Floyd James "Busher" Curry (August 11, 1925 – September 16, 2006) was a Canadian

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 ...

right winger In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

. Curry was born in 1925 in

Chapleau, Ontario Chapleau is a township (Canada), township in Sudbury District, Ontario, Canada. It is the access point to one of the world's largest wildlife preserves. Chapleau has a population of 1,942 according to the 2021 Canadian census. The major industri ...

, and raised in

Kirkland Lake Kirkland Lake is a town and municipality in Timiskaming District, Ontario, Timiskaming District of Northeastern Ontario. The 2021 population, according to Statistics Canada, was 7,750. The community name was based on a nearby lake which in turn ...

by his parents Dalton and Mable Curry. He played junior hockey with the

Oshawa Generals The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor (commercial), sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. ...

and starred for the team. Curry won the

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...

in 1944 with the Generals. The

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

realized his potential and signed him. He played for the Montreal Royals before being brought up to the Canadiens. Curry played his entire

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 ...

career with the

. His career started in

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

and ended in

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

. During his time with Montreal, Curry won four

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 ...

s in 1953, 1956, 1957, and 1958. Curry recorded his only career

hat trick A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mechan ...

on October 29, 1951, a night when Princess Elizabeth, soon to become

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

, was in attendance at the

Montreal Forum Montreal Forum () is a historic building located facing Cabot Square, Montreal, Cabot Square in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by ''Sporting News'', it was an indoor arena which served as the home o ...

. After retiring as a player, Curry coached the

Montreal Royals The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club ( Class AAA) of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; pi ...

, then went on to work for the Canadiens' front office for over forty years, starting as director of sales and travel secretary. In the summer of 1968, he was promoted to assistant general manager. During the summer of 1970, Curry became the manager-coach of the Montreal Voyageurs, replacing

Al MacNeil Allister Wences MacNeil (September 27, 1935 – January 5, 2025) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach and executive. MacNeil played 524 games in the National Hockey League and was a four-time Stanley Cup winner. He was the first ...

, who was promoted to assistant coach (later coach) of the

. MacNeil returned to become manager-coach of the Voyageurs, now the

Nova Scotia Voyageurs The Nova Scotia Voyageurs were a professional ice hockey team, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They played in the American Hockey League, from 1971 to 1984. Originally chartered as the Omaha Knights of the Central Professional Hockey Leagu ...

, in the summer of 1971, after winning the Stanley Cup. Curry returned to the Canadiens as assistant general manager. He remained in that position until 1978 and then stayed on with Montreal as director of scouting for a couple more years. During his time in Montreal in management and scouting, Curry was awarded Stanley Cup rings in 1969, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979. Curry's name was added to the Cup in 1977 and 1978. Curry died at a Montreal hospital on September 16, 2006. He was survived by his wife of 61 years, June, and his two daughters.

Career statistics

External links

*
Picture of Floyd Curry's name on the 1958 Stanley Cup plaqueFormer Canadien Curry dies at 81
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curry, Floyd 1925 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Buffalo Bisons (AHL) players Canadian ice hockey right wingers Ice hockey people from Ontario Montreal Canadiens executives Montreal Canadiens players Oshawa Generals players Rochester Americans players Stanley Cup champions

Career statistics

See also

External links