Mathers began to draw attention from
National Hockey League (NHL) scouts. However, he enlisted in the
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and attended
St. Patricks College.
During his time in the Air Force, Mathers was a fullback for the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers and
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine ...
in the
Canadian Football League. In 1942, at the age of 18, Mathers played for the Winnipeg RCAF Bombers in the first ever non-civilian Grey Cup game, losing 8–5 to the Toronto RCAF Hurricanes. He eventually quit football to concentrate on hockey but rejoined the Blue Bombers in 1943 before transferring to the Ottawa Rough Riders. Later, Mathers said he thought he played football better than hockey but chose hockey due to finances.
Mathers was encouraged by
Toronto Maple Leafs owner
Conn Smythe to play for the Leafs instead of continuing his pursuit of a degree. Smythe told him he could earn around $100,000 with the Leafs, which could then pay for his dream of attending dentistry school. In response, Mathers told Maple Leafs executives he would only play for the team if it was certain he would make it to the professional level. While playing for the Ottawa All-Stars during the 1946–47 season, he travelled with them to England for some exhibition games and was given a proposition to stay in the country. However, he turned it down and returned to North America. Mathers eventually agreed to play with the Leafs after he was told he lacked sufficient credits to enroll at the
University of Ottawa.
Career
Mathers attended the Maple Leafs' training camp prior to their 1948–49 season and signed a three-year contract with the team. Although he committed to play in the professional league, he announced he would attend summer school either in Ottawa or Manitoba to complete his Bachelor of Science degree and enrol at dentistry school.
After playing 15 games with the Maple Leafs, Mathers agreed to be re-assigned to their
American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the
Pittsburgh Hornets
The Pittsburgh Hornets were a minor-league professional men's ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Contrary to popular belief, the Pittsburgh Hornets did not evolve from the International Hockey League's Pittsburgh Shamrocks. The ...
, so he could continue to play ice hockey.
On December 3, 1948, Smythe officially re-assigned Mathers and
Les Costello to the Hornets. After spending the season with the Hornets, Mathers attended the Leafs' training camp prior to the 1949–50 season where he subsequently fractured his toe.
In 1952, Mathers announced he had plans to leave the AHL and settle down in Pittsburgh with his family. Although a friend said he had plans to pursue his dentistry degree, Mathers later announced he just wanted to find a stable job in Pittsburgh. In 1954, Mathers and teammate
Gilles Mayer
Joseph Gilles Camille "Gil" Mayer (August 24, 1930 – September 29, 2015) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. Mayer stood 5'6" tall, and weighed 128 lbs, which earned him the nickname "The Needle." During his time with the Clev ...
were chosen for the American Hockey League's all-star team. He received 24 votes to beat out
Emile Francis of the
Cleveland Barons. The following year, he was the only unanimous choice for the 1954-55 American Hockey League all-star team.
After announcing his plans for retirement and pursuit of his dentistry degree,
Hershey Bears president
John Sollenberger convinced Mathers to sign with the Bears as a player-coach. He took Mathers to
Hershey Park, where they rode rollercoasters while he pitched the team to him and his wife. When he joined the Bears, they had missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons. Upon taking over, the team qualified for the playoffs in 1957 and then earned back-to-back
Calder Cup championships in 1958 and 1959.
During his tenure with the Bears, Mather led them to the playoffs 30 out of 35 years; resulting in six Calder Cup championships and five times runners-up. In recognition of his efforts, he was the recipient of the 1987
Lester Patrick Trophy for his "contribution to ice hockey in the United States."
Legacy
In 1992, Mathers was inducted into the builders category of the
Hockey Hall of Fame
, logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg
, logo_upright = 0.5
, image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg
, caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992
, map_type =
, former_name =
, established = 1943
, location = 30 Y ...
. In 1994, Mathers was named an honorary life member of the AHL's Board of Governors and was the namesake of a league-wide trophy. In 1996, the
Frank Mathers Trophy
The Frank Mathers Trophy is to be presented to the American Hockey League (AHL) team that finishes with the best regular season record in the Canadian Division for the 2020–21 AHL season, a division created for that season due to the COVID-19 ...
was awarded for the first time to the winner of the Eastern Conference regular season championship.
Following his death, the league inducted him into the AHL Hall of Fame and the Bears retired number 3 in his honor.
Mathers was inducted into the
Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathers, Frank
1924 births
2005 deaths
Canadian ice hockey coaches
Canadian ice hockey defencemen
Hershey Bears
Hershey Bears players
Sportspeople from Winnipeg
Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
Lester Patrick Trophy recipients
Memorial Cup winners
Pittsburgh Hornets players
Toronto Maple Leafs players
Ice hockey people from Manitoba
Hershey Bears coaches