Babe Pratt

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Walter "Babe" Pratt (January 7, 1916 in Stony Mountain, Manitoba - December 16, 1988) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers in the National Hockey League.

Babe was an imporant member of two Stanley Cup winning teams, the 1940 Rangers and 1945 Maple Leafs. He won the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1944. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966.

In January, 1946 Pratt was caught betting on hockey games and was subsequently suspended from the NHL. Pratt admited to gambling but denied ever placing a bet against his own team. After promising to quit betting he was reinstated to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

His last NHL season was with Boston in 1946-47 and he played in the minors after that.

He subsequently served as a goodwill ambassador of the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL.

Pratt collapsed and died of a heart attack in the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver while watching a Canucks game on December 16th,1988.

Source

Basen, Ira (Feb. 11, 2006). "Hockey's first gambling face-off". The Globe and Mail, p. F7.

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