Colorful Rangers’ goalie had a clever nickname and a sense of humor – and that was pretty much all he had
More than 80 years after the end of his short NHL career, Steve Buzinski is remembered for a nickname that is both clever and telling: “The Puck Goes Inski.”
That’s not an ideal way to be remembered if you’re a goalie, but it’s better than not being remembered at all.
Buzinski, born on this date in 1916 (not 1917, as other hockey databases claim) in Dunblane, Sask., was working as a federal grain inspector and playing intermediate-level hockey in Swift Current when he was invited to try out for the New York Rangers in Winnipeg in October 1942.
The Rangers, like most NHL teams, were being ravaged by defections as players swapped their hockey sweaters for military uniforms. Buzinski impressed manager Lester Patrick and coach Frank Boucher and was signed to a contract.
His tenure as the starting netminder on Broadway lasted all of nine games. He won two, tied one, and lost six, surrendering a total of 55 goals. One of them was the first NHL goal scored by Maurice “Rocket” Richard, on Nov. 8, 1942 at the Montreal Forum. The Canadiens won that game 10-4.
Buzinski had also been the goalie of record three nights earlier in Detroit when Carl Liscombe of the Red Wings became the sixth player in NHL history to score a then-record seven points in a game. Liscombe had three goals and four assists in Detroit’s 12-2 triumph over New York.
Those were the two worst losses of Buzinski’s career. His two wins both came in overtime games against the Habs and the Chicago Black Hawks; the latter win was the last regular season overtime game played in the NHL before the league suspended overtime play due to the war, which restricted the train travel that every team used in those days.
Buzinski’s final game was his only tie, a 4-4 draw with Detroit. His poor statistics weren’t entirely his fault, as the Ranger defense had more holes than a block of Swiss cheese. Nevertheless, he was replaced in net by Jimmy Franks, whom the Rangers bought from the Red Wings’ farm system.
But “Buzzie,” as his teammates called him, was already a legend. One report that got many laughs around the league said that he had collapsed in the net after apparently being knocked unconscious during a scramble in a game against the Leafs. While Rangers and Leafs argued with the referee over whether Buzzie had been hit by a puck or by a Toronto stick, the goalie felt compelled to sit up and declare that it had indeed been a stick, after which he collapsed into “unconsciousness” again.
During the blowout loss to Detroit, he made one flashy glove save and reportedly bragged to a teammate that it was like picking cherries off a tree. But the laughs at his expense were often unkind, like the crack about his mother having named him Steve when she really meant “Sieve.” The nickname “The Puck Goes Inski” appears to have been attached to him in retrospect many years later.
The Rangers didn’t get any better that season and ended up using four goalies, who cumulatively gave up 253 goals in 50 games. New York went from first place the previous season to dead last with an 11-31-8 record.
Buzinski was demoted to New Haven in the AHL but by January 1943 he had returned to his government job in Swift Current and had been reinstated as an amateur hockey player. He continued to play intermediate and senior hockey for several years thereafter. He was 75 years old when he died in February 1992.
Also born on this date:
1919 – Ross “Lefty” Wilson was born in Toronto. Employed mainly as a trainer by the Red Wings, Wilson worked in an era when backup goalies were generally not employed and, when an emergency replacement was needed, the job might fall to anyone handy – like a trainer. Wilson did have goaltending experience in junior, senior, and minor pro, and he was called upon to appear in three NHL games. In his most extensive outing, on Dec. 29, 1957, he played almost the entire game for the Boston Bruins against Detroit, making 23 saves and earning a 2-2 tie.
1935 – Willie O’Ree was born in Fredericton, N.B. The first Black player in NHL history, he played for the Bruins and made his historic debut on Jan. 18, 1958, in Montreal against the Canadiens. O’Ree played again the following night back in Boston against the Habs before returning to the minors. He came back for a longer stint in 1960-61, dressing for 43 games and scoring four goals and 14 points. O’Ree was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2018, one of many honors that have recognized his stature as a pioneer and his longtime commitment to promoting diversity in hockey.
1991 – Brock Nelson was born in Warroad, Minn. Nelson is beginning his 12th season with the New York Islanders, the team that picked him in the first round, 30th overall, in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.