Walter Buswell

If I asked you to name all the captains in the history of the Montreal Canadiens, you would probably be hard pressed to named the captain of the 1938-39 team. Walter Buswell wore the "C" that season, placing him in history along side Rocket Richard, Doug Harvey, Jean Beliveau, Yvan Cournoyer and Bob Gainey as such honoured players in history.

Walter Buswell was a defenseman who broke into the NHL in 1932 after a fine career in senior hockey and a good year with the AHA's Chicago Shamrocks. It was when James Norris Sr. purchased a share in the Detroit Falcons in 1932-33 that he also purchased the Detroit franchise in the IAHL and the Chicago Shamrocks, which made Buswell property of the new Detroit NHL franchise.

He was fairly impressive in his first two seasons. Norris became undisputed owner of the newly named Detroit Red Wings in 1933-34, Detroit had a first place team that made it to the Stanley Cup finals before losing to the Chicago Black Hawks.

Buswell was traded to Boston in the summer of 1935, and two days after the trade was traded to the Montreal Canadiens. Buswell had his best year in 1937-38 with 2 goals and 15 assists for 17 points. He was probably Montreal's steadiest defenseman in the late 1930s. He was steady and reliable in a period of Habs history that was anything but.

After the Canadiens finished last in 1939-40, Buswell was released. He played for the Joliette Cyclones in the Quebec League the next season and then coached junior hockey after that.

One junior team he coached was the Verdun Cyclones, and a goaler he coached for two seasons was a boy who would go on to have a Hall of Fame career and be on four Stanley Cup champions. Lorne "Gump" Worsley was a product of Walter Buswell's astute coaching.

Buswell was born in Montreal in 1907 and died October 16th, 1991.