OHL Mourns the Loss of Andy Bathgate

PHOTO: 1986 Guelph Platers captain Paul Brydges and 1952 Guelph Biltmores captain Andy Bathgate both led their respective clubs to MasterCard Memorial Cup titles. This image is from the front cover of the 1986-87 OHL Information Guide.

Friday February 26, 2016

The Ontario Hockey League is deeply saddened by the loss of Hockey Hall of Famer Andy Bathgate, 83, who passed away on Friday.

A native of Winnipeg, MB, Bathgate played two seasons with the Guelph Biltmores from 1951-53 capturing the Robertson Cup and Memorial Cup in 1952.

Bathgate would play 17 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, and Pittsburgh Penguins and is one of two players in NHL history along with Doug Gilmour to have scored game winning goals in both the MasterCard Memorial Cup and Stanley Cup finals.

His best offensive season earned him the Hart Trophy as the league’s Most Valuable Player in 1959 scoring 88 points in 70 games for the Rangers.

He retired from the NHL following the 1970-71 season with 973 points in 1,069 career regular season games.

Bathgate was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978.

The OHL extends our thoughts and prayers to the friends and family of Bathgate, including his grandson, Andy, who played in the league as a member of the Belleville Bulls and Plymouth Whalers from 2007-12.

READ: Bathgate’s HHOF Biography