Height: 5-9
Weight: 190
Shoot: L
Born: 2 Nov 1948, Orillia ON
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Regular Season & Playoff Scoring Record (key)
| year | team | |||||||||||
| 1972-73 | New England | |||||||||||
| 1973-74 | New England | |||||||||||
| 1974-75 | New England | |||||||||||
| 1975-76 | New England | |||||||||||
| 1976-77 | New England | |||||||||||
| 1977-78 | New England | |||||||||||
| 1978-79 | New England | |||||||||||
| Totals: |
• Winner, Dennis Murphy Trophy (Best Defenseman), 1978-79.
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Rick Ley Goes Thud! at Foes • by Dick Dew • The Hockey Spectator • February 2, 1973
Robust Rick Ley was raised to be an honest, straightforward young man. So in his chosen profession, as a hockey defenseman, he straightens up quite a few people with some pretty honest body checks. And, when you ask Rick Ley a question, you get a straight answer — as honest as he knows how. Rick, how would you compare the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League? "I don't think I'd be telling the truth if I tried to say our league is as good as the National League." "But," he said after only brief reflection, "there are a lot of teams in our league as good as half the teams in the National League. And we're one of them." Are the WHA teams ingeneral and the Whalers in particular getting stronger? "I think the league is getting tougher game by game. The first couple of times we met the other teams, they wanted to sit back and see what we were going to do. But nobody's sitting back now. They're getting to know each other and they're playing it tougher all the time." How about the Whalers, Rick? "We're getting used to each other now, too, It was hard when we started because we were all new to each other. But now we can throw the puck in there or pass without looking because we know better when and where the other guy is going to be. Of course, I have to play with knucklehead here," he said in reference to lockerroom and on-ice neighbor Ted Green That remark naturally produced some disturbance but it was obvious that the two defensemen, one 24 and the other eight years his senior, have considerable affection for each other. As advertised, the pair have been the backbone of a Whaler defense which, in turn, has been the backbone of the club. Which, in turn, has been the backbone of the Eastern Division, both on the ice and, more importantly, at the box office. General Manager Jack Kelley worries about the box office returns but it is Coach Jack Kelley who concerns himself with the on-ice situation. And he's still not entirely sure he really believes his own good furtune. "He's been just great all year," Kelley says of Ley. "I just can't image why Toronto didn't fight like hell to keep that player. He's a real competitor, he knows only one way to play the game, and he stays right up there." Kelley explains that the pairing of Ley and playing-captain Green is a perfect match. "Teddy likes to move the puck up. Rick just moves right in to cover for him. And Rick is pretty good on the move, too. They make a very good pair." Ley had been a pretty heavy penalty carrier with the Maple Leafs and he leads the Whalers in infraction time — but there's a difference according to Kelley. "He seldom takes a cheap penalty," the Whaler skipper said. "Sure, he's had a few fights. But that's because he'd never back down from anybody. He's strong and he's tough, he's got good stamina and he can really motor with those piston legs of his. He was a unanimous choice for the All-Star team and he deserved he earned it." |
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Excerpts from Zander Hollander's Guide to Pro Hockey, 1975-76 (by Reyn Davis)
If every coach could instill Rick Ley's desire in all his players, he would fill arenas everywhere and acquire a taste for champagne in the spring ... A belter ... Less attuned to the offensive game, but occasionally will risk a dramatic rush ... Once scored a goal while the Whalers were at a two-man disadvantage |
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Excerpts from Pro Hockey, WHA 1976-77 (by Dan Proudfoot)
In Toronto, where Rick Ley played his first four years as a pro, the Toronto Maple Leafs management didn't know quite what to make of him. He was too heavy and too high-strung, but Leafs knew he could become a key performer. With New England, Ley has lived up to his potential. Consider what coach Harry Neale has to say: "When I was with Minnesota we were always trying to get Ley. After watching him in the playoffs, I can only say we didn't try hard enough. What a competitor — and a competitor with some skills. He did everything for us, kill penalties, work the powerplay, appear on the big shifts, and take his regular shift. He's the perfect guy as team captain because no one works harder." |
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