Before Doug Harvey Ruled the Habs Blue Line…

I was in the midst of researching for an upcoming piece, and came across this little blurb from the November 13, 1943 edition of the Montreal Gazette.

I had made mention of Doug Harvey’s multi-sport prowess in an article I put together on the anniversary of his death. I was quite surprised to find this though.

This truly demonstrates Harvey’s abilities, as a football player, all the while playing Jr. and Sr. hockey at the same time. Many felt that Harvey was an even better football player than he was at hockey.

World War Two would change things, as Harvey would go on to serve his country in 1944, and the football club he left behind would go on to win the Grey Cup.

By the time the war ended, Harvey’s thoughts of football were long behind him as he began playing pro hockey full team and was with the Montreal Canadiens for the 1947-48 season.

Alf Harvey: I have had little luck finding any info on Doug’s older brother. The SIHR player database does show an Alph Harvey, who played a dozen games for the Montreal Jr. Canadiens in 1941-42 and recorded 11 points (7 more points in four playoff games). It also shows he played in single games with the Montreal Jr. Royals and Ottawa Royal Signal Corps in the following seasons.