Early defensive star for the Boston Bruins. Head coach in seven WHL finals. First ever head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. The trophy for the WHL’s best defenseman named in his honour. And, yes, the man that high-sticked then fought Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard, the incident that triggered the infamous Richard Riot at the end of the 1950-51 NHL season. Hal Laycoe had nearly a Hockey Hall of Fame worthy career.
Playing Career
Hockey Card Collection
Coaching Career
Hal Laycoe Cup
Rookie Card
Career Stats
Hal Laycoe – Player
The start of Laycoe’s National Hockey League career was delayed in starting because he served in the Canadian Navy in the later years of World War II. From 1945-46 to 1955-56, Hal played 531 regular season games in the NHL with the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins. Over that time, the defenseman scored 25 goals and assisted on 77 for 102 points. He played an additional 40 games in the Stanley Cup playoffs, adding seven points.
After being traded to the Bruins from the Canadiens in February, 1951, Hal became part of NHL history. In a game against his former team, he high-sticked Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard then fought the fiery legend. Events then went out of hand and the infamous Richard Riot took place. Richard received a suspension for the remainder of the 1950-51 season.
In 1952-53, Laycoe came as close to a Stanley Cup championship that he would ever get. The Bruins finished the regular season third out of the six teams, one point below .500 and 21 points behind first place Detroit. Yet, in the opening round, Boston upset the Red Wings in six games. The Bruins then met the Rocket Richard and the Montreal Canadiens in the finals but fell to the Habs in five games.
Previously, Laycoe came just as close to his only other championship as a pro hockey player. As a member of the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League in 1947-48, he played 45 regular season games, scoring eight and totalling 33 points. He had started the year with the Canadiens but was sent down after 14 games. Buffalo reached the Calder Cup finals but were swept away by the Cleveland Barons in four games.
Hal Laycoe Collection
Hal Laycoe – Head Coach
Hal Laycoe immediately jumped behind the bench after retiring as a player. He coached in the WHL from 1956-57 to 1968-69 with the New Westminster Royals, Victoria Cougars, Portland Buckaroos and Vancouver Canucks. His teams reached the finals seven times over the 13 years, winning championships twice.
In his first year, his New Westminster Royals were swept in the finals by the Brandon Regals. His only time to the finals with Victoria came in 1959-60 when the team lost 5-2 to the Vancouver Canucks in a rare best of nine series.
Most of his success came with the Portland Buckaroos. In 1960-61, Portland won the WHL championship, beating the Seattle Totems 4-2 in the finals. The next time Portland reached the finals, 1964-65, they won it all again with a 4-1 victory over the Victoria Maple Leafs.
Portland reached the finals three more times under Laycoe, 1965-66, 1967-68 and 1968-69. The first year, they fell to the Victoria Maple Leafs in seven. In 1967-68 it was a loss in five to the Seattle Totems. In 1968-69, it was a four game sweep at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks.
His success in the WHL got Laycoe a shot at the big time. He started the 1969-70 season behind the bench of the Los Angeles Kings. However, after going 5-18-1 in their first 24 games, Hal was quickly replaced by Johnny Wilson. Wilson didn’t have much better luck and the Kings finished dead last in the NHL.
The following year, Hal became the first ever coach of the expansion Vancouver Canucks. Vancouver joined the National Hockey League for the 1970-71 season, along with the Buffalo Sabres. Laycoe coached the team for two seasons with the Canucks not reaching the Stanley Cup playoffs in either.
The Hal Laycoe Cup
While in his prime as a WHL head coach, the league introduced the Hal Laycoe Cup as the WHL’s top defenseman. The award was handed out from 1964-65 to 1973-74. The first, and most well-known, recipient was Pat Stapleton. Stapleton just happened to play for Laycoe’s Portland Buckaroos.
Hal Laycoe Rookie Card
The Hal Laycoe rookie card appears as number 25 in the 1951-52 Parkhurst set and is valued at slightly higher than a common. The complete collection for Hal is quite small. He appears in Parkhurst sets for 1952-53, 1953-54 and 1954-55, along with also appearing in the 1954-55 Topps set.
Hal Laycoe Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1945-46 | New York Rangers | NHL | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 1945-46 | New York Rovers | EHL | 35 | 7 | 22 | 29 | 25 |
| 1946-47 | New York Rangers | NHL | 58 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 25 |
| 1947-48 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 1947-48 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 45 | 8 | 25 | 33 | 36 |
| 1948-49 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 51 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 31 |
| 1948-49 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 10 |
| 1949-50 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 30 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 21 |
| 1950-51 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 38 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 25 |
| 1950-51 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 1951-52 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 70 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 61 |
| 1952-53 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 54 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 36 |
| 1953-54 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 58 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 29 |
| 1954-55 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 70 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 34 |
| 1955-56 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 65 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 16 |
| NHL Totals | 531 | 25 | 77 | 102 | 292 |