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.
| Billy Reay | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Reay in 1973 | |||
| Born |
August 21, 1918 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | ||
| Died |
September 23, 2004 (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 | ||
Career
editBorn 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
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit- Turnbull Cup MJHL Championship (1938)
- Memorial Cup Championship (1938)
- Allan Cup Championship (1944)
- Stanley Cup Championships (1946 & 1953)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (1952)
- Calder Cup (AHL) Championship (1963)
- Selected Manitoba's All-Century Second Team Coach
- Honoured Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
References
edit- ^ "GREATEST BLACKHAWKS OF ALL TIME - SI.com". Archived from the original on December 14, 2014. Retrieved 2014-12-08.
- ^ "Did You Know? The Origins Of Raising Your Stick To Celebrate A Goal". Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ "Hockey Manitoba". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database