The storied hockey career of Rudy Pilous

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/03/2021 (2037 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

2021 is the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of Brooklands as a village. The family of Anton and Theresia Pilous were original residents. The Pilous family later moved to Winnipeg’s Weston neighbourhood.

Rudolph (Rudy) Pilous was born on Aug.11, 1914, and grew up to be a fine hockey player who made his life in the game.

A left winger, Rudy played for Portage and Winnipeg Monarchs of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. After a brief career in the minor professional leagues, he remained involved in hockey for more than four decades as a coach, manager, owner and promoter. His uncanny ability to put together dynamic forward lines helped him assemble seven championship teams.

In 1943 44,  Rudy co-founded the St. Catharines Falcons of the Ontario Junior League. After the 1945 46 season, he left the Falcons to become a minor-league coach and general manager, winning championships as GM with the 1947-48 Houston Huskies of the USHL and as a coach the 1948-49 San Diego Skyhawks of the Pacific Coast Hockey League. In 1950 51, Rudy returned to St. Catharines to coach and manage the Teepees (the new name of the Falcons).  

In the 1953-54 season, Rudy put Brian Cullen, Barry Cullen and Hugh Barlow together on the CBC Line, which scored 178 goals in 59 regular season games. In a 1954 playoff game, trailing St. Michaels by a goal with 25 seconds left., Rudy pulled his goalie with the faceoff in the St Catharines end. Barlow, assisted by Cec Hoekstra (a Weston boy) scored the tying goal with 12 seconds left and St. Catharines went on to win the Memorial Cup .

On Nov. 2 ,1955, Rudy’s Teepees defeated brother Max Pilous’s MJHL St. Boniface Canadiens 5-1 in an exhibition game at the brand-new Winnipeg Arena. Both teams had players from Weston, including Ed Hoekstra, and Ab MacDonald of St. Catharines and Wayne Larkin of St. Boniface.  

In January 1958, Rudy became head coach of the perennial last-place NHL Chicago Black Hawks.

While rebuilding the Hawks, he remained the GM of St. Catharines. In 1960, the Teepees won their second Memorial Cup. In his third full NHL season, Rudy led the Black Hawks to their first Stanley Cup championship in 23 years. The Hawks were led by the Million Dollar Line (Bobby Hull, Bill Hay and Murray Balfour) and the Scooter Line (Stan Mikita, Kenny Wharram and McDonald).  

After leaving Chicago in 1963, Rudy worked in the Western Hockey League and briefly for the NHL’s Oakland Seals. In 1971-72, he returned to Manitoba to coach and manage the Brandon Wheat Kings.

In 1974-75, Rudy was hired to coach and then manage the Winnipeg Jets, then playing in the WHA. The Jets had a very exciting team led by the Hot Line of Hull, Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson, which averaged 1.8 goals a game. The Jets handily defeated Gordie Howe’s Houston Aeros in the 1976 Avco Cup final. In the following two seasons the Jets won one more championship and lost another in a Game 7 Final.

In the summer of 1978, Rudy rebuilt the Jets after the departure of Hedberg and Nilsson ot the New York Rangers of the NHL. Despite his success, Rudy was forced out early in the 1978-79 season and replaced by John Ferguson. The rebuilt 1978-79 Jets went on to win Winnipeg’s last professional hockey championship. After leaving Winnipeg, Rudy finished his hockey career with the AHL team in St. Catharines.

Rudy is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame. He and his brother Max are both members of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.
Rudy Pilous died on Dec. 5, 1994.

Fred Morris is a community correspondent for St. James. Reach him at fredmorris@hotmail.com