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Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1951.
Without doubt the greatest scorer
during the post-war years, of the first era of professional ice hockey,
in Britain was Victor ‘Chick’ Zamick of the Nottingham Panthers. Between 1947 and 1958, the
5’7”, 140lb centreman accumulated a staggering 1,423 points, in a
period when the game was noted for low scoring games. This remarkable
feat was recognised at the time as Zamick was voted onto nine
consecutive end-of-season All-Star teams. A six-time A team selection,
he added a seventh A-team and tenth in total All-Star selection in
1957-58. Born August 16th, 1926
in Winnipeg Manitoba, Victor Zamick was one of twelve children of
parents originally from the Ukraine. He apparently gained his nickname
‘Chick’ from Chicklet coated chewing gum with 12 sticks per packet. He didn’t start to play
organised hockey until he was fifteen years of age, when he joined the
Sir John Franklin Midgets and progressed through the ranks for a trial
with the professional Cleveland Barons in the American Hockey League. He
though, did not consider himself good enough, and so chose to hone his
skills in the Ontario Hockey Association playing, under future Chicago
Blackhawks coach Rudy Pilous, with St Catherine Teepees. He served a short spell in the
Army and worked at various jobs, and virtually dropped out of hockey, to
earn a living as a flyweight boxer during the immediate post-war period,
before joining Boston Alouette and helping them win the Alberta
Intermediate hockey title. During the summer of 1947, Alex
‘Sandy’ Archer who grew up in Winnipeg, but who was then coach of
the Nottingham Panthers, was back in town recruiting and Zamick went
looking for him. He badgered Archer for a chance to earn £15 a week
playing in England. Barely two days before the boat that brought him
across the Atlantic sailed, Archer advised the then twenty-one year old,
that due to a late withdrawal, Zamick was a Panther. He hardly had time
to pack and arrived in the East Midlands with only £30 in the pocket of
a suit borrowed from his brother. ‘Chick’ Zamick became an
instant success on Lower Parliament Street, as he took the scoring title
in his first season, courtesy of his deceptive body swerve, muscular
frame and pinpoint accurate shooting. One of his contemporaries Clarence
Rost observed in the ‘Players from the Golden Days’ book by Trevor
Boyce, “His greatest asset was his marvellous shot, which was
always very low. The goalies had little chance as he could shoot on the
move at high speed and with a lightning quick release while
stickhandling.” Zamick went on to break record
after record in an eleven year spell with the Panthers including
registering his 100th goal in December 1948 and his 600th
just under six years later. Along the way, the Panthers won two English
National League championships in 1951 and 1954. Zamick won the league points
scoring crown on six occasions, with a high of 112 goals and 169 assists
for all competitions in the 1954/55 season. Revered and respected by the
fans in Nottingham, a broken arm sustained in a 1952 fall in the Ice
Stadium caused some of those present to weep openly. Twice voted
Nottingham’s Sportsman of the Year, in 1949 and 1951, Victor Zamick
beat off stiff competition from national sporting figures from both
cricket and football including legendary England and Notts County centre
forward – Tommy Lawton. He was appointed player-coach of
the club for the 1955/56 season, and led the club to both the Autumn Cup
and BNL titles that season. He continued in that role for a further two
campaigns before accepting a three-year contract to do the same job with
Servette Geneva in Switzerland. Returning to Britain and
Nottingham, he made four appearances with the newly formed Altrincham
Aces during the 1961/62 season scoring 9 goals and 7 assists. Two years
later, ‘Chick’ Zamick joined the revived Wembley Lions scoring 31
points in just 11 outings for the famous club. On his debut for the
Lions in October 1963, he bagged a brace of goals in a 5-4 London
Tournament victory over the Brighton Tigers. After retiring from the game as
the first player to reach one thousand points, Victor ‘Chick’ Zamick
ran a number of business’s from a dry cleaners to a sauna and squash
club, and became a much respected businessman in his adopted city of
Nottingham. His amazing statistical record from 1946-1958 reads…
Compiled
with research provided by Martin C.Harris – July 2000. With
assistance from ‘Players from the Golden Days’ by Trevor Boyce. Footnote. In March 2000, when the Nottingham Panthers played the final game in the old Lower Parliament Street Ice Stadium, Victor ‘Chick’ Zamick was a guest of honour alongside fellow Hall of Famer Les Strongman. |
