The Bentley Brothers

With Daniel and Henrik Sedin sitting atop the NHL scoring race, much is excitement is being raised in Vancouver about the possibility of back to back scoring championships by brothers. Henrik of course won the Art Ross trophy last year, and Daniel has a real good shot this year (so does Henrik, by the way).

"Never in the history of the game have two brothers both led the league in scoring. Not the Richards. Not the Hulls. Not the Mahovlichs. Daniel and Henrik have the chance to do something real special here, something that has never been done before in the history of the NHL," screamed David Pratt on Team 1040 radio.

Only one problem. It has been done before. (Don't worry, I called the station and corrected him. He/they refuse to credit me).

Meet Doug and Max Bentley. Doug won the NHL scoring title in 1943. Max, so spectacular newspapermen dubbed him Dipsy Doodle Dandy, won the title in 1946 and 1947.

And as prolific author Eric Zweig points out, "note that brothers Charlie (1934,1935) and Roy Conacher (1949) also led the NHL in scoring" and that "the Sedins WOULD be the first to do it back-to-back."

By the way, the Bentley's had another brother, Reg, who played in the NHL, albeit for only 11 games. Reg's only goal was assisted by both Doug and Max - the only time in NHL history that has ever happened.

Normally Doug and Max played with fellow Hall of Famer Bill Mosienko on the Pony Line.

Max was moved to Toronto in 1947 in a whopping 5 players for 1 trade (the Hawks also threw in little known Cy Thomas). Despite Chicago acquiring "The Flying Forts Line" of Gus Bodnar, Gaye Stewart and Bud Poile along with defensemen Ernie Dickens and Bob Goldham, Toronto clearly won this trade. Chicago, by contrast, went into the doldrums shortly thereafter for many, many years.