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William Mailes (Bill) Cowley

NHL, the National Hockey League is a premier professional North American Sports League played in indoor stadiums. It’s divided into two conferences, each comprising of three divisions of ice hockey teams.

William Mailes was born on June 12, 1912, in Bristol, Quebec and died 31 December 1993. He played 13 NHL seasons from 1934 to 1947. Cowley was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1968. Bill Cowley was one of the top playmaking forwards in NHL history three times in his 13 year career he led the NHL in assists. He always seemed to know where his linemates were positioned. An unselfish player who always aimed to set up a colleague for a goal before taking a shot himself, and he rarely jeopardized his team's fortunes by taking a penalty. Because of his ability to see the whole ice, he was arguably the Wayne Gretzky of his era.

He first drew attention to himself with his exemplary play with the Primrose and Shamrocks clubs in the Ottawa City Junior League from 1930 to 1932. He then graduated to the Shamrocks' senior team in 1932 to 33, and he proved he could handle the tougher competition. Cowley is the only Hall of Fame player to have begun his career with this club. When the team folded prior to the next season, Cowley was claimed by the Boston Bruins in a dispersal draft.

Cowley broke through in 1937-38 with 39 points and selection to the NHL First All-Star Team. He recorded a league-high 34 assists. His passing and puck-handling wizardry helped the powerful Bruins squad win the second Stanley Cup in franchise history that year. Cowboy Cowley again topped the NHL in assists in 1940 to 1941 and 1942 to 1943, registering 45 in each year. His 1941 output, recorded during a 48-game schedule, represented a new league standard. After each of these seasons Cowley was awarded the Hart Trophy and placed on the NHL First All-Star Team.

Cowley played with the Bruins until the end of the 1946 to 1947 seasons, and on February 12 of that season he surpassed Syd Howe as the NHL's career point leader. In 549 regular season matches he accumulated 548 points and was one of the game's most reliable producers.

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