World hockey silver medallist remembered
Eric Unger played for Canada at world hockey championships in Sweden in 1954
Niagara’s hockey fraternity has lost another charter member.
Eric Unger, who played for hockey teams in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland and Port Colborne over the years died March 28. Born in Strongfield, Sask., Dec. 28, 1926 Unger had quite an illustrious career in both the amateur and professional ranks dating from 1945 to the 1960s.
He played 10 games for the St Catharines Falcons, an Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) junior A club during the 1946-47 season before turning professional with the Philadelphia Rockets of the American Hockey League. The following season he played for the Springfield, Mass., Indians, another AHL team. Unger played for the Fort Worth Rangers of the United States Hockey League during the 1948-49 season, then moved to the Pacific Coast Hockey League playing for the Vancouver Canucks.
Between the 1949-50 to 1952-53 seasons with the Canucks, Unger also had brief stints with Halifax St. Mary’s of the Maritime Major League and the Vancouver Pilsners of the Vancouver Commercial League. He finished off the 52-53 season with the Canucks, who were then members of the Western League.
Unger returned to Niagara to play for the Niagara Falls Cataracts, an OHA senior A team for two seasons before joining another senior team, the Chatham Maroons in 1955. He then became a member of the Welland-Crowland Combines, a senior B entry and was with the club when they were known as the Centennials marking Welland’s 100th anniversary in 1957.
He would play a couple of more seasons in Welland but when the team folded, he joined the Port Colborne Sailors helping them win the the OHA intermediate A championship during the 1961-62 season. The following season Unger was back in Welland and helped the Merchants win the city’s only provincial OHA championship, intermediate A crown.
In the clinching game against the Bradford Expressmen Unger scored three goals to lead the way.
Unger also had the opportunity to represent Canada at the World Ice Hockey Championships in Stockholm, Sweden, joining the East York Lyndhursts in 1954 where they came home with the silver medal. He was one of three players added to the Lyndhursts for the championship.
As a promising junior, Unger was scouted by the Toronto Maple Leafs and eventually signed his first pro contract with that organization.
However, he did not play a regular-season NHL game with the Leafs as they were loaded with talent at the time but he did appear in four pre-season games wearing a Leaf uniform.
His playing rights were obtained by Eddie Shore, who owned the Springfield Indians but he never received a call up to the NHL despite being the leading scorer in the Pacific league one season.
Unger was a talented two-way centre who could thread the puck through a maze of players. He was also a very smart player who knew what to do when he had the puck on his stick.
After his competitive days were over Unger played old-timers hockey for years with many of his former Niagara area teammates.
He was a sales representative in Niagara for Dow Breweries for years and in 1965 purchased a hotel by taking over ownership of the Niagara House on King Street in Welland. He immediately changed the name to the Kingsley Tavern and remained the owner until 1993 when he sold it to Harvey Belanger, who had worked for Unger for years.
According to Howie Chernish, a bartender at the Kingsley, Unger changed the name as it was a family name on his wife June’s side. Chernish said a picture of Unger in a Leaf jersey still hangs on the wall of the establishment.
“I remember when he was behind the bar serving and hockey came up he often joked “he signed for money and Gordie Howe signed fame,” recalled Chernish.
Apparently, Howe, who hailed from Floral, Sask., signed his first pro contract with the Detroit Red Wings the same day as Unger signed on the dotted line with the Leafs.
Unger is survived is second wife Lori, three sons Don, Andrew and David, three daughters Susan, Diane and Alice, four grandsons Eric, Alex, Greg and E.J. and one granddaughter Amber. He was predeceased by his first wife June and his parents. A service will take place at St. Kevin’s Parish Church, Niagara St., Welland Saturday, April 7, at 10 a.m. Visitation is at 9:30.