Curt Ridley
Charles Curtis Ridley was a Canadian ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League between 1974 and 1981.
Ridley was born in Minnedosa, Manitoba, and raised in Portage la Prairie.
He started out playing for the Portage Terriers of the Manitoba [Junior Hockey League], and was also called up to the Brandon [Wheat Kings] during the 1970-71 season. He was then drafted by the Boston Bruins in the second round of the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft. This made him the first player to ever be drafted directly from Tier II Junior A. He played for Bruins affiliates the Oklahoma City Blazers and Dayton Gems for three years.
He saw his first National Hockey League play time with the New [York Rangers]. Over the next few years, he played for several teams in the NHL as well as the Central Hockey League. His NHL career ultimately included 104 games between the New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, and Toronto Maple Leafs between 1974 and 1980.
He was inducted to the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015.
After finishing his playing career, Ridley lived in Winnipeg, and sold telephone systems and wireless communications. He later moved to Dallas. Curt Ridley died on December 19, 2021, at the age of 70.