James Alexander McFadden (April 15, 1920 – August 22, 2002) was a 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 h ...

forward. He was born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and raised in

Miami, Manitoba Miami is an unincorporated community recognized as a local urban district in southern Manitoba, Canada, which was formed in 1885. It supports a K-12 school and has a curling rink and a skating rink. It lies 100 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg ...

, in the Opawaka district. One of six players born in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

to play in 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 ...

, McFadden played for the Detroit Red Wings and

Chicago Black Hawks (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

between 1947 and 1954, as well as several years in different minor leagues. He is the uncle of

Bill Mikkelson William Robert Mikkelson (born May 21, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League from 1971 to 1977. Mikkelson is known for posting the worst plus/minus rating in single-season NHL hist ...

, and the great uncle of Bill's son,

Brendan Brendan may refer to: People * Saint Brendan the Navigator (c. 484 – c. 577) was an Irish monastic saint. * Saint Brendan of Birr (died 573), Abbot of Birr in Co. Offaly, contemporaneous with the above * Brendan (given name), a masculine given na ...

Playing career

McFadden started his career with the Portland Buckaroos of the

Pacific Coast Hockey League The Pacific Coast Hockey League was an ice hockey minor league with teams in the western United States and western Canada that existed in several incarnations: from 1928 to 1931, from 1936 to 1941, and from 1944 to 1952. PCHL 1928–1931 The first ...

. He spent two years with the Buckaroos before joining the Montreal Sr. Canadiens in the

Quebec Senior Hockey League The Quebec Senior Hockey League (QSHL) was an ice hockey league that operated from 1941 to 1959 , based in Quebec, Canada. The league played senior ice hockey under the jurisdiction of the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association until 1953, when it becam ...

in 1941–42. In 1942–43, McFadden joined the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also res ...

. He was posted to Winnipeg and played hockey with the Winnipeg Army. After three years in the army, McFadden rejoined the QSHL, but this time with the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

. McFadden contributed a significant number of points and in 1946–47 he was traded to the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

. After averaging over a point with the Bisons in the AHL, he was signed to the

by the Detroit Red Wings during their playoff run in 1946–47. The Red Wings ended up being beaten by the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

in five games, but McFadden's two points during the playoffs helped give him another chance on the roster for next season. McFadden ended up scoring 24 goals during his rookie season and this helped him win the

Calder Memorial Trophy The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League (NHL)." It is named after Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL. Serving as ...

. He is the second-oldest player ever to have won the award, having done so at the age of 27.Under current rules, McFadden would've been ineligible for the award, as the maximum age is now 26. (This is sometimes called the "Makarov rule", after Sergei Makarov, who won the Calder Award at age 31 in 1990.) He remained in Detroit for three more seasons, where he won the Stanley Cup in 1949–50, and was selected for the 1950 NHL All-Star Game. On August 20, 1951, McFadden was traded to the

with teammates George Gee,

Max McNab Maxwell Douglas McNab (June 21, 1924 – September 2, 2007) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and National Hockey League (NHL) general manager. He played in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings between 1947 and 1951, winning the ...

, Jimmy Peters,

Clare Martin Clare Majella Martin (born 15 June 1952) is a former Australian journalist and politician. She was elected to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in a shock by-election win in 1995. She was appointed Opposition Leader in 1999, and won ...

and

Rags Raglan Clarence Eldon "Rags" Raglan (September 4, 1927 – April 15, 2002) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 100 games in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks between 1950 and 1953. Th ...

in exchange for $75,000 and future considerations. McFadden played in Chicago for three seasons. He played in 19 games during the 1953–54 season, before being sent down to the minors. He played another three seasons in the minors with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-o ...

before retiring.

Awards and achievements

winner ( 1948). *Played in

NHL All-Star Game The National Hockey League All-Star Game (french: Match des Étoiles de la Ligue Nationale de Hockey, links=no) is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many o ...

(

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 crashes in a snowstorm. All 19 ...

). * Stanley Cup championship (

). *Inducted into the

Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is a Canadian museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, dedicated to honoring the history and achievements of sports in Manitoba. The organization began in 1980, and then opened a museum in The Forks in 1993. Afte ...

in 2004. *Honored Member of the

Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is a hall of fame and museum for ice hockey in Manitoba, located on the main level of the Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1985, when the first honoured members were named ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

External links

*
Picture of Jim McFadden's Name on the 1950 Stanley Cup Plaque
{{DEFAULTSORT:McFadden, Jim 1920 births 2002 deaths Buffalo Bisons (AHL) players Calder Trophy winners Calgary Stampeders (WHL) players Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian military personnel of World War II Detroit Red Wings players Ice hockey people from Manitoba British emigrants to the United States Ottawa Senators (QSHL) players People from Carman, Manitoba Portland Buckaroos players Sportspeople from Belfast Stanley Cup champions American emigrants to Canada