Andy Bathgate (HHOF ’78)

Andy Bathgate was the consummate hockey player.  A graceful skater who could handle the puck, Bathgate was one of the first players to use the dreaded slap shot, despite having persistent knee problems.  In fact, it was Bathgate’s slap shot that made Jacques Plante head to the dressing room to don the first ever goalie mask!

Mr. Bathgate played for the New York Rangers from 1952 to 1964, winning the Hart Trophy for most valuable player in 1959.  In 1964, the Rangers traded him to the Stanley Cup-winning Toronto Maple Leafs; he won the cup again when he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in 1966.  He was drafted by the expansion Pittsburgh Penguins in 1967 and retired in 1975.

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