Jim Riley (ice hockey)
James Norman Riley (May 25, 1895 – May 25, 1969) was a Canadian professional ice hockey and baseball player. The only person to play in both the National Hockey League (NHL) and Major League Baseball (MLB), Riley played 9 games in the NHL in 1926–27 and 6 games in MLB between 1921 and 1923. In hockey he also played eight seasons in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, a rival major league of the NHL, in a career that lased from 1915 to 1929. While in the PCHA he mainly played for the Seattle Metropolitans, and won the Stanley Cup in 1917. Riley's baseball career lasted 12 seasons from 1921 to 1932, and was mainly spent in the minor leagues.
Jim Riley | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | James Norman Riley May 25, 1895 Bayfield, New Brunswick, Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | May 25, 1969 (aged 74) Seguin, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Baseball career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Second baseman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| MLB debut | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| July 3, 1921, for the St. Louis Browns | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last MLB appearance | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| October 7, 1923, for the Washington Senators | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| At bats | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Runs scored | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing career
Born in Bayfield, New Brunswick, Riley played 17 games in the National Hockey League and 90 games in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, as a member of the Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Cougars, and Seattle Metropolitans. He won the Stanley Cup with Seattle in 1917. In 1922–23, he was named a PCHA First Team All-Star.
In addition, Riley played professional baseball for 12 seasons, from 1921 to 1932, mostly in the minor leagues. He started his career as a second baseman, and played in four games at that position for the 1921 St. Louis Browns of the American League, thus becoming the only athlete in sports history to play both Major League Baseball and in the National Hockey League.[1] After that season, he switched permanently to first base, and returned to the major leagues with the 1923 Washington Senators, playing two games with them, before resuming his career in the minors.
Riley died in Seguin, Texas, the day of his 74th birthday.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
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| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1914–15 | Calgary Victorias | ASHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1915–16 | Victoria Aristocrats | PCHA | 12 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1916–17 | Seattle Metropolitans | PCHA | 24 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1916–17 | Seattle Metropolitans | St-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 1919–20 | Seattle Metropolitans | PCHA | 22 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 49 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1919–20 | Seattle Metropolitans | St-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1920–21 | Seattle Metropolitans | PCHA | 24 | 23 | 5 | 28 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1921–22 | Seattle Metropolitans | PCHA | 24 | 16 | 2 | 18 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 1922–23 | Seattle Metropolitans | PCHA | 30 | 23 | 4 | 27 | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1923–24 | Seattle Metropolitans | PCHA | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1926–27 | Dallas Ice Kings | Exhib | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1926–27 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1926–27 | Detroit Cougars | NHL | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1928–29 | Los Angeles Richfields | Cal-Pro | — | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| PCHA totals | 167 | 94 | 26 | 120 | 240 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | ||||
| NHL totals | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Jim Riley bio from seattlehockey.net, previously published in The National Pastime
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)