Buddy O'Connor

Buddy O'Connor
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1988
Born	(1916-06-21)June 21, 1916 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died	August 24, 1977(1977-08-24) (aged 61) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height	5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight	145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Montreal Canadiens New York Rangers
Playing career	1941–1951

Herbert William "Buddy" O'Connor (June 21, 1916 – August 24, 1977) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played for the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers in the National Hockey League between 1941 and 1951. He won the Hart Trophy and Lady Byng Trophy in 1948.

Playing career

O'Connor played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1941 to 1947 and won two Stanley Cups during his career in 1944 and 1946 while playing for the Canadiens.

In 1947, O'Connor was traded to the New York Rangers. He had 60 points that season, finishing second to Montreal's Elmer Lach in the scoring race. He was also awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy and Lady Byng Memorial Trophy and was the first player to win both in the same year.^[1] He was also the first Ranger to win the Hart.^[2] These achievements were reflected in his being named winner of the Lionel Conacher Award, as Canada's male athlete of the year for 1948.

O'Connor played for the Rangers until 1951. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, becoming the first inductee into the now-defunct Veteran category.

In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, the authors ranked O'Connor at No. 38 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.^[2]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1934–35	Montreal Jr. Royals	QJHL		10	15	7	22	4		2	1	1	2	0
1934–35	Montreal Royals	QSHL		—	—	—	—	—		4	1	0	1	2
1934–35	Montreal Royals	Al-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		1	1	0	1	0
1935–36	Montreal Royals	QSHL		22	14	10	24	6		8	6	5	11	6
1935–36	Montreal Royals	Al-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		4	1	0	1	4
1936–37	Montreal Royals	QSHL		19	10	17	27	27		5	0	4	4	2
1937–38	Montreal Royals	QSHL		22	9	14	23	10		1	0	0	0	0
1938–39	Montreal Royals	QSHL		22	13	23	36	28		5	5	4	9	2
1938–39	Montreal Royals	Al-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		13	10	10	20	15
1939–40	Montreal Royals	QSHL		29	16	25	41	6		8	8	6	14	2
1939–40	Montreal Royals	Al-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		5	5	5	10	6
1940–41	Montreal Royals	QSHL		35	15	38	53	12		8	2	7	9	4
1940–41	Montreal Royals	Al-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		14	6	14	20	4
1941–42	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		36	9	16	25	4		3	0	1	1	0
1941–42	Montreal Royals	QSHL		9	1	5	6	4		—	—	—	—	—
1942–43	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		50	15	43	58	2		5	4	5	9	0
1943–44	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		44	12	42	54	6		8	1	2	3	2
1944–45	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		50	21	23	44	2		2	0	0	0	0
1945–46	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		45	11	11	22	2		9	2	3	5	0
1945–46	Montreal Royals	QSHL		2	0	1	1	0		2	0	2	2	0
1946–47	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		46	10	20	30	6		8	3	4	7	0
1947–48	New York Rangers	NHL		60	24	36	60	8		6	1	4	5	0
1948–49	New York Rangers	NHL		46	11	24	35	0		—	—	—	—	—
1949–50	New York Rangers	NHL		66	11	22	33	4		12	4	2	6	4
1950–51	New York Rangers	NHL		66	16	20	36	0		—	—	—	—	—
1951–52	Cincinnati Mohawks	AHL		65	11	43	54	4		4	2	3	5	2
1952–53	Cincinnati Mohawks	AHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				509	140	257	397	34		53	15	21	36	6

Personal

In the mid-1950s, Danny Gallivan was known to assist with the Department of Education's Physical Fitness Division's annual hockey school in PEI, along with NHL chief referee Red Storey and NHL star Buddy O'Connor.^[3]

References

1. Duff, Bob and Shea, Kevin (2011). Hockey Hall of Fame MVP Trophies & Winners. Firefly Books Ltd. p. 67.
2. Cohen, Russ; Halligan, John; Raider, Adam (2009). 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters. John Wiley & Sons. p. 136. ISBN 978-0470736197. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
3. "Annual Report of the Department of Education of the Province of Prince Edward Island for the fiscal year ending March 31st, 1957 | Prince Edward Island Legislative Documents Online". Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2015-11-06.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database

Sporting positions
Preceded by Neil Colville	New York Rangers captain 1949–50	Succeeded by Frank Eddolls
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Maurice Richard	Winner of the Hart Trophy 1948	Succeeded by Sid Abel
Preceded by Bobby Bauer	Winner of the Lady Byng Trophy 1948	Succeeded by Bill Quackenbush