BOSTON - Former Bruins winger Vic Stasiuk passed away over the weekend at the age of 93.
The Alberta native played for Boston from 1955-61 after being acquired from the Detroit Red Wings, for whom he was a part of three Stanley Cup titles in 1952, 1954, and 1955.
Upon his arrival in Boston, Stasiuk reunited with Johnny Bucyk and Bronco Horvath to form the famous "Uke Line" - all three Canadians had Ukrainian ancestry and had played together several years earlier for Edmonton in the Western Hockey League. They went on to become one of the most iconic trios in club lore and in 1957-58, the triumvirate made NHL history when they were the first line to have all three players hit the 20-goal mark in a single season.
Stasiuk scored 20 or more goals in four consecutive seasons with Boston from 1957-60, including a career high 29 tallies and 68 points in 1959-60, during which he was named an NHL All-Star. Overall, Stasiuk played 378 games for Boston with 125 goals, 166 assists, and 291 points across parts of six seasons.
In the middle of the 1960-61 season, Stasiuk was traded back to Detroit where he spent the final three seasons of his NHL career.
Across 14 NHL campaigns with Detroit, Chicago, and Boston, Stasiuk compiled 183 goals, 254 assists, and 437 points in 745 games. He went on to lengthy career in coaching, which included 307 games as a head coach with the Philadelphia Flyers, California Golden Seals, and Vancouver Canucks.
In 2018, Stasiuk was inducted into the Ukrainian Sports Hall of Fame.
