Sheldon Gorski is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former right wing who was an All-American for Illinois–Chicago.

Career

Gorski's final season of junior hockey resulted in him leading the

SJHL 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 of ...

in goals and he signed an athletic scholarship with Illinois–Chicago. He joined the Flames as they were on the ascent and helped the team produce its first 20-win season as a sophomore. An injury limited Gorski in his junior season but he returned in force as a senior, scoring a program record 38 goals and becoming the all-time program leader with 86 markers. He was named as an All-American and led UIC to their best season in 1989, finishing 3rd in the CCHA standings and getting out of the conference quarterfinals for the only time in program history. After graduating with a degree in

Kinesiology Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, biomechanical, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kinesiology to human health ...

and Exercise Science, Gorski took a year off before pursuing a professional career. He debuted for the

Louisville Icehawks The Louisville Icehawks were a professional ice hockey team competing in the East Coast Hockey League. The team, based in Louisville, Kentucky, played from 1990 to 1994. Their home venue was Broadbent Arena at the Kentucky Exposition Center. The ...

in the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The E ...

and was an instant success with the team, leading them in scoring for their inaugural season. Gorski was again the team's leader in 1992 and pushed the Icehawks all the way to the

Riley Cup The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the playoff champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup, named after former American Hockey League president Jack Riley. Th ...

finals. After a third season of 50 goals, Gorski missed a large chunk of 1994 with an injury and then had to find a new home when the Icehawks suspended operations after the season. He landed with the San Antonio Iguanas, finishing 3rd in team scoring and helping the club reach the

Ray Miron President's Cup The Ray Miron President's Cup is a trophy that was awarded to the playoff champion of the Central Hockey League (CHL) from 2002 until 2014, when the remaining CHL teams joined the ECHL. The trophy was known as The William "Bill" Levins Memorial Cup ...

final. Gorski was back in both the ECHL and Louisville the following year when a new franchise, the

Louisville RiverFrogs The Louisville RiverFrogs were a professional ice hockey team competing in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), which was a mid-level professional American hockey league with teams from all over the United States as well as one franchise from Can ...

, began playing. He twice led the team in scoring but was forced to move once again when the team dissolved in 1998. He split his time between two ECHL teams in 1999 and then ended his playing career with the

Rockford IceHogs The Rockford IceHogs are a professional ice hockey team based in Rockford, Illinois. They are members of the American Hockey League (AHL), having begun play in the League starting in the 2007–08 season. The team plays their home games at the ...

in 2000. Immediately after his retirement, Gorski began to work as a teacher at the FranCenter in Darien, Illinois. He also doubled as the lead instructor at the Northern Edge Hockey School for 14 years. In 2015, while remaining a teacher at the FranCenter, Gorski began working both with the Canadian Professional Hockey School and the Sabre Hockey Association as an instructor and coach, all three positions he continues to fulfil as of 2021. Gorski was inducted into the UIC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000 and the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2012.

Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gorski, Sheldon 1965 births Living people Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan People from Grenfell, Saskatchewan Canadian ice hockey right wingers Melville Millionaires players UIC Flames men's ice hockey players AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans Indianapolis Ice players Louisville Icehawks players San Antonio Iguanas players Louisville RiverFrogs players Miami Matadors players Pensacola Ice Pilots players Rockford IceHogs (UHL) players