Andy Aitkenhead
Born (1904-03-06)March 6, 1904
Glasgow, Scotland
Died October 21, 1968(1968-10-21) (aged 64)
Multnomah County, Oregon, USA
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 150 lb (68 kg; 10 st 10 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for New York Rangers
Playing career 1926–1940

Andrew Aitkenhead (March 6, 1904 — October 21, 1968) was a Scottish-born Canadian ice hockey goaltender for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League between 1932 and 1934. Born in Glasgow, Aitkenhead came to Canada as a young child with his family, and grew up in Yorkton, Saskatchewan.

Playing career

Andy Aitkenkead played ten years in various minor leagues in Western Canada, most notably appearing in the 1923 Memorial Cup with the Saskatoon Quakers.[1] After turning pro, Aitkenhead took two teams to the Allan Cup finals, the Saskatoon Nationals and the Saskatoon Empires, in 1924 and 1926 respectively.[2]

Originally taken by the Rangers in the Inter-league draft from the Saskatoon Shieks in 1928, his rights were sent back and forth between the Rangers and the Portland Buckaroos of the PCHL,[3] until he finally signed with the Rangers as a free agent in 1931.[2] He made his debut for the Rangers on November 10, 1932, at the Montreal Forum against the Montreal Maroons. He won the job as starting goaltender for the Rangers from John Ross Roach, who had twice led the team to the Stanley Cup Final.[4] In his first two seasons in New York, Aitkenhead played in every single game for the Rangers,[1] and he put up solid numbers. In his first season in New York, Aitkenhead was fourth in the league in goals against average, as well as fourth in wins.[5] In that rookie season, he led the Rangers to the Stanley Cup, their second, in 1933.[2][6] He posted a shutout in the clinching game, in overtime, against the Toronto Maple Leafs.[2] The following season, Aitkenhead finished fifth overall in goals against, yet second in wins, and third in shutouts,[7] however the Rangers were eliminated by the Maroons in the opening round of the playoffs.[8] In 1935 Aitkenhead struggled, and eventually lost the starting job to Dave Kerr.[1] He played only 10 games that season.[2] Kerr later said that Aitkenhead's obsession with his game were what got to him, and led to his departure from the NHL.[6] After 1935 Andy Aitkenhead was returned to the minor leagues. Aitkenhead spent 6 seasons with the Portland Buckaroos of the PCHL before retiring from hockey in 1941.

Legacy

In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, the authors ranked Aitkenhead at No. 97 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.[9]

Aitkenhead was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1987.[10]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPWLTMinGASOGAA GPWLTMinGASOGAA
1921–22 Yorkton Terriers SIHA 63304801902.38 ————————
1922–23 Saskatoon St. George SCJHL ———————— ————————
1922–23 Saskatoon Quakers M-Cup ———————— 2101120301.50
1923–24 Saskatoon Nationals N-SSHL 5401350510.86 ————————
1923–24 Saskatoon Nationals Al-Cup ———————— 2110120703.50
1925–26 Saskatoon Empires N-SSHL 44002401213.00 ————————
1925–26 Saskatoon Empires Al-Cup ———————— 2011140903.86
1926–27 Saskatoon Sheiks PHL 321415319029472.97 4130240701.75
1927–28 Saskatoon Sheiks PHL 28185517334171.42 ————————
1928–29 Springfield Indians Can-Am 4013141325505861.36 ————————
1929–30 Portland Buckaroos PCHL 3620106216034160.94 ————————
1929–30 Springfield Indians Can-Am ———————— 4130240802.00
1930–31 Portland Buckaroos PCHL 351215821006161.74 ————————
1931–32 Bronx Tigers Can-Am 331613420407442.18 4011130502.31
1932-33 New York Rangers NHL 4823178297010732.16 86114881321.60
1933-34 New York Rangers NHL 4821198299011372.27 2011120211.00
1934-35 New York Rangers NHL 103706103713.64 ————————
1934–35 Philadelphia Arrows Can-Am 110060202.00 ————————
1934–35 Portland Buckaroos NWHL 21114612604051.90 3120180411.33
1935–36 Portland Buckaroos NWHL 401814825206851.62 3120190501.58
1936–37 Spokane Clippers PCHL 110060010.00 ————————
1936–37 Portland Buckaroos PCHL 402213524007271.80 3300180301.00
1937–38 Portland Buckaroos PCHL 421618826208551.95 2110120402.00
1938–39 Seattle Seahawks PCHL 1———60303.00 ————————
1938–39 Portland Buckaroos PCHL 483198288011492.38 54103001012.00
1939–40 Portland Buckaroos PCHL 401718524009842.45 51403001703.40
1940–41 Portland Buckaroos PCHL 110060202.00 ————————
NHL totals 1064743166570257112.35 106226081531.48

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Andy Aitkenhead, The best goalie you've never heard of". Nitzy's Hockey Den. October 12, 2010. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Andy Aitkenhead". All Time Roster. New York Rangers. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  3. ↑ "Andy Aitkenhead". Hockey Reference.com. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  4. ↑ "John Ross Roach". All Time Roster. New York Rangers. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  5. ↑ "1932-33 NHL Season Leaders". Hockey Reference.com. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  6. 1 2 "Andy Aitkenhead". Joe Pelletier's Greatest Hockey Legends.com. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  7. ↑ "1933-34 NHL Season Leaders". Hockey Reference.com. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  8. ↑ "1933-34 NHL Season Summary". Hockey Reference.com. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  9. ↑ Cohen, Russ; Halligan, John; Raider, Adam (2009). 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters. John Wiley & Sons. p. 18. ISBN 978-0470736197. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Andy Aitkenhead - Hockey". Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
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