Carl Wetzel

Carl David Wetzel (born December 12, 1938 in Detroit, Michigan) is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender who made 7 game appearances in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota North Stars between 1964 and 1968. He broke into the league during the Original Six with the Detroit Red Wings, where he competed as the starting goalie with Roger Crozier in 1964, seeing action in two games. Wetzel was one of only two Americans on an NHL roster during this season, and was the only American goaltender. The other American on an NHL roster for the '64-'65 season was Tommy Williams, a right winger for the Boston Bruins.

In 1958, as a 20-year-old, Wetzel played in relief of John Henderson for the Whitby Dunlops against the Soviet national ice hockey team at Maple Leaf Gardens. This was the first time the Russians played in Canada, and Wetzel backstopped the Dunlops to a 7-2 victory. The Dunlops of 1958 featured Harry Sinden, Charlie Burns, and Sid Smith. At the time, Carl was the goalie for the Hamilton Tiger Cubs of the OHA and played against the Dunlops prior to the game against the Russians. Whitby’s coach, Wren Blair, took note of Carl’s play, and upon a knee injury suffered by Whitby goaltender John Henderson, coach Blair called upon the young American to represent Canada against the Russians. It was during this 1958 season with the Tiger Cubs that Carl also played in the OHA all-star game against Denis DeJordy, Chico Maki, Matt Ravlich, Pat Stapleton, and John McKenzie.

However, Carl Wetzel is probably best known for starring for the United States ice hockey national team at the 1967 Ice Hockey World Championship in Vienna, where he was, despite his team's fifth-place finish, voted best goaltender of the tournament, an award earned by only four other Americans in the history of the IIHF (Don Rigazio, '55, Willard Ikola, '56, Jack McCartan, '60 and Ty Conklin, '04). He was also a member of the 1970 and 1971 US national teams, and backstopped a Calder Cup with the Rochester Americans in 1967.

Wetzel finished his major league career in 1972-73 with the WHA Minnesota Fighting Saints after spending the previous season in Austria with KAC Kitzbuhel. He would later serve as an assistant coach under Herb Brooks with the Minnesota North Stars in 1987–88.