“Who is Skip Krake?”
“Isn’t he the guy with his picture on Don Awrey’s 1967-68 and 1968-69 hockey cards?”
Yes. But, is there more to Phil ‘Skip’ Krake’s hockey career? Awrey made a name for himself but few mention Krake time on the ice when talking about the old days. Well, he did have a career in professional hockey. Not an all-star by any means, Skip did manage nearly 250 regular season games in the National Hockey League and another 200+ in the WHA.
Junior and Minor Pro
NHL Career
Hockey Card Collection
WHA Career
Rookie Card
Career Stats
Skip Krake – Junior and Minor Pro
Skip Krake played four years in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) from 1960-61 to 1963-64 with the Estevan Bruins. In 1962-63, he helped the Bruins to a first overall finish in the seven team league, one point ahead of the Melville Millionaires. Estevan and Melville met in the final with the Bruins coming out victorious in five games. The team then lost to the Edmonton Oil Kings in six in the Abbott Cup semi-final.
In his final year with Estevan, Skip took off with 59 goals and 56 assists for 115 points in 60 regular season games. The team once again finished first overall in the now eight team SJHL. Krake was named a Second Team All-Star centre, behind Fran Huck of the Regina Pats.
That 1963-64 Estevan team again took the SJHL crown, beating the Regina Pats in the final with the series going six games. Once again, the Edmonton Oil Kings ousted the Bruins from Memorial Cup contention. The team lost to the Oil Kings in five games in the Abbott Cup final. That year, Krake appeared in his first two NHL games, playing for the Boston Bruins.
His first full year of pro hockey was spent with the Minneapolis Bruins in the CPHL. In a decent rookie campaign, Krake scored 23 and assisted on 24 for 47 points over 69 games. The team was coached by defenseman Harry Sinden and teammates included J.P. Parise, Terry Crisp and goaltender Cesare Maniago.
Krake got a championship in 1965-66 playing for the Oklahoma City Blazers in the CPHL. The team took out the Tulsa Oilers in the final with Skip contributing ten points in nine playoff games, his last post season action in the minors. During the regular season, his 37 assists and 61 points each placed him tenth in the league.
Following 1965-66, his time in the minors was somewhat limited. Krake spent 59 games with the Blazers in 1966-67. In 1968-69, he would play 43 games in the American Hockey League with the Springfield Kings. As team captain of the WHL’s Salt Lake Golden Eagles in 1971-72, he would appear in 53 games, the last minor league games of his career.
Skip Krake – NHL
Skip Krake played 249 regular season games in the National Hockey League from 1963-64 to 1970-71 with the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings and Buffalo Sabres. Over that time, he scored 23 goals and assisted on 40 for 63 points. In ten playoff games, he added a single goal. Four of those post season appearances were with the Bruins in 1967-68 while the other six were with the Kings in 1968-69.
Skip Krake Collection
On May 20, 1968, Skip was traded from Boston to Los Angeles in exchange for a first round pick at the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft. That draft pick became Reggie Leach. With the Kings, Krake had his career year in 1969-70 with five goals and 22 points over 58 games.
The Buffalo Sabres selected Skip 19th overall at the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft. In his most complete National Hockey League season, Krake appeared in 74 of Buffalo’s 78 games in 1970-71 but gave little offense. It would be the end of his time in the NHL.
Skip Krake – WHA
After spending 1971-72 in the WHL with Salt Lake, Krake jumped at the chance to play in the World Hockey Association for the rebel league’s inaugural 1972-73 season. The Calgary Broncos picked up Skip in the 1972 WHA General Player Draft. That team ended up being the Cleveland Crusaders when the teams hit the ice for that first season.
Between 1972-73 and 1975-76, Krake played in 207 regular season WHA games with the Crusaders and Edmonton Oilers. His numbers were much more productive compared to his time in the NHL. Skip scored 52 goals and assisted on 77 for 129 points. In 19 playoff games, he added six points.
His first three years were spent with Cleveland and he was a 20 goal scorer with the team in 1973-74. Skip was traded to the Oilers in August, 1975 for Ray McKay and he played 1975-76 with that team before calling it a career.
Skip Krake – Rookie Card
The Skip Krake rookie card appears as number 93 in the 1967-68 Topps NHL hockey card set. He is shown with the Boston Bruins, although it’s not his picture on the front of the card. Don Awrey is shown on Krake’s card and Skip is on the front of Awrey’s card.
Despite being traded to the Los Angeles Kings, the same mistake was made with the 1968-69 O-Pee-Chee set. Skip is shown as a member of the Kings but the face is still Awrey’s with a airbrushed jersey switched from Boston’s colours.
His final card is included in the 1970-71 O-Pee-Chee set as number 126. He is shown as a member of the Buffalo Sabres. Despite some decent seasons in the WHA, he was never included in a mainstream set from that league.
Skip Krake Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1960-61 | Estevan Bruins | SJHL | 11 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| 1961-62 | Estevan Bruins | SJHL | 42 | 25 | 15 | 40 | 42 |
| 1962-63 | Estevan Bruins | SJHL | 54 | 26 | 37 | 63 | 126 |
| 1963-64 | Estevan Bruins | SJHL | 60 | 59 | 56 | 115 | 142 |
| 1963-64 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1964-65 | Minneapolis Bruins | CPHL | 69 | 23 | 24 | 47 | 33 |
| 1965-66 | Oklahoma City Blazers | CPHL | 70 | 24 | 37 | 61 | 97 |
| 1965-66 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-67 | Oklahoma City Blazers | CPHL | 49 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 107 |
| 1966-67 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 15 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 4 |
| 1967-68 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 68 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 13 |
| 1968-69 | Springfield Kings | AHL | 43 | 8 | 23 | 31 | 67 |
| 1968-69 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 30 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 11 |
| 1969-70 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 58 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 86 |
| 1970-71 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 74 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 68 |
| 1971-72 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | WHL | 53 | 15 | 36 | 51 | 59 |
| 1972-73 | Cleveland Crusaders | WHA | 26 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 61 |
| 1973-74 | Cleveland Crusaders | WHA | 69 | 20 | 36 | 56 | 94 |
| 1974-75 | Cleveland Crusaders | WHA | 71 | 15 | 23 | 38 | 108 |
| 1975-76 | Edmonton Oilers | WHA | 41 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 55 |
| NHL Totals | 249 | 23 | 40 | 63 | 182 | ||
| WHA Totals | 207 | 52 | 77 | 129 | 318 |