Ray Getliffe
Raymond Getliffe (April 3, 1914 – June 15, 2008) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens. Born in Galt, Ontario (now Cambridge, Ontario), he played with the Saint John St. Peters. At the time of his death he was believed to be the oldest living former Montreal Canadiens player. Getliffe's name is on the Stanley Cup twice, for 1939 with Boston and 1944 with Montreal. On February 6, 1943 while playing for the Canadiens he scored five goals in one game.
| Ray Getliffe | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Ray Getliffe, playing for the Montreal Canadiens in 1945 | |||
| Born |
April 3, 1914 Galt, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Died |
June 15, 2008 (aged 94) London, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Montreal Canadiens Boston Bruins | ||
| Playing career | 1935–1945 | ||
After finishing his playing career, Getliffe briefly officiated in the NHL. Retired from hockey, Getliffe and his wife Lorna remained in Montreal until moving to London, Ontario in 1990, where he grew up.[1]
Getliffe died in London of liver cancer at age 94. At the time of his death, reports claimed that he was the oldest living NHL alumnus, about four months older than ex-New York Ranger and Chicago Blackhawk Clint Smith.[2] These reports, however, overlooked players who had only played a certain number of games, such as Louis Holmes and Al Suomi.[3]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1930–31 | London Athletic Club | OHA-Int. | 9 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1931–32 | London Diamonds | OHA-Jr. | 6 | 8 | 4 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1932–33 | Stratford Midgets | OHA-Jr. | 6 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 20 | ||
| 1933–34 | Stratford Midgets | OHA-Jr. | 13 | 26 | 17 | 43 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 12 | ||
| 1934–35 | Charlottetown Abbeys | MSHL | 20 | 15 | 4 | 19 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1934–35 | St. John's St. Peters | SJCHL | 17 | 35 | 25 | 60 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 11 | ||
| 1934–35 | St. John's Beavers | Exhib | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1935–36 | London Tecumsehs | IHL | 17 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1935–36 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1935–36 | Boston Cubs | Can-Am | 29 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1936–37 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 16 | 15 | 31 | 28 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1937–38 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 36 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1938–39 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 43 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1938–39 | Hershey Bears | IAHL | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1939–40 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 46 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1940–41 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 39 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1941–42 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 45 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1942–43 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 50 | 18 | 28 | 46 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 1943–44 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 44 | 28 | 25 | 53 | 44 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 16 | ||
| 1944–45 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 41 | 16 | 7 | 23 | 34 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 393 | 136 | 137 | 273 | 250 | 45 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 30 | ||||
References
- "Getliffe going strong at 91". Canada.com. 2006-02-25. Retrieved 2011-03-12.
- CANOE - SLAM! Sports - Hockey - News: NHLer who nicknamed 'The Rocket' dead at 94 Archived October 6, 2008, at Archive.today
- Meiselman, Harvey (2008). Harvey's Hockey Address List 2008. Boynton Beach, Florida: Sports Address Lists.
External links
- Ray Getliffe career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
- Ray Getliffe at Find a Grave
- Ray Getliffe Get his Day With the Stanley Cup