It took over a decade for Allan Stanley to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He entered in 1981, alongside Johnny Bucyk and Frank Mahovlich after last playing in the National Hockey League in 1968-69 with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Stanley was deserving of the honour. A three time Second Team All-Star defenseman in the NHL, Allan was last selected in 1965-66 as a 40 year old. He was a four time Stanley Cup champion with the Toronto Maple Leafs and served as team captain of the New York Rangers over a two year span in the early 1950’s.
Minor Pro Career
NHL Career
Hockey Card Collection
Rookie Card
Career Stats
Allan Stanley – Minor Pro
Allan Stanley was plucked out of junior hockey in Northern Ontario to play in the EHL for the Boston Olympics as a prospect of the Boston Bruins. He first appeared with the Olympics in 1943-44 at just 17 years of age. Despite his youth, Stanley scored ten and assisted on 32 for 42 points over 40 games in his rookie pro season.
After mixing time back in junior and with the Olympics for the next two years, Allan ended up with the Providence Reds in the American Hockey League in 1946-47. He remained with the team through 1947-48 but was purchased by the New York Rangers during the 1948-49 AHL season for a substantial for the time $70,000.
With the Reds, Stanley led the team’s blue liners in 1947-48 with 41 points in 68 games. That Providence team finished first in the AHL’s Eastern Division. In the oddball Calder Cup playoffs of the 1940’s, the Reds met with the Cleveland Barons in the opening round. Cleveland was first in the Western Division, meaning that a division leader was guaranteed to be wiped out in the opening round of the playoffs. Providence was that team, losing in five to the Barons.
Stanley returned to the minors for a spell in 1953-54 after starting the season with the Rangers. He was sent down after just ten games. With the Vancouver Canucks in the WHL, Allan contributed 36 points in 47 regular season games and seven more over 13 playoff games.
The Canucks finished first in the seven team WHL during the regular season. In the playoffs, they marched to the finals before losing out to the Calgary Stampeders. In the nets for that Vancouver team was another future Hall of Famer in Gump Worsley.
Allan Stanley – NHL
Allan Stanley played in 1,244 regular season National Hockey League games between 1948-49 and 1968-69. Over that time, he scored 100 and assisted on 333 for 433 points. A gentleman on the point, Stanley sat a modest 792 minutes in penalties. Over his career, Allan played for the New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers.
Allan Stanley Collection
In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Stanley added 43 points over 109 games. He won championships with Toronto from 1961-62 to 1963-64 and again in 1966-67. In 1949-50, he helped a New York Rangers team with a losing record reach the finals.
That year, New York finished fourth in the NHL, squeaking into the post season with a winning percentage below .500. The team was led offensively by Edgar Laprade and Tony Leswick, each with an anemic 44 points over the team’s 70 game schedule.
However, the 1949-50 Rangers upset the second seed Montreal Canadiens in the opening round and pushed the first place Red Wings to seven games before bowing out in the finals. New York led that series against Detroit three games to two before losing the final two games.
Stanley was team captain for the Rangers in 1951-52 and 1952-53. He replaced Frank Eddolls and was replaced by Don Raleigh. The following year, he was sent down to the Vancouver Canucks in the WHL. At the start of the 1954-55 season, on November 23, 1954, Allan was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks with Rich Lamoureux and Nick Mickoski for Pete Conacher and the great Bill Gadsby.
His time in Chicago was short and he was shipped to the Bruins on October 8, 1956 for cash. Exactly two years after, on October 8, 1958, Stanley was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Jim Morrison.
With Toronto, he became an All-Star defenseman. In 1959-60, 1960-61 and 1965-66, Allan Stanley was selected to the Second All-Star Team.
For his era, Stanley was considered an offensive defenseman. He twice scored ten goals in a single season, in 1954-55 with the Blackhawks and in 1959-60 with Toronto. He topped out with a personal best of 35 points with the Maple Leafs in 1961-62.
As mentioned, Allan was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1981, along with Johnny Bucyk and Frank Mahovlich.
Allan Stanley – Rookie Card
The Allan Stanley rookie card appears as number 94 in the 1951-52 Parkhurst NHL hockey card set. He is shown with the New York Rangers. His last card is included in the 1968-69 O-Pee-Chee set as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Stanley’s early cards refer to the $70,000 that the Rangers paid the Providence Reds to acquire him in 1948. His 1966-67 and 1967-68 Topps cards state that he is the second oldest player in the NHL, behind just teammate Johnny Bower.
Allan’s 1964-65 Topps card refers in English to his uncle that coached the Blackhawks. However, if in French, Topps gives much more detail in that his uncle was Barney Stanley who coached Chicago in 1927-28.
Barney Stanley played one game in the NHL with Chicago in 1927-28 and coached for part of that season before being replaced by Hugh Lehman. Barney was a star player but in the pre-NHL days. He helped the Vancouver Millionaires to a Stanley Cup championship. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963.
Allan Stanley Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1946-47 | Providence Reds | AHL | 54 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 32 |
| 1947-48 | Providence Reds | AHL | 68 | 9 | 32 | 41 | 81 |
| 1948-49 | Providence Reds | AHL | 23 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 24 |
| 1948-49 | New York Rangers | NHL | 40 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 22 |
| 1949-50 | New York Rangers | NHL | 55 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 58 |
| 1950-51 | New York Rangers | NHL | 70 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 75 |
| 1951-52 | New York Rangers | NHL | 50 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 52 |
| 1952-53 | New York Rangers | NHL | 70 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 52 |
| 1953-54 | New York Rangers | NHL | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| 1953-54 | Vancouver Canucks | WHL | 47 | 6 | 30 | 36 | 43 |
| 1954-55 | New York Rangers | NHL | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1954-55 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 52 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 22 |
| 1955-56 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 59 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 70 |
| 1956-57 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 60 | 6 | 25 | 31 | 45 |
| 1957-58 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 69 | 6 | 25 | 31 | 37 |
| 1958-59 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 1 | 22 | 23 | 47 |
| 1959-60 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 64 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 22 |
| 1960-61 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 68 | 9 | 25 | 34 | 42 |
| 1961-62 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 60 | 9 | 26 | 35 | 24 |
| 1962-63 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 61 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 22 |
| 1963-64 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 6 | 21 | 27 | 60 |
| 1964-65 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 64 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 30 |
| 1965-66 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 59 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 35 |
| 1966-67 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 53 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 20 |
| 1967-68 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 64 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 16 |
| 1968-69 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 64 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 28 |
| NHL Totals | 1244 | 100 | 333 | 433 | 792 |