The pro hockey career of Earl ‘Dutch’ Reibel was very short but also very sweet. Earl Reibel played just six years in the National Hockey League but he was a member of two Stanley Cup champions and placed among the top ten in the race for the Art Ross Trophy three times, including his rookie season. The Lady Byng Trophy winner in 1955-56 also enjoyed immense success in the years leading up to his start in the NHL.
Junior and Minor Pro
Hockey Card Collection
NHL Career
Rookie Card
Career Stats
Earl Reibel – Junior and Minors
Earl played junior hockey with the Windsor Spitfires of the OHA in 1949-50. Just a note, this is not the same Windsor Spitfires franchise that exists in the Ontario Hockey League today. Instead, the 1949-50 version of the Spitfires is the present day Erie Otters in the OHL.
Earl Reibel Collection:
Over 48 regular season games with Windsor, Reibel scored 53 and assisted on 76 for 129 points. He led the league in scoring, earning the Eddie Powers Trophy. The Jim Skinner coached Spits finished second in the nine team league, behind just the Toronto Marlboros. Windsor then lost to the Guelph Biltmores in the Robertson Cup finals. Skinner and Reibel would join up again a few years later for a Stanley Cup championship with the Red Wings.
Earl’s first year of pro hockey was spent in the USHL with the Omaha Knights. The Knights finished first overall in the six team league. Omaha met the Tulsa Oilers in the finals and won the championship, three games to two.
The following year, 1951-52, the team wasn’t so great but Reibel showed he was ready to be a star. With the Indianapolis Capitals of the American Hockey League, Earl scored 33 and assisted on 34 for 67 points over 68 games. He placed third in the AHL for goals, four behind the leader and seventh in the overall scoring race. Reibel was awarded the Dudley ‘Red’ Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL’s rookie of the year. Despite having Glenn Hall play every game in net for the Capitals, Indianapolis finished dead last in the nine team league.
1952-53 was Reibel’s final test before making the jump to the NHL. Over 70 games with the Edmonton Flyers in the WHL, Earl scored 34 and assisted on 56 for 90 points. He led the league in overall scoring while finishing tied for fourth in goals and second in assists. Glenn Hall made the move to Edmonton with Reibel and the Flyers finished fourth overall in the eight team WHL. With 12 points over 12 playoff games, Reibel helped the Flyers knock off the first seed Saskatoon Quakers in the finals to capture the championship.
Earl returned to the minors after his six year NHL career. He played two years, 1959-60 and 1960-61, with the Providence Reds in the American Hockey League. In 1959-60, Reibel placed eighth in the AHL with 46 assists.
Earl Reibel – NHL
Reibel played 409 regular season games in the National Hockey League between 1953-54 and 1958-59 with the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins. Over that time, Earl scored 84 and assisted on 161 for 245 points. Over 39 Stanley Cup playoff games, Reibel added 20 points.
Earl made an impact right from the start of his rookie season. In 1953-54, he tied for fourth in the NHL with 33 assists and placed seventh in the race for the Art Ross Trophy with 48 points. Detroit finished first overall during the regular season and captured the Stanley Cup championship over the Montreal Canadiens. Yet, Reibel was denied the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year with Camille Henry of the New York Rangers taking the honours.
The following year, the Jim Skinner coached Red Wings once again placed first overall and once again beat the Habs in the finals for the Stanley Cup championship. Reibel scored 25 and assisted on 41 for 66 points over 70 games. He led Detroit in assists and points ahead of star teammates like Gordie Howe, Alex Delvecchio, Red Kelly and Ted Lindsay. Earl placed seventh in the NHL for goals, fifth for assists and fourth for points, behind just Bernie Geoffrion, Maurice Richard and Jean Beliveau, all of the Canadiens.
1955-56 turned out to really be Reibel’s last stop in the limelight. His numbers were down slightly but still quite good at 17 goals and 39 assists for 56 points over 68 games. He was second on the Red Wings in assists and points behind Gordie Howe. He tied for sixth in assists in the NHL with Dickie Moore and Doug Harvey, both from Montreal. Earl placed eighth in the league with his 56 points. Sitting just five minor penalties, Reibel was honoured with the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. Detroit placed second overall and fell to their nemesis Montreal Canadiens.
During the 1957-58 season, Earl was traded to Chicago, along with Billy Dea, Bill Dineen and Lorne Ferguson for Bob Bailey, Hec Lalande, Jack McIntyre and Nick Mickoski. He played 29 games with Detroit and 40 games with Chicago. Over the combined 69 games, Earl contributed just 25 points.
In his final year in the NHL, 1958-59, Earl played for the Boston Bruins. Over 63 games during the regular season, he totalled just 14 points.
Earl Reibel – Rookie Card
The Earl Reibel rookie card appears as number 36 in the 100 card 1953-54 Parkhurst set. Earl is depicted as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. There are no stats on the back with 1953-54 being Reibel’s first year in the NHL. The card is valued as a common card.
Earl Reibel Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1949-50 | Windsor Spitfires | OHA | 48 | 53 | 76 | 129 | 14 |
| 1950-51 | Omaha Knights | USHL | 32 | 13 | 25 | 38 | 6 |
| 1951-52 | Indianapolis Capitals | AHL | 68 | 33 | 34 | 67 | 8 |
| 1952-53 | Edmonton Flyers | WHL | 70 | 34 | 56 | 90 | 14 |
| 1953-54 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 69 | 15 | 33 | 48 | 18 |
| 1954-55 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 25 | 41 | 66 | 15 |
| 1955-56 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 68 | 17 | 39 | 56 | 10 |
| 1956-57 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 13 | 23 | 36 | 6 |
| 1957-58 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 29 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 4 |
| 1957-58 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 40 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 6 |
| 1958-59 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 63 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 16 |
| 1959-60 | Providence Reds | AHL | 69 | 20 | 46 | 66 | 6 |
| 1960-61 | Providence Reds | AHL | 43 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 2 |
| NHL Totals | 409 | 84 | 161 | 245 | 75 |