Bill Gadsby

William Alexander Gadsby (August 8, 1927 – March 10, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League between 1946 and 1966. He began his career in Calgary with several minor league teams, including the Alberta Midget champions in 1942, and played two years for the Edmonton Junior Canadians before joining the Chicago Black Hawks in 1946. He spent eight years with Chicago and served as captain twice during that span. Over his NHL career he also played for the New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings.

Gadsby was named a First Team All-Star three times and a Second Team All-Star four times. In 1958–59 he set a record for assists by a defenceman, with 46. Despite a career that spanned 20 NHL seasons, he never won the Stanley Cup.

His life away from the rink included two notable brushes with danger. In 1939, while travelling with his mother aboard the passenger liner Athenia, the ship was struck by a torpedo fired from a German U-boat and sank; the two spent several hours in a lifeboat before being rescued. In 1952 he contracted polio but fought back without interrupting his hockey career, though he spent three weeks in the hospital.