Phil Hergesheimer, a Calder Cup champion with the Cleveland Barons in 1939 and a five-time AHL All-Star, died on Saturday in Kelowna, B.C. He was 89.
Hergesheimer twice led the AHL in goals, scoring 25 in 1937-38 and 34 in the 1938-39 season, when he led Cleveland to the first of its nine league championships.
By the time he played his last AHL game in 1951, Hergesheimer had totaled 288 goals and 265 assists for 553 points in 548 games over 11 seasons with the Barons, Hershey Bears, Philadelphia Rockets and Cincinnati Mohawks. He retired as the second-leading goal scorer of his era, and still ranks 20th on the league’s all-time list.
Hergesheimer, a Winnipeg native, was named a First Team AHL All-Star in 1939, 1944 and 1947, and earned a Second Team berth in 1948 and 1949. He set career highs with 48 goals, 44 assists and a league-leading 92 points with Philadelphia in 1946-47.
Hergesheimer played 125 National Hockey League games during his career as well, with the Chicago Black Hawks and Boston Bruins. His brother Wally was also an AHL standout.
