Orland Kurtenbach

Orland John Kurtenbach (born September 7, 1936, in Cudworth, Saskatchewan) is a retired Canadian professional player and coach. A centre notable for his defensive skill and as one of the toughest fighters in the game, he played for several National Hockey League teams during his twenty professional seasons, principally the Vancouver Canucks, with whom he became the NHL franchise's inaugural captain.

Playing Career
Growing up in Saskatchewan, Kurtenbach played junior hockey in the SJHL with the Prince Albert Mintos for two seasons, also making two brief professional appearances with the Saskatoon Quakers of the Western Hockey League during that time. In 1957, after Prince Albert was eliminated from the play-offs, Kurtenbach was picked up by the Flin Flon Bombers, where he helped the team win the Memorial Cup in 1956-57.

In 1957–58, Kurtenbach turned pro, completing his first season with the minor league Vancouver Canucks of the WHL, scoring 54 points in 52 games en route to earning Rookie of the Year honours.

The majority of the Kurtenbach's early professional career would be spent in the minors, splitting time between the AHL with the Buffalo Bisons, Springfield Indians and Providence Reds, and the WHL with the San Francisco Seals and the Canucks. His best season in this stretch was 1962–63, when he notched 87 points for the Seals in 70 games and led the team in scoring in the playoffs en route to winning the league championship.

During his time in the minors, Kurtenbach made two brief appearances in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins, totaling eighteen games, but would not play his first full NHL season until 1960–61 with the Bruins. He would stay in the NHL for the remainder of his playing career, and after two full seasons with the Bruins, one season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and four seasons with the New York Rangers, Kurtenbach's career would come full circle as he would play for the Vancouver Canucks once more.

The Canucks, who joined the NHL from the WHL in 1970–71, obtained Kurtenbach in the expansion draft and named him the franchise's first team captain. With Vancouver, Kurtenbach found his niche and tallied career highs in 1971–72 with 61 points in 78 games while showing notable defensive skill. In comparison, his previous best was just 37 points in 70 games during his rookie season. However, plagued by a bad back and other injuries which eroded his playing time and his newly-found scoring skills, after four seasons with the Canucks, Kurtenbach retired.

Kurtenbach finished his NHL career with 119 goals and 213 assists for 332 points in 639 games, adding 628 penalty minutes.

Awards and achievements

 * WHL Rookie of the Year - 1958
 * Cyclone Taylor Trophy (Vancouver Canucks' MVP) - 1971, 1972, 1973
 * Cyrus H. McLean Trophy (Vancouver Canucks' leading scorer) - 1972 (tied with André Boudrias)
 * Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame - Class of 2016

Coaching Career
The season after his NHL retirement, Kurtenbach joined the Seattle Totems of the Central Hockey League, moving behind the bench as head coach. After a losing season with Seattle, he coached two seasons with the Tulsa Oilers of the same league and won a championship in his first season with them, 1975–76, being awarded the Jake Milford Trophy as CHL coach of the year.

In 1976–77, Kurtenbach returned to the NHL to replace Phil Maloney midway through the season as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. However, after one and a half seasons and a 36–62–27 record, Kurtenbach was replaced by Harry Neale at the end of the 1977–78 season. Upon his replacement, Kurtenbach would only return to coaching with the Springfield Indians of the AHL in 1982 and the Richmond Sockeyes of the BCHL in 1986 before retiring.

Awards and Achievements

 * Jake Milford Trophy (CHL coach of the year) - 1976