Cowley, "Bill" (William M.)
Hockey
b. June 12, 1912, Bristol, Quebec
One of hockey's great playmakers, Cowley led the National Hockey League in scoring in the 1940-41 season. He scored only 17 goals, but added 45 assists for a total of 62 points in just 44 games. He also won the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player.
Cowley was the first NHL player to score more than 60 points in a season. In 1942-43, he became the first to score more than 70 points, with 27 goals and 45 assists.
After joining the NHL with the St. Louis Eagles in 1934, Cowley went to the Boston Bruins in 1935 and remained with them through the 1946-47 season. He was the leading scorer in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 1939 with 11 assists and a 14 points, both records at the time. In the first round of the playoffs, Boston's Mel Hill scored three times to win games in overtime and Cowley assisted on all three goals.
Cowley played 13 seasons in the NHL, scoring 195 goals and 353 assists for a total of 548 points in 549 games. He had 13 goals and 33 assists in 64 playoff games.