Williamson left a mark on U.S. hockey

Winnipeg

Murray Williamson, a Manitoban who made a major impact on hockey in the United States, died in the Twin Cities on Sept. 15 at age 91. At the time of his death, he was described as a hockey legend and a trailblazer whose contributions shaped the sport in the United States for decades. He was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Manitoba Hockey Hall as a builder in 2009.

Williamson was born in Winnipeg where he played junior hockey for the St. Boniface Canadiens of the MJHL. He was also an excellent junior baseball player with the Winnipeg Buffaloes. His journey to U.S. hockey glory began when he was scouted by University of Minnesota head coach Johnny Mariucci while playing senior in Mariucci’s hometown of Eveleth, Minn. He was approached about joining the Gophers while shooting pool in a pool room owned by Mariucci’s former Chicago Black Hawks teammate goalie Mike Karakas. Williamson had been thinking about attending the University of Michigan.

Mariucci always focused on recruiting players from Minnesota rather than bring in players from out-of-state and Canada, so making an offer to Williamson was unusual. The Winnipeg forward joined the Gophers for three seasons and was an All-American in 1958-59 when he led the team in both goals and assists. That season the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux beat Michigan State 4-3 in overtime to win its first NCAA championship. Winnipeg’s Steve Thullner and Ralph Lyndon played for UND with defenceman Lyndon contributing a goal and an assist in the victory. Barry Thorndycraft, Williamson’s teammate on the 1953-54 St. Boniface Canadiens, was an assistant coach.

In his role as a coach and a builder is where Williamson made his mark. He served as head coach of the U.S. National Team from 1966-67 to 1971-72 and coached the team in the 1968 and 1972 Winter Olympics. Henry Boucha from Warroad, MN, who played for the junior Winnipeg Jets in 1969-70, played for the U.S. in the 1971 World Championship and was the team’s leading scorer in 1971-72. Flin Flon’s George Konik, who settled in the Twin Cities after his outstanding career at the University of Denver, was captain of the National Team in 1970-71 when the team finished sixth. The former Flin Flon Bomber defenceman, a 2011 Manitoba Hockey Hall inductee, wasn’t eligible to play for the States in the Olympics.

The story of the 1972 Olympic team with Williamson’s involvement is told in the two books, Striking Silver: The Untold Story of America’s Forgotten Hockey Team and Star-Spangled Hockey. The games were played in Sapporo, Japan and the Americans had to qualify for pool play by defeating Switzerland in a pre-tournament game. The lineup included future pro stars Mark Howe, 16, and Robbie Ftorek, 19, and Vietnam veterans Pete Sears and Stu Irving, who was on a combat assignment when asked to play for the team.

Williamson had learned about the dryland training techniques of the Soviets and had his Olympic squad practices include jogging, basketball, tennis, strength building and piggyback races. Defenseman Tom Mellor said coach Williamson’s tactic was to never lose a game due to conditioning. The Soviet Union won gold with four wins and a tie with Sweden. The U.S. and Czechoslovakia both finished at 3-2, but the States earned silver due to 5-1 win over the Czechs. Canada did not enter a team.

After the Olympics, Williamson coached the first U.S. under 20 team for two seasons. He was involved in the formation of the Midwest (now USHL) Junior Hockey League and at the time of his induction into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, his biography stated that over a period of 32 years, he had been instrumental in helping teach hockey skills more than 30,000 youth. In 2005, he was honoured with the Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award.

In 1972, the coaches did not receive a medal from the International Olympic Committee. Only 20 members were awarded a silver medal. Thiry years later, Williamson received a package at his Eden Prairie, MN home. Inside was a letter from a player along with his silver medal. He wrote that he had enjoyed it for nearly 30 years and now he wanted Williamson to have it. He said that his coach deserved it more than any player.