Juha Widing

Juha Widing (born July 4, 1947 in Oulu, Finland – died December 30, 1984 in Vancouver, British Columbia) was a professional ice hockey centre who was the third Finnish-born player to play in the National Hockey League. Widing played in the National Hockey League for eight seasons, mostly with the Los Angeles Kings.

Playing career

Widing, although born in Finland, grew up in Sweden and both his parents were Swedish. In 1964, along with his family, he moved to Brandon, Manitoba, Canada to play junior hockey for the Brandon Wheat Kings. He played three seasons there, improving his point total each season from 38 to 114 and then finally to 144 in only a 50-game schedule. Widing joined the New York Rangers of the NHL in 1969–70, however after only forty-four games he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings along with Real Lemieux for Ted Irvine. It was in LA where he developed into a legitimate scoring threat, garnering at least 55 points in five consecutive seasons.

However by 1976–77 his productivity had dropped considerably, and he was traded to the Cleveland Barons. In 1977–78, Widing played for the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association, scoring 42 points in his final professional season. After the season, he was traded to the Indianapolis Racers for Bill Goldsworthy, but he was already finished playing hockey. After retiring, Widing settled in British Columbia however he died after a lengthy illness in 1984.

Career statistics

Awards & Achievements

*MJHL Second All-Star Team (1967)

ee also

*List of ice hockey players who died young

References

* "Players: The Ultimate A-Z Guide of Everyone Who Has Ever Played in the NHL" by Andrew Podnieks page 907 ISBN 0–385–25999–9

External links

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