Bill Cook
Canadian ice hockey player and coach (1896-1986)
William Osser Xavier Cook (October 8, 1895 – May 5, 1986) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who was a right winger for the Saskatoon Crescents of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) and the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). A prolific scorer, Cook led the WCHL in goals twice and the NHL three times. He was named an all-star seven times between the two leagues. Known as "The Original Ranger", Cook was the first captain of the New York Rangers, scored the first goal in franchise history and led the team to two Stanley Cup championships.
Turning to coaching following his playing career, Cook led the Cleveland Barons to two Calder Cup championships and the Minneapolis Millers to a United States Hockey League championship. He coached the New York Rangers during the 1951–52 NHL season until his retirement in 1953. Cook was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1952 and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1975.
Early life
Cook was born on October 8, 1895, in Brantford, Ontario. He was a middle child of a large family, and the eldest of three sons, preceding his brothers Frederick ("Bun") and Alexander ("Bud"). The family moved to Kingston, Ontario, where he learned to skate on the Rideau Canal.
The public source identifies “Bill Cook” as canadian ice hockey player and coach (1896-1986). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Bill, Cook and Canadian.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Bill Cook”, the useful work is to connect “canadian ice hockey player and coach (1896-1986)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q709650. VIAF identifies the subject as 271441689. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1895, 1986, 1951 and 1953.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Bill Cook”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Bill Cook primary sources, Bill Cook archive and Bill research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Bill Cook”?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Bill Cook” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.