Doug Harvey: NHL's All-Time Best Defenseman Until 1966-67

If Bobby Orr hadn’t showed up in the National Hockey League, no doubt we’d still be calling Doug Harvey the greatest defenseman of all-time. Harvey was the recipient of seven Norris Trophies and was an NHL All-Star in an amazing eleven straight seasons (10 on the First Team).

If he wasn’t haunted by some nasty demons, Harvey’s Hockey Hall of Fame career would have been even more dynamic. As it was, Doug played over 1,000 games in the NHL over three decades.

A leader and winner, Harvey won championships wherever he went. He was a six time Stanley Cup champion with the Habs, an Allan Cup champ with the Montreal Royals and a Calder Cup champion in the AHL with the Pittsburgh Hornets.

Junior and Minor Pro

Hockey Card Collection

NHL Career

Rookie Card

Career Stats

Doug Harvey – Junior and Minor Pro

Doug Harvey played junior hockey with the Montreal Junior Royals from 1942-43 to 1944-45. Over those three years, he also spent time with Montreal Navy during the latter half of World War II.

Doug Harvey Collection

In 1945-46 and 1946-47, Harvey played for the senior Montreal Royals in the QSHL. In his first season, teamed with Floyd Curry and Gerry McNeil, the Royals finished first overall in the six team league. Montreal won the championship with a win over the Ottawa Senators in the finals. They then fell to the Hamilton Tigers in the Eastern Canada Allan Cup finals.

1946-47 was incredibly successful for the Royals and for Doug. Finishing second overall in the six team QSHL, Montreal won the Hamilton B. Wills Trophy. Four teams from the QSHL and four teams from the EAHL competed in a round robin tournament throughout the season with each team playing eight games. Montreal didn’t lose a single game.

Once again, the Royals met up with the Ottawa Senators in the 1946-47 QSHL finals, once again coming out victorious. Montreal then beat Sherbrooke St. Francois for the Quebec senior championship. The Royals then beat the Hamilton Tigers to earn a shot at the Allan Cup. The Royals took out the Calgary Stampeders for the Allan Cup championship.

That year, Doug Harvey was named a First Team All-Star in the QSHL. He also led the league with 171 penalty minutes.

In 1947-48, Doug split the season between the Buffalo Bisons in the American Hockey League and the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens. He would not play in the minors again until 1963-64.

After 14 games with the New York Rangers in 1963-64, Harvey spent much of the season with the Quebec Aces in the AHL. Under head coach Floyd Curry, his teammate from the Canadiens and way back with the Junior Royals, Doug contributed 42 points in 52 games. Harvey was named an AHL Second Team All-Star and the Aces reached the Calder Cup finals before falling to the Cleveland Barons.

Harvey started 1966-67 with the Baltimore Clippers in the AHL before switching sides to the Pittsburgh Hornets. With Pittsburgh, Doug played 28 regular season games and nine more in the playoffs. Pittsburgh captured the Calder Cup championship with a win over the Rochester Americans in the finals. It was the final year for the Hornets and that last time Harvey would play in the AHL.

The following year, Doug took on the dual role of player/head coach with the Kansas City Blues of the CPHL. He played in 57 regular season games and seven more in the playoffs as the Blues finished fourth in the eight team league and fell in the semi-finals to the Fort Worth Wings.

Doug Harvey – NHL

Between 1947-48 and 1968-69, Doug Harvey played 1,113 regular season games in the National Hockey League with the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues. Over that time, he scored 88 and assisted on 452 for 540 points.

The bulk of his NHL career was spent with the Habs, serving as team captain in 1960-61. In 1961-62, he moved to the New York Rangers and took on the role of player/head coach. His time in Detroit was limited to just two games in 1966-67. With the Blues, he joined the team for the 1967-68 playoffs, helping the team to the finals before being swept by the Canadiens. The following year, he played 70 games with St. Louis but didn’t appear in the post season.

In the playoffs, Harvey scored eight and assisted on 64 for 72 points in 137 games. He was part of six Stanley Cup championships with Montreal.

In 1953-54, Doug tied for third in the NHL with 110 penalty minutes. His total equaled that of Ted Lindsay of the Detroit Red Wings. Both were behind Gus Mortson of the Chicago Blackhawks and Rocket Richard of the Canadiens.

The following year, his offense got him among the top ten. Harvey’s 43 assists placed him second in the NHL behind just teammate Bert Olmstead. The next season, 1955-56, he tied for sixth in assists with teammate Dickie Moore and Earl Reibel of the Red Wings, each with 39. Harvey set a record for most assists by a defenseman in 1956-57 with 44, good for fifth overall in the league.

His time in the box stood out again in 1957-58. Doug finished third in the NHL with 131 PIM, behind Lou Fontinato of the Rangers and Forbes Kennedy of the Red Wings.

Harvey was a seven time Norris Trophy winner as the National Hockey League’s top defenseman. That total includes four consecutive from 1954-55 to 1957-58 and three more straight from 1959-60 to 1961-62. The man to win in between was Doug’s teammate Tom Johnson. His final win was with the Rangers.

Doug was a ten time First Team All-Star, seven straight from 1951-52 to 1957-58. With his Second Team selection in 1958-59, he was named an all-star in eleven consecutive seasons.

His number 2 was retired by the Canadiens in 1985, long after his 1973 induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Doug Harvey – Rookie Card

The Doug Harvey rookie card appears as number 10 in the 1951-52 Parkhurst NHL hockey card set. In 1961-62, Topps put him as the coach of the New York Rangers, despite his dual role.

Harvey’s final hockey card came in the 1968-69 O-Pee-Chee set. He was shown with the St. Louis Blues, having played in the 1967-68 Stanley Cup playoffs and during the 1968-69 regular season only. Topps did not include him in their 1968-69 set.

Doug Harvey Career Stats

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