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Alfred "Ralph" Winsor

BIRTHPLACE: Brookline, Mass.

BORN: 1881

DIED: September, 1961

TEAMS/ASSOCIATIONS: Harvard University, United States Olympic Team

 

Bio

The dominating figure of the first 20 years of Harvard hockey was without question Ralph Winsor.  The early period of Harvard hockey might very well be called the "Winsor Era."  He starred for the Crimson during the early 1900s and even captained the 1902 team.  Then he coached with outstanding success from 1902 to 1917, during which time Harvard had 124 wins and 29 defeats.  The teams of 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1909 and 1919, when he was assistant coach, were undefeated. 

Over these years he compiled a 23-5 win-loss record against arch rival Yale.  As might be expected Winsor developed many stars.  Foremost among them was S. Trafford Hicks, Class of 1910, and captain of the 1910 team.  Another was Morgan B. Phillips, Class of 1915, who tallied nine goals in games against the Eli. 

Winsor was an innovator who took part in the development of the modern hockey stick and shoe skates, as well as computing and adopting the official radii for the blades, known for years as the "Harvard Radius".  Many new tactics, such as back-checking, and the shift of defensemen from point and cover point to the present paring positions are credited to Winsor's genius as well. 

In all those years it is reported that Winsor never took any money for his coaching duties, and his great modesty kept him from appearing in any team pictures.  Besides his great contribution at Harvard, Winsor aided hockey at the schoolboy level and at other colleges. 

He also had the distinction of coaching the United States Olympic Team at the 1932 games at Lake Placid, losing only once 2-1, to Canada in the final game.  Fellow United States Hockey Hall of Fame enshrines John Chase, John Garrison, and Ding Palmer were all members of that 1932 team.