The Hart Memorial Trophy has been
awarded to the Most Valuable Player in the National Hockey League
since the 1923-24 season. The George Leader Cup was awarded to the
MVP of the Western Hockey League from 1948-49 to 1972-73. Of course,
Wayne Gretzky has won the Hart Trophy more times than any other
player. The George Leader Cup was dominated by Guyle
Fielder who won the award five times. Just two players in the
history of professional hockey have won both awards.
Walter ‘Babe’ Pratt
Babe Pratt played pro hockey from
1935-36 to 1951-52, in the NHL to 1946-47. In the NHL, he appeared
with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins.
Pratt also played in the CAHL, AHL and PCHL. Over his NHL career, he
played 517 regular season games, scoring 83 goals and assisting on
209 for 292 points. In 63 Stanley Cup playoff games, he scored 12
goals and assisted on 17 for 29 points.
In 1939-40, Babe helped the New York
Rangers to a Stanley Cup championship with a four games to two
victory over the Maple Leafs. In 1944-45, he won his second and last
Stanley Cup, this time with Toronto. The Maple Leafs took the full
seven games to defeat the Detroit Red Wings. In 1966, Pratt was
inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
In 1943-44, Pratt was awarded the Hart
Trophy in his first full year with the Maple Leafs. Playing the full
50 game schedule, Babe scored 17 goals and assisted on 40 for 57
points. It was his NHL career high for assists and points. The assist
total tied him for seventh in the league. Toronto finished third with
an even 50 points in 50 games. The Maple Leafs met their cruel demise
in the opening round of the playoffs as the Montreal Canadiens easily
won the series 4-1. The Habs outscored Toronto 23-6, including a game
five 11-0 trouncing.
Pratt was awarded the George Leader Cup
in two consecutive seasons, 1948-49 and 1949-50, the first two years
the trophy was handed out. Both years, he was a member of the New
Westminster Royals of the PCHL. After 1951-52, the PCHL would become
the WHL.
In 1948-49, he scored 18 and assisted
on 48 for 66 points in 63 regular season games. He tied for fifth in
the league for assists. The Royals placed first in the five team
North Division and first overall in the ten team league with 83
points in 70 games. New Westminster reached the finals before losing
to the San Diego Skyhawks, four games to two.
The following season, Pratt played just
59 of the team’s 71 games, scoring eight goals and adding 29
assists for 37 points. Babe also acted as the team’s head coach.
The Royals placed first overall in the PCHL, which had shrunk to just
six teams. In a closely fought final series, New Westminster captured
the championship with a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Monarchs.
Each team scored 26 goals in the series. Two games were decided in
overtime, including game seven.
Andy Bathgate
Bathgate won his Hart Trophy in 1958-59
as a member of the New York Rangers. He played the full 70 games,
scoring 40 goals and totalling 88 points. He placed third in the NHL
for goals, five behind the leader, Jean Beliveau of the Montreal Canadiens. He also placed third in points, eight behind leader Dickie
Moore of the Canadiens. The Rangers finished fifth out of six and did
not qualify for the post season.
In 1969-70, he was awarded the George
Leader Cup as a member of the Vancouver Canucks of the WHL. Bathgate
finished the regular season playing the full 72 game schedule. He
scored 40 and added 68 assists for 108 points. Andy was fourth in
goals and second in points, 19 behind Art Jones of the Portland
Buckaroos. For Jones, a minor hockey legend, it was his fourth of six
scoring titles in the WHL. The Canucks finished first in the seven
team league with 102 points in 72 games. Vancouver won the
championship with a four games to one victory over the Portland
Buckaroos.
Andy Bathgate played in the NHL from
1952-53 to 1967-68 and returned for a year in 1970-71. Andy appeared
with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and
Pittsburgh Penguins. His only Stanley Cup victory came in 1963-64 as
the Maple Leafs downed the Red Wings in seven games. In 1961-62,
Bathgate tied Bobby Hull for the NHL lead with 84 points. However,
Hull was awarded the Art Ross Trophy with more goals. Andy was
inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978.
