Alfred George Pike (September 15, 1917 – March 1, 2009) was a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

player who spent six

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL) seasons with the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

between 1939 and 1947. Born in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, he was a product of the hockey school there that was operated by

Lester Patrick Curtis Lester Patrick (December 31, 1883 – June 1, 1960) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach associated with the Victoria Aristocrats/Cougars of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (Western Hockey League after 1924), and ...

, the Rangers'

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

and

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

. A licensed mortician in the offseason, Pike's

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

was " The Embalmer". He also served as coach at various levels of the sport.

Playing career

He played two years of

junior hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

with the Winnipeg Monarchs of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL). In 1936–37, his second campaign with the team, he centered the top forward line as the Monarchs captured both the league title and

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...

. After immediately signing a contract with Patrick's franchise in 1937, he spent two years with the

New York Rovers The New York Rovers were a senior ice hockey team that was established in 1935. They played in the Eastern Hockey League as a farm team of the New York Rangers. The Rovers played alongside the Rangers in Madison Square Garden. They played in the Eas ...

, the Rangers' minor league affiliate in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League that shared

Madison Square Garden III Madison Square Garden (MSG III) was an indoor arena in New York City, the third bearing that name. Built in 1925 and closed in 1968, it was located on the west side of Eighth Avenue between 49th and 50th streets in Manhattan, on the site of ...

with the parent club.Klein, Jeff Z
"Alf Pike, Member of Rangers’ 1940 Stanley Cup Team, Dies at 91"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', Wednesday, March 11, 2009. Accessed March 11, 2009. He was the team captain when the Rovers won the EAHL crown in 1938–39. He also made two appearances with the

Philadelphia Ramblers The Philadelphia Ramblers were a minor professional ice hockey team based in the Philadelphia Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Ramblers played for six seasons during the infancy of the American Hockey League from 1935 to 1941. History T ...

of the International-American Hockey League (IAHL) that same season. As a

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

with the Rangers in 1939–40, he was the center on the third forward line with Dutch Hiller and

Clint Smith Clinton James "Snuffy" Smith (December 12, 1913 – May 19, 2009) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and head coach best known for his time spent in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a player with the New York Rangers and the Chic ...

. Pike contributed two key

goal A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines. A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ...

s in the

1940 Stanley Cup Finals The 1940 Stanley Cup Finals was a best-of-seven series between the New York Rangers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. New York would win the series 4–2 to win their third Stanley Cup. The Rangers would not win another for 54 years, a circumstance ...

. He scored the winner in

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

of Game 1, and tallied again midway through the third period of Game 6 to tie the match at 2–2 and eventually extend it beyond regulation.

Bryan Hextall Bryan Aldwyn Hextall (July 31, 1913 – July 25, 1984) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League (NHL). Considered one of the top wingers of the 1940s, he led the NHL in goal ...

's goal in the extra period clinched the Stanley Cup Championship for the Rangers. His most productive season was in 1941–42 with 27 points (8 goals, 19

assist Assist or ASSIST may refer to: Sports Several sports have a statistic known as an "assist", generally relating to action by a player leading to a score by another player on their team: *Assist (basketball), a pass by a player that facilitates a ba ...

s). He was converted into a

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to ...

the following year. His hockey career was put on hold between 1943 and 1945 when he was stationed with the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

in his hometown during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He played two more seasons with the Rangers, the final one as a

left winger A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

in 1946–47, becoming one of the very few individuals in professional hockey history to play three different positions. His final NHL totals were 119 points (42 goals, 77 assists) in 234 games. He appeared in a handful of matches with the Winnipeg Nationals in 1948 and 1949 before ending his playing career.

Coaching career

Pike's first coaching job began in 1949–50 with the

Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters The Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1940 to 1942, and 1947 to 1960. The team was often known as the "Biltmores" and sponsored by the Guelph Biltmore Hat Company, a ...

, the Rangers' Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) Junior A farm club. The highlight of his five years with Guelph was in 1952 when the team, which featured

Andy Bathgate Andrew James Bathgate (August 28, 1932 – February 26, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right wing who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsbu ...

and Harry Howell, won both the league championship and Memorial Cup. His next stop was the Winnipeg Warriors from 1954 to 1959, collecting a

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

(WHL) title and

Edinburgh Trophy The Edinburgh Trophy was a trophy given to the winners of a series played between the champions of the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Hockey League professional ice hockey leagues. It was contested in the years 1954 to 1957. Donation The trop ...

national minor professional championship in 1956. He returned to the Rangers as its coach eighteen games into the

1959–60 NHL season The 1959–60 NHL season was the 43rd season of the National Hockey League. The Montreal Canadiens were the Stanley Cup winners as they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs four games to none for their fifth straight Stanley Cup. Regular season ...

. His personality was a direct contrast from that of the man he replaced, the temperamental Phil Watson ( Muzz Patrick served as the interim for two matches). After compiling a 36–66–21 record in two years without a postseason appearance, Pike was replaced by Doug Harvey in 1961. Before his retirement in 1970, he returned to the WHL to coach three different franchises: the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-o ...

(1961–62 to 1962–63),

Los Angeles Blades The Los Angeles Blades were a professional inline hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. The Blades played in Roller Hockey International from 1993–1997 and played their home games at the Great Western Forum. Two other franchises have us ...

(1963–64 to 1964–65) and Phoenix Roadrunners (1967–68 to 1969–70). Pike died at age 91 on March 1, 2009, in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

.Staff
"Alf Pike, member of 1940 Rangers, dies at 91"
,

, March 6, 2009. Accessed March 9, 2009.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

NHL coaching record

Awards and achievements

* 1937 Turnbull Cup Championship (MJHL) – Winnipeg Monarchs (player) * 1937 Memorial Cup Championship – Winnipeg Monarchs (player) * 1939 Eastern Amateur Hockey League Champions – New York Rovers (player) * 1940 Stanley Cup Championship – New York Rangers (player) * 1952

J. Ross Robertson Cup The J. Ross Robertson Cup is a Canadian ice hockey trophy. It is awarded annually in junior ice hockey to the champion of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. It was donated by John Ross Robertson to the Ontario Hockey Association in 1910, and ...

Championship (OHA) – Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters (coach) * 1952 Memorial Cup Championship – Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters (coach) * 1956 Lester Patrick Cup Championship (WHL) – Winnipeg Warriors (coach) * 1956

Championship – Winnipeg Warriors (coach) * Honoured Member of the

Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is a hall of fame and museum for ice hockey in Manitoba, located on the main level of the Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1985, when the first honoured members were named ...

* In the 2009 book ''100 Ranger Greats'', was ranked No. 69 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons

References

External links

*
Alfred Pike's Day with the Stanley CupObituary
in the Star Gazette {{DEFAULTSORT:Pike, Alf 1917 births 2009 deaths Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey left wingers Canadian military personnel of World War II New York Rangers players New York Rovers players Ice hockey people from Winnipeg Stanley Cup champions Winnipeg Monarchs players