Ray
Getliffe
1952-1963
| Position | C |
| Shoots | L |
| Weight | 175lbs |
| Height | 5'11" |
| Date of birth | April 3rd, 1914 |
| Place of birth | Galt, ON, CAN |
| Seasons - MTL | 6 |
| SEASON |
GP
Games played - Number of games the player has set foot on the ice
|
G
Goals - Number of goals the player has scored
|
A
Assists - Number of goals the player has assisted in
|
PTS
Points - Scoring points, calculated as the sum of G and A
|
+/-
Plus/Minus - The number of team goals for minus the number of team goals against while the player is on the ice
|
PIM
Penalties infraction minutes - Number of penalty minutes the player has been assessed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTALS | 265 | 99 | 97 | 196 | 0 | 193 |
| 1939-1940 | 46 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 0 | 29 |
| 1940-1941 | 39 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 0 | 25 |
| 1941-1942 | 45 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 0 | 35 |
| 1942-1943 | 50 | 18 | 28 | 46 | 0 | 26 |
| 1943-1944 | 44 | 28 | 25 | 53 | 0 | 44 |
| 1944-1945 | 41 | 16 | 7 | 23 | 0 | 34 |
| SEASON |
GP
Games played - Number of games the player has set foot on the ice
|
G
Goals - Number of goals the player has scored
|
A
Assists - Number of goals the player has assisted in
|
PTS
Points - Scoring points, calculated as the sum of G and A
|
+/-
Plus/Minus - The number of team goals for minus the number of team goals against while the player is on the ice
|
PIM
Penalties infraction minutes - Number of penalty minutes the player has been assessed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTALS | 26 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 24 |
| 1940-1941 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1941-1942 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-1943 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 1943-1944 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 16 |
| 1944-1945 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
RAY GETLIFFE COINED ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS NICKNAMES IN HOCKEY HISTORY – “THE ROCKET.”
Ray Getliffe was already an established NHLer when he headed to Montreal. Acquired from the Stanley Cup Champion Bruins prior to the 1939-40 campaign, Getliffe was a mainstay for the next six seasons. He was one of only a handful of players who remained with the team after Dick Irvin took over the reins and rebuilt the franchise.
A gritty left winger who was among the speediest forwards in the league, the Galt, Ontario native was a skilled two-way performer, equally adept at attacking the enemy net or playing in a defensive role. With other gifted support players like Murph Chamberlain, Bobby Fillion and Dutch Hiller as linemates, Getliffe countered the top right wingers in the league.
He was also responsible for coining one of hockey’s legendary nicknames. While watching a young teammate take a pass from center Elmer Lach and break for the net, he remarked upon the youthful right winger’s drive from the blue line in. The comment was overheard by a local writer and Maurice Richard has been known as “The Rocket” ever since.
On February 6, 1943, Getliffe was pencilled in to replace an injured Toe Blake alongside Lach and “The Rocket”. He made the best of his short stint on the “Punch Line”, scoring five goals and assisting on another in the Habs’ 8-3 drubbing of the Boston Bruins.
The following year, Getliffe scored a career-high 28 regular season goals and added another five in the postseason as the Habs rolled over Toronto and Chicago on the way to his second Stanley Cup in the spring of 1944.
Traded to Detroit for promising young center Billy Reay prior to the beginning of play in 1945-46, Getliffe elected to retire rather than report and began a successful career in the business world. As a player, Getliffe had regularly received the top mark in Dick Irvin’s annual written exams on the rules of hockey. He put his expertise to good use in the first few years of his retirement, refereeing the occasional NHL game when the league requested his services.
Getliffe played 26 regular season games in a Montreal uniform, recording 99 goals and 97 assists for the team. He also picked up 14 points in 26 postseason appearances. The former longest-living Canadiens player, Getliffe passed away in June 2008, at age 94.
