Frank Fredrickson


Sigurður Franklin Fredrickson was an Icelandic-Canadian ice hockey player and coach who was significant to both the amateur and professional sport as it evolved in North America in the early 20th century. Fredrickson's career was interrupted by military service during World War I and prematurely ended by a knee injury in 1931.
The Icelandic spelling of his last name is Friðriksson and the alternate English spelling Frederickson.

Early life

Fredrickson was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Icelandic immigrants Jón Vídalín Friðriksson and Guðlaug S. Sigurðardóttir.

Amateur career

Fredrickson attended Kelvin Technical Institute and Central Collegiate before enrolling at the University of Manitoba law school, where he captained the hockey team. After serving in the 196th Battalion, the 223rd Battalion, and the Royal Flying Corps in World War I, he captained the Winnipeg Falcons, to the 1920 Allan Cup and then to the first gold medal offered in the sport at the 1920 Olympics at Antwerp.

Professional career

Professionally, Fredrickson played for the Victoria Cougars of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Detroit Falcons in the National Hockey League. He helped Victoria win the Stanley Cup in 1925.
On January 18, 1927, Fredrickson scored four goals in a single game for Boston in the Bruins' 7-3 victory over the New York Rangers. He became the second Bruin to achieve this feat. Teammate Harry Oliver had done it exactly one week before.
On December 21, 1928 Fredrickson was traded from the Boston Bruins to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Mickey MacKay. When the Stanley Cup was redone during the 1957–58 NHL season his name was engraved, contrary to NHL rules, on the Cup with the 1929 Bruins. Fredrickson was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates the day Boston won the Cup. This made him ineligible to be on the cup with Boston.
Fredrickson coached hockey and lacrosse after his retirement. He coached the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 1929–1930 season, when he also played 9 games, but the team went 5-36-3 and moved to Philadelphia the next season before folding. In 1933, Fredrickson was named coach of the Princeton University ice hockey team. Fredrickson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958 and is also a member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Fredrickson was of Icelandic and Irish heritage.

Playing style

Fredrickson was a natural centre forward, a left-hand shot, and with all the valuable traits of a franchise pivot man: skating, speed, stick-handling, size and a terrific shot.
When Fredrickson made his long-awaited professional debut in the PCHA with the Victoria Aristocrats against the Vancouver Millionaires on New Year's Day 1921 he was already 25 years old and an Allan Cup and Olympic champion, and the anticipations among the home fans in Victoria were sky high, although there were also some doubters who wondered if he could star in the PCHA circuit. Fredrickson did not let anyone down, when he was finally let on by coach Lester Patrick after 10 minutes of play, after he had shaken off his last nerves. During the last period of the game Fredrickson had one goal and two assists when Victoria turned the game around and won 5 goals to 3, with the local newspaper Victoria Daily Times hailing him as the new "Babe Ruth of hockey" and claiming that "he showed everything and lacked nothing."

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Coaching record