Born William Ian Nelson Crutchfield in July 12, 1911 in Knowlton, Que., he played defence and forward for the hockey Redmen from 1930-34, graduating from McGill with a bachelor of commerce degree in 1934.
He was among a group of stars that came to be known as "The Four Horsemen". In 75 career games for the Redmen, the tough-nosed Crutchfield tallied 32 goals, 64 points and 202 penalty minutes.
He served as team captain of the Redmen in 1933-34 and won the Senior Intercollegiate Hockey League scoring title in 1934-35.
He led McGill to three Queen’s Cup intercollegiate titles (1931, 1933, 1934), two Quebec Senior Hockey League championships (1931, 1934) and one Quebec Amateur Hockey Association provincial championship (1931).
He led Quebec Senior Hockey League with 41 penalty minutes in 1931-32 regular season, served as team captain of the Redmen in 1933-34 and won the Senior Intercollegiate Hockey League scoring title in 1934-35.
After graduation from McGill he played for the Montreal Canadiens in 1934-35. His pro career was cut short after suffering a fractured skull in a car accident in Sept. 1935. A benefit exhibition hockey game was played on his behalf at the Montreal Forum on Jan. 31, 1936; it drew 11,000 spectators and raised some $7,000.
He died tragically in another car accident on July 22, 1985 in Huntsville, Ont.
