Red Beattie

This is John "Red" Beattie. He played 335 NHL games in the 1930s, mostly with the Boston Bruins but also with the Detroit Red Wings and New York Americans. He scored 62 goals, 85 assists and 147 points.

Beattie was a notable scorer in his pre-NHL days, including with the Vancouver Lions of the PCHL at the close of the 1920s. He was so well thought of the Bruins and New York Rangers fought over his NHL rights. The Rangers were actually awarded Beattie, but the Bruins boss Art Ross paid the handsome price of $25,000 (remember this was during the Great Depression) for Beattie and Joe Jerwa.

Ross may have been happy to get his man, but he could not have been too happy when Beattie suffered a broken leg in what promised to be his first full NHL season. He only played in one game in 1931-32.

Beattie recovered and became a very serviceable defensive winger, noted for blanketing such stars as Charlie Conacher and Bill Cook. He put up decent numbers himself, but was never nearly as celebrated as many of his teammates like Bill Cowley or Dit Clapper or Eddie Shore.

Beattie is the answer to a pretty unique NHL trivia question. On March 25th, 1937 he was called for the first ever NHL playoff penalty shot when he fell on the puck in front of his own goal. Boston goalie Tiny Thompson stopped Montreal Maroons' Lionel Conacher much to the relief of Beattie, I'm sure.

Born in Ibstock, England in 1907, Beattie passed away in 1990.

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