Andy Bathgate

Andy Bathgate
Born August 28, 1932 (1932-08-28) (age 79)
Winnipeg, MB, CAN
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight 183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb)
Position Right wing
Shot Right
Played for NHL
New York Rangers
Toronto Maple Leafs
Detroit Red Wings
Pittsburgh Penguins
WHA
Vancouver Blazers
WHL
Vancouver Canucks
AHL
Cleveland Barons
Pittsburgh Hornets
Nat-A
Ambrì-Piotta
Playing career 1952–1975
Hall of Fame, 1978

Andrew James Bathgate (born August 28, 1932) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Contents

Playing career

Andy Bathgate was a popular star player of the New York Rangers and also holds the honor of being declared the MVP of both the NHL and WHL. He started his professional career with the Cleveland Barons of the AHL in the 1952–53 season. He bounced between the Vancouver Canucks and the Rangers for two seasons before settling with the Rangers in 1954–55. He played 10 full seasons with the Rangers, where he became a popular player in New York as well as a top-tiered player in the NHL.

In December 1959, Bathgate authored a controversial complaint about a "bloodsport" tendency he felt was discrediting the game:

"....Players in the old N.H.L. routinely tried to injure one another, and whether or not they stood up for teammates in such instances, it got so bad that in 1959 the Rangers’ Andy Bathgate was compelled to write an article for True magazine, headlined “Atrocities on Ice.” As this post from the blog Fellowship of Hockey relates, Bathgate’s article actually named the league’s guiltiest parties when it came to spearing: Montreal’s Doug Harvey and Tom Johnson, Boston’s Fern Flaman, Chicago’s Ted Lindsay and Pierre Pilote, and Lou Fontinato from Bathgate’s own Rangers. “None of them seems to care that he’ll be branded as a hockey killer,” Bathgate wrote — for which the N.H.L. fined him and installed a rule, still in force, prohibiting players from writing articles of this nature..."[1]

In 1961–62, Bathgate and Bobby Hull led the league in points, but Bathgate lost the Art Ross Trophy to Bobby Hull because Hull had more goals.

Andy Bathgate's career was frustrated by the mediocre play of the Rangers and a nagging knee problem. He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1963–64 season, where he immediately helped Toronto to a Stanley Cup championship, and later was dealt to the Detroit Red Wings, where he helped the team reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 1965–66. Bathgate was chosen by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, and after one season, he returned to the Canucks where he would help lead the team to two consecutive Lester Patrick Cup victories, in 1969 and 1970. His best professional year was with them, where he scored 108 points in 1969–70. That performance gave him the George Leader Cup, the top player award in the WHL. Andy Bathgate's final NHL year was with the Penguins in 1971; 1971–1972 he was playing coach for HC Ambri-Piotta in Switzerland. He came briefly out of retirement three seasons later to play for the Vancouver Blazers of the WHA, which he had coached the previous season, but retired for good after 11 games.

Andy Bathgate won the Hart Memorial Trophy for the MVP of the NHL in 1958–59 after scoring 40 goals, which was no easy feat in that era. He is famous for contributing to one of the greatest innovations in NHL history. Renowned for the strength of his slapshot, during a game against the Montreal Canadiens, Bathgate shot the puck into the face of Jacques Plante, forcing Plante to receive stitches. When Plante returned to the ice, he was wearing a mask. That started a trend that continues to this day.

Post-retirement

Bathgate currently owns and manages a 20-acre (81,000 m2) driving range in Mississauga, Ontario. During the winters he helps coach his grandson's hockey team. He has also stated that he is unlikely to play in any more old-timer's games, citing recent hip surgery. "Those old fellas get too serious. They'll start hooking you." [2]

The Rangers retired his #9 along with Harry Howell's #3 in a special ceremony before the February 22, 2009, match against the Maple Leafs. Bathgate joined Adam Graves, whose #9 had been hoisted to the Madison Square Garden rafters 19 nights earlier.[3] Graves called Bathgate "the greatest Ranger to ever wear the #9".

Family connections

His grandson and namesake, Andy Bathgate, born 26 February 1991, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He currently plays for the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League. His rights were relinquished by the Penguins on May 31, 2011, making him eligible to re-enter the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.[4]

Awards and achievements

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1949–50 Guelph Biltmores OHA 41 21 25 46 28 15 6 9 15 12
1950–51 Guelph Biltmores OHA 52 37 53 90 66 5 6 1 7 9
1951–52 Guelph Biltmores OHA 34 27 50 77 20 11 6 10 16 18
1952–53 Guelph Biltmores OHA 2 2 1 3 0 — — — — —
1952–53 New York Rangers NHL 18 0 1 1 6 — — — — —
1952–53 Vancouver Canucks WHL 37 13 13 26 29 9 11 4 15 2
1953–54 New York Rangers NHL 20 2 2 4 18 — — — — —
1953–54 Vancouver Canucks WHL 17 12 10 22 6 — — — — —
1953–54 Cleveland Barons AHL 36 13 19 32 44 9 3 5 8 8
1954–55 New York Rangers NHL 70 20 20 40 37 — — — — —
1955–56 New York Rangers NHL 70 19 47 66 59 5 1 2 3 2
1956–57 New York Rangers NHL 70 27 50 77 60 5 2 0 2 27
1957–58 New York Rangers NHL 65 30 48 78 42 6 5 3 8 6
1958–59 New York Rangers NHL 70 40 48 88 48 — — — — —
1959–60 New York Rangers NHL 70 26 48 74 28 — — — — —
1960–61 New York Rangers NHL 70 29 48 77 22 — — — — —
1961–62 New York Rangers NHL 70 28 56 84 44 6 1 2 3 4
1962–63 New York Rangers NHL 70 35 46 81 54 — — — — —
1963–64 New York Rangers NHL 56 16 43 59 26 — — — — —
1963–64 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 15 3 15 18 8 14 5 4 9 25
1964–65 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 55 16 29 45 34 6 1 0 1 6
1965–66 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 15 32 47 25 12 6 3 9 6
1966–67 Detroit Red Wings NHL 60 8 23 31 24 — — — — —
1966–67 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 6 4 6 10 7 — — — — —
1967–68 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 74 20 39 59 55 — — — — —
1968–69 Vancouver Canucks WHL 71 37 36 73 44 8 3 5 8 5
1969–70 Vancouver Canucks WHL 72 40 68 108 66 16 7 5 12 8
1970–71 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 76 15 29 44 34 — — — — —
1974–75 Vancouver Blazers WHA 11 1 6 7 2 — — — — —
OHA totals 129 83 133 216 114 31 18 20 38 39
WHL totals 197 102 127 229 145 33 21 14 35 15
NHL totals 1069 349 624 973 624 54 21 14 35 76

See also

References

  1. ^ Atrocities on Ice and the Good Old Days, by Jeff Z. Klein, New York Times, March 19, 2009
  2. ^ White, Nancy J. (October 16, 2007). "With good health, 'you've got everything'". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/article/267043. Retrieved 2008-05-28. 
  3. ^ David, Dan. "Bathgate, Howell come home to the rafters," newyorkrangers.com, Sunday, February 22, 2009.
  4. ^ Dave Molinari (May 30, 2011). "Penguins relinquish rights to prospects Bathgate, Ekbom". postgazette.com. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11151/1150292-61.stm. 
  5. ^ Ziegel, Vic (February 22, 2009). "Ranger greats Andy Bathgate and Harry Howell go up to Garden rafters". Daily News (New York). http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/rangers/2009/02/22/2009-02-22_ranger_greats_andy_bathgate_and_harry_ho-2.html. 

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by
George Sullivan		 New York Rangers captain
1961–64		 Succeeded by
Camille Henry
Awards
Preceded by
Gordie Howe		 Winner of the Hart Trophy
1959		 Succeeded by
Gordie Howe
Preceded by
John Hanna		 Winner of the George Leader Cup
1969-70		 Succeeded by
Art Jones