Bentley, Maxwell H. L.
Hockey
b. March 1, 1920, Delisle, Saskatchewan
The 145-pound Bentley was rejected by the Boston Bruins because he wasn't big enough, and the Montreal Canadiens turned him down because a team doctor said he had a heart problem. In 1940, he joined the Chicago Black Hawks and played twelve seasons in the NHL, missing two because of service in World War II. One of the finest stick-handlers of his era, he was also a clever, sharp-shooting scorer.
Bentley won the Lady Byng Trophy for combining sportsmanship with a high standard of play in 1943 and he won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer with 61 points in 1945. The following year, he scored 72 points to win both the Ross Trophy and the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player.
He played on the "Pony Line" with his brother Doug until 1947-48, when he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for six players. In 1953-54 he and Doug were united for one final season with the New York Rangers.