Chuck Rayner
Chuck Rayner | |||
---|---|---|---|
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1973 | |||
| |||
Born |
Sutherland, Saskatchewan, Canada | August 11, 1920||
Died |
October 6, 2002 Langley, British Columbia, Canada | (aged 82)||
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 | ||
Playing career | 1941–1953 |
Claude Earl "Chuck" Rayner (August 11, 1920 – October 6, 2002), nicknamed "Bonnie Prince Charlie",[1] was a Canadian professional hockey goaltender who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League for the New York Americans and New York Rangers. He is an honoured member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Early life[]
Rayner was born August 11, 1920, in Sutherland, Saskatchewan.
Playing career[]
Playing his junior career for the Kenora Thistles of the Manitoba junior league, Rayner showed his skill early, backstopping the team to the Abbott Cup to advance to the Memorial Cup championship in 1940. The next season, he turned professional for the Americans, spending most of the year with the Amerks' minor league affiliate, the Springfield Indians of the AHL. With the Indians, Rayner led the league in shutouts and goals against average and was named to the Second All-Star Team.
The following season Rayner was the leading goalie for the Americans' final season before the team folded. World War II interrupted Rayner's career, however, and he spent the next three years in the Royal Canadian Navy, where he played two seasons for naval teams based out of Victoria.
After the war, he signed as a free agent in 1945 with the Rangers. Rayner was the starting goaltender for New York six of the next seven seasons, earning accolades for his play even though the Rangers' teams of the era were weak, and Rayner never had a winning record. He was noted as a puckhandling goalie, attempting several times throughout his career to score a goal.
Even though he played on poor teams throughout his career and never won a Stanley Cup, "Bonnie Prince Charlie" was one of the best goalies of his era. The three years between 1948 and 1951 were his best, and he won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player in 1950, after leading the Rangers to overtime in the seventh game of the Stanley Cup finals.
Post-NHL career[]
In 1953, Rayner suffered a knee injury and lost his job as Rangers' starter to Gump Worsley. He played one more season in the minors for the Saskatoon Quakers of the Western Hockey League and a couple of brief stints in the senior leagues the two seasons thereafter before hanging up his skates for good.
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973, the second goaltender in history to be inducted with a losing record.
Although his hometown of Sutherland became annexed into Saskatoon, Rayner Avenue in the city's Sutherland neighbourhood is named in his honor.
Rayner died on October 6, 2002, of a heart attack.[2]
Awards and achievements[]
- Turnbull Cup MJHL Championship (1940)
- AHL Second All-Star Team (1941)
- NHL Second All-Star Team (1949, 1950, & 1951)
- Hart Memorial Trophy Winner (1950)
- Played in the NHL All-Star Game (1949, 1950, & 1951)
- Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973
- "Honoured Member" of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
- In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, was ranked No. 16 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons[3]
Career statistics[]
Regular season and playoffs[]
Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | Min | GA | SO | GAA | GP | W | L | Min | GA | SO | GAA | ||
1936–37 | Saskatoon Wesleys | SJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | 0 | 180 | 4 | 0 | 1.33 | ||
1936–37 | Saskatoon Wesleys | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 7 | 2 | 550 | 20 | 2 | 2.18 | ||
1937–38 | Kenora Thistles | MJHL | 22 | — | — | — | 1350 | 103 | 0 | 4.58 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1938–39 | Kenora Thistles | MJHL | 22 | — | — | — | 1350 | 64 | 0 | 2.84 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1939–40 | Kenora Thistles | MJHL | 24 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 1480 | 66 | 1 | 2.68 | 9 | — | — | 540 | 18 | 0 | 2.00 | ||
1940–41 | New York Americans | NHL | 12 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 773 | 44 | 0 | 3.42 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1940–41 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 37 | 17 | 13 | 6 | 2280 | 87 | 6 | 2.29 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1941–42 | Brooklyn Americans | NHL | 36 | 13 | 21 | 2 | 2230 | 129 | 1 | 3.47 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1941–42 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 4 | 0 | 4.00 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1942–43 | Victoria Navy | NNDHL | 12 | — | — | — | 720 | 39 | 1 | 3.25 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 370 | 29 | 0 | 4.70 | ||
1943–44 | Victoria Navy | PCHL | 18 | — | — | — | 1080 | 52 | 1 | 2.89 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 130 | 6 | 0 | 2.77 | ||
1943–44 | Halifax RCAF | HCHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1943–44 | Halifax RCAF | Al-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 130 | 6 | 0 | 2.77 | ||
1945–46 | New York Rangers | NHL | 40 | 12 | 21 | 7 | 2377 | 149 | 1 | 3.76 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1946–47 | New York Rangers | NHL | 58 | 22 | 30 | 6 | 3480 | 177 | 5 | 3.05 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1947–48 | New York Rangers | NHL | 12 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 691 | 42 | 0 | 3.65 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 360 | 17 | 0 | 2.83 | ||
1947–48 | New Haven Ramblers | AHL | 15 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 900 | 40 | 0 | 2.67 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1948–49 | New York Rangers | NHL | 58 | 16 | 31 | 11 | 3480 | 168 | 7 | 2.90 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1949–50 | New York Rangers | NHL | 69 | 28 | 30 | 11 | 4140 | 181 | 6 | 2.62 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 775 | 29 | 1 | 2.25 | ||
1950–51 | New York Rangers | NHL | 66 | 19 | 28 | 19 | 3940 | 187 | 2 | 2.85 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1951–52 | New York Rangers | NHL | 53 | 18 | 25 | 10 | 3180 | 159 | 2 | 3.00 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1952–53 | New York Rangers | NHL | 20 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 1200 | 58 | 1 | 2.90 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1953–54 | Saskatoon Quakers | WHL | 68 | 31 | 28 | 9 | 4045 | 204 | 6 | 3.03 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 360 | 23 | 1 | 3.83 | ||
1954–55 | Nelson Maple Leafs | WIHL | 2 | — | — | — | 120 | 4 | 0 | 2.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 2 | 0 | 2.00 | ||
1955–56 | Nelson Maple Leafs | WIHL | 6 | — | — | — | 360 | 18 | 0 | 3.00 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
NHL totals | 424 | 138 | 208 | 77 | 25,491 | 1294 | 25 | 3.05 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 1135 | 46 | 1 | 2.43 |
References[]
- ^ Kennedy, Ryan (2018-11-09). "Top 100 Goalies: No. 37 - Chuck Rayner". Retrieved 2021-12-11.
- ^ Goldstein, Richard (10 October 2002). "Chuck Rayner, 82, Star Goalie for Rangers". The New York Times.
- ^ Cohen, Russ; Halligan, John; Raider, Adam (2009). 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0470736197. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
External links[]
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Charlie (Chuck) Rayner biography at the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
- 1920 births
- 2002 deaths
- Canadian ice hockey goaltenders
- Hart Memorial Trophy winners
- Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
- Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan
- Sportspeople from Saskatoon
- Kenora Thistles players
- New York Americans players
- Brooklyn Americans players
- New York Rangers players
- Springfield Indians players