Douglas Allen "Diesel" Mohns (December 13, 1933 – February 7, 2014) was a professional ice hockey player who played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1953–54 until 1974–75. Mohns twice won the most coveted prize in junior hockey, the Memorial Cup. He played on the 1951 and 1953 Barrie Flyers teams.

Doug Mohns
Mohns with the Boston Bruins in 1962
Born (1933-12-13)December 13, 1933
Capreol, Ontario, Canada
Died February 7, 2014(2014-02-07) (aged 80)
Reading, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Left wing/Defence
Shot Left
Played for Boston Bruins
Chicago Black Hawks
Minnesota North Stars
Atlanta Flames
Washington Capitals
Playing career 1953–1975

Junior career

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Mohns was born and raised in Capreol, Ontario, 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'ss Barrie Flyers in 1951. He stayed with the Flyers until 1953 when he moved on to the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins.

NHL career

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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 1953, 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 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. He played left wing on one of the greatest lines in NHL history, the "Scooter Line", with centre Stan Mikita 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.[citation needed] Mohns finished his 22 season long career as the captain of the expansion Washington Capitals. He was one of the first players to wear a helmet.

After retirement

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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.[1] 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.[2][3]

Career statistics

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    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1950–51 Capreol Caps NOJHA
1950–51 Barrie Flyers OHA-Jr. 1 0 0 0 0
1950–51 Barrie Flyers MC 4 1 0 1 4
1951–52 Barrie Flyers OHA-Jr. 53 40 36 76 46
1952–53 Barrie Flyers OHA-Jr. 56 34 42 76 28 15 5 4 9 8
1952–53 Barrie Flyers MC 10 6 12 18 14
1953–54 Boston Bruins NHL 70 13 14 27 27 4 1 0 1 4
1954–55 Boston Bruins NHL 70 14 18 32 82 5 0 0 0 4
1955–56 Boston Bruins NHL 64 10 8 18 48
1956–57 Boston Bruins NHL 68 6 34 40 89 10 2 3 5 2
1957–58 Boston Bruins NHL 54 5 16 21 28 12 3 10 13 18
1958–59 Boston Bruins NHL 47 6 24 30 40 4 0 2 2 12
1959–60 Boston Bruins NHL 65 20 25 45 62
1960–61 Boston Bruins NHL 65 12 21 33 63
1961–62 Boston Bruins NHL 69 16 29 45 74
1962–63 Boston Bruins NHL 68 7 23 30 63
1963–64 Boston Bruins NHL 70 9 17 26 95
1964–65 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 49 13 20 33 84 14 3 4 7 21
1965–66 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 70 22 27 49 63 5 1 0 1 4
1966–67 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 61 25 35 60 58 5 0 5 5 8
1967–68 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 65 24 29 53 53 11 1 5 6 12
1968–69 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 65 22 19 41 47
1969–70 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 66 6 27 33 46 8 0 2 2 15
1970–71 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 39 4 6 10 16
1970–71 Minnesota North Stars NHL 17 2 5 7 14 6 2 2 4 10
1971–72 Minnesota North Stars NHL 78 6 30 36 82 4 1 2 3 10
1972–73 Minnesota North Stars NHL 67 4 13 17 52 6 0 1 1 2
1973–74 Atlanta Flames NHL 28 0 3 3 10
1974–75 Washington Capitals NHL 75 2 19 21 54
NHL totals 1,390 248 462 710 1,250 94 14 36 50 122

Awards and accomplishments

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  • Played in NHL All-Star game (1954, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1972)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Weber, Bruce (2014-02-13). "Doug Mohns, N.H.L. All-Star Who Played for 22 Seasons, Dies at 80". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "DOUGLAS A. MOHNS Obituary (2014) Boston Globe". Legacy.com.
  3. ^ Weber, Bruce (2014-02-13). "Doug Mohns, N.H.L. All-Star Who Played for 22 Seasons, Dies at 80". The New York Times.
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Preceded by
Position created
Washington Capitals captain
1974–75
Succeeded by