Chuck Rayner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chuck Rayner |
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| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1973 | |||
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| Born | August 11, 1920 Sutherland, Saskatchewan, Canada |
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| Died | October 6, 2002 (aged 82) Langley, British Columbia, Canada |
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| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Left | ||
| Played for | New York Americans New York Rangers |
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| Playing career | 1941–1953 | ||
Chuck Rayner was a fantastic Canadian ice hockey player. He was a professional goaltender, which is the player who guards the net to stop the puck. His full name was Claude Earl Rayner, but everyone called him "Chuck." He even had a cool nickname: "Bonnie Prince Charlie."
Chuck played for nine seasons in the NHL, which is the top hockey league in North America. He played for two teams: the New York Americans and the New York Rangers. He was so good that he was later inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
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Chuck Rayner's Early Hockey Days
Chuck Rayner was born on August 11, 1920, in a place called Sutherland, in Saskatchewan, Canada. From a young age, he showed great talent for hockey.
Starting in Junior Hockey
Chuck began his junior hockey career playing for the Kenora Thistles. This team was part of the Manitoba junior league. He quickly proved how skilled he was as a goalie. In 1940, he helped his team win the Abbott Cup. This win allowed them to play in the big Memorial Cup championship.
Becoming an NHL Star
After his junior career, Chuck became a professional player. In the 1940-41 season, he joined the New York Americans. He spent most of that year playing for their minor league team, the Springfield Indians, in the AHL. With the Indians, Chuck was amazing! He led the league in shutouts (games where the goalie doesn't let any goals in) and had the best goals against average (meaning he let in very few goals). Because of his great play, he was named to the AHL's Second All-Star Team.
Playing for the Americans and War Service
The next season, Chuck became the main goalie for the New York Americans. This was their last season before the team stopped playing. But Chuck's hockey career was put on hold by World War II. He spent the next three years serving in the Royal Canadian Navy. During this time, he still played hockey for naval teams in Victoria.
A Goalie for the New York Rangers
After the war ended, Chuck signed with the New York Rangers in 1945. For six of the next seven seasons, he was the starting goalie for the Rangers. Even though the Rangers teams he played on were not very strong, Chuck was always praised for his excellent play. He was known as a "puckhandling goalie" because he would often try to score goals himself, which was very unusual for a goalie!
Chuck never won the Stanley Cup, which is the biggest trophy in hockey. But even without a Stanley Cup, he was considered one of the best goalies of his time.
Winning the Hart Trophy
The years between 1948 and 1951 were Chuck's best. In 1950, he won the Hart Memorial Trophy. This award is given to the player who is considered the most valuable player in the NHL. That year, he led the Rangers all the way to the Stanley Cup finals. They played a thrilling Game 7 that went into overtime, but they just missed winning the championship.
Life After Hockey
In 1953, Chuck Rayner had a knee injury. This meant he lost his starting goalie spot with the Rangers to another great goalie, Gump Worsley. He played one more season in a minor league for the Saskatoon Quakers. After a couple more short stints in senior leagues, he finally stopped playing hockey for good.
Honored in Hockey History
Chuck Rayner was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973. He was only the second goalie in history to be inducted even though he had a "losing record" (meaning his teams lost more games than they won). This shows how amazing he was as an individual player, even on struggling teams.
His hometown of Sutherland later became part of Saskatoon. Today, there's a street named Rayner Avenue in the Sutherland neighborhood, honoring him.
Chuck Rayner passed away on October 6, 2002, from a heart attack.
Awards and Achievements
- Won the Turnbull Cup MJHL Championship (1940)
- Named to the AHL Second All-Star Team (1941)
- Named to the NHL Second All-Star Team (1949, 1950, & 1951)
- Won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player (1950)
- Played in the NHL All-Star Game (1949, 1950, & 1951)
- Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973
- Honored Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
- Ranked No. 16 all-time among New York Rangers players in the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats
