Roy George "Gus" Giesebrecht (September 14, 1917 – December 27, 2006) 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 ...
centre
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
* Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...
who played 135 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
Detroit Red Wings. During his career he accumulated 27 goals and 51 assists for a total 78 points. Giesebrecht was widely regarded by fellow players and NHL coaches as one of the most promising rookies in the league at the time.
He scored a
hat trick in the first period of the first game he saw on-ice action with the Red Wings,
and scored the game-winning goal against the
Chicago Black Hawks
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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that advanced the Red Wings to the
1941 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1941 Stanley Cup Finals was a best-of-seven series between the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings. Boston would win the series 4–0 to win their third Stanley Cup.
Paths to the Finals
Boston defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in a best ...
.
Despite his early promise,
World War II
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 opposing ...
brought Giesebrecht's professional hockey career to an end. He chose to leave the Red Wings, volunteering for 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 deployed to the
European theatre
The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...
as a corporal in the
2nd Canadian Infantry Division
The 2nd Canadian Division, an infantry division of the Canadian Army, was mobilized for war service on 1September 1939 at the outset of World War II. Adopting the designation of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, it was initially composed of v ...
and saw action in France, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany. Giesebrecht opted not to return to professional hockey at the conclusion of the war, deciding instead to return to his hometown of
Petawawa
Petawawa is a town located in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario. Situated in the Ottawa Valley, with a population of 18,160 (2021 Census), Petawawa is the most populous municipality in Renfrew County.
Geography
The town lies on the west ...
, Ontario, where he ran his family's business until his death in 2006.
Playing career
Giesebrecht's junior career began at the age of 16 with the Ottawa St. Malachy's of the
Ottawa City Junior Hockey League (OCJHL), with whom he played for the 1933–34 season, skating in 15 games and scoring 6 goals and 11 assists for 17 points. The following season, he divided his times between the OCJHL's
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 ...
, the
Pembroke Lumber Kings of the Ontario Valley Junior Hockey League (OVJHL) and the Pembroke Falcons of the
Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA). Giesebrecht spent the 1935–36 season back with the OVJHL's Pembroke Lumber Kings.
Giesebrecht broke into the amateur leagues with the
Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets was the name of three separate ice hockey teams based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The original team was part of the United States Amateur Hockey Association (USAHA) from 1920 to 1925 and developed from predecessors dating ...
of the
Eastern Amateur Hockey League. He skated with the Yellow Jackets for the 1936–37 season, scoring 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points in 47 games. He began the 1937–38 season with the Detroit Pontiacs of the Michigan Ontario Hockey League, with whom he led the league in scoring prior to turning pro.
Near the end of the 1937–38 season, Giesebrecht began his professional career with the
Pittsburgh Hornets of the
International-American Hockey League (IAHL).
He returned to the Hornets (then the farm team for the
Detroit Red Wings) for the start of the
1938–39 season. By December 1938 Giesebrecht was being called up to play for the Red Wings. Placed on a line with
Hall of Famer
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...
Syd Howe, Giesebrecht distinguished himself as a rookie centre for the Red Wings in February 1939 when he scored three goals in the first period in a 7–3 victory over 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 ...
.
He skated in 28 games with the Red Wings that season, tallying 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points in regular season play. Giesebrecht also joined the Red Wings for the playoffs, netting 2 assists in 6 games.
Giesebrecht began the
1939–40 season with the Red Wings, but found himself sent down to their farm team—the IAHL's
Indianapolis Capitals
The Indianapolis Capitals were an American Hockey League professional ice hockey team based in Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1939 to 1952. The Capitals were a farm team for the Detroit Red Wings. Indianapolis won the Calder Cup in 1942 and 1950. T ...
—after scoring only 4 goals and 7 assists in 30 games. He tallied 10 goals and 9 assists for 19 points in 21 games during regular season play with the Capitals and skated in 5 playoff games, scoring 4 goals and 1 assist. Giesebrecht returned to the Red Wings for the
1940–41 season, scoring 7 goals and 18 assists in 43 games, including the opening goal in a 2–1 victory over the
Chicago Black Hawks
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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on "Jack Adams Night", a tribute to long-time Red Wings manager
Jack Adams
John James Adams (June 14, 1894 – May 1, 1968) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach and general manager in the National Hockey League and Pacific Coast Hockey Association. He played for the Toronto Arenas, Vancouver Millionair ...
. He faced the Black Hawks again in the
Stanley Cup semi-final round, scoring the game-winning goal in sudden-death overtime that eliminated the Black Hawks and sent the Red Wings to the finals.
They were ultimately defeated by the
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
in four straight games.
The
1941–42 season again found Giesebrecht splitting his time between the Red Wings and their farm team Indianapolis Capitals (in the newly renamed
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 ...
). He spent the majority of the season in Detroit, netting 6 goals and 16 assists in 34 games, and seeing a 2-game call-up for the Stanley Cup finals against 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 ...
.
Giesebrecht found the championship that had eluded him his entire professional career, however, with the Capitals, scoring 1 goal and 3 assists in 10 games to defeat the
Hershey Bears
The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg. The current Bears club has played in the American Hockey League since the 1938–39 season maki ...
and win the
Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars.
The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its cur ...
.
Giesebrecht's professional career came to an untimely end in 1942 when he volunteered for 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 ...
during
World War II
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 opposing ...
. He served as a corporal in the
2nd Canadian Infantry Division
The 2nd Canadian Division, an infantry division of the Canadian Army, was mobilized for war service on 1September 1939 at the outset of World War II. Adopting the designation of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, it was initially composed of v ...
,
Ordnance Field Park. His unit landed at
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
one month after
D-Day, and saw action in France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Germany. He turned down an offer from Jack Adams to return to the Red Wings at the end of the war, and instead worked at his family business and played senior hockey.
Giesebrecht died on December 27, 2006, and was buried in Calvin United Cemetery, Pembroke Ontario.
Career statistics
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giesebrecht, Roy
1917 births
2006 deaths
Canadian ice hockey centres
Canadian military personnel of World War II
Detroit Red Wings players
Sportspeople from Pembroke, Ontario
Indianapolis Capitals players
Pittsburgh Hornets players
Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets (EHL) players
Ice hockey people from Ontario