Francis Leonard Bathe is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey

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...

 defenceman who played nine seasons in 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...

 (NHL) with 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...

 and Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

.

Playing career

The former Philadelphia Flyer's defencemen is the son of Alan Bathe, who signed as a free agent with the Canadian Maple Leafs. Sporting a full beard and a head of shaggy red hair made him a true standout on the ice. He was known as a fighter and a funny guy. He won the Barry Ashbee Trophy for best defenceman in 1982. A back injury ended Frank's NHL career in 1984.

Currently residing in southern Maine, Bathe is a successful business owner and the father of five children. His son, Landon Bathe, followed in his footsteps to the NHL only to encounter a similar career-ending injury.

External links