Gaye Cooley (born July 6, 1946 in North Bay, Ontario) is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender.
Gaye Cooley played college hockey at Michigan State University. He was named as the Most Valuable Player of the 1966 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, which was won by Michigan State. After leaving Michigan State in 1967, Cooley began his professional career in the Eastern Hockey League with the Knoxville Knights and then moved to the International Hockey League with the Port Huron Flags and the Des Moines Oak Leafs. Cooley returned to the EHL with the Charlotte Checkers before moving to the American Hockey League's Rochester Americans but after one season he returned to the Checkers who were now playing in the Southern Hockey League, one of two leagues formed after the EHL folded. After three seasons, he moved to the Philadelphia Firebirds of the North American Hockey League, the other league formed from the EHL's closure, and then the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association before finishing his career with one more season with the Checkers.
Cooley played just three seconds of major-league hockey, coming on as a substitute for Cap Raeder in a WHA playoff game on May 11, 1976 against the Houston Aeros.https://www.surgent.net/wha/player/bc/cooleg.html He was one of the last minor league goaltenders to not wear a mask.https://leaderpost.com/sports/hockey/the-bare-facts-about-the-last-of-the-maskless-goalies
Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%1962–63 North Bay TrappersNOJHL Statistics Unavailable 1963–64 North Bay Trappers NOJHL Statistics Unavailable1965–66 Michigan State University WCHA18 ------ --5603.10.903 — — — — — — — — 1966–67 Michigan State University WCHA 24-------- 9504.00.897 — — — — — — — — 1967–68 Knoxville KnightsEHL481726528801820 3.79.894 — — — — — — — — 1967–68 Port Huron FlagsIHL1 0 0 0 29408.33-- — — — — — — — — 1968–69 Port Huron Flags IHL 62------3489222 1 3.82-- 3 — — — — — — 1969–70 Des Moines Oak LeafsIHL 50-- ------------------------ ------ 1970–71Des Moines Oak Leafs IHL 53------313816523.15-- 7 — — — — — — —1971–72 Charlotte Checkers EHL 48--------11462.37--14 — — — — — — — 1972–73 Boston Braves AHL — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1972–73 Rochester AmericansAHL 24------12727803.67--1 — — — — — — — 1973–74 Charlotte Checkers SHL 5130191301215633.09.9099 — — — — — — — 1974–75 Charlotte CheckersSHL332480189810323.26.9078 — — — — — — —1975–76 Charlotte Checkers SHL 4727127270312752.82.9214222401112.75.913 1975–76 Philadelphia FirebirdsNAHL — — — — — — — — —8 6 24713904.97--1975–76 New England WhalersWHA — — — — — — — — — 1 — — 0 — — —1976–77 Charlotte Checkers SHL 201084 604.29.889 — — — — — — — — WHA totals — — —— —— —— —1 —— —0 —— —
Awards and honors Award Year All-NCAA All-Tournament First Team 1966
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