James Haas (November 29, 1929 – September 28, 2015) was a Canadian ice hockey defenseman and forward who won consecutive National Championships with Michigan in the 1950s.
Career After playing Junior hockey for Moose Jaw and Prince Albert, Haas was recruited to Michigan and joined one of the premier powers of college hockey. While Haas played for the freshman team, the varsity squad won the 1951 Championship. Haas joined the following year and performed brilliantly, helping Michigan hold opponents to just 66 goals in 24 games, by far the lowest total of any team in the MCHL. He was named to the All-MCHL First Team and was an AHCA Second Team All-American. in his first tournament Haas collected two assists and made the All-Tournament First Team as Michigan won its second consecutive championship.
The following year Haas didn't perform as well on the defensive end and, as a consequence, Michigan's defense wasn't as impenetrable, but the Wolverines were still able to return to the tournament. This time it was Michigan's offense that carried them through and after demolishing Boston University 14–2 in the semifinal, Hass got in on the scoring in the championship match against Minnesota, scoring two goals and an assist in the Wolverines' 7–3 win, securing a third consecutive championship. For his senior season, Haas was named team captain and was once more a star during the season. While Michigan finished far back of Minnesota in the standings, Haas was still recognized by making appearances on the first team for both his conference and the nation. Haas led Michigan back to the tournament, seeking a fourth straight championship, but in the first game the Wolverines were stunned by upstart Rensselaer who skated rings around the larger Wolverines and knocked the maize and blue out of contention. After trashing their hotel room that night, Michigan took their frustration out on Boston College in the consolation game, winning 7–2 and finishing in third place.
Haas graduated with a degree in geology in 1954 and then moved to Alberta where he coached bantam hockey for several years. He was inducted into the Michigan Dekers Hall of Fame in 1977.
Statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1951–52 Michigan MCHL 26 6 16 22 37 — — — — — 1952–53 Michigan MCHL 24 7 16 23 16 — — — — — 1953–54 Michigan WIHL 23 10 8 18 28 — — — — — NCAA totals 73 23 40 63 81 — — — — —
Awards and honors Award Year All-MCHL First Team 1951–52 AHCA Second Team All-American 1951–52 NCAA All-Tournament First Team 1952 All-WIHL First Team 1953–54 AHCA Second Team All-American 1953–54 NCAA All-Tournament Second Team 1954
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