Rick Ley, D
Ley is a nasty defensive defenseman who is a great leader and 'short but built like a fire hydrant.' He is a WHA all-star and brings speed and toughness to the blueline.
Ley was the future of the Toronto blueline after the aging team won the 67 cup. Sadly for Toronto fans, ownership was cheap - Ley along with others bolted for the new WHA.
-Captained the New England Whalers for basically their whole existence, including the 1973 WHA Championship Team
-Competed in the 1974 Summit Series, playing all 7 games
-1977-78 WHA WHA All-Star Team (2nd)
-1978-79 WHA WHA All-Star Team (1st)
-1978-79 WHA Dennis A. Murphy Trophy, awarded to the best defenseman in the WHA
-Voted the best defenseman of the Hartford Whalers in 79-80 (his only full NHL season)
-One of only three players to have his jersey retired by the Hartford Whalers.
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Originally Posted by chidlovski
Rick (Rickey) Ley along with Brad Selwood, and Jim Dorey, was member of the Toronto Maple Leafs "Kiddie Korp" defense of the late 1960's and early 1970's. Ley, was a strong, pugnacious defenseman who made life miserable for opposing forwards in the Toronto zone. Never much of an offense player, Rickey was rock solid in his own zone.
In 1972 Ley, along with Selwood and Dorey jumped from the Maple Leafs to the New England Whalers of the brand new WHA. In that first ever WHA season of 1972-73 Ley was a key component of the Whalers championship team. Later in 1978-79 he would be voted the WHA's finest defenseman and his number was retired by the Whalers franchise.
He was named to Team Canada 74 by Billy Harris. Before the series Harris spoke to Ley and impressed upon him the need to play a more disciplined brand of hockey and above all avoid any fights. Rickey had the reputation of being a very able, and willing fighter. With the severe penalties for fighting present in International rules, Harris knew Ley would have to control himself. Ley except for one unfortunate lapse of judgment at the end of Game 6 where he attacked Valery Kharlamov and beat him brutally, followed Harris's instructions and played very solid, capable defense throughout most of the Summit.
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Originally Posted by VanIslander
The WHA top defenseman of 1979 and three-time all-star didn't put up as many points in his NHL years but always had a good first pass on great stickhandling. Want to see him shine? His speed and scoring on this shorthanded effort (blowing past JC Tremblay) is impressive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FokXEbEUko
He also was tough. He has seven 100+ PIM seasons, infamous for beating up (and injuring) Kharlamov near the end of a losing game in the 1974 Summit Series (that also is on youtube). As a 15 year old he was given a one-game suspension in the Memorial Cup in 1965 for a stick-swinging incident (the other team's guy also swung and got suspended) and he returned as an 18 year old to captain the 1968 Memorial Cup championship team.
Moreover, he brings leadership as a longtime captain of the Whalers (one of only six jerseys to be retired by that WHA/NHL franchise). He twice won the Memorial Cup (the second time as captain), the WHA championship (as captain) and only reason he doesn't have a Stanley Cup is geography: playing in Hartford (as captain). |