Doug Harvey

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For the article on the baseball umpire, see: Doug Harvey (umpire)

Douglas Norman Harvey (December 19, 1924 in Montreal, Quebec - December 26, 1989) was a star player in the National Hockey League (NHL), considered by many one of the greatest defencemen to ever play the game .

Doug Harvey battling behind Montreal's net.

Harvey played minor league hockey in his native Montreal, Quebec, Canada, then began his professional career with the Montreal Royals of the Quebec Senior Hockey League where he played from 1945 to 1947, helping them win the Allan Cup. 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.

Under coach Dick Irvin, 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 Trophys in 1955 as the league's best defenseman. In an era when the defensemen'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 Cups, all with Montreal. In 1954, however, he "scored" the Cup-winning goal for the Detroit Red Wings when he tipped the puck shot by a Red Wing past goalie Gerry McNeil. McNeil was so crushed by the Harvey "goal," he retired to coach junior hockey the next season, but returned to the Habs in 1956 as back-up to Hall of Famer Jacques Plante.

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. 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 still responded by winning 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. 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 honored Doug Harvey in 2000 with his image placed on a Canadian postage stamp.

In 2002, a book on his life was published. Titled Doug: The Doug Harvey Story, it was written by William Brown with a foreword by his former teammate, Jean Béliveau.

His jersey number (#2) was retired on October 26, 1985.

[edit] Career Stats

			Regular Season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1945-46	Montreal Royals	QSHL	34	2	6	8	90	11	1	6	7	37
1946-47	Montreal Royals	QSHL	40	2	26	28	171	11	2	4	6	62
1947-48	Buffalo Bisons	AHL	24	1	7	8	38	--	--	--	--	--
1947-48	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	35	4	4	8	32	--	--	--	--	--
1948-49	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	55	3	13	16	87	7	0	1	1	10
1949-50	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	70	4	20	24	76	5	0	2	2	10
1950-51	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	70	5	24	29	93	11	0	5	5	12
1951-52	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	68	6	23	29	82	11	0	3	3	8
1952-53	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	69	4	30	34	67	12	0	5	5	8
1953-54	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	68	8	29	37	110	10	0	2	2	12
1954-55	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	70	6	43	49	58	12	0	8	8	6
1955-56	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	62	5	39	44	60	10	2	5	7	10
1956-57	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	70	6	44	50	92	10	0	7	7	10
1957-58	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	68	9	32	41	131	10	2	9	11	16
1958-59	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	61	4	16	20	61	11	1	11	12	22
1959-60	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	66	6	21	27	45	8	3	0	3	6
1960-61	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	58	6	33	39	48	6	0	1	1	8
1961-62	New York Rangers	NHL	69	6	24	30	42	6	0	1	1	2
1962-63	New York Rangers	NHL	68	4	35	39	92	--	--	--	--	--
1963-64	Quebec Aces	AHL	52	6	36	42	30	9	0	4	4	10
1963-64	New York Rangers	NHL	14	0	2	2	10	--	--	--	--	--
1964-65	Quebec Aces	AHL	64	1	36	37	72	4	1	1	2	9
1965-66	Baltimore Clippers	AHL	67	7	32	39	80	--	--	--	--	--
1966-67	Baltimore Clippers	AHL	24	2	10	12	10	--	--	--	--	--
1966-67	Pittsburgh Hornets	AHL	28	0	8	8	22	9	0	0	0	2
1966-67	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	2	0	0	0	0	--	--	--	--	--
1967-68	St. Louis Blues	NHL	--	--	--	--	--	8	0	4	4	12
1968-69	St. Louis Blues	NHL	70	2	20	22	30	--	--	--	--	--
NHL Totals			1113	88	452	540	1216	137	8	64	72	152

[edit] See also

Preceded by Red Kelly	Winner of the Norris Trophy 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958	Succeeded by Tom Johnson
Preceded by Maurice Richard	Montreal Canadiens Captains 1960-61	Succeeded by Jean Béliveau
Preceded by Tom Johnson	Winner of the Norris Trophy 1960, 1961, 1962	Succeeded by Pierre Pilote