Former NHLer Rudy Migay dies at 87

Scotty Bowman says former NHL scout Rudy Migay played a big role helping the Buffalo Sabres find some of the best talent the hockey world had to offer.

Bowman, the hall-of-fame coach, offered condolences to the family of Migay, the Fort William native who died on Saturday at 87.

“Rudy Migay was instrumental in the Buffalo Sabres drafting (Phil) Housley, (Tom) Barrasso, (Darren) Puppa, (Dave) Andreychuk, (Adam) Creighton, (John) Tucker, (Pierre) Turgeon, (Alexander) Mogilny and many more,” Bowman wrote on his official Twitter account upon hearing the news.

Migay first made his mark as a player, earning the nickname the Toy Terrier thanks to his diminutive 5-foot-6 stature and the never-say-die way he played the game.

A prolific scorer in junior, in 1947 he led the Toronto St. Michael Majors win their second Memorial Cup title in three years, scoring 23 point in 10 games. He had 37 points in 17 games a year later, taking the Port Arthur Bruins to the Memorial Cup the following year.

Migay, nicknamed the Toy Terrier, in part due to his size and in part due to his gritty style of play, turned pro in 1948 and spent the better part of the next two seasons tearing up the American Hockey League in Pittsburgh.

During the 1949-50 season he got the call by the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team in the midst of winning four Stanley Cups in five years.

Migay was forced to change his game as the Leafs had plenty of talent at centre, namely hall of famers Ted Kennedy and Max Bentley.

Banished to the minors after the season, he was back in the NHL in 1951-52 and earned regular playing time in 1952-53.

Migay’s best NHL campaign came in 1956-57, when he scored 15 goals and added 20 assists in 66 contests, playing in the NHL all-star game that season.

He spent parts of 10 seasons in the NHL, all with the Leafs, scoring 59 goals and collecting 92 assists in 418 games.

But with injuries starting to wear him down, Migay found himself back in the minors by decade’s end and in 1958-59 he was named the AHL’s most valuable player, scoring 24 goals and 82 points in just 51 appearances with the Rochester Americans.

It was disappointing, but part of the game, Migay says on his official NHL biography page.

“I thought I might have a chance of coming back. I was hoping for a trade but it never happened,” he said.

Migay took up player-coaching duties with the  Port Arthur Bearcats in 1961 and 1962, spending two more seasons in the minor pros before hanging up his skates for good in 1965.

He spent parts of six seasons coaching at various minor-league levels, taking the Tulas Oilers to the Central Pro Hockey League final.  

He then scouted for both Pittsburgh and Buffalo.