William George "The Western Wizard" Hay (January 10, 1898 — July 13, 1975) 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 ...
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
who played for the
Regina Capitals
The Regina Capitals were a professional ice hockey team originally based in the city of Regina, Saskatchewan in the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), founded in 1921.
Western Canada Hockey League Capitals (1921–1926)
1921 was the Regina Cap ...
and
Portland Rosebuds 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) and the
Chicago Black Hawks
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
and
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 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) between 1921 and 1933. He was a top star on the Canadian prairies, named a WCHL All-Star four times in five seasons. He transferred to the NHL in 1926 when the Rosebuds were sold to the rival league and went on to score the first goal in the history of the Chicago Black Hawks. He retired in 1933 after several seasons with the Red Wings. Hay was inducted into the
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 ...
in 1958.
Early life
Hay was born in
Listowel, Ontario
Listowel is an unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada, located in the Municipality of North Perth. Incorporated as the Town of Listowel in 1875, it was dissolved in 1998 following amalgamation with several other communities in the northern ...
, but moved to
Winnipeg
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 ...
,
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
, at an early age. He and childhood friend
Dick Irvin
James Dickinson "Dick" Irvin Jr. (or II) (July 19, 1892 – May 16, 1957) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. He played for professional teams in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, the Western Canada Hockey League, and th ...
were teammates on the
Winnipeg Monarchs Winnipeg Monarchs is a name used by several Canadian ice hockey teams in Winnipeg, Manitoba and may refer to:
*Winnipeg Monarchs (senior), a defunct ice hockey team, 1935 World Ice Hockey Champions
*Winnipeg Monarchs (MJHL)
The Winnipeg Monarch ...
when they played junior.
On January 10, 1916, Hay enlisted with the
101st Battalion (Winnipeg Light Infantry) to serve in the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
He followed in the footsteps of his older brother Reginald "Reg" Hay (born 1890), who was also a hockey player and a member of the
1915
Events
Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix.
January
* January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction".
*January 1 ...
Winnipeg Monarchs Winnipeg Monarchs is a name used by several Canadian ice hockey teams in Winnipeg, Manitoba and may refer to:
*Winnipeg Monarchs (senior), a defunct ice hockey team, 1935 World Ice Hockey Champions
*Winnipeg Monarchs (MJHL)
The Winnipeg Monarch ...
senior team which had captured 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 ...
as senior amateur champions of Canada. Before the Hay brothers both joined the military ranks they had played together on the Monarchs in the Division A of the
Manitoba Hockey League during the 1915–16 season. Hay arrived in England in July 1916, and on September 2 that year was in France. At that time the 101st Battalion was broken up, and he transferred to the
17th Reserve Battalion and then the
Canadian Army Service Corps
The Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (RCASC) was an administrative and transport corps of the Canadian Army.
The Canadian Army Service Corps was established in the Non-Permanent Active Militia in 1901 and in the Permanent Active Militia in 1903. ...
. While overseas Hay contracted the
Spanish flu
The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...
, but returned to Canada by May 1919.
Playing career
Returning from the war, Hay settled in
Regina, Saskatchewan and played two seasons with the
Regina Victorias
The Regina Victorias (often shortened to ''Vics'') were two ice hockey teams, one at the senior level (1914–1938) and one at the junior level (1917–1921), based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The senior Vics played in the Allan Cup finals three tim ...
of the
Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League The Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League (SSHL) was a senior amateur ice hockey league that operated in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan on-and-off from 1938 to 1971.
History
Before the 1938–39 season there were Northern and Southern leagues in ...
between 1919 and 1921.
He then joined the
Regina Capitals
The Regina Capitals were a professional ice hockey team originally based in the city of Regina, Saskatchewan in the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), founded in 1921.
Western Canada Hockey League Capitals (1921–1926)
1921 was the Regina Cap ...
and began his professional career in the WCHL. In four years in Regina, he was named a league First-Team All-Star three times.
Hay remained with the team after it relocated to become the
Portland Rosebuds in 1925,
and was named an All-Star for the fourth time in
1925–26.
When the league collapsed in 1926, the Rosebuds were sold in their entirety to the NHL and became the
Chicago Black Hawks
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
.
Hay joined the team in Chicago for the
1926–27 season, and on November 17, 1926, scored the first goal in the history of the Black Hawks.
He completed the season in Chicago but was traded, along with
Percy Traub, to the
Detroit Cougars in exchange for $15,000 after its conclusion.
Hay played his finest NHL season in
1927–28, leading the team in goals and points,
and was named to an unofficial all-star team by the league's managers.
He played seven seasons in the Detroit organization, and retired one game into the
1933–34 season to take over as the coach of their minor league team, the
Detroit Olympics
The Detroit Olympics were a minor league hockey team located in Detroit, Michigan that was a member of the Canadian Professional Hockey League 1927-29 and the International Hockey League 1929-36. The team played all of their home games at the D ...
, whom he spent three years with before leaving the game.
He was inducted into the
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 ...
in 1958,
and has been honoured by 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 an ...
.
He was considered one of the best stickhandlers in the game during his time in the NHL.
Off the ice
Following his hockey career, Hay worked in insurance until the outbreak of
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 opposin ...
. He served as a flight-lieutenant and instructor 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 ...
until the conclusion of the war, after which he returned to his insurance business. He retired in 1965 and lived quietly until his death in
Stratford, Ontario, ten years later.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hay, George
1898 births
1975 deaths
Canadian military personnel from Ontario
Royal Canadian Army Service Corps soldiers
Canadian ice hockey left wingers
Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers
Chicago Blackhawks players
Detroit Cougars players
Detroit Falcons players
Detroit Olympics (IHL) players
Detroit Red Wings captains
Detroit Red Wings players
Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
Ice hockey people from Ontario
Ice hockey people from Winnipeg
People from Perth County, Ontario
Portland Rosebuds players
Regina Capitals players
Winnipeg Monarchs players