Conacher, "Charlie" (Charles W.)
Hockey
b. Dec. 10, 1909, Toronto, ONT
d. Dec. 30, 1967
During the 1930s, Conacher had the hardest shot in hockey, a skill developed through hours of practice on the streets of the Toronto slum area where he grew up. His long-time teammate, King Clancy, once got hit in the rear by a Conacher shot and said later, "It felt like somebody had turned a blow torch on me. I couldn't sit down for a week."
He joined the Toronto Maple Leafs near the end of the 1928-29 season and was put on the "Kid Line" with two other youngsters, Harvey "Busher" Jackson and Joe Primeau. All three are now in the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 1938, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings and he spent one season with the New York Americans before retiring in 1941.
Conacher won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL scoring leader in 1934 and 1935 and he tied for the goal scoring championship in 1932 and 1936. In 13 seasons, he scored 30 or more goals four times and 20 or more six times despite a number of serious injuries. He had an injured kidney removed in 1931. Later he suffered a broken collarbone and he had both hands and both wrists broken at various times.
He became coach of the Chicago Black Hawks during the 1947-48 season and remained through the 1949-50 season. Conacher had 225 goals and 173 assists in 460 regular season games, with 17 goals and 18 assists in 49 playoff games.