Introduction
William Tulip Reay (August 21, 1918 – September 23, 2004) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Reay played ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He then coached from 1957 to 1977 in the NHL.
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he played in the NHL for ten seasons with the Montreal Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings. In 479 games, he scored 105 goals and 267 points and in 63 playoff games, he scored 13 goals and 29 points. He won two Stanley Cups in 1946 and 1953, both with the Montreal Canadiens. He was the head coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs (1957–1959) and the head coach for the Chicago Black Hawks (1963–1977). He has won the most games for a Chicago Black Hawks coach. Although he coached the Black Hawks to three Stanley Cup finals (1965, 1971, and 1973), he was never able to win.
Before beginning a career from which he retired with the second most victories in NHL history, Reay was a Canadiens centre who is believed to be the first player to raise his arms and stick to celebrate a goal when he did so after scoring in a game in 1947.
He died of liver cancer in Madison, Wisconsin.
Coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
| TOR | 1957–58 | 70 | 21 | 38 | 11 | - | 53 | 6th in NHL | Did Not Qualify |
| TOR | 1958–59 | 20 | 5 | 12 | 3 | - | (65) | 4th in NHL | (fired) |
| CHI | 1963–64 | 70 | 36 | 22 | 12 | - | 84 | 2nd in NHL | Lost in first round |
| CHI | 1964–65 | 70 | 34 | 28 | 8 | - | 76 | 3rd in NHL | Lost in Stanley Cup Finals |
| CHI | 1965–66 | 70 | 37 | 25 | 8 | - | 82 | 2nd in NHL | Lost in first round |
| CHI | 1966–67 | 70 | 41 | 17 | 12 | - | 94 | 1st in NHL | Lost in first round |
| CHI | 1967–68 | 74 | 32 | 26 | 16 | - | 80 | 4th in East | Lost in second round |
| CHI | 1968–69 | 76 | 34 | 33 | 9 | - | 77 | 6th in East | Did Not Qualify |
| CHI | 1969–70 | 76 | 45 | 22 | 9 | - | 99 | 1st in East | Lost in second round |
| CHI | 1970–71 | 78 | 49 | 20 | 9 | - | 107 | 1st in West | Lost in Stanley Cup Finals |
| CHI | 1971–72 | 78 | 46 | 17 | 15 | - | 107 | 1st in West | Lost in second round |
| CHI | 1972–73 | 78 | 42 | 27 | 9 | - | 93 | 1st in West | Lost in Stanley Cup Finals |
| CHI | 1973–74 | 78 | 41 | 14 | 23 | - | 105 | 2nd in West | Lost in second round |
| CHI | 1974–75 | 80 | 37 | 35 | 8 | - | 82 | 3rd in Smythe | Lost in second round |
| CHI | 1975–76 | 80 | 32 | 30 | 18 | - | 82 | 1st in Smythe | Lost in second round |
| CHI | 1976–77 | 34 | 10 | 19 | 5 | - | (63) | 3rd in Smythe | (fired) |
| Total | 1102 | 542 | 385 | 175 | |||||
Awards and achievements
- Turnbull Cup MJHL Championship (1938)
- Memorial Cup Championship (1938)
- Allan Cup Championship (1944)
- Stanley Cup Championships (1946 & 1953)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (1952)
- Calder Cup (AHL) Championship (1963)
- Selected Manitoba's All-Century Second Team Coach
- “Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame