Billy Reay

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) from 1943 to 1953, winning two Stanley Cups. He then coached from 1957 to 1959 in the NHL and again from 1963 to 1977, primarily with the Chicago Black Hawks, who he coached to the Stanley Cup Finals three times. While he did not win a Cup as a coach, Reay won over 500 games as a head coach, and he was the second coach to win 500 games with one team. When he retired, he was second in NHL history in wins, and he currently is one of 29 coaches to have won 500 games.

Billy Reay
Reay in 1973
Born	(1918-08-21)August 21, 1918 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Died	September 23, 2004(2004-09-23) (aged 86) Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height	5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight	155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Detroit Red Wings Montreal Canadiens
Playing career	1943–1953

Career

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 the Stanley Cup two times, 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). Although he led the Black Hawks to three Stanley Cup Finals (1965, 1971, and 1973), he never won the Cup. In his fourth year, 1966–67, he led the Hawks to the league's best record, the first time they had done so in their 41-year history. He is the franchise's all-time leader in wins (516) and years coached (14).

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.^[1][2][3]

He died of liver cancer in Madison, Wisconsin at the age of 86.^[4][5]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1936–37	St. Boniface Seals	MJHL		15	4	4	8	6		7	1	0	1	2
1937–38	St. Boniface Seals	MJHL		15	15	7	22	14		10	5	5	10	12
1938–39	Calgary Stampeders	ASHL		32	11	8	19	44		—	—	—	—	—
1939–40	Omaha Knights	AHA		48	18	20	38	23		9	6	1	7	4
1940–41	Omaha Knights	AHA		46	18	22	40	32		—	—	—	—	—
1941–42	Sydney Millionaires	CBSHL		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1941–42	Quebec Aces	QSHL		1	1	0	1	0		7	1	3	4	4
1941–42	Quebec Aces	Al-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		11	6	3	9	8
1942–43	Quebec Morton Aces	QSHL		29	16	26	42	22		4	2	0	2	2
1943–44	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		2	2	0	2	0		—	—	—	—	—
1943–44	Quebec Aces	QSHL		25	15	31	46	19		5	2	7	9	2
1943–44	Quebec Aces	Al-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		9	3	9	12	0
1944–45	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1944–45	Quebec Aces	QSHL		20	17	29	46	6		7	3	1	4	4
1944–45	Quebec Aces	Al-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		3	0	0	0	0
1945–46	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		44	17	12	29	10		9	1	2	3	4
1946–47	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		59	22	20	42	17		11	6	1	7	14
1947–48	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		60	6	14	20	24		—	—	—	—	—
1948–49	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		60	22	23	45	33		7	1	5	6	4
1949–50	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		68	19	26	45	48		4	0	1	1	0
1950–51	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		60	6	18	24	24		11	3	3	6	10
1951–52	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		68	7	34	41	20		10	2	2	4	7
1952–53	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		56	4	15	19	26		11	0	2	2	4
1953–54	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		69	10	14	24	30		5	0	0	0	2
1954–55	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		70	3	28	31	43		5	1	1	2	4
NHL totals				479	105	162	267	202		63	13	16	29	43

Coaching record

Team	Year	Regular season						Playoffs
		G	W	L	T	Pts	Finish	Result
Toronto Maple Leafs	1957–58	70	21	38	11	53	6th in NHL	Did not qualify
Toronto Maple Leafs	1958–59	20	5	12	3	13	4th in NHL	Fired
Chicago Black Hawks	1963–64	70	36	22	12	84	2nd in NHL	Lost in semi-finals
Chicago Black Hawks	1964–65	70	34	28	8	76	3rd in NHL	Lost in Stanley Cup Finals
Chicago Black Hawks	1965–66	70	37	25	8	82	2nd in NHL	Lost in semi-finals
Chicago Black Hawks	1966–67	70	41	17	12	94	1st in NHL	Lost in semi-finals
Chicago Black Hawks	1967–68	74	32	26	16	80	4th in East	Lost in semi-finals
Chicago Black Hawks	1968–69	76	34	33	9	77	6th in East	Did not qualify
Chicago Black Hawks	1969–70	76	45	22	9	99	1st in East	Lost in semi-finals
Chicago Black Hawks	1970–71	78	49	20	9	107	1st in West	Lost in Stanley Cup Finals
Chicago Black Hawks	1971–72	78	46	17	15	107	1st in West	Lost in semi-finals
Chicago Black Hawks	1972–73	78	42	27	9	93	1st in West	Lost in Stanley Cup Finals
Chicago Black Hawks	1973–74	78	41	14	23	105	2nd in West	Lost in semi-finals
Chicago Black Hawks	1974–75	80	37	35	8	82	3rd in Smythe	Lost in quarter-finals
Chicago Black Hawks	1975–76	80	32	30	18	82	1st in Smythe	Lost in quarter-finals
Chicago Black Hawks	1976–77	34	10	19	5	25	3rd in Smythe	Fired
NHL Totals		1102	542	385	175	1259	5 Division Titles	57—60 (.487)

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