Lester "The Silver Fox" Patrick (December 30, 1883 – June 1, 1960) born in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada. He was a professional ice hockey player and coach associated with the Victoria Aristocrats/Cougars of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (Western Hockey League after 1924), and the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

He was a great defenceman and played for a number of teams, most notably the Montreal Wanderers, the NHA's Renfrew Creamery Kings, and when he and brother Frank Patrick formed the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, he played for the Victoria Aristocrats (sometimes referred erroneously as the Victoria Senators) and the team beat the Quebec Bulldogs,Stanley Cup champions, in a World's Championship series. The Aristocrats had to fold and he later played for the Victoria Cougars. He demonstrated ability as a goaltender when he took over for Norm Fowler once, when Fowler was thrown out of a game.

Patrick is famous for an incident which occurred during the Stanley Cup finals of 1928. At the age of 44, while serving as coach and general manager of the Rangers, Patrick inserted himself into a playoff game to play goal against the Montreal Maroons due to an eye injury to starting goaltender Lorne Chabot. Patrick allowed one goal in helping the Rangers to an overtime victory. Joe "Red Light" Miller took over in goal after that and the Rangers went on to win the Stanley Cup. He also guided the Rangers to another championship in 1933. He resigned as coach in 1939 for his one-time great center Frank Boucher and Patrick was again a Stanley Cup winning general manager when Boucher led the Rangers to their last Cup for many years in 1940.He finally retired as general manager in 1946, but stayed on as vice president of Madison Square Garden, finally exiting in 1950. He donated a trophy to the Western Hockey League, the Lester Patrick Cup, to go to the playoff champions of that league, and the trophy now resides in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Already dying of cancer, Lester died at his Victoria home of a heart attack on June 1rst,1960 at the age of 76.Exactly four weeks later, he was followed by his brother Frank, 75. His death was also attributed to a heart attack.

The Lester Patrick Trophy, awarded for outstanding contributions to hockey in the United States, is named for him. He was also the namesake of the Patrick Division, one of the former divisions of the NHL teams.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1947.

He was the father of Lynn Patrick and the grandfather Craig Patrick, both of whom are in the Hall of Fame.

See also

• List of NHL players
• List of NHL seasons
• List of pre-NHL seasons
• List of NHL one gamers
• Notable families in the NHL

External links

• Hall of Fame Biography

1883 births | 1960 deaths | National Hockey League executives | New York Rangers players | Stanley Cup champions