The Pride of the North End....

William (Billy) Mosienko is acknowledged as being one of the top hockey players of his era as well as being one of Manitoba's finest contributions to the N.H.L. Born in Winnipeg on Nov 2, 1921 he grew up in the Lord Selkirk area where he played the majority of his minor hockey.

Billy's professional hockey career began in 1941 with Providence of the Amerhican Hockey Association.

He then went on to play 14 years with the Chicago Black Hawks of the N.H.L. Following a prolific career in Chicago, he joined the Winnipeg Warriors of the Western Hockey League for the 1955-56 season. He played 4 seasons there and ended his career as the coach of the club in 1960.

Bill played 711 games in the N.H.L. scoring 258 goals with 282 assists. As well as appearing 5 all-star games he won the Lady Byng Trophy (Sportsmanship) in 1945. The records books reveal one of his greatest accomplishments when he scored 3 goals within 21 seconds at New York against the Rangers on March 23, 1952.

Bill has been inducted into both the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965 and the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 1980. At the completion of his professional hockey career Bill remained a resident of North Winnipeg, as well as retaining a business interest in the community through the ownership of a bowling alley.

In the Beginning... "The Billy Mosienko Tournament"

In 1982, Fred Sylvester, Gord Saydack, George West and David Bowles got together at Fred's cottage. While sitting on the deck, they discussed the idea of starting a tournament in North Winnipeg, which would run on an annual basis. David Bowles and George West had been involved iwth the Saint James Lions International Tournament for a number of years and possessed a lot of knowledge regarding the setup and operation of a hockey tournament.

They then had to decide on a time of the year that did not interfere with other tournaments, and also had to come up with a suitable name. As far as the time of the year was concerned, there were no other tournaments at Christmas, so it was decided that the tournament would be held annually December 27-30th.

They thought of a few names, and finally decided that they would approach Billy Mosienko to receive his blessing to use his name. Billy was a natural choice as he was a famous north end boy who had a great career in the national hockey league, and holds the record today of 3 goals in 21 seconds.

Once the name and time were established, they approached the North Winnipeg Minor Hockey Association to be the tournament sponsor. The idea was approved and hockey people in the north area were sought to form the first Billy Mosienko Tournament Committee.

To this day, many volunteers spend countless hours working to make this tournament an ongoing success.

Dedication to Billy...

On December 30, 1991 the Keewatin Arena was formally dedicated as the Billy Mosienko Arena in honour of Billy Mosienko.

At 7:00 pm, Mr. & Mrs. William Mosienko and family arrived by limousine at the Billy Mosienko Arena for the dedication ceremony, where they were escorted into the arena by the City of Winnipeg Police Department Pipe Band.

Mr Ron O'Donovan (Master of Ceremonies) introduced the Mosienko family, guest speakers, and his worship Mayor William Norrie. Two former teammates; Mr. Ab McDonald and Spider Mazer were also present.

Billy was presented with a plaque (which has been mounted inside the arena) in recognition of his outstanding hockey career, and for his contribution to the National Hockey League.

Awards & Achievements

• Lady Byng Memorial Trophy Winner (1945)

• NHL Second All-Star Team Right Wing (1945 & 1946)

• Played in the NHL All-Star Game 5 Times

• WHL Championship (1956)

• Edinburgh Trophy Championship (1956)

• WHL All-Star Team (1957, 1958, & 1959)

• Named Manitoba's Athlete of the Year in 1957

• Selected to Manitoba's All-Century First All-Star Team

• Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965

• Inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1980

• “Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame

Career statistics