Doug Harvey Douglas Norman Harvey ( December 19 , 1924 in Montreal , Quebec - December 26 , 1989 ) was a star player in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) , and is considered by many to be one of the greatest defencemen to ever play the game . Harvey played minor league hockey in the neighbouhood of Notre Dame de Grace in his native Montreal , Quebec , Canada , then began his career with the Montreal Royals of the Quebec Senior Hockey League where he played from 1945 to 1947 , helping the Royals win the Allan Cup in 1947 . He then played one season with the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League . He made the jump to the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL in the 1947 – 48 NHL season with whom he remained until 1961 . Harvey was named to the All - Star team 11 consecutive times , beginning in the 1951 – 52 NHL season . He won his first of seven James Norris Memorial Trophy s in 1955 as the league ' s best defenceman . In an era when the defenceman ' s role did not include scoring points , Harvey used his skating speed and passing ability to become a factor in making the Canadiens a high - scoring team . He had such puck control that by himself he could set the pace of the game . He earned six Stanley Cup s , all with Montreal . In 1954 , however , he scored a Cup - winning own - goal when he tipped the puck shot by a Detroit Red Wings player past goalie Gerry McNeil . Harvey became an outspoken critic of the hockey establishment who " owned " players for life . In Harvey ’ s day , players were paid a pittance compared to the millions being earned by the team owners . A superstar such as Harvey , who today would be paid millions , was earning less than $ 30 , 000 a season at the peak of his career while playing every game in front of sell - out crowds . ( $ 30 , 000 in 1950 would be about $ 274 , 634 in 2008 . Harvey was one of the first to help organize the players association which so infuriated the Canadiens ’ owners that in 1961 they traded him to the then lowly New York Rangers . One of the individuals secretly blacklisted by the league owners , Harvey responded by winning still another Norris Trophy as a Ranger . He remained with New York until 1963 then played for several teams before finishing his NHL career in 1969 with the St . Louis Blues . Well into his forties , and with limited education and no other skills besides hockey , Harvey eked out a living playing in the minor - pro leagues and with an assistant coaching tenure in the World Hockey Association . Although he was unanimously voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973 , because of his involvement with the players ' association , his sweater number wasn ' t retired by the Montreal Canadiens until 1985 . For years , Harvey battled alcoholism while suffering from bipolar disorder . One of professional hockey ' s greatest stars ended up homeless , sleeping in an abandoned railway car . When his plight became public knowledge , in 1985 he was offered a job with the Montreal Canadiens as a scout . Harvey ' s last Stanley Cup victory came in 1986 , when the Montreal Canadiens were once again the winners of Lord Stanley ' s Cup . He died a few years later due to cirrhosis of the liver and was interred in the Notre - Dame - des - Neiges Cemetery in Montreal . In 1998 , he was ranked number 6 on " The Hockey News " ' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players . The government of Canada honoured Doug Harvey in 2000 with his image placed on a Canadian postage stamp .