Babe Pratt

Walter "Babe" Pratt (January 7, 1916 in Stony Mountain, Manitoba - December 16, 1988) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers in the National Hockey League.

Babe was an important member of two Stanley Cup winning teams, the 1940 Rangers and 1945 Maple Leafs. He won the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1944. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966.

In January, 1946 Pratt was caught betting on hockey games and was subsequently suspended from the NHL. Pratt admitted to gambling but denied ever placing a bet against his own team. After promising to quit betting he was reinstated to the Toronto Maple Leafs. His last NHL season was with Boston in 1946–47 and he played in the minors after that.

He subsequently worked as an analyst for Hockey Night In Canada telecasts from Vancouver in the 1970s and served as a goodwill ambassador of the Vancouver Canucks. Pratt collapsed and died of a heart attack in the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver while watching a Canucks game on December 16, 1988. The Canucks honored Pratt's memory by stitching "BABE" on their sweaters for the remainder of the hockey season.

Despite the brevity of his career, the time passed since it ended, and a reputation for rough play, in 1998, he was ranked number 96 on "The Hockey News"' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

Awards & Achievements

*MJHL Scoring Champion (1934 & 1935)
*Turnbull Cup MJHL Championship (1934)
*Stanley Cup Championships (1940 & 1945)
*NHL First All-Star Team Defence (1944)
*Hart Memorial Trophy Winner (1944)
*NHL Second All-Star Team Defence (1945)
*Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966
*Inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1990
*Selected to Manitoba's All-Century First All-Star Team
*“Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
*In 1998, he was ranked number 96 on "The Hockey News"' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players

ource

Basen, Ira (Feb. 11, 2006). "Hockey's first gambling face-off". The Globe and Mail, p. F7.

External links

*hockeydb|4372
*
* [http://www.halloffame.mb.ca/honoured/1990/wPratt.htm Babe Pratt’s biography] at [http://www.halloffame.mb.ca/ Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum]
* [http://www.mbhockeyhalloffame.ca/honoured/players.html?category=7&id=22 Babe Pratt's biography] at [http://www.mbhockeyhalloffame.ca/index.html Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame]