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 was the NHL's leading scorer twice in a row, and in 1946 won the Hart Trophy as the most valuable player. He played in four All-Star Games and was twice named to a post-season All-Star team.
Bentley was one of six hockey-playing brothers, and at one point played with four of his brothers with the Drumheller Miners of the Alberta Senior Hockey League. In 1942–43, he made NHL history when he played on the league's first all-brother line with Doug and Reg. 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. He then returned to his home in Saskatoon to finish his playing career. Considered one of the best players of his era, Bentley was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966. Bentley was named one of the NHL's 100 greatest players of all-time by the NHL in 2017.
Early life
Bentley was born March 1, 1920, in Delisle, Saskatchewan. He was the youngest of six boys, and one of thirteen children. 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. He became mayor and helped build the town's covered skating rink. All of the Bentley children were athletes, and all six brothers played hockey. Bill Bentley believed that all six boys could have played in the National Hockey League (NHL), though responsibilities on the family farm resulted in the eldest four boys spending the majority of their careers playing senior hockey on the Canadian Prairies. He moved onto the Drumheller Miners of the Alberta Senior Hockey League (ASHL) in 1937, leading that league in scoring while playing on a line with brothers Roy and Wyatt. The trio were joined in Drumheller by Doug and Reg for the 1938–39 season. The family operated a gas station in town when not playing hockey. Bentley chose to continue playing, but developed into a hypochondriac following the diagnosis. He constantly complained of aches, pains and ailments, and carried so many drugs and medications he was known as a "walking drug store".
He played two years of senior hockey in Drumheller, and one more with the Saskatoon Quakers in the Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League (SSHL) before playing his first professional games with the Providence Reds of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 1940–41. 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. Bentley initially refused, and considered retiring. 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. Gottselig sent Bentley up, reuniting him with brother Doug who had joined Chicago in 1939. He finished three points behind brother Doug, who won the scoring title. Max tied an NHL record by scoring four goals in one period of a 10–1 victory over the Rangers on January 28, 1943. 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.
Bentley's career was interrupted in 1943 when he joined the Canadian Infantry Corps. He was briefly stationed in Victoria, British Columbia, where he completed the 1942–43 season playing with the Victoria Navy team then spent the following two years stationed in Calgary where he played with the Calgary Currie Army team in the Canadian military leagues. He led the Alberta league in goals and points with 18 and 31 respectively in 1943–44. and was awarded the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player. He was the first Black Hawk to ever win the award.
Bentley again led the league in scoring in 1946–47, recording 72 points in 60 games. He won the title on the final night of the season, finishing one point ahead of Montreal's Maurice Richard.