Maxwell Herbert Lloyd Bentley (March 1, 1920 – January 18, 1984) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for the Chicago Black Hawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and New York Rangers in the National Hockey League (NHL) as part of a professional and senior career that spanned 20 years.
He played five seasons in Chicago with Doug before a 1947 trade sent him to the Maple Leafs in one of the most significant transactions in NHL history to that point.
Bentley won three Stanley Cup championships with the Maple Leafs before spending a final NHL season with the Rangers in 1953–54.
His father Bill was a native of Yorkshire, England who emigrated to the United States as a child and became a speed skating champion in North Dakota before settling in Delisle.
[2] His father taught Bentley to play hockey on their farm, where the family patriarch believed the daily chores would give his children the strength to have strong shots.
Bentley's father also taught him to use his speed to elude bigger and stronger opponents as he weighed only 155 pounds fully grown.
He caught the attention of the Chicago Black Hawks, and while the team was impressed with his play, they wanted him to start with their American Hockey Association (AHA) affiliate in Kansas City.
He was convinced to report by Kansas City's coach, Johnny Gottselig, and played only five games before injuries in Chicago led the Black Hawks to request a call-up.
[9] He was called for only one penalty during the season, and as a result was voted the winner of the Lady Byng Trophy as the league's most sportsmanlike player.
[4] Following the war, Bentley returned to the Black Hawks where he was reunited with his brother Doug and joined on a line by Bill Mosienko.
[6] In doing so, he became only the third player in NHL history to win consecutive scoring titles after Charlie Conacher and Sweeney Schriner, both of whom accomplished the feat in the 1930s.
He was sent to Toronto with Cy Thomas in exchange for Gus Bodnar, Bud Poile, Gaye Stewart, Ernie Dickens and Bob Goldham, on November 2, 1947.
[16] Bentley was initially disappointed to leave his brother in Chicago, but quickly adapted to Toronto where he was immediately popular.
[20] The Leafs' championship streak came to an end in 1949–50 but Bentley showed a modest improvement offensively, leading the team with 23 goals.
He mused about an opportunity to coach the Calgary Stampeders of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and stated a desire to play again with his brother Doug, but ultimately returned to Toronto.
[26] He was initially placed on the suspended list by Toronto after he refused to report to training camp and attempted to purchase his release from the team.
[27] Bentley expressed a desire to leave the NHL and play for the WHL's Saskatoon Quakers, where Doug had become coach.
[32] His nephew Bev and son Lynn played with him in Burbank, while Doug was the player-coach of the rival Long Beach Gulls.
Bentley's father flooded a sheet of ice that was the length of a regulation NHL hockey rink but much narrower, forcing the boys to develop the ability to maintain control of the puck while making fast, hard turns to reach the net.
[2] He was nicknamed the "Dipsy Doodle Dandy from Delisle" in reference to his ability to skate around opponents who often found that the only way to stop him was via rough play.
[36] Opponents occasionally attempted to use Bentley's hypochondria against him, making remarks on how he looked ill in a bid to distract him during the game.
[38] Bentley played summer baseball throughout the 1950s, and was a member of the Saskatoon Gems of the Western Canada Senior League.