Fred Gordon

Weldon Frederick Gordon, known to everyone simply as Fred, played two seasons in the National Hockey League way back in the 1920s. He played one season with the Detroit Cougars and one more with the Boston Bruins.

Born in Fleming, Saskatchewan on May 6th, 1900, he rose to hockey prominence in the Regina City League before moving to Brandon, Manitoba to play for the senior league Wheat Kings in 1922.

Gordon turned pro with the Saskatoon Crescents for two seasons in 1924. The Crescents were part of the Western Canadian Hockey League, which at the time was considered to be a big league Western alternative to the Eastern based National Hockey League.

However the Western pro teams were on the verge of financial collapse. In 1926 the Crescents sold Gordon's contract to the new NHL franchise in Detroit. The Detroit Cougars were essentially the transferred Victoria Cougars from out west, and in a few years would become known as the Red Wings.

In his only season in Detroit, Gordon scored five goals and ten points while playing on a line with Duke Keats and Johnny Sheppard. Gordon's prime contribution was not so much his offense but his physical play. He was a hard hitter and though he was generally a clean player, he was not a stranger to the penalty box, either.

After being traded for Harry Meeking, Gordon joined the Boston Bruins for the 1927-28 season. He scored three goals and five points while being used sparingly.

Gordon was off to the minor leagues for several years of playing then coaching. He also spent a season as an amateur referee.