Larry Aurie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Larry Aurie |
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| Born | February 8, 1905 Sudbury, Ontario, Canada |
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| Died | December 11, 1952 (aged 47) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) | ||
| Weight | 148 lb (67 kg; 10 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | London Panthers Detroit Red Wings Pittsburgh Hornets |
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| Playing career | 1926–1944 | ||
Lawrence Henry "Little Dempsey" Aurie (born February 8, 1905 – died December 11, 1952) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played as a right winger for 11 seasons. All his NHL career was spent with the Detroit Red Wings team. This team was known by different names during his time: the Detroit Cougars, the Detroit Falcons, and finally the Detroit Red Wings.
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Playing Career
Lawrence Aurie was a very important player for the Detroit NHL team from 1927 to 1938. The team owner, James Norris, saw him as the "heart and soul" of the team. Aurie was known for his amazing all-around play and for scoring many goals. He was a key player when the Red Wings won their first two Stanley Cup championships in 1936 and 1937.
Aurie started his professional hockey journey in 1926. He played for the London Panthers in the Canadian Professional Hockey League (CPHL). The very next season, he joined the NHL to play for Detroit. He was not very tall, standing at 5 feet 6 inches. But he worked hard to stay fit in the off-season. This dedication earned him two cool nicknames: "Little Dempsey" because he was good at fighting, and "The Little Rag Man" because he was excellent at controlling the puck during penalty kills.
During his career, Aurie led the Red Wings in assists twice. In the 1933–34 season, he was the top scorer for his team with 35 points. He was also one of the best scorers in the entire NHL. He finished third overall with 46 points in 1934–35. Then, in 1936–37, he was fourth overall with 43 points. He and his teammate Herbie Lewis were chosen to play in the very first NHL All-Star Game in 1934.
Aurie was the team captain in the 1932–33 season. He led the entire league in playoff scoring in 1934 with 10 points in nine games. In 1937, he led the league in goal scoring with 23 goals. Because of his great performance, he was chosen for the NHL first All-Star team that season. He played on the Wings' first important line with center Marty Barry and left wing Lewis. The team owner, James Norris, really liked Aurie's selfless play and hard work.
On March 11, 1937, Aurie scored his 23rd goal, leading the NHL. This happened in a 4–2 win against the New York Rangers. However, later in that same game, he broke his leg. This injury happened when he collided with a Rangers' player named Art Coulter. This injury ended his season. Even though his season ended early, his amazing scoring earned him a spot on the NHL first All-Star team. Sadly, this was Aurie's last really strong season. His broken leg continued to bother him. In 1937–38, his scoring dropped to 10 goals and 19 points. He had to retire after that season when he was 33 years old.
After the season, team owner James Norris decided to honor Aurie. He retired Aurie's jersey number 6. This was the first time a Detroit player had their jersey number retired!
Retirement and Legacy
Lawrence Aurie's No. 6 jersey was officially retired by Wings owner James Norris after the 1937–38 season. He did return to play one more game for Detroit on January 10, 1939. His jersey number was later worn by his cousin, Cummy Burton, in the late 1950s, with the family's permission. Aurie's jersey was displayed in the Olympia Stadium lobby during the 1960s. However, a later owner, Mike Ilitch, chose not to display the number at Joe Louis Arena with the other retired numbers.
In a 1997 newspaper article, a team official said the number wasn't displayed because Aurie was not in the Hockey Hall of Fame. However, his number had already been retired before Ilitch became the owner in 1982.
Aurie passed away in Detroit on December 12, 1952. He had a stroke while driving his car the night before. He was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield, Michigan.
Awards and Achievements
- IAHL second All-Star team, 1939
- Led NHL in goals in 1936–37
- Named to NHL first All-Star team, 1936–37
- Played in NHL All-Star Game, 1933–34
- Won the Stanley Cup (with the Detroit Red Wings) 1936, 1937
Career Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1921–22 | Sudbury Cub Wolves | NOJHA | 4 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1922–23 | Toronto St. Michael's Majors | OHA-Jr. | 7 | 16 | 4 | 20 | — | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | — | ||
| 1923–24 | Sudbury Wolves | NOHA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1924–25 | Sudbury Wolves | NOHA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1925–26 | Galt Terriers | OHA-Sr. | 20 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 35 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1926–27 | London Panthers | Can-Pro | 32 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 38 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1927–28 | Detroit Cougars | NHL | 44 | 13 | 3 | 16 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1928–29 | Detroit Cougars | NHL | 35 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1929–30 | Detroit Cougars | NHL | 43 | 14 | 5 | 19 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1930–31 | Detroit Falcons | NHL | 41 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1931–32 | Detroit Falcons | NHL | 48 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1932–33 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 45 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 25 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1933–34 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 48 | 16 | 19 | 35 | 36 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 2 | ||
| 1934–35 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 48 | 17 | 29 | 46 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1935–36 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 44 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1936–37 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 45 | 23 | 20 | 43 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1937–38 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 47 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1938–39 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1938–39 | Pittsburgh Hornets | IAHL | 39 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1939–40 | Pittsburgh Hornets | IAHL | 39 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 4 | ||
| 1940–41 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1943–44 | Pittsburgh Hornets | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 489 | 147 | 129 | 276 | 279 | 24 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 10 | ||||
See also
- List of NHL players who spent their entire career with one franchise
