Toe Blake

Before the 1947-48 season ended, Blake found employment as a minor league hockey coach. Though still on crutches because of his broken ankle, he coached a team in Houston, Texas, in the United States Hockey League to a championship in 1948. The next season Blake was hired to coach on a higher level in the minor leagues. He coached the American Hockey League's Buffalo (New York) Bisons, and appeared in eighteen games as a player, during the 1948-49 season. However, he quit in a disagreement with management. In the 1949-50 season, Blake coached the Valleyfield (Quebec) Braves in the Quebec Senior League for several seasons. He also played in forty-three games for them as a player in the 1949-50 season. These experiences led to Blake becoming a savvy coach.