Tracy Pratt

Tracy Arnold Pratt (born March 8, 1943) is an American-born Canadian former professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the National Hockey League. He was born in New York City, where his father, Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Babe Pratt, played for the New York Rangers.^[1]

Tracy Pratt
Born	(1943-03-08) March 8, 1943 (age 82) New York City, U.S.
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position	Defense
Shot	Left
Played for	Toronto Maple Leafs Colorado Rockies Vancouver Canucks Buffalo Sabres Pittsburgh Penguins Oakland Seals
NHL draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1967–1977

Playing career

Unsigned by any NHL team, Pratt started his junior hockey career in 1960 with the Flin Flon Bombers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. Moving on to the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League in 1962, leading the team's defensemen in the playoffs and winning the league championship.^[2]

Signing with the New York Rangers, Pratt turned professional in 1963 with the St. Paul Rangers of the Central Professional Hockey League, he played four seasons in the minors before being selected in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft in the 14th round, 83rd overall, by the California Seals.^[3] He made his NHL debut for the renamed Oakland Seals that season, splitting the time between the Seals and their Vancouver Canucks farm team,^[1] and was one of the two players involved in the check that resulted in Bill Masterton's death that season.^[4]

Starting the 1969 season with Vancouver, he was traded mid-season to the Pittsburgh Penguins, finishing the season back in the NHL with them.^[5] At the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft, Pratt was drafted again, this time 7th overall by the Buffalo Sabres, for whom he went on to play four seasons.^[6] A noted pugilist, unusually, in that first season, Pratt had a celebrated fight with future Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Billy Smith.^[7]

In December of 1973, Pratt was dealt with John Gould to the Vancouver Canucks (which had joined the NHL in 1970 with Buffalo]] for Jerry Korab.^[8][9] He played two and a half seasons for the Canucks before signing as a free agent with the Colorado Rockies in 1976. After a late-season trade that year to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pratt retired as a hockey player.

Pratt's best year was 1975, when he scored 22 points with a +7 rating, and was one of two Canucks (the other being goaltender Gary Smith) named to play in that season's NHL All-Star Game.^[10]

After retirement, Pratt coached for a single season in 1980 as head coach of the Abbotsford Flyers of the Junior A British Columbia Hockey League; the team finished out of the playoffs for the only time in the franchise's history, and he was not retained.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1959–60	Vancouver College	HS-BC		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1960–61	Flin Flon Bombers	SJHL		59	3	13	16	83		—	—	—	—	—
1961–62	Flin Flon Bombers	SJHL		51	7	16	23	143		10	2	4	6	36
1962–63	Brandon Wheat Kings	MJHL		33	10	17	27	132		10	3	8	11	38
1962–63	Brandon Wheat Kings	MC		—	—	—	—	—		9	2	4	6	35
1963–64	St. Paul Rangers	CPHL		52	4	15	19	128		11	0	0	0	49
1964–65	St. Paul Rangers	CPHL		66	15	25	40	200		9	1	2	3	27
1965–66	St. Louis Braves	CPHL		70	2	23	25	206		5	1	2	3	6
1966–67	Portland Buckaroos[1]	WHL		63	0	10	10	92		4	0	1	1	4
1967–68	Oakland Seals	NHL		34	0	5	5	90		—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		29	1	8	9	73		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Vancouver Canucks	WHL		45	2	10	12	74		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		18	0	5	5	34		—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		65	5	7	12	124		10	0	1	1	51
1970–71	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		76	1	7	8	179		—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		27	0	10	10	52		—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Cincinnati Swords	AHL		16	0	11	11	40		—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		74	1	15	16	116		6	0	0	0	6
1973–74	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		33	0	7	7	52		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		45	3	8	11	44		—	—	—	—	—
1974–75	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		79	5	17	22	145		3	0	0	0	5
1975–76	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		52	1	5	6	72		2	0	0	0	0
1976–77	Colorado Rockies	NHL		66	1	10	11	110		—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		11	0	1	1	8		4	0	0	0	0
NHL totals				580	17	97	114	1026		25	0	1	1	62

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database