| Harry Oliver | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1967 | |||
 Oliver while with the Selkirk Fishermen | |||
| Born | (1898-10-26)October 26, 1898 Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada | ||
| Died | June 16, 1985(1985-06-16) (aged 86) Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | ||
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Calgary Tigers Boston Bruins New York Americans | ||
| Playing career | 1918–1937 | ||
Harold "Pee-Wee" Oliver (October 26, 1898 – June 16, 1985) was a Canadianice hockey forward who played for theCalgary Tigers of theWestern Canada Hockey League (WCHL) and theBoston Bruins andNew York Americans of theNational Hockey League (NHL) between 1921 and 1937. He was a member of the Tigers' 1924 WCHL championship and won theStanley Cup with the Bruins in1929. Oliver played nearly 600 games in a professional career that spanned 16 seasons and scored 217 goals. He was inducted into theHockey Hall of Fame in 1967.
Oliver grew up inSelkirk, Manitoba. At an early age he taught himself how to skate on ponds near Selkirk. He once stated, “When I was a kid, there was no organized hockey. We just went out and played, sometimes on an outdoor rink, but mostly on the river.”[1]
He then started playing organized hockey for both the junior and seniorSelkirk Fishermen.[2] Oliver and the Fishermen won the Manitoba Senior Hockey League in 1919 and challenged theHamilton Tigers for theAllan Cup. Oliver scored a goal in the second game, but the Fishermen lost the two-game series on total goals, 7–6.[3] He left Selkirk for a professional career inCalgary in 1920. He played one season with the Calgary Canadians of the independentBig-4 League in 1919–20 then moved to theCalgary Tigers and the newWestern Canada Hockey League.
Oliver quickly established himself as a star player in the WCHL,[4] using his speed and shot to earn positions as a First-Team All-Star in both 1924 and 1925.[5] He was a key member of the Tigers' team that won the 1923–24 WCHL championship,[6] and lost to theMontreal Canadiens for theStanley Cup.[7]
Only being 5’8’’, 155 Oliver was known as “pee wee” throughout his career. However he got past his small size by using his speed, stick handling and shooting. During his time in the WHL he was compared to a thoroughbred horse, due to his speed and grace. Oliver never spent more than 24 minutes in the penalty box during a season.[1]
When the WCHL collapsed in 1926, Oliver's rights were bought by theBoston Bruins. His NHL career began on a line withBill Carson andPercy Galbraith, and he led the Bruins in scoring each of his first three seasons with the team.[2] Oliver scored four goals in a game versus Chicago on January 11, 1927, becoming the first Boston Bruin to attain that feat. He led the Bruins in both goals and points scored for 3 straight years in1926-271927-281928-29. He helped the team win the Stanley Cup in 1929 and remained with the organization for eight years.[5] Oliver became the first Boston Bruin to score a playoff overtime goal when he notched the winner on March 20, 1930 versus the Montreal Maroons. He was also the first player to score 100 goals as a Bruin.[1] He was remained as one of the Bruins top scorers until his final year with the team in1933-34. The Bruins then sold his rights to theNew York Americans in 1934, and Oliver completed his career with three seasons in New York.[8]
On January 13th, 1937, a newspaper in Montreal, reported that Oliver was resting in a hospital after an operation. Due to influenza, which resulted in him needing a mastoid operation to help him recover. This ultimately resulted in him retiring from hockey in 1937.[1]
Post retirement
Well regarded for his gentlemanly nature on the ice, Oliver was inducted into theHockey Hall of Fame in 1967,[2] and is an honoured member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.[9]
Following his career, Oliver returned to Selkirk, starting his own business working first as an electrician, then moved toWinnipeg where he worked for the Weights and Measures Department of the Canadian Government. He died in 1985.[2]
He is enshrined in theSelkirk historical museum in the people of Selkirk exhibit.[10]
In 2023 he was named One of the Top 100 Best Bruins Players of all Time.[11]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1917–18 | Selkirk Fishermen | WJrHL | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 1918–19 | Selkirk Fishermen | MSHL | 9 | 15 | 9 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 1918–19 | Selkirk Fishermen | Al-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 1919–20 | Selkirk Fishermen | MSHL | 10 | 7 | 14 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1920–21 | Calgary Canadians | Big-4 | 16 | 14 | 6 | 20 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1921–22 | Calgary Tigers | WCHL | 20 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1922–23 | Calgary Tigers | WCHL | 29 | 25 | 7 | 32 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1923–24 | Calgary Tigers | WCHL | 27 | 22 | 12 | 34 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1923–24 | Calgary Tigers | W-PO | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1923–24 | Calgary Tigers | St-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1924–25 | Calgary Tigers | WCHL | 24 | 20 | 13 | 33 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1925–26 | Calgary Tigers | WHL | 30 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1926–27 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 42 | 18 | 6 | 24 | 17 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 1927–28 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 43 | 13 | 5 | 18 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1928–29 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 43 | 17 | 6 | 23 | 24 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 1929–30 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 40 | 16 | 5 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1930–31 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 44 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1931–32 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 44 | 13 | 7 | 20 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1932–33 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 47 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1933–34 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1934–35 | New York Americans | NHL | 47 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1935–36 | New York Americans | NHL | 45 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1936–37 | New York Americans | NHL | 20 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| WCHL totals | 130 | 90 | 48 | 138 | 68 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | ||||
| NHL totals | 463 | 127 | 85 | 212 | 147 | 35 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 24 | ||||