# Len Lunde

Leonard Melvin Lunde (November 13, 1936 – November 22, 2010) was a professional ice hockey player who played 321 games in the National Hockey League and 72 games in the World Hockey Association. He played for the Chicago Black Hawks, Minnesota North Stars, Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, and Detroit Red Wings.

## Playing career

Lunde was born in Campbell River, British Columbia, and played junior hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WCJHL. A prospect of the Detroit Red Wings, he moved up to the Edmonton Flyers of the Western Hockey League, scoring 39 goals during the 1957–58 season. The following season, he debuted in the National Hockey League, playing in 68 games for the Red Wings, and scoring 14 goals and 12 assists.
He was a regular in the Red Wings' lineup through the 1960–61 season when Detroit reached the Stanley Cup finals, but after spending most of the 1961–62 season in the minors, he was traded to Chicago in June 1962. With the Black Hawks, he notched six goals and 22 assists playing on a checking line with Eric Nesterenko and Ron Murphy.
Beginning in 1963–64, Lunde was chiefly a minor leaguer over the next few seasons. He did play a handful of games for the Hawks, Minnesota North Stars and Vancouver Canucks but saw most of his ice time as an offensive sparkplug in the American Hockey League, the Western Hockey League and the Central Hockey League.
His best year was 1964–65 when he scored 50 goals for the AHL's Buffalo Bisons and was voted on to the league's first all-star team.
His last full season was 1973–74 with the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association, where he scored 26 goals and added 22 assists for 48 points.
He also played in Finland with Ilves in 1971–1972 and was head coach of the Finnish national team in World Championships 1973 in Moscow. Lunde had initially retired in 1972 before playing for the Edmonton Oilers. Lunde re-retired in 1974 but made a one-game return in 1979 when he played for Mora IK.
Overall, Lunde scored 39 goals and 83 assists and recorded 75 penalty minutes in 321 NHL games. He also scored three goals and two assists in 20 playoff games.

## Post-playing career

Lunde was hired as a European scout of the Edmonton Oilers on August 10, 1979.
Lunde died on November 22, 2010, of a heart condition in Edmonton, Alberta.

## Career statistics
### Regular season and playoffs

| | | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1953–54 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WJHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1954–55 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WJHL | 35 | 28 | 18 | 46 | 37 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| 1955–56 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WJHL | 35 | 37 | 30 | 67 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 1955–56 | Edmonton Flyers | WHL | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1956–57 | Edmonton Flyers | WHL | 70 | 20 | 41 | 61 | 22 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
| 1957–58 | Edmonton Flyers | WHL | 67 | 39 | 43 | 82 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| 1958–59 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 68 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1959–60 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 66 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1960–61 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 53 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1961–62 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 23 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1961–62 | Edmonton Flyers | WHL | 41 | 26 | 37 | 63 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 2 |
| 1962–63 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 60 | 6 | 22 | 28 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1963–64 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 72 | 30 | 43 | 73 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1964–65 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 72 | 50 | 46 | 96 | 40 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 |
| 1965–66 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 24 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1965–66 | St. Louis Braves | CHL | 11 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1966–67 | Portland Buckaroos | WHL | 72 | 26 | 33 | 59 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 1967–68 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1967–68 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 37 | 19 | 33 | 52 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| 1968–69 | Vancouver Canucks | WHL | 65 | 26 | 27 | 53 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| 1969–70 | Vancouver Canucks | WHL | 68 | 29 | 34 | 63 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 8 |
| 1970–71 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 20 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1971–72 | Ilves | FIN | 31 | 28 | 21 | 49 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1973–74 | Edmonton Oilers | WHA | 71 | 26 | 22 | 48 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1979–80 | Mora IK | SWE-2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| WHL totals | WHL totals | WHL totals | 387 | 166 | 217 | 383 | 82 | 50 | 26 | 27 | 53 | 21 |
| WHA totals | WHA totals | WHA totals | 71 | 26 | 22 | 48 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| NHL totals | NHL totals | NHL totals | 321 | 39 | 83 | 122 | 75 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 |