Larry Popein

Lawrence Thomas "The Pope" Popein (August 11, 1930 – February 7, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach.[1]

Larry Popein
Born	August 11, 1930 Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada
Died	February 7, 2020 (aged 89) Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	New York Rangers Oakland Seals
Playing career	1949–1970

Playing career

Popein began his career with the Moose Jaw Canucks of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. He then signed with the Vancouver Canucks of the Western Hockey League. During his playing time with this organization, he developed a special affinity for British Columbia's largest city.[2]

In 1954, Popein's contract was acquired by the New York Rangers and he began his National Hockey League (NHL) career. Although a relatively small skater at 5 ft 9 in, 170 lbs, Popein developed a reputation as a stoic, fearless, hard-working player who was a solid body checker and a skilled passer. He was the quiet centre on a powerful line that included Andy Bathgate and Dean Prentice. Early in the 1960-61 season, after six years as a Rangers starter, Popein was returned to the Canucks. He briefly returned to the NHL during the 1967-68 season, as expansion allowed many veterans to crack the lineups of fledgling teams, with Popein spending one year with the Oakland Seals.[3]

Upon retiring from the ice, Popein entered coaching. He served as the bench boss of the Omaha Knights of the Central Hockey League, then as an assistant coach with the Rangers; he briefly was the interim head coach of this club during the 1973-74 season. The next year, Popein became director of player development of the new NHL incarnation of the Vancouver Canucks. After a clean sweep of the Vancouver front office, Popein took a job with the Calgary Flames in 1986, serving as a scout until his 1992 retirement.

In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, the authors ranked Popein at No. 91 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.[4]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1947–48	Moose Jaw Canucks	SJHL		27	21	12	33	6		4	4	0	4	7
1947–48	Moose Jaw Canucks	M-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		5	0	0	0	0
1948–49	Moose Jaw Canucks	WCJHL		26	21	12	33	34		8	5	2	7	0
1949–50	Moose Jaw Canucks	WCJHL		37	36	22	58	4		4	5	2	7	0
1950–51	Regina Capitals	WCSHL		54	21	19	40	14		—	—	—	—	—
1951–52	Vancouver Canucks	PCHL		69	32	36	68	14		—	—	—	—	—
1952–53	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		70	25	44	69	23		9	5	10	15	0
1953–54	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		70	34	32	66	22		10	4	7	11	4
1954–55	New York Rangers	NHL		70	11	17	28	27		—	—	—	—	—
1955–56	New York Rangers	NHL		64	14	25	39	37		5	0	1	1	2
1956–57	New York Rangers	NHL		67	11	19	30	20		5	0	3	3	0
1957–58	New York Rangers	NHL		70	12	22	34	22		6	1	0	1	4
1958–59	New York Rangers	NHL		61	13	21	34	28		—	—	—	—	—
1959–60	New York Rangers	NHL		66	14	22	36	16		—	—	—	—	—
1960–61	New York Rangers	NHL		4	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1960–61	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		69	19	48	67	12		9	1	3	4	0
1961–62	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		59	9	22	31	12		—	—	—	—	—
1961–62	Springfield Indians	AHL		—	—	—	—	—		10	0	3	3	2
1962–63	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		65	15	21	36	24		7	0	1	1	4
1963–64	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		39	8	11	19	18		—	—	—	—	—
1964–65	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		69	7	9	16	12		5	0	1	1	2
1965–66	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		68	16	15	31	20		7	2	3	5	2
1966–67	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		71	22	26	48	18		3	1	1	2	2
1967–68	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		27	6	6	12	4		—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	California/Oakland Seals	NHL		47	5	14	19	12		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Omaha Knights	CHL		57	1	4	5	16		7	1	0	1	0
1969–70	Omaha Knights	CHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
WHL totals				607	161	234	395	165		50	13	26	39	14
WHA totals				145	33	31	64	49		6	1	2	3	6
NHL totals				449	80	141	221	162		16	1	4	5	6

Coaching record

Team	Year	Regular Season						Post Season
		G	W	L	T	Pts	Finish	Result
New York Rangers	1973–74	41	18	14	9	45	3rd in East	(interim coach)

References

1. "Popein Remembered For Invaluable Contributions". NHL.com. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
2. "NHL Player Search - Player - Larry Popein". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
3. Gregg Drinnan (2011-06-01). "Canucks have the Pope in their corner | Kamloops Daily News". Kamloopsnews.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
4. Cohen, Russ; Halligan, John; Raider, Adam (2009). 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0470736197. Retrieved 2020-02-03.

External links

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