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Billy Reay

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Billy Reay
Reay in 1973
Born (1918-08-21)August 21, 1918
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Died September 23, 2004(2004-09-23) (aged 86)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height 5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight 155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Detroit Red Wings
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 1943–1953

William Tulip Reay (August 21, 1918 – September 23, 2004) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Reay played ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1943 to 1953, winning two Stanley Cups. He then coached from 1957 to 1959 in the NHL and again from 1963 to 1977, primarily with the Chicago Blackhawks, who he coached to the Stanley Cup Finals three times. While he did not win a Cup as a coach, Reay won over 500 games as a head coach; when he retired, he was second in NHL history in wins, and he currently is one of 28 coaches to have won 500 games.

Career

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he played in the NHL for ten seasons with the Montreal Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings. In 479 games, he scored 105 goals and 267 points and in 63 playoff games, he scored 13 goals and 29 points. He won the Stanley Cup two times, in 1946 and 1953, both with the Montreal Canadiens. He was the head coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs (1957–1959) and the head coach for the Chicago Black Hawks (1963–1977). Although he led the Black Hawks to three Stanley Cup Finals (1965, 1971, and 1973), he never won the Cup. In his fourth year, 1966-67, he led the Hawks to the league's best record, the first time they had done so in their 41-year history. He is the franchise's all-time leader in wins (516) and years coached (14).

Before beginning a career from which he retired with the second most victories in NHL history, Reay was a Canadiens centre who is believed to be the first player to raise his arms and stick to celebrate a goal when he did so after scoring in a game in 1947.[1][2][3]

He died of liver cancer in Madison, Wisconsin at the age of 86.[4][5]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1936–37 St. Boniface Seals MJHL 15 4 4 8 6 7 1 0 1 2
1937–38 St. Boniface Seals MJHL 15 15 7 22 14 10 5 5 10 12
1938–39 Calgary Stampeders ASHL 32 11 8 19 44 — — — — —
1939–40 Omaha Knights AHA 48 18 20 38 23 9 6 1 7 4
1940–41 Omaha Knights AHA 46 18 22 40 32 — — — — —
1941–42 Sydney Millionaires CBSHL — — — — — — — — — —
1941–42 Quebec Aces QSHL 1 1 0 1 0 7 1 3 4 4
1941–42 Quebec Aces Al-Cup — — — — — 11 6 3 9 8
1942–43 Quebec Morton Aces QSHL 29 16 26 42 22 4 2 0 2 2
1943–44 Detroit Red Wings NHL 2 2 0 2 0 — — — — —
1943–44 Quebec Aces QSHL 25 15 31 46 19 5 2 7 9 2
1943–44 Quebec Aces Al-Cup — — — — — 9 3 9 12 0
1944–45 Detroit Red Wings NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1944–45 Quebec Aces QSHL 20 17 29 46 6 7 3 1 4 4
1944–45 Quebec Aces Al-Cup — — — — — 3 0 0 0 0
1945–46 Montreal Canadiens NHL 44 17 12 29 10 9 1 2 3 4
1946–47 Montreal Canadiens NHL 59 22 20 42 17 11 6 1 7 14
1947–48 Montreal Canadiens NHL 60 6 14 20 24 — — — — —
1948–49 Montreal Canadiens NHL 60 22 23 45 33 7 1 5 6 4
1949–50 Montreal Canadiens NHL 68 19 26 45 48 4 0 1 1 0
1950–51 Montreal Canadiens NHL 60 6 18 24 24 11 3 3 6 10
1951–52 Montreal Canadiens NHL 68 7 34 41 20 10 2 2 4 7
1952–53 Montreal Canadiens NHL 56 4 15 19 26 11 0 2 2 4
1953–54 Vancouver Canucks WHL 69 10 14 24 30 5 0 0 0 2
1954–55 Vancouver Canucks WHL 70 3 28 31 43 5 1 1 2 4
NHL totals 479 105 162 267 202 63 13 16 29 43

Coaching record

Team Year Regular season Playoffs
G W L T Pts Finish Result
Toronto Maple Leafs 1957–58 70 21 38 11 53 6th in NHL Did not qualify
Toronto Maple Leafs 1958–59 20 5 12 3 13 4th in NHL Fired
Chicago Black Hawks 1963–64 70 36 22 12 84 2nd in NHL Lost in semi-finals
Chicago Black Hawks 1964–65 70 34 28 8 76 3rd in NHL Lost in Stanley Cup Finals
Chicago Black Hawks 1965–66 70 37 25 8 82 2nd in NHL Lost in semi-finals
Chicago Black Hawks 1966–67 70 41 17 12 94 1st in NHL Lost in semi-finals
Chicago Black Hawks 1967–68 74 32 26 16 80 4th in East Lost in semi-finals
Chicago Black Hawks 1968–69 76 34 33 9 77 6th in East Did not qualify
Chicago Black Hawks 1969–70 76 45 22 9 99 1st in East Lost in semi-finals
Chicago Black Hawks 1970–71 78 49 20 9 107 1st in West Lost in Stanley Cup Finals
Chicago Black Hawks 1971–72 78 46 17 15 107 1st in West Lost in semi-finals
Chicago Black Hawks 1972–73 78 42 27 9 93 1st in West Lost in Stanley Cup Finals
Chicago Black Hawks 1973–74 78 41 14 23 105 2nd in West Lost in semi-finals
Chicago Black Hawks 1974–75 80 37 35 8 82 3rd in Smythe Lost in quarter-finals
Chicago Black Hawks 1975–76 80 32 30 18 82 1st in Smythe Lost in quarter-finals
Chicago Black Hawks 1976–77 34 10 19 5 25 3rd in Smythe Fired
NHL Totals 1102 542 385 175 1259 5 Division Titles 57—60 (.487)

Awards and achievements

References

  1. ^ "GREATEST BLACKHAWKS OF ALL TIME - SI.com". Archived from the original on December 14, 2014. Retrieved 2014-12-08.
  2. ^ "Did You Know? The Origins Of Raising Your Stick To Celebrate A Goal". Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  3. ^ "Hockey Manitoba". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
  4. ^ Press, The Associated (September 26, 2004). "Billy Reay, 86, Hockey Player and Coach, Is Dead". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  5. ^ Archives, L. A. Times (September 25, 2004). "Billy Reay, 86; Coached Chicago Blackhawks to Club-Record 516 Wins". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
Preceded by Head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs
1957–1959 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Head coach of the Chicago Black Hawks
1963–1976 		Succeeded by
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