1958-59 Parkhurst 25 Billy Reay Hockey Card (Front)
1958-59 Parkhurst 25 Billy Reay Hockey Card (Back)
1958-59 Parkhurst NHL Checklist
Card Notes
Billy Reay lasted just 20 games behind the Toronto Maple Leafs bench in 1958-59 before being fired by the club. At the time, the Leafs were in fourth with just five wins. In his place, Punch Imlach took over the head coaching job.
Under Imlach, the Maple Leafs squeaked into the playoffs with a one point lead over the fifth place New York Rangers. Toronto reached the Stanley Cup final before falling to the Montreal Canadiens in five games.
Reay returned to the NHL as head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks for the 1963-64 season. He remained with the team for over a decade, fired 34 games into the 1976-77 NHL season. He was replaced by Bill White.