Tracy Pratt

Tracy Arnold Pratt (born March 8, 1943) is an American-born Canadian former professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the National Hockey League. He was born in New York City, where his father, Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Babe Pratt, played for the New York Rangers.

Playing career Unsigned by any NHL team, Pratt started his junior hockey career in 1960 with the Flin Flon Bombers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. Moving on to the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League in 1962, leading the team's defensemen in the playoffs and winning the league championship.

Signing with the New York Rangers, Pratt turned professional in 1963 with the St. Paul Rangers of the Central Professional Hockey League, he played four seasons in the minors before being selected in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft in the 14th round, 83rd overall, by the California Seals. He made his NHL debut for the renamed Oakland Seals that season, splitting the time between the Seals and their Vancouver Canucks farm team,

Starting the 1969 season with Vancouver, he was traded mid-season to the Pittsburgh Penguins, finishing the season back in the NHL with them. At the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft, Pratt was drafted again, this time 7th overall by the Buffalo Sabres, for whom he went on to play four seasons. A noted pugilist, unusually, in that first season, Pratt had a celebrated fight with future Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Billy Smith.

In December of 1973, Pratt was dealt with John Gould to the Vancouver Canucks (which had joined the NHL in 1970 with Buffalo for Jerry Korab. He played two and a half seasons for the Canucks before signing as a free agent with the Colorado Rockies in 1976. After a late-season trade that year to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pratt retired as a hockey player.

Pratt's best year was 1975, when he scored 22 points with a +7 rating, and was one of two Canucks (the other being goaltender Gary Smith) named to play in that season's NHL All-Star Game.

After retirement, Pratt coached for a single season in 1980 as head coach of the Abbotsford Flyers of the Junior A British Columbia Hockey League; the team finished out of the playoffs for the only time in the franchise's history, and he was not retained.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1959–60 Vancouver College HS-BC — — — — — — — — — — 1960–61 Flin Flon Bombers SJHL 59 3 13 16 83 — — — — — 1961–62 Flin Flon Bombers SJHL 51 7 16 23 143 10 2 4 6 36 1962–63 Brandon Wheat Kings MJHL 33 10 17 27 132 10 3 8 11 38 1962–63 Brandon Wheat Kings MC — — — — — 9 2 4 6 35 1963–64 St. Paul Rangers CPHL 52 4 15 19 128 11 0 0 0 49 1964–65 St. Paul Rangers CPHL 66 15 25 40 200 9 1 2 3 27 1965–66 St. Louis Braves CPHL 70 2 23 25 206 5 1 2 3 6 1966–67 Portland Buckaroos WHL 63 0 10 10 92 4 0 1 1 4 1967–68 Oakland Seals NHL 34 0 5 5 90 — — — — — 1967–68 Vancouver Canucks WHL 29 1 8 9 73 — — — — — 1968–69 Vancouver Canucks WHL 45 2 10 12 74 — — — — — 1968–69 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 18 0 5 5 34 — — — — — 1969–70 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 65 5 7 12 124 10 0 1 1 51 1970–71 Buffalo Sabres NHL 76 1 7 8 179 — — — — — 1971–72 Buffalo Sabres NHL 27 0 10 10 52 — — — — — 1971–72 Cincinnati Swords AHL 16 0 11 11 40 — — — — — 1972–73 Buffalo Sabres NHL 74 1 15 16 116 6 0 0 0 6 1973–74 Buffalo Sabres NHL 33 0 7 7 52 — — — — — 1973–74 Vancouver Canucks NHL 45 3 8 11 44 — — — — — 1974–75 Vancouver Canucks NHL 79 5 17 22 145 3 0 0 0 5 1975–76 Vancouver Canucks NHL 52 1 5 6 72 2 0 0 0 0 1976–77 Colorado Rockies NHL 66 1 10 11 110 — — — — — 1976–77 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 11 0 1 1 8 4 0 0 0 0 NHL totals 580 17 97 114 1026 25 0 1 1 62