Born in Fort William, Ontario, Joe Szura played his junior hockey with the home town Fort William Canadiens from 1956-57 until the end of the 1958-59 season. That was followed by nine seasons in the minors, playing for teams in the EPHL and AHL. He was the playoff scoring leader in 1963-64, helping the Cleveland Barons win the AHL Calder Cup. Over 9 games he scored 13 goals and assisted on 6 more for 19 points. His best offensive season came 2 years later (1965-66), also with the Cleveland Barons, when he scored 46 goals and had 30 assists for 76 points. That led to him being named to the AHL First All-Star Team. Claimed from Montreal by the California (soon to be Oakland) Seals of the NHL in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, (9th round, #53 pick), he played 20 games with them in the 1967-68 season, and added a full season in 1968-69. Then it was back to the AHL for 3 seasons before jumping to the WHA. He was selected by the Los Angeles Sharks in the 1972 WHA General Player Draft, and played one season with them. In September of 1973 he was traded to the Houston Aeros, playing on a team that included Gordie, Mark, & Marty Howe. The Aeros won the Avco World Trophy that year. He lost his spot in the lineup for the following year, and finished his career after playing 10 games with the Cape Cod Codders of the NAHL-Sr.
Some of his notable teammates over the years included Gilles & J.C. Tremblay, Willie O’Ree, John Ferguson, Bob Baun, and Gordie Howe along with his sons Mark and Marty. If you look at the card that I created you can see that he played over 1000 games, and played in parts of 3 different decades. To me that shows a true dedication to the game of hockey!
allangschwendtner 