Andy Bathgate

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Andrew James Bathgate 
*Born: August 28, 1932 in Winnipeg, Manitoba
*Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba
*Died: February 26, 2016 at Brampton, Ontario
*Brother: Bernie & Frank Bathgate
*Position: Right Wing
==Playing Career==
Andy Bathgate was a popular star-player of the New York Rangers and also won the MVP of both the NHL and WHL. He started his professional career with the Cleveland Barons of the AHL in the 1952–53 season. He bounced between the Vancouver Canucks and the Rangers for two seasons before settling with the Rangers in 1954–55. He played ten full seasons with the Rangers, where he became a popular player in New York as well as a top-tiered player in the NHL. In 1961–62, Bathgate and Bobby Hull led the league in points, but Bathgate lost the Art Ross Trophy to Bobby Hull because Hull had more goals.
Andy Bathgate's career was frustrated by the mediocre play of the Rangers and a nagging knee problem. He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1963–64 season, where he immediately helped Toronto to a Stanley Cup championship, and later was dealt to the Detroit Red Wings, where he helped the team reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 1965–66. Bathgate was chosen by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, and after one season, he returned to the Canucks where he would help lead the team to 2 consecutive Lester Patrick Cup victories, in 1969 and 1970. His best professional year was with them, where he scored 108 points in 1969–70. That performance gave him the George Leader Cup, the top player award in the WHL. Andy Bathgate's final NHL year was with the Penguins in 1971; 1971–1972 he was playing coach for HC Ambri-Piotta in Switzerland. He came briefly out of retirement three seasons later to play for the Vancouver Blazers of the WHA, which he had coached the previous season, but retired for good after eleven games. 
Andy Bathgate won the Hart Memorial Trophy for the MVP of the NHL in 1958–59 after scoring 40 goals, which was no easy feat in that era. He is famous for contributing to one of the largest innovations in NHL history. Renowned for the strength of his slapshot, during a game against the Montreal Canadiens, Bathgate shot the puck into the face of Jacques Plante, forcing Plante to receive stitches. When Plante returned to the ice, he was wearing a mask. That started a trend that continues to this day.
==Post-retirement==
The Rangers retired his #9 along with Harry Howell's #3 in a special ceremony before the February 22, 2009 match against the Maple Leafs. Bathgate joined Adam Graves, whose #9 had been hoisted to the Madison Square Garden rafters nineteen nights earlier.
==Death==
Bathgate died at the age of 83 on February 26, 2016, in Brampton, Ontario. At the time of his death, he had Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
==Career Statistics==
===Playing===
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45-46AndyBathgate.jpg|Bathgate in 1945-46. He is fourth from the left in the middle row.
13Mar1957-Flaman_Bathgate_Simmons.jpg|Fern Flaman defends against Rangers Andy Bathgate during the Bruins 2-1 win on March 13, 1957.
1967-Boivin-Fonteyne-Bathgate-Dillabough-Daley-Stratton-MacDonald-Mattiussi.jpg|Leo Boivin, Val Fonteyne, Andy Bathgate, Bob Dillabough, Joe Daley, Art Stratton, Ab McDonald, Dick Mattiussi, October 1967.
==See Also==
*Magazine covers
==External Links==
*
*Andy Bathgate's biography at Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
 
Category:Born in 1932
Category:Canadian ice hockey players
Category:Winnipeg Black Hawks players
Category:Guelph Biltmores players
Category:New York Rangers players
Category:Hart Trophy winners
Category:Vancouver Canucks (WHL) players
Category:Cleveland Barons (AHL, 1937-1973) players
Category:Toronto Maple Leafs players
Category:Stanley Cup champions
Category:Pittsburgh Hornets players
Category:Detroit Red Wings players
Category:Pittsburgh Penguins players
Category:HC Ambri-Piotta players
Category:Vancouver Blazers players
Category:Retired in 1975
Category:Canadian ice hockey coaches
Category:HC Ambri-Piotta coaches
Category:Vancouver Blazers coaches
Category:Hockey Hall of Fame
Category:National Hockey League players with retired numbers
Category:Manitoba junior hockey All-Time Roster
Category:Dead in 2016
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