Joseph Rene Edward Trudell (January 31, 1919 – July 25, 1984) was a Canadian 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 ...

player who played 129 games 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 ...

with the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

between1946 and 1948. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1938 to 1949, was spent in the minor leagues.

Biography

Born in Mariapolis,

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, Trudell served in the Canadian military during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Following the war, Trudell joined the

senior affiliate, the

New York Rovers The New York Rovers were a senior ice hockey team that was established in 1935. They played in the Eastern Hockey League as a farm team of the New York Rangers. The Rovers played alongside the Rangers in Madison Square Garden. They played in the Eas ...

playing on a line with fellow Manitobans

Cal Gardner Calvin Pearly "Ginger, Red, Torchy" Gardner (October 30, 1924 – October 10, 2001) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player in the NHL. In 1943, after playing professional hockey for three years and winning the Memorial Cup, he joined the Ca ...

and Church Russell. Described by the press as 'flashy', the trio were dominate, with all three players being called up to the Rangers and making their debuts on February 10, 1946. From their debut, the three remained intact as a line until December 1947, with the unit being nicknamed 'Whiz Kids' and the 'rover-boy line.' After spending parts of three seasons with the Rangers, on April 26, 1948, Trudell was traded to the reigning Stanley Cup champion

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 ...

, alongside Gardner, Bill Juzda, and the rights to

Frank Mathers 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 and ...

for

Wally Stanowski Walter Peter Stanowski (April 28, 1919 – June 28, 2015) was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Stanowski started his National Hockey League career with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1939. In 1941, he was a member ...

and Elwyn Morris, who subsequently sold him 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 ...

, where he would play for a final season before retiring at the age of 30. Ultimately Trudell spent his entire NHL career with the Rangers, scoring 24 goals and 28 assists for 52 points across 129 career games.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* 1919 births 1984 deaths Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey forwards Harringay Racers players Ice hockey people from Winnipeg Kildonan North Stars players New York Rangers players New York Rovers players Portage Terriers players Springfield Indians players Winnipeg Canadians players {{Canada-icehockey-winger-1910s-stub