Ernest Alfred Linton Wakely (born November 27, 1940 in Flin Flon, Manitoba) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 player. Wakely was a goaltender in the National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

 and St. Louis Blues. Wakely also played for the Winnipeg Jets, the San Diego Mariners

San Diego Mariners

The San Diego Mariners were an ice hockey team based in San Diego that played in the World Hockey Association. They played from 1974 to 1977. Their home ice was San Diego Sports Arena...

, the Cincinnati Stingers

Cincinnati Stingers

The Cincinnati Stingers was an ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio, that played in the World Hockey Association from 1975 to 1979. Its home arena was Riverfront Coliseum and it was the only major-league hockey team ever to play in Cincinnati.-History:The Stingers franchise was awarded in...

, the Houston Aeros

Houston Aeros

The Houston Aeros are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. The team plays in Houston, Texas, at the Toyota Center. They are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Minnesota Wild.- History :...

, and the Birmingham Bulls

Birmingham Bulls

The Birmingham Bulls were a professional ice hockey team based in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. They played in the World Hockey Association from 1976 to 1979 and the Central Hockey League from 1979 to 1981. The Bulls played their home games at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center.Prior to being...

 of the World Hockey Association

World Hockey Association

The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...

. Wakely was goaltender for the 1958–59 Memorial Cup

Memorial Cup

The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...

 winning Winnipeg Braves of the MJHL.

Wakely enjoyed his most memorable season in 1969–70 when he took over in St. Louis for the legendary goalie Glenn Hall

Glenn Hall

Glenn Henry "Mr. Goalie" Hall is a former professional ice hockey goaltender. During his National Hockey League career with the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Black Hawks, and St. Louis Blues, Hall seldom missed a game and was a consistent performer, winning the Vezina Trophy three times, and the...

. Wakely appeared in 30 games, won 12, and recorded a goals against average of 2.11 in leading the Blues to the Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...

. Boston swept the Blues in four straight games to win the Stanley Cup. The following season, Wakely played in 51 games, won 20, and posted a 2.79 GAA. Two years later, he jumped to the fledgling World Hockey Association to play with the Winnipeg Jets and former Chicago Black Hawks star Bobby Hull

Bobby Hull

Robert Marvin "Bobby" Hull, OC is a former Canadian ice hockey player. He is regarded as one of the greatest ice hockey players of all time and perhaps the greatest left winger to ever play the game. Hull was famous for his blonde hair, blinding skating speed, and having the hardest shot, earning...

. No other goalie played more games in the WHA and his 16 shutouts are also a WHA career record.

Awards and achievements

• Turnbull Cup MJHL Championship (1959)
• Memorial Cup
  Memorial Cup
  The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...
  
   Championship (1959)
• MJHL Top Goaltender (1961)
• CPHL Championship (1964)
• engraved on the Stanley Cup in 1965, 1968 with Montreal (Only played two games in playoffs)
• “Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
  Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
  The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum was established in 1985 when the first honoured members were named and plaques were erected in their honour. The first group of inductees was large in order to recognize the accomplishments of Manitoba players, coaches, builders and teams at the...
  
  .

External links

• Ernie Wakely's biography at Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame