Born in Finland and raised in Sweden, Juha Widing moved to Canada as a teenager. He played in the WHL and was working his way to the NHL, making the New York Rangers in 1970. Late in the year, he was traded to Los Angeles. It was with the Kings that the Center would become a trailblazer for Scandinavian-born hockey players in North America.
Widing exploded in the 1970-71 Season with 65 Points, a then-record tally for a player who developed his skills in either Sweden or Finland. Over the next four years, Widing never had less than 55 Points, producing solid stats in the first half of the 70s.
He was traded during the 1976-77 Season, and his pro hockey skills quickly declined around that time. Wilding was out of North American hockey by 1978, but left the Kings with 342 Points, a solid amount for a player of his era.
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