Lionel Conacher

Lionel Conacher
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1994
Born	(1900-05-24)May 24, 1900 Toronto, ON, CAN
Died	May 26, 1954(1954-05-26) (aged 54)
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Defence
Played for	NHL Pittsburgh Pirates New York Americans Montreal Maroons Chicago Black Hawks USAHA Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets
Playing career	1923–1937

Lionel Pretoria Conacher, MP (May 24, 1900 – May 26, 1954), nicknamed "The Big Train", was Canada's top all-around athlete in the 1920s, excelling in Canadian football, ice hockey, lacrosse, baseball, boxing and wrestling. He later became a politician and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and the Canadian House of Commons.

File:New York Americans 1929.jpg

1929 New York Americans: Conacher is fifth from left

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Conacher played for the Toronto Argonauts, and was part of the 1921 Grey Cup winning team. From 1925 to 1937, he played in the National Hockey League with the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Americans, Chicago Blackhawks, and Montreal Maroons. Winning the Stanley Cup in 1934 with the Chicago Blackhawks, and 1935 with the Montreal Maroons.

Conacher was a Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the Toronto riding of Bracondale, from October 6, 1937 until June 30, 1943. He was elected in the 1949 federal election as a Liberal Member of Parliament in the Toronto riding of Trinity and re-elected in the 1953 election.

On May 26, 1954, Conacher was playing softball when he suddenly suffered a heart attack and died. He was named Canada's Greatest Male Athlete of the Half-Century (1950). He is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame (1955), the Canadian Football Hall of Fame (1963), the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame (1966), and Hockey Hall of Fame (1994). The award for the Canadian Press Canadian male athlete of the year is called the Lionel Conacher Award.

Conacher's younger brothers, Charlie Conacher, and Roy Conacher, were also Hall of Fame hockey players. His son, Brian Conacher, played for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League & won the Stanley Cup with them in 1966–67 NHL season.

See also

• Notable families in the NHL

External links

• Lionel Conacher biography at Legends of Hockey
• Lionel Conacher career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• History by the Minute Video
• Find-A-Grave profile for Lionel Conacher
• "Big Train" Lionel Conacher Called Greatest Male Athlete of the Half Century, The Historica Foundation of Canada
• The Canadian Encyclopedia article on Conacher
• Canada Sports Hall of Fame page
• Canadian Football Hall of Fame page
• Toronto Argonauts profile from Internet Archive
• Canadian Pro Wrestling Page of Fame page