Buddy O’Connor : biography
Herbert William "Buddy" O’Connor (June 21, 1916 in Montreal, Quebec – August 24, 1977) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played for the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers in the National Hockey League.
Career statistics
| | Regular season | | Playoffs | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
1941–42 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 36 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
1942–43 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 50 | 15 | 43 | 58 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 0 |
1941–42 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 44 | 12 | 42 | 54 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
1942–43 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 50 | 21 | 23 | 44 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1945–46 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 45 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
1946–47 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 46 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
1947–48 | New York Rangers | NHL | 60 | 24 | 36 | 60 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
1948–49 | New York Rangers | NHL | 46 | 11 | 24 | 35 | 0 | |||||
1949–50 | New York Rangers | NHL | 66 | 11 | 22 | 33 | 4 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
1950–51 | New York Rangers | NHL | 66 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 0 | |||||
NHL totals | 509 | 140 | 257 | 397 | 34 | 53 | 15 | 21 | 36 | 6 |
Playing career
O’Connor played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1941 to 1947 and won two Stanley Cups during his career in 1944 and 1946 while playing for the Canadiens.
In 1947, O’Connor was traded to the New York Rangers. He had 60 points that season to finish second in the scoring race. He was also awarded the Hart Trophy and Lady Byng Trophy and was the first player to win both in the same year.Duff, Bob and Shea, Kevin (2011). Hockey Hall of Fame MVP Trophies & Winners. Firefly Books Ltd. p. 67. These achievements were reflected in his being named Canada’s athlete of the year for 1948.
O’Connor played for the Rangers until 1951. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, becoming the first inductee into the now defunct Veteran category.
In 2009, O’Connor was ranked No. 38 on the all-time list of New York Rangers in the book 100 Ranger Greats (John Wiley & Sons).