Tony Leswick

Leswick tried his hand at coaching starting in 1958, as a midseason replacement for the Edmonton Flyers in 1957–58 and continued until midseason of 1958–59. He felt he was more of a help to the team on the ice. He later coached Indianapolis Capitals/Cincinnati Wings of the Central Hockey League in the 1963–64 season. The team finished last in the league with a 12–53–7 record and Leswick subsequently retired from hockey.

Following his third Stanley Cup victory in 1955, Leswick was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks along with Glen Skov, Johnny Wilson and Benny Woit for Jerry Toppazzini, John McCormack, Dave Creighton and Gord Hollingworth, on May 27. He scored 11 goals and 11 assists in the 1955–56 season for Chicago before jumping to the Edmonton Flyers of the Western Hockey League, for whom he scored 53 points in the 1956–57 season and he was named to another All-Star team. After a brief 22 games for Detroit in 1957, Leswick returned to the Edmonton Flyers until the close of the 1959 season. He play nine games the following season for the Vancouver Canucks of the WHL before retiring from playing.

Detroit was impressed by Leswick’s when playing against Gordie Howe, and acquired him after the 1950–51 season in a blockbuster trade on June 8, with Gaye Stewart going to New York. Leswick was added to a line with Marty Pavelich and Glen Skov, and helped lead Detroit to Stanley Cup championships in 1952, 1954, and 1955. He is best remembered for his winning goal in game seven of the 1954 Stanley Cup finals against the Montreal Canadiens. Leswick recalled in an interview with Chuck O’Donnell,

Leswick scored 15 goals in his shortened rookie season for the Rangers and quickly established himself as one of the few bright spots in New York. He enjoyed agitating opponents, including Maurice Richard of the Montreal Canadiens, and Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings. Leswick recorded consecutive 20-goal seasons in 1946–47 and 1947–48, but the Rangers as a team struggled to succeed. After scoring 44 points in 1949–50, he was named to the NHL Second All-Star Team. During this time, he formed a successful combination with Edgar Laprade and Dunc Fisher.

Leswick played his junior hockey with the Saskatoon Dodgers and Saskatoon Quakers, and quickly gained attention. In 1942, Leswick jumped to the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Cleveland Barons and scored 40 points in only 52 games. He moved onto the Pacific Coast Hockey League (PCHL) the following season to play for the New Westminster Royals. Scoring 36 points in 19 games there, he followed up his great season by joining with HMCS Chippawa of the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve, where he helped to win the 1944–45 Basil Baker trophy for inter-service hockey. The New York Rangers had acquired him in June 1945, and based on this performance added him to their lineup for the remainder of the 1945–46 NHL season.

Anthony Joseph Leswick (March 17, 1923 – July 1, 2001) was a Canadian ice hockey forward who played mostly for the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings of the NHL. Nicknamed “Tough Tony” and “Mighty Mouse”, he was known also as a little pest, in part due to his small stature, at just 5’7″ tall and 160 lbs. Leswick is best known for scoring the series-winning goal in overtime of game seven of the 1954 Stanley Cup Finals.