Revisiting Calder Trophy Seasons: Edgar Laprade’s 1945-46 Season

After joining the army following the 1942-43 season, where he continued to play hockey, Laprade finally made the jump to the NHL and the Rangers in 1945-46. His debut was the beginning of a successful career in the NHL, with his rookie season paving the way – closing out his first season with the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie.

With that, here’s a look at how his NHL career kicked off.

Edgar Laprade’s Rookie Run With the Rangers

On Oct. 31, 1945, Laprade stepped on the ice for the Rangers for the first time in his NHL regular season career. His team was in Chicago to take on the Chicago Blackhawks – a game they would go on to lose 5-1. Laprade would play more of a passenger role in the game as he was held off the scoresheet in his first career game. However, it didn’t take him long to turn on his offensive production.

Three days later, on Nov. 3, the Rangers were back at it in Toronto in a game they would win 4-1. Laprade picked up his first career assist and point on the fourth Rangers goal and Hal Brown’s second goal of the game at 18:17 of the third period.

The assist would open the floodgates for Laprade who would finish his rookie season with 15 goals and 34 points in 49 regular season games for the Rangers. That included eight multi-point games, three of which he had three points.

He finished 20th in NHL scoring, leading all rookies that season, topping the Blackhawks’ George Gee and his 29 points for top among first-year players. The feat landed Laprade the Calder Trophy, forever etching his name in hockey history.

Edgar Laprade Amongst Rangers’ All-Time Best

Laprade would follow up his rookie season scoring 30-plus points in five of his next NHL seasons, reaching a career-high 47 points in 59 games. He would go on to finish his NHL career playing all 500 career regular season games with the Rangers, with 108 goals and 280 points.

Twice in his career, the Rangers made the playoffs with Laprade adding 13 points in 19 postseason games. He had the opportunity to play in the Stanley Cup Final in 1949-50, which was the closest he ever came to winning hockey holy grail. Unfortunately, the Rangers weren’t able to get it done.

He played in four NHL All-Star Games, including 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1950 and was awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1949-50 where he finished with 44 points and just two penalty minutes. Three other times over his career, he completed full NHL seasons without a single penalty minute – another testament to how important he was to the Rangers organization over his career.

Laprade retired after the 1954-55 season and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993. In 2009, he was named as the 24th best Rangers player from the team’s first 82 seasons in a book called 100 Ranger Greats before passing away at the age of 94 in 2014.

Like many in the 1940s, his career may not have spanned 20 seasons, but Laprade made an impact over his 500-game career leaving his name on the Calder Trophy forever following his 1945-46 debut NHL season.