Nels Crutchfield

William Ian Nelson Crutchfield (July 12, 1911 — July 22, 1985), known as Nels Crutchfield, was a Canadian professional ice hockey player.

Born in Knowlton, Quebec, he played defence and centre for the McGill Redmen from 1930 to 1934 and was team captain from 1933 to 1934. He received a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1934. He played 41 games in the 1934–35 season with the Montreal Canadiens, recording 5 goals and 5 assists, with another assist in two playoff games that year. His career was cut short after receiving a fractured skull in a car accident in September 1935.

He died in another car accident in 1985 in Huntsville, Ontario.

Crutchfield was inducted into the McGill University Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1928–29 Shawinigan Cataractes ECHA 24 8 1 9 39 — — — — — 1929–30 Shawinigan Cataractes ECHA 24 5 4 9 38 — — — — — 1930–31 Shawinigan Cataractes ECHA 12 6 4 10 6 — — — — — 1930–31 McGill University MCHL 12 2 2 4 21 4 2 0 2 8 1930–31 McGill University Al-Cup — — — — — 6 2 0 2 14 1931–32 McGill University MCHL 12 7 6 13 41 2 1 0 1 11 1932–33 McGill University MCHL 10 7 4 11 33 7 1 1 2 28 1933–34 McGill University MCHL 12 3 8 11 34 2 1 0 1 6 1933–34 McGill University Al-Cup — — — — — 4 3 1 4 12 1934–35 Montreal Canadiens NHL 41 5 5 10 20 2 0 1 1 22 NHL totals 41 5 5 10 20 2 0 1 1 22