He was ‘Moose’ to home and away crowds, alike. Each and every of his hockey cards, it seems, makes mention of this. They also make mention of the fact that Elmer Vasko was the largest player to skate on National Hockey League rinks through most of his career.
At 6’3″, Vasko would be commonplace in today’s NHL. Back in the 1950’s and 1960’s, he was a giant. Elmer was a two time Second Team All-Star defenseman in the NHL. He did get his name among the top 10 for penalty minutes in one of seasons. However, for the most part and for a defenseman, Vasko shunned the penalty box and dazzled with his speed and clean toughness.
Elmer Vasko – Junior and Minor Pro
The Moose played three years of major junior hockey with the St. Catherines Teepees from 1953-54 to 1955-56. In his rookie season, the Teepees finished first overall in the nine team OHL, eleven points ahead of the second place Toronto Marlboros.
Elmer Vasko Collection
St. Catherines captured the Robertson Cup championship with a win over the Marlboros in the finals. That series went the seven game distance. The Teepees then captured the Richardson Cup with a win over the Quebec Frontenacs. In the Memorial Cup finals, St. Catherines won the championship with a convincing win over the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Vasko saw his first pro hockey action at the end of his final year of junior, 1955-56. He appeared in four regular season games with the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League. He also played in three Calder Cup playoff games for the Bisons.
He jumped right to the National Hockey League for the 1956-57 season. Elmer would not play in the minors again until his final season as a player. In 1969-70, he finished his career with 54 WHL games with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles.
Elmer Vasko – NHL
Vasko played 786 regular season National Hockey League games between 1956-57 and 1969-70 with the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota North Stars. Over that time, he scored 34 goals and assisted on 166 for 200 points. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Elmer appeared in 78 games and added nine points.
The mild-mannered blue liner was out of character in 1959-60. His 110 penalty minutes placed him tied for sixth in the NHL with Eddie Shack of the New York Rangers. That year was also his best offensively with 30 points over 69 games.
Elmer played on teams in the Stanley Cup finals on three occasions. In 1960-61, he won his only championship, playing for the Blackhawks. In 1961-62, Chicago lost in the finals to the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 1964-65, they were finalists as the Montreal Canadiens won the trophy.
In 1962-63, Vasko was named a Second Team All-Star for the first time. Alongside him on the Second Team was Tim Horton of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The First Team defenders were Elmer’s teammate Pierre Pilote and Carl Brewer of the Maple Leafs.
The following year, Elmer was again named a Second Team All-Star. This time, is was Jacques Laperriere of the Canadiens sharing the honours with Pilote and Horton named to the First Team.
Vasko initially retired after the 1965-66 NHL season. However, when the league expanded for the 1967-68 season, Elmer was enticed to join the Minnesota North Stars. In 1968-69, he replaced Bob Woytowich as team captain. In 1969-70, he played just three games with the North Stars, his last three games in the NHL, and was replaced as captain by Claude Larose.
Elmer Vasko – Rookie Card
The Elmer Vasko rookie card appears as number 27 in the 1957-58 Topps NHL hockey card set. He, of course, is shown with the Chicago Blackhawks. His final card appears in the 1968-69 O-Pee-Chee set. That is the only card showing Vasko as a member of the Minnesota North Stars.
As mentioned, pretty much each of his hockey cards refers to the crowd yelling ‘Moose’ whenever he carried the puck. Also, each card refers to his size and that fact that he was the largest player in the league.
Elmer Vasko Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1953-54 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA | 59 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 25 |
| 1954-55 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA | 49 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 75 |
| 1955-56 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA | 47 | 9 | 31 | 40 | 90 |
| 1955-56 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 1956-57 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 64 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 31 |
| 1957-58 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 59 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 51 |
| 1958-59 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 63 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 52 |
| 1959-60 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 69 | 3 | 27 | 30 | 110 |
| 1960-61 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 63 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 40 |
| 1961-62 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 64 | 2 | 22 | 24 | 87 |
| 1962-63 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 64 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 70 |
| 1963-64 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 70 | 2 | 18 | 20 | 65 |
| 1964-65 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 69 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 56 |
| 1965-66 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 56 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 44 |
| 1967-68 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 70 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 45 |
| 1968-69 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 72 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 68 |
| 1969-70 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-70 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | WHL | 54 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 34 |
| NHL Totals | 786 | 34 | 166 | 200 | 719 |