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

. He was born in Belfast, United Kingdom and raised in Miami, Manitoba, in the Opawaka district. One of six players born in Ireland to play in the National Hockey League, McFadden played for the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

and Chicago Black Hawks between 1947 and 1954, as well as several years in different minor leagues. He is the uncle of Bill Mikkelson, and the great uncle of Bill's son, Brendan.

Playing career

McFadden started his career with the

Portland Buckaroos The Portland Buckaroos was the name of several professional ice hockey teams based in Portland, Oregon. PCHL/NWHL era (1928–1941) The first incarnation of Portland Buckaroos played their home games at the Portland Ice Arena. The Buckaroos ini ...

of the Pacific Coast Hockey League. He spent two years with the Buckaroos before joining the Montreal Sr. Canadiens in the Quebec Senior Hockey League in 1941–42. In 1942–43, McFadden joined the Canadian Army. 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. McFadden contributed a significant number of points and in 1946–47 he was traded to the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League. After averaging over a point with the Bisons in the AHL, he was signed to the National Hockey League by the

during their playoff run in 1946–47. The Red Wings ended up being beaten by the Toronto Maple Leafs 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. 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 The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

in 1949–50, and was selected for the

1950 NHL All-Star Game The 4th National Hockey League All-Star Game took place at the Detroit Olympia, home of the Detroit Red Wings, on October 8, 1950. The Red Wings defeated a team of NHL all stars, 7–1. The game Only 9,166 people attended the game, making it is t ...

. On August 20, 1951, McFadden was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks with teammates George Gee, Max McNab, Jimmy Peters, Clare Martin and Rags Raglan 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 before retiring.

Awards and achievements

* Calder Memorial Trophy winner (

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 ...

). *Played in NHL All-Star Game (

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

). *

championship (

). *Inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 2004. *Honored Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.

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