Irvine Wallace "Ace" Bailey - Born July 3, 1903 in Bracebridge, Ontario – Died April 7, 1992 in Toronto, Ontario was a Canadian ice Hockey right winger, coach and Maple Leaf Gardens time keeper.

Bailey played for four seasons with the local Bracebridge Bird Mill before moving to Toronto in 1922 to attend the University of Toronto. At that time, the 19-year-old joined the Toronto St. Mary's, a junior team in the Ontario Hockey Association, coached by Frank J. Selke, where he played for two seasons. Then, beginning in 1924-25, Bailey joined the Peterborough Seniors, playing for two productive seasons including an Allan Cup run in his final season.

Although Frank J. Selke had certainly taken note of the high-scoring Bailey, it wasn't until Bailey joined Peterborough that the Toronto St. Patrick's convinced him to try out for their team. On November 3, 1926, 'Ace' Bailey was signed as a free agent by the National Hockey League team, and made his debut in the season opener November 17, a 4-1 loss in Chicago. Bailey would score his first NHL goal three games later on November 30 vs Roy Worters of the Pittsburgh Pirates at Arena Gardens. He scored the 1st goal of the game, and 2 more before the end for his 1st Hattrick in a 6-0 victory.

During Bailey's rookie season, a consortium led by Conn Smythe purchased the franchise, which had been suffering financially and threatened to move to Philadelphia. Smythe re-named the team, calling them the Maple Leafs, and changed the team's colours from green and white to the now well-known blue and white. Ace Bailey and the newly-named Maple Leafs played their first game on February 17, a home win over the New York Americans.

The Toronto Maple Leafs finished last in their division in their first season, but the young rookie led the team in scoring with 15 goals (28 points), and placed him in a tie with New York's Frank Boucher for sixth in that season's scoring leaders.

Bailey's speed and shot had made an immediate impact, and continued into the 1927-28 season. But in 1928-29, Ace's third season, he finished the season as the NHL's scoring champion, winning the Paul Whiteman Trophy (a predecessor to today's Art Ross Trophy) with 22 goals and 10 assists in 44 games. With Bailey leading the team, the Maple Leafs' record moved into the positive category for the first time. Toronto finished third, with 21 wins, 18 losses and 5 ties.

1929-30 continued well for Ace Bailey, who enjoyed a career season that included 22 goals, 21 assists and 43 points. That season, the Leafs introduced two outstanding rookies to the Leafs line-up: Charlie Conacher and Harvey Jackson. The impact was significant. As Conacher, Jackson and their centre, Joe Primeau, emerged as the Maple Leafs premier offensive line, Ace Bailey's role on the team evolved into more of a defensive forward. In 1930-31, Bailey was second to Charlie Conacher in both goals (23 to Conacher's 31) and points (Ace's 42 was one shy of the Big Bomber's total). But 1931-32 saw Bailey's production slide to 8 goals and 5 assists, in spite of playing in 41 contests. Yet, Bailey was a key contributor to the team that year, and after a hard-fought final with the New York Rangers, the Toronto Maple Leafs would win the Stanley Cup championship — the first in franchise history.

Ace Bailey scored the 1932 Stanley Cup championship goal on John Ross Roach at 15:07 of the 3rd period in a 6-4 victory.

Bailey's career came to an abrupt end on December 13, 1933, during the second period of a game between Toronto and the Bruins in Boston, hometown hero Eddie Shore was checked hard by Toronto defenseman Red Horner while carrying the puck into the Leafs end. "Eddie Shore was having a very frustrating night," explained Red Horner. "He was playing a great game but it wasn't getting him or the Bruins anywhere. They couldn't score on us. (Coach) Dick Irvin sent out King Clancy and myself and Ace Bailey up front to kill off the (two) penalties. Bailey was a very expert stickhandler, and he ragged the puck for awhile. Eventually, Shore got his stick on the puck and made a nice rush deep into our end. Shore came down my side and I gave him a very good hipcheck." As play moved back into the Boston end, Shore, dazed by the hit and searching for revenge, skated wildly towards Ace Bailey, likely thinking that he was charging Horner. "He wanted to get even for the check I'd just put on him. He thought Bailey was me. He charged into Bailey on an angle from the side. He hit Bailey and flipped him in the air, just like a rag doll. Bailey landed on his head just a few feet from where I was standing. Bailey hit the ice and he went into some kind of convulsion. I thought to myself, 'That's the end of Ace!'" Bailey lost consciousness and began bleeding from a head wound. Horner, sickened by the sight of his injured teammate, coldcocked Shore, knocking him to the ice unconscious. "Shore skated away in a very nonchalant fashion. I wasn't going to let him get away with that, so I went after him."

Both Bailey and Shore had to be carried off the ice by teammates. Shore suffered a three-inch gash to his head, but Bailey's injury was far more serious. He was being attended to by Boston doctors in the Bruins' dressing room when Shore, having regained consciousness, went over to apologize. "It's all part of the game," Bailey said before convulsing and lapsing into unconsciousness again.

Ace was rushed to Audubon Hospital with a cerebral hemorrhage and by the next morning, his condition was so poor that his death seemed imminent. Dr. Donald Munro, a brain specialist, consulted with Ace's wife about a dangerous but necessary operation. In the meantime, Boston homicide detectives were interviewing Shore and other players about the on-ice incident and it became widely known that, in the event of Bailey's death, Shore would be charged with manslaughter.

Bailey was transferred to City Hospital, where Dr. Munro performed two operations to relieve the pressure on his brain. After the second operation, on December 18, Dr. Munro said simply, "His chances of living are very slim," and a priest was called to read Bailey's last rites. His pulse was 160, his temperature almost 106¼ Fahrenheit, and the doctors were reluctant even to measure his life expectancy in minutes. By the very next morning, however, Bailey had miraculously fought off death, and in the ensuing days he grew stronger and stronger. By Christmas, his life was no longer hanging in the balance and Ace was on the road to recovery.

Calder suspended Horner until January 1, 1934, and barred Shore indefinitely. Shore wasn't permitted to visit Bailey in hospital, but when Boston manager Art Ross managed to gain access to his room, Ace again absolved Shore of any willful wrongdoing. Shore, exhausted and near collapse from both his own injury and his worry over Bailey's condition, went to Bermuda for three weeks to convalesce.

Once it was clear that Bailey would live but would never play again, president Calder announced that Shore would be allowed back to the NHL as of January 28, after an absence of 16 games. Shore's presence in the Boston lineup was vital to the franchise's success. When he played, Boston Garden was routinely sold out. During his suspension, attendance had plummeted to about 6,000 per game.

The Boston Bruins set aside almost $8,000 in gate receipts from a contest with the Montreal Maroons, and the money was sent to Bailey's family.

On January 24, 1934, the NHL's board of governors decided that a special benefit game featuring the Leafs against the best of the rest of the league would be staged in Toronto and the proceeds would go to Bailey and his family. The idea had originally been proposed by Walter Gilhooley, sports editor of the Journal in Montreal, in the form of an open letter to the league. The Leafs' opposition, an "All-Star" team, would be selected by a committee consisting of Frank Calder, Frank Patrick and league director Thomas Arnold.

Prior to the game, held on February 14, 1934, the All-Stars skated onto the ice in their regular team sweaters and had their picture taken as a group. They were then presented with their All-Star sweaters by NHL president Calder, Lester Patrick and Maple Leaf officials, including Ace Bailey himself. The first in line was goalie Charlie Gardiner, who received his number 1 jersey. He was followed by number 2, Eddie Shore. An apprehensive silence fell over the Gardens as Shore skated to centre ice. But as Bailey extended his hand to the Bruins star, the crowd erupted in an explosion of spontaneous cheering. Bailey, in his street clothes, met Shore, dressed in his hockey equipment ready for the game, at centre ice. Bailey handed him an All-Star sweater with number 2. The two shook hands and the hatchet was buried. "It was the loudest I ever heard a Maple Leaf Gardens crowd," mentioned longtime season ticket subscriber Tommy Gaston. Bailey's extraordinary sportsmanlike gesture made clear his forgiveness of Shore. The near-tragic Bailey incident haunted Shore for the rest of his life. "I hold no grudge," Bailey later said. "I see Eddie often when he comes up to Toronto for the games. It was just one of those things that happens."

Before the opening faceoff, Bailey gave NHL president Calder a special trophy inscribed with his own name. It had been commissioned by the Toronto Maple Leafs in hopes that it would be the prize of an annual All-Star Game that would be staged to set up a fund for injured players. The paid attendance at Maple Leaf Gardens that night raised $20,909.40 for Ace Bailey and his family.

Thirteen years later, the NHL introduced an annual all-star game.

No sweater number had ever been retired to that point in the NHL's history. Prior to the opening faceoff of the All-Star Game, Conn Smythe took the microphone and announced, "No other player on a Maple Leaf Hockey team will ever again wear the number 6." The crowd roared its approval.

The Toronto Maple Leafs retire very few sweater numbers. In fact, there are only two retired numbers hanging from the rafters of the Air Canada Centre -- Ace Bailey's number 6 and Bill Barilko's number 5. Only players who have made a significant contribution to the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and have experienced a career-ending accident while a member of the Leafs have their numbers considered for retirement. Other sweater numbers are honoured, but not retired. Yet, in a curious but wonderful tribute, Ace Bailey took his number 6 out of retirement for a period of time. "Ace Bailey had been watching me; he was there (as an off-ice official at Maple Leaf Gardens) every game," began Leaf great Ron Ellis. "I knew who he was, of course, but there had never been an opportunity to meet with him and talk. For some reason that still amazes me, Ace made a decision to take his Number 6 out of retirement. He went to Harold Ballard and requested that I be allowed to wear his retired sweater number!" Ellis's exemplary play and clean lifestyle had made an impression on Ace Bailey, and prior to the 1968-69 season, the former star paid industrious winger Ron Ellis the highest professional compliment. "This came completely out of left field. I was flabbergasted. It was the greatest honour of my career and I will always be grateful to Ace Bailey!"

Once forced to retire, Ace Bailey asked the NHL if he could work as a linesman, but the offer was declined. Nevertheless, Bailey continued in hockey by coaching the University of Toronto Varsity Blues hockey team between 1935 and 1940, then again after the Second World War from 1945 to 1949. During his coaching tenure, the U of T Blues won three Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union championships. In addition, from 1938 to 1984, Ace continued his ties with hockey by serving as a timekeeper at Maple Leaf Gardens. In 1984, at the age of 81, Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard dismissed Bailey from the position he enjoyed so much.

The Toronto Maple Leafs planned to honour both Ace Bailey and the late Bill Barilko in a pre-game ceremony on April 1, 1992 to officially retire both sweater numbers. But a players' strike shut down the league for ten days beginning on March 30. Bailey suffered a stroke on April 1 and died at the age of 89 on April 7, 1992. He never got to see his sweater raised to the rafters.

Bailey's number 6 and Barilko's number 5 were finally hoisted to the rafters of Maple Leaf Gardens. Ron Ellis was on the ice along with Ace's daughter Joyce during the emotional ceremony.

Ace Bailey was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975.

The Ace Bailey Memorial ice Hockey tournament for youth players is held annually in Stoney Creek, Ontario.

A good portion of this article was written by Kevin Shea, Hockey Hall of Fame's Editor of Publications and On-Line Features