Billy Burch
Hart and Lady Byng winner; led first NHL player strike.
Billy Burch, born Harry Wilfred Burch in Yonkers, New York, moved to Toronto as a child and became a professional ice hockey forward in the NHL. Over his career, he suited up for the Hamilton Tigers, New York Americans, Chicago Black Hawks, and Boston Bruins. In 1924–25, he earned the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player. That same season, he and his Hamilton teammates staged the NHL's first player strike, a protest over unpaid extra compensation for an expanded schedule. The strike led to the franchise's dissolution and relocation to New York, where Burch became the Americans' captain. He scored the team's first-ever goal in 1925 and later won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1926–27 for sportsmanship. Burch was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1974.
Growing up in Toronto, Burch played multiple sports. He quarterbacked the Toronto Central YMCA football team to a provincial junior championship in 1920. That year, he also played hockey for the Toronto Canoe Club Paddlers, alongside Lionel Conacher and Roy Worters, and led the team to the 1920 Memorial Cup. In 12 playoff games, he racked up 42 goals, 12 assists, and 54 points. He then spent two seasons with Toronto Aura Lee in the Ontario Hockey Association.
Burch began the 1922–23 season with Westminster Hockey Club in the U.S. Amateur Hockey Association before signing with the Hamilton Tigers on January 30, 1923. The Tigers were last in the four-team NHL, but Burch helped them improve. He scored six goals in ten games to finish that season, then tied for third in NHL scoring in 1923–24 with 22 points. In 1924–25, the Tigers finished first overall with a 19–10–1 record, and Burch won the Hart Trophy after a 20-goal season. The league had expanded to two new teams, stretching the schedule from 24 to 30 games, but the Tigers paid no extra compensation. The players demanded $200 each for the additional games and playoffs, threatening to sit out the championship series. When they defied league president Frank Calder's order to play, the team was disqualified, and the Montreal Canadiens were declared champions. The franchise was then sold and moved to New York.
Quick Facts
- Position
- Centre
- Shoots
- Left
- Height Ft
- 6
- Height In
- 0
- Weight Lb
- 200
- Played For
- Hamilton Tigers / New York Americans / Boston Bruins / Chicago Black Hawks
- League
- NHL
- Birth Date
- 1900-11-20
- Birth Place
- Yonkers, New York, U.S.
- Death Date
- 1950-11-30
- Death Place
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Career Start
- 1922
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Burch grew up in Toronto after being born in Yonkers, New York. He was a multi-sport athlete, playing quarterback for the Toronto Central YMCA football team that won the provincial junior championship in 1920. That same year, he was a teammate of Lionel Conacher and Roy Worters with the Toronto Canoe Club Paddlers, leading all players in the Memorial Cup playoffs with 42 goals, 12 assists, and 54 points in 12 games to win the 1920 Canadian junior championship. He spent the following two seasons with the Toronto Aura Lee team in the Ontario Hockey Association.
After beginning the 1922–23 season with the Westminster Hockey Club, Burch was signed by the Hamilton Tigers on January 30, 1923. He finished in a tie for third in NHL scoring in 1923–24 with 22 points. In 1924–25, the Tigers finished as regular season champions, and Burch won the Hart Trophy after a 20-goal season. However, when the NHL expanded and increased the schedule from 24 to 30 games without extra pay, Burch and his teammates demanded $200 each for the additional games. After defying league president Frank Calder, the team was disqualified, and the Montreal Canadiens were declared champions—the first player strike in NHL history. The Tigers franchise was sold and relocated.
The franchise became the New York Americans, and Burch was named captain, a position he held until 1932. He was dubbed 'Yonkers Billy Burch' and 'the Babe Ruth of hockey.' He scored the first goal in Americans history on December 2, 1925, in a 2–1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1926–27. After being sold to Boston and then traded to Chicago, Burch suffered a broken leg at the end of the 1932–33 season, ending his playing career. He was the last active NHL player who had played with the Hamilton Tigers.
Reader's Guide
Billy Burch's significance lies in his dual recognition as both a top performer and a gentlemanly player, winning the Hart Trophy in 1924–25 and the Lady Byng Trophy in 1926–27. He was a central figure in the first player strike in NHL history, which led to the dissolution of the Hamilton Tigers franchise and its relocation to become the New York Americans. As the Americans' first captain, he scored the franchise's first goal and was marketed as 'Yonkers Billy Burch.' His career spanned the early NHL era, and he was the last active player who had been a member of the Hamilton Tigers. After a broken leg ended his playing days, he retired to Toronto. He was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1974. Montreal Gazette sportswriter Tommy Shields noted that Burch played in a rough era and 'turned pro and never looked back,' calling him 'a major leaguer all the way.'
Did You Know?
- Burch scored 42 goals in 12 Memorial Cup playoff games to lead the Toronto Canoe Club Paddlers to the 1920 Canadian junior championship.
- He was the first player to score a goal for the New York Americans, on December 2, 1925.
More in Hockey Hall of Fame Players 1-24
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