Hockey player and coach.
Born at Winnipeg on 28 July 1920 to Mathilde Leier (1891-1928) and Leopold Theodor Platz (1887-1947), he attended Daniel McIntyre Collegiate and was a multi-sport athlete, excelling at hockey. He began a career in the sport as a Forward with the Winnipeg Monarchs Hockey Club (1938-1941), winning a Winnipeg A Midget and two Juvenile titles. After his junior years with the Monarchs, he turned pro with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1940, playing for one year with their affiliate, the Providence Reds of the American Hockey League. A year with the Moose Jaw Millers followed.
During the Second World War, he first joined a reserve unit, Company D, of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, where each of the 100 members was a hockey player. He went on to serve with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) both in Canada and overseas, during which time he played against NHL players in the Armed Services League. In 1942, he married Dorothy Alvera Brigham (1921-2005).
After being discharged from the RCAF, he resumed his hockey career and in 1946 won a United States Hockey League (USHL) championship with the Kansas City Pla-Mors, and then moved on to various American teams and leagues. In 1948, he returned to amateur status playing in the Maritimes. He was later inducted into the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame as a team member with the Sydney Millionaires. His last year as a player was with the Dauphin Kings (1952-1953), after which he turned to coaching, first with the Dauphin Intermediates, who became the 1954 Western Canada champions. He also coached the Winnipeg Rangers and the Monarchs, completing his hockey career in 1964. In 1990, he was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame, recognized for his success in bridging amateur, professional, and wartime play.
After hockey, he was employed by Air Canada in Winnipeg and Vancouver, and retired in Winnipeg. As a member of the St. James Lawn Bowling Club, he enjoyed the game and many friendships, as well as continuing to participate in community hockey events. In later years, he wintered at Palm Springs, California.
He died at Winnipeg on 8 November 2012 and was buried in the Brookside Cemetery.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 10 November 2012.
“Remembering Paul Platz,” NHL History with Ty de Lillo.
“Paul Platz, Left Wing,” Hockey Internet Database.
“Platz, Paul,” Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.
“Paul Emil Platz,” Geisler-Marsalek Family Tree, Ancestry.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 15 August 2026
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