George Hay (ice hockey)

William George "The Western Wizard" Hay (January 10, 1898 – July 13, 1975) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Regina Capitals and Portland Rosebuds of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) and the Chicago Black Hawks and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was a top star on the Canadian prairies, named a WCHL All-Star four times in five seasons. He transferred to the NHL in 1926 when the Rosebuds were sold to the rival league and went on to score the first goal in the history of the Chicago Black Hawks. He retired in 1933 after several seasons with the Red Wings. Hay was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958.

George Hay
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1958
Born	(1898-01-10)January 10, 1898 Listowel, Ontario, Canada
Died	July 13, 1975(1975-07-13) (aged 77) Stratford, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Weight	155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
Position	Left Wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Regina Capitals Portland Rosebuds Chicago Black Hawks Detroit Red Wings
Playing career	1921–1933

Early life

Hay was born in Listowel, Ontario but moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba at an early age. He and childhood friend Dick Irvin were teammates on the Winnipeg Monarchs when they played junior, but Hay left hockey for three years to serve with the Canadian Forestry Corps during World War I.[1] He had also followed in the footsteps of his older brother Reginald "Reg" Hay (b. 1890) who was also a hockey player and a member of the 1915 Winnipeg Monarchs senior team which had captured the Allan Cup as senior amateur champions of Canada.[2] Before the Hay brothers both joined the military ranks they played together on the Monarchs senior team in the Division A of the Manitoba Hockey League during the 1915–16 season.

Playing career

Returning from the war, Hay settled in Regina, Saskatchewan and played two seasons with the Regina Victorias of the Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League between 1919 and 1921.[3] He then joined the Regina Capitals and began his professional career in the WCHL. In four years in Regina, he was named a league First-Team All-Star three times.[3] Hay remained with the team after it relocated to become the Portland Rosebuds in 1925,[1] and was named an All-Star for the fourth time in 1925–26.[3] When the league collapsed in 1926, the Rosebuds were sold in their entirety to the NHL and became the Chicago Black Hawks.[4]

Hay joined the team in Chicago for the 1926–27 NHL season, and on November 17, 1926 scored the first goal in the history of the Black Hawks.[1] He completed the season in Chicago but was traded, along with Percy Traub, to the Detroit Cougars in exchange for $15,000 after its conclusion.[5] Hay played his finest NHL season in 1927–28, leading the team in goals and points,[6] and was named to an unofficial all-star team by the league's managers.[3] He played seven seasons in the Detroit organization, and retired one game into the 1933–34 season to take over as the coach of their minor league team, the Detroit Olympics, whom he spent three years with before leaving the game.[1]

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958,[3] and has been honoured by the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.[6] He was considered one of the best stickhandlers in the game during his time in the NHL.[1][6]

Off the ice

Following his hockey career, Hay worked in insurance until the outbreak of World War II. He served as a flight-lieutenant and instructor with the Royal Canadian Air Force until the conclusion of the war, after which he returned to his insurance business. He retired in 1965 and lived quietly until his death in Stratford, Ontario ten years later.[1]

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1914–15	Winnipeg Strathconas	MIHL		7	4	0	4
1915–16	Winnipeg Monarchs	MHL Div. A		7	6	4	10	10		2	2	2	4	4
1916–17	Winnipeg Monarchs	WpgJrHL
1917–18	Military service
1918–19	Military service
1919–20	Regina Victorias	SSHL		12	8	3	11	5		2	1	0	1	0
1920–21	Regina Victorias	SSHL		16	9	4	13	7		4	5	2	7	2
1921–22	Regina Capitals	WCHL		25	21	11	32	9		6	0	1	1	4
1922–23	Regina Capitals	WCHL		30	28	8	36	12		2	1	0	1	0
1923–24	Regina Capitals	WCHL		25	20	11	31	8		2	1	1	2	0
1924–25	Regina Capitals	WCHL		20	16	6	22	6		—	—	—	—	—
1925–26	Portland Rosebuds	WHL		30	19	12	31	4		—	—	—	—	—
1926–27	Chicago Black Hawks	NHL		35	14	8	22	12		2	1	2	3	2
1927–28	Detroit Cougars	NHL		42	22	13	35	20		—	—	—	—	—
1928–29	Detroit Cougars	NHL		39	11	8	19	14		2	1	0	1	0
1929–30	Detroit Cougars	NHL		44	18	15	33	8		—	—	—	—	—
1930–31	Detroit Falcons	NHL		44	8	10	18	24		—	—	—	—	—
1931–32	Detroit Olympics	IHL		48	10	9	19	26		6	0	0	0	2
1932–33	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		34	1	6	7	6		—	—	—	—	—
1933–34	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1933–34	Detroit Olympics	IHL		4	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
WCHL totals				130	104	48	152	39		10	2	2	4	4
NHL totals				239	74	60	134	84		8	2	3	5	2

References

1. Podnieks, Andrew (2003). Players: The ultimate A–Z guide of everyone who has ever played in the NHL. Toronto: Doubleday Canada. p. 338. ISBN 0-385-25999-9.
2. "Monarchs Will Again Be Strong For Local Senior Hockey Series", The Winnipeg Tribune, Dec. 25, 1915 (pg. 1)
3. "George Hay biography". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
4. "West unable to withstand financial pressure in effort to retain hockey". Calgary Herald. 1926-05-06. p. 17.
5. "George Hay statistics". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
6. "George William Hay biography". Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2012-02-15. Retrieved 2010-07-10.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database

Preceded by Detroit Cougars captains Reg Noble	Detroit Falcons captain 1930–31	Succeeded by Carson Cooper