Speculation: An example of beer league hockey. Leafs 10 BHawks 8 (1983)

[ottomaddox]

I was searching around youtube to find examples of Howie Meeker in broadcasting and I came upon this condensed game (CHI vs TOR).

It's probably the worst goaltending you'll ever see, but the defensive breakdowns are just as bad. This is garbage hockey all around. If I were at that game I would have left sick to my stomach. Of course I'm happy to see TOR win this game, but product is terrible. Even the broadcasters were saying: "Expect a lot of goals from this team". As they too could see a night of beer league results.

I know that our current team is not bad like this 83 team, but for those pining for more firepower up front (like the Mike Hoffman thread) heed my warning: more firepower could mean an ugly season where defensive details are put to the side. I am certain that with Jumbo Joe, Simmonds, Bogosian, Anderson, Brodie, etc. these details will be cleaned up. I really hope Keefe puts his foot down for the rest of the team to clean up their defensive play.

If you have time to see this condensed game check it out.

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[Mess]

As odd as this might seem, I remember that game and was watching it back in its time.

Denis Savard was my favourite NON Leaf player in the NHL at that time. So when he played my Leafs I always was glued to Leaf Hawks games as must see TV.

Savard had a hattrick (IIRC with checking that) but the Leafs winning made for a great night.

However whenever the Leafs scored 10 goals in a game its not something that one forgets in a win.

However the early 1980's was a rough time as a Leaf loyalist and die hard. Leafs had traded and run my favourite Leaf Darryl Sittler out of town in 1982 and this game in 1983 was the first season without captain #27 and the turning of the page. Then 1985 came and the sun came out when Leafs drafted Wendel Clark #1OA and new Leaf hero arrived.

 

[ottomaddox]

As odd as this might seem, I remember that game and was watching it back in its time.

Denis Savard was my favourite NON Leaf player in the NHL at that time. So when he played my Leafs I always was glued to Leaf Hawks games as must see TV.

Savard had a hattrick (IIRC with checking that) but the Leafs winning made for a great night.

However whenever the Leafs scored 10 goals in a game its not something that one forgets in a win.

However the early 1980's was a rough time as a Leaf loyalist and die hard. Leafs had traded and run my favourite Leaf Darryl Sittler out of town in 1982 and this game in 1983 was the first season without captain #27 and the turning of the page. Then 1985 came and the sun came out when Leafs drafted Wendel Clark #1OA and new Leaf hero arrived.

Hard to believe that's Palmateer in net. His style seemed more subdued that night then what I remembered from him. Although he did a lot of scrambling/swimming in this game.

 

[Mess]

Hard to believe that's Palmateer in net. His style seemed more subdued that night then what I remembered from him. Although he did a lot of scrambling/swimming in this game.

The popcorn kid was a thrill to watch and total unorthodox style to goaltending.

 

[Stephen]

Hockey just used to be a sloppier affair. Especially that period after the Original Six with the dilution of the talent pool through expansion, the WHA merger, etc., before the Quebec goaltending revolution and the Dead Puck Era things used to be looser.

Even when you go to watch footage of the Game 7 Leafs vs Kings in 1993 a decade or so after this game, just look at how frequent the defensive breakdowns were for a team that was supposedly a defensive checking juggernaut with an elite rookie goalie, playing a game 7 on home ice. Yes, Gretzky, but still, that modern defensive revolution hadn’t really happened yet.

 

[LeafChief]

If this is what you think will happen if the Leafs add more offense, no one can help you good sir.

 

[Go4soda]

Goaltending is unrecognizable from today.
instead of sliding side to side, goalies diving head first towards shots.

 

[notDatsyuk]

Salming was such a smooth, effortless skater.

I always liked Mirko Frycer.

The thing I noticed the most was Esposito's mask. It looked like an old-style goalie mask, but with a cage added to the front, and an extra bit on top. Don't recall seeing that before.

As for the style of goaltending, a lot of it was because of the equipment. The pads at that time were still leather stuffed with horsehair, and weighed a ton, even before they soaked up any water. Getting up from a butterfly was hard work, which is why that style really didn't appear until the pads were much lighter.

When I was playing goal, from about '75 to '02 I had a pair of Cooper pads, exactly the same as Johnny Bower's (an inch longer), and I know why goalies stayed on their feet! When I was 48, and my 15 year old son was also playing goal, I borrowed his pads and gloves for a game (he was taller and heavier). His pair of pads and pair of gloves combined weighed about the same as *one* of my pads, and I could hardly believe the difference: butterfly was easy, going up and down was almost effortless, and my glove was catching pucks I never would have reached with mine.

 

[cupcrazyman]

I attended a Leafs game at MLG in 1987 vs the Red Wings.Leafs won 8-6 & we were sitting 2nd Row Red.As a fan i didn't mind all the goals & inept goaltending.My biggest beef was that Wendel Clark didn't dress that game.