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Uploaded By: PRESIDENT on January 21st, 2025

Dean Sutherland Prentice - Born October 5, 1932 in Schumacher, Ontario - Died November 2, 2019 in Cambridge, Ontario was a Canadian ice Hockey left winger, coach and general manager.

- J. Ross Robertson Cup Junior Champion 1952 with Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters.

- Memorial Cup Champion 1952 with Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters.

Prentice first got noticed for his Hockey abilities with the South Porcupine Teepees of a local juvenile league. The Teepees were affiliated with the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters of the OHA and that's where he ended up as a teenager.

With the Biltmores, Prentice stepped into an all-star lineup that included future NHLers Andy Bathgate, Ron Stewart, Lou Fontinato and Harry Howell. Together, they won the Memorial Cup in 1952, the only major championship that Prentice would ever attain during his lengthy career in Hockey.

With such success at the junior level, the needy New York Rangers brought Prentice, Bathgate and Howell, among others, up to the Big Apple. Prentice made his NHL debut on October 22, 1952 vs Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden in a 3-3 tie.

There as a young recruit, Prentice struggled to find his confidence. The only real instruction given to the recruits was provided by goaltender Charlie Rayner who would spend extra time on the ice, offering advice on how to approach various goaltenders around the league.

Prentice scored his 1st NHL goal vs Harry Lumley of Toronto Maple Leafs at 2:32 of 2nd period on November 26, 1952 at Madison Square Garden in a 4-2 Rangers win.

Prentice eventually settled onto a line with Andy Bathgate and Larry Popein. The trio became the Rangers' most successful unit. Prentice became the two-way standout who excelled at backchecking, killing penalties, working the corners and jumping onto the powerplay. But his quiet, unassuming personality took a back seat to the more colourful Bathgate who was the dipsy-doodler and scorer among the trio. As such, Prentice has been characterized as the most underrated forward of his era.

Prentice scored his 1st NHL hat-trick vs John Henderson of Boston Bruins on December 30, 1954 at Madison Square Garden in a 6-1 Rangers win.

In his eleventh season with the Rangers, he was traded to the Boston Bruins for Don McKenney in 1963. Prentice was not unhappy to join the Bruins, but he did feel a twinge of regret when, shortly thereafter, McKenney and Bathgate were traded to the Maple Leafs -- a lineup he'd wanted to join.

On February 16, 1966 Prentice was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, where he would help Detroit make the playoffs and reach the 1966 Stanley Cup finals, losing in 6 games to Montreal.

Pittsburgh Penguins coach Red Kelly claimed Prentice in the Intra-League Draft on June 11, 1969 where he got to play along side Bathgate. Prentice clicked in his new setting, leading the team in scoring. He lasted with the Penguins until 1971 at which time he was sold to the Minnesota North Stars where he continued to score even at the age of 40.

By 1974, however, at age 41, Prentice finally closed out his 22-year NHL career.

Prentice played in 1378 regular season NHL games, scoring 391 goals (47 GWG), 469 assists with 487 penalty minutes and 54 NHL playoff games, scoring 13 goals (2 GWG), 17 assists with 38 penalty minutes.

Prentice played in NHL All-Star Games 1957, 1961, 1963, 1970.

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