IMAGE INFORMATION
EditMaxwell Herbert Lloyd "Max" Bentley - Born March 1, 1920 in Delisle, Saskatchewan - Died January 18, 1984 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan was a Canadian Indigenous (Métis) ice Hockey centre and coach.
- Stanley Cup Champion 1948, 1949, 1951 with Toronto Maple Leafs.
- Prince of Wales Trophy Champion 1948 with Toronto Maple Leafs
- Lady Byng Memorial Trophy Winner 1943 with Chicago Black Hawks.
- Hart Memorial Trophy Winner 1946 with Chicago Black Hawks.
The famous Bentley brothers were from a small town in Saskatchewan (Delisle). There were 6 boys and 7 girls, with Max being the youngest boy. Their dad Bill would build a long narrow ice rink in the backyard every winter, where there learned to skate and play Hockey. Max was a lightweight, being only 155lbs, so his dad taught him to use his speed to elude bigger and stronger opponents.
As a teenager, Bentley played senior Hockey with the Drumheller Miners for 2 seasons and 1 season with Saskatoon Quakers. Max played with 4 of his brothers in Drumheller during the 1938-39 season.
Max Bentley turned pro with Providence Reds for the 1940-41, playing 9 games before be spotted by a Chicago Black Hawks scout. He was originally sent to their farm team, playing 5 games before the Black Hawks called him up to the NHL.
Bentley made his NHL debut with Chicago on November 21, 1940 vs Boston Bruins at Chicago Stadium in a 2-0 Bruins win.
Bentley scored his 1st NHL vs Dave Kerr of New York Rangers at 4:25 of 1st period on December 1, 1940 at Chicago Stadium in a 4-1 Black Hawks win.
Bentley scored his 1st NHL hat-trick vs Paul Bibeault of Montreal Canadiens on December 6, 1942 at Chicago Stadium in a 5-2 Black Hawks win.
World War II had decimated the rosters of all NHL teams, and with the Black Hawks searching for players, Max and Doug convinced the team managment to sign their brother Reg. The trio made history on January 1, 1943, when they became the first all-brother line the NHL had seen. 2 nights later, Max and Doug assisted on Reg's 1st, and only, NHL goal, the only time in NHL history that a trio of family members recorded the goal and assists on a scoring play. While Max and Doug were established NHL stars, Reg played only 11 games in his NHL career.
Bentley's career was interrupted in 1943 when he joined the Canadian Infantry Corps. After serving 2 years with the Canadian Army during World War II, he returned to the Black Hawks where he was reunited with his brother Doug and joined on a line by Bill Mosienko. The trio, who were all small and exceptionally fast, were dubbed the "Pony Line" and emerged as one of the top scoring lines in the league. Max led the NHL in 1945-46 with 61 points and became the 1st member of the Black Hawks to win the Hart Trophy. He won the scoring title the next season too.
In early November 1947, Bentley was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for 5 players. Chicago fanes were shocked at the trade and even NHL president Clarence Campbell called the trade "astounding" and one of the most significant transactions in NHL history.
Bentley fit right into the Maple Leafs team, scoring 23 goals in his first season in Toronto, then another 4 goals in the playoffs, as the Maple Leafs won the 1948 Stanley Cup. Bentley played 5 1/2 seasons for the Maple Leafs, winning the Stanley Cup 3 times. He was named alternate captain in 1949.
Bentley was sold to the New York Rangers in the summer of 1953, playing 1 season with the Rangers, his last NHL season.
Bentley then played 2 seasons with the Saskatoon Quakers before turning to coaching.
Bentley played in 646 regular season NHL games, scoring 245 goals (38 GWG), 299 assists with 177 penalty minutes and 51 NHL playoff games, scoring 18 goals (4 GWG), 27 assists with 14 penalty minutes.
Bentley played in NHL All-Star Games 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951.
Bentley was selected to 1946 NHL First All-Star Team.
Bentley was the NHL scoring champion in 1945-46 (31 goals, 30 assists) and 1946-47 (29 goals, 43 assists).
Max Bentley was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966.
Max Bentley was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1967.
In 2017, Bentley was named one of the NHL's 100 greatest players of all-time by the NHL .
