Billy McGimsie
| Billy McGimsie | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1963 | |||
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| Born |
June 7, 1880 Woodville, ON, CAN |
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| Died | October 28, 1968 (aged 88) Calgary, AB, CAN |
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| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | ||
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Played for | Kenora Thistles | ||
| Playing career | 1901–1907 | ||
William George McGimsie (June 7, 1880 – October 28, 1968) was a Canadian amateur ice hockey player. He played six seasons as a centre for the Rat Portage/Kenora Thistles between 1901 and 1907. A leading offensive player of his era, McGimsie led the Manitoba and North West Hockey League with 28 goals in 8 games in 1904–05. He was a member of three Thistles' teams that challenged for the Stanley Cup, winning the national championship in 1907. His career was ended when he suffered a separated shoulder in an exhibition game. McGimsie was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963.
McGimsie was born on June 7, 1880, the son of a contractor who frequently moved around for work. He was born in Woodville in southeastern Ontario, but moved to Rat Portage in the northwest of the province at the age of one. He became interested in hockey at an early age; his first pair of skates were stolen from his sister. They were of a style designed to clamp onto his normal shoes, and he wore them for several years as his family could not afford a newer pair.
The establishment of the Stanley Cup as Canada's national hockey championship in 1893 inspired McGimsie, who dedicated his early life to winning it. He played in school, church and mercantile leagues as a youth. His brother Charlie was also a player, and McGimsie played his youth hockey with future Hockey Hall of Famers Si Griffis, Tommy Phillips and Tom Hooper.
Following his youth career, McGimsie joined the Rat Portage Thistles' intermediate team where he scored eight goals in four games in 1901–02. Turning his focus exclusively to hockey, McGimsie quit school and paid a $2 fee to join the Thistles' senior team for the following season. He scored ten goals in four regular season games to help the Thistles win the Manitoba and North West Hockey Association (MNWHA) championship. The team then challenged the Ottawa Silver Seven for control of the Stanley Cup. The Thistles were outmatched by Ottawa in the two-game, total-goals series, losing by 6–2 and 4–2 scores. McGimsie scored three of his team's four goals.
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