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 1953 to 1953, winning two

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

s. 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 The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, french: Finale de la Coupe Stanley) is the National Hockey League's (NHL) championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, North America ...

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 The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

. 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

two times, in

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

and

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...

, 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). He won the most games for a Chicago Black Hawks coach. Although he coached the Black Hawks to three Stanley Cup Finals (1965, 1971, and 1973), he never won the Cup. 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. He died of

liver cancer Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...

in Madison, Wisconsin.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Coaching record

Awards and achievements

*Turnbull Cup MJHL Championship (1938) * Memorial Cup Championship (1938) * Allan Cup Championship (1944) *

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

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reay, Billy 1918 births 2004 deaths Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian ice hockey coaches Deaths from cancer in Wisconsin Chicago Blackhawks coaches Deaths from liver cancer Detroit Red Wings players Ice hockey people from Manitoba Montreal Canadiens players Omaha Knights (AHA) players Quebec Aces (QSHL) players St. Boniface Seals players Ice hockey people from Winnipeg Stanley Cup champions Vancouver Canucks (WHL) players