Billy Harris

For the player of the same name who was born in 1952, please see Billy Harris (1952).

William Edward "Hinky" Harris (July 29, 1935 – 20 September, 2001) was a professional player in the National Hockey League from 1955 to 1969.

Playing Career
He played junior hockey for the Toronto Marlboros and won the Memorial Cup in 1954-55.

Harris began his NHL career for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1955. He helped Toronto win 3 straight Stanley Cups in 1962, 1963, 1964. He played for Toronto for 10 seasons before he was traded along with Andy Bathgate and Gary Jarrett to the Detroit Red Wings for Larry Jeffrey, Eddie Joyal, Lowell MacDonald, Marcel Pronovost, and Autry Erickson on May 20, 1965. While he was in Toronto, he occasionally spent time playing for the Rochester Americans of the AHL. It wasn't much different after he was traded to the Red Wings. While with the Wings, he actually spent more time in the AHL with the Pittsburgh Hornets than he did in the NHL.

After two seasons in the Detroit organisation, he began playing for the Oakland Seals of the NHL in their inaugural season as part of the 1967 NHL Expansion. He played for just over a season with the Seals before finishing his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1968–69 NHL season.

In 769 NHL games Harris scored 126 goals and 219 assists.

Coaching Career
He coached the Canadian National Team in 1969-70 and then coached Laurentian University while attending classes there.

Harris was head coach of the Ottawa Nationals in the World Hockey Association in the league's inaugural 1972–73 season and then the Toronto Toros after the Ottawa franchise relocated there. He was also the coach of the Canadian team of WHA All-Stars at the 1974 Summit Series. Later, he was an assistant coach for the Edmonton Oilers for the 1981–82 NHL season. After that, he became the head coach for the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL for the 1982–83 and 1983–84 seasons.