Bill Juzda

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Bill Juzda (October 29, 1920 – February 17, 2008) was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman. He stood 5'9" at around 190 lbs and was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba.[1]

Juzda started playing in 1939–40, with the junior league Kenora Thistles and went to the Memorial Cup.

Juzda played 1940–1941 with the Philadelphia Ramblers and was called up by the National Hockey League’s New York Rangers for the 1941.

Juzda started his National Hockey League career with the New York Rangers in 1940 and continued playing for them during the 1941–42 NHL season. At this point he joined the Canadian Armed Forces to fight in WWII where he was a pilot and played for the R.C.A.F. Hockey Team. After the war he joined New Haven and was drafted by the New York Rangers once again for the 1946 He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 1947. He won 2 Stanley Cups with Toronto in 1949 and 1951. He left the NHL after the 1952 season.

Juzda played for the Pittsburgh Hornets of the AHL in 1952 and was an all-star selection. After returning to Winnipeg (date unknown) he played for the Maroons lost twice in the Allan Cup finals. The Maroons toured Czechoslovakia where hockey veterans still refer to a bone-rattling body check as a “Juzda”. The mid-fifties saw stints with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Pine Falls team in Intermediate hockey. While Juzda officially retired from hockey after 1963, he played Old-timers’ hockey well into his 70’s.

Juzda coached hockey from levels midget to senior. Juzda took great pride in earning a reputation of one of the hardest hitters ever in hockey, while avoiding excessive high-sticking penalties.

Until his death, Juzda resided in Winnipeg, MB and still wears his Stanley Cup Ring from the 1948–1949 season. [2] He was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1992. [3] He died on February 17, 2008.

[edit] Awards & Achievements

• AHL Second All-Star Team (1953)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (1948 & 1949)
• Stanley Cup Championships (1949 & 1951)
• Inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1992
• “Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame

[edit] External links

• Bill Juzda's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Bill Juzda's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Bill Juzda’s biography at Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
• Bill Juzda's biography at Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
• Obituary