Hobey Baker
First American star in ice hockey and only dual hall of fame inductee.
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Each year, the Hobey Baker Award is presented to the top performer in NCAA men's hockey.[1][2]

Life and work
He enrolled at Princeton University in 1910 and played hockey, football, and baseball.[3] Baker set a school record with 13 punt returns for 63 yards against Yale on November 18, 1911.[4] During his senior year, he was named captain of the football team and scored 180 points over his three-year career.[5] Baker came into the world in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, as the second child of Alfred Thornton Baker, a wealthy upholsterer, and Mary Augusta Pemberton, a socialite.[6]

By age fourteen, Baker had earned a spot on St. Paul's varsity hockey team and contributed to victories over leading prep schools and universities.[3] Baker played for the St. Nicholas Club amateur hockey team and received selections to post-season All-Star Teams in each of his two seasons with the club.[3][7] On December 21, 1918, after being ordered back to the United States, Baker died when his plane crashed.[8][9]
What the cited sources add
An ESPN 30 for 30 podcast claims Baker was gay, based on evidence including affectionate letters to Percy R. Pyne 2nd.[2] Baker's former roommate described him as having a "lean but well-muscled figure" and a "handsome, manly yet boyish face"[2] A classmate recalled Baker fleeing the hockey arena via a back entrance to avoid a woman who wanted to go out with him.[2] The podcast used an archive of personal letters from Princeton University's Mudd Library.[10]
References
- Wikipedia, "Hobey Baker" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; ; Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation 2010; Princeton Tigers Hockey Record Book 2010, p. 14; ; Hockey Hall of Fame 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Zeigler, "ESPN podcast claims hockey legend Hobey Baker was gay", OutSports. facts only, no text reused. outsports.com
- Wikipedia, "Hobey Baker" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fimrite 1991, p. 2 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hobey Baker" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fimrite 1991, p. 2; Fimrite 1991, p. 2; Fitzpatrick 2010, p. 1; ; College Football Hall of Fame 1975; Princeton Tigers Football Record Book 2010, p. 41 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hobey Baker" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: College Football Hall of Fame 1975; ; ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hobey Baker" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; Fitzpatrick 2010, p. 1; Fimrite 1991, p. 2; ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hobey Baker" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fimrite 1991, p. 2; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hobey Baker" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; Fimrite 1991, p. 2 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hobey Baker" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Died in Farewell Flight. 'Hobey' Baker Was on the Eve of Leaving for America", New York Times, January 23, 1919; Baker crashed Spad the 7th picture from the top #118; Fimrite 1991, p. 2; ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- White, "David Duchovny Narrates Podcast About Hobey Baker, America's First Ice Hockey Star, For ESPN's 30 For 30", Deadline, May 9, 2024. facts only, no text reused. deadline.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Hobey Baker (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
Career statistics and honours
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1906–07 | St. Paul's School | High School | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1907–08 | St. Paul's School | High School | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1908–09 | St. Paul's School | High School | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1909–10 | St. Paul's School | High School | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1910–11 | Princeton Freshman Team | Freshman | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1911–12 | Princeton Tigers | IHA | 10 | 26 | 15‡ | 41 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1912–13 | Princeton Tigers | IHL | 14 | 35 | 16‡ | 51 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1913–14 | Princeton Tigers | IHL | 13 | 19 | 13‡ | 32 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1914–15 | St. Nicholas Hockey Club | AAHL | 8 | 17 | 0 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1915–16 | St. Nicholas Hockey Club | AAHL | 7 | 9 | 0 | 9 | — | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — |
| College totals | 37 | 80 | 44 | 124 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AAHL totals | 15 | 26 | 0 | 26 | — | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | ||
Awards and honours
AAHL
| Award | Year(s) |
|---|---|
| First All-Star Team | 1915, 1916 |
NHL
| Award | Year(s) |
|---|---|
| Lester Patrick Trophy | 1987 |
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Hobey Baker (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Hobey Baker (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
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