Ace Bailey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ace Bailey |
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| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1975 | |||
Bailey in 1934
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| Born | July 3, 1903 Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada |
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| Died | April 7, 1992 (aged 88) Toronto, Canada |
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| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
| Playing career | 1926–1933 | ||
Irvine Wallace "Ace" Bailey (born July 3, 1903 – died April 7, 1992) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played as a right wing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ace played for eight seasons, from 1926 to 1933. His hockey career ended suddenly after a serious injury during a game.
Ace Bailey made history as the first professional sports player to have his jersey number retired. This means no other player on that team can wear that number again. He was also the top scorer in the NHL in 1929. In 1975, he was honored by being added to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Ace Bailey was born in Bracebridge, Ontario. He grew up in Toronto and played junior hockey there. He later played senior hockey for two seasons in Peterborough. In November 1926, he joined the Toronto St. Patricks. This team soon changed its name to the Toronto Maple Leafs, which is still their name today.
Top Scorer and Stanley Cup Win
Ace quickly became a star player. In the 1928–29 season, he was the leading scorer and goal scorer in the NHL. He scored 22 goals and had 32 points in 44 games. He was also the Leafs' top scorer in the 1929–30 season. He nearly repeated this in 1930–31.
After three seasons where he scored 20 or more goals, his scoring slowed down a bit in the 1931–32 season. However, Ace still played a big part in helping Toronto win the Stanley Cup in 1932. He even scored the goal that won the Cup in the third game of the finals!
A Career-Ending Injury
Ace Bailey's playing career ended very suddenly on December 12, 1933. During a game against the Boston Bruins, he was hit from behind by player Eddie Shore. Ace fell and hit his head on the ice. He suffered a very serious head injury.
This happened after Ace's teammate, King Clancy, checked Shore hard. Shore was dazed and thought he was going after Clancy for revenge. Instead, he rushed at Ace Bailey. Another teammate, Red Horner, quickly stepped in and knocked Shore out. Everyone was very worried about Ace.
Thankfully, Ace recovered from his injury. He was able to leave the hospital after about 10 days. Although he made a full recovery, he could not play professional hockey again. The league president, Frank Calder, suspended Eddie Shore for 16 games because of the incident.
The First All-Star Benefit Game
To help Ace and his family, a special game was held. This was called the Ace Bailey Benefit Game. It took place at Maple Leaf Gardens on February 14, 1934. The game raised over $20,000 for Ace. Before the game, Ace Bailey and Eddie Shore shook hands at center ice. This showed great sportsmanship. This event was so important that 13 years later, the NHL started having an annual all-star game.
Ace Bailey's number 6 jersey was the first ever to be retired by an NHL team. This was a huge honor. It is one of only 13 numbers retired by the Maple Leafs. In 1968, Ace even asked for his number to be unretired so another player, Ron Ellis, could wear it. During his career, Ace scored 111 goals and had 82 assists in 313 games.
Life After Playing Hockey
After his injury, Ace Bailey wanted to stay involved in hockey. He asked the NHL if he could become a linesman, but they said no.
Coaching and Timekeeping
Instead, Ace became a coach for the University of Toronto's men's ice hockey team. He coached them from 1935 to 1940. He coached again after World War II, from 1945 to 1949. During his time as coach, his team won three championships.
Ace also worked as a timekeeper at Maple Leaf Gardens. He did this job for a very long time, from 1938 until 1984. He was 81 years old when he stopped working there.
Later Life and Passing
On April 1, 1992, the Maple Leafs again officially retired Ace Bailey's number. This was a special day for him. Sadly, on the same day, Ace had a stroke. He passed away on April 7, 1992, at the age of 88.
Ace Bailey's Legacy
Ace Bailey was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975. This is one of the highest honors in hockey.
A youth ice hockey tournament is held every year in Stoney Creek, Ontario. It is named the Ace Bailey Memorial tournament in his honor.
His jersey number 6 was the very first number ever retired in professional sports. The Maple Leafs' owner at the time, Conn Smythe, retired it during the benefit game held for Ace.
Awards and Achievements
- 1928–29 – NHL Scoring Leader
- 1932 – Stanley Cup champion
- February 14, 1934 – Number 6 jersey retired by the Toronto Maple Leafs; this was the first number retirement in professional sports.
- 1975 – Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as an honored member.
Career Statistics
Regular Season and Playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1921–22 | Bracebridge Bird Mill | OHA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1922–23 | Toronto St. Mary's | OHA | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | — | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | — | ||
| 1922–23 | Toronto St. Mary's | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | — | ||
| 1923–24 | Toronto St. Mary's | OHA | 8 | 10 | 0 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1924–25 | Peterborough Seniors | OHA Sr | 8 | 5 | 0 | 5 | — | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1924–25 | Peterborough Seniors | Al-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 1925–26 | Peterborough Seniors | OHA Sr | 9 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | — | ||
| 1925–26 | Peterborough Seniors | Al-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | ||
| 1926–27 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 42 | 15 | 13 | 28 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1927–28 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 43 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1928–29 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 44 | 22 | 10 | 32 | 78 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1929–30 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 43 | 22 | 21 | 43 | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1930–31 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 40 | 23 | 19 | 42 | 46 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1931–32 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 41 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 62 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1932–33 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 47 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 52 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1933–34 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 313 | 111 | 82 | 193 | 472 | 21 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 12 | ||||
See Also
- Ace Bailey Benefit Game
- List of past NHL scoring leaders
Images for kids
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Ace Bailey (left) shakes hands with Eddie Shore at the benefit All-Star Game held in Ace's honor.
