Bill Speer
Francis William Speer (March 20, 1942 – February 12, 1989) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association between 1967 and 1974. He won the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 1970.
| Bill Speer | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Speer with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles, 1969–70 | |||
| Born |
March 20, 1942 Lindsay, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Died |
March 12, 1989 (aged 46) Fenelon Falls, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 201 lb (91 kg; 14 st 5 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Pittsburgh Penguins Boston Bruins New York Raiders New York Golden Blades Jersey Knights | ||
| Playing career | 1961–1975 | ||
Career
Speer played 135 games in the World Hockey Association and 130 games in the National Hockey League. Born in Lindsay, Ontario, he played for the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Raiders, New York Golden Blades, and Jersey Knights. Speer was known as a solid, shot-blocking defenseman throughout his career.[1]
Speer was known for his weight issues during his hockey career. Although generally listed as 5' 11" and 200 pounds throughout his career, his regularly played closer to 210 pounds and even weighed as much as 242 pounds during the 1966-67 offseason.[2] Speer was able to lose most of the weight, dropping down to 210 for the opening of Penguins' training camp and even dropping as low as 206.
During his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he was also the designated team barber, setting up a makeshift barbershop in the wash room of the Penguins' dressing room in the Civic Arena. Speer became a barber at the age of 15 and took over his father's shop in 1967 after his father died. Although he never mentioned a specific fee for the haircuts, Speer did say that a 25 cent tip was standard.[2] Speer earned the nickname "The Lindsay Clipper" during his time with the Bruins.[3][4] After his playing days were over, some of his former teammates would visit the shop from time to time.[3]
Speer won the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 1970, scoring one goal that season. It occurred on February 11, 1970, in Boston's 3–2 victory at St. Louis. It was the last NHL goal of Speer's career.[3]
Death
Speer died on February 12, 1989, while riding his snowmobile on a lake in Fenelon Falls, Ontario. The snowmobile plunged through the thin ice and Speer drowned.[3] He was 46 years old.
Speer is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Lindsay, Ontario.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1959–60 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA | 43 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 53 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 1959–60 | St. Catharines Teepees | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 1960–61 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA | 42 | 5 | 22 | 27 | 70 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 1961–62 | St. Catharines Teepees | OHA | 38 | 6 | 24 | 30 | 96 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 1961–62 | Sault Thunderbirds | EPHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1962–63 | Knoxville Knights | EHL | 68 | 10 | 44 | 54 | 46 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1963–64 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 28 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1964–65 | Cleveland Barons | AHL | 71 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1965–66 | Cleveland Barons | AHL | 70 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 36 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 1966–67 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 64 | 6 | 25 | 31 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 68 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | Baltimore Clippers | AHL | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 34 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Baltimore Clippers | AHL | 13 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Amarillo Wranglers | CHL | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 27 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1969–70 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | WHL | 19 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 27 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Providence Reds | AHL | 25 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 35 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 6 | ||
| 1971–72 | Boston Braves | AHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Providence Reds | AHL | 52 | 5 | 27 | 32 | 36 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 1972–73 | New York Raiders | WHA | 69 | 3 | 23 | 26 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | New York Golden Blades/Jersey Knights | WHA | 66 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Orillia Terriers | OHA Sr | 13 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| WHA totals | 135 | 4 | 26 | 30 | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 130 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 79 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||||
References
- Heufeulder, Bill (January 2, 1968). "Speer's Not Afraid Of The Puck Anymore". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
- Heufeulder, Bill (November 29, 1967). "Barber Speer Keeps Penguins' Mates Trim". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
- Barbara-Ann MacEachern (March 15, 2010). "Family remembers Stanley Cup win". Peterborough This Week. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
- Bruins Legends: Bill Speer
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Bill Speer at Find a Grave