Louis Casimer Jankowski (June 27, 1931 – March 21, 2010) was a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) 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. In ice hockey, two o ...

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and scout who played 131 games in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

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 ...

and

Chicago Black Hawks (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

between 1951 and 1955. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1951 to 1969, was mainly spent in the minor

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major 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 ...

Early life

Louis Casimer Jankowski was born on June 27, 1931, in

Regina Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to: Places Canada * Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province ** Regina (electoral district) ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina France * Régina, French Guiana, a commune United States * ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North ...

, the fourth of six sons to a Polish Catholic mother, Anna Jankowski. Anna, her husband, and three sons had immigrated to Canada in 1927 from

Świdnik Świdnik () is a town in southeastern Poland with 40,186 inhabitants (2012), situated in the Lublin Voivodeship, southeast of the city of Lublin. It is the capital of Świdnik County. Świdnik belongs to the historic province of Lesser Polan ...

, Poland. The family later moved to Hamilton,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

Playing career

Jankowski spent three seasons playing for the

Oshawa Generals The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. In November 2016, ...

of the OHA. He played alongside

Alex Delvecchio Alexander Peter "Fats" Delvecchio (born December 4, 1931) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager who spent his entire National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Detroit Red Wings. In a playing career t ...

, where the duo became known for their offensive scoring punch. A versatile forward who could play both the right wing and center positions, along with an ability to score profusely, Jankowski won the

Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy The Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy is awarded annually by the Ontario Hockey League to the player scoring the most points in the regular season. The trophy was donated by the Toronto Marlboros, Toronto Marlboro Athletic Club in memory of athlete and ...

as a member of the Generals, recording 65 goals, 59 assists and 124 points during the 1950-51 season. Jankowski earned a tryout with the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

’s

, where he reunited with Delvecchio. While Delvecchio was established as a mainstay in the Wings lineup, Jankowski's tenure with the club was seen as a disappointment, managing only a goal and two assists in 22 games. In the summer of 1953, the Red Wings sold Jankowski's contract to the

. Jankowski displayed some of his scoring touch, notching 15 goals in 68 games, despite limited playing time. Jankowski's NHL career ended with 19 goals, 18 assists and 15 penalty minutes in 127 career games played. After other NHL clubs showed no interest in offering a contract, Jankowski signed with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third ...

of the

, where he would reestablish his offensive game. Jankowski led the league in goals during his first three seasons, scoring a career high 57 goals in the 1960-61 season. Jankowski was named to the WHL All-Star Team four times between 1959 and 1963, earning the Leader Cup award as the WHL's Most Valuable Player in 1961. Jankowski led the league in goals with 41, during the 1963-64 season as a member of the

Denver Invaders The Denver Invaders were a minor pro ice hockey team that played in Denver, Colorado in the Western Hockey League (WHL) during the 1963–1964 season. In June 1963, the Spokane Comets WHL franchise was purchased by a group led by the Toronto Mapl ...

, where he was the recipient of the Fred J. Hume Cup as the league's most gentlemanly player. Jankowski would play for various minor league clubs, before announcing his retirement after 18 professional seasons. Jankowski found a second career as a scout in 1972. He would work for the St. Louis Blues,

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

, the NHL Central Scouting Bureau, and the

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

, for whom he was employed for 15 years, retiring from the organization in 1993.

Personal life

Jankowski was married twice. His first marriage was to Helen Kelly, the sister of Hall of Famer

Red Kelly Leonard Patrick "Red" Kelly (July 9, 1927 – May 2, 2019) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. He was also a Liberal Member of Parliament for the Toronto-area riding of York West from 1962 to 1965, during which time he also ...

. Jankowski has three children. His son Ryan previously served as the assistant general manager of the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

., retrieved June 9, 2022 His grandson,

Mark Jankowski Mark Jankowski (born September 13, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (N ...

is a forward for the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Awards and achievements

(OHA/OHL Leading Scorer) (1950–51) *WHL Prairie Division First All-Star Team (1959) *WHL First All-Star Team (1960, 1961, 1964) *Leader Cup (MVP - WHL) (1961) *WHL Second All-Star Team (1962) *Fred J. Hume Cup (Most Gentlemanly Player - WHL) (1964)

Records

* OHA - Most points in one season (65G, 59A, 124P in 54 games) * WHL - Most goals in one season (57G in 69 games)

References

External links

*
Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jankowski, Lou 1931 births 2010 deaths Amarillo Wranglers players Buffalo Bisons (AHL) players Calgary Stampeders (WHL) players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey right wingers Canadian people of Polish descent Chicago Blackhawks players Denver Invaders players Detroit Red Wings players Edmonton Flyers (WHL) players Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan Sportspeople from Regina, Saskatchewan Indianapolis Capitals players New York Rangers scouts Oshawa Generals players Phoenix Roadrunners (WHL) players St. Louis Blues scouts St. Louis Flyers players Victoria Maple Leafs players Washington Capitals scouts