If you like this site, please consider making a donation
to keep it online:
Click here for Table of Contents
Copper Country Hockey Legends last name beginning with
...
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X-Y-Z |
Local players who have gone on to play PRO, Semi-Pro or College Hockey!
L
Tom
LaHaye, born 19-- in -- , played hockey for
Michigan Tech 1954-56. need picture etc here for this local player.
Red
E. Lake, born 19-- in Canada?, played left wing with the 1905-06 Portage Lake Pro
Hockey team. Fred lost an eye while playing in the IHL league and still went on
to play 9 years of pro hockey. There are three Red Lake vintage hockey cards printed in the sets C56
(1910-11)
C55
(1911-12) and C57
(1912-13).
 Kevin
Langseth born 19-- in --, grew up playing hockey in Calumet and has gone on to be a college
hockey referee, including refereeing the Frozen Four games and the world
record-setting "Cold War" outdoor hockey game between Michigan
State University and the University of Michigan played October
6, 2001 at the Spartan Football Stadium on the Michigan State campus. Metal
pipes filled with glycol, a freezing agent, kept the ice frozen above aluminum
panels, which were placed above layers of plywood between the 20 yard lines on
the football field. A
world record 74,554 people attended this hockey game that ended in an exciting
tie.
MSU Captain Adam Hall, said the crowd
was so loud that players couldn't even talk to each other on the bench.
Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe, dropped the puck for the ceremonial opening face-off;
Gordie was quoted as saying that there were more people at this game than there
were in his hometown of Saskatoon when he left home to play in the NHL in
1946." The previous hockey attendance record was officially 55,000,
set March 5, 1957 when Sweden and the Soviet Union tied 4-4 in the World
Championship gold medal game at Lenin Stadium in Moscow. The previous record fan
count for a College game was 21,576, established Dec. 29, 1984 when Michigan
State defeated Michigan Tech 7-0 at the Great Lakes Invitational at Joe Louis
Arena. The record crowd for a NHL game is 28,183 for a playoff game between
Tampa Bay and Philadelphia at Tropicana Field on April 23, 1996. In April
2005, Kevin was one of the 3 refs of the NCAA Final Championship games. |
|
| Todd
Langseth,
born 1967 in Calumet, was the Captain of the
Calumet High School team when they were State Runners Up in 1985 (as shown in this
picture.) His Coach, Paul Lehto, wants this picture framed and called:
"the agony of da-feet." Todd went on to coach in Antigo, Wisc. where he was the Antigo high school hockey coach from 1992 to 2006. In 1993 they won the Wisconsin State Championship and were runners-up in 1997. It should be noted this is no small feat, as Antigo, a town of 8,500 people, is the smallest school in their conference; they had to play against all the other schools of all sizes to win the states since Wisconsin only has one High School division. Langseth was honored as being chosen Coach of the Year in 2005. He is the athletic director for Antigo High School. |
Todd Langseth |
Harold Lanksbury, born 19-- in --, played with the Calumet Hawks when they won the MacNaughton Cup 2 years in a row, 1927 and 1928. He was rated by a local sports writer as the best defenseman in the league along with a Marquette player, Doug Young, who was the property of the Detroit Red Wings. Harold "Fat" Lanksbury later "played on the West Coast". need picture and more info here.
| Laura Lankton, born 1984 in Hancock, she attended Houghton High School and played with the local 19U Girls K-Wings (1996-2000) until she was a sophomore. She went on to Shattuck St. Mary's, Minnesota High School to play 60 hockey games a year practicing everyday; she graduated in 2002 and lettered in hockey, cross country and track. She then played one year at the University of New Hampshire where she played in all 36 games. She now plays hockey at Bemidji State, WCHA, where she played in all 36 games in defense her first year. |
Laura Lankton |
Bill
Lassila
and John Lassila, identical twins born 19-- in -- who grew up in nearby Mohawk, MI, played hockey for
Michigan
Tech several games in the 1967-68 season. Bill was the
third goaltender behind Tony Esposito and Rick Best; after John played JV hockey
for MTU, he went on to play Senior Hockey with the CLK Wolverines until he
graduated. The twins are brothers to Gordon Lassila:
| Gordon Lassila, born 19-- in --, a native of nearby Mohawk, played with the CLK Radars in the early and mid-50's prior to playing a season at Michigan State 1955-56. Gordie coached the Calumet High School team throughout most of the 1970's. In 1976 and 1977 he took his team to the state finals in Ann Arbor and Lansing respectively. They finished runner-up in Tier 1 to St. Claire Shores Lakeview in 1976 and got beat in the semi-final in 1977. |
|
Albert "Abbie" Lehto, (1918-1999) born in Hancock, coached the Hancock Hockey team 3 years... He was the Skipper of the Hancock Sea Scouts and received a 30 year scout pin. need more hockey bio info and picture here...
Into Lehto, aka Sam or Carl (1914 to 1972?) born in Wolverine, MI, played hockey with the Wolverine AC in the 1930s when the Wolverine team beat Marquette in the finals to win the MacNaughton Cup in the 1933-34 season. He went on to play some games with the Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets, Ind/EHL, during their 1934-35 season. This team changed leagues several times, eventually joining the NHL as the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1967. |
|
Paul Lehto, born in 1938 in Wolverine? (near Calumet, Michigan) he started skating at five years of age on the Wolverine rink, located a block from his home. As a fourteen year old, he was elected president of the Wolverine rink. He played junior hockey in the Calumet Hockey Association from 1954 to 1957. He also started coaching junior hockey teams in 1954 while only sixteen years old, and continued to do so for six more years. In 1957, Paul headed a group who moved the rink in Wolverine to a new location, closer to US 41, and built a new changing house at the site. Paul was elected as president of the Calumet Hockey Association on two different occasions, 1962-1963 and 1968-1969. In 1968-69 he spearheaded a community effort to put artificial ice in the Calumet Armory. During this same period, 1965-1969, he also served four terms as a director for the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association. In 1964, Paul became involved with intermediate and senior hockey and coached the Wolverine and CLK Wolverine teams from 1964-1972 and again from 1979-1982. In that time, his teams won four Gibson Cups and seven league championships. In 1971, Paul and the Wolverines hosted the US National Intermediate Tournament at the Calumet Armory. During his affiliation with the Wolverines, he also served as president of the Badger State and Michigan-Wisconsin hockey leagues. In 1971-1975, Paul headed up a group of people who received a franchise in the United States Hockey League. This semi-pro league was made up of former college and professional players. Paul served on the Board of Directors and was the General Manager and occasionally, helped with the coaching. In the 1976-78 era, he was a major cog in the building of the Bi-Centennial Arena in Laurium and the installation of an artificial ice plant. Beginning in 1985, Paul began a seventeen year association with Jim Crawford as an assistant coach with the Calumet Copper King's High School team. Crawford had been a former player for Paul with both the Copper Country Chiefs and the CLK Wolverines. During their stint at the helm, the Copper Kings were 331-124-10 for a .723 winning percentage. This included four state championships and two state runner-ups, nine league titles, eight MacInnes Holiday Tournament championships, thirteen Copper Island Classic championships and nine regional titles. Many of their players went on to play Junior A, senior, college and also pro hockey after leaving high school. Over the years, Paul coached teams which included such future pros as: Mike Usitalo, AHL, CHL, IHL; George Lyle, NHL; Gordie Frantti, IHL, ECHL; Jasen Rintala, CHL, ECHL; Bob Rangus, ECHL; and Fred Barry, USHL. In 2002, he retired from coaching hockey. As Calumet Township Supervisor since 19--, Paul has spearheaded numerous improvement projects for the Calumet Armory arena, such as new locker rooms, new lights, the purchase of three Zamboni's, new glass, new sound system, indoor painting and a new roof. Altogether these items totaled more than a million dollars in improvements. |
|
| Wayne K. Lehto, (1933-2008) born in nearby Kearsarge, he was a member of the Copper Country 1950-51 Jr Championship team and the CLK Radars 1952-53 UP Championship team. He played for the CLK Radars from 1951 through 1960 with the exception of two years in the US Army: while in Korea he played on a team (with the late Bob Johnson) where they won the Armed Forces Far East Championship. After receiving his Doctorate in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1967, he moved to Idaho Falls, ID to work at the Nuclear Reactor Test Station, Idaho National Laboratory, and helped form the local youth hockey program that year. He was involved with youth hockey in Idaho for over 40 years: He was an active coach 30 years, Idaho Falls Youth Hockey President 15 years, Idaho Amateur Hockey Association (IAHA) President 12 years, he was IAHA Coaching Program Director 8 years, IAHA Chief Referee for 6 years, Idaho USA Hockey Associate Registrar for 15 years. In 2005, he was elected as a USA Hockey Director from the Rocky Mountain District, as USA Hockey District Director, he served on the Legal and Youth Councils.. Lehto was instrumental in building the Ice Arena in Idaho Falls which is now named the Joe Marmo/Wayne Lehto Ice Arena, see the arena picture at right. |
Wayne Lehto CLK Radar in 1953 |
|
|
|
Joseph
C. Linder, (1886-1948) born in Hancock, played on the 1903-04 Portage Lake Pro team. "During his
Hancock High School years, 1901-04, Linder participated in and starred in
hockey, baseball and football, even captaining all three sports every year of
his career." In 1904, as a high school senior, he was selected by Doc Gibson to
play on the Portage Lake pro hockey team. In 1906,
according to Hancock High School's The Ingot, Joe received a slash on the
head which cut in to the bone from Mahan in a game with the Portage Lake
Juniors. "It was patched up and he continued the game. A few days
later it began to bother him and upon examination it was found that blood
poisoning had set in. Joe was taken to the hospital where an operation was
performed and in a few days, the danger was past." He was the
Coach of the Hancock High School team at the time. In 1905-1911, he
played amateur hockey with the Hancock Hockey Club, then the Pittsburgh?
Shamrock Hockey Club, Duluth Curling Club, and then the Duluth Hockey
Club. From 1912-20, he played with the Duluth Senior teams in the new
American Amateur Hockey Association. He was Captain of the 1914 Duluth team
when on March 7th, 1914 they defeated the famous Victoria's of Winnipeg for
the first victory of an American team over the Canadian Champs. He was described by his
contemporaries as the "first great American-born hockey player" quotes the US
Hockey Hall of Fame. A few years before his death, he was honored in the
February, 1941 issue of Esquire when, in a review of the American and Canadian
hockey scene it was stated that "any list of the 30 best hockey players the
whole world has had, would have to include the American-born Linder."
He was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975. |
Joe Linder Joe Linder top row, second from right. Joe Linder played 4 years of Hancock High School hockey beginning in the 8th grade. Therefore, when Joe was a Senior at Hancock HS, he was not eligible to play on the team because he had played 4 years already, so he was appointed Coach of the 1906 High School team. |
Carl Lindstrom, born 1919 in Wolverine/Kearsarge and moved to Painesdale when he was 2; he played on the Painesdale and Portage Lake hockey teams until March 6th, 1941 when he left the Copper Country for the Military. While there, he was a Player/Coach for the US Army team in Medford, Oregon and served in the Army until 1946. The seasons of 1948-50, he was a player on the senior hockey team for Mack Park, Detroit. He was a Coach 1960-61 for St. Monica Bantams, in Detroit, and 1961-64 coached the Elson Post Midgets, Detroit when they were State Finalists in 1961-62 and National Champions 1963-64. In 1964-65 he coached the Redwing Forum Midgets in Detroit, and from 1965-69 he coached the Big "D" Dearborn Fabrication Midgets in Detroit when they were State Champions 4 times and National Champions 1965-66 and 1968-69. In 1969-70 he coached the US National Junior Champions, Olympia Agency Insurance team, in the Michigan Junior Hockey League which included Gordie Howe's boys Mark and Marty. In 1970-72 he coached the Detroit Junior Wings, sponsored by the Red Wings and the first American team to play in the Ontario Hockey Association Junior "A" League. They were the SOHA Champions 1970-71; and CAHA Eastern Division Finalists 1973-74; he was General Manager Michigan Eagles, National Midget Champions. In 1975-76, he assisted in organizing Southfield Chief's Junior GLHL. In 1977-79 he was Chief Scout/Advisor of the Detroit Junior Wings. Carl was inducted into the Michigan Amateur Sports Hall of Fame in 1997. |
In 1979, Carl was a coach at the 1980 US Olympic Training Camp at Colorado Springs; XIII Winter Olympics Gold Medalists. April 24, 1979, Carl was inducted into the Michigan Amateur Sports Hall of Fame.
|
William
Lindstrom, born 1928 in Painesdale, played youth hockey in Painesdale and played
on the 1947-48 Portage Lake team that won the Gibson Cup. He played for the
Detroit Auto Club 1948-50 in the IHL. He played
semi-pro hockey for the Bobcats,
the first pro hockey team in Green Bay, in their first season, 1958-59.
In 1969, he was instrumental in bringing High School Hockey back to the
UP; where he represented the Marquette HS team management. |
 |
Gary
Lishinski,
born 1952 in -- a Houghton native, played hockey for Michigan Tech
1971-73, played with the Calumet Chiefs the following year and with the Peoria
Blades 1974-75. need pictures in uniform here!
Fran Lowney, was born Jan 1, 1923 in Houghton. His first organized hockey team
played at the Central Houghton outdoor ice rink which was between the HS and the
jail. After he spent 3 years in WWII, they started Intermediate hockey league in
the Calumet area. He played on the 1946-47 Hubbell Hawks, and the 1948-49 South
Range Rangers, then played 7 seasons for the Portage Lake Pioneers team
1949-1956 and a few games in 1957 when PL team members had the flu. As part of
the Copper Country Hockey Centennial project, Fran was interviewed by the Keweenaw
National Historical Park; this tape is in their archives.
|
|
William Lucier |
Michigan Tech University 1964-65
Seated L-Rt: Rick Best, Bruce Riutta, Terry Ryan, Pete
Leiman, Al Holm, Rick Yeo, Dennis Huculak, Fred Dart, Tony Esposito.
Middle Row: Assistant Coach Bill Lucier, Gary Milroy, Bob Wilson, Bob
Toothill, Bob Brooks, Tom Steele, Roy Heino, Wayne Weller, Head Coach John
MacInnes.
Back Row: Trainer Brad Taylor, Dave Confrey, Colin Patterson, Mike Gorman,
Joe Galetto, Ed Caterer, Steve Yoshino, Manager W. Reid
This
web page is still being researched and is still under construction!
So check back often!
Contact
webmaster if you have any
suggestions/corrections/additions/questions about this web page.
