Frederick Joseph "Bun" Cook (September 18, 1903 – March 19, 1988) 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 ...
forward and coach. He was an
Allan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men's ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. The current champions are the ...
champion with the
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in 1924 before embarking on a 13-year professional career. He played for the
Saskatoon Crescents
The Saskatoon Sheiks/Saskatoon Crescents were a professional ice hockey team in the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) and Prairie Hockey League (PrHL) from 1921 to 1928. The team played their home games at the Crescent Arena in Saskatoon, S ...
in the
Western Canada Hockey League
The Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), founded in 1921, was a major professional ice hockey league originally based in the prairies of Canada. It was renamed the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1925 and disbanded in 1926.
The WCHL's Victoria C ...
(WCHL) and 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 ...
and
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
in the
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). Cook was a member of two
Stanley Cup championship teams with the Rangers, in 1928 and 1933, playing on the "Bread Line" with his brother
Bill
Bill(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States)
* Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature
* Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer
* Bill, a bird or animal's beak
Plac ...
and
Frank Boucher
François Xavier Boucher (October 7, 1901 – December 12, 1977) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive. Boucher played the forward position for the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers in the National Hockey League (NHL) ...
.
Cook turned to coaching in 1937 and spent 19 years in the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...
(AHL), with the
Providence Reds
The Providence Reds were a hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League (CAHL) between 1926 and 1936 and the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Reds. The t ...
for six seasons and the remainder with 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 ...
. His 636 wins as a coach is the second most in AHL history and he led his teams to the playoffs in all but one season. Cook was named an AHL All-Star coach on six occasions, and led his teams to a record seven
Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars.
The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its cur ...
championships. He was posthumously inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995 and to the
AHL Hall of Fame The AHL Hall of Fame is an online ice hockey museum dedicated to honoring members of the American Hockey League. Each year, a new class of inductees is enshrined during the AHL's All-Star Classic.
On January 5, 2006, the league announced that Joh ...
in 2007.
He was the last surviving former player of the
Saskatoon Crescents
The Saskatoon Sheiks/Saskatoon Crescents were a professional ice hockey team in the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) and Prairie Hockey League (PrHL) from 1921 to 1928. The team played their home games at the Crescent Arena in Saskatoon, S ...
.
Early life
Frederick Joseph Cook was born September 18, 1903, in
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between To ...
.
He was part of a large family, and the second of three brothers, following
Bill
Bill(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States)
* Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature
* Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer
* Bill, a bird or animal's beak
Plac ...
and preceding
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
("Bud").
Despite their eight-year difference age, Bun frequently followed Bill to new teams and the pair spent most of their careers playing together.
Bun joined Bill in playing
senior hockey
Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition. There are no age restrictions for Senior players, who typically consist of those whose Junior eligibility has expired.
Senior hockey leagues operate under the jurisdic ...
with the
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in 1921, and while Bill had already left the team by that point, Bun was a member of the Greyhounds squad that won the
Allan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men's ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. The current champions are the ...
in 1924 as senior champions of Canada.
Following the championship, Bun turned professional by signing with the
Saskatoon Crescents
The Saskatoon Sheiks/Saskatoon Crescents were a professional ice hockey team in the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) and Prairie Hockey League (PrHL) from 1921 to 1928. The team played their home games at the Crescent Arena in Saskatoon, S ...
of the
Western Canada Hockey League
The Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), founded in 1921, was a major professional ice hockey league originally based in the prairies of Canada. It was renamed the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1925 and disbanded in 1926.
The WCHL's Victoria C ...
(WCHL) for the
1924–25 season.
Bill had already played two years in Saskatoon by that point and housed his younger brother during their shared tenure with the team.
Playing career
Cook played two seasons in the Western League. He scored 17 goals in 28 games in
1924–25 and added eight more in 30 games the following season.
The league had run into financial difficulty in its final seasons, and after 1926, ceased operations. The
Montreal Maroons
The Montreal Maroons (officially the Montreal Professional Hockey Club) were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL). They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935. They were the las ...
intended to sign both Cook and his brother Bill to join their team for the
1926–27 NHL season
The 1926–27 NHL season was the List of NHL seasons, tenth Season (sport), season of the National Hockey League. The success of the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL), Pittsburgh Pirates led the NHL to expand further within the United ...
. While the team's manager waited in Montreal to meet the brothers,
Conn Smythe
Constantine Falkland Cary Smythe, Military Cross, MC (; February 1, 1895 – November 18, 1980) was a Canadian businessman, soldier and sportsman in ice hockey and horse racing. He is best known as the principal owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs ...
, manager of the newly formed
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 ...
, travelled to Winnipeg to reach the pair first. Smythe signed both Cook brothers for $12,000.
The brothers convinced Smythe to sign
Frank Boucher
François Xavier Boucher (October 7, 1901 – December 12, 1977) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive. Boucher played the forward position for the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers in the National Hockey League (NHL) ...
, who also played in the WCHL, and the trio to form the "Bread Line", one of the early NHL's most prolific scoring
lines
Line most often refers to:
* Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity
* Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system
Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to:
Arts ...
.
The
expansion Rangers made their debut on November 16, 1926. Cook assisted on the first goal in franchise history, scored by his brother, and which stood as the only marker in a 1–0 victory.
During the season, Cook earned his nickname "Bun" from a journalist who claimed he was "quick as a bunny" on the ice.
He finished the
1926–27 season with 23 points in 44 games then improved to 28 points in
1927–28.
Cook led the Rangers with 14 assists on the year. The Rangers finished second in the
American Division that season and defeated the
Pittsburgh Pirates and
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
to reach the
1928 Stanley Cup Final against the Maroons.
The Bread Line scored every Rangers goal in the series.
The second game was notable for having Rangers coach
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 ...
play goal after regular
goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...
Lorne Chabot
Laurent Edward Chabot (October 5, 1900 – October 10, 1946) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Chabot played in the National Hockey League from 1926 to 1937. He was a member of two Stanley Cup championship teams, the New York Rangers ...
was injured. New York won that game, 2–1, and went on to capture the franchise's first
Stanley Cup championship.
Cook's offence declined in
1928–29 as he recorded only 18 points.
Attempting to defend their championship, the Rangers reached the
1929 Stanley Cup Final, but were defeated by the
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
. The
1929–30 season was statistically Cook's best in professional hockey. He finished tenth in the NHL with 24 goals and totaled 43 points in 44 games.
Following a 35-point season in
1930–31
Year 193 ( CXCIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sosius and Ericius (or, less frequently, year 946 ''Ab urbe condit ...
, he was named to the inaugural
NHL All-Star team
The National Hockey League All-Star teams were first named at the end of the 1930–31 NHL season, to honor the best performers over the season at each position.
Representatives of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote for the all-s ...
as the second team
left wing.
Cook scored 34 points the following season.
The Rangers won the American Division title and reached the
1932 Stanley Cup Final but lost the series to the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
.
With 22 goals in
1932–33, Cook finished fourth in the NHL, while his 37 points were seventh best.
The Rangers reached the
1933 Stanley Cup Final, and Cook had two opportunities to end the series in the deciding fourth game: He was unable to score on a
breakaway late in regulation time, while he and Bill nearly teamed up to end the contest early 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) ...
. Bill ultimately scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory as the Rangers won their second Stanley Cup championship.
Cook was a consistent scorer the following two seasons as he recorded 33 points in
1933–34 and 34 points in
1934–35.
However, he missed much of the
1935–36 season due to an arthritic condition.
Believing he would not recover, the Rangers sold Cook to the Boston Bruins.
The transaction broke up the Bread Line, which had been together for nine seasons. He appeared in 40 games for the Bruins in
1936–37, his final NHL season, and recorded nine points.
In 531 career professional games, Cook scored 183 goals and 335 points. He was also an early innovator of the
slapshot
A slapshot (also spelled as slap shot) in ice hockey is a powerful shot. Its advantage is as a high-speed shot that can be taken from long distance; the disadvantage is the time to set it up as well as its low accuracy.
It has four stages wh ...
and of the drop pass.
According to Cook: "I had a dream about the drop pass one night and at our next practice, I told Frank and Bill about it. They thought I was crazy, but they decided to humour me. By gosh, it worked! I'd cross over from left wing to centre as I moved in on defense. I'd fake a shot and leave the puck behind and skate away from it, with Frank or Bill picking it up. We got a lot of goals off the crisscross and drop pass."
Ed Sullivan
Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television personality, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New Yor ...
, then of the ''
New York Graphic'', praised Cook's creativity: "When Bun Cook is hot, he is one of the most amazing players in hockey. At such moments, he attempts plays that stagger the imagination."
In 1995, Cook was inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame by the veterans committee.
Often overshadowed by his linemates, he was the last member of the Bread Line to gain entry into the Hall, as he followed Bill (1952) and Frank Boucher (1958).
Coaching career
After retiring from the NHL in 1937, Cook turned to coaching and became the head coach of the
Providence Reds
The Providence Reds were a hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League (CAHL) between 1926 and 1936 and the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Reds. The t ...
in the
International-American Hockey League (IAHL; later the American Hockey League, AHL).
He guided the Reds to a record and a first-place finish in the Eastern Division,
as well as a
Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars.
The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its cur ...
championship after the Reds defeated the
Syracuse Stars.
Following the
1938–39 season, Cook was named to the IAHL/AHL All-Star team for the first time of four consecutive seasons.
In 1942, Cook served as coach of the Eastern Division team at the first
AHL All-Star Game.
He coached the Reds for six seasons, until
1942–43. The Reds won three division titles and a second Calder Cup in 1940.
Occasionally pressed into playing duty, Cook also appeared in 37 games for the Reds over that time, and recorded what ultimately was his final professional goal, the game-winner in a 3–2 victory over the
New Haven Eagles
The New Haven Eagles were a professional ice hockey team that played in New Haven, Connecticut. The Eagles were one of five inaugural franchises in the Canadian American Hockey League, and a founding member of the American Hockey League.
History ...
on December 17, 1942.
Cook left Providence to become head coach of 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 ...
in
1943–44.
The Barons won their division six times in Cook's first nine seasons as coach.
They reached the Calder Cup Final on six occasions in that time and won three championships: in
1944–45,
1947–48 and
1950–51.
He was considered a favourite to become head coach of the Boston Bruins in 1950, but never left Cleveland.
In
1952–53, Cook coached the Barons to both the regular season championship and the Calder Cup as the Barons defeated the
Pittsburgh Hornets by a 1–0 score in overtime of the seventh, and deciding, game of the series. Cook coached the Barons to a repeat championship in
1953–54, his seventh Calder Cup victory.
With a record of 26–31–7,
1955–56 season was the first in 13 seasons with the Barons that Cook coached the team to a losing record. Though the team reached the league championship series, the Barons opted to relieve Cook of his position as coach.
Cook spent one season coaching the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the
Northern Ontario Hockey League
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a ...
, in 1956–57, then spent three seasons with the
Kingston Frontenacs of the
Eastern Professional Hockey League until his retirement in 1961.
Cook retired as the most successful coach in AHL history. His seven Calder Cups are four more than anyone else, and his 636 career wins were the most in league history for a half-century (
Roy Sommer
Roy A. Sommer (born April 5, 1957) is an American former professional ice hockey player who is currently serving as the head coach of the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League (AHL). Sommer played three games for the Edmonton Oilers of th ...
would pass him in 2016).
He was inducted into the
American Hockey League Hall of Fame in 2007.
Personal life
Bill Cook was given a land grant following the First World War, and became a farmer on a
half section of land near
Lac Vert, Saskatchewan.
Bun followed his elder brother to the prairie province and farmed an adjacent half section.
Following his career in hockey, Cook ultimately returned to his hometown of Kingston where he died on March 19, 1988.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Coaching career
References
*''Playing statistics'':
*''Coaching statistics'':
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Bun
1903 births
1988 deaths
Boston Bruins players
Canadian ice hockey coaches
Canadian ice hockey forwards
Canadian people of British descent
Cleveland Barons (1937–1973) coaches
Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
Ice hockey people from Ontario
New York Rangers players
Providence Reds coaches
Providence Reds players
Saskatoon Sheiks players
Sportspeople from Kingston, Ontario
Stanley Cup champions