Cooney Weiland

Ralph "Cooney" Weiland (November 5, 1904 – July 3, 1985) was a Canadian ice hockey forward who played for the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, and Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Weiland was part of the Bruins' 1928 "Dynamite Line" with Dutch Gainor and Dit Clapper, one of the earliest "named" forward lines in NHL history. He was born in Egmondville, Ontario, but grew up in Seaforth, Ontario.

Weiland born to Henry Weiland and Sarah Beatty in Egmondville on Nov. 5, 1904. Growing up he was the second youngest of out of eight children His father was a cooper for Seaforth’s Ament Cooperage, two of his older brothers died during WW1. He grew up skating at a local rink where started to develop his hockey skills at an early age, during this time he developed the nickname ‘Cooney’.^[1]

Weiland began playing junior hockey in Seaforth, where he spent three seasons with his hometown team. In 1923 he moved to Owen Sound, Ontario to attend school, planning a career as a druggist.^[2] He joined that city's junior team, the Owen Sound Greys, and led them to the 1924 Memorial Cup as Canadian champions. He was the club's top scorer with 68 goals in 25 games.^[3]

After the Greys lost the 1925 OHA final to Toronto Aura Lee, Weiland began a three-year stint with the Minneapolis Millers of the old American Hockey Association. That led to the start of his NHL career with Boston, where he celebrated his rookie campaign in 1928–29 with a Stanley Cup victory over the New York Rangers. It was the first Cup win in Bruins history.

In his second season during 1929–30, he was part of the Bruins dynamite line with Dutch Gainor and Dit Clapper. He scored a career best 43 goals and 73 points in 44 games. That year, the NHL allowed forward passing for the first time, but it did not create its offsides rule until December 1929. Weiland flourished under those conditions, capturing the leagues scoring title and shattering the NHL's single-season points record of 51 which had been set two years earlier by Montreal Canadiens legend Howie Morenz. Weiland held the record alone until 1942–43, when Doug Bentley of the Chicago Black Hawks tied it, and shared it for one more year—Boston's Herb Cain broke the record with 82 points in 1943–44.^[4]

Weiland scored four goals in Boston's 7–0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on February 25, 1930, becoming the third Bruin to achieve the feat.

Weiland and the dynamite line continued to there dominance getting back to the Cup final again in 1930 but were swept by Montreal. However to years later The Dynamite Line was broken up in 1932 when Wieland was traded to the Ottawa Senators due to conflicts with his coach Art Ross. He had a brief career with Ottawa leading the team in scoring during the 1932-33 season. However once the depression hit owner Frank Ahearn was forced to sell Wieland to the Detroit Red. In Detroit he was paired with talented wingers Larry Aurie and Herbie Lewis putting up the best numbers of his career since his time in Boston. He help the team reach the Cup final for a third time in 1934. One of his fellow Red Wings that year was Teddy Graham, an old teammate from the 1924 Greys. Weiland returned to Boston in 1935 putting of solid numbers, and was named team captain from 1937 until he retired in 1939 with 173 goals and 333 points in 510 career games. But he ended his NHL playing career as he had begun it; helping the Bruins defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs to earn his and the teams second Stanley Cup.^[4]

One sports writer described Weiland as “a magician with the puck” “one of the slickest players of his era” who “tormented opposing defences with his trickery.” However, more than a great hockey player, Cooney Weiland was an “inspiration” to hundreds of team mates and players making him truly a hockey legend.^[1]

In 2023 he would be named one of the top 100 Bruins players of all time.^[5]

After winning the 1939 Stanley cup Art Ross ceded to Weiland. During his first season behind the bench he coached the Bruins to a first place finish, before falling in the Semifinals. However the following year he piloted Boston to another first place finish along with capturing their third Cup in 1940–41. For his work behind the bench he was named a First team All-Star as a coach. Weiland then helmed the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League for the next four seasons, then coached the league's New Haven entry for two more years.

In 1950 he began his longest coaching stint, at Harvard University. A member of the Beanpot Hall of Fame, Weiland was twice named coach of the year by the American Hockey Coaches Association, first in 1955, when he led the Crimson to third place in the NCAA tournament, and again in his final season, when his team captured the ECAC tournament. The New England Hockey Writers Association named Weiland its coach of the year five times and honored him with the Schaefer Pen Award for contribution to amateur hockey in 1962. In 1955 and 1971 he was named Spencer Penrose Award winner as the best coach in the nation. A year later He received the Lester Patrick Award for contribution to hockey in the United States in 1972.

Weiland coached Harvard to the first ever Beanpot championship in 1952, the program would win 4 more during his tenure.

Weiland coached seven All-Americans, including three-time first-team selection Joe Cavanagh '71 and two-time pick David Johnston '63. His players earned a total of 26 first team All-Ivy honors, highlighted by the 1956–57 team, which was made up entirely of Crimson players. In total he compiled a record of 315-173-17 before retiring in 1971. That year also marked his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. By the end of his tenure he coached the program to 7 NCAA tournament appearances, two ECAC tournament titles, one regular season title and six Ivy League championships.

Four of Weiland's Harvard players helped the 1960 U.S. Olympic team win the gold medal in Squaw Valley. Among that group was Bill Cleary '56, who went on to assist Weiland and succeed him as head coach. Cleary served in that role for 19 seasons and as athletic director for 11.

Cufflinks presented to Weiland after Owen Sound's Memorial Cup win in 1924 are part of a permanent junior hockey exhibit at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.^[6]

In 2006 Wieland was awarded the Hobey Baker Legend of College Hockey award, as one of the all-time great contributors to the game of college hockey. Current Harvard coach Ted Donato accepted recognition in Wieland’s honor.^[4]

One of his former players Governor-General David Johnston believed the secret of Weiland’s success as a great coach was that he “was a great teacher” “who had a passion for hockey.” “Like all great coaches, Weiland “related to the whole person he was teaching.” Weiland “never gave us pep talks as we went out to start a game.” Weiland would tell his players “if you’ve been listening to what I’ve been telling during the week, you’re going to go out and do it.”^[1]

Weiland married his wife Gertrude Hussey in March 1929, the two were married for 57 years. They remained in the Massachusetts area until his death in 1985.^[1]

^[7]

• Stanley Cup Champion (1929, 1939)
• NHL scoring Champion (1929-30)
• Named one of the top 100 best Bruins players of all time
• Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1971

• Stanley Cup Champion (1941)
• First team All-Star (1940-41)
• Spencer Penrose Award (1955, 1971)
• Lester Patrick Award (1972)
• Schaefer Pen Award (1962)
• ECAC Champion (1963, 1971)
• ECAC regular season champion (1963)
• Beanpot Hall of Fame
• Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award (2006)

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