George Francis "Duke" Harris (February 25, 1942 – August 2, 2017) 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 hock ...

right 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 ...

who played 26 games 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 ...

during the 1967–68 season with the

Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...

and

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 ...

. He also played in the WHA from 1972 to 1975 with the

Chicago Cougars The Chicago Cougars were a franchise in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1975. The Cougars played their home games in the International Amphitheatre. During the 1974 Avco Cup Finals against Gordie Howe and the Houston Aeros, the team's ...

and Houston Aeros. He died in 2017, six months after heart surgery.

Early life

Harris grew up in Point Edward, Ontario. He played 5 seasons with the St. Catharines Teepees, starting his first season in 1958 at the age of 16. In the 1960 season with the Teepees Harris helped the team win the emorial Cup against the

Edmonton Oil Kings The Edmonton Oil Kings are a major junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that play in the Western Hockey League. As of July 2008, they are owned by Daryl Katz's Oilers Entertainment Group, which also owns the Edmonton Oilers. ...

. In the 1961–62 season he played with the Guelph Royals

Professional career

In 1961–62 Harris played his first professional games, appearing in 7 games with the

Sault Thunderbirds The Sault Thunderbirds were a professional ice hockey team in the Eastern Professional Hockey League from 1959 to 1962. The Thunderbirds were based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and played at the Sault Memorial Gardens. Players Hockey Hall of F ...

of the Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL). in 1962–63 he scored 28 goals as a EPHL's St. Louis Braves.

NHL career

Harris played 26 NHL games in 1967–68, 22 with the

. He was traded to the

during the season, where he played 4 more games. The rest of the season was spent in the minor leagues.

Post-NHL career

After the NHL Harris played two seasons with the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...

of the

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 ...

. In the 1968–69 season Harris scored 23 goals and had 17 assists for a total of 40 points. He also played 3 non-consecutive seasons with the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, a ...

in the American Hockey League, 1967–68, 1970–71, and 1971–72.

World Hockey Association

In 1972 Harris joined the Houston Aeros of the newly founded World Hockey Association (WHA). He scored 30 goals for Houston during the 1972–73 season. He then played two seasons with the

before retiring in 1975.

Personal life

Harris was married for 55 years, until his death, to Eleanor Marie Harris. They had two children, Kimberly Marie Harris and Robert Harris. After retiring from professional hockey Harris worked as a crane operator in Sarnia, Ontario.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* 1942 births 2017 deaths Canadian ice hockey right wingers Chicago Cougars players Fort Worth Wings players Guelph Royals players Houston Aeros (WHA) players Ice hockey people from Ontario Minnesota North Stars players Pittsburgh Hornets players Rochester Americans players Sault Thunderbirds players Sportspeople from Sarnia St. Louis Braves players St. Louis Braves (EPHL) players Toronto Maple Leafs players Vancouver Canucks (WHL) players {{canada-icehockey-winger-1940s-stub