Ross Lonsberry, formerly of Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, dies at 67
Ross Lonsberry, who played for the Los Angeles Kings from 1969 until early 1972 and went on to be part of the Philadelphia Flyers' Stanley Cup-winning teams in 1974 and 1975, died of cancer in Santa Clarita. He was 67 and had lived in Southern California since he retired from the NHL in the early 1980s. Credit: AP / John Lent
Ross Lonsberry, who played for the Los Angeles Kings from 1969 until early 1972 and went on to be part of the Philadelphia Flyers' Stanley Cup-winning teams in 1974 and 1975, died of cancer Sunday in Santa Clarita. He was 67 and had lived in Southern California since he retired from the NHL in the early 1980s.
His brother-in-law, Rex Moore, said Lonsberry had been ill for about two years. "He enjoyed playing here. He loved L.A.," Moore said Monday. "He didn't want to live anywhere else."
Lonsberry sold corporate insurance for many years in the Los Angeles area, Moore said.
A native of Humboldt in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, Lonsberry had a stellar junior hockey career and signed with the Boston Bruins. He was traded to the Kings on May 14, 1969. He had a 20-goal season and a 25-goal season with the Kings, but the team traded him to the Flyers on Jan. 28, 1972.
He was a key member of the Flyers' "Broad Street Bullies" teams, contributing 32 goals in the 1973-74 season -- plus four in the playoffs -- and 24 goals in the 1974-75 season, also with four more in the playoffs.
He finished his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
A family friend, Robert Sheahen, said he played hockey with Lonsberry in local beer leagues for many years. "Even when he was 55 he was the best player on the ice, even with some very good 22-year-olds on the ice," Sheahen said. "And he was a fabulous person. Very self-effacing, very soft-spoken."
Moore said Lonsberry's remains would be cremated and that the family would soon hold a private celebration of his life. Moore said Lonsberry is survived by his wife, Wahnita, two daughters, a son and nine grandchildren.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
