Posts
Kenny Wharram
Ken Wharram wasn't exactly an overnight success. He came out from Galt Black Hawks in the juniors appearing sporadically in the NHL between 1951-56. Most of the time he played in the AHL and the Buffalo Bisons were he racked up four stellar seasons (306 points in 244 games). He attended three training camps with Chicago before finally getting a regular spot on the team in 1958-59.
At 5'9" and 160Lbs he wasn't exactly the ideal NHL player, but the North Bay, Ontario native had great speed which was his greatest asset. He was also a tenacious worker who could put in some finesse into the game when needed. Ken also was one of the most accurate shooters in the NHL. He constantly finished among the top ten in shooting accuracy, leading the entire league in 1963-64, scoring on over 20 % of his shots.
Chicago's coach Rudy Pilous put Wharram on a line with fellow rookie Stan Mikita during the 19 58-59 season. Eventually the line would be rounded out by Ab McDonald, and later Doug Mohns, and be dubbed "The Scooter Line" due to their terrific speed.
"The Scooter Line was one of the most famous scoring combinations of the 1960s," wrote author Paul Greenland in his book "Hockey Chicago Style." "What made it click so well was the combination of Mikita's superior playmaking and athletic abilities, Wharram's speed and agility, and Mohns' size, checking ability and heavy slap shot.
Wharram and Mikita shared a special bond. Ken and Stan were in fact almost as inseparable off the ice as they were on the ice. They were very good friends.
Greenland also quotes Wharram's former teammate Ed Litzenberger. "Kenny could skate a 100 miles an hour, but he really didn't come into his own until he hooked up with Stan and Ab McDonald. Stan had the ability to slow the game down. Kenny would come from behind and would give him the puck, and he would put the puck in the net. Ab would grind it out of corners and it was a marriage of talent is what it was. Kenny was a quiet guy. A good guy."
The "Scooter Line" was feared all around the league during the late 1960's. Although Bobby Hull was the most feared individual on those Hawks teams, it was often the "Scooters" that decided the outcome of the games and were the nightmare of the oppositions coaches.
During the 1960-61 season Ken scored 3 goals and 5 assists during the playoffs and helped Chicago win a Stanley Cup. From there on Kenny enjoyed a lot of success on the "Scooter Line". He had four 20+ goal seasons and three 30+ goal seasons. His 39 goals and 71 points in 1963-64 earned him a 1st team All-Star spot, a feat that he duplicated during the 1966-67 season. He also won the Lady Byng trophy in 1963-64 as the league's most sportsmanlike player.
Ken had racked up three straight 60+ point seasons and looked better than ever during the 1969 training camp when he suffered myocarditis, a virus that attacks the muscles of the heart with symptoms similar to a coronary, and was forced to retire. It was a tragic end to a career that was hard fought and that had a lot more to give.
"Whip" as he was known to his teammates could look back at a very solid NHL career. Where he scored 533 points including 252 goals in 766 NHL games.
