Bill Quackenbush played a defensive game like no other in the National Hockey League. Quackenbush simply found a way to stay out of the penalty box. Since the Lady Byng Trophy was first introduced in 1924-25, there have been just three defensemen to win the award. Bill was the first in 1948-49. Never a Stanley Cup champion, it took the Hockey Hall of Fame 20 years after his retirement to induct him.
Bill Quackenbush – Junior and Minor Pro
Quackenbush played two years of junior hockey in the OHA, 1940-41 and 1941-42. In his first year, he played for the Toronto Native Sons. In 1941-42, Bill played 23 games for the Brantford Lions, contributing 34 points. The team placed first overall in the the OHA Junior ‘A’ before falling in the opening round to the Oshawa Generals.
In 1942-43, Bill played what can be called his only full season in the minors. He played 37 games for the Indianapolis Capitals of the American Hockey League over the 56 game regular season schedule. Quackenbush recorded six goals and 13 assists for 19 points. The Capitals placed third overall in the eight team AHL during the regular season. In the Calder Cup playoffs, Indianapolis was swept in the finals by the Eddie Shore coached Buffalo Bisons.
Quackenbush played just one game for the Capitals in 1943-44 before finding a regular spot in the National Hockey League. He would never play another game in the minors again.
Bill Quackenbush – NHL
Quackenbush played defense in the National Hockey League from 1942-43 to 1955-56 with the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins. Over that time, he played in 774 regular season NHL games, scoring 62 goals and assisting on 222 for 284 points. Bill sat just 95 minutes in penalties. Over 80 Stanley Cup playoff games, he played added 21 points and was called for just four minor infractions.
Bill Quackenbush Collection
The most PIM Quackenbush accumulated in one season was 17 during 1947-48. In fact, he had ten or more PIM in just thee years, 1944-45, 1947-48 and 1950-51. Yet, Bill was awarded the Lady Byng Trophy just once. In 1948-49, he did not have a single penalty over 60 regular season games and eleven playoff games for the Red Wings.
In 1948-49, Quackenbush became the first defenseman to win the Lady Byng since the award was first handed out in 1925-26. Since, just Red Kelly and Brian Campbell have followed in his footsteps.
On four occasions, Bill played in a Stanley Cup final. On each occasion, his team did not win the championship. In 1944-45, Detroit lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the finals after beating out Boston in the opening round. Each series went the full seven games and each series saw each team tied in the end for goals for.
Defeat was at the hands of the Maple Leafs in the 1947-48 and 1948-49 finals. In each of those, Detroit was swept in four games. in 1948-49, Toronto was the fourth seed in the six team league going into the post season.
After being traded to the Bruins on August 15, 1949 with Pete Horeck for Pete Babando, Jim Peters, Clare Martin and Pete Durham, Quackenbush would earn one more chance at a Stanley Cup championship. In 1952-53, Boston came up against the Montreal Canadiens in the finals after upsetting the first place Red Wings in the opening round. Boston lost in five to the Habs. It was still quite a feat for a team that finished the year in third place with just 69 points over the 70 game schedule.
Bill’s brother Max Quackenbush played in the NHL during the 1950-51 and 1951-52 seasons. In 1950-51, the brothers got to play in the same lineup with the Bruins. In 1951-52, Max played sparingly with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Bill Quackenbush went on to coach hockey and other sports at Princeton University after retirement. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976. The only other to enter the Hall that year with him was Johnny Bower.
Bill Quackenbush – Rookie Card
The Bill Quackenbush rookie card appears as number 26 in the 1951-52 Parkhurst set. In a crowded set where pretty much everyone was considered a rookie, Quackenbush’s first hockey card stands out well. Book value for the card is $125, over twice that of a common card. Bill is shown as a member of the Boston Bruins and never had a card from his Detroit Red Wings days.
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1942-43 | Indianapolis Capitals | AHL | 37 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 10 |
| 1942-43 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 1943-44 | Indianapolis Capitals | AHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943-44 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 43 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 6 |
| 1944-45 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 50 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 10 |
| 1945-46 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 48 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 6 |
| 1946-47 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 44 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 6 |
| 1947-48 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 58 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 17 |
| 1948-49 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 60 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 0 |
| 1949-50 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 70 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 4 |
| 1950-51 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 70 | 5 | 24 | 29 | 12 |
| 1951-52 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 69 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 6 |
| 1952-53 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 69 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 6 |
| 1953-54 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 45 | 0 | 17 | 17 | 6 |
| 1954-55 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 68 | 2 | 20 | 22 | 8 |
| 1955-56 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 70 | 3 | 22 | 25 | 4 |
| NHL Totals | 774 | 62 | 222 | 284 | 95 |