Post-playing Career
Well into his forties, and with limited education and no other skills besides hockey, Harvey eked out a living playing in the minor-pro leagues and with an assistant coaching tenure in the World Hockey Association. Although he was unanimously voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973, because of his involvement with the players' association, his sweater number wasn't retired by the Montreal Canadiens until 1985.
For years, Harvey battled alcoholism while suffering from bipolar disorder. In 1985 he was offered a job with the Montreal Canadiens as a scout. For 3 years, Harvey lived in the private railway car of Olive and John Diefenbaker, which was purchased years earlier by Joe Gorman, T. P. Gorman's son, and placed at the Connaught Park Racetrack entrance. Harvey's last Stanley Cup victory came in 1986, when the Montreal Canadiens were once again the winners. He died a few years later due to cirrhosis of the liver and was interred in the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery in Montreal.
In 1998, he was ranked number 6 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
The government of Canada honoured Doug Harvey in 2000 with his image placed on a Canadian postage stamp.
In 2002, a book on his life was published. Titled Doug: The Doug Harvey Story, it was written by William Brown with a foreword by his former teammate, Jean Béliveau. His #2 jersey was retired by the Montreal Canadiens on October 26, 1985.
The former Confederation arena changed its name in his honour in 1966 (now the Doug Harvey arena)
Read more about this topic: Doug Harvey (ice Hockey)
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