Erhardt ‘Ott’ Heller was an important part of the second and third of four Stanley Cup championships for the New York Rangers. In his rookie NHL season, Heller and the Rangers reached the finals before winning in his sophomore season. Ott went on to serve as New York’s team captain for three years from 1942-43 to 1944-45. He would also win a Calder Cup in the American Hockey League after his NHL days were done.
Ott Heller – Junior and Minor Pro
Heller played a single season of junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey Association, 1928-29, with the Kitchener Greenshirts. He followed that up with nearly three full seasons in the CAHL with the Springfield Indians from 1929-30 until midway through the 1931-32 season before joining the Rangers. He played 22 games that year with the Indians and would not return to the minors for over a decade.
After 34 games with New York in 1945-46, he was sent down to the USHL and would never surface in the National Hockey League again. Heller continued on in the minors until 1954-55, often in the dual role of player/head coach.
From 1948-49 to 1951-52, Ott found himself in just that dual role with the Indianapolis Capitals of the AHL. 1949-50 was the most successful of the four years and his most successful as a head coach. Heller played 30 regular season games for the Capitals and four more in the Calder Cup playoffs.
The 1949-50 Indianapolis Capitals finished second in the AHL’s five time Western Division and second overall in the ten team league. With Terry Sawchuk in goal, the Capitals swept their way to a Calder Cup championship, going 8-0 in the playoffs. In the finals, Indianapolis took out the Cleveland Barons in four games.
Ott Heller – NHL
Between 1931-32 and 1945-46, Heller played 647 regular season games in the NHL, all with the New York Rangers. Over that time, the defenseman scored 55 and assisted on 176 for 231 points. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Ott produced 14 points over 61 games.
In that first season, 1931-32, he was called up from Springfield for the final 21 games of the season. Ott played seven games in the playoffs with New York falling in the finals to the Toronto Maple Leafs. During the regular season, the Rangers were first in the American Division and second overall in the eight team NHL.
In his second season in the NHL, 1932-33, the regular season was mediocre for the Rangers. The team placed third in the four team American Division but tied for third in the nine team NHL. New York earned a rematch with the Maple Leafs in the finals and this time came out on top. It was already New York’s second championship after entering the NHL for the 1926-27 season.
Heller would play in the Stanley Cup finals twice more during his career. In 1936-37, the Rangers fell to the Detroit Red Wings. In 1939-40, New York won its third championship, once again beating Toronto in the finals.
Not a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Ott Heller was named number 25 in the top 100 New York Rangers of all-time. The famous list was compiled in a 2009 book by Russ Cohen, John Halligan and Adam Raider.
Ott Heller – Coach
As mentioned, Heller jumped into the dual role of player/head coach in the American Hockey League with the Indianapolis Capitals in 1948-49. He spent four years with the Capitals and won the Calder Cup championship in his second year.
1948-49 was for the most part the end of Ott’s success as a coach. In 1953-54, he served as player/head coach with the Marion Barons of the IHL. The team existed for just that season and was a farm team for the AHL’s Cleveland Barons. Heller played all 64 regular season and five playoff games for the team. Marion finished second overall in the nine team league but fell in the opening round of the playoffs to the Cincinnati Mohawks.
His last real kick at the can came in 1954-55 with the Valleyfield Braves in the QHL. The team ended the year with just 43 points over 62 regular season games. Valleyfield placed fifth in the six team league with the sixth place team folding before the year was half over. The Braves did not move on to the post season.
Ott Heller – Rookie Cards
There are two official Ott Heller rookie cards, both from 1933-34. The 1933-34 O-Pee-Chee V304a card number 16 features Heller and is part of a 48 card set that has a book value of $15,000. Heller’s card is valued as a common card.
The 1933-34 V129 number 34 card is also considered an Ott Heller rookie card. The card is part of a 49 card set that also has a book value of $15,000. Not quite a common card in this set, the Heller card is valued at about $50 more than the lowest.
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1929-30 | Springfield Indians | CAHL | 26 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 32 |
| 1930-31 | Springfield Indians | CAHL | 38 | 16 | 15 | 31 | 85 |
| 1931-32 | Springfield Indians | CAHL | 22 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 30 |
| 1931-32 | New York Rangers | NHL | 21 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
| 1932-33 | New York Rangers | NHL | 40 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 31 |
| 1933-34 | New York Rangers | NHL | 48 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 29 |
| 1934-35 | New York Rangers | NHL | 47 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 31 |
| 1935-36 | New York Rangers | NHL | 43 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 40 |
| 1936-37 | New York Rangers | NHL | 48 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 42 |
| 1937-38 | New York Rangers | NHL | 48 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 68 |
| 1938-39 | New York Rangers | NHL | 48 | 0 | 23 | 23 | 42 |
| 1939-40 | New York Rangers | NHL | 47 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 26 |
| 1940-41 | New York Rangers | NHL | 48 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 42 |
| 1941-42 | New York Rangers | NHL | 35 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 22 |
| 1942-43 | New York Rangers | NHL | 45 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 14 |
| 1943-44 | New York Rangers | NHL | 50 | 8 | 27 | 35 | 29 |
| 1944-45 | New York Rangers | NHL | 45 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 26 |
| 1945-46 | New York Rangers | NHL | 34 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 14 |
| 1945-46 | St. Paul Saints | USHL | 16 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| 1946-47 | New Haven Ramblers | AHL | 64 | 7 | 29 | 36 | 40 |
| 1947-48 | New Haven Ramblers | AHL | 67 | 6 | 25 | 31 | 40 |
| 1948-49 | Indianapolis Capitals | AHL | 55 | 6 | 21 | 27 | 24 |
| 1949-50 | Indianapolis Capitals | AHL | 30 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 1950-51 | Indianapolis Capitals | AHL | 48 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 34 |
| 1951-52 | Indianapolis Capitals | AHL | 48 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 40 |
| 1952-53 | New Haven Nutmegs | EHL | 21 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| 1952-53 | Cleveland Barons | AHL | Playoffs only | ||||
| 1953-54 | Marion Barons | IHL | 64 | 4 | 25 | 29 | 70 |
| 1953-54 | Cleveland Barons | AHL | Playoffs only | ||||
| 1954-55 | Valleyfield Braves | QHL | 18 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 1954-55 | Cleveland Barons | AHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| NHL Totals | 647 | 55 | 176 | 231 | 465 | ||