Rick Ley (born November 2, 1948 in Orillia, Ontario) was a professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA). Rick and his wife Ellen have a daughter Kathleen.
- Position: Defenceman
- Shoots: Left
- Height: 5 ft 9 in
- Weight: 190 lb
Playing career
Rick Ley was drafted by the
Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round (16th overall) in the
1966 NHL Amateur Draft. He played four seasons with the Maple Leafs (
1968-69 to
1971-72) in the
NHL before leaving to play with the
New England Whalers of the
WHA. He would remain with the Whalers' organisation in the WHA until that league folded in
1979. The Whalers, along with three other teams from the WHA's remaining six, were absorbed into the NHL in
1979. Ley made the transition with the New England Whalers (who would become the
Hartford Whalers) and finished his professional playing career in
1981.
Rick Ley spent six years as the Whalers' captain and is one of only three players in Hartford Whalers' history to have his jersey number retired (#2), joining Gordie Howe and John McKenzie.
NHL career stats
- Playoff games played: 14
- Playoff goals: 0
- Playoff assists: 2
- Playoff points: 2
- Playoff penalty minutes: 20
WHA career stats
- Regular season games played: 478
- Regular season goals: 35
- Regular season assists: 210
- Regular season points: 245
- Regular season penalty minutes: 716
- Playoff games played: 73
- Playoff goals: 7
- Playoff assists: 33
- Playoff points: 40
- Playoff penalty minutes: 142
Coaching career
Rick Ley was named an assistant coach on August 4, 1998 by the Maple Leafs and previous to his appointment spent seven season with the
Vancouver Canucks organisation. After serving as an assistant coach under
Pat Quinn for three season from
1991-92 to
1993-94, Ley became the 12th head coach in Vancouver Canucks' history on August 10, 1994. In 121 regular season games as head coach, the Canucks posted a record of 47-48-26. He also served the Canucks in a professional scouting capacity in 1996-97 and 1997-98. Rick was the coach of the Hartford Whalers from 1989-90 to 1990-91, leading them to 4th place finishes and first round playoff defeats at the hands of their New England rival the Boston Bruins in both seasons. Ley joined the Vancouver Canucks' organization in 1988-89 as the head coach of the team's top affiliate in Milwaukee of the International Hockey League for one season. He also coached Muskegon of the IHL to four first place finishes and one league championship during his tenure from 1984 to 1988. In
1998, he was hired as an assistant coach with the
Toronto Maple Leafs and held that role for eight seasons until he was relieved of his duties at the conclusion of the
2005-06 season.
See also
References
- http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?pid=3139
1948 births | Living people | Canadian ice hockey players | Toronto Maple Leafs players | Hartford Whalers players | Hartford Whalers coaches | Vancouver Canucks coaches | Niagara Falls Flyers alumni | Ontario sportspeople | Toronto Maple Leafs coaches