Louis Robert Blake (August 16, 1914 – November 26, 2008) was an American ice hockey player who played with the Boston Bruins in the 1935–1936 National Hockey League season. After three years of hockey in high school, Blake began his professional career at the age of 17 in the Central Hockey League. Within two years he was one of the Canadian-American Hockey League's top scorers and was given an opportunity to play with the Bruins in 1935. His tenure with the Bruins would be his only season in the National Hockey League, and Blake returned to playing in smaller leagues, eventually settling with the American Hockey League's Buffalo Bisons. Blake spent seven seasons with the team, including a term as captain and a break during World War II, where he fought in the Pacific Theater. He played on minor teams for two more years after the Bisons, retiring in 1951 as a member of the Cincinnati Mohawks. He later coached high school hockey and was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985. Blake died at the age of 94 in 2008.

Early life

Blake was born in

Ashland, Wisconsin Ashland is a city in Ashland and Bayfield counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the county seat of Ashland County. The city is a port on Lake Superior, near the head of Chequamegon Bay. The population was 7,908 at the 2020 census, al ...

on August 16, 1914,The United States Hockey Hall of Fame lists his year of birth as 1916, although all other sources, including the Social Security Death Index give 1914. and raised in Hibbing, Minnesota. He played high school hockey for three years in Hibbing, Minnesota for the Hibbing Blue Jackets. At the peak of his career, Blake stood six feet tall and weighed 200 pounds.

Hockey career

Blake, a left winger, began his career at the age of 17. He was a member of the Hibbing Miners' squad in the Central Hockey League during the 1933–1934 season, scoring 12 goals and 10 assists during the regular season and 3 goals and 1 assist during the playoffs. He then signed with the

Boston Cubs The Boston Tigers were a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts from 1926 until 1936, playing in the Canadian–American Hockey League (CAHL). History The club was known as the Boston Tigers from 1926 until 1931. The team then ...

of the Canadian-American Hockey League, helping lead them to the championships for the 1934–1935 season with 5 goals and 7 assists. During his second season with the Cubs, after becoming one of the league's top ten scorers, Blake was drafted by the National Hockey League for the

1935–36 NHL season The 1935–36 NHL season was the 19th season of the National Hockey League (NHL). The St. Louis Eagles dropped out of the league, leaving eight teams. The Detroit Red Wings were the Stanley Cup winners as they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs three ...

, debuting with the Boston Bruins. He played 12 games, alongside eight future

Hockey Hall of Fame , logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg , logo_upright = 0.5 , image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg , caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992 , map_type = , former_name = , established = 1943 , location = 30 Y ...

members, including Eddie Shore and Tiny Thompson. Despite 7 goals and 10 assists with the Cubs, he remained scoreless with the Bruins and was released from the team at the end of the season. He spent two seasons with the Minneapolis Millers of the American Hockey Association, garnering a total of 34 goals and 61 assists during this period. Blake signed up with the International-American Hockey League under the

Cleveland Barons The name Cleveland Barons has been used by three professional hockey teams and one junior team. *Cleveland Barons (NHL), the National Hockey League team that played between 1976 and 1978 *Cleveland Barons (1937–1973), the original American Hockey ...

, bringing them to victory during the playoffs of the 1938–1939 season with a total of 9 goals and 13 assists. After a brief stint with the

Pittsburgh Hornets The Pittsburgh Hornets were a minor-league professional men's ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Contrary to popular belief, the Pittsburgh Hornets did not evolve from the International Hockey League's Pittsburgh Shamrocks. The ...

, he played the remained of the 1939–1940 season with the Barons, amassing a record of 8 goals and 8 assists. Blake returned to the Minneapolis Millers for the 1940–1941 season, collecting an additional 4 goals and 9 assists. Midway through the season, Blake joined the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League, necessitating a move to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He spent seven seasons with the Bisons as 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 Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...

from 1940 to 1949, with a two-season break from 1943 to 1945 due to World War II. For the 1941–1942 season, he was voted as Buffalo's most popular player and was named team captain for that season and the next, when the Bisons won the Calder Cup. During his tenure with the team, he amassed a total of 26 goals and 61 assists. Concurrent with his tenure with the Bisons, Blake played with the

Houston Huskies The Houston Huskies were a minor league ice hockey team based in Houston, Texas. Formerly known as the Houston Skippers, they were a member of the United States Hockey League, and were active from 1947 to 1949. They were affiliated with the Buffa ...

, a Bisons' affiliate in the United States Hockey League for the 1947–1948 season. There, he was credited with helping the team win the Loudan Trophy, with a total of 14 goals and 22 assists. In his sole season with the USHL, he was often rated as the best defenseman in the league. Blake spent the 1949–1950 season with the

Cincinnati Mohawks The Cincinnati Mohawks was the name of two professional ice hockey teams in Cincinnati, Ohio who played their home games at the Cincinnati Gardens. The first Mohawks' club were members of the American Hockey League (AHL) between 1949 and 1952 whil ...

of the American Hockey League, scoring 4 goals with 15 assists. After playing for the New Haven Eagles, Buffalo Bisons and the Cincinnati Mohawks for from 1950 to 1951, Blake retired from professional hockey, with a total of 7 goals and 11 assists in his final season.

Later life

Blake fought in World War II in the

Pacific Theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. He served with the United States Army Air Forces from 1943 through the end of the conflict. After his retirement, he coached high school hockey and for a team in

Fort Erie, Ontario Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of Old Fort Erie which played a prominent role in the War of 1812. Fort Erie is one of N ...

. He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985 and continued to teach the younger generations of his family how to play hockey into his 90s. He had a daughter, Judith, and two sons, Robert and Thomas, with his wife Bernadine McNerney, who died in 2006. Blake died November 26, 2008 in Cheektowaga, New York at the age of 94.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Bob 1914 births 2008 deaths American men's ice hockey left wingers Boston Bruins players Boston Cubs players Buffalo Bisons (AHL) players Cincinnati Mohawks (AHL) players Cleveland Barons (1937–1973) players Houston Huskies players Ice hockey players from Wisconsin Military personnel from Wisconsin Minneapolis Millers (AHA) players New Haven Eagles players People from Ashland, Wisconsin Pittsburgh Hornets players United States Hockey Hall of Fame inductees United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces soldiers