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Andrew James Bathgate, (b. August 28, 1932 in
Winnipeg, Manitoba|Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) was
a ice hockey player and was inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame.

Andy Bathgate was a popular star-player of the New
York Rangers and also holds the honor of being
declared the MVP of both the NHL and WHL. He
started his professional career with the Cleveland
Barons of the AHL in the 1952-53 season.  He would
bounce between the Canucks and the Rangers for two
seasons before settling with the Rangers in
1954-55.  He would play ten full seasons with the
Rangers, where he became a popular player in New
York as well as being a top-tiered player in the
NHL.

Bathgate's career was frustrated by the mediocre
play of the Rangers and a nagging knee problem. 
He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a
heartbreaking move, and later to the Detroit Red
Wings, where he helped the team reach the Stanley
Cup Finals in 1965-66.  He was chosen by the
Pittsburgh Penguins in their expansion draft the
next year, and after that, he returned to the
Canucks.  His best professional year was with
them, where he scored 108 points in 1969-70.  That
performance gave him the George Leader Cup, the
top player award in the WHL.  His final NHL year
was with the Penguins in 1971; he came briefly out
of retirement four seasons later to play for the
Vancouver Blazers of the WHA, which he had coached
the previous season, but retired for good after
eleven games. 

He won the Hart Memorial Trophy for the MVP of the
NHL in 1958-59.  He is famous for contributing to
one of the largest innovations in NHL history. 
During a game against the Montreal Canadiens,
Bathgate shot the puck into the face of Jacques
Plante, forcing Plante to receive stitches.  When
Plante returned to the ice, he was wearing a mask.
 That started a trend that continues to this day.

He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978.

His career stats are: 1,069 games played, 349
goals, 624 assists, 973 points, and 624 penalty
minutes.

==See Also==
*List of retired NHL players