Art Coulter was an All-Star National Hockey League defenseman who helped the Chicago Blackhawks to their first ever Stanley Cup championship and was an important member of the 1939-40 New York Rangers who won the Cup that started the over 50 year drought. It took the Hockey Hall of Fame over 30 years to finally honour Coulter.
Art Coulter – Minor Pro
Before his NHL days, Coulter played three years with the Philadelphia Arrows in the CAHL (predecessor to the modern day AHL) from 1929-30 to 1931-32. The team simply wasn’t very good and did not reach the post season during Art’s stay. However, in 1930-31 he did have the distinction of leading the league in penalty minutes, sitting 109 while playing the full 40 game schedule.
Post NHL, Coulter returned to the minors while serving with the U.S. Coast Guard during the Second World War. For 1942-43, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutters placed first overall in the EHL. The following year, the team dropped out of the league in late November but continued with a lengthy exhibition schedule.
Art Coulter – NHL
Coulter played in the National Hockey League from 1931-32 to 1941-42 with the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers. Over his career, he appeared in 461 regular season games, scoring 30 and assisting on 82 for 112 points from the blue line. He was traded from Chicago to New York on January 20, 1936 in exchange for Earl Seibert – another member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Art played in 49 Stanley Cup playoff games and reached the finals on three occasions. In 1933-34, the Blackhawks finished third overall in the nine team league and second in the four team American Division, behind the Detroit Red Wings. Chicago and Detroit met in the Stanley Cup finals and the Blackhawks came out ahead, three games to one. The series was tight with two of the four games decided in overtime. It was Chicago’s first ever Stanley Cup championship.
The 1936-37 New York Rangers were a rag-tag bunch and the Lester Patrick coached club placed third in the four team American Division and sixth overall in the eight team league. Yet, the Rangers swept the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens to earn a berth in the Stanley Cup finals against Detroit. The series was close with Detroit coming out on top, winning three of five games. The Rangers were outscored just 9-8 over the series. To Detroit’s advantage, all but the first game of the series were played in Detroit with Madison Square Garden booked with the annual circus.
Coulter got his second Stanley Cup ring in 1939-40. Frank Boucher was now behind the bench of the Rangers and the team was no longer the underdog. New York placed second overall in the seven team league during the regular season, just three points behind the first place Boston Bruins.
Due to an incredibly stupid playoff format, the Rangers and Bruins met in the opening round. New York came out on top, winning four of six. In the Stanley Cup finals, the Rangers took out the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games. Three of the games went to overtime and the last four games were played at Toronto.
Art Coulter was the second ever team captain of the New York Rangers. He took over for Bill Cook and served from 1937-38 to 1941-42. Coulter was replaced by Ott Heller. Four times, Art was a 2nd Team All-Star defenseman, once with the Blackhawks and three times with the Rangers.
In 1974, Coulter was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. At his side were Billy Burch, Tommy Dunderdale and Dickie Moore.
Art Coulter – Rookie Card
The Art Coulter rookie card appears as number 93 in the 1935-36 O-Pee-Chee V304C set. The card numbers are a continuation from the previous season and the set actually only contains 24 cards. Coulter’s card is considered a common card but still has a book value of around $125. He is shown as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks despite being traded to the Rangers mid-season.
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1929-30 | Philadelphia Arrows | CAHL | 35 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 40 |
| 1930-31 | Philadelphia Arrows | CAHL | 40 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 109 |
| 1931-32 | Philadelphia Arrows | CAHL | 27 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 42 |
| 1931-32 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 23 |
| 1932-33 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 46 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 53 |
| 1933-34 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 41 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 39 |
| 1934-35 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 48 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 68 |
| 1935-36 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 25 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 18 |
| 1935-36 | New York Rangers | NHL | 23 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 26 |
| 1936-37 | New York Rangers | NHL | 47 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 27 |
| 1937-38 | New York Rangers | NHL | 43 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 90 |
| 1938-39 | New York Rangers | NHL | 44 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 58 |
| 1939-40 | New York Rangers | NHL | 48 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 68 |
| 1940-41 | New York Rangers | NHL | 35 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 42 |
| 1941-42 | New York Rangers | NHL | 47 | 1 | 16 | 17 | 31 |
| NHL Totals | 461 | 30 | 82 | 112 | 543 |