David "Sweeney" Schriner (November 30, 1911 – July 4, 1990) was a Russian-born
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 hock ...
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 ...
who played 11 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 ...
(NHL) for the
New York Americans
The New York Americans, colloquially known as the Amerks, were a professional ice hockey team based in New York City from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the second to play ...
and
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 ...
. He was named Rookie of the Year in
1934–35 and was the NHL scoring leader in
1935–36 and
1936–37. Schriner was named to honorary
all-star teams in numerous leagues throughout his career and played with the NHL All-Stars in the
Howie Morenz Memorial Game
The Howie Morenz Memorial Game was a benefit held by the National Hockey League (NHL) to raise money to support the family of Montreal Canadiens player Howie Morenz, who died shortly after suffering a broken leg during a regular league game. The ...
in 1937. He won two
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 ...
championships with the Maple Leafs, in 1941–42 and again in 1944–45. He was inducted into 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 1962.
Though his family emigrated to Canada when he was an infant, Schriner was the first Russian-born player.
[Based on the current borders of Russia. He was the first European born player to win the Stanley Cup in 41-42, and again in 44-45 with Toronto. He was preceded by players born in areas of the ]Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
that are not part of present-day Russia. in NHL history. He grew up in
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
, where he played baseball in addition to hockey, and returned to the city following his career. He often assisted players at the
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...
; the
Canada West Universities Athletic Association
Canada West is a regional membership association for universities in Western Canada which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, and releases abo ...
awards the David "Sweeney" Schriner Trophy to its top scorer each season.
Early life
Schriner was born in
Saratov
Saratov (, ; rus, Сара́тов, a=Ru-Saratov.ogg, p=sɐˈratəf) is the largest city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River upstream (north) of Volgograd. Saratov had a population of 901,36 ...
in the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
; however, his family emigrated to
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
, Canada when he was a month old.
He was a natural athlete and in his youth played
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
and
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
competitively, but was especially fond of hockey and
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
.
His hero growing up was a semi-professional baseball player by the name of Bob Sweeney.
Schriner emulated Sweeney's playing style and as a result earned the nickname "L'il Sweeney", later shortened to just "Sweeney".
Schriner preferred his nickname so much that he refused to respond to anyone who addressed him by his given name of David.
He learned the game of hockey on Calgary's outdoor rinks and played his
minor hockey
Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from cla ...
in the city. Schriner was a member of the
Calgary Canadians
The Calgary Canadians were a junior ice hockey team that played in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. In 1924, they became the first team from Alberta to play for the Memorial Cup, and in 1926, the first to win it.
In 1924, the Canadians won the Western Ca ...
junior team that appeared in the
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...
playdowns in both 1930 and 1931, before he turned to
senior hockey
Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition. There are no age restrictions for Senior players, who typically consist of those whose Junior eligibility has expired.
Senior hockey leagues operate under the jurisdict ...
with the
Calgary Bronks
The Calgary Bronks were a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta, that competed in the Alberta Rugby Football Union (ARFU) in 1935 and 1936, as well as the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU) from 1936 and 1940.
...
.
He was a top scorer in the
Alberta Senior Hockey League Alberta Senior Hockey League (ASHL) may refer to:
*Alberta Senior Hockey League (1936–1941)
*Alberta Senior Hockey League (1965–1978)
See also
*Alberta Junior Hockey League
*Alberta Midget Hockey League
The Alberta Elite Hockey League or AEH ...
; his 19 goals and 22 points in 1931–32 and 22 goals and 26 points in 1932–33 were all league-leading totals.
Playing career
The
New York Americans
The New York Americans, colloquially known as the Amerks, were a professional ice hockey team based in New York City from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the second to play ...
invited Schriner to their training camp in 1933. They were impressed with his skating ability and signed him to a contract to play for their
International Hockey League (IHL) affiliate, the
Syracuse Stars.
He appeared in 44 games with the Stars in 1933–34 where he totaled 18 goals and 11 assists.
The Americans promoted him to their lineup to start the
1934–35 NHL season
The 1934–35 NHL season was the 18th season of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nine teams each played 48 games. The Montreal Maroons were the Stanley Cup winners as they swept the Toronto Maple Leafs in three games in the Stanley Cup Finals.
...
, and in doing so, made Schriner one of the first Russian-born players in NHL history.
He quickly emerged as an offensive star; he was third in scoring among players in the
Canadian Division at the midway point of the season. The NHL named him
rookie of the year after he finished the year with 18 goals and 40 points.
Schriner continued to display his scoring ability in his second season. He scored four goals in a 5–5 tie with 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 the Americans' second game of the
1935–36 season, en route to a 45-point season that led the league in scoring.
Additionally, the
Canadian Press
The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...
voted him to the
first All-Star team for the season. He again led the league in scoring in
1936–37, with 46 points, and was named to the second All-Star team.
Prior to the start of the
1937–38 NHL season
The 1937–38 NHL season was the 21st season of the National Hockey League (NHL). Eight teams each played 48 games. The Chicago Black Hawks were the Stanley Cup winners as they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs three games to one in the Stanley Cup ...
, Schriner played for the NHL All-Stars at the
Howie Morenz Memorial Game
The Howie Morenz Memorial Game was a benefit held by the National Hockey League (NHL) to raise money to support the family of Montreal Canadiens player Howie Morenz, who died shortly after suffering a broken leg during a regular league game. The ...
.
The game was a fundraiser to support the family of
Howie Morenz
Howard William Morenz (September 21, 1902 – March 8, 1937) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Beginning in 1923, he played centre for three National Hockey League (NHL) teams: the Montreal Canadiens (in two stints), the Chicago Blac ...
, a
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
star who died due to complications following a broken leg suffered the previous season.
Schriner scored one goal in a 6–5 victory by the All-Stars over the Canadiens.
After five seasons in New York, the Americans dealt Schriner to the Maple Leafs in May 1939 in exchange for five players:
Jimmy Fowler
James William Fowler (April 6, 1915 – October 17, 1985) was a professional ice hockey player who played 135 games in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs between 1936 and 1939. He also played several years in minor leagues du ...
,
Busher Jackson
Ralph Harvey Jackson (January 17, 1911June 25, 1966) was a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey player. Jackson played 15 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons between 1929 and 1944 for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Americans, and Bo ...
,
Murray Armstrong,
Doc Romnes
Elwin Nelson "Doc" Romnes (January 1, 1907 – July 21, 1984) was an American ice hockey player and coach. He played professionally in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Chicago Black Hawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and New York Americans from ...
and
Buzz Boll
Frank Thorman "Buzz" Boll (March 6, 1911 – January 23, 1990) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played 11 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Americans, Brooklyn Americans and Boston Br ...
.
The five-for-one trade was unprecedented in the NHL at that time.
Schriner remained an effective scorer in Toronto, where he earned his second first All-Star team selection of his career in
1940–41. One year later, he was instrumental in the Leafs' comeback in the
1942 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1942 Stanley Cup Finals was a best-of-seven series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings. After losing the first three games, the Maple Leafs won the next four to win the series 4–3, winning their fourth Stanley Cup. It ...
. He scored the tying and winning goals in Toronto's 3–1 victory in the seventh game against 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 ...
to win 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 ...
, a moment described as being one of his greatest thrills in hockey.
It was Toronto's first championship in ten years, and the Maple Leafs became the first team in NHL history to overcome a 3–0 series deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series with their victory over Detroit.
Frustrated by what he felt was too much individualism in the game, Schriner contemplated retiring from professional hockey in favour of taking up a coaching position in Alberta's senior league. He had a change of heart and returned to the Leafs for the
1942–43 NHL season
The 1942–43 NHL season was the 26th season of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Brooklyn Americans were dropped, leaving six teams to play a schedule of 50 games. This is the first season of the "Original Six" era of the NHL. The league's l ...
. Schriner again announced his intention to leave the game in June 1943, this time citing past injuries to his knee and dissatisfaction with Leafs' owner
Conn Smythe
Constantine Falkland Cary Smythe, MC (; February 1, 1895 – November 18, 1980) was a Canadian businessman, soldier and sportsman in ice hockey and horse racing. He is best known as the principal owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National ...
's contract offer for the following season.
Leaving Toronto, Schriner returned to Calgary and joined an Army/Navy team in the Alberta Garrison League for the 1943–44 campaign, where he was named to the military league's second all-star team at left wing.
Following the local season, Schriner signed with the
Vancouver St. Regis 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 firs ...
for their playoff run. He scored nine points in three games before a protest by the team's opponent resulted in both his and Vancouver's suspension by the
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; french: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction include ...
(CAHA). He was still considered a professional player, and thus ineligible to play senior hockey.
Schriner appealed the decision, citing his position as a member of the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve. Rules of the time that automatically restored the amateur status of all active military personnel, however the CAHA ruled that a reserve officer was not the same as soldier on active duty. Schriner's participation in the series did not impact the outcome of the series as Vancouver was eliminated by the New Westminster Lodestars, who won all three games of the series.
Schriner returned to the NHL and the Maple Leafs in
1944–45. He played two more years in Toronto before announcing his retirement for the third time in 1946.
He returned to Alberta to coach the
Lethbridge Maple Leafs
The Lethbridge Maple Leafs were, at times, a senior, intermediate, and junior ice hockey team that operated out of Lethbridge, Alberta. They are best known for winning the 1951 World Ice Hockey Championships.
The Maple Leafs were a men's senior ic ...
of the
Western Canada Senior Hockey League The Western Canada Senior Hockey League was a senior ice hockey league that played six seasons in Alberta and Saskatchewan, from 1945 to 1951. The league produced the 1946 Allan Cup and the 1948 Allan Cup champions, and merged into the Pacific Coas ...
(WCSHL) for two seasons before once again returning to the ice as a player with the
Regina Capitals
The Regina Capitals were a professional ice hockey team originally based in the city of Regina, Saskatchewan in the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), founded in 1921.
Western Canada Hockey League Capitals (1921–1926)
1921 was the Regina Cap ...
. He finished fourth in WCSHL scoring in 1948–49 and was named to the league's second all-star team.
Schriner and the Capitals won the WCSHL and Western Canadian championships, but fell to 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 ...
in the
1949 Allan Cup
The 1949 Allan Cup was the senior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) for the 1948–49 season.
Final
Best of 7
*Ottawa 6 Regina 4
*Ottawa 3 Regina 1
*Ottawa 7 Regina 0
*Regina 6 Ottawa 3
*Ottawa 5 Regina ...
final.
Following the season, Schriner ended his playing career for the fourth and final time. He coached a season of senior hockey in Nova Scotia,
after which he returned to Alberta where he briefly coached the Crow's Nest Pass Coalers in the Western Canada Junior Hockey League in 1951.
Schriner was a durable player for much of his career. He played every game for his teams in his first six professional seasons, failing to miss a contest until his first year with the Maple Leafs. He was regarded as one of the best puck handlers of his time, and his 201 career NHL goals ranked him as one of the game's top goal scorers of his era. He was inducted into 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 1962,
and the
Canada West Universities Athletic Association
Canada West is a regional membership association for universities in Western Canada which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, and releases abo ...
awards the David "Sweeney" Schriner Trophy to its top scorer each season.
Personal life
Following his retirement, Schriner returned to his Calgary home and worked in the city's oil and gas industry until retiring from that career in 1977.
He and his wife Marie had two children, Norman and Joanne, and he had one sister, Mary. Schriner remained active within sport, working with the Calgary Oldtimers Hockey Association and making frequent visits to the
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...
to speak with young players who viewed him as a role model.
He became an avid
curler and
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
er in his retirement.
Career statistics
* 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 ...
Champion.
Notes
References
* Career statistics:
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schriner, Sweeney
1911 births
1990 deaths
Sportspeople from Saratov
People from Saratovsky Uyezd
Canadian ice hockey forwards
Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
Sportspeople from Calgary
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Canada
National Hockey League scoring leaders (prior to 1947–48)
New York Americans players
Stanley Cup champions
Syracuse Stars (IHL) players
Toronto Maple Leafs players
Ice hockey people from Alberta
Calder Trophy winners
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States