John Wensink
John Wensink | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 1, 1953 Maxville, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey player (retired) |
| Years active | 1973–1985 |
| Known for | NHL career mainly with Boston Bruins, enforcer role, participation in 1977 and 1978 Stanley Cup Finals |
John Wensink (born April 1, 1953) is a retired Dutch–Canadian professional ice hockey athlete who played in more than 400 National Hockey League (NHL) contests, mainly representing the Boston Bruins. He took part in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals during the 1977 and 1978 seasons with Boston.
Growing up in Maxville, Ontario as the child of Dutch immigrants, Wensink also competed internationally for the Netherlands national team at the 1989 World Championships.
Career
Wensink gained prominence through his role with the Boston Bruins, where he was part of a formidable enforcer unit alongside Terry O'Reilly and Stan Jonathan. On December 1, 1977, after engaging in a fight with Alex Pirus from the Minnesota North Stars, Wensink boldly skated over to the opposing bench and challenged their entire roster—a provocation that went unchallenged. He was equally known for his signature large afro, which was often highlighted during physical confrontations on ice, including hair-pulling altercations with opponents such as Bob Kelly.
In addition to his toughness, Wensink made offensive contributions, reaching a personal best of 46 points in the 1978–79 campaign. His NHL journey also included periods with the St. Louis Blues, Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Rockies, and New Jersey Devils. He wrapped up his playing days with the Nijmegen Tigers competing in the Dutch Eredivisie during the 1984–85 season.
Post-playing career
Following retirement, Wensink established residence in St. Charles, Missouri, where he started a home renovation enterprise while continuing to participate in senior hockey leagues. He has been active in coaching youth hockey programs and remains engaged with alumni groups for both the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins.
In 2023, Wensink earned recognition as one of the top 100 players in Bruins history.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1970–71 | Cornwall Royals | QMJHL | 57 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 151 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Cornwall Royals | QMJHL | 60 | 10 | 22 | 32 | 169 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 64 | ||
| 1972–73 | Cornwall Royals | QMJHL | 52 | 9 | 26 | 35 | 242 | 16 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 55 | ||
| 1973–74 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 36 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 139 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | ||
| 1974–75 | Denver Spurs | CHL | 21 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 23 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 32 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 1977–78 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 80 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 181 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 54 | ||
| 1978–79 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 76 | 28 | 18 | 46 | 108 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | ||
| 1979–80 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 69 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 110 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 1980–81 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 53 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 124 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1981–82 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 57 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 152 | |||||||
| 1982–83 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 42 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 135 | |||||||
| 1982–83 | Wichita Wind | CHL | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 36 | |||||||
| 1984–85 | Vissers Nijmegen | NED | 14 | 15 | 12 | 27 | 39 | |||||||
| NHL totals | 403 | 70 | 68 | 138 | 842 | 43 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 86 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Netherlands | WC-C | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 10 | |
| Overall senior statistics | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 10 | |||