Ed Sandford
Encyclopedia
Ed Sandford is a retired Canadian ice hockey
forward
, most notably for the Boston Bruins
of the National Hockey League
.
program, leading his team to the Memorial Cup
playoffs in 1946 and 1947. In 1947, Sandford devastated the Ontario Hockey Association
with 67 points in 27 games, adding a Gretzkyesque 52 points in nine OHA playoffs and ten Memorial Cup games en route to St. Michael's third Memorial Cup title. For his efforts, he was awarded the Red Tilson Trophy
as the OHA's most valuable player.
Sandford was signed by the Bruins in 1947. In the low scoring era of the late 1940s and 1950s, Sandford was no sniper - save for the 1953 season, when he led all scorers in the playoffs with eight goals and eleven points - but proved to be an effective and tenacious defensive left winger, and was named to play in the NHL All-Star Game in five consecutive seasons starting in 1951.
His best scoring season was 1954, when he scored 16 goals and 31 assists for 47 points, finishing in the top ten in league scoring, and earned citation as a Second Team All-Star, one of the lowest scoring forwards to do so in the post-War
era. The next season he was named to succeed the retiring Milt Schmidt
as Bruins' captain.
He played eight seasons in all for the Bruins, only to be traded in the 1955 offseason in a blockbuster nine-player deal - the largest in NHL history to that date - which sent him to the Detroit Red Wings
. After playing only four games in Detroit, the Wings promptly dealt Sandford to the Chicago Black Hawks
where he finished out the season before retiring.
For many years after his retirement, Sandford served in various off-ice capacities for the Bruins, as a goal judge, official scorer and eventually supervisor of off-ice officials. He became a curling enthusiast after his playing days http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/11872851/ and was one of the players of the Bruins' first alumni team. http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=354382
In 2001, the Society for International Hockey Research
, in collaboration with the Hockey Hall of Fame
and The Hockey News
, selected a list of would-be Conn Smythe Trophy
winners for the NHL playoff MVP before the trophy was officially presented in 1965, and determined on Sandford's selection for his efforts in the 1953 playoffs.
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...
forward
Forward (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...
, most notably for 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...
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...
.
Playing career
Sandford played his junior hockey for the renowned St. Michael's MajorsToronto St. Michael's Majors
The Toronto St. Michael's Majors, was a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The hockey program was founded and operated by St. Michael's College School in 1906, and adopted the name "Majors" in 1934, and was commonly referred to as St. Mike's...
program, leading his team to the Memorial Cup
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...
playoffs in 1946 and 1947. In 1947, Sandford devastated 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...
with 67 points in 27 games, adding a Gretzkyesque 52 points in nine OHA playoffs and ten Memorial Cup games en route to St. Michael's third Memorial Cup title. For his efforts, he was awarded the Red Tilson Trophy
Red Tilson Trophy
The Red Tilson Trophy is an annual award given to the most outstanding player in the Ontario Hockey League. The award is voted on by OHL writers and broadcasters, and is named for Red Tilson, a former played for the Oshawa Generals who was killed in service in the Second World War...
as the OHA's most valuable player.
Sandford was signed by the Bruins in 1947. In the low scoring era of the late 1940s and 1950s, Sandford was no sniper - save for the 1953 season, when he led all scorers in the playoffs with eight goals and eleven points - but proved to be an effective and tenacious defensive left winger, and was named to play in the NHL All-Star Game in five consecutive seasons starting in 1951.
His best scoring season was 1954, when he scored 16 goals and 31 assists for 47 points, finishing in the top ten in league scoring, and earned citation as a Second Team All-Star, one of the lowest scoring forwards to do so in the post-War
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...
era. The next season he was named to succeed the retiring Milt Schmidt
Milt Schmidt
Milton Conrad Schmidt is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre, coach and general manager, mostly for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.-Early years:...
as Bruins' captain.
He played eight seasons in all for the Bruins, only to be traded in the 1955 offseason in a blockbuster nine-player deal - the largest in NHL history to that date - which sent him to the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
. After playing only four games in Detroit, the Wings promptly dealt Sandford to the Chicago Black Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
where he finished out the season before retiring.
Retirement
Sandford finished his playing days with 106 goals and 145 assists for 251 points in 503 games, recording 355 penalty minutes.For many years after his retirement, Sandford served in various off-ice capacities for the Bruins, as a goal judge, official scorer and eventually supervisor of off-ice officials. He became a curling enthusiast after his playing days http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/11872851/ and was one of the players of the Bruins' first alumni team. http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=354382
In 2001, the Society for International Hockey Research
Society for International Hockey Research
The Society for International Hockey Research is a network of writers, statisticians, collectors, broadcasters, academics and ice hockey buffs. The Society, based in Toronto, Canada, has an international membership. The Society cultivates and encourages the study of ice hockey...
, in collaboration with 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...
and The Hockey News
The Hockey News
The Hockey News, commonly abbreviated to THN, is a North American ice hockey magazine published by Transcontinental. The Hockey News was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Bill Côté, and has since been the most recognized hockey publication in North America...
, selected a list of would-be Conn Smythe Trophy
Conn Smythe Trophy
The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded annually to the player judged most valuable to his team during the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup playoffs. The Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded 46 times to 40 players since the 1964–65 NHL season...
winners for the NHL playoff MVP before the trophy was officially presented in 1965, and determined on Sandford's selection for his efforts in the 1953 playoffs.