Paul Thompson
Hockey Althete- Special Legends Class of 2025
Born in Calgary, Paul Thompson was the first Alberta-born player in the NHL and played on the first Alberta team to win a Memorial Cup. In junior hockey, he was part of the 1924–25 Alberta Champion Calgary Canadians and the 1925–26 Memorial Cup Champion Calgary Canadians.
Paul enjoyed a distinguished NHL career, playing eight seasons with the Chicago Black Hawks and five with the New York Rangers. Over 582 games, he scored 153 goals and 178 assists for 331 points. A dynamic left winger, he led the league in power-play goals twice, shorthanded goals once, and game-winning goals once. From 1933–34 to 1937–38, he amassed the most points in the NHL over a five-season span, totaling 194 points in 236 games, consistently ranking among the league’s top scorers.
Paul was named an NHL First Team All-Star once and a Second Team All-Star once. Following his playing career, he became coach of the Chicago Black Hawks at age 32 in 1939, taking a $4,000 raise to transition from player to bench boss. In 1941, he became the first NHL coach to pull the goalie for an extra attacker. Over seven seasons as head coach, he was again named an NHL First Team All-Star once and Second Team All-Star once.
Historic NHL Moment
On December 21, 1937, Cecil and Paul Thompson made NHL history when Paul scored a goal against his brother Cecil—marking the first time in league history a brother had scored on another. At the end of that season, both brothers were named to the NHL First All-Star Team. Beyond hockey, in 1938, they partnered with Red Dutton to open the Twin Cities Saloon in Little New York (now Longview, Alberta).
