Muzz Patrick

Frederick Murray "Muzz" Patrick (June 28, 1915 – July 27, 1998) was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and general manager. He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers from 1938 to 1941, and then from 1945 to 1946. He was general manager of the Rangers from 1955 to 1964, serving as coach on three occasions during that time. As a player, Patrick won the Stanley Cup with the Rangers in 1940. He was part of the Patrick family, which had a long association with hockey: his father Lester had previously worked as the Rangers coach and manager, among other roles; his uncle Frank had founded the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) with Lester; and Muzz's brother Lynn had played on the Rangers with him and later coached and managed the Boston Bruins.

Early life Patrick was born in Victoria, British Columbia, in 1915. He excelled at several sports as a kid, including boxing, and in 1934, he won the Canadian amateur heavyweight title.

Ice hockey career Patrick began his professional hockey career with the EAHL's New York Crescents in 1934, and in 1938, he started playing for the NHL's New York Rangers. He helped the team win the Stanley Cup in 1939–40. From 1941 to 1945, Patrick served in the U.S. military and attained the rank of captain. He spent two years with the Saints before moving to the Tacoma Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL), playing a few games with the Rockets when needed. In 1953 he joined the Seattle Bombers of the WHL, though left the team in 1954 when the Rangers hired him to coach there.

In 1954, he returned to the Rangers as a coach. He coached for one season and then served as the team's GM until 1964. His son is Washington Capitals executive Dick Patrick.

Patrick married Jessie Farr in December 1942. During the Second World War both he and Lynn enlisted in the US Army in 1942; though not American citizens they were eligible based on their residency status in the United States. Patrick was initially stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, though also served on transports overseas in Africa, Italy, and France. He rose to the rank of captain before being discharged in September 1945.

Patrick died in Riverside, Connecticut, in 1998. He was survived by his wife, Jessie, four children, 12 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1933–34 Westmount Academy HS-CA — — — — — — — — — — 1934–35 New York Crescents EAHL 21 3 3 6 16 6 2 3 5 9 1935–36 New York Rovers EAHL 40 3 8 11 31 8 2 2 4 15 1936–37 Philadelphia Ramblers IAHL 50 2 11 13 75 6 0 1 1 2 1937–38 Philadelphia Ramblers IAHL 48 3 6 9 37 5 2 0 2 6 1937–38 New York Rangers NHL 1 0 2 2 0 3 0 0 0 2 1938–39 New York Rangers NHL 48 1 10 11 70 7 1 0 1 17 1939–40 New York Rangers NHL 44 2 4 6 44 12 3 0 3 13 1940–41 New York Rangers NHL 47 2 8 10 21 3 0 0 0 2 1945–46 New York Rangers NHL 24 0 2 2 4 — — — — — 1945–46 Providence Reds AHL 2 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 1945–46 St. Paul Saints USHL 7 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1949–50 Tacoma Rockets PCHL 8 0 0 0 12 — — — — — NHL totals 164 5 26 31 139 25 4 0 4 34

Coaching record Team Year Regular season Playoffs G W L T Pts Division rank ResultNew York Rangers 1953–54 30 15 11 4 34 5th in NHL Did not qualify New York Rangers 1954–55 70 17 35 18 52 5th in NHL Did not qualify New York Rangers 1959–60 2 0 1 1 1 6th in NHL Did not qualify New York Rangers 1962–63 34 11 19 4 26 5th in NHL Did not qualify NHL totals 136 43 66 27 113