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Andy Bathgate
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1978
Topps 1957 Andy Bathgate.png
Bathgate with the New York Rangers in 1957
Born (1932-08-28)August 28, 1932
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Died February 26, 2016(2016-02-26) (aged 83)
Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb)
Position Right wing
Shot Right
Played for New York Rangers
Toronto Maple Leafs
Detroit Red Wings
Pittsburgh Penguins
Vancouver Blazers
Ambrì-Piotta
Playing career 1952–1975

Andrew James Bathgate (born August 28, 1932 – died February 26, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was a right wing, a forward who plays on the right side of the ice. Bathgate played for 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for famous teams like the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and Pittsburgh Penguins. In 2017, he was honored as one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" ever.

Andy Bathgate's Hockey Journey

As a young player, Andy Bathgate was offered scholarships to play hockey at two universities. But he decided to join the Guelph Biltmores in 1949 instead. This team was part of the Ontario Hockey Association.

Andy Bathgate became a very popular star player for the New York Rangers. He was also named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in both the NHL and the Western Hockey League (WHL). He started his professional career in 1952 with the Cleveland Barons in the American Hockey League (AHL).

He played for the Vancouver Canucks (a different team from today's NHL Canucks) and the Rangers for two seasons. Then, he settled with the Rangers in 1954. He played 10 full seasons with the Rangers. During this time, he became a top player in the NHL and a fan favorite in New York.

In the 1961–62 season, Bathgate and Bobby Hull both led the league in points. However, Bathgate lost the Art Ross Trophy to Hull because Hull scored more goals.

Andy Bathgate's career with the Rangers was sometimes tough because the team didn't always play well. He also had a problem with his knee. In the middle of the 1963–64 season, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He immediately helped the Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup championship that year!

In May 1965, the Maple Leafs traded Bathgate to the Detroit Red Wings. He helped the Red Wings reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 1965–66. Bathgate was later chosen by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft. He even scored the very first goal in the Penguins' team history!

After one season, he returned to the WHL's Vancouver Canucks. He helped them win two Lester Patrick Cup championships in a row, in 1969 and 1970. His best professional year was 1969-70, when he scored 108 points for the Canucks. This amazing performance earned him the George Leader Cup, which is the top player award in the WHL. Bathgate returned to the NHL's Penguins for his last year of North American professional hockey in 1970-71.

He also spent a year in Switzerland (1971–1972) as a playing coach for HC Ambri-Piotta. He briefly came out of retirement three seasons later. He played 11 games for the Vancouver Blazers in the World Hockey Association (WHA), a team he had coached the year before. After those 11 games, he retired for good.

Impact on Goalie Masks

Bathgate won the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1958–59. This award is given to the NHL's Most Valuable Player. He scored 40 goals that season.

He is also famous for helping to make goalie masks a regular part of the game. Bathgate was known for his very powerful slapshot. During a game against the Montreal Canadiens, Bathgate shot the puck. It hit the face of Canadiens goalie Jacques Plante, and Plante needed stitches. When Plante returned to the ice, he was wearing a mask. This event helped start a new trend. Eventually, masks and other protective gear became required equipment for goalies.

Speaking Up for Player Safety

In December 1959, Andy Bathgate wrote an article for True magazine. The article was called "Atrocities on Ice." In it, he warned that hockey's rough play could seriously hurt someone. He focused on a dangerous move called "spearing." This is when a player stabs an opponent with the blade or point of their stick.

Bathgate felt strongly that players needed to be safer. He spoke up about these issues even though it was controversial. The NHL fined him for his comments. At the time, he was making $18,000 a year, and the fine was $1,000. He said that it "burns my (butt) at times," but he felt he had to speak up for the good of hockey. He believed someone was going to get seriously hurt if things didn't change. After his article, the league did change the rules to make the game safer.

Life After Hockey

After retiring from hockey, Andy Bathgate owned and managed a golf course. It was called the Bathgate Golf Centre. His brother Frank owned a driving range nearby. In the winters, Andy helped coach his grandson's hockey team. He also mentioned that he probably wouldn't play in any more old-timer's games. He had recently had hip surgery and joked, "Those old fellas get too serious. They'll start hooking you."

The New York Rangers honored Andy Bathgate by retiring his jersey number 9. They did this in a special ceremony on February 22, 2009. His number was retired along with Harry Howell's number 3. Bathgate's number 9 joined Adam Graves's number 9 in the rafters of Madison Square Garden. Graves called Bathgate "the greatest Ranger to ever wear the #9."

Family Life

Andy Bathgate was married to Merle Bathgate (née Lewis) from 1955 until he passed away in 2016. They had two children together: a son named Bill and a daughter named Sandra Lynn, also known as Sandee.

Andy Bathgate died on February 26, 2016, in Brampton, Ontario. He was 83 years old. At the time of his death, he had Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

His grandson, also named Andy Bathgate, was born on February 26, 1991. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He has also played for the Birmingham Bulls.

Awards and Achievements

Career Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1948–49 Winnipeg Black Hawks MJHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1949–50 Guelph Biltmores OHA 41 21 25 46 28 15 6 9 15 12
1949–50 Guelph Biltmores MC — — — — — 11 10 5 15 8
1950–51 Guelph Biltmores OHA 52 33 57 90 66 5 6 1 7 9
1951–52 Guelph Biltmores OHA 34 27 50 77 20 11 6 10 16 18
1951–52 Guelph Biltmores MC — — — — — 12 8 12 20 21
1952–53 Guelph Biltmores OHA 2 2 1 3 0 — — — — —
1952–53 New York Rangers NHL 18 0 1 1 6 — — — — —
1952–53 Vancouver Canucks WHL 37 13 13 26 29 9 11 4 15 2
1953–54 New York Rangers NHL 20 2 2 4 18 — — — — —
1953–54 Vancouver Canucks WHL 17 12 10 22 6 — — — — —
1953–54 Cleveland Barons AHL 36 13 19 32 44 9 3 5 8 8
1954–55 New York Rangers NHL 70 20 20 40 37 — — — — —
1955–56 New York Rangers NHL 70 19 47 66 59 5 1 2 3 2
1956–57 New York Rangers NHL 70 27 50 77 60 5 2 0 2 27
1957–58 New York Rangers NHL 65 30 48 78 42 6 5 3 8 6
1958–59 New York Rangers NHL 70 40 48 88 48 — — — — —
1959–60 New York Rangers NHL 70 26 48 74 28 — — — — —
1960–61 New York Rangers NHL 70 29 48 77 22 — — — — —
1961–62 New York Rangers NHL 70 28 56 84 44 6 1 2 3 4
1962–63 New York Rangers NHL 70 35 46 81 54 — — — — —
1963–64 New York Rangers NHL 56 16 43 59 26 — — — — —
1963–64 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 15 3 15 18 8 14 5 4 9 25
1964–65 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 55 16 29 45 34 6 1 0 1 6
1965–66 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 15 32 47 25 12 6 3 9 6
1966–67 Detroit Red Wings NHL 60 8 23 31 24 — — — — —
1966–67 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 6 4 6 10 7 — — — — —
1967–68 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 74 20 39 59 55 — — — — —
1968–69 Vancouver Canucks WHL 71 37 36 73 44 8 3 5 8 5
1969–70 Vancouver Canucks WHL 72 40 68 108 66 16 7 5 12 8
1970–71 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 76 15 29 44 34 — — — — —
1971–72 HC Ambrì–Piotta NDA 21 20 15 35 — — — — — —
1974–75 Vancouver Blazers WHA 11 1 6 7 2 — — — — —
WHA totals 11 1 6 7 2 — — — — —
NHL totals 1,069 349 624 973 624 54 21 14 35 76

Coaching Record

Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Finish Result
Vancouver Blazers 1973–74 59 21 37 1 43 5th in WHA West Missed playoffs

See Also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Andy Bathgate para niños

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