Larry Aurie
Encyclopedia
Harry Lawrence "Little Dempsey" Aurie (February 8, 1905 in Sudbury, Ontario
– December 12, 1952 in Detroit
, Michigan
) was a Canadian
professional
ice hockey
right winger
who played 11 seasons in the National Hockey League
for the Detroit Cougars, Detroit Falcons and Detroit Red Wings
.
championships in 1936 and 1937. Aurie began his professional hockey career in 1926 with the London Panthers
of the Canadian Professional Hockey League
(CPHL). The following season, he moved up to the NHL to play with Detroit. His dedication to off-season fitness with his short stature (5 foot 6 inches) earned him the nicknames "Little Dempsey" (for his fistic abilities) and "The Little Rag Man" (for his remarkable and entertaining ability to control or "rag" the puck during penalty killing).
Twice during his career, Aurie led the Wings in assists and in 1933–34, his 35 points topped the club in scoring. He was third in NHL scoring with a career-high 46 points in 1934–35 and fourth overall in 1936–37 with 43 points. He and Herbie Lewis represented the Red Wings at the first ever NHL All Star Game in 1934.
Aurie captained the team in the 1932–33 season, led the league in playoff scoring in 1934 with 10 points in nine games and led the league in goal scoring in 1937 with 23 while earning a first-team selection on the post-season NHL All-Star Team.
He was part of the Wings' first big line, playing alongside center Marty Barry
and left wing Lewis. His selfless play and hustle made him a favorite of owner James Norris
.
Aurie scored his NHL leading 23rd goal on March 11, 1937 in a 4–2 win over the New York Rangers
, but later in the game fractured his leg in a collision with Rangers' defenceman Art Coulter
, ending his season. Aurie's season leading scoring performance earned him a berth on the NHL First All-Star Team. Unfortunately, this was Aurie’s last strong season. The lingering effects of his fractured leg began to affect his play and in 1937–38
, he dropped to 10 goals and 19 points and was forced to retire after the season at age 33. After the season, team owner James Norris decided to honor Aurie by retiring his jersey No. 6 - the first Detroit player to have this honor bestowed upon him.
The following season
, Aurie was named player-coach of Detroit’s AHL farm club, the Pittsburgh Hornets, but returned to the Red Wings for one final game on Jan. 10 - scoring the winning goal against Montreal in a 3–0 shutout at Detroit. Aurie would later go on to head coach the Oshawa Generals
.
(he returned to play one more game for Detroit on Jan. 10, 1939), but was reissued once in the late 1950s to his cousin (not nephew as has been widely reported) Cummy Burton
, with the family's blessing. His jersey was displayed in the Olympia Stadium
lobby during the 1960s, but present owner Mike Ilitch refuses to display the number at Joe Louis Arena
with the other retired numbers, despite several published accounts to support the retirement of the number.
In a 1997 Detroit Free Press
article, Wings vice president Jimmy Devellano said the team refused to hang the number because he wasn’t a Hall of Famer, despite the fact that the number was already retired before Ilitch became the owner in 1982.
Aurie died in Detroit's Mount Carmel Mercy Hospital on December 12, 1952, having suffered a stroke
the previous evening. He was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
, in Southfield, Michigan
.
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
– December 12, 1952 in Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
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...
right winger
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
who played 11 seasons 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...
for the Detroit Cougars, Detroit Falcons and Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
.
Playing career
Aurie was considered by owner James Norris as the heart and soul of the Detroit NHL franchise from 1927 through 1938. He was known for his remarkable all-around play, goal-scoring achievements and for being instrumental in the Red Wings' winning their first two Stanley CupStanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
championships in 1936 and 1937. Aurie began his professional hockey career in 1926 with the London Panthers
London Panthers
The London Panthers were a professional ice hockey team based in London, Ontario, Canada that existed from 1926 until 1936. The team played in the Canadian Professional Hockey League from 1926, joining the International Hockey League in 1929. In 1930, the team was renamed the London Tecumsehs...
of the Canadian Professional Hockey League
Canadian Professional Hockey League
The Canadian Professional Hockey League, also known as Canpro, was a minor professional hockey league founded in 1926. After three seasons, it became the International Hockey League in 1929...
(CPHL). The following season, he moved up to the NHL to play with Detroit. His dedication to off-season fitness with his short stature (5 foot 6 inches) earned him the nicknames "Little Dempsey" (for his fistic abilities) and "The Little Rag Man" (for his remarkable and entertaining ability to control or "rag" the puck during penalty killing).
Twice during his career, Aurie led the Wings in assists and in 1933–34, his 35 points topped the club in scoring. He was third in NHL scoring with a career-high 46 points in 1934–35 and fourth overall in 1936–37 with 43 points. He and Herbie Lewis represented the Red Wings at the first ever NHL All Star Game in 1934.
Aurie captained the team in the 1932–33 season, led the league in playoff scoring in 1934 with 10 points in nine games and led the league in goal scoring in 1937 with 23 while earning a first-team selection on the post-season NHL All-Star Team.
He was part of the Wings' first big line, playing alongside center Marty Barry
Marty Barry
Martin J. "Goal-a-Game" Barry was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965...
and left wing Lewis. His selfless play and hustle made him a favorite of owner James Norris
James Norris
James Norris is the name of:*James E. Norris , Canadian-American NHL owner and grain industry businessman*James D. Norris , American NHL owner and boxing promoter...
.
Aurie scored his NHL leading 23rd goal on March 11, 1937 in a 4–2 win over the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
, but later in the game fractured his leg in a collision with Rangers' defenceman Art Coulter
Art Coulter
Arthur Edmund Coulter was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks in the National Hockey League....
, ending his season. Aurie's season leading scoring performance earned him a berth on the NHL First All-Star Team. Unfortunately, this was Aurie’s last strong season. The lingering effects of his fractured leg began to affect his play and in 1937–38
1937–38 NHL season
-European tour:After the Stanley Cup final finished, the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens played a nine-game exhibition series in Europe, becoming the first NHL teams to play outside North America. Six games were played in England, three in France...
, he dropped to 10 goals and 19 points and was forced to retire after the season at age 33. After the season, team owner James Norris decided to honor Aurie by retiring his jersey No. 6 - the first Detroit player to have this honor bestowed upon him.
The following season
1938–39 AHL season
The 1938–39 AHL season was the third season of the International-American Hockey League, known in the present day as the American Hockey League. Eight teams played 54 games each in the schedule. The Hershey Bears won the F. G...
, Aurie was named player-coach of Detroit’s AHL farm club, the Pittsburgh Hornets, but returned to the Red Wings for one final game on Jan. 10 - scoring the winning goal against Montreal in a 3–0 shutout at Detroit. Aurie would later go on to head coach the Oshawa Generals
Oshawa Generals
The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. The Generals are one of the most successful franchises in Canadian Hockey League...
.
Retirement
Aurie's No. 6 jersey was officially retired by Wings owner James Norris after the 1937–38 season1937–38 NHL season
-European tour:After the Stanley Cup final finished, the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens played a nine-game exhibition series in Europe, becoming the first NHL teams to play outside North America. Six games were played in England, three in France...
(he returned to play one more game for Detroit on Jan. 10, 1939), but was reissued once in the late 1950s to his cousin (not nephew as has been widely reported) Cummy Burton
Cummy Burton
Cumming Scott Burton was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played three seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings....
, with the family's blessing. His jersey was displayed in the Olympia Stadium
Detroit Olympia
Olympia Stadium, better known as the Detroit Olympia and nicknamed The Old Red Barn, stood at 5920 Grand River Avenue in Detroit, Michigan from 1927 until 1987. It was best known as the home of the Detroit Red Wings hockey team of the National Hockey League from its opening until...
lobby during the 1960s, but present owner Mike Ilitch refuses to display the number at Joe Louis Arena
Joe Louis Arena
Joe Louis Arena, nicknamed The Joe and JLA is a hockey arena located at 600 Civic Center Drive in Detroit, Michigan. It is the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. Completed in 1979 at a cost of $57 million, Joe Louis Arena is named after boxer and former heavyweight...
with the other retired numbers, despite several published accounts to support the retirement of the number.
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
article, Wings vice president Jimmy Devellano said the team refused to hang the number because he wasn’t a Hall of Famer, despite the fact that the number was already retired before Ilitch became the owner in 1982.
Aurie died in Detroit's Mount Carmel Mercy Hospital on December 12, 1952, having suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
the previous evening. He was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery is the name of several different cemeteries in the United States. The name is inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, which is believed by many Christians to be built on the site of Jesus's tomb...
, in Southfield, Michigan
Southfield, Michigan
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which 0.04% is water. The main branch of the River Rouge runs through Southfield. The city is bounded to the south by Eight Mile Road, its western border is Inkster Road, and to the east it is bounded by Greenfield Road...
.
Awards and achievements
- IAHLAmerican Hockey LeagueThe American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
Second All-Star Team, 19391938–39 AHL seasonThe 1938–39 AHL season was the third season of the International-American Hockey League, known in the present day as the American Hockey League. Eight teams played 54 games each in the schedule. The Hershey Bears won the F. G... - Led NHL in goals in 1936–37
- Named to NHL First All-Star Team, 1936–37
- Played in NHL All-Star Game, 1933–34
- Won the Stanley CupStanley CupThe Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
(with the Detroit Red WingsDetroit Red WingsThe Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
) 19361936 Stanley Cup Finals-Detroit: "City of Champions":When the Lions won the 1935 NFL Championship Game, the City of Detroit was mired in the Great Depression, which had hit Detroit and its industries particularly hard...
, 19371937 Stanley Cup FinalsThe 1937 Stanley Cup Finals NHL championship series was contested by the defending champion Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers in their fifth Final series appearance. Detroit would win the series 3–2 to win their second and second-straight, Stanley Cup....
Career statistics
--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1926-27 London Panthers CPHL 0 14 7 21 0 -- -- -- -- --
1927-28 Detroit Cougars NHL 44 13 3 16 43 -- -- -- -- --
1928-29 Detroit Cougars NHL 35 1 1 2 26 2 1 0 1 2
1929-30 Detroit Cougars NHL 43 14 5 19 28 -- -- -- -- --
1930-31 Detroit Falcons NHL 41 12 6 18 23 -- -- -- -- --
1931-32 Detroit Falcons NHL 48 13 8 21 18 2 0 0 0 0
1932-33 Detroit Red Wings NHL 45 12 11 23 25 4 1 0 1 4
1933-34 Detroit Red Wings NHL 48 16 19 35 36 9 3 7 10 2
1934-35 Detroit Red Wings NHL 48 17 29 46 24 -- -- -- -- --
1935-36 Detroit Red Wings NHL 44 16 18 34 17 7 1 1 2 2
1936-37 Detroit Red Wings NHL 45 23 20 43 20 -- -- -- -- --
1937-38 Detroit Red Wings NHL 47 10 9 19 19 -- -- -- -- --
1938-39 Detroit Red Wings NHL 1 1 0 1 0 -- -- -- -- --
1938-39 Pittsburgh Hornets IAHL 39 8 19 27 16 -- -- -- -- --
1939-40 Pittsburgh Hornets IAHL 39 12 12 24 12 -- -- -- -- --
1940-41 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 6 0 3 3 2 -- -- -- -- --
1943-44 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL 1 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- --
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHL Totals 489 148 129 277 279 24 6 8 14 10
Coaching statistics
Season Team Lge Type GP W L T OTL Pct Result
1938-39 Pittsburgh Hornets IAHL Player-Head 54 22 28 4 0 0.44444
1939-40 Pittsburgh Hornets IAHL Head 56 25 22 9 0 0.52679
1940-41 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL Head 56 21 29 6 0 0.42857 Lost in round 2
1941-42 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL Head 56 23 28 5 0 0.45536 Out of Playoffs
1942-43 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL Head 56 26 24 6 0 0.51786 Lost in round 1
1943-44 Pittsburgh Hornets AHL Head 52 12 31 9 0 0.31731 Out of Playoffs
Note
- The NHL team in Detroit has had three names — Detroit Cougars (1926–1930), Detroit Falcons (1930–1932), and Detroit Red Wings (1932 to date)