James Andrew Wiste (February 18, 1946 – January 2, 2018) was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
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 ...
player who spent parts of three seasons 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 ...
between 1968 and 1971. He was an original member of the
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
upon their entry into the NHL in 1970, and also played for the
Chicago Black Hawks
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, as well as the
Cleveland Crusaders
The Cleveland Crusaders were a professional ice hockey team from Cleveland. They played in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1976. Their home ice was the Cleveland Arena from 1972 to 1974, and the Richfield Coliseum from 1974 to 1976.
T ...
and
Indianapolis Racers
The Indianapolis Racers were a major league hockey team in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1974 to 1978. They competed in four full seasons before folding 25 games into the 1978–79 season. They played at Market Square Arena. They are ...
of the
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...
, and also spent time in the minor leagues before retiring in 1976.
Playing career
Wiste was a college hockey star at the
University of Denver
The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univ ...
, where he was named a
Western Collegiate Hockey Association
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's ice hockey-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated a ...
First-Team All-Star and
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
First-Team
All-American in both 1966–67 and 1967–68. He would also lead Denver to a memorable triumph over the
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of N ...
in the 1968 NCAA Championship game.
Following his graduation, Wiste was signed as a free agent by the NHL
Chicago Black Hawks
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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in 1968, one of three University of Denver teammates to join Chicago along with
Keith Magnuson
Keith Arlen Magnuson (April 27, 1947 – December 15, 2003) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman from Wadena, Saskatchewan who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1969 and 1979.
Magnuson played 589 career NHL games, a ...
and
Cliff Koroll. He would establish himself as a quality scorer in minor-pro, but unlike Magnuson and Koroll who both became fixtures in the Chicago lineup for more than a decade, Wiste found the adjustment to the NHL difficult, and found it hard to get icetime on a deep Black Hawk team. After a 3-game stint in Chicago in
1968–69, he spent most of the
1969–70 campaign with the Black Hawks, but was often a healthy scratch and failed to record a goal in 26 games.
Exposed by Chicago in the
1970 NHL Expansion Draft
The 1970 NHL Expansion Draft was the second expansion draft of the National Hockey League (NHL). The draft was held on June 10, 1970, a day before the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft. The expansion draft was held to allow the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver ...
, Wiste was claimed by the
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
. He was a member of the inaugural Vancouver Canuck squad in
1970–71, but again struggled to produce. After recording just 1 goal and 3 points through 23 games, he was reassigned to the
Seattle Totems
The Seattle Totems were a professional ice hockey franchise in Seattle, Washington. Under several names prior to 1958, the franchise was a member of the Pacific Coast Hockey League (renamed the Western Hockey League in 1952) between 1944 and 19 ...
of the
WHL.
After another season in the minors, Wiste was one of many fringe NHL players to jump to the rival upstart
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...
for the
1972–73 campaign, signing with the
Cleveland Crusaders
The Cleveland Crusaders were a professional ice hockey team from Cleveland. They played in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1976. Their home ice was the Cleveland Arena from 1972 to 1974, and the Richfield Coliseum from 1974 to 1976.
T ...
. In Cleveland, he would experience the most successful portion of his career, recording totals of 71 and 58 points in his two years there.
Wiste moved to the
Indianapolis Racers
The Indianapolis Racers were a major league hockey team in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1974 to 1978. They competed in four full seasons before folding 25 games into the 1978–79 season. They played at Market Square Arena. They are ...
for the
1974–75 season, but slumped to totals of 13 goals and 41 points. After a poor start to the
1975–76 campaign, Wiste was assigned to the minors and would eventually retire.
Wiste recorded 1 goal and 10 assists for 11 points in 52 NHL games, and added 64 goals and 108 assists for 172 points in 228 WHA contests. Wiste died in Denver at the age of 71 on January 2, 2018.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Awards and honors
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiste, Jim
1946 births
2018 deaths
Canadian ice hockey centres
Chicago Blackhawks players
Cleveland Crusaders players
Dallas Black Hawks players
Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey players
Indianapolis Racers players
Mohawk Valley Comets (NAHL) players
Moose Jaw Canucks players
Rochester Americans players
Seattle Totems (WHL) players
Ice hockey people from Moose Jaw
Vancouver Canucks players
NCAA men's ice hockey national champions
AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans