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Rusty Crawford
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1963
Rusty Crawford, Toronto Arenas.jpg
Crawford with the Toronto Arenas
Born (1885-11-07)November 7, 1885
Cardinal, Ontario, Canada
Died December 19, 1971(1971-12-19) (aged 86)
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shot Left
Played for Quebec Bulldogs
Ottawa Senators
Toronto Arenas
Saskatoon Crescents
Calgary Tigers
Vancouver Maroons
Playing career 1909–1930

Samuel Russell Crawford (born November 7, 1885 – died December 19, 1971) was a Canadian ice hockey player. He was a forward who played for several teams. These included the Quebec Bulldogs in the National Hockey Association (NHA). He also played for the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Arenas in the National Hockey League (NHL). Later, he played for the Saskatoon Crescents, Calgary Tigers, and Vancouver Maroons in the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL).

Crawford was a two-time Stanley Cup champion. He won with the Bulldogs in 1913 and the Arenas in 1918. He was one of the first big stars in hockey. He played 258 games in the major leagues and scored 110 goals. He was added to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963.

Playing Career of Rusty Crawford

Crawford was born in Cardinal, Ontario. He started playing junior hockey in Vernon, near Ottawa. His team won the Shaver Cup in 1910. After playing amateur hockey in Verdun, Quebec, Crawford moved to Saskatchewan. He settled in Prince Albert.

He played for the Prince Albert Mintos in 1910–11. He scored 26 goals in just 7 games that season. He then joined the Saskatoon Hoo-Hoos for the 1911–12 season. Both the Mintos and Hoo-Hoos tried to win the Stanley Cup. However, his teams were eliminated before they could play for the trophy.

Rusty Crawford
Rusty Crawford with the Quebec Bulldogs

Crawford moved back east and joined the Quebec Bulldogs in 1912. The Bulldogs were the defending Stanley Cup champions. He quickly became a top scorer in the National Hockey Association (NHA). He won his first Stanley Cup in his first season. The Bulldogs defended their title against a team from Sydney, Nova Scotia.

In 1917, the NHA league ended. The Bulldogs joined the new National Hockey League. But they decided not to play in the first NHL season. The Ottawa Senators picked Crawford in a player draft. He started the 1917–18 NHL season with Ottawa. Later that season, he was loaned to the Toronto Arenas. This happened because the Senators needed to manage their team roster.

Crawford finished the season with Toronto. He and the Arenas won the Stanley Cup. They beat the Pacific Coast Hockey Association's Vancouver Millionaires in a five-game series. The Arenas signed Crawford for the 1918–19 season. Ottawa argued they still had his rights. The NHL president, Frank Calder, had to decide. He told Toronto to give Ottawa one player in exchange for Crawford.

After that season, Crawford went back to Saskatoon. He played senior-amateur hockey for the Saskatoon Crescents.

Professional Hockey in Western Canada

Crawford stayed with Saskatoon when they became a professional team. This happened when the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) started in 1921. In 1922, he was traded to the Calgary Tigers. By this time, he was known as one of hockey's greatest players. People thought he was one of the fastest skaters in Western Canada.

He helped the Tigers win the WCHL championship in 1923–24. He scored a goal in their 2–0 win over the Regina Capitals. This win secured the title for Calgary. He played in the 1924 Stanley Cup Final. However, Calgary lost to the Montreal Canadiens.

After one more year in Calgary, Crawford was traded. He went to the Vancouver Maroons for another player, Fern Headley. After one year in Vancouver, he moved to the Minneapolis Millers. This team was in the American Hockey Association. He played there for four seasons. He was part of their championship team in 1927–28.

Crawford announced he was retiring in 1930. He was 45 years old then. He coached one season of senior hockey. This was with Prince Albert in the Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League in 1930–31. After that, he left the sport for good. Crawford was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963.

On-Ice Conduct

Rusty Crawford was known for his strong play. Sometimes, his actions on the ice led to penalties. In 1910, while playing for the Prince Albert Mintos, he was involved in an incident during a game. He was later given a small fine for his actions.

During the 1918–19 NHL season, Crawford played for the Toronto Arenas. In a game against the Ottawa Senators, he received a major penalty. This was for hitting Jack Darragh of Ottawa with his stick. He had also received a penalty earlier in the game for a similar action against Frank Nighbor. The NHL president, Frank Calder, later fined Crawford for rough play.

In the 1923–24 WCHL season, Crawford played for the Calgary Tigers. He was suspended for one game by the league. This was for an incident involving Gordon Keats of the Edmonton Eskimos.

Life After Hockey

After retiring from hockey, Crawford became a farmer. He farmed in the Spruce Home, Saskatchewan area. He sold his farm in 1960. Then he moved to Prince Albert. He lived there until he passed away in 1971.

Career Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1907–08 Montreal Montegnards MCHL
1908–09 Newington Ontarios OHA Sr
1909–10 Prince Albert Mintos N-SSHL 3 4 0 4
1909–10 Prince Albert Mintos Sask-Pro 4 1 0 1 14
1910–11 Prince Albert Mintos Sask-Pro 7 26 0 26 4 4 0 4 26
1911–12 Saskatoon Hoo-Hoos Sask-Pro 1 2 0 2
1911–12 Saskatoon Wohlesalers Sask-Pro 1 2 0 2 2 2 0 2 12
1912–13 Quebec Bulldogs NHA 19 4 0 4 29
1912–13* Quebec Bulldogs Stanley Cup 1 0 0 0 0
1913–14 Quebec Bulldogs NHA 19 15 10 25 14
1914–15 Quebec Bulldogs NHA 20 18 8 26 30
1915–16 Quebec Bulldogs NHA 22 18 5 23 54
1916–17 Quebec Bulldogs NHA 19 11 9 20 77
1917–18 Ottawa Senators NHL 11 1 0 1 9
1917–18* Toronto Arenas NHL 9 2 0 2 51 2 2 1 3 9
1918–19 Toronto Arenas NHL 18 7 3 10 51
1919–20 Saskatoon Crescents SSHL 12 3 3 6 14
1920–21 Saskatoon Crescents SSHL 14 11 7 18 12 4 2 2 4 4
1921–22 Saskatoon/Moose Jaw Crescents WCHL 11 3 1 4 7
1922–23 Saskatoon Sheiks WCHL 19 7 6 13 10
1922–23 Calgary Tigers WCHL 11 3 1 4 7
1923–24 Calgary Tigers WCHL 26 4 4 8 21 2 1 0 1 2
1923–24 Calgary Tigers West-PO 3 0 1 1 4
1923–24 Calgary Tigers St-Cup 2 0 0 0 0
1924–25 Calgary Tigers WCHL 27 12 2 14 27 2 0 0 0 4
1925–26 Vancouver Maroons WHL 14 0 0 0 8
1926–27 Minneapolis Millers AHA 32 2 3 5 51 6 3 0 3 13
1927–28 Minneapolis Millers AHA 34 4 2 6 27 8 3 0 3 10
1928–29 Minneapolis Millers AHA 40 3 9 12 33 4 0 0 0 0
1929–30 Minneapolis Millers AHA 43 3 4 7 32
1930–31 Prince Albert Mintos N-SSHL
NHA totals 99 66 32 98 204 4 3 0 3 19
WCHL totals 121 34 21 55 102 9 1 1 2 10
NHL totals 38 10 3 13 117 2 2 1 3 9

* Stanley Cup Champion.

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