Henry Charles Boucha (/ˈbuːʃeɪ/ BOO-shay;[1] June 1, 1951 – September 18, 2023) was a Native American professional ice hockey player. Boucha played in both the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA) between 1971 and 1977. In the NHL he played for the Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota North Stars, Kansas City Scouts, and Colorado Rockies, while in the WHA he played for the Minnesota Fighting Saints. His career was cut short by an eye injury by Dave Forbes. Internationally Boucha played for the American national team at two World Championships and at the 1972 Winter Olympics, where he won a silver medal.
| Henry Boucha | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
June 1, 1951 Warroad, Minnesota, U.S. | ||
| Died |
September 18, 2023 (aged 72) Warroad, Minnesota, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Center | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
Detroit Red Wings Minnesota North Stars Minnesota Fighting Saints Kansas City Scouts Colorado Rockies | ||
| National team |
 United States | ||
| NHL draft |
16th overall, 1971 Detroit Red Wings | ||
| Playing career | 1971–1977 | ||
| Website |
henryboucha | ||
A full-blooded Ojibwe, Boucha's distant cousin Gary Sargent and his second cousin T. J. Oshie have also played in the NHL.
Amateur career
editBoucha played high school hockey for Warroad High School in Warroad, Minnesota, leading his team to the 1969 state tournament where he was injured during a 5–4 overtime loss to Edina. He is considered one of the best players to ever play Minnesota high school hockey.[2]
While serving in the U.S. Army, Boucha joined the United States national ice hockey team on a full-time basis in 1970 as the U.S. won the "Pool B" qualification tournament. He participated in the 1971 Ice Hockey World Championships in Bern, Switzerland where he scored seven goals in ten games for Team USA. Boucha was also one of the biggest stars of the 1972 United States Olympic hockey team which received the silver medal.[citation needed]
Professional career
editBoucha was drafted in the second round, 16th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1971 NHL Entry Draft (he was also drafted first overall by the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the rival WHA but chose not to defect to the WHA). Boucha scored a goal in his first NHL game after the Olympics and was voted Detroit rookie of the year in his first full NHL season. The Red Wings sent him to the Minnesota North Stars in exchange for Danny Grant in 1974. Boucha was enjoying a solid year in his home state; on January 4, 1975, he was assaulted in a highly publicized stick incident by Dave Forbes of the Boston Bruins. The attack left Boucha with a cracked bone around his eye and blurred vision. Forbes was prosecuted for aggravated assault. His trial resulted in a hung jury.[3]
Boucha never really recovered from the injury. He attempted a comeback with the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the WHA in 1975–76 and then returned to the NHL as a free agent with the Kansas City Scouts in later 1975-76. In 1976 the franchise moved to Denver, Colorado and became the Colorado Rockies, from whom he retired from professional hockey after only nine games.[citation needed]
Before the NHL required players to wear a helmet, Boucha wore a headband.[4] His nickname was "the Chief".[5]
Post-playing career
editBoucha fell on hard times due to his unexpectedly early retirement from ice hockey (his agent was negotiating a four-year contract with the North Stars but the talks were never completed due to the injury). He went through a period of divorce and drug and alcohol abuse [6] before straightening out his life in the 1980s. He re-established himself in his native community and became active in various Native American causes.[citation needed]
Henry Boucha died on September 18, 2023, at the age of 72.[7]
International play
edit| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's ice hockey | ||
Representing  United States
| ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
1972 Sapporo | Team |
- Ice hockey world championships, Pool B, 1970 (first, won promotion to Pool A)
- Ice hockey world championships, Pool A, 1971 (sixth place)
- Olympic tournament, 1972 (second place)
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1965–66 | Warroad High School | HS-MN | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1966–67 | Warroad High School | HS-MN | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | Warroad High School | HS-MN | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Warroad High School | HS-MN | 25 | 60 | 35 | 95 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Winnipeg Jets | WCHL | 51 | 27 | 26 | 53 | 37 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 37 | ||
| 1971–72 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 73 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Virginia Wings | AHL | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 19 | 12 | 31 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 51 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Minnesota Fighting Saints | WHA | 36 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Kansas City Scouts | NHL | 28 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| WHA totals | 36 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 247 | 53 | 49 | 102 | 157 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | United States | WC-B | 7 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | |
| 1971 | United States | WC | 10 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 2 | |
| 1972 | United States | Oly | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | |
| Senior totals | 23 | 13 | 6 | 19 | 12 | |||
Awards and achievements
edit- Detroit Red Wings rookie of the year – 1972–73
- Inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Minnesota North Stars 1974–75 Media Guide (profile on page 24). Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ "Henry Boucha". Archived from the original on October 21, 2006.
- ^ Kennedy, Ray (July 28, 1975). "A Nondecision Begs the Question[sic]". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ Reid, Ken (June 20, 2012). "Reid on NHL: The stylish Henry Boucha - Sportsnet.ca". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ King, C. Richard (2015). Native Americans in Sports. Routledge. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-317-46403-7. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ "Cook County News Herald". Cook County News Herald. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ Warroad state hockey tournament legend Henry Boucha dies at 72
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Profile at Hockeydraftcentral.com