Maurice William Mantha (December 13, 1933 – September 18, 2015) 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 ...

player and a politician. Born in

North Bay, Ontario North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing. It developed as a railroad centre and its airport was an important military locatio ...

, Mantha played minor league hockey for several teams in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

, the

Quebec Hockey League The Quebec Senior Hockey League (QSHL) was an ice hockey league that operated from 1941 to 1959, based in Quebec, Canada. The league played senior ice hockey under the jurisdiction of the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association until 1953, when it becam ...

and the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

from 1954 to 1970. He subsequently returned to Sturgeon Falls and operated his own business (Laurentide Golf Club) for a number of years before entering politics, serving as the Reeve of Springer Township. In the 1984 federal election, Mantha ran as the Progressive Conservative candidate in Nipissing. He won the seat, defeating Liberal incumbent Jean-Jacques Blais. In the 1988 election, however, Mantha was defeated by Liberal candidate Bob Wood. Mantha ran again in the 1993 election, but lost to Wood again. Mantha's son, Moe Mantha Jr., 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 ...

from 1980 to 1992, and subsequently became a coach for several teams in the AHL. His grandson, Ryan Mantha, was drafted by 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 ...

in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, and was assigned to the

Bakersfield Condors The Bakersfield Condors are a professional ice hockey team based in Bakersfield, California. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The Condors play their home games at Dignity Healt ...

of the AHL. Mantha died on September 18, 2015, at the age of 81 after a brief illness.

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* * 1933 births 2015 deaths Canadian ice hockey defencemen Canadian sportsperson-politicians Cleveland Barons (1937–1973) players Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Progressive Conservative Party of Canada MPs Providence Reds players Quebec Aces (AHL) players Seattle Totems (WHL) players Ice hockey people from North Bay, Ontario 20th-century mayors of places in Ontario 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 20th-century Canadian sportsmen {{ProgressiveConservative-Ontario-MP-stub