Francis William Speer (March 20, 1942 – March 12, 1989) 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 ...

player. He played 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 ...

and

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (N ...

between 1967 and 1974. He won the

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

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

Career

Speer played 135 games in the

and 130 games in the

. Born in Lindsay,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, he played for the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

, New York Raiders, New York Golden Blades, and Jersey Knights. Speer was known as a solid, shot-blocking defenseman throughout his career. Speer was known for his weight issues during his hockey career. Although generally listed as 5' 11" and 200 pounds throughout his career, his regularly played closer to 210 pounds and even weighed as much as 242 pounds during the 1966–67 offseason. Speer was able to lose most of the weight, dropping down to 210 for the opening of Penguins' training camp and even dropping as low as 206. During his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he was also the designated team barber, setting up a makeshift barbershop in the wash room of the Penguins' dressing room in the Civic Arena. Speer became a barber at the age of 15 and took over his father's shop in 1967 after his father died. Although he never mentioned a specific fee for the haircuts, Speer did say that a 25-cent tip was standard. Speer earned the nickname "The Lindsay Clipper" during his time with the Bruins.Bruins Legends: Bill Speer
/ref> After his playing days were over, some of his former teammates would visit the shop from time to time. Speer won the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 1970, scoring one goal that season. It occurred on February 11, 1970, in Boston's 3–2 victory at St. Louis. It was the last NHL goal of Speer's career.

Death

Speer died on February 12, 1989, while riding his snowmobile on a lake in

Fenelon Falls, Ontario Fenelon Falls is a village in Ontario, Canada, part of the city of Kawartha Lakes. Nicknamed the "Jewel of the Kawarthas," it has a population of 2,500 permanent inhabitants, which swells in the summer due to tourism and holiday cottages. Fenelon ...

. The snowmobile plunged through the thin ice, and Speer drowned. He was 46 years old. Speer is buried in Riverside Cemetery in

Lindsay, Ontario Lindsay is a community of 22,367 people ( 2021 census) on the Scugog River in the Kawartha Lakes region of south-eastern Ontario, Canada. It is approximately west of Peterborough. It is located in the City of Kawartha Lakes, and is the hub for ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Speer, Bill 1942 births 1989 deaths 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Amarillo Wranglers players Baltimore Clippers players Boston Bruins players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey defencemen Cleveland Barons (1937–1973) players Deaths by drowning in Canada Ice hockey people from Kawartha Lakes Jersey Knights players Knoxville Knights players New York Golden Blades players New York Raiders players Ontario Hockey Association Senior A League (1890–1979) players Pittsburgh Penguins players St. Catharines Teepees players Salt Lake Golden Eagles (WHL) players Sault Thunderbirds players Stanley Cup champions