FROM playing alongside the legendary Gordie Howe for four seasons, to being teammates with local standouts such as Ron Busniuk, Ralph Stewart, Joe Szura and Ray Adduono over the course of his career, John Schella certainly had a productive run in the game.
As a solid defenceman, Schella began by competing in the junior ranks in the 1963-64 season where he helped the Fort William Canadiens skate to a league title. He also did likewise in 1965-66.
In a second chance, involving the Memorial Cup western playdowns, the town’s version of the Habs put the broom to the Winnipeg Rangers in quarter-final action with a four-game sweep.
Up next came a hard-fought best-of-seven affair with the Estevan Bruins.
That series would go the distance with Schella and his Fort William side rallying from a two-goal deficit, with a pair of late third period markers in Game 7, before eventually suffering a heartbreaking double overtime defeat in Saskatchewan in front of a jam-packed throng of 3,200 charged-up spectators.
One more year of junior saw him skate for the Peterborough TPT Petes in the OHA, with that league seeing the Toronto Marlboros winning there before eventually toppling the Port Arthur Marrs in 1967 Memorial Cup Final.
Turning pro that fall, he signed with the Houston Apollos, who competed in the Central Professional Hockey League.
After that came a two-year stint in the old Western Hockey League as a member of the Denver Spurs.
After putting up 63 points and piling up 350 penalty minutes from the back-end, this caught the attention of the newly-minted Vancouver Canucks NHL franchise.
Then Canucks general manager, and fellow Lakehead product, Bud Poile selected both Schella and Ralph Stewart in the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft in stocking the club’s roster.
They both began the 1970-71 season with the Rochester Americans (AHL) before eventually getting called up and making their NHL debuts on January 6, 1971, in a contest versus the Montreal Canadiens.
Schella went on to play 115 games with the Canucks, collecting 20 points and accumulating 224 minutes in penalties.
He would then get claimed by the New York Islanders in the 1972 expansion process, but opted instead to return to the Long Star State and sign with the Houston Aeros of the fledgling World Hockey Association.
There he spent six successful years helping them win back-to-back WHA Avco Cup championships in 1974 and ’75.
Not only that, he was twice named a WHA all-star.
In the 1975 affair, Schella had an assist on the game-winner as his Team West side skated to a 6-4 victory in front of a sold-out crowd at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton.
Another local product, in Gary Veneruzzo, suited up for the East in the contest.
Schella was then held pointless in the 1976 match-up, as his club, formalized from rosters of the U.S.-based clubs, fell 6-1 to players made up from those on teams in Canada.
His time with the Aeros saw him set the franchise mark for stints in the penalty box at 844 minutes.
However, he also contributed offensively, ending up third overall in points among defencemen with 182, trailing only Poul Popeil’s 327 and Mark Howe’s 306.
He also played the fifth-most games in Houston history at 385.
Schella then finished up his playing days in 1978-79 with the AHL’s Binghamton Dusters.
Earning the moniker ‘Shotgun’ in his career due to possessing a powerful slap shot, he went on to appear in nearly 900 contests from Fort William to Houston, and beyond, and scored 95 times and dished out 308 assists for 403 points.
Also, while not being overly immense in stature, he was never shy to stick up for his teammates and went on to amass 2,274 penalty minutes.
This type of skill-set made him not only extremely popular with fans, but with those he played with throughout his time in the game.
Despite passing away in 2018, John Schella remains firmly entrenched on the list of those well thought of hockey-playing defenders from the Lakehead.