Ace Bailey
Encyclopedia
Irvine Wallace "Ace" Bailey (July 3, 1903 – April 7, 1992) was an ice hockey
player who competed for the Toronto Maple Leafs
during eight seasons, from 1926–1933.
, Bailey grew up in Toronto
and played junior hockey for St. Mary's in the Ontario Hockey Association
. He played senior hockey in Peterborough for two seasons (1924–1926) and in November 1926 was signed by the Toronto St. Patricks of the National Hockey League
, renamed the Toronto Maple Leafs
in his first season with the team. He was the leading scorer and goal scorer in the NHL in the 1928–29 season, with 22 goals and 32 points in 44 games. He was again the Leafs' leading scorer in 1929–30 and one point short of repeating in 1930–31. After three consecutive 20-goal seasons, his offensive production declined in the 1931–32 season; however, Bailey still helped Toronto win the Stanley Cup in 1932.
Bailey's career came to an abrupt end on December 12, 1933, when he was hit from behind by Eddie Shore
of the Boston Bruins
, apparently in retaliation for a hit he had received from Red Horner
moments earlier, and hit his head on the ice, fracturing his skull. It was feared that Bailey would not survive after severely injuring his head. Bailey did recover, but never played hockey again. An all-star benefit game
was held at Maple Leaf Gardens
on February 14, 1934, which raised $20,909.40 for Bailey and his family. Bailey and Shore shook hands and embraced at centre ice before the game began. Thirteen years later, the NHL introduced an annual all-star game.
Bailey's #6 jersey was the first ever to be retired by an NHL team, and is one of only two to have been permanently retired by the Maple Leafs (the other being Bill Barilko
's #5). Bailey, however, would later ask Ron Ellis
to wear the number. Over his career, Bailey totaled 111 goals and 82 assists in 313 games.
Varsity Blues men's ice hockey team
hockey team from 1935 to 1940 and again after World War II
from 1945 to 1949, winning three Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union championships. He also worked as a timekeeper at Maple Leaf Gardens
from 1938 to 1984, when the 81-year-old Bailey was told by Gardens owner Harold Ballard
that his services were no longer needed. Bailey was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
in 1975. He died in 1992 at the age of 88. From being near-death at the age of 30, Bailey was thought to be the oldest living Leaf in the year before his death.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player who competed for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
during eight seasons, from 1926–1933.
Playing career
Born in Bracebridge, OntarioBracebridge, Ontario
Bracebridge is a town and the seat of the Muskoka District Municipality of Ontario, Canada.The town was built around a waterfall on the Muskoka River in the centre of town, and is known for its other nearby waterfalls . It was first incorporated in 1875...
, Bailey grew up in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and played junior hockey for St. Mary's in the Ontario Hockey Association
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
. He played senior hockey in Peterborough for two seasons (1924–1926) and in November 1926 was signed by the Toronto St. Patricks of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
, renamed the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in his first season with the team. He was the leading scorer and goal scorer in the NHL in the 1928–29 season, with 22 goals and 32 points in 44 games. He was again the Leafs' leading scorer in 1929–30 and one point short of repeating in 1930–31. After three consecutive 20-goal seasons, his offensive production declined in the 1931–32 season; however, Bailey still helped Toronto win the Stanley Cup in 1932.
Bailey's career came to an abrupt end on December 12, 1933, when he was hit from behind by Eddie Shore
Eddie Shore
Edward William Shore was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman, principally for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League, and the longtime owner of the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League, iconic for his toughness and defensive skill.Shore won the Hart Trophy as the...
of the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
, apparently in retaliation for a hit he had received from Red Horner
Red Horner
George Reginald "Red" Horner was an ice hockey defenceman for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League from 1928 to 1940. He was the Leafs captain from 1938 until his retirement. He helped the Leafs win their first Stanley Cup in 1932...
moments earlier, and hit his head on the ice, fracturing his skull. It was feared that Bailey would not survive after severely injuring his head. Bailey did recover, but never played hockey again. An all-star benefit game
Ace Bailey Benefit Game
The Ace Bailey Benefit Game was the first all-star game in National Hockey League history. It was played on February 14, 1934 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto to raise money to support Ace Bailey, whose career was ended by a violent hit by Eddie Shore during a game earlier in the 1933–34 season...
was held at Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena that was converted into a Loblawssupermarket and Ryerson University athletic centre in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the...
on February 14, 1934, which raised $20,909.40 for Bailey and his family. Bailey and Shore shook hands and embraced at centre ice before the game began. Thirteen years later, the NHL introduced an annual all-star game.
Bailey's #6 jersey was the first ever to be retired by an NHL team, and is one of only two to have been permanently retired by the Maple Leafs (the other being Bill Barilko
Bill Barilko
William "Bashin' Bill" Barilko was a Canadian ice hockey player who played his entire National Hockey League career for the Toronto Maple Leafs.- Personal life :Barilko was of Ukrainian descent and had a brother, Alex, and sister, Anne....
's #5). Bailey, however, would later ask Ron Ellis
Ron Ellis
Ronald John Edward Ellis is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs.-Playing career:...
to wear the number. Over his career, Bailey totaled 111 goals and 82 assists in 313 games.
Post-playing career
Following his career-ending injury, Bailey asked the NHL if he could work as a linesman, but he was turned down. He coached the University of TorontoUniversity of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
Varsity Blues men's ice hockey team
Varsity Blues men's ice hockey team
The Varsity Blues men's ice hockey team is an ice hockey team operated by the Varsity Blues athletics program of the University of Toronto. The Varsity Blues senior team won the Allan Cup in 1921 and 1927, and won the gold medal for Canada at the 1928 Winter Olympics.The Blues play in the Ontario...
hockey team from 1935 to 1940 and again after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
from 1945 to 1949, winning three Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union championships. He also worked as a timekeeper at Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena that was converted into a Loblawssupermarket and Ryerson University athletic centre in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the...
from 1938 to 1984, when the 81-year-old Bailey was told by Gardens owner Harold Ballard
Harold Ballard
Harold E. Ballard was an owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League as well as their home arena, Maple Leaf Gardens. A member of the Leafs organization from 1940 and a senior executive from 1957, he became part-owner of the team in 1961 and was majority owner from February...
that his services were no longer needed. Bailey was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
in 1975. He died in 1992 at the age of 88. From being near-death at the age of 30, Bailey was thought to be the oldest living Leaf in the year before his death.
Awards and achievements
- 1928-29 - NHL Scoring Leader
- 1975 - Honoured member - Hockey Hall of Fame
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1926–27 | Toronto St. Pats/Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
42 | 15 | 13 | 28 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1927–28 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 43 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1928–29 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 44 | 22 | 10 | 32 | 78 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1929–30 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 43 | 22 | 21 | 43 | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1930–31 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 40 | 23 | 19 | 42 | 46 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1931–32 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 41 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 62 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1932–33 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 47 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 52 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1933–34 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 313 | 111 | 82 | 193 | 472 | 21 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 12 | ||||
See also
- Ace Bailey Benefit GameAce Bailey Benefit GameThe Ace Bailey Benefit Game was the first all-star game in National Hockey League history. It was played on February 14, 1934 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto to raise money to support Ace Bailey, whose career was ended by a violent hit by Eddie Shore during a game earlier in the 1933–34 season...
- List of past NHL scoring leaders
- Hockey Hall of FameHockey Hall of FameThe Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...