Chuck Rayner

Claude Earl "Chuck" Rayner (August 11, 1920 – October 6, 2002), known as "Bonnie Prince Charlie," was a Canadian professional hockey goaltender. He played nine NHL seasons for the New York Americans and New York Rangers and is enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Rayner was born in Sutherland, Saskatoon. He began his junior career with the Kenora Thistles of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, leading them to the Abbott Cup and a spot in the 1940 Memorial Cup final. The next year, he turned pro with the New York Americans, spending most of the season with their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Indians. There, he led the league in shutouts and goals-against average, earning a spot on the AHL Second All-Star Team.

In his second season, Rayner was the Americans' top goaltender during the team's final year before it folded. World War II then interrupted his career; he spent three years in the Royal Canadian Navy, playing two seasons for naval teams in Victoria, British Columbia.

After the war, Rayner signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers in 1945. He was the team's starting goalie for six of the next seven seasons. Despite the Rangers being a weak club—Rayner never posted a winning record—he earned praise for his play. He was known as a puckhandling goalie and tried several times to score a goal.

Though he played on poor teams and never won a Stanley Cup, Rayner was considered one of the best goalies of his era. His peak came between 1948 and 1951. In 1950, he won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player after leading the Rangers to overtime in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

In 1953, a knee injury cost Rayner his starting job to Gump Worsley. He played one more season in the minors with the Saskatoon Quakers of the Western Hockey League, followed by brief senior-league stints, then retired. He was the last active NHL player to have suited up for the New York Americans before they became the Brooklyn Americans.

Rayner was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973, only the second goaltender ever inducted with a losing record. His hometown of Sutherland was later annexed into Saskatoon, but Rayner Avenue in the Sutherland neighbourhood still bears his name. He died of a heart attack on October 6, 2002.