Babe Dye
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Cecil Henry "Babe" Dye (May 13, 1898 — January 3, 1962) was a Canadian professional
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
forward who played 11 seasons in the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL) for the Toronto St. Patricks/ Maple Leafs, Hamilton Tigers,
Chicago Black Hawks Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, and the
New York Americans The New York Americans, colloquially known as the Amerks, were a professional ice hockey team based in New York City from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the second to play ...
between 1919 and 1930. Born in
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...
, Dye was known as an excellent stick-handler and goal-scorer. Dye began his professional ice hockey career with the Toronto St. Patricks in 1919. He became the NHL's point-scoring leader in the 1922–23 season, a feat he repeated during the 1924–25 season. In 1926, the St. Patricks sold Dye's contract to the Chicago Black Hawks. In 1927, Dye suffered a major leg injury during training camp, and did not return to play until the last 10 games of that season. Following that season, he was traded to the New York Americans. Dye's production dropped significantly as a result of his leg injury, and was reassigned to the Americans'
minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...
affiliate, the
New Haven Eagles The New Haven Eagles were a professional ice hockey team that played in New Haven, Connecticut. The Eagles were one of five inaugural franchises in the Canadian American Hockey League, and a founding member of the American Hockey League. Histor ...
in 1929. The next year, Dye signed as a free agent with the first professional team he played for, since renamed the Maple Leafs. Dye played six games with the Maple Leafs before he retired from the sport. He won his only
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
with the St. Patricks, in 1922. He was the NHL's top goal scorer of the 1920s, and remains the St. Patricks/Maple Leafs' all-time franchise points per game leader. Dye was posthumously inducted as a member of the
Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...
in 1970, eight years after his death. In addition to playing professional ice hockey, he also played professional
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
with the
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
, Buffalo Bisons, and the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
of the
International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...
. He also holds four NHL records that remain unbroken over a century later. He also was a halfback for the
Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...
, a
Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...
team.


Early life

Born in
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...
, Dye moved to
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
when he was one year old, following the death of his father. Dye credited his goal-scoring abilities to his mother, who had built Dye an outdoor rink, as well as ensuring that he completed his skating and shooting drills. He played
junior ice hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from ...
from 1916 to 1918 for the Toronto Aura Lee and Toronto De La Salle of the
Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the province of Ontario. Founded in 1890, the OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern ...
. As a senior, he played for the amateur Toronto St. Patricks in 1918–19. He enlisted in the Canadian military on May 3, 1918, joining the 69th Battery of the Canadian Field Artillery; Dye trained at a base in Petawawa, Ontario but did not leave Canada during the war.


Professional sports career


Ice hockey

Dye made his professional ice hockey debut in the 1919–20 season with the Toronto St. Patricks of the NHL. A slow skater, Dye was known for his hard and accurate shot. He played with the St. Patricks for eight seasons, leading the league in goals scored in the 1920–21, 1922–23, and 1924–25 seasons, leading the league in scoring in 1923 and 1925, and finishing second in goals scored in 1921–22 and 1923–24. When the Quebec Bulldogs moved to Hamilton in 1920 to become the Hamilton Tigers, Dye was loaned to the team for their first game; a native of Hamilton and a former star in the amateur OHA, it was hoped he would boost the attendance, as he was familiar to spectators. He was recalled back to Toronto after one game with Hamilton, as the team needed him to replace the injured Corb Denneny. He led the St. Patricks to
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
championship in 1922, scoring nine goals in the five-game final series. Dye scored a hat trick in the series-clinching fifth game of the Finals, becoming only the second NHL player to do so; his feat would not be replicated again for 101 years. In 1926, Dye was also inadvertently responsible for Conn Smythe's dismissal from the
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
, after Smythe disagreed with the Rangers' owner, John S. Hammond, about acquiring Dye. By the end of the 1925-26 season, the toll of playing two professional sports was becoming apparent to St. Patricks' management. Because of the club's suspicions that playing two professional sports would take a toll on Dye's body, as well as their own financial struggles, in 1926, the club announced that Dye's contract would be up for bid. Before the 1926–27 season, the Toronto St. Patricks sold Dye to the Chicago Black Hawks, a new NHL franchise. Dye had an outstanding season in Chicago, again leading the league in goals scored on the NHL's highest-scoring team, playing on a line with fellow Hamilton-born player Dick Irvin, who led the league in assists. Unfortunately, both players would soon suffer serious injuries that curtailed their playing careers. At training camp before the next season, Dye's leg was broken and he was never the same player again. He went scoreless for the Black Hawks in 10 games in the 1927–28 season and was then sold to the
New York Americans The New York Americans, colloquially known as the Amerks, were a professional ice hockey team based in New York City from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the second to play ...
. Over 42 games in 1928–29, Dye had just one goal for the Americans. In November 1929, he was traded to the minor league
New Haven Eagles The New Haven Eagles were a professional ice hockey team that played in New Haven, Connecticut. The Eagles were one of five inaugural franchises in the Canadian American Hockey League, and a founding member of the American Hockey League. Histor ...
of the
Canadian–American Hockey League The Canadian–American Hockey League, popularly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional ice hockey league that operated from 1926 to 1936. It was a direct predecessor of the American Hockey League. For its first ten years the Can-Am's me ...
. In February 1930, he was signed as a free agent by his former team in Toronto, which had been renamed the Maple Leafs. Dye played six games with the club in the 1930–31 season before being released. Over his final 58 games in the NHL after his injury in 1927, Dye had scored just one goal. His 38 goals in the 30-game 1924–25 season set a St. Patricks/Maple Leafs franchise record that stood for 35 years until broken by Frank Mahovlich in the 70-game 1960–61 season. Over his first six seasons in the NHL, Dye scored 176 goals in 170 games.


Baseball

Dye was also a professional baseball player, beginning his career with the
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
of the
International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...
in 1920. He was sent to Brantford of the Class B Michigan-Ontario League, popularly known as the Mint League. The
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
held an option on Dye but chose not to exercise it. In September 1921, the Brantford baseball club announced that it had sold Dye to the Buffalo Bisons of the IL for the highest price ever paid for a Brantford player. He had a strong season with the Bisons in 1923, and was then considered a top prospect for the major leagues. In September 1923, Dye announced that he was retiring from ice hockey to focus on baseball, but when the season started he re-signed with the St. Patricks. After the season, he re-joined the Bisons for training camp in March 1924. "Dye is surely a nifty baseball player, a good hitter, reliable outfielder, and speedy on the base paths," reported ''
The Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...
'' in August 1924. Dye again played for the Bisons in 1925 and was sold to the baseball Leafs after the end of the season. He was released by Toronto in July 1926 and signed by the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
of the International League, where he finished his baseball career that year.


Playing style

While not known as a fast skater, Dye was an excellent stickhandler and possessed one of the hardest and most accurate wrist shots in hockey during his tenure with the league. Almost unique among his contemporaries with the exception of Gordie Roberts and Harry Cameron,The Border Cities Star, 17 June 1929 he was capable of great precision from long distances, while maintaining unrivaled velocity. As a testament to this combination of power and precision, Dye scored 12 of his 31 goals from behind the red line, during his third season with
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
.Barber, Jim (2004). Toronto Maple Leafs: Stories of Canada's Legendary Team, p. 2 Dye's release was so quick that, on occasion, his goals would be in dispute because neither the linesmen,
referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other title ...
or
goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...
had seen them enter the net. A notable instance of this occurred during the 1922 Finals versus the
Vancouver Millionaires The Vancouver Millionaires (later known as the Vancouver Maroons) were a professional ice hockey team that competed in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the Western Canada Hockey League between 1911 and 1926. Based in Vancouver, British Co ...
. Toronto centreman Reg Noble won a faceoff in the Vancouver end, passing the puck back to Dye. The right winger immediately whipped the puck past Hugh "Old Eagle Eyes" Lehman, who had stood stock still without noticing the rubber entering his net. Players from both teams and the on-ice officials took several seconds to find the puck before the game could resume. It was one of 9 goals he would score during the winning series, and this remains a
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
record since the playoff format was implemented in 1914; Frank McGee's 15 goals in two games remains the all-time Stanley Cup single-series goal-scoring record. Although weighing 150 pounds, Dye had immensely strong arms and used a stick made of solid hickory. While ice hockey sticks at the time were commonly made from
maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...
, yellow birch,
ironwood Ironwood is a common name for many woods that have a reputation for hardness, or specifically a wood density that is denser than water (approximately 1000 kg/m3, or 62 pounds per cubic foot), although usage of the name ironwood in English ma ...
, ash or
hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes 19 species accepted by ''Plants of the World Online''. Seven species are native to southeast Asia in China, Indochina, and northeastern India (Assam), and twelve ...
, the latter is by far the strongest and most flexible. It is also far harder than the others, without being exceptionally brittle like ironwood, which is twice as hard as hickory. Dye used this stick and his wrist strength to propel the puck at occasionally dangerous speeds, and his "wicked drives"Ottawa Citizen, 28 November 1928 and shots that goalies "could not see" Ottawa Citizen, 11 January 1923 were mentioned many times in game summaries. His shots were capable of snapping a two-inch thick plank, and Jack Adams recalled seeing several of Dye's drives punch clean through the back-rests of arena seats and even through the 1/8-inch thick wire mesh used as crowd protection at Toronto's
Arena Gardens An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances or sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators, and may ...
.Montreal Gazette, 3 February 1943 Opposing defencemen would attempt to knock down long shots made by Dye from centre ice, only to find out in dismay that their sticks had been shattered in two. Sprague Cleghorn claimed that Babe Dye was the best shot of anyone he'd ever seen,Montreal Gazette, 8 November 1944, p. 16 and Adams rated him as superior in ability to
Bryan Hextall Bryan Aldwyn Hextall (July 31, 1913 – July 25, 1984) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League (NHL). Considered one of the top wingers of the 1940s, he led the NHL in goal ...
, Grindy Forrester,
Didier Pitre Joseph George Didier "Cannonball" Pitre (September 1, 1883 – July 29, 1934) was a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey player. Nicknamed "Cannonball," he was renowned for having one of the hardest shots during his playing career. One of t ...
, Carson "Shovel-Shot" Cooper and even Charlie Conacher: "Dye was the peer of them all".


Other achievements

Following his retirement as a player, Dye coached the Port Colborne Sailors to the Ontario Sr A Finals, and the following season he became head coach of the Chicago Shamrocks of the American Hockey Association in 1931–32, winning the league title. Despite the team's success, Dye was fired just before the championship-winning game because he hadn't prevented the team captain from going to Toronto to get married between games of the championship series. Dye said the player was determined to go and there was nothing he could do about it. The Shamrocks ended up folding before the next season began. After ice hockey, Dye worked for Seneca Petroleum in Chicago for 20 years. He died at the age of 63 in Chicago, where he had been hospitalized for several months following a heart attack. He was inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...
in 1970. In 1997, he was ranked number 83 on ''The Hockey News list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.


Career statistics


Regular season and playoffs


NHL Records (4)

* Most goals when facing elimination, playoff year: 6 (tied with three other players) in 1922 * Most goals when facing elimination, playoff series: 6 in the 1922 Stanley Cup Finals * Most goals, Stanley Cup Final series: 9 (tied with Frank Foyston and Cyclone Taylor) in the 1922 Stanley Cup Finals * Most goals, Stanley Cup Final game: 4 (tied with four other players) on March 28, 1922https://records.nhl.com/records/scf-skater-records/goals/skater-most-goals-stanley-cup-final-game


See also

* List of players with five or more goals in an NHL game


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dye, Babe 1890s births 1962 deaths Baltimore Orioles (International League) players Baseball people from Ontario Brantford Red Sox players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey right wingers Chicago Blackhawks players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Hamilton Tigers (ice hockey) players Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Ice hockey people from Hamilton, Ontario National Hockey League scoring leaders (prior to 1947–48) New York Americans players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Players of Canadian football from Ontario Stanley Cup champions Toronto Argonauts players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Toronto Maple Leafs players Toronto St. Pats players