They Called Him Babe: Part One

A look at Hall of Fame defender Babe Pratt who hailed from Stony Mountain, Manitoba.

This is part one of a two-part story on the legendary Babe Pratt! Enjoy!

Babe Pratt was one of the game's first strong offensive defensemen. He was one of the few in the NHL's early days that would take the puck from behind his own net and go for rushes, similar to what Bobby Orr would do many years later with the Boston Bruins. Pratt would always be the first one to tell you that good defense makes a good offense. He kept the puck deep in the offensive zone, because as we all know, the other team can't score if the puck is in their end.

Pratt was a big man at 6'3'', 210 lbs and had a really big personality to go with it. He was called "larger than life", and was very similar in a lot of ways with his namesake Babe Ruth in baseball. He had this certain flair and flamboyancy about him that made him a very popular man with fans and the press. He was a consistent winner at every level of his career, winning a remarkable fifteen championships over twenty-six years in hockey. His best moment coming in 1945 while as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pratt scored the Stanley Cup winning goal in game seven of the Cup finals against Detroit.

Babe Pratt could always be counted on in the dressing room for some form of raillery. Once Pratt was playing in a game being refereed by an official well-fortified with brandy. Whenever there was a faceoff in Babe's defensive zone, he would take the draw; and whenever Pratt prepared to take the draw the referee leaned over Babe's shoulder to drop the puck.

"Sir," said Pratt politely to the referee. "Would you mind leaning over my opponent's shoulder when you drop the puck? You're making me drunk.