Reg Bentley

{{short description|Canadian ice hockey player (1914–1980)}}

{{Infobox ice hockey player

| image = Reg Bentley.jpg

| alt =

| caption =

| image_size = 200px

| position = Left wing

| shoots = Left

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 8

| weight_lb = 155

| played_for = Chicago Black Hawks

| birth_date = {{birth date|1914|5|3|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Delisle, Saskatchewan, Canada

| death_date = {{death date and age|1980|9|1|1914|5|3}}

| death_place = Red Deer, Alberta, Canada

| career_start = 1931

| career_end = 1952

}}

Reginald Stewart Bentley (May 3, 1914 – September 1, 1980) was a Canadian ice hockey player who played 11 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Black Hawks as part of a 20-year senior and professional career. During his time with Chicago, he played on a line with his brothers Doug and Max, the first time in NHL history that three siblings played on one line.

Personal life

Bentley was born in Delisle, Saskatchewan. He was one of six boys, and thirteen children overall. His father Bill was a speed skating champion in North Dakota before settling in Delisle, where he became mayor and helped build the town's covered skating rink. All of the Bentley children were athletes, and all six brothers played hockey.{{cite web |last=Shea |first=Kevin |url=http://www.hhof.com/htmlSpotlight/spot_oneononep196601.shtml |title=One on one with Max Bentley |publisher=Hockey Hall of Fame |date=2010-01-15 |accessdate=2011-08-05}}

Playing career

Bentley first played senior hockey in his hometown of Delisle for the Tigers hockey team in 1931–32 and 1932–33 before moving to nearby Kerrobert for two years of intermediate hockey, and then to Saskatoon and Moose Jaw for two seasons each in the North- and South-Saskatchewan Senior Hockey Leagues respectively.{{cite web |url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11973 |title=Reg Bentley profile |publisher=Hockey Hall of Fame |accessdate=2011-08-06}} He moved across the border to Alberta in 1938–39, joining his brothers Doug, Max, Wyatt and Roy in playing with the Drumheller Miners of the Alberta Senior Hockey League (ASHL).

World War II had decimated the rosters of all NHL teams, and with the Black Hawks searching for players, Max and Doug Bentley convinced the team to sign Reg. Bentley played his first professional season in 1941–42 for Chicago's American Hockey Association (AHA) affiliate, the Kansas City Americans. Reg joined the Black Hawks midway through the 1942–43 season, and the trio made history on January 1, 1943, when they became the first all-brother line the NHL had seen. Two nights later, Max and Doug assisted on Reg's first, and only, NHL goal. It was the only time in league history that a trio of family members recorded the goal and assists on a scoring play. While Max and Doug were established NHL stars, Reg played only 11 games in his NHL career.

Bentley left professional hockey following that season to join the Canadian military for the balance of the war. He was stationed in Victoria and Calgary, where he played for Navy and Army teams. In 1945, he returned to professional hockey, joining the New Westminster Royals of the Pacific Coast Hockey League (PCHL) for two seasons. He set personal bests in 1946–47 with 41 goals and 71 points for the Royals. He returned to senior hockey in 1947, joining the Saskatoon Quakers of the Western Canada Senior Hockey League (WCSHL) for four seasons. He was loaned by the Quakers to the Spokane Flyers of the Western International Hockey League (WIHL) for their 1949 playoff final as an injury replacement.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cMZTAAAAIBAJ&pg=4655,740213 |title=Reg Bentley helps Spokane |work=Saskatoon Star-Phoenix |date=1949-03-07 |accessdate=2011-08-06 |page=16}} He joined his brother Wyatt ("Scoop") with the Flyers.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=grcyAAAAIBAJ&pg=7117,665050 |title=Flyers may secure Reg Bentley for hockey series |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |date=1949-03-02 |accessdate=2011-08-06 |page=17}} Bentley scored four goals in the series, including the insurance marker in a 2–0 victory over the Kimberley Dynamiters to help the Flyers win the best-of-five championship in four games.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=i7cyAAAAIBAJ&pg=5015,5652661 |title=Flyers gain title; Head for nationals |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |date=1949-03-14 |accessdate=2011-08-06 |page=17}}

He died after a long illness at a hospital in Red Deer in 1980.{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Vr1jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=k3oNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2712,4413686&dq=reg+bentley+hockey&hl=en|title = The Phoenix - Google News Archive Search}}Alberta Genealogical Society Master Surname Index

Career statistics

=Regular season and playoffs=

border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em"
bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"|

! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"|

! colspan="5"|Regular season

! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"|

! colspan="5"|Playoffs

bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! Season

! Team

! League

! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM

! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM

1931–32

| Delisle Tigers

| S-SSHL

| 20

5492

| 2

0002
bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1932–33

| Delisle Tigers

| S-SSHL

| —

| 2

0002
1935–36

| Saskatoon Standards

| N-SSHL

| 19

70716

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1936–37

| Saskatoon Quakers

| N-SSHL

| 20

7294

| —

1937–38

| Moose Jaw Millers

| N-SSHL

| 24

1492314

| 10

104148
bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1938–39

| Drumheller Miners

| ASHL

| 32

21103152

| 6

4159
1939–40

| Drumheller Miners

| ASHL

| 32

2383127

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1940–41

| Saskatoon Quakers

| SSHL

| 30

145192

| 4

0000
1941–42

| Kansas City Americans

| AHA

| 50

16163216

| 6

3470
bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1942–43

| Chicago Black Hawks

| NHL

| 11

1232

| —

1943–44

| Calgary Currie Army

| CNDHL

| 14

7296

| 2

0000
bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1943–44

| Moose Jaw Victorias

| SSHL

| 2

2350

| —

1944–45

| Calgary Currie Army

| CNDHL

| 10

1122

| 2

0110
bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1945–46

| New Westminster Royals

| PCHL

| 57

30275718

| —

1946–47

| New Westminster Royals

| PCHL

| 60

41307114

| 4

2130
bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1947–48

| Saskatoon Quakers

| WCSHL

| 45

28225017

| —

1948–49

| Saskatoon Quakers

| WCSHL

| 48

2218404

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1948–49

| Spokane Flyers

| WIHL

| —

| 4

4370
1949–50

| Saskatoon Quakers

| WCSHL

| 50

15142914

| 4

1010
bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1950–51

| Saskatoon Quakers

| WCSHL

| 40

1213258

| 8

2130
1951–52

| Yorkton Legionnaires

| SSHL

| 30

2023434

| 7

3580
bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! colspan="3" | NHL totals

! 11 !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 2

! 0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0

See also

References

{{reflist|colwidth=33em}}