Len Lunde

Len Lunde
Born	(1936-11-13)November 13, 1936 Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada
Died	November 22, 2010(2010-11-22) (aged 74) Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	194 lb (88 kg; 13 st 12 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Right
Played for	NHL Detroit Red Wings Chicago Black Hawks Minnesota North Stars Vancouver Canucks WHA Edmonton Oilers SM-sarja Ilves Division 1 Mora IK
Playing career	1958–1972 1973–1974 1979

Leonard Melvin Lunde (November 13, 1936 – November 22, 2010) was a professional ice hockey player who played 321 games in the National Hockey League and 72 games in the World Hockey Association. He played for the Chicago Black Hawks, Minnesota North Stars, Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, and Detroit Red Wings.

Playing career

Lunde was born in Campbell River, British Columbia, and played junior hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WCJHL. A prospect of the Detroit Red Wings, he moved up to the Edmonton Flyers of the Western Hockey League, scoring 39 goals during the 1957–58 season. The following season, he debuted in the National Hockey League, playing in 68 games for the Red Wings, and scoring 14 goals and 12 assists.

He was a regular in the Red Wings' lineup through the 1960–61 season when Detroit reached the Stanley Cup finals, but after spending most of the 1961–62 season in the minors, he was traded to Chicago in June 1962. With the Black Hawks, he notched six goals and 22 assists playing on a checking line with Eric Nesterenko and Ron Murphy.

Beginning in 1963–64, Lunde was chiefly a minor leaguer over the next few seasons. He did play a handful of games for the Hawks, Minnesota North Stars and Vancouver Canucks but saw most of his ice time as an offensive sparkplug in the American Hockey League, the Western Hockey League and the Central Hockey League.

His best year was 1964–65 when he scored 50 goals for the AHL's Buffalo Bisons and was voted on to the league's first all-star team.

His last full season was 1973–74 with the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association, where he scored 26 goals and added 22 assists for 48 points.

He also played in Finland with Ilves in 1971–1972 and was head coach of the Finnish national team in World Championships 1973 in Moscow. Lunde had initially retired in 1972 before playing for the Edmonton Oilers. Lunde re-retired in 1974 but made a one-game return in 1979 when he played for Mora IK.

Overall, Lunde scored 39 goals and 83 assists and recorded 75 penalty minutes in 321 NHL games. He also scored three goals and two assists in 20 playoff games.

Post-playing career

Lunde was hired as a European scout of the Edmonton Oilers on August 10, 1979.

Lunde died on November 22, 2010, of a heart condition in Edmonton, Alberta.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1953–54	Edmonton Oil Kings	WJHL		3	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1954–55	Edmonton Oil Kings	WJHL		35	28	18	46	37		4	3	2	5	0
1955–56	Edmonton Oil Kings	WJHL		35	37	30	67	27		6	2	2	4	2
1955–56	Edmonton Flyers	WHL		4	0	2	2	2		2	0	1	1	0
1956–57	Edmonton Flyers	WHL		70	20	41	61	22		8	3	5	8	2
1957–58	Edmonton Flyers	WHL		67	39	43	82	17		5	1	4	5	2
1958–59	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		68	14	12	26	15		—	—	—	—	—
1959–60	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		66	6	17	23	10		6	1	2	3	0
1960–61	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		53	6	12	18	10		10	2	0	2	0
1961–62	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		23	2	9	11	4		—	—	—	—	—
1961–62	Edmonton Flyers	WHL		41	26	37	63	21		12	9	9	18	2
1962–63	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		60	6	22	28	30		4	0	0	0	2
1963–64	Buffalo Bisons	AHL		72	30	43	73	38		—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	Buffalo Bisons	AHL		72	50	46	96	40		9	4	4	8	4
1965–66	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		24	4	7	11	4		—	—	—	—	—
1965–66	St. Louis Braves	CHL		11	3	5	8	6		—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	Portland Buckaroos	WHL		72	26	33	59	16		4	0	0	0	7
1967–68	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		7	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Rochester Americans	AHL		37	19	33	52	13		11	2	4	6	0
1968–69	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		65	26	27	53	0		8	3	3	6	0
1969–70	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		68	29	34	63	4		11	10	5	15	8
1970–71	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		20	1	2	3	4		—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Ilves	FIN		31	28	21	49	40		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Edmonton Oilers	WHA		71	26	22	48	8		5	0	1	1	0
1979–80	Mora IK	SWE-2		1	2	0	2	4		—	—	—	—	—
WHL totals				387	166	217	383	82		50	26	27	53	21
WHA totals				71	26	22	48	8		5	0	1	1	0
NHL totals				321	39	83	122	75		20	3	2	5	2

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database