Peter Angelo Bessone (January 13, 1913 — December 5, 1989) was an American

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player and coach. Bessone played 6 games in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

with the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

during the 1937–38 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1931 to 1952, was mainly spent in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

, though he also spent time in the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

, and Italian national leagues. Internationally Bessone played for the American national team at the 1934 World Championships, where he won a silver medal. He was inducted into the

United States Hockey Hall of Fame The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials an ...

in 1978.

Career

Early career

As a high school student, Pete Bessone was a three-sport athlete at West Springfield, High, playing

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

and, ice hockey. Following his completion of high school Bessone began his hockey career locally playing in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

for the West Side Ranges. In 1931 Bessone left the United States to play hockey in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, he joined the Rapides de Paris, leading to a very successful French career. While playing for

Stade Français Stade Français Paris (known commonly as Stade Français, ) is a French professional rugby union club based in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The club plays in the Top 14 domestic league in France and is one of the most successful French ...

, Bessone was considered the top hockey draw in France and some even called him the

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional Baseball in the United States, baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nickna ...

of hockey in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. In 1934 Bessone represented the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

at the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

Milan, Italy Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

. In the semi-final versus Germany, Bessone scored two of the US' three goals. The Americans took the Silver medal finishing only behind

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Return to the States

Following the 1936 season Bessone returned from France, with the intention of playing professionally in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. Bessone joined the Pittsburgh Yellowjackets of the EAHL, where he scored six goals and 10 points through 47 games. He so impressed that season that he was offered a contract by the NHL's

. Bassone began the 1937–38 season with

Detroit Pontiacs Detroit ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares w ...

, a Red Wings' farm team. Thanks to an injury to Wing's defensemen

Ebbie Goodfellow Ebenezer Robertson "Poker Face" Goodfellow (April 9, 1907 – September 10, 1985) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Goodfellow played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings from 1929 to 1944 as both a ...

Bessone was called up, making his debut on January 16, 1938 against the

Montreal Maroons The Montreal Maroons (officially the Montreal Professional Hockey Club) were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL). They played in the NHL from 1924–25 NHL season, 1924 to 1937–38 NHL season, 1938, winning the Sta ...

. After his debut Bessone was believed to be a solid prospect. However, after only six games with the Red Wings and 15 with the Pontiacs Bassone was sent to the

Pittsburgh Hornets The Pittsburgh Hornets were a minor-league professional men's ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Contrary to popular belief, the Pittsburgh Hornets did not evolve from the International Hockey League's Pittsburgh Shamrocks. The ...

of the AHL; he would never play in the NHL again.

AHL career

Bessone continued to play for the Hornets for the next five years. In

1942 The Uppsala Conflict Data Program project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 4.62 million. However, the Correlates of War estimates that the prior year, 1941, was th ...

Bessone was selected to start in the AHL's first All-star game. The game was held in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, with the intent of to raise money in support of American and Canadian armed forces serving in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the contest raised $4,132 towards this goal. Bessone's long tenure in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

finally came to a close in 1943 when the Hornets traded Bessone to the Cleveland Barons for defensemen

Fred Robertson Frederick Alexander Robertson (October 22, 1911 – September 16, 1997) was a British-born Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 28 games in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings between 1932 ...

. Bessone spent three seasons in Cleveland. His short time with the Barons however saw the high point of Bessone's career, as the Barons won the 1944-45

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...

as league champions. It was the only North American Championship Bessone would win. After his time in Cleveland Bessone spent one more year in the AHL playing for the

Providence Reds The Providence Reds were a hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League (CAHL) between 1926 and 1936 and the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Reds. The t ...

Post playing career

In 1947 Bessone returned to France to be the head coach of the Paris Racing Club hockey team. He coached them for two seasons before returning to the states to coach the

Springfield Indians The Springfield Indians were two separate minor professional ice hockey franchises, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The original Indians were founding members of the American Hockey Leagu ...

of the IHL he would play 4 games as a player-coach. Following the 1949–50 season Bessone retired from hockey for good. In 1978 Bessone was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of fame, 14 years later he was joined by his brother

Amo Bessone Amos "Betts" Bessone (November 22, 1916 – January 9, 2010) was a collegiate ice hockey player and head coach. Bessone was born in Sagamore, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, and raised in West Springfield, Massachusetts, where he learned to play ho ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bessone, Peter 1913 births 1989 deaths American ice hockey coaches American men's ice hockey defensemen Cleveland Barons (1937–1973) players Detroit Red Wings players HC Milano players Ice hockey coaches from Massachusetts Ice hockey players from Massachusetts Neuchâtel Young Sprinters HC players Pittsburgh Hornets players Providence Reds players Sportspeople from New Bedford, Massachusetts United States Hockey Hall of Fame inductees 20th-century American sportsmen