WHILE perhaps not as widely recognized among the many local stalwarts that laced them up over the years, Steve Hrymnak proved to be a quality defenceman throughout his entire career.
Beginning his days in junior as a 16-year-old, he earned a roster spot with his hometown Port Arthur Juniors side in 1942-43.
Renamed the Flyers the following season, Hrymnak’s club went on to knock off the first place Port Arthur West End Bruins by taking the best-of-five series 3-1, to clinch a berth in the western playdowns.
That Flyers’ squad boasted a plethora of talent, including multiple future NHLers, such as Hrymnak and Steve Black, along with pick-ups Pentti Lund and Calum (Baldy) MacKay, who had spent the campaign with HMCS Griffon Navy team and the Bruins respectively.
Hrymnak also went on to play in net during a playoff contest due to their No. 1 goaltender, Allen Byers, being unable to go.
Showing his all-around skills he went on to win that game, allowing just four to get past him in his stint between the pipes.
Heading to Winnipeg to meet the St. James Canadians, the Ports rebounded from a Game 1 setback, to take the next three contests and move on the Abbott Cup western final.
Remaining in the Manitoba capital and despite being dubbed favourites by local pundits, the Flyers would go on to be swept by the Trail Smoke Eaters in a trio of hotly contested affairs.
This included seeing overtime in the opener, followed by two one-goal affairs, which saw their season come to an abrupt conclusion.
Following a year away from the game while serving his country with military service, at just 18, during the latter stages of World War II, Hrymnak returned to play for Port Arthur in 1945-46.
There, he helped lead the Flyers to the TBJHL title, in defeating rival West End, three games to one, with one tie.
However, they went on to fall to the eventual Memorial Cup-champion Winnipeg Monarchs in five outings after that.
The following season, Hrymnak inked a deal with the New York Rovers of the Eastern Amateur Hockey League and was part of a club that finished first overall in the standings.
Catching the eye of the New York Rangers, they inked him to a pro contract in 
September of 1947.
With that, he would spend the next three years with their farm team, the New Haven Ramblers, who were led by Hockey Hall of Famer Lynn Patrick, who served as their head coach and general manager.
A quality defender, Hrymnak also chipped in offensively from the back-end with 65 points, featuring 34 tallies, in 164 match-ups.
After that, the blueliner would join the St. Louis Flyers, an AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Among his local teammates there were Black, Joe Lund and Alf Baccari.
He would spend two and a half years in St. Louis, collecting a very respectable 113 points from the back-end.
That also helped earn him a promotion to the NHL in December of 1951.
Appearing in his initial contest with the Blackhawks on the 9th of that month, Hrymnak answered a second period power play marker by Dave Creighton of the Boston Bruins, by notching his first NHL goal as part of a 4-3 win in his debut.
Also suiting up for Chicago in that affair were Gus Bodnar and Lee Fogolin.
In all he would dress in 18 games with the Hawks before heading back to the Flyers.
Hrymnak would complete his brief tenure in the NHL by appearing in two playoff tilts with the Detroit Red Wings in the spring of 1953.
From there, more local connections saw him head to another wing-based club, the Edmonton Flyers of the Western Hockey League, who were guided by Lakehead legend Bud Poile.
The highlight of his three-year run in Edmonton was winning the WHL’s President’s Cup in 1955.
They also went on to capture the Edinburgh Trophy, which was a best-of-nine set against the Quebec Senior Hockey League title holders, the Shawinigan Falls Cataracts, in seven meetings.
Among the notable names on that powerful Flyers squad were future hall of fame inductees, Glenn Hall, Johnny Bucyk and Norm Ullman.
Bud Poile also appeared three times, while his brother Don suited up 52 times.
Fellow Lakehead natives Joe Malo and Dave Gatherum also briefly played with Edmonton that year.
Eventually continuing his career with the New Westminster Royals, he was a WHL Coast Division All-Star in 1957-58.
From there, Hrymnak returned home to compete with the fabled Port Arthur Bearcats, a Canadian senior hockey power for many years.
With the Bearcats in 1959, he helped them sweep the rival Fort William Beavers to win the first of six consecutive Thunder Bay Senior Hockey League championships.
Heading out on the Allan Cup trail, Port Arthur outlasted the Winnipeg Maroons in a best-of-five affair that went the distance, featuring a 2-1 road win in the finale.
However, following two home ice victories in the next round versus the Regina Caps, the Saskatchewan side came back with a trio of triumphs to take the series 3-2 and end the Bearcats run.
In 1962 he captained the Port Arthur team that won the Ahearne Cup, a prestigious European tournament held in Sweden for two and a half decades.
The Bearcats were just one of three Canadian teams to ever win the event over the span of it, which ran from 1952 through 1977.
Playing, and also coaching, for a few more seasons, Hrymnak concluded his time on the ice with 757 games to his credit.
This featured a more than respectable 438 points as a defenceman, on 133 goals and 224 assists.
Add in another 63 points in 127 postseason appearances, not to mention his playoff win as a goaltender, Steve Hrymnak should be rightly remembered as one of the premier players from the Lakehead that ever donned the blades.