Doug Bentley

Bentley's early career was spent with several senior teams throughout Saskatchewan. He first played in his hometown of Delisle for the Tigers hockey team in 1932–33 before playing a year in Saskatoon, then another in Regina before settling in Moose Jaw for three seasons beginning in 1935–36.[4] He led the South-Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League in scoring in 1936–37 with 37 points and added another 14 in the playoffs, also leading the league.[5] In 1937, Bentley, along with future Hall of Famer Elmer Lach attended the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp; both were rejected as too small for the National Hockey League.[6] According to Lach, Conn Smythe, manager of the Leafs, saw Bentley and Lach and said "They were sending me big guys from the West, but instead they’ve sent me peanuts."[7] He moved to Alberta with brother Reg, and joined elder brothers Max, Wyatt and Roy with the Drumheller Miners of the Alberta Senior Hockey League (ASHL) for the 1938–39 season. When not playing hockey, Doug helped run a gas station that the family purchased in Drumheller.[2]

The Chicago Black Hawks signed Bentley to a contract in the fall of 1939. He had previously been placed on the protected list of the Montreal Canadiens, meaning they were the only NHL team eligible to sign him to a contract. They subsequently dealt his NHL rights to the Boston Bruins for Vic Myles. When he and brother Max went to Boston for a tryout camp, Bruins' owner Art Ross declared them "among the worst amateurs to come to my camp".[8] However, by the time Chicago signed him, Bentley had established himself as one of the top forwards on the prairies.[8]

Bentley appeared in 39 games in his rookie campaign with Chicago, scoring 12 goals and 19 points.[4] His brother Max joined him early in the 1941–42 season, and the pair were placed on a line together.[3] After two years of development with the Black Hawks, Bentley emerged as the NHL's scoring leader in 1942–43 with 73 points, a total that tied Cooney Weiland's NHL record for points in a season.[9] He was the first Black Hawks player to finish as the scoring leader,[10] and finished second in voting for the Hart Trophy as most valuable player.[11]

World War II had decimated the rosters of all NHL teams, and with the Black Hawks searching for players, Max and Doug convinced the team to sign their brother Reg.[2] The trio made history on January 1, 1943, when they became the first all-brother line the NHL had seen.[12] Two nights later, Max and Doug assisted on Reg's first, and only, NHL goal. It is the only time in league history that a trio of family members recorded the goal and assists on a scoring play. While Max and Doug were established NHL stars, Reg played only 11 games in his NHL career.[12]

In 1943–44, Bentley again led the NHL in goal scoring with 38, and was named a First Team All-Star at left wing for the second consecutive season.[5] His career was briefly halted in 1944 when, after playing an exhibition game with Chicago in Canada prior to the 1944–45 season, Canadian officials refused to allow him to return to the United States.[13] He was given permission by military authorities to return to his family farm for the duration of the war, and signed on to play with the Laura Beavers of the Saskatchewan Intermediate Hockey League.[4] The Beavers went on to win the western Canadian intermediate championship, defeating a team from Canmore, Alberta, to capture the title.[14]

Following the war, Bentley returned to the Black Hawks where he was reunited with his brother Max. The brothers and Bill Mosienko formed a line in which each player was small and exceptionally fast; they were dubbed the "Pony Line" and emerged as one of the top scoring lines in the league.[3] Max led the NHL in scoring with 61 points,[15] while Doug scored 40 points in just 36 games for Chicago.[4] He improved to 55 points in 1946–47 and was named a First Team All-Star for the third time.[5] He played in the first All-Star Game on October 13, 1947, for the NHL All-Stars, who defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4–3.[16]

The Black Hawks, who never iced a strong lineup while Bentley played,[17] made a significant trade early in the 1947–48 season. They sent Max Bentley and a prospect to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for five players.[18] The trade shocked Doug. He thought about retiring following the deal but felt he could give Chicago at least one more good season.[17] He gave them several good seasons, finished the following three seasons with 57, 66 and 52 points respectively, was named to the Second All-Star Team in 1949, and appeared in four more All-Star Games in 1948, 1949, 1950 and 1951.[5] Chicago's Herald American newspaper named him the city's top hockey player of the half-century in 1950.[3]

Injuries, including a pulled groin muscle, plagued Bentley in 1950–51 and limited him to 44 games.[19][20] He played only eight games of the 1951–52 NHL season before the Black Hawks allowed him to return to Saskatchewan. He was loaned to the Saskatoon Quakers where he took on the role of player-coach for the Pacific Coast Hockey League (PCHL) team.[21] Bentley appeared in 35 regular season games for the Quakers then scored 12 points in 13 games to lead the Quakers to the President's Cup championship.[4][22]

Bentley remained with Saskatoon in 1952–53, appearing in all 70 league games for the Quakers.[4] Following the season, the New York Rangers lured Bentley back to the NHL, acquiring his brother Max, then purchasing his rights from Chicago. In his first game with the Rangers, he scored a goal and three assists.[1] He played 20 games with the Rangers, scoring 12 points,[2] but returned to Saskatoon to coach the team in their playoffs once the Rangers' season ended.[23] Bentley continued as Saskatoon's player-coach until 1955.[24]

In the midst of the 1955–56 season, Bentley surprised his team by announcing his resignation as a coach.[24] He initially agreed to continue as a player, but when the team announced as his replacement a player who was formerly subordinate to him as coach, Bentley felt it best to leave to avoid embarrassing his successor.[25] The 39-year-old Bentley immediately received offers from other Western Hockey League (WHL) teams, including the New Westminster Royals.[26] He chose to finish the season with the Brandon Regals.[27]