Billy Reay, 86, who played on two Stanley Cup champions with the Montreal Canadiens and was the winningest coach in Chicago Blackhawks history, died of liver cancer Thursday in Madison, Wis.
A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Reay played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League, two with the Detroit Red Wings and eight with Montreal.
Reay became coach of the Blackhawks in 1963 after coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs for two seasons in the late 1950s. Over the next 14 seasons, his record was 516-335-161. His 516 wins are nearly three times as many as the next winningest Blackhawks coach, Bob Pulford, whose teams won 182 games.
Reay’s teams, featuring such greats as Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito, finished first six times and made three appearances in the Stanley Cup finals.
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