Guyle Fielder

 

 

 Seattle Bombers 1953-54
Seattle Americans 1955-58
Seattle Totems 1958-69
Center - 5'9" - 165 lbs.

Awards/Honors

  • WHL Most Valuable Player:  1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1964, 1967
  • WHL Scoring Leader:  1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967
  • WHL Assist Leader:  1954, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968
  • WHL First Team All-Star:  1954, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1967
  • WHL Second Team All-Star:  1961, 1965, 1966, 1968
  • Fred J. Hume Cup (Most Gentlemanly Player):  1966, 1967, 1969

Championships

  • WHL Championship:  1959, 1967, 1968

All-Time Seattle Records (Regular Season - Career)

  • Games Played:  1,036
  • Goals:  323
  • Assists:  1,099
  • Points:  1,422

All-Time Seattle Records (Playoffs - Career)

  • Games Played:  91
  • Assists:  70
  • Points:  94

All-Time Seattle Records (Single Season)

  • Assists:  95 (1958-59)

 

Statistics

                                                        Regular Season                                                    Playoffs

GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1953-54 Seattle Bombers 68 24 64 88 20
1955-56 Seattle Americans 70 18 61 79 42
1956-57 Seattle Americans 69 33 89 122 30 6 2 4 6 0
1957-58 Seattle Americans 62 26 85 111 22 9 2 9 11 2
1958-59 Seattle Totems 69 24 95 119 18 12 4 9 13 4
1959-60 Seattle Totems 69 31 64 95 12 4 1 1 2 0
1960-61 Seattle Totems 69 24 71 95 32 11 2 9 11 4
1961-62 Seattle Totems 69 21 52 73 46 2 0 0 0 0
1962-63 Seattle Totems 69 17 80 97 20 17 5 17 22 6
1963-64 Seattle Totems 66 17 85 102 34
1964-65 Seattle Totems 70 14 78 92 38 7 0 7 7 2
1965-66 Seattle Totems 70 19 75 94 10
1966-67 Seattle Totems 72 20 71 91 22 10 2 7 9 12
1967-68 Seattle Totems 70 15 55 70 26 9 6 5 11 2
1968-69 Seattle Totems 74 20 74 94 12 4 0 2 2 4
Seattle Totals 1036 323 1099 1422 384 91 24 70 94 36
NHL Totals 9 0 0 0 2 6 0 0 0 2

Guyle Fielder was the greatest player in the history of hockey in Seattle, and many consider him the greatest minor leaguer of all-time.  During his 15 seasons in Seattle he led the WHL in assists 11 times and overall scoring nine times.  Along the way he won six MVP awards and was named to 11 all-star teams.  He led the Totems to the WHL finals five times between 1958-68, earning three championships during that span. 

Fielder's arrival in Seattle was a fortuitous trick of fate.  He was the property of the Detroit Red Wings and had won the Rookie of the Year award with their farm team in St. Louis in 1952-53, but he didn't enjoy all of the long bus travel in the AHL and wanted to return to the west.  It just so happened that his uncle was none other than Al Leader, the president of the WHL.  Uncle Al made some calls on his nephew's behalf and got his rights assigned to Frank Dotten's Seattle Bombers, who were struggling financially and desperately needed an exciting player like Fielder to bring in the fans.  Despite Fielder's on-ice success with the Bombers in 1953-54, the team dropped out of the league and he was transferred to New Westminster for the following season.

When Seattle returned to the WHL in 1955-56, Fielder was sent back to play with the new Americans franchise and he would stay in the city for the next 14 seasons.  Known primarily as a playmaker, Fielder had good speed, great puck control and a great eye for finding the passing lanes.  A number of forwards had career years playing on his line (Wayne Brown's 49 goals alongside Fielder in 1953-54 were 15 more than he scored in any other season as a pro), and he helped usher in Seattle's greatest era of hockey success from 1958-68.

Fielder retired following the 1968-69 season, but returned to play for his former line-mate Ray Kinasewich in Salt Lake City in November of 1969.  He was dealt to Portland in January of 1972 and retired for good following the 1972-73 season, during which he still managed to score 58 points as a 42-year-old. 

Fielder's contribution to Seattle hockey cannot be questioned - he was the greatest player the city has ever seen and played during the most successful era the city has ever known.  To find out more about his career, click HERE to see my page devoted exclusively to him and his career.