#Recognizing #Johnny #Gottselig #Russian #NHL #Pioneers #WorthPoint
WorthPoint founder and CEO Will Seippel had a hunch there was a story to tell when he began sorting through a ninety-pound trove of personal documents from Russian-born hockey legend Johannes “Johnny” Gottselig. A picker recommended the collection because of its impeccable provenance and diversity.
Eager to learn more, Seippel contacted Phil Pritchard, Vice President and curator at the Hockey Hall of Fame. In this special feature, Seippel’s inspiring conversation with Pritchard opened a window into hockey history. Following the video is an article by Canadian hockey expert Jon Waldman on Gottselig and other important Russian names in the NHL.
Sports’ Unsung Legacy of Johnny Gottselig
Johnny Gottselig is a landmark name in more than one sport. Born in Klosterdorf of the Russian Empire, Gottselig initially became well-known in hockey as one of the first Russian-born NHL athletes. He played at an incredibly high level between 1928 and 1945 with the Chicago Blackhawks and won the Stanley Cup twice, once as captain. Gottselig’s playing career encompassed 589 NHL games and 371 points, and he moved on to be the team’s head coach and later PR manager, collecting a third Stanley Cup ring in the latter role.
If those accolades weren’t enough, Gottselig is also recognized for leading teams around dirt diamonds instead of on the ice. He helped with the formation of and managed teams in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, the founding journey of which was fictionalized in the 1992 Tom Hanks-led film A League of Their Own. During the 1940s, Gottselig managed the Racine Belles and later the Peoria Red Wings and Kenosha Comets.
Gottselig’s memorabilia isn’t too common on the marketplace. However, as you can see in the video above, there are some cool pieces out there. Among those are personal effects, which were up for sale from Classic Auctions a few years ago.
Nonetheless, despite Gottselig’s groundbreaking achievements—in hockey and otherwise—he has never been inducted into the NHL’s Hockey Hall of Fame. And he isn’t alone in awaiting recognition.
Other Russian Star Athletes in the NHL
In the eyes of many NHL fans, the players responsible for significant accomplishments within the sport deserve recognition. Take, for instance, the long-running campaign to have Paul Henderson elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame for the most iconic goal in Canadian hockey history. And only recently have Willie O’Ree and Herb Carnegie been recognized for breaking the sport’s color barrier more than fifty years ago.
The recognition is even sparser for Russians like Johnny Gottselig and other European hockey players. And that’s if they joined the league in the first place—generations of Russia’s elite players, including Vladislav Tretiak and Boris Mikhailov, never played in the National Hockey League despite skills that would have scouts and general managers drooling.
Until the 1970s, it was rare for any European player to cross the Atlantic Ocean, but with sideburns and bell bottoms came a European invasion. For example, Sweden’s Borje Salming and Finnish sensation Jari Kurri crossed into the NHL. Others like Anders Hedberg started their North American play in the World Hockey Association.
But this invasion didn’t include the Soviets. Only two players—Victor Nechayev and Sergei Pryakhin—defected to North America before Alexander Mogilny famously made his way to the NHL in 1989 during an era where the Soviet government held their players tightly at home. After these athletes, there was a full-on run of Russia’s hockey stars. Some, like Pavel Bure and Sergei Fedorov, made an immediate, positive impact. Others like Johan Garpenlov faltered amid new surroundings.
The politics that kept Russians from moving across the Pacific Ocean are explained elsewhere. But here, we will focus solely on those individuals who bucked the times and made an impact in the NHL.
Sweeney Schriner
After Gottselig, Sweeney Schriner was the next Russian-born player to make an impact in the NHL. Born in Saratov, Schriner moved to Canada as an infant and lived in Calgary, where he played minor and later senior hockey. Eventually, Schriner joined the NHL’s New York Americans and won Rookie of the Year honors in 1933–34. He then led the league in points the following two seasons.
Schriner had an incredible career with the Americans and later Toronto Maple Leafs, garnering numerous accolades and winning two Stanley Cups with the Buds. His accomplishments led to induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962.
Schriner was part of several hockey card sets during his career, and his HHOF induction kept him in memorabilia for years after retirement.
Victor Nechayev
Nechayev (or Netchaev, depending on your Cyrillic interpretation) was the first player trained behind the modern-age Iron Curtain to play in the NHL. After marrying American Cheryl Haigler, Nechayev was selected in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings. He played three games in Lala Land, scoring one goal.
Nechayev’s quick departure from the league, as he told the Los Angeles Kings website in a 2020 interview, came down to contract issues. “I told my agent, ‘I’m 27 years old … Either let me play or don’t let me play [in the NHL]. Or find me the team where I can play.’ And the agent, who wasn’t the right guy for this moment, because he didn’t understand the business, he didn’t explain that this is how it works,” Nechayev said in 2020. “[When I wouldn’t sign their contract], they took all my gear away from me. They didn’t let me skate or anything with the team for one month. For me, it was shocking, the business.”
Despite his place in history, collectors are hard-pressed to find any sports memorabilia dedicated to Nechayev. In the 1980s, when Nechayev played in the big league, O-Pee-Chee and Topps were the only companies creating hockey cards, and neither included him in a 1983–84 product nor has any company worked with him since. A couple of online sightings show press photos of the pioneer, including signed images, but these are extremely scarce.
Sergei Pryakhin
The scarcity of Nechayev memorabilia is a stark contrast to Pryakhin, who earned a few cards and other memorabilia after playing for the Calgary Flames for parts of three NHL seasons. Over 46 games, Pryakhin (who also has English spelling variants) totaled 11 points. He spent most of his pro career with the Soviet Wings and even captained the team, but as lore tells, he was not considered a valuable commodity for the Red Army.
Pryakhin was part of the Flames’ Stanley Cup-winning team in 1989 but didn’t play enough games in the playoffs to earn getting his name engraved on the Cup. He did, however, earn a championship ring.
Despite his defection, Pryakhin was allowed to play with his home country internationally and helped lead the Soviets to the 1990 World Senior Men’s Hockey Championship gold medal.
Alexander Mogilny
Of all the players mentioned, none have had the success of Alex Mogilny.
Mogilny’s story starts with the international attention he gained at the 1988 Olympics, where he won the gold medal. After this, he joined the Soviet 1989 World Senior Men’s Championship team. Instead of returning to Russia and his teammates at CSKA Moscow after the tournament, Mogilny went to Buffalo, where he was a draftee one year prior.
Mogilny started the 1989–90 season with the Sabres, scoring in his first NHL game. He wore the number 89 to commemorate his first year on North American soil and his draft position. Mogilny went on to have a 16-year NHL career that included several firsts for Russian-born-and-trained players, including the first to be named to the annual NHL All-Star team. He holds the record for most goals by a Russian player in a single season (76), and he won a Stanley Cup.
Mogilny’s accolades have put him in Hockey Hall of Fame contention, but he has yet to be given Shinny’s highest individual honor. Collectors, however, have built impressive memorabilia displays dedicated to the Soviet hero. Those hobbyists have a vast array of options, including figures, cards, photos, signed pucks, and just about everything else imaginable.
Jon Waldman is a Winnipeg-based writer. He has written for Beckett, Go GTS, Canadian Sports Collector, and several other hobby outlets over his two decades in the hobby. His experience also includes two books on sports cards and memorabilia. Connect with Jon on Twitter at @jonwaldman.
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