Maurice William "Moe" Mantha (December 13, 1933 – September 18, 2015) was a Canadian ice hockey player and a politician. Born in

North Bay, Ontario North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing. North Bay developed as a railroad centre, and its airport was an important military ...

, Mantha played minor league

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

for several teams 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 Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

, the

Quebec Hockey League The Quebec Senior Hockey League (QSHL) was an ice hockey league that operated from 1941 to 1959 , based in Quebec, Canada. The league played senior ice hockey under the jurisdiction of the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association until 1953, when it became ...

and the

Western Hockey League (minor pro) 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 ho ...

from 1954 to 1970. He subsequently returned to Sturgeon Falls and operated his own business (Laurentide Golf Club) for a number of years before entering politics, serving as the Reeve of Springer Township. In the 1984 federal election, Mantha ran as the Progressive Conservative candidate in Nipissing. He won the seat, defeating

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

incumbent

Jean-Jacques Blais Jean-Jacques Blais, (born June 27, 1940) is a former Canadian politician, who represented the riding of Nipissing in the House of Commons of Canada from 1972 to 1984. He was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. Born in Sturgeon Falls, Onta ...

. In the 1988 election, however, Mantha was defeated by Liberal candidate Bob Wood. Mantha ran again in the 1993 election, but lost to Wood again. Mantha's son, Moe Mantha Jr., played 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 ...

from 1980 to 1992, and subsequently became a coach for several teams in the AHL. His grandson, Ryan Mantha, was drafted by 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 ...

in the fourth round of the

2014 NHL Entry Draft The 2014 NHL Entry Draft was the 52nd NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 27–28, 2014 at the Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia), Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The top three selections were Aaron Ekblad, ...

, and was assigned to the

Bakersfield Condors The Bakersfield Condors are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Bakersfield, California. The team is owned by and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The Condors play their home g ...

of the AHL. Mantha died on September 18, 2015 at the age of 81 after a brief illness.

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* * 1933 births 2015 deaths Canadian ice hockey defencemen Canadian sportsperson-politicians Cleveland Barons (1937–1973) players Ice hockey people from Ontario Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Progressive Conservative Party of Canada MPs Providence Reds players Quebec Aces (AHL) players Seattle Totems (WHL) players Sportspeople from North Bay, Ontario {{Ontario-MP-stub