Waterloo Region Generations
A record of the people of Waterloo Region, Ontario.

Frank Joseph "Butch" "Snoozer" Trushinski

Male 1892 - 1967  (~ 74 years)


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  • Name Frank Joseph "Butch" "Snoozer" Trushinski 
    Residence 1891  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Roman Catholic 
    Born Oct 1892  , Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2, 3
    Gender Male 
    Interesting sports, hockey, misfortune 
    Misfortune lost sight in eyes due to hockey accidents 
    Occupation 1911  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Carpenter, Outside 
    Residence 1911  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Roman Catholic 
    Sports 1914  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Berlin Hockey Club Champions 
    Berlin Hockey Club- 1914
    Berlin Hockey Club- 1914
    Hockey Hall of Fame Collection
    Occupation 1921  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [3
    Carpenter 
    Residence 1921  173 Louisa St., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [3
    Residence 1921  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [3
    Roman Catholic 
    Eby ID Number Waterloo-326422 
    Died 1967 
    Buried Mount Hope Roman Catholic Cemetery, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I326422  Generations
    Last Modified 6 Apr 2024 

    Father Andrew Trushinski,   b. Aug 1865, , Germany Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown 
    Mother Bertha Kamenski,   b. Feb 1866, , Germany Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown 
    Family ID F244793  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Matilda M. Wendling,   b. 17 Jan 1894, , Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1984  (Age 89 years) 
    Last Modified 7 Apr 2024 
    Family ID F61556  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • Mystery of century-old Kitchener hockey photos solved

      Collection's journey to the Hockey Hall of Fame involves a blind player, a Waterloo pack rat, a group of nuns and a local lawyer


      By Josh Brown Record Reporter

      WATERLOO REGION - The mystery of how a series of century-old Kitchener hockey photos ended up at the Hockey Hall of Fame has been solved.

      It is a story that involves a blind hockey player, a Waterloo pack rat, a group of nuns and a local lawyer who has spent decades volunteering to better the game.

      First, let's rewind.

      Earlier this week, The Record reported on about a dozen original hockey photos that were mysteriously donated to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

      The series highlighted some of Waterloo Region's early hockey history with photos of championship squads from the 1914 Berlin Hockey Club and the 1918 Kitchener Greenshirts.

      Goalie George Hainsworth, a longtime Kitchener resident who went on to play in the NHL and still holds the league's single-season record with 22 shutouts, was prominent in most of the photos, leading Hockey Hall of Fame staff to believe that one of his relatives had donated the lot.

      As it turns out, they date back to one of Hainsworth's teammates.

      "They were originally 'Butch' Trushinski's pictures," said Waterloo lawyer Bill Appleby.

      That'd be Frank Trushinski, who also went by Butch, and was nicknamed "Snoozer."

      The defenceman was born in Kitchener and played hockey from 1909-23.

      He was captain of the 1914 Berlin Hockey Club, which was crowned intermediate Ontario Hockey Association and Western Ontario champions. He also suited up for the 1918 Kitchener Greenshirts, who won the Allan Cup as the national senior amateur champions.

      Hainsworth was also on both squads.

      Sadly, Trushinski is most remembered for two separate hockey accidents that ended his career and forced the NHL to adopt a bylaw in his name.

      Trushinski was hit with a stick or puck and lost the sight in his right eye while playing for the Greenshirts in a game against the Toronto Granites in 1921. A couple of years later, he fractured his skull and lost the sight in his left eye, also in a game.

      Because of it, the NHL adopted the "Trushinski bylaw" that prohibited any player who was blind in one eye from competing in the league.

      Trushinski never regained his vision but, it's said, went on to have a career working at Schneiders in Kitchener, before he died in 1967.

      Over the years, he also hung on to the collection of photos from his heyday before passing them along to his grandson, Paul Buschlen, of Waterloo.

      "He had all the pictures in his basement," said Appleby, Buschlen's lawyer and friend.

      Buschlen, a lifelong bachelor with no relatives in the area, died two years ago at the age of 59. His belongings sat in storage until they were donated to the Sisters of the Carmel of St. Joseph in St. Agatha.

      "I was trying to find the photos a home to live in," said Appleby, who was honoured with Hockey Canada's order of merit in 2014 for his decades of volunteer work in amateur hockey. "I knew the significance of them."

      So, with the blessing of the nuns, he arranged to have them sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame where they now reside.

      Craig Campbell, the Hall's resource centre and archives manager, called the collection "rare" and of "exceptional quality."

      Now, more than 100 years after they were taken, others will be able to enjoy them too.

      "Mystery Of Century-Old Kitchener Hockey Photos Solved". 2022. Therecord.Com. https://www.therecord.com/sports/hockey/2022/05/24/mystery-of-century-old-kitchener-hockey-photos-solved.html.

  • Sources 
    1. [S1592] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1891, Section 1 Page 47.

    2. [S340] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1911, Div. 24 Pg. 10.

    3. [S2264] Census - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - 1921, Sub Dist 22 Page 17.

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsResidence - Roman Catholic - 1891 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBorn - Oct 1892 - , Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsOccupation - Carpenter, Outside - 1911 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - Roman Catholic - 1911 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsSports - Berlin Hockey Club Champions - 1914 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsOccupation - Carpenter - 1921 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - Roman Catholic - 1921 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBuried - - Mount Hope Roman Catholic Cemetery, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth