Lorne Davis

Lorne Davis may have only played in a handful of games in the days of the Original Six. But he dedicated his life to the great game of hockey and was rewarded with 6 Stanley Cups!

Davis is probably best known as a long time scout. He started scouting for the expansion St. Louis Blues in 1966. He later worked for the New York Rangers and World Hockey Association's Houston Aeros, but he is best known for bird-dogging for the Edmonton Oilers during their dynasty years in the 1980s.

According Lorne's son Darrell, Lorne was directly responsible for two of the most quintessential Oilers draft picks of all time. 

"(Grant) Fuhr was one of his draft picks, so was long-time Oilers forward Ryan Smyth. According to Dad, those were the two players he told the Oilers brass they had better select or he would no longer be working for the team. Pretty good choices to put your career on the line."

Davis was a part of the Oilers five Stanley Cups back then, but he also won two as a player. Not a lot people realized he enjoyed a long professional career as a player himself.

Davis had a 14 year professional career back in the 1950s and 1960s, but only 95 games were spent in the NHL. He only scored 11 goals - "They were all big goals" he would joke. Still, he won a Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1953.

Davis never got Stanley Cup rings in his playing days. Instead Montreal issued him a commemorative tie tack (which the family turned into a ring). Many years later the Habs issued Davis a proper Stanley Cup ring. In 1955 Detroit gave him a clock as a thank you. He played that season with the Wings, only to be traded late in the campaign to Chicago. The Wings went on to win the Stanley Cup that spring.

Davis was very proud of his Montreal ring, as well as his collection of rings with the Oilers. When he fell ill with cancer in 1997 and hospital staff removed the jewellery from him, he was said to be greatly disheartened. What pained him the most was that for the first time in years he would not be attending a hockey game.

Davis, who also briefly played with Chicago and Boston, spent a month in the hospital before dying officially from a cancer-induced heart attack. He was 77 years old.