Raymond Joseph "Rockabye Ray" Gariepy (September 4, 1928 – March 16, 2012) 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 ...

hard hitting defenceman, who 36 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 ...

between 1953 and 1956 for 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 ...

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 ...

Playing career

He was raised from an early age in Timmins Ontario, where he first put skate to ice at the age of 14. He was scouted by

Hap Emms Leighton Alfred Emms (January 12, 1905 – October 23, 1988) was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, team owner, and general manager, during nearly 60 years in hockey. Emms played 17 seasons of professional hockey as a left winger and a defenc ...

of the

Barrie Flyers The Barrie Flyers were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1945 to 1960, from Barrie, Ontario. The Flyers played home games at the Barrie Arena from 1945 to 1960. History The Barrie Flyers junior team was founded ...

, of the OHA Jr. A (from 1945 to 1948), of which Ray was Captain for all 3 years. After Jr. A., Ray played with the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

AHL, Houston Huskies & Louisville Blades

USHL The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictly ...

,(1948–49) and

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg. The current Bears club has played in the American Hockey League since the 1938–39 season maki ...

(1950–53) of the AHL. In 1954–55 Ray played for the Pittsburgh Hornets that won the AHL Championship's top prize; The

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 ...

. He finished his professional career with the

of the

in the 1955–56 season after playing one game. Gariepy's lone NHL goal occurred on January 21, 1954 in Boston's 3-2 win over the Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium. In September 1956, Gariepy retired from the professional ranks. Now in possession of his amateur card, he played in the Canadian

Senior ice 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 jurisd ...

league, as well as other senior amateur ice hockey leagues in central Ontario in the coming years. Starting out in 1956–57, he played with the Owen Sound Mercurys of the Canadian

league. In the remaining years, Ray played as either a player, a player/coach, or coach, until his final season in the 1970–71 campaign as coach of the OHA Sr. A

. He was selected as an All-Star in both of his 1961 and 1966 seasons. All in all, from his Junior A. hockey days with the

in 1945, to his final season coaching the OHA Senior A

in 1971, it was an impressive 25-year career in professional and amateur ice hockey. He returned for a season in 1975 to coach the Barrie Juvenile Co-op Midgets of the Barrie Minor Hockey Association BMHA. He was inducted into the Barrie Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* 1928 births 2012 deaths Barrie Flyers players Boston Bruins players Buffalo Bisons (AHL) players Canadian ice hockey defencemen Hershey Bears players Houston Huskies players Louisville Blades players Ontario Hockey Association Senior A League (1890–1979) players Pittsburgh Hornets players Ice hockey people from Toronto Toronto Maple Leafs players {{Canada-icehockey-defenceman-1920s-stub