Playing Career
Oliver grew up in Selkirk, Manitoba and played both junior and senior hockey with the Selkirk Fishermen. Oliver and the Fishermen won the Manitoba Senior Hockey League in 1919 and challenged the Hamilton Tigers for the Allan Cup. Oliver scored a goal in the second game, but the Fishermen lost the two-game series on total goals, 7–6. He left Selkirk for a professional career in Calgary in 1920. He played one season with the Calgary Canadians of the independent Big-4 League in 1919–20 then moved to the Calgary Tigers and the new Western Canada Hockey League. Oliver quickly established himself as a star player in the WCHL, using his speed and shot to earn positions as a First-Team All-Star in both 1924 and 1925. He was a key member of the Tigers' team that won the 1923–24 WCHL championship, and lost to the Montreal Canadiens for the Stanley Cup.
When the WCHL collapsed in 1926, Oliver's rights were bought by the Boston Bruins. His NHL career began on a line with Bill Carson and Percy Galbraith, and he led the Bruins in scoring each of his first three seasons with the team. He won the Stanley Cup with Boston in 1929 and remained with the organization for eight years. The Bruins sold his rights to the New York Americans in 1934, and Oliver completed his career with three seasons in New York. Well regarded for his genlemanly nature on the ice, Oliver was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1967, and is an honoured member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.
Following his career, Oliver returned to Selkirk, working first as an electrician, then moved to Winnipeg where he worked for the Weights and Measures Department of the Canadian Government. He died in 1985.
Read more about this topic: Harry Oliver (ice Hockey)
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