O'Connor, "Buddy" (Herbert W.)
Hockey
b. June 21, 1916, Montreal, Quebec
d. Aug. 24, 1977
At 143 pounds, O'Connor was one of the smallest players in the NHL during the 1940s. A clever playmaker, he joined the Montreal Canadiens in 1941 and in his second season he had four assists in one period, an NHL record which has been tied several times.
He was traded to the New York Rangers before the 1947-48 season, when he scored 60 points on 24 goals and 36 assists, finishing one point behind Elmer Lach in the NHL scoring race. He was the first player ever to win the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player and the Lady Byng Trophy for combining skillful play with gentlemanly conduct in the same season. O'Connor was also named Canada's athlete of the year for 1948.
Injuries suffered in an auto accident hampered his play in 1948-49. After two more sub-par seasons, the Rangers released him. O'Connor played for the Cincinnati Mohawks of the American Hockey League in 1951-52, winning a second team all-star berth, and he coached the Mohawks the following season.
