In Memory

of Dmytro Metro Prystai

Two-time Stanley Cup champion Dmytro “Metro” Prystai died on October 8, 2013 at Wynyard, Saskatchewan. Born on November 7, 1927 in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, he began playing the game of hockey at age seven on a pair of crude skates made by his father. They were old boots to which old blades were attached. The skates, though, did not hamper the boy’s desire to play the game. He eagerly received his early training while attending Burke Public School and the Ukrainian St. Joseph’s College in Yorkton.

In 1944, Metro Prystai joined the Moose Jaw Canucks junior hockey team. He almost single-handedly led the team to three provincial championships, two Western Canada championships, and two Memorial Cup finals (which the Canucks lost on both occasion to St. Michael’s College of Toronto). He led the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in scoring during the 1945-46 and 1946-47 seasons. He was also voted the league’s MVP in those two seasons. The Yorkton native was the most talked about amateur hockey player in the country at the time. The Saskatchewan media referred to him as “a hockey brilliant”, “Metro the Great,” or “the Marvellous One.”

In 1947, with one year of junior eligibility remaining, Metro Prystai joined the Chicago Black Hawks. He played in the NHL for eleven seasons, and was traded back and forth by Chicago and Detroit. Prystai was shifty on his skates and was a natural goal scorer. His most productive season was in 1949-50 when he placed seventh in the NHL scoring race with 29 goals and 22 assists. While in Detroit, he helped the club to six first place finishes and two Stanley Cup titles, in 1952 and 1954. For a while he played on a line with Ted Lindsay and Gordie Howe, a memorable experience for him. In 1957, Detroit farmed Prystai to Edmonton. After breaking his leg for the third time within a year, he announced his retirement in 1959.

In the fall of 1959, Metro Prystai accepted the position of coach and manager of the Omaha Knights of the IHL. His tenure with the club lasted only a few months. He was fired half-way through the season, partly on account of a record that included only 8 wins in 42 starts. The following season, he signed with the Moose Jaw Junior Canucks of the SJHL. He was with the team for three years, and in 1961-62 led them to the Saskatchewan title. He also coached the Melville Millionaires for two seasons. In the summer, Prystai would play and coach baseball. He coached the senior Yorkton Cardinals for a number of years.

Dmytro “Metro” Prystai was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1989, the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.

Abridged excerpt from the book “Their Sporting Legacy: The Participation of Ukrainian Canadians in Sport, 1891-1991”, W. Sokolyk, 2002.

PHOTO

Dmytro Prystai, Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and Museum