Babe Pratt

Babe Pratt
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1966
Born	January 7, 1916 Stony Mountain, MB, CAN
Died	December 16, 1988 (aged 72) Vancouver, BC, CAN
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	212 lb (96 kg; 15 st 2 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Left
Played for	New York Rangers Toronto Maple Leafs Boston Bruins
Playing career	1935–1952

Walter Peter "Babe" Pratt (January 7, 1916 – December 16, 1988) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman/left winger who played for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League.

Babe was an important member of two Stanley Cup winning teams, the 1940 Rangers and 1945 Maple Leafs. He won the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1944. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966.

In January, 1946 Pratt was caught betting on hockey games and was subsequently suspended from the NHL. Pratt admitted to gambling but denied ever placing a bet against his own team. After promising to quit betting he was reinstated to the Toronto Maple Leafs. His last NHL season was with the Boston Bruins in 1946–47 and he played in the minors after that.

He subsequently worked as an analyst for CBC Television's Hockey Night In Canada telecasts from Vancouver in the 1970s and served as a goodwill ambassador of the Vancouver Canucks. Pratt collapsed and died of a heart attack in the media lounge of the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver during the first intermission of a Canucks game on December 16, 1988. The Canucks honored Pratt's memory by stitching "BABE" on their sweaters for the remainder of the hockey season.

Despite the brevity of his career, the time passed since it ended, and a reputation for rough play, in 1998, he was ranked number 96 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

Awards and achievements

• MJHL Scoring Champion (1935)
• Turnbull Cup MJHL Championship (1934)
• Stanley Cup championship (1940 and 1945)
• NHL First All-Star Team Defence (1944)
• Hart Memorial Trophy winner (1944)
• NHL Second All-Star Team Defence (1945)
• Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966
• Inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1990
• Selected to Manitoba's All-Century First All-Star Team
• “Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
• In 1998, he was ranked number 96 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players
• Ranked No. 47 on the all-time list of New York Rangers in the book 100 Ranger Greats (John Wiley & Sons, 2009).
• Tied for most assists by a defenceman in one game with 6

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1933–34	Kenora Thistles	MJHL		16	14	7	21	33		9	6	2	8	18
1933–34	Kenora Thistles	MAHA		—	—	—	—	—		2	0	2	2	8
1933–34	Kenora Thistles	Memorial Cup		—	—	—	—	—		2	4	2	6	6
1934–35	Kenora Thistles	MJHL		17	17	22	39	21		2	0	4	4	5
1935–36	New York Rangers	NHL		17	1	1	2	16		—	—	—	—	—
1935–36	Philadelphia Ramblers	CAHL		28	7	8	15	48		4	0	0	0	2
1936–37	New York Rangers	NHL		47	8	7	15	23		9	3	1	4	11
1937–38	New York Rangers	NHL		47	5	14	19	56		2	0	0	0	2
1938–39	New York Rangers	NHL		48	2	19	21	20		7	1	2	3	9
1939–40	New York Rangers	NHL		48	4	13	17	61		12	3	1	4	18
1940–41	New York Rangers	NHL		47	3	17	20	52		3	1	1	2	6
1941–42	New York Rangers	NHL		47	4	24	28	65		6	1	3	4	34
1942–43	New York Rangers	NHL		4	0	2	2	6		—	—	—	—	—
1942–43	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		40	12	25	37	44		6	1	2	3	8
1943–44	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		50	17	40	57	30		5	0	3	3	4
1944–45	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		50	18	23	41	39		13	2	4	6	8
1945–46	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		41	5	20	25	36		—	—	—	—	—
1946–47	Boston Bruins	NHL		31	4	4	8	25		—	—	—	—	—
1946–47	Hershey Bears	AHL		21	5	10	15	23		11	3	5	8	19
1947–48	Cleveland Barons	AHL		17	1	4	5	8		—	—	—	—	—
1947–48	Hershey Bears	AHL		36	2	14	16	39		2	0	0	0	0
1948–49	New Westminster Royals	PCHL		63	18	48	66	64		12	1	8	9	10
1949–50	New Westminster Royals	PCHL		59	8	29	37	56		18	2	6	8	22
1950–51	New Westminster Royals	PCHL		65	8	15	23	54		7	0	0	0	4
1951–52	Tacoma Rockets	PCHL		63	7	31	38	20		5	0	1	1	0
NHL totals				517	83	209	292	473		63	12	17	29	100

External links

• Babe Pratt's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Babe Pratt's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Babe Pratt’s biography at Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
• Babe Pratt's biography at Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame