Local hockey legend Arnold “Arnie” Wilfred Schmautz passed away Sept. 13 at age 83.
Schmautz played for the Portland Buckaroos, a minor professional hockey team in the Western Hockey League from 1960 to 1968. Foreshadowing Blazermania, Portland fell madly in love with the team and hockey.
Schmautz was born July 3, 1933, in Ituna, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to parents Peter Schmautz and Stella Boretsky Schmautz. He was the second of six children and the first of four boys. Since Saskatoon’s frigid winters provided plenty of ice, hockey was the Schmautz family sport. Arnie and his brothers Cliff, Kenny and Bobby enjoyed successful careers in professional hockey, with Arnie and Cliff playing for the Portland Buckaroos and Bobby with the Boston Bruins. After a childhood built on not only skating but also brawls with his brothers, Arnie began his junior hockey career in 1951 with the Saskatoon Westleys, then playing with the Johnstown Jets and the Sault Ste. Marie Indians before signing a pro contract with the New Westminster Royals in 1955. Arnie quickly became the team’s star and a fan favorite. His hockey skills—honed playing countless hours with his brothers—outweighed his deceivingly small size. At a mere 150 pounds soaking wet, he was lightning fast, and played ferociously with an attitude to match. He willingly accepted any challenge to fight and was usually the toughest guy on the ice.
Arnie Schmautz, from left, poses with brothers Bobby and Cliff, all successful professional hockey players.
COURTSEY SCHMAUTZ FAMILY
During his time with the Royals, he met Miss New Westminster, Mary Angelina Basso, while she was figure skating at the Royals’ home rink. They married Aug. 23, 1957, and a year later, welcomed son, Patrick.
Around the same time, entrepreneur Harry Glickman bought the Royals with the intention of moving them to Portland to join the Western Hockey League. The team spent a year in Victoria while construction of the Veterans Memorial Coliseum—later dubbed “The House that Schmautz Built”—began.
While playing with the Victoria Cougars in 1959, Schmautz suffered a massive skull fracture during a game in Winnipeg. Brain surgery required the installation of a metal plate in his head. Determined to make it back on the ice, and now a Portland Buckaroo, he experimented with different helmets and became the first Buckaroo player to wear one every game.
His comeback season from the injury was the Buckaroos’ first in Portland, which proved to be historic. That inaugural season saw the Buckaroos bringing home the coveted Lester Patrick Cup championship trophy. The entire 1960-61 team was inducted into the Oregon’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. The Buckaroos’ popularity in general and Schmautz’s success soared for some time. Near sell-out crowds of 8,000 or more rabid fans regularly filled the new arena for Buckaroos. Schmautz had the distinction of scoring the new arena’s inaugural goal in 1960.The team went on to win another Lester Patrick Cup championship in the 1964–65 season.
The Buckaroos held a retirement party for Arnie on his final night as a professional hockey player. It included, of course, a large cake that his kids Cheri and Patrick couldn’t keep their hands off of.
COURTESY SCHMAUTZ FAMILY
“I did not know your husband personally, yet he was someone I could never forget,” Nancy Forman wrote on OregonLive’s guestbook. “I was a part of the Buckaroo fan base. People talk about Blazermania, but I don’t think anything could hold a candle to the love and devotion Portland showered on the Buckaroos. City pride was king, and we did not have scandal or misery to detract from this fine group of men. What a wild ride, and I remember cheering until I was hoarse for Arnie. Please accept my condolences and know he is a part of Portland history and the memories of so many Portlanders. Well done and well lived!”
Schmautz influenced adult hockey fans with his style, but also had a profound impact on Portland teenagers, like Dennis Carmody, who said on the OregonLive guestbook: “As a high schooler during the height of the Buckaroos popularity, Arnie was a hero to young people and a solid member of our community. Great times those were, and Arnie and the Bucks were a tremendous positive influence on many, many young people. Thank God for the time he gave us with Arnie. Sympathy to the family and all of us fans who will never forget Arnie. RIP.”
By the mid-sixties, the Schmautzes, residents of Parkrose’s Argay Terrace, had welcomed daughter Cheri to their family. Patrick and Cheri both graduated from Parkrose High School in 1977 and 1981 respectively.
In Palm Springs, California, last March, Arnie, from left, poses with immediate family members: wife Mary, daughter Cheri Maes, grandson Nicholas Maes and granddaughter Stella Schmautz. In the second row, from left, is Arnie’s son Patrick, daughter-in-law Jennifer and son-in-law Andy Maes.
COURTSEY SCHMAUTZ FAMILY
Connie “Mad-Dog” Madigan, Schmautz’s former teammate and foe, who’s notable for not only being the oldest rookie in National Hockey League history at 38, but also for having a part in Paul Newman’s iconic hockey film “Slapshot”, said that pound for pound, Schmautz was the toughest guy in the Western Hockey League. “He wouldn’t take no guff from anybody. You gotta love the guy. He was a good friend of mine. He was one of the great guys. Not too many guys that you could say that but, he was the best.” Madigan said he much preferred playing with— “He’d give you 100 percent all night long; he was great; he killed penalties and he scored goals; he loved everybody and everybody loved him”—rather than against Schmautz: “He’d cut your eye out; he was good; he’d turn that stick over and give you a two-hander right on the elbow and it was just like a knife going through your arm.”
Arnie Schmautz also started one of the largest roofing companies in Oregon.
COURTSEY SCHMAUTZ FAMILY
With a growing family to support, Schmautz started began roofing homes during off-seasons. His popularity on the ice translated into so much business, he founded Buckaroo Roofing and Thermoseal Insulation in 1963. Because of Schmautz’s strong work ethic, the company grew into one of the largest in Oregon. The demands of two successful careers proved exhausting, and Schmautz decided to hang up his skates after 627 games as an original Portland Buckaroo. Schmautz played his last professional hockey game March 20, 1968, to much fanfare at Memorial Coliseum. Terry Schrunk, Portland’s mayor at the time, proclaimed it Arnie Schmautz Day, and owner Harry Glickman said, “He may have the smallest skates, but they will be the biggest to fill.”
After retiring, Schmautz dove into his business and became an avid golfer, to keep his competitive spirit healthy. He enjoyed countless rounds with friends at Columbia Edgewater Country Club, which he joined in 1963. His passion for the game of golf—he scored nine holes-in-one—rivaled his love for hockey. The family’s annual spring trips to California’s high desert led to Schmautz becoming a founding member at The Plantation Golf Club in Indio, California.
Schmautz is survived by his brother, Bobby, and sister, Janette Pavley; his wife of 59 years, Mary, and children, Patrick (Jennifer) and Cheri (Andy); granddaughter Stella Schmautz and grandsons Kevin Holstad and Nicholas Maes; three great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Schmautz’s life was held in October with more than 300 people in attendance. The family welcomes guestbook messages at www.RossHollywoodFuneralChapel.com, where there’s also a photo gallery with more than 100 images.
Arnie Schmautz
Professional Career Statistics
1,028 Games played
318 Goals scored
448 Assists
766 Points
898 Penalty minutes
