Phil Samis

Dr. Philip Lawrence Samis (Born December 28 1928 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a former NHL defenceman. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Playing career

Junior career

Phil Samis started out playing minor hockey in his hometown for the Edmonton Maple Leafs in 1943–44. The next season he moved to Toronto to attend St. Michael's College and play for the St. Michael's Majors. He helped the team wn the 1945 Memorial Cup. Along the way he played with future NHLers like Les Costello, Johnny McCormack, Jim Morrison, Gus Mortson, Tod Sloan and Jimmy Thomson. He was coached by Hockey Hall of Famer Joe Primeau. He would spend the next two seasons with the Oshawa Generals of the OHA.

Professional career

He turned professional in 1948 signing a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was assigned to the Pittsburgh Hornets of the AHL. He was called up to the NHL for the playoff run that spring. He played 5 games for the Maple Leafs helping them win the 1948 Stanley Cup. He was sent back to Pittsburgh at the start of the 1949 season. He did not return to the NHL until 1950 when he was called up for 2 games as an injury replacement. After that he spent the rest of his career playing in the AHL for the Pittsburgh Hornets and the Cleveland Barons. He helped Cleveland win the Calder Cup in 1951. He retired from hockey in 1953. He briefly came out of retirement and played 1 season for the Montreal Royals of the QMHL.

After hockey

After retiring from hockey Phil Samis became a dentist. He opened a very successful practice in Montreal, Quebec.

Trivia

*Wore Uniform # 2 for the Pittsburgh Hornets
*Wore Uniform # 23 for the Toronto Maple Leafs [http://assets.mapleleafs.com/assets/history/all_time_sweater_numbers.pdf]

External links

* [http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=14213 Career Stats]
* [http://www.hhof.com/html/exSCJ05_29.shtml Phil Samis' Day with the Stanley Cup]