ATD #12 Bio Thread

[hfboardsuser]

#19- Joe Sakic

Position: C
Height/Weight: 5'11, 195 lbs
-
Career Stats: 1378 GP, 625 G, 1016 A, 1641 Pts, 614 PIM
-
Awards: '96 Conn Smythe, '01 Hart, '01 Pearson, '01 Lady Byng
-
Top Ten Goals: '91 (6th), '96 (5th), '99 (6th), '01 (2nd), '04 (10th)
Top Ten Assists: '92 (9th), '95 (3rd), '96 (8th), '99 (5th), '00 (4th), '01 (5th), '02 (3rd), '04 (4th), '07 (6th)
Top Ten Points: '90 (10th), '91 (6th), '95 (4th), '96 (3rd), '99 (5th), '00 (8th), '01 (2nd), '02 (5th), '04 (2nd), '07 (6th)

I think I'll remember Joe's fast hands and overall shiftiness. It always seemed like he was really slippery, always a step ahead of everybody with the puck. . . . You really had to be ready for anything with him, because everything happened so fast.

I was very fortunate to play with and against Joe throughout his amazing career. His humility and the class with which he always conducted himself I greatly admired. He was a great leader and competitor who always played his best hockey at the most important times. Joe possessed one of the quickest and most accurate wrist shots I have witnessed. I believe he retires as one of the greatest clutch players in the history on the NHL

He’s a supreme offensive player who’s really developed his defensive skills. One of the all around best players in league.

 

[hfboardsuser]

#6- Larry Aurie

Position: RW
Height/Weight: 5'6, 148 lbs
-
Career Stats: 489 GP, 147 G, 129 A, 276 Pts, 279 PIM
-
Awards: None
-
Top Ten Goals: 1936 (8th)
Top Ten Assists: '34 (6th), '35 (3rd), '37 (8th)
Top Ten Points: '35 (3rd), '37 (4th)

Aurie was a scorer who ragged the puck to kill penalties (thus the nickname), a team leader and member of the Wings top line... Although one of the smallest men ever to play, he was one of the toughest of the era as well.

He established himself as one of Detroit's earliest hockey stars, combining a deft scoring touch with excellent speed and puck handling skills... Like modern day Theoren Fleury, Aurie was a fiesty, scrappy right winger who played with full out heart and desire. That made him not only a favorite of the fans, but of his coach and his boss.

Aurie's the hardest-checking right wing in the league.

 

[hfboardsuser]

Johnny Gottselig

Position: LW
Height/Weight: 5'11, 158 lbs
-
Career Stats: 589 GP, 176 G, 195 A, 371 Pts, 203 PIM
-
Awards: Second All-Star Team (1939)
-
Top Ten Goals: 1931 (9th), 1939 (9th)
Top Ten Assists: 1937 (7th), 1939 (7th)
Top Ten Points: 1939 (8th)

Left-winger Johnny Gottselig played nearly 600 NHL games for the Chicago Black Hawks between 1928-29 and 1945-46. He was a reliable scorer who could also check and provide leadership in the dressing room.

Gottselig the player was a nifty skater and puck handler, and a noted penalty killer who liked to rag the puck. He was respected around the league as a creative left winger "who could make a fool out of you if you didn't watch him closely."

Johnny Gottselig, the stickhandling magician of the Chicago Black Hawks, is still the top pointgetter of the National Hockey League at the end of three weeks of play, according to the league's official statistics issued tonight.

 

[hfboardsuser]

#20- Dave Poulin

Position: C
Height/Weight: 5'11, 190 lbs
-
Career Stats: 724 GP, 205 G, 325 A, 530 Pts, 482 PIM
-
Awards: 1987 Selke Trophy, 1993 King Clancy Award
-
Top Ten SH Goals: '85 (7th), '86 (3rd), '88 (7th), '89 (6th), '93 (5th)

By 1983-84, Poulin became a Flyer regular... In addition to points, his leadership, work ethic and solid two-way play won him the team's captaincy.

He was an unheralded defensive center who was always shadowing the opposition's top gun. He was always on the ice when the game was on the line, taking key faceoffs and blocking point shots.

The last year in my division, I had Eric Lindros eight times, I had Mario Lemieux eight times, I had Mark Messier in New York eight times and then I had Adam Oates on my nights off. But I took a great deal of pride in being out there when they were out there.

 

[EagleBelfour]

Monsieur Woodrow Wilson Clarence Dumart

Nickname: Woody, Porky
Height: 6'1''
Weight: 200 lbs
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Date of Birth: December 23, 1916
Place of Birth: Berlin, Canada
Date of Death: October 19, 2001 (Age: 84)

Stanley Cup Champion (1939, 1941)
Stanley Cup Finalist (1946, 1953)
Second All-Star Team Centre (1940, 1941, 1947)
Played in NHL All-Star Game (1947, 1948)
Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (1992)

Top-10 Scoring (2nd, 9th)
Top-10 Goalscoring (2nd, 8th, 8th)
Top-10 Assist (6th, 9th)
Top-10 Playoff Scoring (5th)
Top-10 Playoff Goalscoring (5th, 6th)
Top-10 Playoff Assist (8th, 9th, 9th)
Top-10 Lady Bing Nomination (2nd, 5th)

- With the Kitchener juniors, Woody Dumart actually played defenseman. In his first camp with the Boston Bruins, he was immediately placed alongside Milt and Bobby
- Dumart shot was so heavy that goaltender Cecil Thompson used to step out of the net in practice when he would step in front of him
- Later in his career, Dumart became the elder statesman of the Bruins dressing room and was always put his game jersey at 8:00PM sharp
- Dumart registered five 20-goals season in his career. At the end of the 1950-51 season, only 21 players had accomplished that fate in the NHL (Only one of them isn't an Hall of Fame player)
- Woody retired as the leading scoring left wing in Bruins' history
- On his way to Raymond Bourque Night at the FleetCenter, Woody suddenly became ill with heart trouble and was taken to hospital, where he died on October 19th, 2001.

Known as the one of the best two-way players in the game, Woody Dumart played 16 years in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins.

An outstanding defensive left winger with an above-average scoring touch, Woodrow "Woody" Dumart played nearly 800 regular-season games for the Boston Bruins between 1935 and 1954. He was best known for his achievements with Milt Schmidt and Bobby Bauer on the feared Kraut Line. His leadership and high standard of play made Dumart a fan favorite and helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup twice.

He proved to be a determined competitor who relished the chance to perform a checking role. Dumart also chipped in with a respectable 27 points in 48 games that year.

By the 1938-39 season, the Kraut Line was working wonders in the NHL. Their offensive proficiency and competitive spirit were crucial to the Bruins' second Stanley Cup win in franchise history in 1939. Dumart continued to check the top right wingers in the game and also recorded his first 20-goal season in 1939-40. The following season he helped Boston win its second Stanley Cup title in three years. Dumart's stellar contribution didn't go unnoticed. Following both the 1939-40 and 1940-41 seasons he was voted to the NHL's Second All-Star Team.

After the war, he returned to the league and enjoyed some of his finest seasons, statistically. He recorded four 20-goal seasons between 1946 and 1951 and took part in the first two annual NHL All-Star games in 1947 and 1948.

Over the years he accumulated 211 goals and 429 points while becoming one of the most respected and popular Bruins of his era.

Dumart - at 6'1", one of the largest wingers of his day - was the skilled checking and defensive component to the line, while contributing good scoring, and helped lead the Bruins to Stanley Cup victories in 1939 and 1941. His contributions were recognized by being named the left wing on the Second All-Star Team in both 1940 and 1941.

An excellent two-way performer, the 6'1, 190 lb. Dumart was a five-time 20-goal scorer and was named to the NHL Second All-Star Team three times in 1940, 1941 and 1947. Not only was he a dangerous offensive performer, but Dumart often drew the task of shadowing opponents' top snipers.

The Boston Bruins' crack Kraut Line usually spotlighted center Milt Schmidt or right-winger Bobby Bauer. But it's left-winger, Woodrow Wilson Clarence ''Woody'' Dumart, packed a hard shot and did the less flashy checking that kept him more in the shadows than his pals.

One of Dumart' least-publicized but most effective performances occured during the 1953 Stanley Cup semifinals against the first-place Detroit Red Wings. Woody, an aging veteran, was asked to shadow the inimitable Gordie Howe, Detroit's crack right wing. Dumart accomplished his task so well that the Bruins upset the Red Wings in six games and Howe was limited to only two goals.

Dumart was the least publicized of the Krauts. Still, with his clean, hard checking and shot of the wing, he was a valuable member of the Boston Bruins through his career.

You'd think a player of Dumart's size would of racked up more penalty minutes. Not so. He was an honest player who played heads-up hockey. He was especially reliable in important games.

Dumart, as one of the finer two-way talent of his time, was often called upon to cover some of the game's greatest players. Just as the Canadiens' Claude Provost would do to Bobby Hull years later, Dumart shut down Gordie Howe in the 1953 playoffs. Big Howe scored only twice in six games. Dumart's linemate at the time, Joe Klukay, did a fine job silencing Ted Lindsay in that series. Dumart and Klukay were the reason Boston upset the powerhouse Red Wings.

Woody Dumart, a beefy, hard-working left-flanker.

Peak Years 1940-44
In a Word STOUT

[In 1937], the big left winger was yet to display his prowess as a goal-getter.

Although a big man, Dumart was not as aggresive as Schmidt who was regarded as the policeman. However, Woody could take care of himself and played hard clean hockey

- Woody Dumart with his tremendous offense, with his shot, his very heavy shot. [...] But beside that he probably regard as one of the most capable defensive hockey players in the National Hockey League beside scoring his goals.'' - Milt Schmidt
- Woody was a very quiet person and the success which he enjoyed in the NHL he accepted with grace. He never was the one to brag and was always someone to pat someone else on the back, but himself. It's just the kind of a person he was. - Milt Schmidt
- He is noted, no doubt about it, as one of the better defensive forward in the National Hockey League ever. - Milt Schmidt
- There is many games I can think of, particularly the 1938-39 season where we won the Stanley Cup and the job he did on Alex Shibicky against the New York Rangers. Woody did a great job on Shibicky during that series. Also the 1940-41 series, he was tremendous in the playoffs. In those days when the playoffs were around, it was very tight, there was not many offence like it is today, but in our day Woody was really a tremendous player for that reason that he was a great defensives hockey player and a great playoff hockey player - Milt Schmidt
- I think that you can ask anyone outside of myself who played with him for great many years that he was a hockey Hall of Fame material. Woody deserve that through his great play and through his steady play continuously through his whole career - Milt Schmidt
- I know few man who excelled Woody in his talent, both ways on the ice. Opponents always hated to play against him because he was so strong and checked them so closely. But they never resented him, because he played the game so cleanly - Milt Schmidt


Sites:
http://www.legendsofhockey.net/Lege...?mem=p199202&type=Player&page=bio&list=#photo
http://www.itgtradingcards.com/news/news_dumart2.html
Videos:
http://www.legendsofhockey.net/Lege...age=video&type=Player&mem=p199202&bw=hi#photo

 

[EagleBelfour]

Monsieur Roy Gordon Conacher

Height: 6'1''
Weight: 175 lbs
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Date of Birth: October 05, 1916
Place of Birth: Toronto, Canada
Date of Death: December 29, 1984 (Age: 68)

Stanley Cup Champion (1939, 1941)
First All-Star Team Left Wing (1949)
Stanley Cup Game Winning Goal (1939)
Art Ross Trophy (1949)
Maurice Richard Trophy (1939)
Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (1998)

Top-10 Scoring (1st, 6th, 7th, 10th, 10th, 10th)
Top-10 Goalscoring (1st, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th)
Top-10 Assist (2nd, 8th)
Team Scoring Leader (1942, 1949, 1950, 1951)
Team Goalscoring Leader (1939, 1941, 1942, 1947, 1949, 1951)
Top-10 Playoff Scoring (3rd, 4th, 7th)
Top-10 Playoff Goalscoring (2nd, 4th)
Top-10 Playoff Assist (3rd, 6th, 7th)
Calder Finalist (2nd)
Top-10 Hart Nomination (3rd, 8th)
Top-10 Lady Bing Finalist (3rd, 4th, 5th, 5th)

- Roy was very close with his twin brother, Bert. A fantastic hockey player himself, Bert lost the vision in his left eye at age 16.
- As a rookie in 1939, Conacher led the league in goalscoring, a feat only accomplished again by Teemu Selanne in 1993
- In 1982, Barry Perderson beat Roy Conacher's 24 goals rookie-season record for the Boston Bruins
- From 1939 to 1942, he scored more goals than every player but Bryan Hextall Sr.
- Roy lost 4 years of hockey due to World War II
- When he return from the War, from 1947 to 1951, he was third in goals and points, only behind Maurice Richard and Ted Lindsay
- During the years he was in the NHL (1939-42 and 1947-51), Conacher was the league's highest scoring player
- Roy scored more goals in the NHL than his brother Charlie
- In 1988, Mario Lemieux became the first scoring champion on a non-playoff team since Roy Conacher in 1949
- Roy Conacher and his brother Charlie are the only brother combination in NHL history to win the Art Ross Trophy
- Roy, Lionel and Charlie are the only three brothers in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

While not as well-known as his two older brothers, Lionel and Charlie, Roy Gordon Conacher was an excellent hockey player in his own right.

Like the other Conacher boys, Roy was a big man, through slimmer than his brothers. He was a sure stick-handlerwith a sharp, heavy shot, the trademark of the hockey-playing Conachers.

Peak Years 1939-43
In a Word SHOOTER

He was a big man like his brothers but somewhat slimmer. He was an excellent stickhandler with a terrific shot.

Roy, quiet and modest about his talents, may have been the most naturally gifted hockey player in the family.

He began skating earlier than his brothers and was therefore much smoother on the ice. He combined speed with strength and was a resourceful goal scorer.

At the age of 22, he was put on the Beantown roster, playing on the left wing alongside center Bill Cowley, a future Hall of Famer whose style meshed perfectly with the talented Conacher's goal-scoring touch and ability to anticipate plays.

Conacher, with all that natural talent easing his transition from his military break.

The 1998 Hall of Fame induction ceremonies included Roy Conacher, who maybe now will finally get some recognition as a great player in his own right.

Despite his own athletic achievements, Roy Conacher has always been best known as the younger brother of fellow Hockey Hall of Famers Charlie and Lionel.

The Bruins are tops this season because of the three most spectacular first-year players in the league—Goalie Frankie Brimsek, Defenseman Jack Crawford and Wing Roy Conacher.

Art Ross's other prize performer was 22-year-old Roy Conacher, brother of famed Pucksters Charley and Lionel. Throughout the season Roy has pounded home 22 goals, has the experts saying he might be even better than either Charley or Lionel.

- ''My biggest mistake as a coach and general manager was trading Roy Conacher.'' - Art Ross


Sites:
http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=P199801#photo
http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/ind98.htm
http://blackhawkslegends.blogspot.com/2008/04/roy-conacher.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,789520,00.html
Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PpZNkkBkZE&feature=player_embedded
http://www.legendsofhockey.net/Lege...ayer&list=&page=video&mem=p199801&bw=hi#photo
Audio:
http://www.legendsofhockey.net/media/conacher.wav

 

[EagleBelfour]

Monsieur Gordon Blanchard Keats

Nickname: Duke, Iron Duke
Height: 5'11''
Weight: 195 lbs
Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Date of Birth: March 01, 1895
Place of Birth: Montreal, Canada
Date of Death: January 16, 1972 (Age: 76)

Stanley Cup Finalist (1923)
First All-Star Team Centre (1922, 1923, 1924, 1925) *WCHL*
First All-Star Team Centre (1926) *WHL*
Art Ross Trophy (1922) *WCHL*
Hart Memorial Trophy (1922*) *WCHL*
Maurice Richard Trophy (1922) *WCHL*
Team Captain (1921-1926)
Inducted into the Edmonton Sports Hall of Fame (1964)
Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (1958)

National Hockey Association [1915-17]
Top-10 Scoring (4th)
Top-10 Goalscoring (5th)
Top-10 Assist (4th)
Top-10 Penalty Minutes (3rd, 10th)
Western Canada Hockey League [1921-25]
Western Hockey League [1925-26]
Top-10 Scoring (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, 6th)
Top-10 Goalscoring (1st, 2nd, 4th, 4th, 5th)
Top-10 Assist (1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th)
Top-10 Penalty Minutes (1st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 8th)
Top-10 Playoff Scoring (1st, 2nd, 8th)
Top-10 Playoff Goalscoring (1st)
Top-10 Playoff Assist (1st, 1st, 3rd)
Top-10 Playoff Penalty Minutes (1st, 2nd, 2nd)
National Hockey League [1926-29]
Top-10 Scoring (9th, 10th)
Top-10 Goalscoring (10th)
Top-10 Assist (7th, 8th)

- Gordon was given the nickname "Duke" after a warship
- At the age of 17, he was making $75 a month playing hockey (about 1650$ today)
- Lost two years of prime hockey due to World War I
- In the 1916-17 season, Keats played two games with the Toronto Blueshirts as the goaltender, posting a 0-1 record with a goal against average of 8.82
- He scored eight goals against Saskatoon on January 23, 1922
- In the 1923 WCHL finals, he scored the game winning goals in overtime
- A story is told that Duke once skated the length of the ice backwards and scored a goal on the opposition
- In the 1926-27 season, he was named head coach of the Detroit Cougars for 11 games
- The first goal Keats ever scored in a Detroit uniform was an overtime winner in a 1-0 victory over the New York Americans
- He registered the first hat-trick of the franchise history in a 7-1 win over Pittsburgh on March 10, 1927
- In 1926-27, he led all Detroit's player with three game-winning goals
- Keats played the right wing with the Chicago Blackhawks
- Elected into the World Wide Hockey Hall of Fame in 1948

Keats uncanilly could figure out how a play was going to work before it even happened (a gift that was often been attributed to Wayne Gretzky).
After a while, people were coming from all over to sneak a pekk of hockey's newest wunderkind. Keats received offer from every professional hockey town in the country. [...] The tall and muscular lad [...] Keats hit his peak in Edmonton. The ''Iron Duke'' hailed on all side as one of the most dominating forces ever seen, was the best player in the league. Throngs of people clamored to see the big, strong center perform miracles with the puck. He shot as well as anyone anywhere, combining unparallelled offensive abilities with a hard, clean style to become the greatest player to play in Edmonton before Gretzky
Keats played a big role in bringing the title to Edmonton in 1923
He remained a hockey icons across western Canada until his death in 1971.

Peak Years 1921-25
In a Word IRON

Quick-witted Duke Keats was one of hockey first bonafide superstars.

Among hockey's all-time greats, Duke Keats is often overlooked because he spent so little of his career - a paltry 82 games - performing in the NHL. But his contemporaries knew that Keats was a name which should be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky and Howie Morenz.

A fiery leader, once while playing for Toronto of the National Hockey Association during the 1916-17 season, Keats became so angered by the poor performance of goalie Billy Nicholson that he strapped on the pads and took over in net himself for the next period.

He led them to the championship of the WCHL in 1923 when they almost toppled the Ottawa Senators for the Cup. He was regarded by many westerners as a rival to the peerless Frank Nighbor

Keats, a player who had been the star attraction for the Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey Association, was the biggest star in the league (In a league with Mickey Mackay). In just 27 Big-4 games, all with the Edmonton Eskimos, Keats scored 41 career goals. He would later star for the Boston Bruins, Detroit Cougars (the forerunners to the Red Wings) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League.

Keats is something of a lesser-known Hall of Famer because he spent most of his time out west and was only in the NHL for parts of three seasons in the mid-to-late twenties. He was a great centre, though, and was called by Lester Patrick "the brainiest pivot that ever strapped on a skate." A perennial all-star in the western leagues, he took the Edmonton Eskimoes (a team that also included a younger Eddie Shore) to the Stanley Cup Final against Ottawa in 1923 losing a pair of one-goal decisions in the process

Edmonton had the great Duke Keats, a Wayne Gretzky-like offensive dynamo.

Duke Keats, qui à terminé sa carrière dans la LNH à Boston, Chicago et Detroit, était dans sa jeunesse la fierté de l'Ouest avec Edmonton, dans la Western Canada Hockey League. Duke jouait dans les ligues amateurs depuis l'âge de 14 ans. À son retour de la Première Guerre Mondiale, il remporta le titre de meilleur marqueur de la WCHL, menant Edmonton à une finale très sérrée contre les Sénateurs d'Ottawa en 1923. Joueur impétueux et très habile à préparer des jeux, il fut considéré par Frank Patrick comme '' le plus doué des pivots à avoir jamais chaussé les patins.''

- ''You would have thought he had a nail in the end of his stick, the way he could carry that puck around. He was that good.'' - Lloyd McIntyre, a teammate of Keats

- ''To just a kid, it looked like a million.'' - Duke Keats, about the money he was making at a young age

- ''Duke is the possessor of more hockey grey matter than any man who ever played the game'' - Frank Patrick

- ''Gordon Keats was the best player of all time'' - Lloyd McIntyre

- ''Keats was the brainiest pivot that ever strapped on a skate because he could organize plays and make passes every time he starts.'' - Lester Patrick

- ''He made thirty perfect passes to his wingmates one night'' - Frank Patrick


Sites:
http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=P195812#photo
http://www.sihrhockey.org/member_player_sheet.cfm?player_id=1749&mode=0
http://redwings.nhl.com/club/page.htm?bcid=his_wol_wol-dukekeats
http://www.oilersheritage.com/history/early_teams_edmonton_eskimos.html[/ur]

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

RW/LW Shane Doan

-6'1", 220 lbs

-NHL All-Star game in 2004 and 2009
-represented Team Canada at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, 2006 Winter Olympics, the 2005, 2007, and 2008 World Championships
-Scored the GWG for Canada in the Gold Medal game of the 2004 World Cup

-Captain of the Phoenix Coyotes since 2003-04.
-named an alternate captain of Canada's World Championship teams in 2005
-named the captain of Canada's World Championship teams in 2007
-Finished 6th in a poll of NHL players on the league's best leader in 2009.

"The rest of the guys have to play every night like Shane Doan plays every night," Gretzky said with a sigh. And sure enough, the Coyotes captain took the loss hardest, staying in the rink until hours after the game. "I feel responsible," he said in the empty locker room. "You wonder if it's you. I get the most ice time. I'm the common denominator." Coyotes equipment manager Stan Wilson shakes his head in disbelief and says: "He's an emotional guy. He never wants to give up." Adds Darren Pang, a former NHL goalie and now the team's color commentator: "I want to give him a big hug." But the rugged right wing doesn't expect an embrace now, just as he never expected love from Liz. His nightly fight for the puck is much like those Alberta mornings in the muck: He'll endure anything, even a few kicks, for the chance to wake up the next day and do it again.

In a poll of players, released after the All-Star break, Flames wing Jarome Iginla was named the top team leader in the NHL. Doan, who leads Phoenix with 22 goals and 52 points, finished a dark-horse sixth. "You feel his competitiveness," says Tikhonov, "seeing how he battles. I want to have that."

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3948980

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

C/LW Ryan Walter

-6'0", 200 lbs
-646 career points, 946 career PIM
-7 20 goal seasons

-in 1979, he became the first (of 6) 21 year olds to captain an NHL team
-named Capital's MVP in 81-82
-1983 All Star Game
-Stanley Cup in 1986
-19 points in 17 playoff games in 1987

Ryan Walter was a born leader.
...
Walter described his style of hockey:

"I was a bit adaptable I think over 15 seasons. In the beginning, I think it was I was pretty aggressive and a Rick Tocchet type of player that scored goals and had to sort of play a very rounded game. I played center and wing in those early years.

"Coming into Montreal, early in my time there, I was playing with Guy Lafleur and XXX and so it was more of an offensive bent obviously. And then, about half way through my time there, I ended up being a bit more of a defensive specialist and that continued through Vancouver."

Walter was a deceptively strong person, with leg power and balance being the trademark of his skating. He was a tenacious checker who was able to drive through his checks. He also possessed a great understanding of the game, and was able to read the play and anticipate his check's moves ahead of time. His vision enabled him to position himself perfectly to break up plays. Never possessing the quick release needed to become a top shooter, Walter was an opportunistic scorer who scored 264 goals in 1003 NHL games.

 

[Leafs Forever]

When he took his first strides on Forum ice, he did so with big skates to fill. Replacing Sprague Cleghorn on the Habs’ blue-line was no easy task, but the Valleyfield, QC native quickly cemented his role as a pillar of the team’s defense corps.

As physically punishing and imposing as his predecessor, this hard-hitting defenceman was equally renowned for his ability to lead the rush, propelling him to a career high 10 goals in his rookie campaign in 1925-26-canadiens.com.

He was a clever goal scorer who often played rough when protecting his own end-LOH.

As adept with the puck as he was at retrieving it..-canadiens.com

He spent eight years with Montreal delivering solid hits and making life difficult for opposing forwards-LOH

The Ironman blue-liner missed only 15 games over his first eight seasons with the Canadiens. In 1929-30 and 1930-31 Leduc was in the lineup every night, helping the Habs capture consecutive Stanley Cups. The durable defenseman picked up four points in the 1930 championship run, leading the team with three assists.-canadiens.com

Always moving at top speed, his devastating body checks made him a fan favorite at the Forum. Cracking the NHL’s top 10 most penalized players list on three occasions, the robust rearguard fittingly earned himself the nickname “Battleshipâ€.

Some accounts of this man's play...

A penalty to S.Mantha early in the third period found Leduc in the hero role keeping out four-man Detroit rushes-Globe and Mail

Morenz, Leduc, Sylvio Mantha, Smith, Gorsvenor and Lamb took turns thrilling the onlookers with masterful all-around work.- Globe and Mail

Joseph Albert Leduc, otherwise known as "Battleship" Leduc, is one of the most colorful figures in hockey. Besides being sturdy and effective defenseman, "Albair" is a scoring threat of considerate ability, and his stenming rush down the ice is sometimes the "piece de resistance" of an otherwise dull game. His legs working like pistons, Albert dashes down uweveres at no defrense. The outer guard combination that Albert has backed up before has not yet been developed, and he dives headlong into opposition when he reaches it. Most of the the time he barges through, and when he does he is deft with a shot or pass.- Globe and Mail

In the last period, "Hooley" Smith of the Maroons lost his temper, and took a swing with his stick at the silvering hari of "Pit" Lepine. He missed, and Leduc, husky Canadiens defenceman, sailed into "Hooley". A major penalty was awarded to Smith, and Leduc drew a minor. After the game was over, both jumped out of the penalty box and staged a hectic one-round fist fight at centre ice while 11,00 fans looked on and cheered.-Globe and Mail

One day overdue, but apparently in good shape, Albert "Battleship" Leduc, former defense ace of the Montreal Canadiens, turned out for the first time last night with the Ottawa Senators. Leduc teamed up on defence in the practice session with Harvey Rockburn, Scotty Bowman and Harry Radley, in turn, and was going in fine style. He blocked well, and his attacking plays were good.

"Battleship" Leduc was one of the hardest workers on the squad. Keeping up a continuous line of chatter, to the other players on his side, the Frenchman put everything he had into practice, to the delight of the railbirds.

With our 17th selection, the Cairo Desert Dogs are proud to select, a battleship that won't get sunk..



ALBERT "BATTLESHIP" LEDUC!

Awards and Achievements
2 X Stanley Cup Champion (1930, 1931)

Top 10's
Defencemen Goals- 2nd(1926), 6th(1928), 3rd(1929), 3rd(1931), 9th(1932), 9th(1933)
Defencemen Assists- 9th(1926), 9th(1928), 9th(1930), 10th(1931)
Defencemen Points- 2nd (1926), 9th(1928), 5th(1929), 9th(1930), 4th(1931)

Playoff Defencemen Goals- 2nd(1928)*, 1st(1929)*, 3rd(1930)*, 6th(1932)*
Playoff Defencemen Assists- 1st(1930), 3rd(1931), 4th(1932)*
Playoff Defencemen Points- 4th(1928)*, 3rd(1929)*, 1st(1930), 6th(1931), 6th(1932)

Platoff Assists- 3rd(1930)
Playoff Points- 6th(1930)

*All placings marked with asterisk are standings that occured due to Leduc scoring 1 goal, assist, or point. Most of his placements were accomplished with lower scoring numbers. This is mainly a result of the era he played in, and due to many defencemen not scoring any points at all in the playoffs. between 1928-1933, Leduc tied for 2nd in defencemen playoff goals, 2nd in defencemen playoff assists, and 1st for defencemen playoff points, so he was indeed one of the best offensive playoff defencemen of his day, whether or not you care for scoring placements accomplished with small numbers.

Biography
Albert Leduc broke into the NHL in 1925-26 season with the Montreal Canadiens, with big skates to fill; those of Sprague Cleghorn. Leduc would not dissappoint however, scoring 10 goals in his rookie campaign and being a physical, indimidating force in the blueline.

Leduc would prove to be an important pilar of defence on the Canadiens with his offensive, rushing prowess and physicality, earning him the nickname "Battleship". He would also prove to be quite the ironman, missing only 15 games in his first 8 seasons and being in the Canadiens lineup everynight in 1929-30 and 1930-31. He would play an important part in two consecutive CFanadiens cup wins.

Following the 1932-33 season, he would be sold to the Ottawa Senators, and then moved to the Rangers in 1933-34. He would be back with the Canadiens the following year, but would begin playing in the Can-Am league soon aafter and retire as a player in 1937. Always a fan favorite, Leduc left being a legacy as a Canadien.

 

[Leafs Forever]

Although only 5'8" and 165 pounds, the rugged two-way forward proved that he could leave his mark in the NHL by playing hard every shift of every game.-LOH

A small but speedy NHLer for parts of 17 seasons..-Joe Pelletier

The powerful and agile skater was traded from the Red Wings to the Boston Bruins midway through the 1965-66 season, where he spent a season and a half. He then moved to the Chicago Blackhawks in 1967 where he played another 11 years. He eventually won over Chicago fans with is speedy attack and insistent digging for loose pucks in the corners.-Joe Pelletier

As much as his playmaking, he was known for his heart. In 1969, when the Blackhawks missed the playoffs, he called out his team, saying that only three players on the team “wear their uniforms with any desire to win.â€-wayne Scanalan

We, as a trio, worked very well together. We all got along. I think the biggest thing was that none of us were selfish. We had the same type of philosophy about the game. We were serious about it and we wanted to be recognized as good hockey players. We didn't care who scored the goals as long as our line produced," said Martin.

PIT MARTIN!

Awards and Acheivements
1 x Bill Masterson Trophy (1970)
4 x All-Star Game participant (1971, 1972, 1973, 1974)

Top 20's
Goals- 18th(1967), 16th(1970)
Assists- 8th(1972), 4th(1973), 13th(1974)
Points- 19th(1970), 14th(1972), 11th(1973), 15th(1974)

Playoff Top 15's
Goals- 13th(1972), 2nd(1973)
Assists- 10th(1968), 9th(1971), 15th(1973)
Points- 14th(1968), 7th(1973)

B]Biography[/B]
Martin was traded on May 5, 1967 in the famous Esposito trade. The trade was moreover broke down into Martin for Esposito- one promising centre for another, and although Espositio would be a superstar, Martin would prove to be an effective player in chicago.

Hubert Martin, nicknamed "Pit" after a comic character in a french language newspaper, broke into the NHL in 1961, spending time between the AHL and the Detroit Red Wings. He would be traded to Boston in the 1965-66 season before being traded to Chicago 1967, where he hit his stride.

Martin had a rocky start in Chicago, but would overcome it and become a fan favorite with his hard-working, rugged, two-way style. He had several good years in Chicago, particularly in the 1972-73 season, when he got a career high in points and scored 10 goals and 16 points later tthat year in the playoffs to help chicago to the satnley cup finals.

He would finish off his career with two years in Vancouver, before retiring.

On November 30, 2008, Martin and a friend were on an icy lake snowmobiling when suddenly the ice cracked beneath. The snowmobile plunged into the lake and Martin, 64, was unable to be saved by his companion who managed to escape the tragedy. He is, and will continue to be, well remembered in Chicago for his great play in the 70s.

 

[overpass]

Coach Billy Reay

Billy coached the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks from 1957 to 1976. His best years came in Chicago, where his teams never had a losing record and made the Stanley Cup finals three times. When his coaching career ended in 1976, he had 542 wins as a coach, second only to Dick Irvin at the time.

Voted 2nd best coach in the 1974 Toronto Star coaches poll (Shero)
Voted 3rd best coach in the 1976 Toronto Star coaches poll (Arbour, Shero

Tales from the Chicago Blackhawks, by Harvey Wittenberg:

Hawk teams coached under Billy Reay never had a losing record, made the playoffs in all but one season, and reached the Stanley Cup finals in ’65, ’71, and ’73. Under Reay, the Hawks had six first-place finishes, three second-place finishes, three third-place finishes, and one fourth-place finish.

Billy ranks among the all-time leaders in games coached, wins, and playoff appearances. His former players all speak highly of him and the way he treated them. Scotty Bowman told me that Billy was respected for his knowledge of the game, and his players were always prepared.

www.tsn.ca

Reay was known for coaching in a dignified manner, and never showed up his players. "He treated the players like men," Hall-of-Famer Stan Mikita once said. He preached defense first, as demonstrated by his famous mantra, "None Against."

Chicago Tribune: January 27, 1991

The Hawks are fortunate they don't have to refer to history books when they point to a rich tradition. Ivan and Billy Reay, Hawk coach from 1963 to 1976, are at most of the Stadium games and remain staunchly loyal to an organization that didn't discard them for not having more success.
Sure, there might have been more championships in the 1960s, and that remains a sore spot for the pair even today.

"It was disappointing, very much so," Ivan frankly admits about being champion just once with players the caliber of Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull and Glenn Hall and never winning the big one with Tony Espositio in goal. "There were times we could have won and didn't."

Reay added: "Our defense was a little overrated. I agree wholeheartedly with that. Defense is the thing. It wins championships in the long run. But I've forgotten about it and remember the good times."

"When Bobby Hull left," Reay noted about Hull's defection early in the 1970s to the World Hockey Association, "it opened a big hole."

"It took us 10 years to recover," said present Hawks owner Bill Wirtz, speaking especially of the club's image after that loss.

Reay survived through good and bad until Christmas Eve 1976, when he was dismissed.

Reay, however, longs for the days when the Hawks played more of a possession game, when they skated the puck into the opposing zone more than dumped and chased it.

"I've always liked players who carry the pucks, guys like Denis Savard and Mikita," Reay said. "That's the game to me. Now, there's so much shooting the puck into the zone."

Dennis Hull:

It was during my first season that Billy Reay started to become the most influential figure in my life. Without a doubt he taught me more about life than my dad ever did

I had such a great group of teammates and a coach (Billy Reay) I had an immense amount of respect for.

First time I got a new pair of skates was when I turned pro with Chicago. My coach, Billy Reay, came out of his office on Christmas and gave me a box. I opened it and there was a brand new pair of skates. He said, 'I just wanted it to feel like you were home.' I said, 'This isn't like home, they're new!'

Keith Magnuson:

My best advice was from our coach, Billy Reay. He said, 'To be a leader, you have to be physical.' I wanted other teams to know I was on the ice. I was out there to make things happen."

Phil Russell:

Billy Reay was like a father to me after having lost my own dad. He became my role model. He looked out for me because I was so young. He taught me how to respect the game and how to represent the city of Chicago. He wasn't into butting heads with his players. He was into guiding them, getting them to work together.

Billy would say, Now, Phil, you go put yourself in front of the net and clear those people out.' I'll never forget when we got to the Stanley Cup finals in 1973. He said, Boys, enjoy yourselves. Play hard and don't give up because you may never get here again.' He was right. We lost to Montreal in six games.

Wittenberg:

He was regarded as a great psychologist as a coach. Billy told me he developed that approach from the legendary Montreal coach, Dick Irvin.

Mikita feels that Billy Reay was a “hell” of a coach who knew how to read his players and used a psychological approach to motivate. Stan remembers one game in which the team played a lousy first period and were getting beat. The coach delayed his appearance in the locker room between periods. Just before they were to go back on the ice for the second period, Reay came in and started shouting at his players. He singled out his two stars: Mikita and Hull. He told his players: “Don’t expect these guys to bail you out every game. They weren’t too hot in the last period, either! Now let’s go out there and do something!” As the players headed up the stairs to the ice, Reay pulled Mikita and Hull back and whispered to them, “Do you think my speech will get them going?” Apparently it did, as the team went on to rally and win the game.

Just before the Hawks were facing the California Seals at the Chicago Stadium on November 22, 1970, coach Reay handed Stan a letter and asked him to read it to the team. Mikita started reading the sob-story letter from an older woman who said she was an avid Blackhawks fan, and although she couldn’t afford to come to the games, she would listen to the games on the radio. She said she was a widow and that her children lived out of town. Stan told me he was starting to cry as he was reading the letter. The woman said she couldn’t listen anymore because someone stole her radio. Stan turned the page and the woman’s last words were, “I hope you guys find that S.O.B. who stole my radio, so I can hear the games again!”

Billy Reay’s psychology apparently worked as the Hawks went out and blanked the Seals 9-0 as Hull go the hat trick!

Some have said that Reay was responsible for Bobby Hull leaving Chicago. This quote from Sports Illustrated (November 12, 1973)suggests otherwise. The main cause of player-management disputes in Chicago was the Hawks cheap management, not Reay.

He never involved himself in salary matters until the Chicago management almost lost Bill White and Pit Martin to the WHA last year because of its naively callous indifference to the new league. "People don't realize it," said one Hawk, "but Billy, more than anyone else, has kept this club together. He has rebuilt us overnight about five times. Without him, who knows where we'd all be?"

Although Hull and Stapleton both left Chicago with bitter feelings toward top management, they still respect Reay. "If Billy had been running things himself," Hull once said, "I probably would never have left." It was Reay who, five years ago, ordered Hull to abandon his free-skating, gun-them-down style and play an orderly, conservative, close-checking left wing. And that undoubtedly added years to Hull's playing life.

Stapleton, now the playing coach of the Chicago Cougars of the WHA, met Reay recently at a luncheon and kidded with his old coach. "Billy showed great foresight during the years I played for him," Stapleton said. "He told me, 'Pat, if you work hard, do the job and stay patient, you'll be rewarded with the money you deserve.' What he didn't tell me was that I'd have to go to another team in another league to get it.

Reay will implement his possession-based attack with the Renfrew Millionaires' skilled forwards, while making sure that they don't neglect their defensive duties. He'll like the big, tough, and skilled defensive corps. While he's used to having an elite goaltender, now he has one who will bring his best game in the playoffs as well.

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

Since this is his first time in the ATD, Frank "Pud" Glass deserves a bio.

Frank "Pud" Glass was a chippy little hockey player who set up many a goal in his days as a Montreal Wanderer. He joined the club in 1905, its second year, and played alongside Jack Marshall and XXXXX XXXXXXXXX. Stanley Cups are won with solid, two-way play, a concern for goals being scored in both ends of the rink. Glass proved this truth time and time again. He was in perpetual motion; when he wasn't forechecking tirelessly to create room for scoring line-mate Ernie Russell, he was heading back to help his defenders with their chores.

http://www.hockey-notes.com/1900_hockey_pudglass.html

A member of 5 Stanley Cup winning Montreal Wanderers teams. Had career major league stats of 93 goals in 91 games and 22 goals in 16 playoff games.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Glass

Essentially, he was one of hockeys earliest complimentary players. A hard worker on both ends of the ice who's main goals were to help his teammates play to the best of their abilities and to help his team win.

 

[Leafs Forever]

Hewas a scrappy winger who was known as a "Fighting Irishman" in the company of the Flying Frenchmen of Quebec.-LOH

He excelled as an effective checker and a nifty stickhandler with a respectable shot. -LOH

During the finals of his first big-league season, him and his defensive corps were instrumental in shutting down the Bruins' Kraut Line of Schmidt, Bauer, and Dumart. The end result was a Stanley Cup victory for the Habs.-LOH

The Max Bentley-Bill Mosienko-Doug Bentley trio again squared off against *******, ***** ***********, and Jimmy Peters of the Canadiens, and figured no more prominently than in the previous game-NY Times

Peters' solo goal came at 16:55 of OT and broke up a fast, thrilling contest. Peters snared a loose puck in the Boston zone and raced in to beat Frank Brimsek with a low, tricky shot.-NY Times, 3/22/1496, after Game 2 of Round 1, en route to cup victory.

He played an important role in the Wings' championship season.- Years Of Glory: The Official Book of the NHL's Six-team Era

With our 19th selection, the Cairo Desert Dogs proudly select...



JIMMY PETERS Sr.!

Awards and Achievements
3 x Stanley Cup (1946, 1950, 1954)
1 x Stanley Cup Finalist (1947)

Top 20's
Goals- 8th(1953)
Assists- 14th(1946)
Points- 18th(1951), 13th(1953)

Biography
Jimmy Peters began his career in 1946, after serving for the 3rd Canadian Heavy Recovery Corps in Normandy in World War II. He would make an immiediate impact, playing on the Habs defensive line and excelling in that role. He would be an important part in shutting down the Bruins Kraut line on his way to a cup win in his first big-league season.

After his time with the Habs, Peters woul make stints with the Bruins, and then the Red Wings whe he had the most success, winning two stanley cups and coming 8th in league goals in a season there. After his final season, he would play with the Winnipeg Bulldogs senior club before retiring, leaving behind a fine legacy as a gritty defensive specalist.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

G Gerry McNeil

-Stanley Cup in 1953 as a starter
-Stanley Cup finals in 1951 and 1952 as a starter
-Stanley Cup in 1957 as a backup
-2.36 career GAA in the regular season
-1.89 career GAA in the postseason

-NHL Second All-Star Team (1953)
-Played in NHL All-Star Game (1951, 1952, 1953)

-QSHL First All-Star Team (1947, 1948, 1949)
-Byng of Vimy Trophy (QSHL - MVP) (1947, 1948, 1949)
-QHL First All-Star Team (1956)
-Vezina Memorial Trophy (QHL - Top Goaltender) (1956)
-AHL Second All-Star Team (1958)

A guy who lightened things up away from the ice, McNeil was a popular teammate and a feared practical joker. If there was fun to be had, odds are he was in on the action.

Among the top 10 Canadiens goaltenders in every category for both regular season and playoff performances, McNeil’s career 2.36 regular season goals-against average put him fourth on the all-time list. Only George Hainsworth has a career postseason GAA lower than McNeil’s 1.89.

Gerry McNeil played an important role in Montreal Canadiens history. He filled in in the nets between the Bill Durnan and Jacques Plante eras, winning the Stanley Cup in 1953.
...
McNeil arrived at about the same time was Bill Durnan. Obviously the Canadiens were proven correct in their choice of Durnan over McNeil. But the Canadiens were impressed enough to keep McNeil in their system. He would join the Royals and dominate the Quebec senior leagues. He would also get to know many of the Habs players, as he would often fill in in practices where an extra goaltender was needed.

McNeil starred with the Montreal Royals of the Quebec Senior Hockey League, earning the best goals against average in the league in both 1945-46 and '46-47, being named the first team all-star in 1947, '48 and '49 and was chosen the league's most valuable player three years consecutively?1947, 1948 and 1949 as well.

He was summoned to the Montreal Canadiens full-time in 1950-51 when Bill Durnan retired, playing every minute of every game in his rookie season. McNeil backstopped the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup finals against Toronto in 1951 and Detroit in 1952, but it wasn't until the 1952-53 season that he was able to lead the Canadiens to his own Stanley Cup. That same season, he was selected to the NHL's Second All-Star Team.

Towards the end of the 1953-54 season though, McNeil lost his starting position to a young superstar named Jacques Plante. But when the Canadiens were faced with elimination by Detroit in the 1953-54 Stanley Cup finals, Plante was pulled by coach Dick Irvin in favour of the veteran McNeil, who promptly won the next two games to force a seventh game. Unfortunately, in overtime in game seven, an easy shot by the Red Wings was tipped by Canadiens' defenceman Doug Harvey, and found the net behind McNeil to earn Detroit the Stanley Cup.

____
I'm happy with Gerry McNeil as a backup. He won a Cup as a starter, spent most of his career stuck behind Durnan or Plante, and was always good when he got a chance to play.

Ed Belfour is my starter, and if he has a weakness, it's that he is a volatile guy who can create problems if challenged too much by his backup. So I wanted to get a solid backup, but a guy with the mentality to realize his place in the pecking order.

Belfour/Barrasso, for instance, would cause major issues in the locker room.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

D Robyn Regehr

Played for Canada in:

1999 World Junior Championships (silver medal)
2000 World Championships
2004 World Cup of Hockey (gold medal)
2005 World Championships (silver medal)
2006 Winter Olympics

-known for his strong work ethic and defensive play.

A car is immobile without an engine. Birds won’t see any air if you subtract their wings. The Calgary Flames are, I wouldn’t say awful, but seemingly lost when Robyn Regehr is out of the line up.

Through good times and bad he is the ideal player who can control the composure of a group. Good for 20 to 25 points each season, Regehr’s size, knowledge and workmanship make him a special competitor.
...
“The guy’s an animal,” teammate XXX said following the first-round exit. “That guy’s a difference-maker. If you look at the record with him in the lineup and him out of the lineup, it would be pretty significant.”

http://thehockeywriters.com/overlooked-and-underrated-robyn-regehr/

 

[overpass]

F Bruce MacGregor

Joe Pelletier:

In the 1960s and early 1970s speedy Bruce MacGregor was so fast he was nicknamed "The Redheaded Rocket.

MacGregor was a slick and speedy forward who was a coach's dream. He was never an outstanding scorer, topping 20 goals only three times in his 13 year career, but he would do anything the coaches needed him to do, and with great proficiency. Using his incredible acceleration and his equally impressive hockey sense, he was a great utility player, filling in admirably wherever and whenever the team asked him to. He was also a mainstay on the penalty kill unit.

MacGregor scored 20 goals in three consecutive seasons for Detroit pre-expansion. In the first two of these seasons he played with various linemates, including veterans Ted Lindsay and Andy Bathgate, Paul Henderson, and various undrafted players. In 1966-67 he joined Henderson and Norm Ullman on the HUM line, and his 28 goals were good for fourth in the league. McGregor was in the top 10 for even strength goals in both 64-65 and 66-67. His scoring dropped off after this but remained consistent, as he scored at least 14 goals in the next seven seasons.

He was sixth in Lady Byng voting in 1964-65 - all other players in the top 10 have been drafted.

Later in MacGregor's career, his coach gave him a major responsibility against the Canadiens in the playoffs

It all started shortly before Game Four with a private meeting between XXX XXXXX, the scrappy chancellor of the Rangers' exchequer, and the man they call Murdoch. The 33-year-old MacGregor is a quiet redhead who has skated in obscurity through most of his 13 NHL seasons. As he suspected, XXX wanted to discuss Yvan Cournoyer, the Montreal Roadrunner, who had deflated the Rangers in Games Two and Three by scoring five goals.

"XXX said we had to contain Cournoyer, or else," MacGregor says. "He asked if I'd switch from right wing to left wing, forget all about my own offense and think only about shadowing Cournoyer. He told me that if I could keep Cournoyer off his game even a little bit, then things might fall into place for us."

While MacGregor admittedly cannot skate as fast as Cournoyer—who can?—he accepted the assignment. "I had never played head to head against Cournoyer," MacGregor says, "but I knew his game. He plays the percentages. He likes to sneak between or behind the defense and get a long lead pass from Jacques Lemaire or one of the defensemen. My job, as I saw it, was to stay between Cournoyer and [Ranger Goaltender] Eddie Giacomin. I had to be the middleman at all times. I knew if Cournoyer got between Giacomin and me on a breakaway, it probably would be curtains. There's no way I'd ever catch him in a race. It would be worse than the tortoise and the hare."

MacGregor had great success with his assignment.

In three games MacGregor had out-shot Cournoyer nine to five and out-scored him four to nothing, leaving Bowman with a strange look on his face. "I didn't think New York had anyone who could slow Yvan down," he said. "I thought XXX XXX was the only New York player who could skate with him, and they traded XXX to Los Angeles. That MacGregor, he's pretty smart."

MacGregor jumped to Edmonton in the WHA after those playoffs, having priced himself out of New York. He was selected to Team Canada's 1974 WHA Summit Series Roster, and played two years in Edmonton before retiring.

MacGregor is listed as a center at the hhof website, played right wing on the HUM line, and switched to left wing to check Cournoyer. His versatility, scoring ability, and defensive skill will make him a valuable spare for the Renfrew Millionaires.

 

[Hedberg]

LW Venjamin Alexandrov

1963 World Championship Gold Medalist
1964 Olympic Gold Medalist
1965 World Championship Gold Medalist
1966 World Championship Gold Medalist
1967 World Championship Gold Medalist
1968 Olympic Gold Medalist
Member of the IIHF Hall of Fame

International Hockey Legends:

Venjamin Alexandrov was considered the greatest Soviet player of his time. Alexandrov drew some incredible comparisons. He was dubbed "Bobrov 2" in Russia, after the first great Soviet star, Vsevolod Bobrov. The great Russian coach Anatoli Tarasov had another comparison though - Montreal Canadiens star Maurice "Rocket" Richard.

"I think that our Alexandrov, by his style of game, by his ability to keep a level head even in the most explosive situations, looks something like Maurice Richard, the great master of attack," said Tarasov in his book Road to Olympus.

Alexandrov was the left wing on his troika. He was destined for hockey stardom as he was groomed from an early age. He was brought up and trained as a youngster through the Central Army hockey school. When he was in his prime he was an electrifying star that had crowds cheering for him not only in Russia, but in Czechoslovakia, Sweden and Finland. Even in Canada and the US, he was the closest thing to a household Soviet name in the 1960s.

Alexandrov won six world championship titles. In 11 world championships, where he also won 3 silver and 2 bronze, he totalled 104 points. He also captured Olympic gold in 1964 and 1968, as well as a bronze in 1960.

​

 

[Hedberg]

G Viktor Konovalenko

1963 World Championship Gold Medalist
1964 Olympic Gold Medalist
1965 World Championship Gold Medalist
1966 World Championship Gold Medalist
1967 World Championship Gold Medalist
1968 Olympic Gold Medalist
1969 World Championship Gold Medalist
1970 World Championship Gold Medalist
1970 Soviet League MVP
Member of the IIHF Hall of Fame

HHOF Time Capsule 60's:

The Soviet goalie who anchored all those World Championships teams in the 1960s, Konovalenko was first predecessor to and later coach of the great Tretiak. In all, he won two Olympic gold medals (in 1964 and '68) and eight successive World titles with the team.

​

 

[Hedberg]

C Kris Draper

1997 Stanley Cup Champion
1998 Stanley Cup Champion
2002 Stanley Cup Champion
2003 World Championship Gold Medalist
2004 World Championship Gold medalist
2004 Selke Trophy
2004 World Cup Champion
2008 Stanley Cup Champion

Legends of Hockey:

Upon his arrival with the Wings, Draper quickly became recognized as one of the fastest skaters in the league and one of its premier penalty killers. [While in Detroit he played on] one of the league's premier checking lines and was instrumental in leading the Wings to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 1997 and 1998.

Known for his durability, injuries limited the speedy centreman to 51 games in 1999-00 and over the course of the next three seasons, would miss a mere 7 games while playing a key role in the Wings third Stanley Cup title in six years.

Known for his durability, injuries limited the speedy centreman to 51 games in 1999-00 and over the course of the next three seasons, would miss a mere 7 games while playing a key role in the Wings third Stanley Cup title in six years. Having already established himself as one the premier defensive players in the league, Draper's offensive numbers began to take notice. After establishing a career high in assists (21) and points (35) in 2002-03, Draper established a career in goals (24) in 2003-04 and surpassed his point total with (40), while capturing the Selke Trophy as the games top defensive forward. Over the next two seasons, Draper's offensive output would decrease, however he still managed to stay healthy and appear in nearly every one of the club's games. In the 2007-08 season, Draper competed in his 900th game, scored his 300th career point, and suffered a few minor injuries before he appeared in all 21 playoff games during the Red Wings drive to Cup. The Cup victory was the fourth of Draper's successful career in Detroit.

​

 

[Hedberg]

RW Bill Guerin

1995 Stanley Cup Champion
1996 World Cup Champion
2002 NHL Second Team All-Star
Captain of the New York Islanders 2007 - 2009
2009 Stanley Cup Champion

Legends of Hockey:

Since turning pro in 1991-92, right-winger Bill Guerin has utilized his speed and size to become of the NHL's best two-way forwards. The talented winger scored 14 goals for the Devils in 1992-93 then took his game up a notch with 25 goals and stellar defensive work the next year. His robust play also helped the club come within a game of reaching the Stanley Cup finals. The next year Guerin was a key factor when New Jersey swept the Detroit Red Wings to win their first Stanley Cup

Guerin returned to Boston in 2001-02 and scored a career high 41 goals and 66 points, while earning a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City before becoming an unrestricted free agent during the off season and signing with the Dallas Stars.

Upon his arrival with Stars, Guerin has continued his hard-nose ways and following the 2003-04 season had surpassed the 300 goals and 1,200 penalty minutes. After his offensive totals dropped in the NHL 2005-06 regular season, the Dallas Stars decided not to re-sign the right winger. That same season, Guerin represented Team USA at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

​

 

[Hedberg]

D/RW Bobby Rowe

1917 PCHA Second Team All-Star
1917 Stanley Cup Champion
1918 PCHA First Team All-Star
1919 PCHA First Team All-Star
1920 PCHA Second Team All-Star
1923 PCHA First Team All-Star

Legends of Hockey:

In 1909, the National Hockey Association's Renfrew Millionaires signed Bobby Rowe as a free agent. Rowe spent two seasons with the Millionaires, before being claimed by Toronto of the NHA in the 1911 Dispersal Draft. Only two weeks after being claimed by Toronto, the Victoria Aristocrats of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association signed Rowe after he jumped contract with Toronto.

From 1911 to 1915, Rowe was a member of the Aristocrats before being traded to the PCHA's Seattle Metropolitans prior to the 1915-16 season. Rowe spent nine seasons with the Metropolitans, capturing PCHA First Team All-Star honours (1918, 1919, 1923) and PCHA Second Team All-Star honours (1917, 1920).

Bobby Rowe was a member of the Seattle team that competed in the 1919 Stanley Cup Challenge Series against Montreal that was cancelled due to the influenza epidemic and was a member of the 1920 team which fell short against Ottawa.

Following the 1923-24 season, Bobby Rowe was traded to the Boston Bruins where he played in his only four career NHL games. In those four games with the Bruins, Rowe managed to score his first and only NHL goal before the Western Hockey League's Portland Rosebuds signed him as free agent in January of 1926.

Bobby Rowe retired from hockey following the 1925-26 season.

Seattle Hockey:

Bobby Rowe was one of the first players to jump from the NHA to the PCHA, joining Victoria for the league's inaugural season in 1911-12. Rowe went on to become a fixture in Seattle, playing in all nine of the Mets' seasons and ranking second on the all-time games played list with the team at 201.

Despite his small size Rowe was known as a tough customer, willing to drop the gloves and go at it whenever the need arose. He was also well known for playing through constant shoulder and leg injuries. During the 1919 Stanley Cup finals Rowe's ankle was injured so badly that he sat out the fourth game of the series under doctors orders, but when the game went into overtime and his banged up teammates began to falter Rowe took to the ice and helped to hold of the Canadiens to preserve the 0-0 tie.

Sold to Boston of the NHL when the Mets folded, Rowe played briefly with the Bruins in 1924-25 before coming back out west and settling in Portland. He became a fixture of the local hockey scene there, coaching a number of Rose City teams into the 1940s.

​

 

[Hedberg]

D Moose Goheen​

Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame

Legends of Hockey:

Frank "Moose" Goheen began his hockey career with the White Bear High School and City Team and was said to have been the finest player produced in the state of Minnesota. He was even considered by some to be even better than the legendary Hobey Baker. In addition to hockey he was an excellent football and baseball player at the University of Indiana.

Goheen was a member of the St. Paul Athletic Club when that team won the McNaughton Trophy in 1915-16 and 1916-17 as United States Amateur Hockey champions but he did not play in 1917-18 and 1918-19, choosing instead to serve in the United States Army during the First World War. After being discharged, he became a member of the 1920 United States hockey team that played in the Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, bringing home a silver medal. Goheen was named to the 1924 United States Olympic hockey team but he elected to stay home because of job commitments and did not join his countrymen in Chamonix, France.

International Hockey Legends:

Around the time of the first World War, there were two great American hockey players - Hobey Baker and Frank "Moose" Goheen. Though neither ever played in the National Hockey League, by most accounts they were every bit as good as the Canadian pros.

Despite growing up in poverty Goheen became the undisputed best player in all of Minnesota, hockey's American homeland. He, too, was a superb athlete, excelling as well at hockey and football. A natural talent he was not, instead relying on amazing desire and work ethic. His undeniable intensity helped earn him the nickname Moose despite his small size. He was quiet and kept to himself, and on the ice he was all business.

The NHL was definitely interested in Goheen. None other than the great Lester Patrick proclaimed Goheen to be the greatest American hockey player of all time. Boston, Toronto, the Montreal Maroons and New York reported to have table contract offers. The Montreal Wanderers beat everyone to the punch way back in 1917. The Bruins were the most persistent, trying to legal bind Goheen's professional hockey career to the Bruins in 1928.

 

[Hedberg]

C Alexander Almetov

1963 World Championship Gold Medalist
1964 Olympic Gold Medalist
1965 World Championship Gold Medalist
1966 World Championship Gold Medalist
1967 World Championship Gold Medalist

International Hockey Legends:

One of the reasons he is long forgotten is very few North Americans knew much of him when he actually played. Some Europeans may remember better, but his contributions in Russia will always be remembered.

Almetov, like most Russians, was a well trained forward when it came to skating, puckhandling and passing, though he was never an elite scoring threat. Part of that was because Almetov was a superior defensive forward. In fact he was a mainstay on the Russian penalty killing units perhaps the best PK man of his generation.

Anatoli Tarasov wrote the following in his book Road to Olympus:

"Perhaps sports fans who have seen our national team in action have noticed that whenever we have one man short, Alexander Almetov is sure to appear on the ice. When it comes to individual play, a question of holding on to the puck and beating off a superior force, Almetov is in a class by himself! He is not a solist, he is a star in the good sense of the word."

He was an effortless skater but more impressively he was incredibly efficient and intelligent on the ice, a true master of the game.

Almetov's strong point, according to coach Tarasov, was much like that of Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky wasn't even born when Almetov joined the Russian national team mind you, but the two shared an uncanny knack of always being at the right place at the right time. Tarasov actually compared him to a chess player, who plans out an attack before the play even begins. This is why Almetov almost always led an attack.

On the national team Almetov played second fiddle to the great Vyacheslav Starshinov, the team's #1 center. But Starshinov had the ultimate compliment for him:

"In my opinion, he played practically flawless hockey all the time."

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[TheDevilMadeMe]

RW Vladimir Vikulov

Soviet League top-5 scoring finishes:

2nd (71-72), 3rd (72-73), 4th (74-75), 5th (67-68)

Soviet League MVP voting finishes:

2nd (70-71), 3rd (71-72), 4th (69-70), 9th (76-77), 10th (75-76), 11th (73-74), 11th (74-75), 15th (77-78)

Soviet League all-star:

(69-70) - (70-71) - (71-72)

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IIHF Best Forward:

n/a

IIHF all-star:

1971 - 1972

World Championships top-5 scoring:

2nd (1972), 5th (1967), 5th (1970)

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Olympics top-5 scoring:

3rd (1972)

Vladimir Vikulov was an extremely skillful and creative forward with slick stick handling, impressive 1-on-1 techniques, rapid and accurate shots on goal and well-catered assists on goals scored by his partners. Many famous players enjoyed the opportunity to play in one line with Vikulov considered one of the best Soviet playmakers in the 1960's and 1970's. The list of his career linemates included such world class individuals as Anatoly Firsov and xxxxxx xxxxxxxxx, Valery Kharlamov and Alexander Maltsev, xxxxx xxxxxxxxxx and xxxxxx xxxxxxxx. Overall, Vikulov was arguably one of the classiest Soviet forwards.