Blake, "Toe" (Hector)
Hockey
b. Aug. 21, 1912, Victoria Mines, ONT
Known as the "Old Lamplighter" for his scoring ability, Blake played twelve seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, winning two Stanley Cups, then coached them for thirteen seasons and won eight more Stanley Cups, including a record five in a row.
Blake played just three games for the Montreal Maroons in 1934 before going back down to the minor leagues. He joined the Canadiens in February of 1936 and played with them until he broke his leg in January of 1948, forcing his retirement. The bilingual Blake often played with English-speaking Elmer Lach and French-speaking Rocket Richard on the "Punch Line." In the 1946 Stanley Cup playoffs, he and Richard scored 7 goals each and Lach had 5 as the Canadiens eliminated the Chicago Black Hawks in four games, then beat the Boston Bruins in five games in the finals.
Blake was the NHL's leading scorer in 1939 and he won the Byng Trophy in 1946. He set a Stanley Cup record, since tied, with 5 assists in one game against Toronto in 1944. He had 235 goals and 292 assists in regular season play, with 25 goals and 37 assists in 57 playoff games.
After retiring as a player, Blake coached in the minor leagues, then took over to the Canadiens in 1955. He retired after the 1967-68 season, having coached Montreal to Stanley Cups from 1956 through 1960 and in 1965, 1966, and 1968.
Blake coached 914 regular season games, winning an even 500 against 255 losses and 159 ties. In Stanley Cup play, he had an 82-37 record, winning 18 series and losing only 5.