Duke McCurry


Francis Joseph "Frank, Duke" McCurry was a professional ice hockey left winger who played 145 games in the National Hockey League, with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, McCurry played his junior hockey in Toronto with the Canoe Club in 1919-20 and led them to the Memorial Cup with an incredible 21 goals and 32 points in 12 games.
He also played football for the Toronto Argonauts from 1922 to 1923, as well as Captaining several baseball teams. McCurry was also a member of the all-star Canadian lacrosse team from 1920 to 1922, and being the welter-weight champion of Canada in 1916.
From 1923 to 1925 he played in Pittsburgh with the USAHA's Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets. In September, 1925 McCurry was signed as a free agent when the Yellow Jackets became the NHL's Pittsburgh Pirates and had 17 points in 36 games. McCurry remained with the Pirates for another three years but he seemed to lose his scoring touch which was a major concern for the team. So much so that in September, 1929 the Pirates dealt him to the Montreal Maroons for cash. However, McCurry refused to report to Montreal and he sat out the entire season. Although it was evident the Pirates did not want him, he liked the city of Pittsburgh and signed a one-year pact with the Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets, now playing in the IHL. He retired from hockey after the 1930-31 season.
After his athletic career, he retired to become a doctor. McCurry moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and took up dentistry, before returning to Toronto, in the 1930s. McCurry died in 1965 at the St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Ontario.