Pratt, "Babe" (Walter)
Hockey
b. Jan. 7, 1916, Stony Mountain, Manitoba
A 6-foot-3, 215-pound defenseman, Pratt entered the NHL with the New York Rangers in 1935-36, was traded to Toronto during the 1942-43 season, and had one season with the Bruins in 1946-47. He then played minor league hockey for several teams, retiring in 1952.
The winner of the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player in 1944, Pratt set a record for defensemen that season with 57 points in just 50 games. On January 8, 1944, he set a record for most assists in a game by a defenseman with 6.
The gregarious, fun-loving Pratt was banned from professional hockey for gambling early in 1946, but the ban was lifted less than three weeks later after he made a personal plea to NHL President Red Dutton.
His son, Tracy Pratt, played in the NHL for 10 seasons.
