Shot Left Height 1.85 m Position Centerman Role Ice hockey player Career end 1978 | Name Juha Widing Career start 1967 Playing career Weight 86 kg | |
Born July 4, 1947Oulu, FIN ( 1947-07-04 ) Played for New York RangersLos Angeles KingsCleveland BaronsEdmonton Oilers Died December 30, 1984, Kelowna, Canada | ||
Juha Markku "Whitey, Flying Finn" Widing (July 4, 1947 – December 30, 1984) was a professional ice hockey centre who was the third Finnish-born player to play in the National Hockey League. Widing played in the National Hockey League for eight seasons, mostly with the Los Angeles Kings.
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Playing career
Widing, although born in Finland, grew up in Sweden and both his parents were Swedish. In 1964, along with his family, he moved to Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, to play junior hockey for the Brandon Wheat Kings. He played three seasons there, improving his point total each season from 38 to 114 and then finally to 144 in only a 50-game schedule. Widing joined the New York Rangers of the NHL in 1969–70, however after only forty-four games he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings along with Réal Lemieux for Ted Irvine. It was in LA where he developed into a legitimate scoring threat, garnering at least 55 points in five consecutive seasons. It was also in L.A. that Kings' owner Jack Kent Cooke gave him the nickname "Whitey" and instructed his announcers to pronounce his last name as "why-ding" as opposed to the real pronunciation of "vee-ding." He often played on a line with Bob Berry and Mike Corrigan known as "the hot line."
However, by 1976 his productivity had dropped considerably, and he was traded to the Cleveland Barons the following season. In 1977–78, Widing played for the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association, scoring 42 points in his final professional season. After the season, he was traded to the Indianapolis Racers for Bill Goldsworthy, but chose instead to retire. Widing settled in British Columbia thereafter, but died following a heart attack on December 30, 1984, aged 37.
Awards and achievements
