Lawrence Thomas Popein (August 11, 1930 – February 8, 2020) was a Canadian 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 and coach.

Playing career

Popein began his career with the Moose Jaw Canucks of the

Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Open to North American-born players 20 years o ...

. He then signed with the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

. During his playing time with this organization, he developed a special affinity for British Columbia's largest city. In 1954, Popein's contract was acquired by the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

and he began his

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 ...

(NHL) career. Although a relatively small skater at 5 ft 9 in, 170 lbs, Popein developed a reputation as a stoic, fearless, hard-working player who was a solid body checker and a skilled passer. He was the quiet centre on a powerful line that included

Andy Bathgate Andrew James Bathgate (August 28, 1932 – February 26, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right wing who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsbu ...

and

Dean Prentice Dean Sutherland Prentice (October 5, 1932 – November 2, 2019) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 22 seasons between 1952–53 and 1973–74. He had 10 NHL seasons with 20 or mo ...

. Early in the 1960–61 season, after six years as a Rangers starter, Popein was returned to the Canucks. He briefly returned to the NHL during the 1967–68 season, as expansion allowed many veterans to crack the lineups of fledgling teams, with Popein spending one year with the

Oakland Seals The California Golden Seals were a professional ice hockey club that competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1967 to 1976. Based in Oakland, California, they played their home games at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena. The ...

. Upon retiring from the ice, Popein entered coaching. He served as the bench boss of the

Omaha Knights Omaha Knights may refer to: * Omaha Knights (AHA) an ice hockey team that played from (1939–1942) in the American Hockey Association and from (1945–1951) in the United States Hockey League * Omaha Knights (IHL) an ice hockey team that played ...

of the

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

, then as an assistant coach with the Rangers; he briefly was the interim head coach of this club during the 1973–74 season, coaching for 41 games. He was fired on January 11, 1974, after suspending

Rod Gilbert Rodrigue Gabriel Gilbert (July 1, 1941 – August 19, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played his entire career for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Known as "Mr. Ranger", he played right wing o ...

for a game due to missing a team meeting: the meeting time had been moved but Popein had not informed Gilbert, though he upheld the suspension. With this move the rest of the Rangers lost confidence in Popein, forcing him out. The next year, Popein became director of player development of the new NHL incarnation of the

. After a clean sweep of the Vancouver front office, Popein took a job with the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...

in 1986, serving as a scout until his 1992 retiremen

In the 2009 book ''100 Ranger Greats'', the authors ranked Popein at No. 91 all-time of the List of New York Rangers players, 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Popein, Larry 1930 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian ice hockey coaches Ice hockey people from Yorkton Moose Jaw Canucks players New York Rangers coaches New York Rangers players Oakland Seals players Omaha Knights (CHL) players Springfield Indians players Vancouver Canucks (WHL) players