Guyle Fielder

Guyle Fielder
Born	(1930-11-21) November 21, 1930 Potlatch, Idaho, U.S.
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight	160 lb (73 kg; 11 st 6 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Chicago Black Hawks Detroit Red Wings Boston Bruins
Playing career	1951–1973

Guyle Abner Fielder (born November 21, 1930) is an American-born Canadian former professional ice hockey center. He is most known for his time in the minor Western Hockey League, where he played from 1952 to 1973. Fielder also played 9 regular season and 6 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1951 and 1958. He is the fourth-leading scorer in professional ice hockey history, behind Wayne Gretzky, Jaromír Jágr, and Gordie Howe, and holds the career records for minor-league ice hockey for the most games played, assists and points scored.

Playing career

Fielder moved to Nipawin, Saskatchewan with his Canadian parents early and played junior hockey in Prince Albert and Lethbridge before becoming professional. Fielder's National Hockey League (NHL) career consisted of 15 games for the Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins. He played a total of 22 seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL), mainly for the Seattle Totems, as well as for the New Westminster Royals, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles and the Portland Buckaroos. He also played a single season for the St. Louis Flyers of the American Hockey League and had short stints with the Quebec Aces and the Edmonton Flyers.

Fielder won Rookie of the Year honors with New Westminster in 1952. He was a six-time WHL MVP, including four consecutive awards between 1957 and 1960, the league scoring leader nine times (including two stints of three straight), and a three-time honoree as the most gentlemanly player. He won Rookie of the Year honors after his one AHL season in 1953. He was drafted by the Houston Aeros of the WHA in 1972 but chose to remain out west, playing his final season for the Buckaroos in 1973 before retiring.

Among Fielder's scoring feats were four seasons of more than 100 points and 10 seasons of 70 assists or more. His 122 points in 1957 broke the professional record. He retired having scored 438 goals and 1,491 assists for 1,929 points. His point total set a professional record, exceeding Gordie Howe's output to that point, and is still the all-time minor league mark. His assist total is first all-time in the minor leagues and is double that of his nearest rival. Fielder played in 1,487 games, also the all-time minor league record.

The Seattle Kraken created the Guyle Fielder Award to recognize the player who best exemplifies Fielder's "perseverance, hustle and dedication" throughout the season. Yanni Gourde won the inaugural award on April 29, 2022.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1947–48	Prince Albert Mintos	SJHL		25	26	15	41	20		2	0	1	1	0
1948–49	Prince Albert Mintos	SJHL		20	17	26	43	22		9	9	14	23	4
1948–49	Lethbridge Native Sons	WCJHL		2	1	1	2	0		—	—	—	—	—
1949–50	Lethbridge Native Sons	WCJHL		39	47	58	105	19		10	2	7	9	14
1950–51	Lethbridge Native Sons	WCJHL		37	44	56	100	6		7	3	5	8	8
1950–51	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		3	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1951–52	New Westminster Royals	PCHL		57	25	50	75	10		7	1	3	4	2
1952–53	St. Louis Flyers	AHL		62	22	61	83	12		—	—	—	—	—
1952–53	Edmonton Flyers	WHL		3	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1952–53	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		—	—	—	—	—		4	0	0	0	0
1953–54	Seattle Bombers	WHL		68	24	64	88	20		—	—	—	—	—
1953–54	Boston Bruins	NHL		—	—	—	—	—		2	0	0	0	2
1954–55	New Westminster Royals	WHL		70	20	67	87	37		—	—	—	—	—
1955–56	Seattle Americans	WHL		70	18	61	79	42		—	—	—	—	—
1956–57	Seattle Americans	WHL		69	33	89	122	30		6	2	4	6	0
1957–58	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		6	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
1957–58	Seattle Americans	WHL		62	26	85	111	22		9	2	9	11	2
1958–59	Seattle Totems	WHL		69	24	95	119	18		12	4	9	13	4
1959–60	Seattle Totems	WHL		69	31	64	95	12		4	1	1	2	0
1960–61	Seattle Totems	WHL		69	24	71	95	32		11	2	9	11	4
1961–62	Seattle Totems	WHL		69	21	52	73	46		2	0	0	0	0
1962–63	Seattle Totems	WHL		69	17	80	97	20		17	5	17	22	6
1963–64	Seattle Totems	WHL		66	17	85	102	34		—	—	—	—	—
1963–64	Quebec Aces	AHL		—	—	—	—	—		1	0	0	0	0
1964–65	Seattle Totems	WHL		70	14	78	92	38		7	0	7	7	2
1965–66	Seattle Totems	WHL		70	19	75	94	10		—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	Seattle Totems	WHL		72	20	71	91	22		10	2	7	9	12
1967–68	Seattle Totems	WHL		70	15	55	70	26		9	6	5	11	2
1968–69	Seattle Totems	WHL		74	20	74	94	12		4	0	2	2	4
1969–70	Salt Lake Golden Eagles	WHL		55	8	58	66	20		—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Salt Lake Golden Eagles	WHL		64	15	46	61	22		—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Salt Lake Golden Eagles	WHL		30	5	22	27	4		—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Portland Buckaroos	WHL		40	9	40	49	10		11	0	10	10	2
1972–73	Portland Buckaroos	WHL		70	11	47	58	4		—	—	—	—	—
WHL totals				1368	391	1380	1771	481		102	24	80	104	38
AHL totals				62	22	61	83	12		1	0	0	0	0
NHL totals				9	0	0	0	2		6	0	0	0	2

Career achievements

• Ed Bruchet Trophy (awarded to the MVP of the WCJHL) – 1950
• WHL Rookie of the Year – 1952
• Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award winner (awarded to the AHL Rookie of the Year) – 1953
• 9× WHL leading scorer – 1954, 1957–1960, 1963–1965, 1967
• 6× George Leader Cup winner (awarded to the WHL MVP) – 1957–1960, 1964, 1967
• 3× Fred J. Hume Cup winner (awarded to the most gentlemanly player in the WHL) – 1966, 1967, 1969
• AHL First All-Star Team – 1953
• WHL First All-Star Team – 1954, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1967
• WHL Second All-Star Team – 1961, 1965, 1966, 1968

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
• Entry at Seattlehockey.net