Name Philip LaBatte Role Ice hockey player | Died September 6, 2002 | |
Philip William "Phil" LaBatte (July 5, 1911 – September 6, 2002) was an American ice hockey player who played at the University of Minnesota and won a Bronze Medal in the 1936 Winter Olympics.
Phil LaBatte was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was an all around athlete at West High School, competing in baseball, football and ice hockey. At the collegiate level, he excelled at ice hockey at the University of Minnesota, guiding the Gophers to three consecutive Conference Championships from 1933 - 1935. He was named team Captain during the 1934-35 season, and was the only Gopher to play in all 53 games during those three seasons while compiling a 45-8 won/loss record (85%).
Upon completion of his collegiate career, Mr. LaBatte played amateur hockey primarily with the Baltimore Orioles of the Eastern Amateur League. In 1936, he was the first ice hockey player from the University of Minnesota to be selected to compete in the Winter Olympics held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. A defenseman, he scored the winning goal to advance the U.S. Team to the semi-finals. The U.S. Team ultimately won the Bronze Medal.
After his competitive hockey career, Mr. LaBatte relocated to the Washington, D.C. area where he officiated ice hockey games for the Eastern and American Hockey Leagues. Mr. LaBatte was inducted into the State of Minnesota Olympic Hall of Fame located in Blaine, Minnesota, by Governor Rudy Perpich on July 7, 1990.
Philip LaBatte died in Alexandria, Virginia on September 6, 2002.