Three Beautiful Babes

I apologize in advance if you found this page while looking for bikini-clad women. There are no photos of such sort to be found here, though I hear that is not hard to find on the internet.

No, this site has a look at three different kinds of Babes - three early era hockey stars with the nickname Babe.

Babe Dye, born with the name Cecil, was a multi-sport star. A half back with the CFL Toronto Argonauts, he turned down major league baseball contract offers to stay in his hometown and concentrate on his true sporting passion - hockey. Dye would be the earliest star in Toronto's NHL history, though the team was then known as the St. Pats, not the Maple Leafs. Dye led the league in goal scoring on three occasions.

Babe Siebert, born with the name Albert, was a hockey player through and through. He excelled at both forward, where he was a standout on the Montreal Maroons famous S Line, and on defense, where he was an all star and league MVP with the Montreal Canadiens. Siebert was about to take over coaching duties of the Canadiens before a tragic drowning incident prematurely claimed his life.

Babe Pratt, a rollicking defenseman born with the name Walter, loved the good life. He was big defender with a hard shot with a fondness for taking offensive chances. A star with the New York Rangers, he later joined the Toronto Maple Leafs. Like Dye and Siebert, Pratt is a chartered member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

There was one other Babe in hockey, much more recent though not as famous. Warren Babe played 21 games with the Minnesota North Stars in the late 1980s.

The inclusion of these three babes brings my collection of pre-1950s legends of hockey to over 40 now. I hope to double that collection by the end of this year.