Douglas Allen "Diesel" Mohns (December 13, 1933 – February 7, 2014) was a professional

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 who played 22 seasons 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 ...

from 1953–54 until 1974–75. Mohns twice won the most coveted prize in junior hockey, the

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...

. He played on the

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

and

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

Barrie Flyers teams.

Junior career

Mohns was born and raised in Capreol,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, a town located 25 km north of Sudbury, Ontario. He began playing hockey for his hometown team in Capreol before moving on to the

Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the province of Ontario. Founded in 1890, the OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern ...

'ss Barrie Flyers in 1951. He stayed with the Flyers until 1953 when he moved on to the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

NHL career

Mohns played 1390 career NHL games, scoring 248 goals and 462 assists for 710 points, as well as compiling 1250 penalty minutes. Mohns played both forward and defence in his career. Mohns joined the Boston Bruins in

, where he became a versatile cornerstone of that franchise for 11 seasons. An early slapshot expert, he combined skating speed and breakout passing skills with rugged reliability. Mohns starred with Bruins captain and blueline Stalwart

Fern Flaman Ferdinand Charles Carl "Fernie" Flaman (January 25, 1927 – June 22, 2012) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League. He was known as a physical defen ...

on defence and longtime teammate, smooth Centre Don McKenney on offence, during the Bruins' halcyon years of the late 1950s. Mohns became an alternate captain with the Boston Bruins in 1960. He remained a team pillar during the difficult reconstruction period of the early 1960s. Mohns achieved much of his later career success with the

Chicago Black Hawks Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He played left wing on one of the greatest lines in NHL history, the "Scooter Line", with

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

Stan Mikita Stanley Mikita (born Stanislav Guoth; May 20, 1940 – August 7, 2018) was a Slovaks, Slovak-born Canadian ice hockey player for the Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League, generally regarded as the best Centre (ic ...

and right wing Kenny Wharram. Their speed and puck handling ability fueled the Black Hawks' high-powered offence during this time period. He was also known as an enforcer for

Bobby Hull Robert Marvin Hull (January 3, 1939 – January 30, 2023) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His blond hair, skating speed, end-to-end rushes, and ability to shoot t ...

. Mohns finished his 22 season long career as the

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the expansion

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

. He was one of the first players to wear a helmet.

After retirement

Mohns’ marriage to Jane Foster ended with her death in 1988. In addition to his wife, Tabor Ansin Mohns, he is survived by a sister, Erma Wilson; a son, Douglas Jr.; a daughter, Andrea Brillaud; a stepson, Greg Ansin; a stepdaughter, Lisa Ansin; and nine grandchildren. Mohns was heavily involved with charity activities, including serving on the board of the Dianne DeVanna Center in support of family health, and with the local food pantry. Mohns died on February 7, 2014, at the age of 80, of

myelodysplastic syndrome A myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is one of a group of cancers in which blood cells in the bone marrow do not mature, and as a result, do not develop into healthy blood cells. Early on, no symptoms typically are seen. Later, symptoms may includ ...

Career statistics

Awards and accomplishments

*Played in NHL All-Star game (1954, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1972) * Named One of the Top 100 Best Bruins Players of all Time.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mohns, Doug 1933 births 2014 deaths Deaths from myelodysplastic syndrome Atlanta Flames players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Barrie Flyers players Boston Bruins players Canadian ice hockey defencemen Canadian ice hockey left wingers Chicago Blackhawks players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Minnesota North Stars players Ice hockey people from Greater Sudbury Washington Capitals captains Washington Capitals players