Bill Mosienko. March 7, 1980. University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections
Throughout his entire life, Bill Mosienko was and remained a Ukrainian—a child of his generation, born in Canada to parents who belonged to the second wave of emigration. What did this mean? Fate was always under his control, like a puck on his stick.
Oleksandr Rudiachenko, cultural scholar and journalist
Bill Mosienko was a Canadian hockey player of Ukrainian descent and the record holder for the fastest hat trick (21 seconds).
Mosie, as his fans called him, was born on November 2, 1921, in Winnipeg, Canada, to a large family of Ukrainian immigrants. He first laced up his skates at age 10, and at 20, he signed a contract with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, playing 14 seasons on their main roster starting with the 1943–1944 season. In total, he played 711 games in the NHL, scoring 258 goals.
In 1942, he scored two goals in 21 seconds. And on March 21, 1952, he scored three goals in just 21 seconds, setting an NHL record that remains unbroken to this day.
In 1954, Bill Mosienko founded the professional hockey team the Winnipeg Warriors, playing for them himself and serving as their coach until he retired from the sport in 1960.
In 1965, Mosie was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. One of the largest training arenas in Winnipeg was renamed in his honor in 1991 (“Bill Mosienko Arena”), as was an alley near the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Bill Mosienko died on 9 July 1994. He is buried at Brookside Cemetery in Winnipeg, Canada.
