ATD 2012 Bios Thread (as complete as possible: pic, quotes, stats, sources, etc)

[TheDevilMadeMe]

This is the highest this player has gone before, but I think we were underrating just how good he was on special teams. In fact, I'd call him a "special teams specialist" at this level.

Brian Rolston, F

Rolston is considered a utility forward, as he can play as a centre, left wing and right wing competently. The 6'2', 214 pound forward is best known for his highly regarded two-way ability

Rolston's versatility made him a regular for Team USA for over a decade:

• Gold at the 1996 World Cup
• Silver at the 2002 Olympics
• Also represented USA in the 1994 and 2006 Olympics

POWER PLAY
When Sturm drafted Rolston last time, I mentioned something like "great penalty killer, can play point on the PP in case of injuries but isn't good enough to do it regularly."

I was wrong - I was thinking of the Rolston from NJ and Colorado. I've been looking for a forward who can play the point on my second unit, and I looked at Rolston's PP numbers on The Spreadsheet. And they are very good.

From 2000-01 (his first full season in Boston) to 2007-08 (his last full season in Minnesota), Rolston averaged: 29 adjusted PP points per 82 games over a period of 563 games.

That's only a little behind some of the well-known second tier PP pointmen:
Rob Blake: 30 $PPP over his best 596 games
Brian Rafalski: 30 $PPP over his best 617 games
Scott Niedermayer: 31 $PPP over his best 533 games
Chris Chelios: 31 $PPP over his best 651 games
Dan Boyle: 32 $PPP over his best 506 games (as of 2010, might be higher now)
Borje Salming: 32 $PPP over his best 527 games
Doug Wilson: 32 $PPP over his best 656 games

(All Stars via overpass)

It appears that Rolston was playing the point on the powerplay for the majority of this time:

"Not goal," deadpanned [Brian Rolston], who has become so important to coach XXX's scheme he is a fixture at the point on the power play

A power-play tally would have been a major boost for the B's as the Hurricanes ... Brian Rolston, who has anchored the power play all season from the point

A Bruins power play just had ended, and Rolston still was at the point position playing defense very much like a forward.

(heh, guess I have to make sure his PP partner is good defensively)

Boston went on the power play when Slegr drew a penalty on center Nik Antropov at 4:41. Rolston teed up a slapper from the right point...

There are many more hits from his time in Boston. As for Minnesota (2005-06 to 2007-08):

Rolston often quarterbacked the Minnesota Wild's powerplay (a task normally given to a defenseman) due to his booming shot from the point and strong two-way ability

I think he's very capable of being the big shot from the point on a second ATD powerplay unit.

PENALTY KILLING
Rolston's an excellent penalty killer. This is much more known.

PKTime=an approximation of the number of season equivalents of shorthanded ice time that the player played. Calculated by sum of (PlayerPGA/TeamPGA).

TeamPK+=strength of the penalty kill units for which the player played. 1 is average, lower is better. 0.80 means that the unit allowed goals at 80% of a league average rate. Calculated by 1-(TmPGA -TmSHGF)/TmTSH, with each season weighted by the players PKTime.

Best penalty killing wingers by the numbers, 1968-2010

Player | PKTime | TeamPK+
Craig Ramsay | 7.96 | 0.77
Ed Westfall | 7.68 | 0.80
Bob Gainey | 6.58 | 0.83
Don Marcotte | 5.39 | 0.80
XXX | 6.16 | 0.85
Bill Barber | 3.71 | 0.80
Brian Rolston | 4.48 | 0.86
Jari Kurri | 4.14 | 0.86
XXX | 4.87 | 0.88
XXX | 4.92 | 0.89

Rolston's penalty killing has gotten him a decent Selke record:

• Selke voting – 10th(1999), 5th(2002), 10th(2003), 14th(2004), 10th(2006), 16th(2007)

Part of his effectiveness is the ability to use his speed and anticipation to score SHGs

• Short-Handed Goals – 1st(1999), 1st(2002), 2nd(2003), 3rd(2006)
• From 1995 to 2010, Rolston leads the league in short-handed goals for the regular season as well as the play-offs! (via Dreakmur)

EVEN STRENGTH
Rolston isn't as effective at even strength, but he's not a liability. He's a bit soft, but he's still known as a decent two-way player.

He'll slot into my 4th line at even strength (where eventually he'll be joined by guys who are more useful at even strength).

 

[BillyShoe1721]

LW Adam Graves

1x NHL All Star Game Participant
2x Stanley Cup Champion
2x Top 12 Goals(5, 12
4x Top 10 SHG(4, 5, 6, 10)
8th Hart Voting
3x Top 9 Selke Voting(5, 5, 9)
3x Top 2 Selke Voting Among LW(1, 2, 2)
2x Top 8 LW All Star(2, 8)*
*8th was with 2 voting points
King Clancy Memorial Trophy Winner, 1994
Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy Winner, 2001
26.6% career PK usage(32% if you remove first four years of career)

Graves earned respect throughout the league for his goal scoring ability, tough work in the corners and the slot and his tireless work off the ice for charity.

Born in Toronto, Graves played Junior B with King City, just north of his place of birth. Already a highly regarded amateur, he joined the Windsor Spitfires in 1985-86 where he averaged over a point per game as an OHL rookie. He caught the attention of a host of pro scouts and was drafted 22nd overall by the Detroit Red Wings at the 1986 NHL Entry Draft.

During his first year as the prospect for an NHL team, Graves scored 100 points and led the powerhouse Spitfires to the Memorial Cup tournament. Throughout the 1986-87 season Windsor was the top-rated junior outfit in Canada but they were upset by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Memorial Cup final. Graves returned for one last year of junior in 1987-88 but did suit up for nine big league games for Detroit.

Graves spent most of the 1988-89 season with the Wings in a support role. It seemed like more of the same through the first 13 games of 1989-90 before he was sent to Edmonton as part of the package assembled to bring Jimmy Carson home to Detroit. This was Graves' first big break in the NHL as he scored 21 points in 63 games while teaming with Martin Gelinas and former Wings teammate Joe Murphy on the Oilers' "Kid Line." The inexperienced trio continued to excel in the playoffs and helped Edmonton win its fifth Stanley Cup in seven seasons.

During the 1990-91 season, Graves continued to fill a checking role but was unsatisfied. On the eve of the 1991-92 season he was signed by the New York Rangers as a free agent and was asked to play the role of two way power forward for the first time since junior. He responded to the challenge with 26 and 36 goal performances in his first two seasons in New York. During the first of these he helped the Rangers win the President's trophy after amassing a league-high 105 points. Even though Graves improved in 1992-93, the team fell to sixth place in the Patrick Division and out of the playoffs.

Graves broke through with 52 goals and helped the Rangers lead the NHL with 112 points in 1993-94. In the process he entered the record books as the first ex-Edmonton Oiler to record a 50-goal season. That spring his ten post-season goals helped the Blueshirts win their first Stanley Cup since 1939-40. Graves was named to the NHL's second All-Star Team at left wing and was the recipient of the King Clancy Memorial trophy in recognition of his continuing work with charitable causes.

Through the remainder of the decade the Rangers failed to make a significant impact in the playoffs but Graves continued to be a reliable scorer. He topped the 30-goal mark twice while supplying leadership and grit for New York.

As the 90s came to a close, so was Graves time with the Rangers. After capturing the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2001, Graves signed with the San Jose Sharks where he was a leader both on and off the ice for the young talented Sharks for two seasons before announcing his retirement in April 2004.

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=10556

In an era when the NHL was being dominated by hockey's version of globalization, Adam Graves was very much the traditional Canadian hockey player.

"He's very physical, he will do anything to get his team geared up," said one NHL coach. "He plays the game every inch of that ice. He wants to command, and he commands a lot of respect out there. He's a total player. He's a spark. He's an inspiration. There's an MVP guy, let me tell you. He's just an outstanding player and an outstanding person."

"Adam was always the type of kid you wanted to make it," Colin Campbell, his former coach said. "He is conscientious, nice, hard-working, respectful. And usually those guys don't make it. Adam is the milk-drinker who goes through hell for you."

He played a rugged, aggressive game of hockey, with a mean streak that enhanced his talent and inspired his teammates. He parked his often bruised body in front of the net, especially when playing on the power play. Graves was a willing fighter, often known as Mark Messier's bodyguard, both in Edmonton and later New York. Kevin Lowe, teammate of both in both cities, called Graves "the sheriff" for his willingness to defend fellow Rangers.

Graves was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings out of the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. He finished the 1988 season with the Wings after leading the Spitfires to the OHL championship. He split the 1988-89 season with the Wings and their AHL affiliate. He was quickly traded in the beginning of the 1989-90 season in a huge trade. Graves, Petr Klima, Joe Murphy and Jeff Sharples were all moved to Edmonton in exchange for Michigan-born Jimmy Carson and long time Oiler tough guy Kevin McClelland.

Graves filled a similar role to McClelland while in Edmonton, but possessed much more promise which never really was tapped in the City of Champions. He played 2 seasons with the Oilers, scoring 15 goals in 139 games. He teamed with Martin Gelinas and Joe Murphy to form the Oilers version of the "Kid Line." The trio combined speed and youthful enthusiasm in a supporting role in the Oilers 1990 Stanley Cup Championship.

The New York Rangers plucked Graves away from Edmonton in 1991 via the free agency market. It was in New York that Graves blossomed into a star. He erupted in 1991-92 to score 26 goals, doubling his career total. The next year he improved to 36 goals and by 1993-94 he joined Vic Hadfield as only the second New York Ranger in history to score 50 goals. In fact Graves' 52 goals better Hadfield's then-team record by 2. Graves would add 10 goals and 17 points in 23 playoff games to help bring Lord Stanley's Cup back to Broadway for the first time since 1940.

Graves would have trouble reaching the same plateau again. Playing in pain but rarely missing a game, he became a consistent 20 goal scorer in the years following. His body was banged up, later in his career he went through a tough time, losing his infant son and his father to deaths within months.

Through it all, Graves played with the highest dignity and class, and truly bled Rangers blue. The 1994 King Clancy Memorial winner and 2000 Bill Masterton Trophy winner, Graves participates in many activities involving under privileged kids in New York.

http://nyrangerslegends.blogspot.com/2009/01/adam-graves.html

He has become a star. That is his story now. The Ranger scoring record he broke was 22 years old. He has been the best player on what has been the best team in the league for the entire season. He was named to the All-Star team for the first time. There is a chance, depending on the Rangers' finish, that he might be the league MVR The contract, of course, has been reworked, and he is on the first year of a six-year deal worth an estimated $14 million.

He still is not a stylist. The total length of all the shots he has used to score his 51 goals probably equals the distance on one Brett Hull slap shot. The average Graves goal usually involves some pushing, some shoving, a rebound or maybe a deflection. The puck usually travels no farther than a couple of feet. He is a digger, a worker bee, hitting and jamming and constantly moving. His coach, Mike Keenan, predicted that Graves would score 50 goals this season, but nobody else thought so. Graves himself says about Keenan's prediction. "I would have called his bluff."

"I'm as surprised as anyone he's scored this much," says Smith, who signed Graves as a free agent three years ago. "But do you know why I think he's scoring? I say it's because we need goals from him. If we didn't need goals from him—if we needed some other part of the game—he'd be giving more of some other part of the game. That is the way he is. Whatever you need, that's what he tries to give you. That's his character. Do you know the story of his family? He's from a social-service type of family that tries to help any way possible where there is a need."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1005072/3/index.htm

Graves, the NHL's most highly skilled bodyguard, the Rangers are loaded.

Graves roams the ice, challenging anyone who so much as frowns at Messier, the man who was greeted, upon his 1991 arrival in New York, as the Messiah.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1004870/4/index.htm

Graves’s on-ice career spanned 16 seasons and included 329 goals, countless memorable hits and fights, and a Stanley Cup, with the Rangers in 1994. Those numbers alone, though, are not the only reason the Rangers decided to retire his jersey along with his fellow ’94 teammates Messier, Mike Richter and Brian Leetch.

What Rangers fans came to know was that while Graves was fierce on the ice — he was among the toughest power forwards in the game — he was equally gentle away from the game. His teammates described someone who would pull younger players aside to help them or give advice, a role Messier called invaluable to him as a captain.

Graves’s game was anything but nice. He said when he came into the N.H.L. in 1987, he recognized that he was not a slick puck handler or a natural scorer, so he set out to make a difference in front of the net and in the corners. Many of his goals came on deflections or rebounds, always battling defensemen for position. It was a winning formula. In the ’93-94 season, he scored 52 goals, which was a Rangers record until Jaromir Jagr broke it with 54 in 2004-5.

“He was just our foundation,†Leetch said. “We always looked to Mark as our leader, and Mike was our most important player being the goalie, but he was our foundation. He was our heart and soul.â€

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/sports/hockey/03rangers.html?ref=adamgraves

On the ice or off of it, few players have given Rangers fans more to be proud of than Adam Graves. As a player, a leader, and a citizen, Graves was a champion-one of those players who would do whatever needed to be done and do it to the best of his ability.

Graves spent most of his first pro season with the Wings, going 7-5-12 in 60 games as a checker and role player.

The Oilers paired him with former Detroit teammate Joe Murphy and Martin Gelinas on the "Kid Line", a high energy trio that gave the Oilers a lift.

Rangers GM Neil Smith, looking for young legs, speed, and grit, signed Graves...

With the Rangers, Graves found himself in a new role: two-way power forward, usually on the left side of Mark Messier, who came to New York just a few weeks after Graves.

While Graves was earning a reputation as one of the NHL's toughest two-way forwards on the ice...

The front of the net was something that I had a great deal of passion for, but I knew I had to get there on every play-get there, get in position, and locate pucks.

Graves never came close to scoring 50 goals again, but he was a solid contributor through the rest of the decade, twice breaking the 30 goal mark while still providing toughness and leadership.

http://books.google.com/books?id=1w...6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=adam graves hockey&f=false

Adam Graves, a potent shooter from the left wing, has turned into the team's newest "character player" by emulating Messier's ethos of intimidation: If an opponent takes a cheap shot at one of his teammates, Graves descends like a meteor, fists flying.

http://books.google.com/books?id=iO...AEwBw#v=onepage&q=adam graves rangers&f=false

Adam Graves was a hard hitting forward with a good scoring touch.

http://books.google.com/books?id=L8...AEwCA#v=onepage&q=adam graves rangers&f=false

Rugged and skillful, Adam Graves has learned his NHL lessons well from his mentor, past and present team-mate Messier.

https://www.google.com/search?q=ada....,cf.osb&fp=cb6176a7717bdcd6&biw=1366&bih=638

In September 1991 Smith signed Adam Graves, a former Edmonton Oiler who has since become "the NHL's most highly skilled bodyguard".

http://books.google.com/books?id=i_...wBTge#v=onepage&q=adam graves rangers&f=false

The Rangers scored the winning goal after Messier took a slap shot from the point which slammed off Thibault's shin guard. The rebound bounced onto the stick of Adam Graves, who was camped out in front of the goal. Graves on-timed it ...

https://www.google.com/search?q=ada....,cf.osb&fp=cb6176a7717bdcd6&biw=1366&bih=638

Sometimes the other two players score 40 or more because the third guy someone such as Adam Graves is the one in the corner, getting killed by a defenseman to free the puck for the finishers.

"Adam, in Game One, anyway, skated better than he had in a long time," Mark Messier said yesterday. "He was stronger on the puck, stronger in the corners, and he played more like we're used to seeing Adam play.

"You know," Messier added, "Adam's had so much trouble with his back for so long that we've forgotten how dominant a player he really can be or (how he can) have the ability to dominate any game in a lot of different areas."

He has shown it everywhere. Graves' speed seems to be giving the Rangers momentum, as well.

http://articles.nydailynews.com/199...17_1_adam-graves-dominant-performance-skating

Graves, at his best, was that fine hockey combination of grit and skill. He was tough enough to be Messier's bodyguard and skillful enough to put the puck in the net.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/22/sports/hockey-emotional-return-awaits-graves.html

Add another name to the list of Rangers nursing injuries. This time it is Adam Graves, normally a left wing, who has been playing center against Eric Lindros and his Legion of Doom line in the Eastern Conference finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

http://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/23/sports/another-blow-to-rangers-graves-hurting.html

"It's the way I've played ever since I started," said the winger, a 52-goal scorer during the regular season. "When there are loose pucks, you have to whack ...

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en....,cf.osb&fp=208d80c60c9d6d9c&biw=1366&bih=638

I wasn’t a master of anything,†Graves said. “I tried to play hard all the time. I tried to play honestly. Like every player, I had my faults and I made mistakes. I’m the type of player who would just dump it in and try to run a guy into the boards instead of deke a guy. I always tried to focus on the little things I did well.

http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/24/up-next-for-the-red-carpet-adam-graves/

Adam Graves likes hitting. That preference was magnified Tuesday in the small confines of Chicago Stadium as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 in the Campbell Conference final.

Graves was sent out often by coach John Muckler in Edmonton's win Tuesday after the Blackhawks had done most of the bumping in a 5-1 victory in Game 3. He hit everything in sight.

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar...ves:+Hit+Hawks+hard+and+hurt+'em&pqatl=google

It was Graves’s grit and effort and generosity of spirit that was lauded far more than his on-ice success, which was also considerable. Befitting his rough-and-tumble style as a power forward, the Rangers painted his number on the boards in the corners of the Garden rink.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/sports/hockey/04rangers.html

During the second period, while killing a penalty, Graves scooped up a loose puck near center ice, drifted with it to the Washington blue line, whirled around in a spin move away from two Capitals, carried the puck to the far boards, led a chase of four opponents into the left-wing corner, fought off a challenge with one arm, then shielded the puck with his stocky body while dragging it along the back wall with his skates and stick until finally losing possession after 19 seconds had ticked off the penalty. Graves earned a loud ovation as he skated to the bench.

http://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/17/sports/hockey-graves-special-not-just-for-goals.html

He dedicated himself to preventing goals, to causing traffic jams for attacking forwards and to leaving a slipstream behind for his own teammates to coast along into scoring position. He mucked in the corners. He added to what seems to be a permanent collection of shiners beneath his eyes. His lips grew puffier with each passing game -- not from collagen, but from collisions.

http://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/09/sports/cement-gloves-are-off-as-graves-finds-mark.html

Adam Graves, Messier's left wing in New York, scored twice and executed some inspirational penalty killing to lead the rout.

Graves, who leads the Rangers with 23 goals, got his teammates excited and the fans cheering late in the first period, while killing a penalty when the Rangers led by 2-0. He took the puck away from Messier behind the Vancouver net and dragged it along the back wall while three other Canucks tried to get it back. Ranger Coach John Muckler called Graves's play in the first period ''one of the greatest displays I've seen in the National Hockey League.''

Muckler added: ''Phenomenal. He did everything. That was very emotional, I think, to watch him play.''

http://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/05/s...uin-messier-s-return.html?pagewanted=2&src=pm

Graves clearly uses Messier as the playmaker, Tony Amonte as the goal-scorer and himself as the checker when he plays on his usual line. And, truth be told, the line is designed to work that way. Leads Team in Penalty Minutes

In a sense, though, Graves walks a tightrope in his role for the Rangers. He is expected to be a tough guy and leads the team with 136 penalty minutes, but he is also expected to produce points.

Graves is one of the Rangers most likely to cruise the rink as an enforcer, making sure that those who dare to hit his teammates know they will have to pay.

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/24/sports/hockey-graves-shifted-for-his-own-protection.html

 

[DaveG]

D Don Awrey

Norris Voting History: 6, 11, 13
2 time Stanley Cup Champion (70, 72)
2 times top 5 in PIM: 68 (2nd), 69 (5th)
Member of 1972 Summit Series

189 points (31G, 158A) in 979 career regular season games
18 points (18A) in 71 career playoff games

Articles:
http://bruinslegends.blogspot.com/2007/05/don-awrey.html

One the ice he was a mean and miserable S.O.B., not afraid to bend the rules using to stop him from using his hands, feet, a well positioned stick and his nasty high elbows to stop an opponent.

Awrey was the consummate team player who always put the team's fortunes go ahead of any personal accomplishments. He was a classic defensive defenseman who got the same kick out of blocking a shot as of scoring a goal.

Awrey was paired together with the legendary Bobby Orr from time to time. As a "stay at home" defenseman, Awrey's attention to the back end allowed Orr to visit the offensive zone frequently.

"I was not well-liked by most of the guys I played against, especially the right wingers," Don said. "Guys going into the corners with me would try to punish me at the same time. So when that happened I would just raise my elbows a little to protect myself. I used to have some pretty good battles in those corners."

Aside from his stints in Boston and Montreal he also played for St.Louis, Pittsburgh, NY Rangers and finally for Colorado Rockies in 1978-79. This great shot blocking defenseman wasn't flashy but he was very tough to get around and he did his job admirably. Don Awrey was a classy and classic defenseman.

Awrey enjoyed being paired with the player many believe is the best of all time.

Ottawa Citizen 11/5/1971

The spotlight doesn't focus on Don Awrey all that much, what with playing in the shadows of Orr, Esposito, Green and such.
In fact the Boston Bruin defenceman goes about his business in such a methodical fashion he's known as the quiet man of the National Hockey League club's defensive corps.
But he proved again Thursday night why he's such a solid force in the Bruins fortunes, coming up with key plays as the Bruins rolled 6-1 over the St Louis Blues.

Quiet and modest, Awrey, who attracted few votes in last years All Star poll, believes in letting his skating and checking talk for him.

 

[Velociraptor]

Louis Berlinguette, LW

Position: Left Wing
HT/WT: 5'11", 175 lbs
Handedness: Left
Nickname(s): "The Flying Frenchman"
Born: May 26th, 1887 in Sainte-Ange, QC

- Berlinguette is the correct spelling of the last name.

Louis Dieudonné Berlinguette (often incorrectly spelled Berlinquette)

- credited with three Retro Selkes (1918, 1921, 1925) which suggests that he was a consistently valuable defensive forward with three wins in seven years.
- won the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1919.
- 45 goals, 33 assists, 78 points in 193 regular season games played.
- 5 assists, 5 points in 11 playoff games played. (5 games, 1g, 1a in 1919 Cup Final vs. Seattle)

Top 10 Finishes:
Assists – 2x – (4, 6)

Quotes

Trail to the Stanley Cup

Berlinguette was a fierce backchecker.

On the other hand, the Twins have very fast bottom six forwards (St. Louis, Berlinquette, Rousseau and Goyette were all known for their speed and defensive ability, though Graves is a notable exception).

- Berlinquette won three retro Selke trophies (which certainly aren’t a perfect measure but certainly highlight his defensive value) and was known as the "Flying Frenchman" due to his speed.

There were other good defensive forwards at Nighbor’s time including Jack Walker, Rusty Crawford, and Louis Berlinquette.

^ link

Legends of Hockey

Left-winger Louis Berlinquette was a fixture in the Montreal Canadiens lineup when the club was in the NHA and NHL. He was a fine skater and goal scorer whose elan on the ice helped give the club the reputation of being the "Flying Frenchmen."

Berlinquette made a name for himself by averaging more than a goal per game for the Haileybury senior club in 1908-09. The next season he was lured to the Haileybury entry in the newly-founded NHA. After spending a year with Galt in the competitive Ontario Pro League, Berlinquette returned to the NHA with the Canadiens.

In 1911-12, the clever forward played for the Montreal Victorias in the Maritime League before returning to the Canadiens the next year. Berlinquette spent five years with the club in the NHA then was on hand when it became a founding member of the National Hockey League in 1917-18.

Berlinquette was at his best in the early 1920s when he registered 12- and 13-goal performances while lining up alongside Odie Cleghorn. Following the 1923-24 season, he was acquired by the WCHL's Saskatoon Quakers where he played one season. He returned to the NHL with the Montreal Maroons in 1924-25 then joined the Pittsburgh Pirates the following season. Berlinquette retired in 1927 after spending a year with the Quebec Castors of the Can-Am League.

ourhistory.canadiens.com

A native of Papineau, QC, Louis Berlinquette played his first four games in a Canadiens uniform during the 1911-12 NHA season. He wore Habs colors for the next dozen years, a reliable second-liner for most of his career who rose to the occasion when the opportunity to shine presented itself.

The 24-year-old left wing failed to make the score sheet in the four games he played in his rookie campaign. He did record $5.00 in fines for on-ice offences, as penalty minutes were not brought in until the 1914-15 season.

He scored four times in his sophomore campaign and by his third season had established himself as a valued contributor, potting four goals and adding nine assists as well as turning over $14.00 in hard-earned currency.

Following a somewhat disappointing four-point regular season that ended well for the Habs as they hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time ever, Berlinquette rebounded the next winter with an eight-goal harvest in 1916-17.

Spending most of his career making the best of the little left wing time left available by Montreal front-liners, the 5-foot-11, 175-pounder watched as Jack Laviolette, Joe Malone and then XXXX XXXXXX skated on the first line.

Playing alongside Odie Cleghorn, Berlinquette enjoyed the most productive seasons of his career at an age when most players had already hung up their skates. He hit his offensive stride at 32, recording a 17-point campaign in 1919-20 and then improved it to 11 goals and nine assists the following season.

The Manitoba Ensign - Jan 3, 1953

Lalonde was a member of a club which boasted such names as Joe Malone, Odie and Sprague Cleghorn, Didier Pitre, Louis Berlinquette and Georges Vezina

Border Cities Star - Feb 22, 1926

... were aided by Berlinquette, giving a finished display, and their back-checking efforts

 

[Dreakmur]

Johnny Peirson !!!​

Awards and Achievemets:
2 x NHL All-Star (1950, 1951)

Team Scoring Leader (1952)
3 x Team Goal Leader (1949, 1950, 1954)

Team Play-off Scoring Leader (1949)
3 x Team Play-off Goal Leader (1948, 1949, 1951)

Statistics:
Points – 8th(1950), 10th(1949), 10th(1952), 17th(1954), 18th(1951)
Goals – 5th(1950), 7th(1949), 9th(1954), 16th(1951), 16th(1952)
Assists – 11th(1952), 16th(1949), 16th(1950), 18th(1958)

Point Percentages – 75, 72, 65, 60, 58
Goal Percentages – 85, 77, 65, 64, 61

Play-off Points – 3rd(1953)
Play-off Goals – 6th(1948), 6th(1949), 10th(1953)
Play-off Assists – 2nd(1953), 10th(1952), 10th(1957)

I would say I was above average because I was a better balanced player, a forward that knew how to back check. The only thing I wish I had done was to work more diligently on my upper body strength because I would've been a better player. I lost a lot of battles and wasn't able to do what I would like to have done from the point of view of strength. But I had some defensive skills as well as being able to find the net sometimes.

Peirson quickly evolved into a useful player who could backcheck, strive for team-oriented goals and harvest his share of points. He cracked the 20-goal barrier four times during his eleven years as a Bruin.

But Peirson's goal scoring talent ensured his varsity status. He often played alongside Paul Ronty and xxx, giving the Bruins one of the league's better offensive units. In 3 seasons, the black haired sharpshooter scored 68 goals.

From 1948-49 to 1953-54, Peirson was the go to guy, scoring 20 or more goals in four seasons in an epoch when a 20 goal scorer was roughly equivalent to a .300 hitter in baseball.

"The older I got, the better I played," said Peirson, who played a major part in the Bruins 1952-1953 playoff success. Johnny totaled 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points in 11 games. His 6 assists ranked him second best-teammate Fleming Mackell was first with seven-of all playoff performers.

At 5'11" 170 pounds, Peirson could never run over the opposition but played the game hard...He was strong enough to last a decade in the bigs.

The line I played on-with Johnny Peirson and Fleming Mackell-got hot and we defended very well against Howe and Lindsay.

Among the younger guys was Johnny Peirson, who was from Montreal and had gone to McGill University for a year. John was the right wing on my line. He was an astute hockey player; a smart right handed shot and a good skater who played his position well. I'd call him a thinking man's hockey player-always watching what the other guy was doing to offset him. I liked playing with Peirson because I knew pretty well what he was going to do when we were on the ice.

Peirson had two careers with the Boston Bruins. He spent ten years as a solid right winger, four times scoring 20 or more goals, and had 27 goals in the 1949-50 season.

When it came to the discussion of the strategy and tactics involved in the game, Peirson was prominent...His knowledge of the game, and how individuals should play, was a given.

 

[Dreakmur]

Kevin Hatcher !!!​

Awards and Achivements:
5 x NHL All-Star (1990, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997)

All-Star votes – 5th(1993), 7th(1991), 9th(1997), 10th(1992), 12th(1990), 14th(1989)
Norris votes – 4th(1993), 6th(1991), 7th(1992), 12th(1997)

Statistics:
Points – 5th(1991), 5th(1997), 6th(1993), 11th(1998), 14th(1990), 14th(1995), 16th(1999), 17th(1992)
Goals – 1st(1993), 2nd(1991), 2nd(1998), 5th(1997), 6th(1995), 7th(1996), 9th(1994), 10th(1992), 12th(1999), 14th(1988), 15th(1989), 17th(1990)

Play-off Points – 4th(1988), 9th(1990)
Play-off Goals – 3rd(1988), 5th(1991), 5th(1994), 10th(1992)

Kevin Hatcher was a powerful straight ahead skater, which he displayed whenever he could by jumping into or leading the rush. With his giant stride he could catch even the speediest of transition attackers on the way back. Defensively he could look awkward when turning, but he compensated for that with his gigantic reach.

He had a devastating shot from the point, and would often come crashing in from the blue line looking for a surprise garbage goal. When he was on his many offensive rushes he was an excellent give and go player. Otherwise he was good passer, but not a greatly creative player.

Physically he could dominate. He was imposing at 6'4" and 225lbs, and he enjoyed banging bodies, sometimes with a mean streak. Other times, especially as his career advanced, he seemed quite disinterested in the physical game, which for someone of his size is extremely frustrating for coaches and fans alike. He lost a few fights early in his career and seemed to back down over time. Perhaps this was simply because his coaches wanted him on the ice, not by the ice box.

He could be guilty of getting out of position to make a big hit. Since he didn't have the lateral mobility to recover he could get burned by such bad reads. He was usually a safe defender when it came to clearing the puck, usually breaking a man with a good pass. He could be guilty of overhandling the puck, and when he did cough up the puck in his own zone, he usually did so royally.

 

[Dreakmur]

Trotz's coaching style works well: You don't ever hear players grumble about Trotz the way they do about other coaches around the league. He can be demanding, but he isn't overly confrontational and he stays in control. He seems respectful of his players. There is never any panic in him. He seems to have a knack for coaxing strong efforts out of his players at the right times, like he did this season when the team gave up six goals in the third period and lost 8-5 in San Jose. It looked like an uh-oh moment for the Predators, but the team immediately rebounded and won their next six games. There is tremendous respect around the NHL for Trotz's ability to keep his team focused.

Barry Trotz !!!​

Award and Achievements:
Stanley Cup Champion (2018)
Calder Cup (1994)
Calder Cup Finals (1996)

World Championship Gold Medal (2003)
World Championship Silver Medal (2009)

2 x Jack Adams Winner (2016, 2019)
Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award Winner (1994)

Jack Adams - 1st(2016), 1st(2019), 2nd(2010), 3rd(2011), 4th(2006), 4th(2007), 4th(2008), 5th(2012), 5th(2015), 5th(2017), 6th(2004), 7th(1999), 10th(2009)

2014 Player Poll:
1st Best Coach


Nashville Team Statistics:
Goals For – 4th(2007), 8th(2003), 9th(2012), 10th(2006), 12th(2004), 15th(2008), 15th(2010)

Goals Against – 2nd(2011), 7th(2001), 7th(2006), 8th(2007), 9th(2003), 9th(2012), 11th(2009), 14th(2010)

Penalty Kill – 3rd(2007), 3rd(2008), 5th(2006), 5th(2011), 8th(2001), 9th(2002), 10th(2009), 12th(2000), 15th(2012), 17th(2003), 24th(2004), 27th(1999), 28th(2010)

Power Play – 2nd(2012), 10th(2006), 11th(2004), 17th(2007), 23rd(2001), 23rd(2002), 24th(2010), 25th(1999), 25th(2000), 25th(2009), 26th(2003), 26th(2011), 27th(2008)

The first and only coach in franchise history, Barry Trotz is regarded as one of the top bench bosses in the game today, having been a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach for each of the past two seasons (2009-10 and 2010-11). In his 13 seasons and 14 years as the Predators’ coach, Trotz has put himself among some legendary names, ranking fourth all-time in games coached (984) and sixth all-time in wins (455) with a single franchise. Trotz also broke into the Top 20 in all-time coaching victories in 2010-11. Additionally, he is one of just seven coaches in all four major North American sports leagues to have coached or managed each of a team’s first 12 seasons of existence (NHL: Lester Patrick (13, N.Y. Rangers); MLB: Connie Mack (50, Oakland); NFL: Curly Lambeau (29, Green Bay), Tom Landry (29, Dallas), Hank Stram (15, Kansas City), Paul Brown (15, Cleveland)).

He enters 2011-12 just 16 games away from becoming just the fourth man to reach 1,000 games with a franchise (Al Arbour, 1,500 (N.Y. Islanders); Lindy Ruff, 1,066 (Buffalo); Billy Reay, 1,012 (Chicago)) and is just 10 wins shy becoming the fifth coach to reach 465 victories with one team (Arbour, 740; Ruff, 526; Reay, 516; Toe Blake, 500 (Montreal)).

Trotz, the second-longest tenured coach in the NHL behind only Buffalo’s Lindy Ruff, guided the Predators to playoff series victory for the first time in franchise history in 2011, topping the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference Quarterfinals before pushing the Stanley Cup Finalist Vancouver Canucks to six hard-fought games in the conference semifinals. Trotz is the only coach to lead his team to the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons, averaging nearly 98 points per season (91 in 2003-04, 106 in 2005-06, 110 in 2006-07, 91 in 2007-08, 88 in 2008-09, 100 in 2009-10 and 99 in 2010-11). The Predators also boast the League’s sixth highest win total (272) and third-most home victories (155) in the League since the start of the 2005-06 season.

Trotz’s modus operandi is using an aggressive system based on strong forechecking and sound defense to direct a young, hungry, hard-working group to the playoffs on an annual basis. His mission to get the most out of his team helped Trotz earn his second straight nomination for the Jack Adams Award in 2011 after guiding the Predators to the fifth seed in the Western Conference with a 44-27-11 record despite losing 348 man-games due to injury, a number that ranked among the Top Five in the League, having the 21st highest payroll and fifth youngest roster down the stretch, the youngest among playoff teams (26 years, 140 days). Nashville gave up the fewest goals in the Western Conference in 2010-11 (194), and finished with the League’s fifth-best penalty kill (87.8 percent).

In 2010, he finished second in voting for the Jack Adams voting his first time as an award finalist after leading his squad to a 47-29-6 record for 100 points, the third-best finish in franchise. In both seasons, Nashville posted one of the NHL’s top records down the stretch, going 11-3-1 in its final 15 games of 2010-11 and 14-6-1 after the Olympic break in 2009-10.

Trotz also raked in the individual accolades following the 2006-07 campaign after guiding the Predators to the second-most points in the Western Conference and tied for the third-most points in the entire National Hockey League, notching franchise records in points (110), wins (51), road wins (23) and goals (272) in the process. He was named 2007 Coach of the Year by The Sporting News, an honor determined through a vote of his peers, in addition to finishing fourth in Jack Adams voting and serving as an assistant coach for the Western Conference All-Stars at the 2007 NHL All-Star Game.

The 49-year-old Dauphin, Manitoba native reached his goal of becoming an NHL head coach when he was named to his current position on Aug. 6, 1997. After a year aggressively scouting talent in North America and Europe, Trotz and his staff made the most of their opportunity by leading the inaugural edition (1998-99) of the Predators to a 28-47-7 record. Starting with a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 13, 1998, the Predators’ 28 wins were the third-most in expansion history.

On March 1, 2003, Trotz coached his 392nd game with the Nashville Predators, establishing a league record for most games coached by a team’s original coach since the NHL’s first expansion in 1967. He surpassed current Nashville broadcast analyst Terry Crisp’s mark of 391 games coached as the Tampa Bay Lightning’s first coach from 1992-97.

Prior to joining the Predators, Trotz spent five seasons (1992-97) as the head coach of the Washington Capitals' primary developmental affiliate in the American Hockey League. He was named head coach of the Baltimore Skipjacks in 1992 after one season as an assistant coach. Following the franchise’s relocation to Portland, Maine in 1993, he led the Portland Pirates to two Calder Cup Finals appearances over the next four seasons. In 1994-95, Trotz coached Portland to a Calder Cup Championship and a league-best 43-27-10 record and captured AHL Coach of the Year honors. In 2006, he was honored with election to the Pirates’ Hall of Fame.

Trotz has also gained experience coaching on the international stage, serving as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships on three occasions. In 2003, he helped the Canadians strike gold in Russia, and in 2009 he helped guide Canada to a silver medal in Switzerland. The first time he answered the call for his nation came at the 2002 Championships in Sweden.

Trotz began his coaching career in 1984 as an assistant with the University of Manitoba. He then served two seasons (1985-87) as the head coach and general manager of the Dauphin Kings junior hockey club before returning to the University of Manitoba as the head coach in 1987. In January 2001, Trotz was inducted into the University's Hall of Fame.

During the 1987 campaign, Trotz also served as a scout for the Spokane Chiefs (WHL) and a part-time scout for the Capitals. In 1988, he joined Washington as a full-time western scout, and the next season he became the Caps' chief western scout.

Before coaching, Trotz played junior hockey for Regina (WHL) from 1979-83, capturing a WHL championship in 1979-80. The defenseman registered 102 points (19g-83a) and 490 penalty minutes in 204 games.

The popular head coach and his family are active in a variety of service and charitable initiatives in the Middle Tennessee community. This commitment was recognized when Trotz was honored with the Community Spirit Award (in recognition for community service) at the 2005 O’Charley’s Dinner of Champions, presented by the Nashville Sports Council.

Since the Predators inception, the Trotz’s have donated $500 to My Friend’s House (a United Way agency) for each Nashville victory. He is an active board member for Peterson for Parkinson’s Foundation, the Williamson County YMCA and the United Way. He also works closely with Best Buddies of Tennessee, a nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-on-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Barry and his wife, Kim, reside in Brentwood along with their four children: Shalan, Tyson, Tiana and Nolan.

 

[EagleBelfour]

Billy Burch

Nickname: The Babe Ruth of Hockey
Height: 6'0''
Weight: 200 lbs
Position: Centre / Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Date of Birth: November 20th, 1900
Place of Birth: Yonkers , New York, United States
Date of Death: November 30th, 1950 (Age: 50)


Memorial Cup Champion (1920)
SOHA First All-Star Team (1922)
SOHA Second All-Star Team (1921)
Stanley Cup Finalist (1925)
Hart Trophy (1925)
Lady Bing (1927)
Team Captain (1925-1932)
Hockey Hall of Fame (1974)

Seasons|GP|G|A|PTS|PIM
12|390|137|53|190|251

Top-10 Scoring (3rd*, 8th, 8th**, 8th**)
Top-10 Goalscoring (2nd*, 4th, 6th**, 6th**)
Top-10 Assist (3rd*, 8th)
*1923-24 season: NHL, PCHA and WCHL in existence
**1924-25 & 1925-26 season: NHL and WCHL/WHL in existence


Award Nomination:

Hart Memorial Trophy:
1923-24: 5th position (Frank Nighbor)
1924-25: 1st position (79 points on a maximum of 100, 19 points over Howie Morenz)
1925-26: 11th position (Nels Stewart) (11 points on a maximum of 100)
1926-27: 6th position (Herb Gardiner) (43 points on a maximum of 100)

Lady Bing Trophy:
1925-26: 2nd position (Frank Nighbor) (63 points on a maximum of 100, 13 points behind Frank Nighbor)
1926-27: 1st position (77 points on a maximum of 100, 18 points over Dick Irvin Sr.)

Burch was a big man for a centre in those days and although not very fast was an excellent playmaker and polished stickhandler. His size probably got him quite a few penalties that he did not deserve by leaning a little too heavily on some of his opponents. Although his linemate liked to mix it up, he avoided the rough stuff.

The Hamilton team was shifted to the US where it became the New York Americans in 1925. Burch, an excellent playmaker and stickhandler, was made captain. Since he was born in Yonkers he was quickly promoted as "the Babe Ruth of hockey" in order to drum up interest in hockey. A slick skater and playmaker, Burch kept the fans in the stands. Hockey became very popular in New York, partly due to Bill Burch's excellent play, and soon the NHL introduced a second New York team, the Rangers.

Burch was a big, strong man blessed with all-around offensive abilities. Although not an overly tough player, he played a hard, clean game. He specialty was the puck control game, using his superior hand-eye coordination and long reach to set up sparkling offensive plays. This gift combined with a hard, accurate shot and a defensive conscience made Burch everything a coach could possibly want in a player.

After several seasons in last place, the team soared to the top of the NHL in 1924-25. Burch, who would one day land in the Hockey Hall of Fame, scored 20 goals in 27 games to win the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. His wingers were brothers Red and Shorty Green, giving Hamilton a forward line that was almost unstoppable. The team was a clear Stanley Cup favorite.

But the ludicrous "Babe Ruth" nickname proved too much to live up to. Novice hockey fans would howl in protest whenever Burch passed the puck or took anything other than a direct route to the net. In subsequent seasons his productivity declined, although he remained among the top scorers on a poor team.

Winners of the Lady Byng Trophy usually have low penalty minute totals combined with a high scoring count. Only twice has the award gone to a player with 40 PIM - Frank Nighbor of the Ottawa Senators in 1925-26 and Billy Burch of the New York Americans in 1926-27, the second and third years the award was presented. In seasons of only 36 and 44 games, those were fairly high penalty-minute totals, an indication that the standards of gentlemanly conduct have changed over the years.

The Tigers in their desperation to win shuttled Goldie back and forth from defence to forward. [...] He was still fast enough as a forward to keep up with Malone, Roach, Albour and Burch.

Newspapers clips:

Billy Burch was a hot-headed young player and generally rated as such. His impetiosity led him into numerous mix-ups, many of which resulted in penalties. On many occasions he took short vacations at the urgent request of the officials and at the side of the ice for a few minutes.

Then he seems to have realized exactly what he had been doing. [...] he proceeded to take-himself in hand. He criticized his own actions as severely as any dramatic critic with indigestion ever panned a poor production.

He got results, one of them being the Hart Trophy and another the reputation he now has as perhaps the cleanest player in Canadian pro hockey. Last year, Fred Hooey of Boston who is considered the peer of United States experts in hockey matters picked the young Canadian as centre for the all-star team which he trotted out on paper at the conclusion of the season.

The little affair of checking his own headedness labels Billy Burch as a person of considerable intelligence and common-sense and must have been one of the deciding factors in Tex Rickard's choice. For if there is one thing above all necessary for the captain of a hockey team which is to play on the edge of the bright lights of Broadway, it is head that is level without being solid.

Billy Burch's standing as one of the cleanest, most conscientious and hard-working of hockeyist throws an interesting and highly favorable sidelight on the whole question of hockey as a business.

New York Americans, led by crafty, brilliant Billy Burch.

Frank Nighbor, who received a wrenched ankle, but the famous center-ice star is expected to be back in good condition for another individual combat with capt. Billy Burch of the Americans who is rated by his friends the equal of the great Nighbor in the center ice position. [...] players like Billy Burch, the Green brothers, Red and Shorty, ''Bullet'' Joe Simpson, Mickey Roach and Edouard Bouchard depend almost entirely upon their speed and stick-handling to win games.

Billy Burch, New York Americans star and steady challenger for top ranking.

The award of the Lady Bing to the crafty centre player will meet with approval. On the ice, Burch is a clever pivot, a dangerous shot and a clean playing effective athlete.

These stars when teamed up with such brilliant players as Lionel Conacher and Billy Burch makes a formidable outfit.

''Just as long as the rules allow the Rangers to throw four men around their goal and allow Frank Boucher, center player, to loaf around mid-ce, waiting for the pass-out, we will keep Billy Burch, our own centre man, back there to cover him.''

No. 5 is Billy Burch, rated one of hockey's super-stars, playing centre in opposition to Somers tomorrow night and Lepine on Monday night. There will be some rare duelling, for Burch bows his head to no centre player in hockey.

Burch, one of the most capable centers in the National league.

Billy Burch, hard playing New York centre

Burch, 32 years old and first string centre for the Americans for the past seven seasons.

The acquisition of Nels Stewart, Joe Lamb and Billy Burch should add considerable strength to the club. All three are rugged players.

Newspapers Obituary:

Although best known as a fast and clever centre in both amateur in profesionnal ranks, he was also a star football and lacrosse player.

Announcement of the death of Billy burch in Toronto yesterday will take hockey followers back in the 1920's and the early 30s when his name was one that commanded attention whenever it was mentioned in connection with NHL activities. [...] A crafty, play-making center ice player. [...] Billy Burch, one of Toronto's most brilliant hockey players in the 1920, died last night after an ilness of two months. During his entire NHL career he was looked upon as one of the best center-ice players in the league, and was consistently high scorer.

Versatility on the ice:

Such is fame. Billy Burch, playing left wing for the Americans

Billy Burch, veteran all around hockey player who recently has been performing as a forward and also on defense for the Boston Bruins. [...] Burch, a converted left wing.

Defeat was doubly bitter for the Hawks because Billy Burch, a defense man [...]

[...] although one or more of these clubs had great athletes and such Hall of Fame players as defenseman-forward Billy Burch.

Quotes:

- ''Every time one of them passed to another player, the spectators howled in rage and disappointment. Seeking to please the customers, Billy (Burch) and Joe (Simpson) did as little passing as possible. This resulted in spectacular but futile one-man raids on the enemies' nets and a rapid disintegration of the team play necessary to ensure victories, as other players then all tried to get into individual acts.'' - Frank Graham Sr., New York Sun


Fun and Interesting Facts:
- Although he grew up in Canada and played the game at an early age in the Toronto area, Burch is known as the first American born star in the National Hockey League
- He was quarterback for Toronto Central YMCA, which won the Canadian junior championship. That season, he played with another all-around sportsman in Lionel Conacher. Burch was also a pretty good lacrosse player
- From the 1923-24 season up until the end of the 1927 season, Billy Burch was where he teamed up with brothers Red and Shorty Green until 27
- On December 2nd, 1925, Burch scored the very first NHL goal in the city of Pittsburgh, as the New York Americans played the Pittsburgh Pirates at the Duquesne Gardens. The goal was scored at 6:12 of the second period, assisted by Ken Randall
- At the end of the 1925 regular season, the Tigers were favorites to win the Cup, but the Hamilton players refused to take part in the post season unless each player received and additional $200 for playing extra games. It was hockey's first player's strike and it cost Burch his best shot at the Stanley Cup
- Burch scored the first goal in the New York Americans history, a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates
- Before the start of the 1926 season, Burch sign a lucrative, three-year deal, rumored to be worth between 18,000$ to 25,000$
- During the 1927-28 season, Burch was suspended with Lionel Conacher for one game by manager Newsy Lalonde for failing to observe training rules and keep in condition
-In the 1928-29 season, Burch played centre, with Johnny S0heppard on his left side, and Rabbit McVeigh or Harry Broadbent or his right side
- A week before re-signing with the Americans, in 1929, it was rumored that Billy Burch could be traded for Hooley Smith. The Montreal Canadiens were also rumored to be interested in Burch's service
-While in New York, the young, good-looking centre grew fond of the party life, which may explain the sudden drop in his offensive production
- At the time of his retirement, Burch was also the last active player that had played for the Hamilton Tigers


Signing, Trades & Injuries:
- On January 30th, 1923, he signed as a free agent with the Hamilton Tigers
- Burch was a holdout for a new contract before the 1929-30 season, but signed on november 22nd, before the season began
- Since Christmas 1929, Burch missed some games due of an infected hand. He had a little pimple on a little finger, and squeezed it. Soon afterwards his whole hand became infected, and he has little use of it since. The same thing happen to Andy Blair of the Leafs at the beginning of that season
- Missed part of the 1929-30 season due to a bad knee
- On April 13th, 1932, he was traded to the Boston Bruins by the New York Americans for cash
- On January 17th, 1933, he was traded to Chicago Black Hawks by the Boston Bruins for Vic Ripley
- Burch broke his leg three game before the end of the season in Chicago and decided to retire


Miscellaneous:

As a boy,
Billy Burch took his skates to bed
at night.
He did this so often that taking
skates
to
bed
became

a sort of tradition.

- Burch indeed slept with his skates when he was younger


Abbreviation:

PCHL: Pacific Coast Hockey League
SOHA: Senior Ontario Hockey League
WCHL: Western Canadian Hockey League
WHL: Western Hockey League


Internet Sites:
http://www.sihrhockey.org/member_player_sheet.cfm?player_id=499&CFID=1242428&CFTOKEN=66980676
http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=P197401
http://www.greatesthockeylegends.com/2008/03/billy-burch.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Burch
http://proicehockey.about.com/od/history/a/billy_burch.htm

 

[Velociraptor]

Albert "Battleship" Leduc, D

Position: Defenseman
HT/WT: 5'9", 180 lbs
Handedness: Right
Nickname(s): "Battleship", "Albair"
Born: November 22th, 1902 in Valleyfield, QC

- 2-time Stanley Cup Champion (1930, 1931)
- Paired with Sylvio Mantha as the 2 defensemen of the “All Pre-War Canadiens†Team, selected by Sports Illustrated for the 100th Anniversary of the Montreal Canadiens
- scored 57 goals and 35 assists for 92 points in 383 regular season games, adding 614 penalty minutes.
- scored 5 goals and 6 assists for 11 points in 28 playoff games, adding 32 penalty minutes.

Top 10 Finishes:
Penalty Minutes - 3x - (7, 9, 10)

Quotes

Legends of Hockey

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

Born in Valleyfield, Quebec, Leduc spent the 1923-24 season with the senior Montreal Hochelega club. After spending a year in the Eastern Canada League with the Montreal Nationals, the solid defender joined the Canadiens in 1925-26. "Battleship" spent eight years with Montreal delivering solid hits and making life difficult for opposing forwards. He helped the Canadiens win consecutive Stanley Cups in 1930 and 1931 and was a popular figure with the Forum crowd.

Sports Illustrated

Speedy, strong and tough, Leduc was known as the Battleship in nine seasons with Montreal, scoring 56 goals. He then became a minor league player-coach, counting a young Hector (Toe) Blake among his charges.

ourhistory.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 “Battleship.â€

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

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.

Who's Who in Hockey

Defensemen such as Albert "Battleship" Leduc infused the Canadiens with the kind of pizzazz that earned them the label of hockey's most colorful pre-World War II team.

... Leduc was frequently overshadowed by his defense partners, Sylvio Mantha and Herb Gardiner. But Leduc, according to former Canadiens managing director Frank Selke Sr., was "a typical Habitant." As Selke described Leduc, "Battleship had a highly excitable temperament. On the ice he made all of his moves at top speed. He could score on his long end-to-end rushes but, more than all else, he handed out a body check which, in his day, was the most important attribute of any defenseman."

One of the best offensive/rushing defensemen of his era

ourhistory.canadiens.com

As adept with the puck as he was at retrieving it, Leduc scored at least five goals in every full season he played in Montreal, adding double-digit assist totals in most of those campaigns.

During his prime (1925-33), Leduc was:
-6th in regular season points by a defenseman. 1-5 are all in the Hall of Fame
-Tied for 1st (with King Clancy and Hap Day) in playoff points by a defenseman
-6th in playoff points (all players) in 1930

-One of the more notable increases in points-per-game between the regular season and the playoffs in hockey history: http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t...ighlight=leduc (disclaimer – defenseman scoring is a small sample size in this era)

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.

Newspaper Recordings:

Described as a “defensive ace†in newspaper accounts from the Globe and Mail

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, XXX and XXX 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 defense. 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 11,000 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 XXX, XXX and XXX, 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.

Thanks to Leafs Forever and TDMM for information for the biography.

 

[EagleBelfour]

Jiri Bubla

Height: 5'11''
Weight: 200 lbs
Position: Defense
Shoots: Right
Date of Birth: January 27th, 1950
Place of Birth: Usti nad Labem , Czech Republic


WEC-A Gold Medalist (1972, 1976, 1977)
WEC-A Silver Medalist (1971, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979)
WEC-A Bronze Medalist (1973)
WEC-A All-Star Team (1978, 1979)
WEC-A Best Defenceman Award (1979)
Olympics Silver Medalist (1976)
Olympics Bronze Medalist (1972)
Czechoslovakian League All-Star Team (1977)
Best Defenseman Izvestia Tournament (1978*)
Assitant Captain (___)
Czechoslovakia Hockey Hall of Fame (2010)

*Izvestia Tournament: Sponsored by the Izvestia Daily newspaper in Russia, the Izvestia Cup was an anual international tournament held in late December. The first Cup took place in 1967. Due to its popularity, the Izvestia Cup soon became known as a "mini World Championship" played between the top national teams. By many accounts, it was called a "winter rehearsal" for the World Championship in the spring.
Because of financial difficulties, the tournament changed its sponsorship and became the Baltica Cup in 1997.


Czechoslovakian Hockey League:

Seasons|GP|G|A|PTS|PIM
13|520|92|190|282|111

No Data:
Penalty minutes: 1968-1977

Top-10 Scoring (5th, 12th)
Top-10 Assist (2nd, 3rd, 3rd, 4th, 9th)

Top-5 Scoring Among Defenceman (1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 3rd, 3rd)
Top-5 Goalscoring Among Defenceman (1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 3rd)
Top-5 Assist Among Defenceman (1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th)


National Hockey League:

Seasons|GP|G|A|PTS|PIM
5|256|17|101|118|202

World and European Championship & Olympic:

Seasons|GP|G|A|PTS|PIM
11|97|13|29|42|54

Top-10 Assist (8th)

Top-5 Scoring Among Defenceman (1st, 3rd, 4th, 4th)
Top-5 Goalscoring Among Defenceman (3rd, 4th)
Top-5 Assist Among Defenceman (1st, 2nd, 2nd, 5th)


Canada Cup:

Seasons|GP|G|A|PTS|PIM
1|7|3|2|5|4

Top-10 Goalscoring (9th)

Top-5 Scoring Among Defenceman (4th)
Top-5 Goalscoring Among Defenceman (2nd)


Awards Nomination:

Golden Hockey Stick

1976:
1. Vladimír Martinec (Tesla Pardubice)
2. Jirí Holecek (Sparta Praha)
3. Milan Nový (SONP Kladno)
4. Ivan Hlinka (CHZ Litvínov)
5. František Pospíšil (SONP Kladno)
6. Jirí Novák (Tesla Pardubice)
7. Oldrich Machac (ZKL Brno)
8. Jirí Holík (Dukla Jihlava)
9. Vladimír Dzurilla (ZKL Brno)
10. Jirí Bubla (CHZ Litvínov)

1977:
1. Milan Nový (Poldi SONP Kladno)
2. Ivan Hlinka (CHZ Litvínov)
3. František Pospíšil (Poldi SONP Kladno)
4. Vladimír Martinec (Tesla Pardubice)
5. Marián Štastný (Slovan Bratislava)
6. Vladimír Dzurilla (Zetor Brno)
7. Jirí Bubla (CHZ Litvínov)
8. Jirí Holecek (Sparta Praha)
9. Bohuslav Ebermann (Å koda Plzen)
10. Jirí Holík (Dukla Jihlava)

1978:
1. Ivan Hlinka (CHZ Litvínov)
2. Jirí Holecek (Sparta CKD Praha)
3. Jirí Bubla (CHZ Litvínov)
4. Milan Nový (Poldi SONP Kladno)
5. Jaroslav Pouzar (Motor Ceské Budejovice)
6. František Pospíšil (Poldi SONP Kladno)
7. Vladimír Martinec (Tesla Pardubice)
8. Marián Štastný (Slovan Bratislava)
9. Bohuslav Ebermann (Å koda Plzen)
10. Miroslav Dvorák (Motor Ceské Budejovice)

1979:
1. Vladimír Martinec (Tesla Pardubice, Dukla Jihlava)
2. Marián Štastný (Slovan Bratislava)
3. Jirí Bubla (CHZ Litvínov)
4. Jirí Králík (Dukla Jihlava)
5. Marcel Sakác (Slovan Bratislava)
6. Peter Štastný (Slovan Bratislava)
7. Ivan Hlinka (CHZ Litvínov, Dukla Trencín)
8. Bohuslav Ebermann (Å koda Plzen)
9. Jirí Novák (Tesla Pardubice)
10. Miroslav Frycer (TJ Vítkovice)

One of the toughest blueliners of his time, was a good skater. Played exceptionally well offensively, famous for his powerful shot.

Defenceman Jiri Bubla spent five years with the Vancouver Canucks in the 1980s after a stellar decade on the Czechoslovakian national squad. He used his mobility and hockey sense effectively at both ends of the ice and was a solid point man on the power play.

Born in Usti nad Labem, Czechoslovakia, Bubla became one of the best-known national team players in 1970s. His alert play in his own end and crisp passes were crucial to his country's exemplary transition game.

Jiri Bubla was a legendary defenseman in his native Czechoslovakia during the 1970's and 80's.

When Jiri played in Litvinov much of the attention was on him and forward Ivan Hlinka. They were the stars of their club team and had a remarkably similar playing career. They were born one day apart. They both became world champions on three occasions. They both started playing in the Litvinov system in 1959. They both played in two Olympics. They both played in the 1976 Canada Cup. And they both played for Vancouver Canucks in the early 1980's.

Ultimately he chose hockey though, another sport that came naturally to him. On the European stage he was known as a tough, strong and a hard hitter who handled the puck very well. Blessed with mobility and hockey sense, he was extremely good at quick transitions from defense to offense. His sharp outlet passes created many scoring opportunities for streaking forwards that caught opposition defenders a step behind.

If the doors of opportunity had ever opened, Jiri Bubla might have shone for Czechoslovakia in the NHL of the 1970’s as Borje Salming did for Sweden. Instead, the 5-11, 200-pound native of Usti nad Labern kept his talents on the other side of the Atlantic, combining solid defense and offensive savvy for HC Litvinov.

There were times in his life when Jiri Slegr probably never much cared whether he ever saw his father Jiri Bubla. But there they were last Sunday night here quietly having dinner together, the Vancouver Canucks newest defenceman and a man once generally considered to be the best defenceman in the world together again, and it was a heartwarming sight.

Interview with Robert Záruba 2010:
Q: In Your opinion, which Czechoslovak hockey players are the very best ever?
A: I'd have to mention at least 40 players, so I am just going to mention the best from my favourite era - Jiří Holeček, Jiří Bubla, Ivan Hlinka, Vladimír Martinec.

Interview with Jiri Bubla - 18th October, 2006
Jiri Bubla – a defenseman surrounded by legends; Bubla was rarely seen off the ice, it seemed like he had two pairs of lungs, and was impervious to pain.

Q: Have you ever thought about the possibility to play in the NHL when you were younger?
A: Of course. I think I'd have had a good chance to succeed. But it was illegal to leave for the NHL at that time. And I couldn't risk losing my family.

Q: But you were given the chance to go to the NHL later.
A: Yes, but I was 10 years older, and past my prime. Unfortunately, I broke my ankle in the first year in the NHL. We didn't have a good team. It was hard. I hate losing.

Q: So how come you made it to the Stanley Cup final in 1982?
A: We were lucky. All season long Calgary gave us trouble, but then we swept them. In addition, Los Angeles surprisingly beat Edmonton, we beat LA, then we got on roll and played against Chicago.

Q: You played against Edmonton and Gretzky at their best, how was it?
A: All five guys on the ice had to defend. If there was a better system in place, such as today's Detroit, it would be harder for Gretzky. But I was perhaps the first guy who hit him really hard.

Q: Really?
A: He fell on his butt. The whole arena was shocked. Mr. Semenko immediately went after me, but I told him “I don't fight.â€. In the end, nothing happened. I didn't go after Gretzky, it wasn't personal. I always played that way. Kharlamov always asked me: “Jiri, why do you always hit me?â€. It had nothing to do with the Soviet occupation in 1968, I just had to find a way to stop him.

Quotes:

- ''He really took a gamble and faugth against the establishment to go to Czech Republic and get Ivan Hlinka and Jiri Bubla, who at that time were two of the world best hockey player and were very prominent in Europe.'' - Jim Robson

- ''Bubla was at the end of his career, but a very good player. Smart, good passer, strong as a bull in front of the net.'' - Jim Robson


Signing, Trades & Injuries:
- On May 28th, 1981, Bubla was selected by the Colorado Rockies in Special Czechoslovakian Entry Draft
- On July 15th 1981, his NHL rights were obtained by the Vancouver Canucks from the Colorado Rockies as part of a three-team deal that saw the Vancover Canucks trade Brent Ashton and a 1982 fourth round draft choice to the Winnipeg Jets. Winnipeg then traded Ashton and a 1982 third round draft choice to Colorado for Lucien DeBlois
- Bubla broke his leg after 23 games of his first season with the Vancouver Canucks, missing the team to the Stanley Cup Final


Fun & Interesting Facts:
- Bubla is the father of defenceman Jiří Å légr
- Younger, Bubla was an excellent soccer player some said he could have made it all the way to the national team if he had pursued that sport
- In 1986, Bubla became a Canadian citizen
- Bubla currently own a café and shipping (trucks) business in the Vancouver area


Miscellaneous:
- April 1987: What do Jiri Bubla have in common with former NHL'ers like Greg Carroll, Jacques Richard, Steve Durbano or Kevin McCarthy ? Well if your guess is drug smuggling then you're correct. Bubla was arrested while scouting for the Canucks at the world championships in Vienna (Austria). Bubla was convicted of smuggling four kilograms of heroin out of Pakistan and into Canada via Austria while he was playing for the Canucks between 1983 and 1986.He recieved a five-year sentence in an Austrian prison for his involvement in that international heroin smuggling ring. He was released from the Graz jail (Austria) after four years.
- Bubla and his second wife raised two sons in Vancouver, but Bubla had a son from his first marriage back in Czechoslovakia. Jiri Jr. changed his name to his step-father's name, partly because he had no contact with his father and partly because of his father's prison sentence. His name was changed to Jiri Slegr - the same Jiri Slegr who would one day too make it to the Vancouver Canucks and the NHL. Bubla and Slegr were able to get to know each other during Slegr's early days in the NHL, and now maintain a healthy relationship that was lacking during Slegr's upbringing.


Abbreviation:
IIHF: International Ice Hockey Federation
WEC-A: World and European Championship - Pool A


Other Videos:
http://video.canucks.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=100036


Internet Sites:
http://www.sihrhockey.org/member_player_sheet.cfm?player_id=484&CFID=1242428&CFTOKEN=66980676
http://internationalhockeylegends.blogspot.com/2007/07/jiri-bubla.html
http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=12136
http://hockeyadventure.com/2007/08/12/czeching-in-with-jiri-bubla/
http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/...71290100002/3842-rozhovor-s-robertem-zarubou/
http://hokej.idnes.cz/bubla-byl-jse...zentace.aspx?c=A061017_182042_reprezentace_ot

Special Thank You: Hawkey Town 18

 

[EagleBelfour]

Jacques Lemaire, coach

Stanley Cup Champion (1995)
Jack Adams Trophy (1994, 2003)


NHL Career:

Seasons|GP|W|L|T|OTL|W%
17|1262|617|458|124|63|.563

Jack Adams Nomination:

Top-10:
1984-85: 4th position (Mike Keenan)
1993-94: 1st position
1996-97: 4th position (Ted Nolan)
1997-98: 6th position (Pat Burns)
2002-03: 1st position
2006-07: 7th position (Alain Vigneault)
2010-11: 5th position (Dan Bylsma)

 

[JFA87-66-99]

D/LW Hamby Shore

Hamby Shore is one of the most underrated players ever. Check it out:

- 6'0", 175 lbs
- Stanley Cup (1905, 1911)
- Stanley Cup Finalist (1908, 1915)
- 7th in Playoff scoring (1910)
- 6th in NHL assists (1918)
- Started as a scoring forward: 8th in FAHL scoring in 1906, 7th in ECAHA in 1907, 3rd in MHL in 1908
- Joined NHA as a defenseman: Placed top-6 among defensemen seven times in his 9 NHA/NHL seasons: 4th, 2nd, 4th, 1st, 6th, 3rd, 6th. (and yes, I know exactly which seasons Hall, Patrick, Taylor, Pitre, Prodger, Gerard, Johnson and Laviolette played D)
- Tough guy who was among the PIM leaders in 8 of 9 NHA/NHL seasons: 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 8th, 8th, 8th, 9th.

Originally Posted by loh.net
Hamilton Shore, known to all as 'Hamby' was born on February 12th, 1886 in Ottawa, Ontario. Shore, a versatile player that played both left wing and defense during his career, played Senior and semi-pro hockey for a few years but was forced to sit out the entire 1908-09 season due to illness. With his health restored he settled in with his hometown Ottawa Senators during the 1909-10 campaign.

Shore showed impeccable timing as he joined the Ottawa squad just in time to capture a Stanley Cup title, with Shore scoring three goals in the four game tournament. Shore had eight years of seniority with the Senators when the club joined the National Hockey League in 1917 following the folding of their previous loop, the National Hockey Association.

Shore played 20 games with the Senators in 1917-18 and scored three goals and 11 points. Tragically, his first NHL season was also his last. Just prior to the 1918-19 campaign, Shore, just 32 years old, died.

Originally Posted by The Trail Of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1
Hamby Shore was a member of the last edition of the Silver Seven who won the Stanley Cup on 1905, playing on a line with Alf Smith and Harry Westwick. After a year in the Manitoba Pro League, he returned to Ottawa to play with Harry and Alf Smith.

In 1910 he joined Ottawa to play defense. He and ****** were the regulars in front of Lesueur for four years. Shore was at his best in Ottawa and was a defense stalwart of the 1911 Cup champions.

He was noted for playing well in a losing cause in the 1908 series:

Originally Posted by The Trail Of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1
Shore was the best for Winnipe

In the decisive final game of the 1912 NHA season that ultimately gave Quebec the right to defend the cup against the Moncton juggernaut, Ottawa lost the game but Shore played well:

Originally Posted by Ottawa Journal, 3/4/1912
Hamby Shore was not as spectacular as usual, but played a hard, defensive game and blocked in style.

Originally Posted by Win, Tie or Wrangle: The Inside Story Od the Old Ottawa senators, 1883-1935
Lesueur and business manager Frank Shaughnessy felt personnel changes were necessary to shake off the mediocrity of the 1913 season when the team went 9-11 and finished in 3rd place. They saw Hamby Shore as an untouchable.

Originally Posted by Win, Tie or Wrangle: The Inside Story Od the Old Ottawa senators, 1883-1935
Management was more concerned about the loose play of the entire defensive corps. Hamby Shore had been paired first with Eddie Gerard and then with *********. Neither combination was effective, even though Shore was given plaudits by the press on several occasions for his offensive and defensive play.

Ultimate Hockey

Best Passer of the 1910's

Thanks to Seventies for the Bio
To be continued:

 

[Hedberg]

D Red Horner

42 G, 110 A, 152 Pts in 490 GP
1932 Stanley Cup Champion
2nd (37-38), 4th (33-34), 5th (31-32), 8th (30-31), 8th (38-39), 9th (36-37) in Defense Scoring
Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame

Maple Leaf Legends

If there ever will be an award for the most penalized player then it might as well be called the "Red Horner Trophy". Red was the most penalized player eight years in a row between 1932-40. He also was the most penalized player in the playoffs twice (1936 & 39) No other NHL player have ruled the penalty box more than three times in a row and four times in total. Reginald "Red" Horner's 167 minutes in 43 games 1935-36, stood as an NHL record for 20 years.

" We had some smaller players on the team and someone had to protect them, " Red said, " I was that someone."

Red will always be remembered as the guy who was Eddie Shore's intended target when the nearly-tragic Ace Bailey incident occurred at Boston Garden on December 12, 1933.

Many years later Red remembered that night vividly. " Eddie (Shore) was a great defenseman but he wasn't having much luck against us that night. He repeatedly rushed the puck and we kept thwarting him at the blue line. After one particular rush, I sent him sprawling to the corner in our zone. Ace Bailey, my defense partner, stood at our blue line as the play moved back into the Boston end. Eddie mistook Ace for me and flipped him over backwards. Ace landed on the side of his head and began to convulse. This didn't sit well with me and I told Shore he couldn't get away with stuff like that. Then I punched his lights out. That was some kind of scene: Ace unconscious at one end of the ice, and Shore out cold at the other end. "

Red was a solid 6' and 190 Ibs (some sources suggest he was as big as 6'1" and 200 Ibs), which was an intimidating height and weight back then. He had many hard-fought battles with his opponents throughout the league. His most notable rivalries and battles were with Nels Stewart, Hooley Smith and Bill Cook.

Red was not only a very tough player, he could play good hockey as well. In 1933-34 Red scored 11 goals, only Earl Seibert had more goals among the defensemen (13). And in 1937-38 he led all defensemen in assists (20) and points (24). His playmaking was very good and although he wasn't a graceful skater he could break as fast as anyone except the true speedballs like King Clancy and Howie Morenz. Red was also a fine leader and was Toronto's captain between 1938-40, an honor Red considered the highest of his playing career. He retired after the 1939-40 season.

Although Red was the "badman" of the NHL he received the highest honor in the game by being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965, which further underlines the fact that he was a very fine player.

Conn Smythe said of Red: "Because of his courage and color he was one of the best drawing cards in the league. Truly, he helped establish NHL as a popular attraction."

Legends of Hockey

He was not a graceful skater but could move the puck up ice quickly, usually feeding a tape-to-tape pass while having two forecheckers bearing down on him. Horner's tough, physical style of play earned him the league leadership in penalty minutes for eight of his twelve NHL seasons. He played in the 1934 and 1937 Benefit games for Ace Bailey and Howie Mrenz and was on a Cup winner with Toronto in 1932.

He played in a day when goaltenders served their own penalties and himself was called upon twice in his career to defend the Toronto net, surrendering one goal in three minutes of play, while his goalie sat in the penalty box. Horner played his entire career with the Maple Leafs and served as team captain from 1938 until his retirement in 1940.

"He has his elbow in your kisser or his fanny in your face every time he is on the ice."

-Marlie captain "Shrimp" MacPherson

The Trail of the Stanley Cup (posted originally be seventieslord):

Red Horner was a very aggressive player whose swashbuckling style made him popular with Tronto fans, if not the opposition... Red had other attributes besides being a rugged and fearless palyer... became the policeman of the team... none could inspire the team like the big redhead.

Andrew Podnieks Interview with Red Horner, 1996

Anyway, one night against Detroit I was standing at the defensive
line right up against the boards, right where the Detroit bench
was. Jack Adams was the coach, and he and I...never had much in
common. So he pushed me in the back and tells me to get out of the
way so he can see. I turn around with my elbow and got him right in
the chin. It was a beauty! Adams complained and I had a meeting
with the president and told him how I was hit and turned around and
I guess caught him with my elbow. The president really got a kick
out of that one.

Smythe was happy with the way I played. I led the league in
penalties for eight years in a row, I think, but he said when I
take penalties the team wins. He told me always to try to take
someone with you. Soon, I was taking on the league. Everyone wanted
to get at me. If a young guy wanted his name in the paper...fight
Red Horner. In Chicago, at the old Coliseum, there was an organ
loft at one end of the seating, and when I stayed on late during
the warmup the organist would play, "Who's afraid of the big bad
wolf?" I loved it. That was a lot of fun.

In Toronto, we used to practice at noon at the Gardens on weekdays.
One day, my wife picked me up to go shopping, and as we drove west
along Carlton Street we caught a red light at Yonge, where a paper
boy I know was working. He saw me and threw a paper into the car,
something published in the States called "The Referee". I looked at
the headline and it said, "Gangsters After Horner". Immediately, I
thought of Chicago. The next time we were in the Coliseum, I'm
taking my position on defence for a faceoff when I hear an
explosion right beside me. I thought I was shot! I started feeling
my chest and jersey for blood, and then saw what had happened. A
light from the ceiling had been left unprotected - they're supposed
to have fencing underneath - and smashed to the ice! It wasn't
funny. I wasn't popular in Chicago.

 

[Hedberg]

RW Billy Boucher

93 G, 38 A, 131 Pts in 213 GP

1925, 1926 Stanley Cup Champion
2nd (22-23), 2nd (23-24), 8th (21-22), 9th (24-25) in Goals
3rd (23-24), 3rd (24-25) in Assists
3rd (22-23), 3rd (23-24), 7th (24-25) in Points

Legends of Hockey

Billy Boucher was a dangerous scorer who spent the bulk of his career in the 1920s with the Montreal Canadiens. At his peak he topped the 15-goal mark four straight years and played a gritty style when necessary.

He scored 23 goals in 1922-23 then registered eight points in five playoff games the next year to help Montreal win the Stanley Cup. In addition to his offensive exploits, Boucher led the NHL in penalty minutes in 1923 and 1925.

The Montreal Gazette, Nov 12, 1958

Billy Boucher, member of the one of the game's most brilliant lines ...

The Border Cities Star, May 13, 1935

Billy Boucher, a veteran of the club a decade ago and formerly one of the trickiest stick handlers in the game..

The Montreal Gazette, Mar 21, 1925

Billy Boucher, temperamental right wing player of the World Champion Canadiens was the individual bad man with 41 minors and two majors to his discredit

Montreal Canadiens

A strong skater with dangerous offensive skills, the rookie right wing scored 17 goals, serving notice that he was going to be a force to be reckoned with.

The following year, Boucher let his opponents know that despite standing 5-foot-7 and weighing only 155 pounds, he would not be intimidated by underhanded tactics. Fouls were returned in kind and as a result, the diminutive forward led the NHL in penalty minutes. His 24 goals in as many games were good enough for second place in the league and the scrappy forward finished fourth overall in the scoring race.

In 1923-24, Boucher and left wing Aurèle Joliat were assigned a rookie center named Howie Morenz, forming a trio that would wreak havoc on defensemen around the league for the next several seasons. Boucher led the Canadiens in scoring that year and was runner-up for league scoring honors.

Boucher missed only three games in his five complete seasons with Montreal, finishing among the top five scorers both on the team and in the league each year.

The Ottawa Citizen, Dec 13 1927

Up forward, Burch, Billy Boucher and Red Green have cast individual hockey aside, and are showing combination efforts. This trio has blinding speed, and Boucher in particular shows some of his former tendencies to wiggle through for rebounds

 

[JFA87-66-99]

D/F Jack Marshall

- 5'9", 160 lbs
- Member of the HHOF
- Stanley Cup (1901, 1902, 1903, 1907, 1910, 1914)
- Stanley Cup Finalist (1904)
- Only player ever to win a cup with four different teams (Winnipeg, Montreal, Wanderers, Toronto)
- Top-6 in scoring five times, in three leagues (2nd-1902-CAHL, 6th-1903-CAHL, 1st-1904-FAHL, 1st-1905-FAHL, 5th-1908-ECAHA)
- Led the playoffs/cup finals in scoring twice (1902, 1903)
- 103 goals and 4 assists in 129 games
- 12 goals and 1 assist in 17 playoff games
- His six cup wins were the most in history until passed by Maurice Richard in 1959

Originally Posted by The Trail Of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1
Jack Marshall was an all-around sportsman who shone at rugby, baseball, soccer and lacrosse, he is best known for his outstanding ability as a hockey player... He was outstanding as a forward on the team that earned the nickname "Little Men Of Iron" in a grueling series of three games...During the 1903 season, Montreal defended the cup against Winnipeg in a series of four games when marshall scored four goals... He returned to the Wanderers in 1910 as a defenseman and teamed with Ernie Johnson to help them win the cup again... Went on to with the cup in 1914 with Toronto. Marshall played throughout and was a star in the playoffs at age 37...

(1901 finals): ***** and Marshall were the stars, each snagging a brace of goals...

(1914 finals): Harry Cameron and the veteran Jack Marshall were impregnable on defense.

More about the 1914 finals:

Originally Posted by Toronto Star
Jack Marshall sailed up the side twice on succession
and almost scored

Originally Posted by Toronto Star
Foyston spilled *****, and when he got up ******** flopped him. ***** tried to throw the puck into the nets. Then came the incident where ***** leaped on ********'s shoulders and rode him to the ice. ******** was just getting set to hand ***** a receipt when wise Marshall chased the Ginger Boy to the bench.

He also set up the cup-winner on a give-and-go with his defense partner, Harry Cameron:

Originally Posted by Toronto Star
After seven minutes give-and-take, Cameron checked a Patrick rush, and gave Marshall the puck. Marshall made a rush, with Cameron trailing, passed it over to Cameron when he reached the defense, and Cameron laced it home, waist high. He made it 2-0.

The game ended 2-1. Marshall is credited with a goal and no assists in these playoffs. All assists from these years were compiled over the years by historians scouring the newspapers so this one must have been missed.

Originally Posted by Ultimate Hockey
Marshall's skating style earned him the nickname "The Human Locomotive".He was a fine all-around player, a true jack of all trades, who played the wings, at center, and at point."

Retro Hart Trophy:
(FAHL) 1904

Retro Art Ross Trophy
(FAHL) 1904

Retro Selke Trophy
(FAHL) 1905, 1907

Best Utility Player Of The 1900's

Originally Posted by Honoured Members
Wherever Jack Marshall played, victory followed

Originally Posted by Lord Stanley's Cup
(1902): Recruited from the Cup-winning Winnipeg team of the previous year, Jack Marshall led the Montrealers to the cup, scoring the winning goal in the deciding game.

(1903): Jack Marshall had tremendous speed and was physically intimidating to play against.

Originally Posted by Putting a Roof On Winter
Montreal's team speed was helped by Jack Marshall, a robust forward...

Originally Posted by The Renfrew Millionaires
...and if you got past their forwards and were able to move into the Wanderers' end, Ernie Johnson and Jack Marshall were right there, ready to play it however you wanted. That pair wouldn't back down from anyone.

Originally Posted by Fischler's Hockey Encyclopedia
Jack Marshall's accomplishments could fill volumes and volumes of hockey lore... twice led his loop in scoring... suffered a serious eye injury in 1911 but came back...hired as a playing manager of Toronto...it took just one season for Marshall to meld his unit into Stanley Cup winners. Jack, at age 37, took a full turn on defense and starred in the playoffs

Bio by seventies. I would like to add some more....

 

[JFA87-66-99]

Dick Duff, LW

- 5'9", 166 lbs
- Member of the HHOF
- Stanley Cup (1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969)
- Stanley Cup Finalist (1959, 1960, 1967)
- Conn Smythe Trophy Runner-up (1969)
- Top-20 in goals 5 times (8th, 9th, 11th, 16th, 20th)
- Top-10 in playoff goals 4 times (4th, 5th, 7th, 7th)
- Top-10 in playoff assists 6 times (3rd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th)
- Top-10 in playoff points 5 times (3rd, 4th, 8th, 9th, 10th)

Originally Posted by loh.net
Dick was one of the central figures as the Maple Leafs re-built the team through the late-fifties, enjoying three consecutive seasons with 25 or more goals for Toronto between 1956-57 and 1959-59...Duff played a pivotal role in the Stanley Cup championship won by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1962... Dick scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal on April 22, 1962, as Toronto edged Chicago 2-1... Having the chance to play for the Canadiens revitalized Duff's spirit and his play. With the Canadiens, Dick was part of four more Stanley Cup championships, winning hockey most treasured prize in 1965, 1966, 1968 and 1969.

Originally Posted by ourhistory.canadiens.com
...Dick Duff had carved out a reputation as a guy who came to play every night. Pound-for-pound one of the toughest men in the game... Too small to be considered a power forward, Duff still managed to play like one. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound left winger did everything expected of bigger forwards. He battled for the puck, carried it through traffic and staked a claim to his spot in front of the enemy net.

The determined play and drive to win that made Duff a pivotal member of successful Toronto teams was not something he had left behind... Duff quickly became a fan favorite and an essential component of the Canadiens team that won the Stanley Cup in the spring of 1965, picking up nine playoff points along the way.

Long recognized as one of the NHL’s most dogged competitors, Duff took his game to another level when the stakes were raised... Playoff pressure, while weighing heavily on many players’ shoulders, simply drove Duff to new heights.

Originally Posted by Joe Pelletier
Dick Duff was known as one of the best "money players" of all time. He tasted the sweet smell of Stanley Cup success six times during a 18-year NHL career. He always seemed to reach his peak in the playoffs where he earned his reputation as one of the greatest clutch playoff performers of all time.

Dick himself had an easy explanation to why he always did so well in the playoffs:

" Many times, the regular season seemed to long to me. Toward the end of those long seasons, I couldn't play hard if the score was lopsided in the early periods. As long as it was close, I was in the game. I was fired up if the score was tied or one-goal apart. In the playoffs you can see the end in sight. The playoffs are a real test of desire and skill. Many times a player will score 30-40 goals in a regular season, but all too often he'll get those goals after the game has been decided. I feel it's more important to get the game-deciding or big goals. "

Duff was a small and fast player. His was also the ultimate team player. He never made an All-Star team or won an individual trophy; wins and Cup titles were more important to Duff.

By no means was Duff the most spectacular player on the ice, but when the game was on the line, Duff was the go-to guy. Though small he was scrappy and determined. He had a little bit of Glenn Anderson or Claude Lemieux in him with his flair for the big playoff goal.

Originally Posted by The Trail Of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 3
He did well in his rookie year, scoring 18 goals and, in his aggressive play drew quite a few penalties... proved himself a good penalty killer. He was of somewhat slight build but did not hesitate to go into the corners with some of the hard rocks in the league. It was said, he wanted to Emulate the fiery Ted Lindsay.

Originally Posted by Honoured Canadiens
Jean Beliveau once said that Duff was uncanny around the goal, while Yvan Cournoyer loved playing alongside Duff because of his playmaking skills...He was a rare player who excelled during the regular season yet managed to raise his game to another level when The Stanley Cup was on the line... The Habs squeezed Chicago in game 7 in 1965 for the Cup. Duff Led the way with a goal and two assists in that deciding game... His heart was the biggest part of his body, and his skill was virtually limitless. He was hands down a player any coach in the league would have wanted on his team. Winning was his greatest strength.

Originally Posted by Habs Heroes: The Greatest Habs Ever From 1 To 100
He could be used on any line and fill any role. In 1969, Duff led the team in goals with six and finished second to Jean Beliveau in points with 14, and also finished second to Serge Savard in voting for the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Originally Posted by Fischler's Hockey Encyclopedia
A smallish but tough LW

Originally Posted by Cold War: A Decade Of Hockey's Greatest Rivalry, 1959-1969
A couple of Leafs showed some life when Dick Duff got under the skin of Rocket Richard (the Canadiens star roughed up the Leaf player and when Duff tried to retaliate, the Pocket Rocket intervened)

Originally Posted by Players: The Ultimate A-Z Guide Of Everyone Who Has Ever Played In the NHL
Still holds the record for the fastest two goals from the start of a playoff game (68 seconds), Indicative of his superior play when the Cup was at stake.

Originally Posted by Hockey's Glory Days
Tiny but tough... an aggressive player and was effective both offensively and as a penalty killer...

Originally Posted by Maple Leaf Legends
Small but scrappy, Duff was as tough as nails and never hesitated to drop the gloves if he had to... he was simply determined to score goals.

Originally Posted by The Big M
Another problem, one that related directly to Mahovlich, was the fact that, offensively, Dick Duff had been carrying the team singlehandedly. Leafs brass were looking to their newly-signed rookie to help out in that department.

Originally Posted by '67: The Maple Leafs, Their Sensational Victory, and The End Of An Empire
Speedy Dick Duff, to the confusion of many, hadn't been used much... "One thing I'll always wonder about this series, is why Toe didn't use Duff more", Boom Boom Geoffrion said afterwards.

Originally Posted by Jean Beliveau: My Life In Hockey
Duff had a move that would drive defenders to distraction. He would come in quickly and low, kick the puck into his skates and through a defenseman's feet, and pick it up again behind the opponent. In effect, he was passing to himself, and it worked more often than not. He'd make that move while driving toward the net or crossing the ice out at the blueline, opening up miles of room for Yvan and myself.

Originally Posted by The Leafs I Knew (after 1959 playoffs)
Dick Duff had the look on his face that Ted Kennedy used to have when he had used all of himself week after week to win, or not to win, other Stanley Cups.

Originally Posted by Hockey Is a Battle
In Montreal, Duff blossomed again as one of the best money players in the game, the most dangerous man on the ice when there was a big game to be won, especially in the playoffs. He still is, for my money.

Originally posted by Hockey's Golden Era
The miracle Leafs of 1959 reached the Finals against Montreal but managed only one win on an overtime goal by none other than Dick Duff

Originally posted by George Armstrong
Dick Duff did all the work. He got past two guys and made a perfect play to set me up.

Originally posted by the Ottawa Citizen- April 11, 1962
Toronto coach Punch Imlach said after the game the Blackhawks found "they can't push us around."

The man he singled out for special mention was Duff. Although Duff had no goals, "he was really going in after the puck. He sure was going hard."

Originally posted by NHL Source
The Toronto Maple Leafs, with Dave Keon and Dick Duff pacing their blistering attack...

Here are some of the clutch plays Duff had a major part in:

-Scored the winning goal to cap the Leafs' remarkable drive to the 1959 playoffs: "Regan's passout in front of the net got there at exactly the same time Duff did. Duff's stick was in the air, shooting as the puck came out, and wham, it was in, Duff's 29th of that season."

-Was Toronto's best player at age 22 in his first Stanley Cup Final, according to The Trail: "Game 1: Duff played a strong game for Toronto. Game 2: Dick Duff and Allan Stanley were the best for Toronto. Game 3: Dick Duff scored the winner after 10 minutes of overtime."

-Set up the OT winner in game 1 of the 1961 finals: "George Armstrong scored on a pass from Duff to win the game."

-Was the star in a rout of the Rangers to advance to the 1962 Finals: "Keon and Duff were the stars, both getting two goals."

-Scored the 1962 Cup winner: "Horton made an end-to-end rush, passed to Duff, uncovered in front of the goal, and with his shot, the cup was won."

-Made a big gutsy play to set up the goal that clinched 1st place in 1963: "In the last minute of that game Montreal was laeding us 3-2. I puled the goalie for the extra attacker... With only 12 seconds left, we shot the puck into the corner at the left side of the Montreal goal. Dick Duff got in there, a pretty good homer-hitter in his own right. Terry Harper, about twice his size, was in the corner too, battling Duff for the puck. But Duff got the puck out to Dave Keon at the edge of the crease. Keon tapped it in. There were eight seconds to go in the game. We had needed the tie to clinch first place. We got it." Another Book says "Dick Duff did yeoman work in digging the puck out of the corner for Keon to have an opportunity."

-Scored the game winner in the first game of the 1963 playoffs: "Dick Duff got the winning goal"

-Scored two goals to start the 1963 Finals, still a record: "Dick Duff was the star in the first game, won by Toronto 4-1, when he whipped in two goals in the first 68 seconds of the game."

-Set up the first goal in the 1965 cup-winning game and had another goal and assist: "Fourteen seconds into the game, Dick Duff fed me a beautiful pass and we led 1-0. By the end of the 1st period we were up 4-0 on additional goals by Duff, Richard, and Cournoyer. Shortly after 10 PM that night, I hoisted my first Stanley Cup as captain of the Canadiens." (I saw this game and this was a truly great play, Duff stole the puck from the Hawks as they tried to break out, then spun and fed a backhand pass to Beliveau, who was still in the slot)

-Did the work that led to the first goal in game 5 of the 1967 Finals, which the Habs ultimately lost: "Dick Duff bumped Allan Stanley off the puck deep in the Leaf zone and fed the puck to ********, who solved Sawchuk to give the Habs a 1-0 lead."

-Nearly rallied the Habs to tie the game as the 1967 Finals came to a close: "Early in the 3rd, Dick Duff woke his team up with a dazzling rush, beating Horton to the outside and then sneaking inside of Stanley to sweep the puck past Sawchuk while falling to the ice (to make it 2-1 Leafs)"

-Set up the OT goal that put the Habs up 3-0 in the 1968 finals: "Dick Duff set up Bobby Rousseau in OT for a 4-3 win."

Originally posted by Seventieslord
Dick Duff was like the Glenn Anderson of his time. Don't believe me? He was in the top-10 and top-20 in goals just as often as Anderson was. His playoff PPG rose an amazing 27%. And he was a part of a disproportionately high number of clutch plays, in both the regular season and the playoffs. He is universally praised by his contemporaries. And his numbers aren't "low for his era" - He did have the 12th-most goals in the NHL during his career. Everyone ahead of him except Dean Prentice was a first-ballot HHOFer (some say he should be in too) and the next four guys are in the hall, too. He had the 8th-most points throughout his playoff career, too, and everyone on the top-12 on that list is a first ballot HHOFer, and of the top-22, only Provost, Tremblay, and Rousseau aren't on the Hall, and if you frequent these boards you know that the first two are two big "should be in the Hall" guys.

bio posted by seventies, hopefully I can add more

 

[BillyShoe1721]

D Dallas Smith

49% PK usage(2nd most on dynasty Bruins among d-men), t-40th all time post-68
7x Top 23 All Star Voting(6, 6, 9, 17, 18*, 19, 23)
17th-3 points
18th-1 point
19th-3 points
23rd-2 points
3x Top 11 Norris Voting(6, 8, 11*)
4x NHL All Star Game Participant
2x Stanley Cup Champion

*One point

One of the big surprises to his Bruins teammates last season is that Dallas Smith was overlooked in the all-star team voting . . They felt that the off-season farmer was certain to get recognition if not on the first team, at least the second But that's the way it has always been with the Dallas. He does his work in such a smooth, unobtrusive manner that it very often goes unnoticed . . He has been Bob Orr's defense partner the past two seasons. . He's a good skater and can rush that puck out of his own end if necessary though his forte is his defensive play. .. In the off-season he works his farm in Crandall, Manitoba . He is married and has a 9 year old son, Darcey and a six year old daughter, Darise.

http://www.jwen.com/hock/bruins/dsmith.html

Dallas Smith was known as a defensive defenceman who almost didn't get his chance to play in the NHL. He made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins playing five games in the 1959-60 season. The next year saw him stay with the team for the whole season before spending the majority of the 1961-62 season in the minors. For three more seasons Smith could not break into the Bruins lineup despite its having rough years.

After two stints with the team in 1965-66 and 1966-67, Smith finally joined the Bruins just as they were on the way up. Bobby Orr joined Smith on the blueline and led the team to Stanley Cup championships in both 1969-70 and 1971-72.

After thinking he would never make it back to the NHL, Smith was a key member to a Bruins team that everyone feared to play. He appeared in the All-Star Game in four straight years from 1971 to 1974 and was the NHL plus/minus leader for the 1967-68 season.

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=14357

This is Dallas Smith, a tough, stay at home defenseman who often played along side a more offensive defense partner you may have heard of - Bobby Orr.

Smith did not make the Bruins right away. He played 5 games in the 1959-60 season and a full 70 in 1960-61. After that he played only 9 games until the NHL expanded in 1967. He was toiling in places like Pittsburgh, Portland, San Francisco and Oklahoma City.

Once the NHL doubled in size in 1967 there became twice as many jobs in the NHL. Smith played an unheralded role with the high scoring Bruins for the next ten seasons. They would win Stanley Cups in 1970 and 1972.

Smith was Orr's defensive stop-gap. He was good for around 30 points a year himself. You can imagine how most of those points came about. "Here Bobby, take the puck." Next thing you know its in the net.

Smith was also the answer to an interesting trivia question. In 1967-68 the NHL first recorded the +/- stat. With a +33, Smith was the very first season leader in this category. A few years later he would post a +94, 124. which remains the 4th highest +/- ever recorded. Orr, by the way, set the record that same season with a +124. Smith probably would have posted a higher mark himself, but on a couple dozen goals orchestrated by Orr Smith more than likely had already headed to the bench on a line change!

Smith ended up with a career +335. He also scored 55 goals, 252 assists and 307 points in 890 NHL games. He also played in four straight All-Star games from 70-71 to 73-74.

Smith retired in 1976, but after a season off he came back to the NHL. Former Bruins teammate Phil Esposito thought so highly of this underrated defender that he convinced him to come out of retirement and join him in New York to play with the Rangers.

http://bruinslegends.blogspot.com/2012/01/dallas-smith.html

Over his career, Smith was thought of as one of the toughest defensemen in the league, both physically and ability wise. He was the perfect compliment to Orr; he’d handle the offensive end of things while Smith focused on the defensive aspects. That’s not to say that Smith didn’t have any puck moving skills. He could usually be counted on for around 30 points a year.

http://www.fightstrap.com/2010/02/1962-63-topps-9-dallas-smith/

By the 1967-68 expansion season, Dallas Smith was back in the NHL for good and his timing could not have been better. The ‘Big Bad Bruins’ were embarking on a golden era of NHL glory and the steady veteran Smith was partnered with a young phenomenon by the name of Bobby Orr. He led the NHL in the plus/minus category the first year the statistic was kept track of. His best personal season was 1971 during which he had his career high of 45 points, played in the NHL All-Star Game (one of four times) and finished with a plus/minus of +94, one of the highest totals in league history. A farmer in the off season, Smith was regarded as one of the strongest men in the League.

But for Smith, individual glory took a backseat to the team accomplishments of that Bruin dynasty. Along with stars such as Orr, Phil Esposito, Gerry Cheevers, Johnny Bucyk and Wayne Cashman, the Bruins relied upon the character of players such as Smith, John “Pieface†McKenzie and fellow Hall of Famer Ted Green to capture two Stanley Cups in 1970 and 1972. The intrepid goaltending of Ken Dryden and the Montreal Canadiens’ Flying Frenchmen and the impending rise of the Philadelphia Flyers prevented a string of NHL titles, but Smith’s Bruins were always a Cup contender for most of the seventies. Dallas Smith was even named interim captain in 1977.

http://www.halloffame.mb.ca/honoured/2007/dsmith.htm

That was a tough team. They had Dallas Smith, Vadnais back there, they had a good team. They had a couple of cops.

http://books.google.com/books?id=82...AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=dallas smith bruins&f=false

From then on, Boston defensemen such as Don Awrey, Dallas Smith, and Orr threw a checking blanket over the Rangers until the final buzzer officially signaled Boston's return to Stanley Cup glory.

The Bruins were now a really great team. It was a great team not only because of Orr and Esposito but even more important, because it had depth. For example, Dallas Smith, even though overshadowed by Bobby Orr, was an extremely able defenseman.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Zx...AEwAg#v=onepage&q=dallas smith bruins&f=false

On defence, Dallas Smith and Rick Smith and Gary Doak and Don Awrey were steady, stay at home types, though Dallas Smith could carry the puck a bit when called upon. They made precious few mistakes and knew enough to compensate when Orr took flight.

http://books.google.com/books?id=N9...wATgK#v=onepage&q=dallas smith bruins&f=false

He is chronically modest and would rather toast a teammate such as unheralded defenseman Dallas Smith...

http://books.google.com/books?id=Vo...wBDgK#v=onepage&q=dallas smith bruins&f=false

...built a solid defense around Green and Dallas Smith...

http://books.google.com/books?id=F5...X&ei=n6tWT6O-CezC0AH-1v2wCg&ved=0CGQQ6AEwBjgK

Orr's defence partner, Dallas Smith, also was usually ready to be the trailer on the play, a useful safety valve if he were the most open of the attackers.

http://books.google.com/books?id=h1...wBzgK#v=onepage&q=dallas smith bruins&f=false

And Dallas Smith and Don Awrey played solid for us on defense. These guys all played the best hockey of their careers.

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=b....,cf.osb&fp=aec0576147dbddaf&biw=1366&bih=611

"The Bruins were better defensively, if only because Gerry Cheevers is much sharper in the nets. There is also Ted Green, along with Bobby Orr, Dallas Smith and Don Awrey, on a solid defense.

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=b....,cf.osb&fp=aec0576147dbddaf&biw=1366&bih=611

Bruins were down 1-2 in the play-offs, their best defenseman, Dallas Smith, hurt

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=b....,cf.osb&fp=aec0576147dbddaf&biw=1366&bih=638

He didn't pay enough attention to his defensive end. Dallas Smith had to bail him out defensively on many nights.

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=b....,cf.osb&fp=aec0576147dbddaf&biw=1366&bih=638

 

[BillyShoe1721]

RW Kenny Wharram

5x Top 6 All Star Voting (1, 1, 4, 4, 6)
1x Stanley Cup Champion
2x NHL All Star Game Participant
6x Top 17 Goals (2, 3, 11, 14, 15, 17)
5x Top 19 Assists (9, 9, 14, 18, 19)
4x Top 17 Points (4, 6, 9, 17)
3x Top 4 ESG (2, 3, 4)
4x Top 10 PPG (1, 3, 8, 10)
1964 Lady Byng Trophy Winner

At 5'9" and 160Lbs he wasn't exactly the ideal NHL player, but the North Bay, Ontario native had great speed which was his greatest asset. He was also a tenacious worker who could put in some finesse into the game when needed. Ken also was one of the most accurate shooters in the NHL. He constantly finished among the top ten in shooting accuracy, leading the entire league in 1963-64, scoring on over 20 % of his shots.

Chicago's coach Rudy Pilous put Wharram on a line with fellow rookie Stan Mikita during the 19 58-59 season. Eventually the line would be rounded out by Ab McDonald, and later Doug Mohns, and be dubbed "The Scooter Line" due to their terrific speed.

"The Scooter Line was one of the most famous scoring combinations of the 1960s," wrote author Paul Greenland in his book "Hockey Chicago Style." "What made it click so well was the combination of Mikita's superior playmaking and athletic abilities, Wharram's speed and agility, and Mohns' size, checking ability and heavy slap shot.

Wharram and Mikita shared a special bond. Ken and Stan were in fact almost as inseparable off the ice as they were on the ice. They were very good friends.

Greenland also quotes Wharram's former teammate Ed Litzenberger. "Kenny could skate a 100 miles an hour, but he really didn't come into his own until he hooked up with Stan and Ab McDonald. Stan had the ability to slow the game down. Kenny would come from behind and would give him the puck, and he would put the puck in the net. Ab would grind it out of corners and it was a marriage of talent is what it was. Kenny was a quiet guy. A good guy."

The "Scooter Line" was feared all around the league during the late 1960's. Although Bobby Hull was the most feared individual on those Hawks teams, it was often the "Scooters" that decided the outcome of the games and were the nightmare of the oppositions coaches.

During the 1960-61 season Ken scored 3 goals and 5 assists during the playoffs and helped Chicago win a Stanley Cup. From there on Kenny enjoyed a lot of success on the "Scooter Line". He had four 20+ goal seasons and three 30+ goal seasons. His 39 goals and 71 points in 1963-64 earned him a 1st team All-Star spot, a feat that he duplicated during the 1966-67 season. He also won the Lady Byng trophy in 1963-64 as the league's most sportsmanlike player.

Ken had racked up three straight 60+ point seasons and looked better than ever during the 1969 training camp when he suffered myocarditis, a virus that attacks the muscles of the heart with symptoms similar to a coronary, and was forced to retire. It was a tragic end to a career that was hard fought and that had a lot more to give.

"Whip" as he was known to his teammates could look back at a very solid NHL career. Where he scored 533 points including 252 goals in 766 NHL games.

http://blackhawkslegends.blogspot.com/2007/03/kenny-wharram.html

Forward Ken Wharram provided speed, consistency and an exemplary work ethic during an NHL career spent entirely with the Chicago Black Hawks, where he was best known as the fleetest member of the potent Scooter Line with Stan Mikita and Ab McDonald.

Wharram soon proved to be the perfect complement to the Hawks' gifted young center Stan Mikita. He was lightning-quick and masters of timing his move at the opposition blueline so that he seldom caused an offside. Once a Mikita pass found him, his puck control was among the best in the business

Since Wharram weighed only 160 pounds, his speed, agility and on ice smarts proved to be his ticket to survival in the rough and tumble NHL.

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=14665

Mikita and Wharram meshed well together and Wharram's production - attributable to his considerable speed and puck-handling skills - soared. He would have seven straight seasons scoring 20 or more goals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Wharram

Just skate—it helps if you can skate as fast as Mikita, Wharram and Mohns—and pass to predetermined spots and then score.

Wharram is not as smooth a stick-handler, but he is very fast and has a hard, accurate shot.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1079646/4/index.htm

young Kenny Wharram, who ranks 31st in the point parade, is shown to be one of the most valuable forwards on the ice. A breakdown of NHL statistics for the first 25 games gives Wharram credit for the most "net goals" in the league—15. This means that during the time Wharram was on the ice Chicago scored 15 more goals than its opponents and thus, in an unspectacular way, won hockey games.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1074420/index.htm

Except for Kenny Wharram and Doug Mohns up front, there was little else to cheer.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1081682/3/index.htm

Left Wing Mohns has been badly hurt and has played little, and Wharram alone is very good but not a one-man line.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1080544/2/index.htm

He likes swift Right Wing Ken Wharram to use the ice behind him to get up speed to burst past the defense,

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1073742/2/index.htm

Wharram is a fast right winger with excellent hands. If an opponent was distracted for even a second, Mikita, a right-handed shot, would hit Kenny on the tape in full stride, and he'd be on top of the goalie in a blink.

http://books.google.com/books?id=2c...efox-a&cd=5#v=onepage&q=kenny wharram&f=false

 

[JFA87-66-99]

Jack Darragh RW/C

- 5'10. 168 Ibs
- Member of the HHOF (1962)
- 66 goals, 112 points in 121 regular season games played
- 13 goals, 15 points in 19 playoff games played
- 124 goals, 141 points in 132 NHA regular season games played, 6 goals in 7 playoff games played (Assists were rarely recorded)
- 4x Stanley Cup Winner (NHA: 1910-11; NHL: 1919-20; 1920-21; 1922-23)
- Goalscoring- 3x top 10 (6,7,8) - 6x top 15 - 9x top 20
- Playmaking- 2x top 2 (1,2) - 4x top 20
- Points- 1x top 5 (4) - 4x top 10 (4,8,9,9)

Retro Conn Smythe Trophy:
1920
1921

Originally printed in The Ottawa Citizen, June 30, 1924:..."his weight, coupled with terrific speed and magnificent stickhandling, made him a terror to opposing teams.

...though his face and body bore many scars, he always played the game as it should be played and never retaliated."

And quite an interesting quip on a clutch performance:

Originally printed in The Morning Leader, April 5, 1921:
"The [XXXXXXXXXX] scored the only goal in the first period and it fell to the lot of [XXXXXXX], who was playing a magnificent game.
Ottawa got its pair of counters in the second session and both fell to the lot of pinch hitter, Jack Darragh.

Originally posted on Legends of Hockey:
Jack Darragh was one of those old-time players who grew up, played and died in the same city - his home town of Ottawa, Ontario. He was a rarity in that he played right wing but was a left-hand shot. While not an unusual strategy today, in the early days of the century, playing on the "wrong wing" was pioneering. He was a superb skater, a very clever stickhandler and had a good backhand shot. As a result, Darragh was a prolific scorer. In 1919-20, he scored 22 goals in 23 games, and over his 13-year pro career he averaged better than a goal every two games. In an era of fierce and often violent hockey, Darragh also had a reputation for being a pacifist.

Darragh won four Stanley Cup championships, all with the Ottawa Senators. His first victory came in 1911 during two challenges. On March 13 the Sens defeated Galt, which had won the Ontario Professional Hockey League title. The 7-4 score was generous to Galt and Darragh was acknowledged to have been one of the best players on the ice. Three days later the Sens had to defend their championship against the Port Arthur Bearcats after the Bearcats had beaten Prince Albert to earn the right to challenge. This time the Senators swamped Port Arthur 14-4, with Marty Walsh scoring 10 goals and Darragh anchoring the defense once again.

Darragh's Senators made only one other foray for the Cup during the years of the NHA. In March 1915 the Senators and the Canadiens were tied for top spot in the league. The two teams played a two-game, total-goals series that Ottawa won 4-1. But in the best-of-five finals against the Pacific Coast champions, the Vancouver Millionaires, the Sens were no match and lost in three lopsided games.

While player movement in the early days of hockey was frequent - many players swapped teams between the NHA and PCHA - Darragh remained constant to Ottawa, a decision that reaped tremendous rewards once the NHA folded in 1917 and gave way to the NHL. In the spring of 1920, the Sens were champions of the new NHL and played the Seattle Metropolitans for the Stanley Cup. Although the best-of-five series was supposed to have been played entirely in Ottawa, mild weather forced the final two games to be shifted to the artificial ice of Toronto's Mutual Street Arena. In game one of the series, Darragh scored the game-winning goal in a 3-2 win, and in the fifth and deciding game for the Cup, he scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 clobbering of the Mets.

The next season the Sens again won the Cup, and again Darragh was the hero. The best-of-five series was played in Vancouver that year and once more the Cup was decided in the fifth game. Darragh scored both Ottawa goals in a 2-1 win and the Senators became the first NHL team to win consecutive Cups. In all, Darragh had seven goals in seven playoff games in 1921.

Darragh took the entire 1921-22 season off, but when he returned to the Senators the next year, it was as though nothing had changed. The Sens beat first the Millionaires and then the Edmonton Eskimos to win their third Stanley Cup in four years. Darragh played one more full season in the NHL, but in the summer of 1924 he succumbed to peritonitis.

Originally Posted by Greatest Hockey Legends
Taking a 3-0 lead over the Buffalo Sabres, the Ottawa Senators are looking like likely Stanley Cup finalists for the first time since the 1920s. But if the Senators are to win the Stanley Cup in 2007, they'll need to find a hero to emerge. A hero like original Senator Jack Darragh.

Originally Posted by Greatest Hockey Legends
Jack was a speedball with a great knack for goal scoring. His backhand was particularly lethal, often surprising goalies as that was a largely undeveloped tactic in those days. He also pioneered the "wrong wing" theory, as he was a left handed shot playing on the right side. Jack, one of the cleanest players of his era, had some fine years in the old NHA, scoring 124 goals (and 17 assists, which were rarely recorded) in 132 games.[/B]

Originally Posted by Greatest Hockey Legends
Much like a modern day Glenn Anderson, Darragh was able to take his game to a higher level in Stanley Cup competition.

Originally Posted by Greatest Hockey Legends
In 1920 Darragh led the Senators to their first Stanley Cup championship as a member of the NHL. He had the game winner in all three of Ottawa's victories among his five goals. With the series tied he took over with a hat-trick and was the big star in the series clincher. In addition to three winners he had a first goal and two unassisted tallies to his credit.

Originally Posted by Legends of Hockey
In the spring of 1920, the Sens were champions of the new NHL and played the Seattle Metropolitans for the Stanley Cup. Although the best-of-five series was supposed to have been played entirely in Ottawa, mild weather forced the final two games to be shifted to the artificial ice of Toronto's Mutual Street Arena. In game one of the series, Darragh scored the game-winning goal in a 3-2 win, and in the fifth and deciding game for the Cup, he scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 clobbering of the Mets.

Originally Posted by Legends of Hockey
The next season the Sens again won the Cup, and again Darragh was the hero. The best-of-five series was played in Vancouver that year and once more the Cup was decided in the fifth game. Darragh scored both Ottawa goals in a 2-1 win and the Senators became the first NHL team to win consecutive Cups. In all, Darragh had seven goals in seven playoff games in 1921.

Originally Posted by Legends of Hockey
Darragh took the entire 1921-22 season off, but when he returned to the Senators the next year, it was as though nothing had changed. The Sens beat first the Millionaires and then the Edmonton Eskimos to win their third Stanley Cup in four years. Darragh played one more full season in the NHL, but in the summer of 1924 he succumbed to peritonitis.

Originally posted by NHL Source
Jack Darragh scored both goals in a 2-1 deciding final against Vancouver in 1921.

Originally posted by the Trail Of The Stanley Cup, Vol. 1
At the end of Vol. 1 of The Trail of the Stanley Cup the author, Charles L. Coleman, selected his all-star team for the period of 1893-1926. In parenthesis are the other nominations for the team.

Goaltender- Clint Benedict (Hap Holmes, Georges Vezina, Hugh Lehman)
Defense- Sprague Cleghorn, Moose Johnson (Harry Cameron, Eddie Gerard)
Rover- Newsy Lalonde (Mickey MacKay, Cyclone Taylor)
Forwards- Russell Bowie, Frank Nighbor, Joe Malone (Punch Broadbent, Jack Darragh, Cy Denneny, Frank Foyston, Harry Hyland, Didier Pitre, Gordon Roberts, Ernie Russell

 

[JFA87-66-99]

Ernie Russell, C/Rover/RW

- 5'6, 160 lbs
- Member of the HHOF (1965)
- Stanley Cup (1906, 1907, 1908, 1910)
- ECAHA 1st All-Star Team (1907)
- ECAHA 2nd All-Star Team (1908)
- 4th in CAHL Scoring (1905)
- 5th, 1st, 5th in ECAHA Scoring (1906, 1907, 1908)
- 2nd, 8th, 2nd in NHA Scoring (1910, 1911, 1912)
- Stanley Cup Scoring:
- 1906: 1st on Wanderers, 5th overall
- 1907: 1st on Wanderers, 1st overall
- 1908: 1st on Wanderers, 1st overall
- 1910: 1st on Wanderers, 6th overall (Wanderers played 1 game, Ottawa played 4)
- NHA PIM Leader (1912)
- 184 Goals, 368 PIM in 101 Top-Level Games (assists not recorded most of his career)
- 31 Goals, 51 PIM in 11 Stanley Cup Games

Originally Posted by Ultimate Hockey
Ernie Russell played on all four Stanley Cup-winning Montreal Wanderer clubs and consistently figured among the leading scorers in the ECHA and later the NHA.

Although Russell could pass, stickhandle, and skate, his scoring instinct was his bread and butter. his genius around the net spurred the Redbands to cup wins in 1906, 1907, 1908, and 1910. Many have said that the only reason the Wanderers failed to win in 1909 as well was that Russell had been expelled by club brass, who'd been displeased that he played hockey for the Wanderers, but other sports for the MAAA. Upon his return in 1910, he and Newsy Lalonde engaged in a furious battle for the league scoring title, the likes of which had never been seen. Lalonde won 38-31 on the strength of a nine-goal performance in the last game of the season.

Russell operated at a frighteningly machine-like clip. For the first 50 years of the 20th century, there were only a handful of men as deadly around the enemy net as he was.

In a word: POACHER.

Retro Hart Trophy
(ECAHA) 1907

Retro Art Ross Trophy
(ECAHA) 1907

Originally Posted by The Trail Of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1
Ernie Russell was a small man who probably did not weigh over 140 pounds (SIHR has him at 160)... his size was no problem on the ice. There are many of his ardent fans who compare him with the great Russell Bowie and certainly they had several attributes in common. Ernie was a fast skater and accomplished stickhandler, equally at home playing rover or centre (I found games where he was a LW too!) He was the only player of the era who seriously threatened Bowie as a goal scorer. Russell had the advantage of playing on much stronger teams than Bowie and in consequence was on four Stanley Cup Winners.

Originally Posted by Players: The Ultimate A-Z Guide Of Everyone Who Has Ever Played in the NHL
Playing center or rover, Russell was a permier scorer in the early years of the 20th century... he was speedy and shifty...

Originally Posted by The Renfrew Millionaires
An accomplished skater & stickhandler

Russell was the star of game 1 of the 1906 Finals when the Wanderers surprised the cocky Ottawas with a 9-1 pasting:

Originally Posted by The Patricks: Hockey's Royal Family
the defending champions were 2:1 betting favourites, but the Wanderers obviously weren't listening to the neighbourhood bookies. Their fans went wild as Ernie Russell got four goals, Pud Glass got three and Moose Johnson shared a pair with Patrick in the hometown 9-1 victory.

Originally Posted by The Trail Of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1
Ernie Russell figured prominently in the scoring.

Russell was huge against Ottawa in clinching the ECAHA Championship to retain the cup:

Originally Posted by The Trail Of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1
Ottawa's hopes for a championship rested on defeating the Wanderers in their return match at the capital on March 2nd... there seemed little doubt as to the outcome after play got started. The smooth skating Patrick and Johnson were all over the Senators. Russell played a magnificent game, scoring five goals...

He was the only Wanderer who could score when Tommy Phillips' Thistles came to whisk away the cup. He scored both of their goals in a 4-2 defeat and then two goals in game 2, an 8-6 defeat:

Originally Posted by The Trail Of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1
Patrick, Russell, and Johnson were the best for the Wanderers.

However, when it was time to take the cup back, Ernie delivered the goods and the team won this time, taking game one 7-2 on the strength of Russell's four goals, before losing game two 6-5 but still winning the series:

Originally Posted by The Trail Of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1
The super sniper Ernie Russell scored four.

Russell was again the star in the 1908 cup defense against the Ottawa Vics, scoring 10 of the team's 22 goals over 2 games.:

Originally Posted by The Trail Of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1
Art Ross and Ernie Russell starred for the Redbands.

Russell also spoiled the Renfrew Millionaires' anticipated debut in 1910:

Originally Posted by The Patricks: Hockey's Royal Family
They were bombed 7-2 as the Wandrers' big scoring machine, Ernie Russell, ripped four shots in, three of them in the game's opening minutes.

That Scappy Little Bugger...

I think Russell was a scrappy player with a good 4th line mentality. Thanks to there being very little detail about his play to validate this, I present to you a list of drafted forwards born within 4 years of Ernie Russell (1879-1887) - Ernie put up more PIMs per game than any of them. (Note that only Lalonde, Bowie, and Tommy Smith were top-5 in goals in their league more often among this generation! - Smith's totals include three times in slightly lesser leagues: OPHL and IHL.)

Name | DOB | GP | G | PIM | G/GP | PIM/GP | GP w/PIM* | Top-5s
Name | DOB | GP | G | PIM | G/GP | PIM/GP | GP w/PIM* | Top-5s in Goals
Ernie Russell | 1883 | 112 | 215 | 419 | 1.92 | 3.74 | | 6
Bruce Stuart | 1881 | 104 | 111 | 280 | 1.07 | 3.33 | 84 | 3
Harry Smith | 1883 | 65 | 150 | 211 | 2.31 | 3.25 | | 4
Newsy Lalonde | 1887 | 254 | 329 | 769 | 1.30 | 3.03 | | 11
Tommy Phillips | 1883 | 45 | 71 | 100 | 1.58 | 2.56 | 39 | 1
Marty Walsh | 1884 | 75 | 167 | 181 | 2.23 | 2.41 | | 4
Pud Glass | 1884 | 103 | 109 | 221 | 1.06 | 2.15 | | 0
Tom Dunderdale | 1887 | 289 | 226 | 527 | 0.78 | 1.82 | | 5
Didier Pitre | 1883 | 239 | 267 | 433 | 1.12 | 1.81 | | 6
Tommy Smith | 1886 | 175 | 274 | 288 | 1.57 | 1.65 | | 7
Cyclone Taylor | 1885 | 228 | 246 | 355 | 1.08 | 1.56 | | 4
Russell Bowie | 1880 | 82 | 249 | 43 | 3.04 | 1.39 | 31 | 10
Frank McGee | 1882 | 41 | 135 | 56 | 3.29 | 1.37 | | 4
Blair Russell | 1881 | 69 | 109 | 68 | 1.58 | 1.36 | 50 | 5
Herb Jordan | 1884 | 61 | 146 | 19 | 2.39 | 0.31 | | 4

* Some players had seasons where PIMs were not recorded; to avoid skewing results, their PIMs are divided only by the number of games they played in seasons where PIMs were recorded. This only counts top-level hockey: NHA, PCHA, St-Cup, ECAHA, ECHA, OPHL, CAHL, FAHL, IHL.

* It may be said that Ernie Russell's "generation" is truly the players born from 1879-1884, with Russell right on the tail end of that generation, but that would be too subjective and I decided to use an objective 9-year range with his birth year right in the middle to define his generation.

Russell's Stanley Cup Scoring Dominance

According to The Trail Of the Stanley Cup, here are the playoff and cup final goals leaders through 1926:

Name|GP|G
Frank McGee|22|63
Frank Foyston|47|37
Alf Smith|22|36
Ernie Russell |11|31
Newsy Lalonde|29|27
Tom Phillips|16|27
Harry Westwick|24|26
Marty Walsh|8|25
Ernie Johnson|21|23
Joe Malone|15|23
Pud Glass|16|23
Harry Smith|7|21

But, not all cup games are created equal. Some players played in easy Stanley Cup matches, including Russell. Let's look at the leaders as apples-to-apples, three different ways. First, here are these leaders with "easy" matches removed:

Name|GP|G
Frank Foyston|47|37
Newsy Lalonde|29|27
Frank McGee|14|26
Tom Phillips|14|23
Ernie Russell |8|18
Ernie Johnson|16|18
Alf Smith|14|14
Harry Smith|5|13
Pud Glass|11|13
Harry Westwick|16|11
Joe Malone|12|9
Marty Walsh|3|7

Russell is one of only three on this list who averaged over 2 GPG in the "legitimate" matches, the others being Harry Smith and Marty Walsh, who combined for 8 "legitimate" matches.

Now let's look at only the Wanderer forwards during the years in which they played cup games (1906-1910) since the core of the team stayed mostly the same:

Name|GP|G
Ernie Russell |11|31
Pud Glass|16|23
Ernie Johnson|16|19
Lester Patrick|8|11
***** *********|7|5

But of course, some of those were the easy, lopsided games. Let's look at these Wanderers forwards based on just the "legitimate" matches:

Name|GP|G
Ernie Russell |8|18
Pud Glass|11|13
Ernie Johnson|11|13
Lester Patrick|6|7
***** *********|5|4

So not only did Russell carry the offensive load for this dynasty, but he also relied very little on lopsided matches to boost his totals.

Originally posted by the Trail Of The Stanley Cup, Vol. 1
At the end of Vol. 1 of The Trail of the Stanley Cup the author, Charles L. Coleman, selected his all-star team for the period of 1893-1926. In parenthesis are the other nominations for the team.

Goaltender- Clint Benedict (Hap Holmes, Georges Vezina, Hugh Lehman)
Defense- Sprague Cleghorn, Moose Johnson (Harry Cameron, Eddie Gerard)
Rover- Newsy Lalonde (Mickey MacKay, Cyclone Taylor)
Forwards- Russell Bowie, Frank Nighbor, Joe Malone (Punch Broadbent, Jack Darragh, Cy Denneny, Frank Foyston, Ernie Russell, Didier Pitre, Gordon Roberts, Harry Hyland

Another Great bio by seventies!

 

[BraveCanadian]

With their eighteenth round pick (545) in the 2012 ATD, the Guelph Platers have selected: RW, Marian Gaborik

Career Highlights:

2 x 40+ Goal Scorer
7 x 30+ Goal Scorer

Named to the NHL AllStar Game 2003, 2008, 2012.



Vitals:
Born: Feb 14, 1982
Position: RW
Height: 6-1
Weight: 204
Shoots: Left


Regular Season:

Marian has scored 30+ goals 7 times thus far in his NHL career and topped 40 goals twice. The Guelph Platers selected him in particular because he is an outstanding even strength goal scorer which will be important because he will be playing on the 3rd line in our lineup.

Top 10 in Goals: 5*, 5, 7

Top 10 in ES Goals: 4*, 5, 5, 7, 10.

* = as of writing this in the 2011-12 season.

Marian's biggest weapon is his acceleration and speed combined with his high skill level. In 2003 he won the All Star game fastest skater competition.


Career Regular Season Stats:

GP|G|A|Pts|+/-|PIM|EV|PP|SH|GW
705|315|314|629|93|390|220|88|7|57

Playoffs:

Marian has played only 34 games during his playoff career thus far. During the only extended run he has had in the playoffs, during 2002-2003 with the Cinderella Minnesota Wild, he posted 9 goals and 17 points in 18 games played.



Career Playoff Stats:

GP|G|A|Pts|+/-|PIM|EV|PP|SH|GW
34|13|11|24|2|20|7|5|1|1

Quotations and Perspective:

Minnesota Wild winger Marian Gaborik has been called a lot of things in these playoffs -- mostly unprintable. Fortunately for the 21-year-old Slovak, he usually was moving too fast past opposing defensemen to hear the comments being muttered under their breath.

"Marian is going to be as good as he wants to be. The sky is the limit for that kid," said Wild center Wes Walz, who has turned a new playoff pairing with Gaborik into four goals and four assists against Vancouver. "He's 21 years old, and he can dominate games. It's pretty incredible."

With 32 goals, including five in the last six games, Marian Gaborik is heading for a vintage year, like one of his seasons with the Minnesota Wild. Rangers coach John Tortorella has noticed a significant change in the sniper's positioning since last season.

"He's played in traffic all year long," Tortorella said. "It's a huge part of his game this year. He's not swinging out. I haven't gone through all his goals, but a number of them, he's just banging in there. He's made a concerted effort to work on the details of his game, offensively and defensively, and it's paying off for him."

...

About Marian Gaborik

Marian Gaborik of Slovakia is considered one of the most talented offensive players in the National Hockey League, but his career has been consistently hampered by injuries.

Gaborik, 27, was signed as a free agent last July 1 by the Rangers after he played his first eight N.H.L. seasons with the Minnesota Wild, who had chosen him with the third pick over all in the 2000 draft. The Rangers signed him for five years at $37.5 million.

“He is an exciting guy to watch play,†Rangers General Manager Glen Sather said after the signing. “He can skate and does a lot of great things. He’s a great player and he’s young. I certainly think he’s in the top 10 in this league.â€

Gaborik holds the distinction of being one of 43 players to score five or more goals in an N.H.L. game, a feat he accomplished against the Rangers in a game at Minnesota on Dec. 20, 2007.

In an effort persuade Gaborik to sign with them, the Rangers sent a video to his home in Slovakia that featured his career highlights and Rangers players talking about their experiences in New York.

“I watched it right away and it was unbelievable," Gaborik said after he signed. “I felt right away that they were interested in me. It really was very important that they came after me this way.â€

Gaborik scored a career-high 42 goals in the 2007-8 season for the Wild, the only dangerous scorer on a team that consistently ranks among the league’s lowest in scoring. He sustained an injury early in the next season, had an operation on his hip in January and played only 17 games, scoring 23 points. Groin injuries shortened his seasons in 2005-6 and 2006-7.

He has spent the early part of this season among the N.H.L. leaders in scoring.

Gaborik was born in Trencin in the former Czechoslovakia, a town of 56,000 that has produced an astounding number of N.H.L. players, including forwards Marian and Marcel Hossa, Pavol Demitra and Ziggy Palffy, and defenseman Zdeno Chara.

“I first saw him at 16, and everybody knew how special he was right away,†Demitra said while the two were teammates with the Wild. “He’s got that special touch you can’t learn. Look at Gaborik, you see the speed. He’s so fast.â€

Gaborik, Marian Hossa and Chara will form the core of the Slovakian Olympic team, as they did in 2006, when Slovakia finished fifth. The country’s best international showing was winning the 2002 world championships.


Source

Gaborik is a highly skilled player with explosive speed

...

Leading the replacements is free-agent right wing Marian Gaborik, signed away from the Minnesota Wild. When healthy, Gaborik is among the flashiest, most offensively creative players in the game. His health, however, is the biggest reason the Wild allowed him to get away.

Source

"Gabby found a way to play with the new rules that is different than the style I want all the guys to play," Lemaire said. "He's strictly offence. I've tried to make him a two-way player, and I think he can do it. But I don't think he wants to do it."

Source

"I also have the faith that he's going to do the stuff away from the puck. I think he's really worked at a lot of small things in his game."

Source

​

 

[JFA87-66-99]

Marty Walsh, C

A scoring star with dazzling skill but also a ton of grit, defensive ability, and infectious work ethic. A superb fourth liner.

- 5'7", 155 Lbs.
- Member of the HHOF (1962)
- Stanley Cup (1909, 1911)
- Stanley Cup Finalist (1906)
- Two Time Pro Scoring Champion (1909-ECHA, 1911-NHA)
- Runner-up In Scoring Race to Russell Bowie (1908-ECAHA)
- Two Time CIHU Scoring Champion against other HHOFers (1904, 1906)
- Stanley Cup Scoring Leader with 13 of his team's 20 goals (1911)
- 2nd In Stanley Cup Scoring (1910)
- 149 Goals, 19 Assists, 168 Points, 190 PIMs in 69 Top-Level Games
- 25 Goals, 18 PIMs in 8 Stanley Cup Games

Originally Posted by loh.net
Marty Walsh was one of the few players on the roster of the great Ottawa Senators teams of 1909 to 1911 who was not born in that city. He was born in Kingston, and played his early hockey with Queen's University where the team won the Intercollegiate Union title in 1906 and mounted an unsuccessful challenge against the Ottawa Silver Seven for the Stanley Cup. He turned pro with the Canadian Soo of the IHL in 1906-07 but broke his leg during the year and appeared in only seven games of the 24-game schedule before joining the Senators the following year. In his first year with Ottawa, he led the league with 27 goals in nine games, including a seven-goal outburst against Montreal on March 7, 1908.

He added to his records the following season by scoring 42 goals in just 12 games as the Senators went on to capture the Stanley Cup as champions of the ECHA with a 10-2-0 record. Walsh scored six goals in a 12-3 opening game victory against Galt in the Cup challenge of January 5 and 7, 1910 as Ottawa went on to a two-game, total-goals victory by a margin of 15-4. The Senators made another successful Cup defense later in the same month, this time against Edmonton, but lost the sacred bowl to the Montreal Wanderers because Montreal won the 1909-10 NHA title.

The Senators were back as Cup holders the following season after having won the NHA crown and assuming the title from the Wanderers. Ottawa defended its title against a challenge from Port Arthur in March 1911 by a two-game score of 21-8. In the second game of the series, played on March 16, 1911 in Ottawa, Walsh scored an amazing ten goals in the Senators 14-4 victory.

Marty Walsh was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962.

Originally Posted by Joe Pelletier
Marty Walsh was one of the most remarkable goal scorers of his day. In a playoff game against Port Arthur in 1911, he scored 10 times, placing him at the top of the list for single game totals. A newspaper reported the next day "this is a decidedly great performance for Walsh not only tallied at will, but he did a great deal of checking as well and was on top of the rubber from beginning to end." In five seasons with Ottawa he scored an unbelievable 137 goals in 62 games!

Walsh first came to prominence while playing for Queen's University in 1906, when they challenged the Ottawa Silver Seven for the Stanley Cup. Even though Queen's was defeated, Walsh's superb play against Ottawa superstar Frank McGee did not go unnoticed. The Silver Seven immediately made Walsh an offer when McGee retired in 1906. Accepting a contract in the International Hockey League instead, Walsh headed south of the border in 1907.

...Walsh captured the scoring title during his first two seasons and was instrumental in Ottawa's Stanley Cup wins in 1909 and 1911. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of fame in 1962.

Originally Posted by The Trail Of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1
When the Ottawa Silver Seven turned back the challenge of Queens University in decisive fashion in 1906, Frank McGee found the opposing centre Marty Walsh a worthy opponent. Consequently after McGee's retirement the Senators tried to get the college star... Walsh was the star center for Ottawa, and lanked by *******, **** and Darragh the Senators won the Stanley Cup twice... Marty was a very nimble and tricky skater with the knack for always being in a position for a shot, as his great scoring record shows.

Originally Posted by Hockey Almanac 1994-95
An explosive goal scorer who could singlehandedly turn a game into a rout

Originally Posted by Fischler's Hockey Encyclopedia
A multitalented centerman who impressed even the great Frank McGee...

Originally Posted by Honoured Members
He may not have had a long career, but it was spectacular nonetheless. Walsh was a centreman, a forward who scored almost at will.

Originally Posted by Lord Stanley's Cup
A superb skater...

Walsh's debut in big-time hockey was against the powerful Silver Seven:

Originally Posted by The Trail Of the Stanley Cup Vol. 1, 1906 Finals
One player stood out for Queens, however, and that was Marty Walsh.

Originally Posted by Montreal Gazette, 1906-02-28 (regarding failed Cup Challenge by Queens University)
Marty Walsh at rover for the Queens seven was not surpassed in brilliancy by any member of the Ottawas. The little fellow did good work for his team, but it counted for very little, owing to the fact that he received poor assistance...

Originally Posted by Ottawa Citizen, Nov 30, 1907
Marty Walsh, crack hockey player from Kingston, may play with Ottawa this season... Marty appeared in Ottawa two years ago, playing on the forward line of the Queens hockey club when it challenged for the Stanley Cup. He was easily the star of the Queens aggregation... Walsh soon proved his mettle in the International league, but had a bone in his ankle broken.

Originally Posted by Ottawa Citizen, December 7, 1907
Several Ottawa players, who figured in the international league last year, and who played against Walsh, state that, before he was injured, the little Kingston player was the "whole tip" on the Soo team. Walsh, while small of stature, is very fast, an excellent stickhandler,and has plenty of sand - something that he is apt to find handy in the Eastern Canada league.

Originally Posted by Ottawa Citizen, December 17, 1907
Walsh has the earmarks of a winner and will probably make good all right.

Originally Posted by Montreal Gazette, January 20, 1908
Marty Walsh was the bad boy of the lot; the Ottawa centre was out of the game five times tor a total of 21 minutes.

Originally Posted by Ottawa Citizen, January 27, 1908
Marty Walsh tallied four times through pretty work close in on the nets.

Originally Posted by Toronto Star, January 4, 1909
Walsh was the best man on the team, and worked ceaselessly for the good of his team.

Originally Posted by Toronto Star, January 11, 1909
Marty Walsh the Only One With Any Class - Ottawa Defence the Main Strength... The forward division played punk hockey as a whole - all but Walsh, who was right on the job all evening, scoring five goals.

A good example of Walsh's ability to seize victory from the jaws of defeat:

Originally Posted by Montreal Gazette, January 18, 1909
just when things looked blackest, the brace that saved the day and which incidentally prevented a big slump in hockey interest in Ottawa came, two clever goals by Marty Walsh within as many minutes. From that on, Ottawas were masters of the situation...

Originally Posted by Ottawa Citizen, December 1, 1909
The proposition to play Patrick at rover, Bruce Stuart at center and switch Marty Walsh to one of the wings was also made, but the Kingston boy shook his head. Walsh is too valuable a man in mid-ice and will be kept there.

Walsh was one player that the O'Briens ultimately couldn't get to come to Renfrew, but not for a lack of trying. Ottawa had to pony up for him to stay:

Originally Posted by Ottawa Citizen, December 8, 1909
yesterday Renfrew started on a final effort to round out their team...They sent one man to Kingston to intercept Walsh... on arrival in Ottawa both Walsh and **** saw officers of the Ottawas... both have been offered positions in the city. They are to receive big increases in salary from the Ottawas, and have been assured the best of treatment.

Originally Posted by Ottawa Free Trader, January 7, 1910
Marty Walsh, who is conceded to be one of the best forwards in the Dominion, has received an offer of $2500 for ten weeks' play, a bonus of $200 if he plays the complete season and a guarantee of a position at $1200 per annum, good the year round.

A good example of a strong team letting up on a weak team that they're dominating:

Originally Posted by Ottawa Citizen, January 6, 1910
To Marty Walsh again go the scoring honours. Marty started his terrible shooting early in the fracas and continued to go right to the finish, getting seven goals in all. Marty got four goals in succession, thus establishing a record... He was a puzzle that neither Lehman nor ****** could solve. He is going faster than ever... Had they wished to rub it in, they could have probably made their total twenty. In the latter part of the second half, Walsh, Stuart, ***** and ******* actually threw away beautiful openings.

Originally Posted by Ottawa Citizen, January 10, 1010
There was seldom a time that one or more of the visiting seven was not occupying a spot on the penalty bench. Marty Walsh was the worst offender, being ruled off five times. Walsh gave an otherwise brilliant exposition of stickhandling, as, barring his strenuous tactics, he was the finest individual performer on the ice, and scored four goals.

Marty Walsh the workaholic:

Originally Posted by Ottawa Citizen, January 24, 1910
There has been in evidence an element of misfortune which again asserted itself on Saturday when Marty Walsh, champion goalgetter of the east took ill. Marty was feeling sick all week... His physician believes Marty has been over-working himself.

Originally Posted by Ottawa Citizen, January 26, 1910
Les Canadiens gave Ottawas a hard run last Saturday but the Ottawas were not by any means up to form on that occasion, and with Marty Walsh in condition and back at center, they will be a vastly improved aggregation tonight.

In some articles, the distances of the goals were recorded. Not sure if meters or feet are used, but Marty Walsh managed to score from 15 "units" away, when 8 of the game's 12 goals were within 4 units:

Originally Posted by Ottawa Citizen, February 10, 1910
Marty Walsh scored two in the first five minutes of play after neat combination attacks with Stuart and *******, settling Haileybury's fate... Walsh following this up with another goal in 15 minutes, this being the longest of the entire match.

Originally Posted by Ottawa Citizen, November 30, 1910
The Walsh-******-**** combination is as good as any that the Ottawas have had since the Silver Seven went out of business.

Marty's undrafted teammates knew who their meal ticket was:

Originally Posted by Ottawa Citizen, December 15, 1910
The most interesting announcement was that Marty Walsh had chosen to hold down his old position at center.... The question of releasing Marty was never seriously entertained... The officers seemed particularly pleased over his re-signing... Marty's return was likewise hailed with delight by ****, ******* and *****.

Originally Posted by Ottawa Citizen, December 16, 1910
Walsh and **** figured in some magnificent combination plays.... Both are showing rare form for so early in the season... Walsh is just as aggressive and scrappy as ever. He bagged a handful of goals and missed as many more, being from beginning to end right in the thick of the fray.

A great quote showing that Walsh was consistently outsmarting Lalonde defensively and breaking up rushes:

Originally Posted by Ottawa Citizen, March 10, 1911
slippery Marty also getting the fifth after 15 minutes of play... Marty Walsh sustained his long reputation at center, carrying the puck oftener (sic) than any man of the fourteen, breaking up attack after attack with surprising consistency and netting three of the Ottawa goals. By his work last night Marty wins out in the race for NHA scoring honours... Walsh was repeatedly applauded for his clever work... Every time Lalonde grabbed the puck Pete Green would shout, "Get him Marty... get his body, he won't pass it" and Green's tip proved the correct one for Lalonde invariably retained the rubber until the Ottawa forward robbed him of it when Newsy would slap his stick on the ice in disgust.

A couple quotes that show Walsh saved his very best for the biggest games - the cup matches:

Originally Posted by Toronto Star, March 14, 1911 (Ottawa-Galt Cup Game)
It was all Ottawa in the opening period. Walsh scoring the first in fourteen minutes on a shot whose rebound he received. Marty also registered the next after Ridpath had nursed it from end to end...In the third period Walsh made it 5 to 2 on Darragh's pass...Mallen was smothered by Walsh...

Originally Posted by Toronto Star, March 17, 1911 (Ottawa-Port Arthur Cup Game)
Walsh found the going so easy in mid-ice that his team-mates fed him for six goals, the Kingstonian getting four more on individual play. The champion goal-getter of the N.H.A. on one occasion went from end to end and slapped it in while lying on the ice. It was his night on, and Walsh played probably the greatest game of his career. Neither **** nor ******* extended himself.

Originally Posted by Ottawa Citizen, February 20, 1911
No one distinguished himself in the first except Walsh, who gave Joe Hall many an anxious moment... ******* flipped it out and Walsh hoisted it in, giving Ottawa a lead that was never overtaken.... the third and last period was a repetition of the many preceding "last periods" of this season's games. Have you seen the Ottawa line tearing up the ice four abreast?... Have you seen them coming back with equal speed and purloining the rubber before their opponents secured an opening?... Have you seen Walsh cutting a zigzag course from goal to goal, shooting and passing with tantalizing effectiveness?... Well that's what happened on Saturday.

Interesting how Walsh was said to not be brilliant by the Toronto newspaper, yet, he had just completed one of the most dominant scoring seasons of all-time. He sure sounded brilliant in the Ottawa papers, and if he wasn't brilliant, he must have scored all those goals with his dogged work ethic:

Originally Posted by Toronto Star, March 21, 1911
Marty Walsh, centre, is the champion scorer of the National Hockey Association. Walsh is a graduate of Queen’s University, and was as an amateur one of the greatest outside wings in the Inter-Collegiate Football Union. He is 28 years old, and has been playing with the Ottawas for four seasons. Walsh, while not brilliant, is perhaps the hardest and most effective worker on the Ottawa team. He weighs 164."

Fun With Numbers From The Hockey Compendium

Fun With Numbers From The Hockey Compendium:

Walsh's 1909 and 1911 scoring titles were among the most dominant offensive seasons in pro hockey history. A few numerical measures from hockey's stats bible demonstrate this:

Quality of Victory, Points, 1909-2001 - PPG leader's margin of victory over 2nd place

Name | League | Year | % Lead in PPG
Keats | WCHL | 1922 | 60%
Gretzky | NHL | 1984 | 57%
Lemieux | NHL | 1993 | 51%
Gretzky | NHL | 1986 | 51%
Gretzky | NHL | 1983 | 48%
Gretzky | NHL | 1982 | 44%
Gretzky | NHL | 1985 | 41%
Gretzky | NHL | 1987 | 36%
Dunderdale | PCHA | 1913 | 35%
Taylor | PCHA | 1918 | 34%
Morenz | NHL | 1928 | 34%
Howe | NHL | 1953 | 34%
Lalonde | NHA | 1910 | 34%
Walsh | ECHA | 1909 | 31%
Dye | NHL | 1923 | 30%
Hull | NHL | 1966 | 30%
T.Smith | NHA | 1915 | 29%
Lemieux | NHL | 1996 | 27%
Cowley | NHL | 1939 | 26%
Taylor | PCHA | 1913 | 26%

Individual Scoring Domiance, 1909-1930 - Player's GPG divided by league GPG

Name | League | Year | ISD
Lalonde | NHA | 1910 | 0.54
Dye | NHL | 1925 | 0.53
T.Smith | NHA | 1915 | 0.52
Taylor | PCHA | 1918 | 0.52
T.Smith | NHA | 1913 | 0.51
Malone | NHA | 1913 | 0.50
Joliat | NHL | 1925 | 0.49
T.Smith | NHA | 1914 | 0.46
Walsh | ECHA | 1909 | 0.46
Keats | WCHL | 1922 | 0.45
Walsh | NHA | 1911 | 0.44

Ideal Goals - A formula that uses the same logic as most adjusted stats, (schedule length, goals per game averages, roster size) except these ones go back to 1909

Name | League | Season | Ideal Goals
Esposito | NHL | 1971 | 78
Br.Hull | NHL | 1991 | 76
Gretzky | NHL | 1984 | 75
Lemieux | NHL | 1993 | 75
Lemieux | NHL | 1989 | 73
Cook | NHL | 1927 | 73
Lemieux | NHL | 1996 | 72
T.Smith | NHA | 1913 | 71
Lalonde | NHA | 1910 | 71
Malone | NHA | 1913 | 71
Morenz | NHL | 1928 | 70
T.Smith | NHA | 1915 | 70
Gretzky | NHL | 1982 | 69
Conacher | NHL | 1934 | 69
Bure | NHL | 2000 | 68
Conacher | NHL | 1932 | 68
Hull | NHL | 1992 | 68
Conacher | NHL | 1935 | 68
Dye | NHL | 1925 | 67
Conacher | NHL | 1931 | 67
Taylor | PCHA | 1918 | 66
Bo.Hull | NHL | 1967 | 66
Neely | NHL | 1994 | 66
Weiland | NHL | 1930 | 65
Howe | NHL | 1953 | 65
Bo.Hull | NHL | 1969 | 65
Esposito | NHL | 1972 | 65
Mogilny | NHL | 1993 | 65
Walsh | NHA | 1911 | 64
Bo.Hull | NHA | 1966 | 64
Esposito | NHA | 1974 | 64
Walsh | ECHA | 1909 | 63
Selanne | NHL | 1998 | 63
MacKay | PCHA | 1915 | 63
Kurri | NHL | 1985 | 63
Stewart | NHL | 1926 | 63
Bailey | NHL | 1929 | 63
Cook | WHL | 1926 | 63
Irvin | NHL | 1926 | 63
Cook | NHL | 1932 | 62

(note - two WHA seasons were on this list; they were removed as I don't believe it qualified as top-level hockey)

Grittiness Backed Up By PIMs

Here is a list of drafted forwards born within 4 years of Marty Walsh, and two undrafted ones (1880-1888) - Walsh appears to have been one of the scrappier star forwards of his time. (Note that only Bowie, Lalonde, Taylor and Tommy Smith were top-5 in goals in their league more often among this generation! - Smith's total of 5 includes twice in the OPHL, a slightly lesser league.

Name | DOB | GP | G | PIM | G/GP | PIM/GP | GP w/PIM* | Top-2s in Goals
Ernie Russell | 1883 | 112 | 215 | 419 | 1.92 | 3.74 | | 3
Bruce Stuart | 1881 | 104 | 111 | 280 | 1.07 | 3.33 | 84 | 0
***** ***** | 1883 | 65 | 150 | 211 | 2.31 | 3.25 | | 2
Newsy Lalonde | 1887 | 254 | 329 | 769 | 1.3 | 3.03 | | 7
Marty Walsh | 1884 | 77 | 174 | 208 | 2.26 | 2.70 | | 3
Tommy Phillips | 1883 | 45 | 71 | 100 | 1.58 | 2.56 | 39 | 0
Pud Glass | 1884 | 103 | 109 | 221 | 1.06 | 2.15 | | 0
Tom Dunderdale | 1887 | 289 | 226 | 527 | 0.78 | 1.82 | | 3
Didier Pitre | 1883 | 239 | 267 | 433 | 1.12 | 1.81 | | 3
Tommy Smith | 1886 | 175 | 274 | 288 | 1.57 | 1.65 | | 5
Cyclone Taylor | 1885 | 228 | 246 | 355 | 1.08 | 1.56 | | 5
Russell Bowie | 1880 | 82 | 249 | 43 | 3.04 | 1.39 | 31 | 9
Frank McGee | 1882 | 41 | 135 | 56 | 3.29 | 1.37 | | 2
Blair Russell | 1881 | 69 | 109 | 68 | 1.58 | 1.36 | 50 | 1
**** ****** | 1884 | 61 | 146 | 19 | 2.39 | 0.31 | | 2

* Some players had seasons where PIMs were not recorded; to avoid skewing results, their PIMs are divided only by the number of games they played in seasons where PIMs were recorded. This only counts top-level hockey: NHA, PCHA, St-Cup, ECAHA, ECHA, OPHL, CAHL, FAHL, IHL, CHA.

Another great bio by seventies.

 

[tony d]

Might as well start doing these, I'll start with my 1st pick of this year's ATD at #28 Mark Messier:

Position: LW/C
Shoots: Left
Height: 6-1 Weight: 210 lbs.
Born: January 18, 1961 in Edmonton, Alberta

-1887 points in 1751 NHL Games
-295 points in 236 playoff games
-15 All Star Game Appearances
-2 Time Hart Trophy Winner
-2 Time Lindsay (Pearson) Trophy Winner
-4 Time 1st Team All Star, 1 Time 2nd Team All Star
-7th All Time in Career Goals (694), 3rd All Time in Career Assists (1193), 2nd All Time in Career Points (1887)
-2nd All Time in Career Short Handed Goals (63)
-2nd All Time in Career Playoff Points
-Hall of Fame Inductee (Class of 2007)

Stats courtesy of http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/m/messima01.html

Here's his story on Joe Pelletier's website:

Old time fans will unequivocally insist the greatest player of all time is Gordie Howe. Not Gretzky. Not Lemieux. Not Bobby Orr. The problem for several recent eras of fans is we never saw "Mr. Hockey." The primitive video that is archived is from late in his career. We never got to see the man who could do it all - score, pass, skate, hit, and fight. With the puck he could be as beautiful as any player from any generation. Without the puck he could be as robust and as happily nasty.

No, modern fans did not get to see that. But we were blessed to see the closest incarnation since: Mark Messier.

Messier played the game in Howe's image. Both embodied hockey in its most passionate form -- competing hard, winning at all costs and exhibiting a mean streak that only added to effectiveness. But that passion and the physical prowess never overshadowed the raw skill sets of either - the explosive speed, the uncanny creativity, the constant threat to score. Messier was very much Gordie Howe 2.0 - with Rocket Richard's piercing eyes thrown in.

While the NHL game has changed significantly on a few occasions in the league's storied history, the definition of the "ideal" hockey player never has. Gordie Howe embodied that description for the longest time. Mark Messier is the closest player to join "Mr. Hockey" as an equal in hockey's grand history.

What makes it all the more amazing is the fact that Messier was very much a long shot to accomplish anything in the NHL.

Messier was the definition of a "coach's project" when he started out. He had a few things going for him though. He was as strong as an ox and wasn't afraid to show it; he had blazing speed; and he had Glen Sather's guidance.

Mark was only 17 when he turned pro with Indianapolis of the World Hockey Association. He split 52 games between Indianapolis and Cincinnati in his rookie year, and was far from sensational. In fact he only scored one goal. There was little to suggest he would go on to become the only man named to the NHL's first all star team at two different positions, become the only man to captain two franchises to Stanley Cup championships, or become the man heralded as the greatest leader in not only hockey but in all of professional sports.

When the WHA merged with NHL, Messier was still eligible for the entry draft, and that's when Edmonton Oiler GM Glen Sather drafted the hometown boy in the second round (1979). Under Sather's guidance and confidence, Messier became a monster.

He scored a respectable 33 points as an 18 year old in his first year in the NHL, and followed that up by a 63 point campaign. But it was in 1981-82, Messier blossomed into a 50 goal scorer and the Oilers exploded into an NHL powerhouse.

Messier played under the shadow of Wayne Gretzky for many years, but one can argue that the Oilers didn't reach the top until Messier put them there. With Gretzky's wizardry and offensive firepower and Messier's physical dominance and leadership, the Oilers reached the Stanley Cup final in 1983. However Messier's shoulder was quickly injured limiting his effectiveness. The Oilers were soon blown away by the dynasty New York Islanders.

The next year the Oilers returned to the finals, and again faced the Isles. This time Messier was healthy, and the Oilers gained their first Stanley Cup and at the same time ended the Isle's four year reign as champions. In the pivotal game 3 of the series, it was Messier's spectacular goal that sparked to Oilers and they never looked back. Messier was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the playoffs most valuable player.

Gretzky and Messier and the Oilers would enjoy their own dynasty, winning 3 more Cups. After Gretzky was traded to Los Angeles in 1988, Messier was named Oilers captain. He enjoyed his most productive season in 1989-90, scoring 129 points, and winning the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP. He would then lead the Oilers to a somewhat surprising 5th Stanley Cup in 7 years. Surprising only because Gretzky had left only 2 years earlier.

However, Messier's days in Edmonton were numbered, just like Gretzky ahead of him. Changing economics forced the Oilers to dismantle perhaps the greatest team of all time. At the start of the 1991-92 season Messier became known as "the Messiah" as he was traded to the New York Rangers. His leadership qualities and all around play inspired the Rangers to acquire him to fulfill a mission: to bring the Stanley Cup back to Manhattan for the first time since 1940. In doing so he became Manhattan's favorite son. Remembered as much as a Ranger as he was an Oiler, he is immortalized in sporting history like very few hockey players before him.

Even though Messier's career, and the fortunes of the Canucks, who he joined in 1997 and the Rangers, who he rejoined in 2000, would slide into decline, his legendary status would only grow with Howe-like longevity.

His stellar career that featured 694 goals, 1,193 assists and 1,887 points in 1,756 games. He surpassed Gordie Howe's once untouchable career scoring feats, ending his career as the NHL's second highest scorer all time behind his buddy Wayne Gretzky. Thanks in large part to the NHL lockout of 2004-05, Messier fell one season shy of equaling Howe's record of 26 seasons played, and finished just 11 games behind on the games played list.

Here's his story on The Legends Of Hockey website:

Mark Messier's nickname, "the Moose," is a tribute to his size, strength and determination. A player renowned for his leadership abilities and one of the all-time leading NHL scorers, Messier emerged from the great Edmonton Oilers teams of the 1980s to become a hockey superstar. He was a powerful skater who combined playmaking skill and a goal-scoring touch with the toughness necessary to survive and thrive in the corners. Six times his teams sipped from the Stanley Cup and on two occasions Messier took home the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player.

Like Gordie Howe, Messier is credited with being the most complete player of his generation. He was a power forward, a two-way left winger and sometime center with talent and overwhelming power and size and an unpredictable mean streak. Messier acquired his multidimensional game during a childhood filled with hockey in his home town of Edmonton. At age four, he was attending his father's minor-league practices. At age 11, he was a stick boy for the Spruce Grove Mets in the Alberta junior leagues, the team he would star on just five years later.

Messier was a big kid, just 16 and weighing close to 200 pounds and his talent was so obvious that he skipped major junior and college hockey altogether. The Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association gave him a five game tryout when he was a 17 year-old in 1978. Though he failed to register a point and was released by the Racers just before the franchise folded, he did celebrate his 18th birthday in the pro ranks after the Cincinnati Stingers, a competing WHA team, signed him as a free agent and he played 47 games for that team. In 1979 he was selected by the Edmonton Oilers as the team's second choice, 48th overall in the NHL's Entry Draft.

Messier began the 1979-80 season with the Oilers, but the poise and professionalism that would one-day make him the game's premier leader, were still being developed by the NHL rookie. He scored 50 goals in 1981-82, his third season, double his total of the year before, and was selected to the NHL's First All-Star Team.

When the Oilers won their first of four Stanley Cup championships in five years in 1984, Messier, on a team with such stars as Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey and Grant Fuhr, was the most valuable player in the playoffs, capturing the Conn Smythe Trophy for his 26 post-season points and his undeniable leadership. Gretzky was a dominant offensive player and Edmonton recorded new highs for team scoring. But the Oilers in their glory years were also a tight defensive group. Messier, fast, powerful and physical, was a perfect two-way player, able to excel at both ends of the ice.

Gretzky and Messier were very close during their years in Edmonton. When Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988, Messier was made the Edmonton captain, though many predicted the Oilers' run of success would leave with the Great One. In the 1989 playoffs, the Oilers were upset by Gretzky's Kings in a close first-round series and the skepticism surrounding the team seemed to be merited. One season later, however, in 1989-90, Messier had a career year, finishing second to Gretzky in the points race with 129. He also won the Hart Trophy over Boston's Ray Bourque as the league's most valuable player. In the playoffs, with the Oilers down 2-1 in games to the Chicago Blackhawks in the semifinals, Messier took over in the fourth game, scoring two goals and collecting two assists in Edmonton's 4-2 road win. His one-man display impressed everyone who watched, Chicago players, coaches and fans included, and his all-time performance spurred the Oilers. Edmonton swept the remaining games from Chicago and easily handled Bourque and the Bruins in the finals to give Messier his fifth Stanley Cup ring with Edmonton.

The small market Oilers struggled following their 1990 victory, and Messier was traded to the New York Rangers prior to the 1991-92 season for Bernie Nichols, undrafted and undrafted. Messier's offensive production had declined in 1993-94, though he scored more than 20 goals for the 14th time in his career. In the playoffs, however, Messier was at his very best, engineering one of the great moments in New York sports history.

The Rangers were down 3-2 in games to New Jersey in the Eastern Conference finals. Messier publicly guaranteed a game six win. He followed up on his promise with a stellar performance, scoring a hat-trick in the third period to bring his team back from elimination and force a seventh game. Messier and the Rangers dispatched the Devils and then won the Cup in another thrilling series against Pavel Bure and the Vancouver Canucks. Messier scored the Cup winning goal in the seventh game. With the victory, the franchise's first in 54 years, Messier became the first player to captain two different teams to Stanley Cup titles.

Along with his six Stanley Cups, Messier has also represented his country at three Canada Cup Tournaments (1984, 1987 and 1991, one World Championship (1989) and one World Cup (1996). Messier scored his 600th career goal in a win over Florida in October of 1998. He and two of his former Oilers teammates, Gretzky and Jari Kurri, were three of only ten players to ever top that benchmark. He returned to the Rangers in 2000, and during the 2003-04 season surpassed Gordie Howe as the second highest point getter in NHL history. Messier went on to finish the 2003-04 season with 43 points (18-25-43) and 1,887 for his career.

Following a lock out year in 2004-05, Messier called it a career in the summer of 2005. A year after, both the New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers retired his number 11 in pre-game ceremonies. Earlier that year, the National Hockey League created the Mark Messier Trophy, a monthly leadership award.

Some more quotes on Messier:

Bleacher Report

Mark Messier is my favorite athlete of all time. Period. Who can ever forget his heroics in 1994, leading the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup victory since 1940. Sam Rosen was right, the Messiah had delivered.

When Messier arrived in New York in 1991, his goal was simply to win a championship here. It took him just three seasons to turn the seeminly hopeless Rangers into champions.

In his first season with the Rangers, Messier put up 35 goals and 107 points to earn his second MVP award. Strangely, that was the best season he ever had in a uniform in terms of statistics, but two seasons later, he'd bring a Stanley Cup to New York.

In that 1994 championship playoff season, he guaranteed a win against the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference finals in game 6, with the Rangers down 3-2 in the series. All he did was go out and score a hat trick. The Rangers went on to win the series in seven games.

The following series against the Vancouver Canucks saw him get credit for (undrafted scored it!!) the game winning goal in Game 7, ending the Rangers' 54-year curse.

That was the peak for Messier, as he never returned to the promise land again in his career. Although the following two seasons showed The Captain reach 80-plus points (aside from the strike-shortened season of 1994-95), he never led the Rangers back to the finals.

Messier really came alive in the playoffs for the Rangers. In 70 career post-season games, he put up 80 points, including 30 in 1994.

After spending three seasons with the Canucks, Messier returned home in 2000, eventually finishing his career with the Rangers in 2004.

Although Messier doesn't hold any major records with the team, his name is will always be linked to 1994.

This is an excerpt from his profile page in the Rangers 100 greatest players book:

A 2007 Hall of Fame Inductee, Messier was as complete a player as the league had ever seen--one who could pass, shoot, skate, hit or fight his way to victory.

Really glad to have gotten Messier at #28, the perfect building block for my team.

 

[Rob Scuderi]

LW Gilles Tremblay

AST placements: 3, 4, 5, 6 (2 votes), 9 (3 votes)
x1 Top 10 Goals (5th)
x2 All-Star Games
x2 Stanley Cup winner

Left-winger Gilles Tremblay was a fine two-way player for the Montreal Canadiens in the 1960s. He recorded five 20-goal seasons and was a solid member of four Stanley Cup teams.
Born in Montmorecy, Quebec, Tremblay played junior with the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens. He turned pro in 1959-60 by scoring 32 goals for the Hull-Ottawa club in the EPHL then dressed for 45 games with the Montreal Canadiens in 1960-61.
The slick forward hit the 20-goal mark five times and helped Montreal win the Stanley Cup in 1965, 1966, 1968, and 1969. In 1961-62, he set a career-high with 32 goals while teaming with Jean Beliveau and Bernie Geoffrion. Tremblay was a steady performer who could contribute on both specialty teams. He retired after playing 44 games for Montreal in 1968-69.

The Canadiens told Tremblay that they were pleased with his play in his rookie season but if he wanted to stay in the NHL he would have to develop more of an offensive flare. Gilles went home that summer and prepared for the following season. His preparations obviously paid off as he came back and scored a career high 32 goals and 54 points, all while continuing his strong defensive play. The 32 goals was the 5th highest in the whole league! There was no doubt - Gilles Tremblay planned on sticking around the NHL for years to come.

Tremblay never quite equaled that output again, but he remained a steady though quiet 25 goal man for most of his career. He followed it up with 25 and 22 markers in the next two seasons. A broken leg cut short his 1964-65 season but he rebounded strongly in 1965-66 when he scored 27 goals. 1965-66 was particularly special for Gilles as he added 9 points in 10 playoff games to lead the Habs to the Stanley Cup championship.

Tremblay played until the 1968-69 season when injuries forced him to retire. In all he scored 168 goals and 330 points in 509 NHL games. He added 9 goals and 23 points in 48 playoff contests, earning three Stanley Cup rings.

Giles' career with us would last only nine short seasons, abbreviated by an asthmatic condition that robbed the league of one of its most exciting players. Like Ludger (Giles' older brother), Giles was blessed with unusual upper-body strength and fantastic speed. He had great natural talent and was second only to Bobby Hull at his position. Giles could forecheck and backcheck with the best defensive players in the league, but when the situation required it, he was most dangerous offensively. Toe was once quoted as saying he would not trade Giles straight up for Frank Mahovlich. Giles and I worked a break-in play to perfection. Whenever the slightest opening arose, I'd throw the puck up the left side and let him take it in full stride. Once he got a step ahead of a defender, Giles would leave all but the fastest players in his wake. And while Claude Provost often played Bobby Hull to a standstill, Giles Tremblay could do the same with Gordie Howe...I got more than my share of assists in those days with Giles on my left and Yvan Cournoyer, perhaps the only player in the league who could outskate him, playing right.

"Young Bobby Rousseau and Gilles Tremblay have been playing great hockey for us. Rousseau is checking better every game and Tremblay has been the big surprise after a bad training camp. Did you notice that Gilles has 10 goals?

Tremblay, one of the league's fastest skaters, was at his flying best in the game. He scored his first goal on a whirlwind rush into the Toronto end.

The hard-skating 24-year-old winger, who had 23 goals in 52 games before being sidelined...

A Detroit doctor who examined Tremblay after Sunday night's game said the stocky left winger will probably be able to play again in two weeks if he uses a special helmet.

Excellent PKer

Don Marshall, Gilles Tremblay, Claude Provost and especially young Bobby Rousseau turned in outstanding checking performances as Canadiens drew eight of the 11 minor penalties called by Referee Eddie Powers.

Gilles Tremblay had two assists Saturday, a goal and an assist last night. The so-called "Third Line" was also brilliant defensively. Not one of the Detroit goals came while they were on the ice last night and Gilles Tremblay turned in a fine effort as a penalty-killer along with Bobby Rousseau.

And strangely enough the Chicago club looked far less efficient when they sported the one-man advantage. Many will argue that this was largely due to the spectacular penalty killing of Montreal's Gilles Tremblay, Claude Provost, and Jacques Lemaire, who are experts at clearing the puck as soon as they touch it with their sticks.

Bit of a scrapper

The first period produced a couple of short scraps between Lou Fontinato and Elmer Vasko which ended in a draw and between Gilles Tremblay and Eric Nesternko. Little Tremblay distinguished himself as a surprise battler by inviting Nesterenko to fight. He got the better of the Chicago winger with several well-aimed punches before they were separated.

Six players wound up with major penalties for fighting-Vic Hadfield, Larry Cahan and Jim Neilson of the Rangers and Terry Harper, Jean Guy Talbot and Gilles Tremblay of the Canadiens.

Stick-swinging incident

The rough play reached its peak at 13:53 of the second period when Chicago's Reg Fleming and Gilles Tremblay of Montreal engaged in a stick fight, for which both were given match penalties.

President Clarence Campbell of the National Hockey League Saturday suspended without pay for three games Reg Fleming of Chicago Black Hawks and Gilles Tremblay of Montreal Canadiens for their stick-swinging duel during a game in Chicago last Tuesday.

Gilles, a left winger, got hot later in the session. He scored three times within less than four minutes and powered Montreal to a 6-2 victory.

Gilles Tremblay sniped both Montreal goals in the second period.

 

[tony d]

With my 2nd pick, pick 37 of the 2012 ATD I selected Goalie Glenn Hall:

Position: G
Catches: Left
Height: 5-11 Weight: 180 lbs.
Born: October 3, 1931 in Humboldt, Saskatchewan

-407-326-163 Career Record
-13 All Star Game Appearances
-84 Career Shutouts
-1 Calder Trophy, 3 Vezina Trophies, 1 Conn Smythe Trophy (Depsite being on the losing team)
-11 Nominations for Post-Season All Star Teams (7 1st and 4 2nd)
-8th Most Wins All Time by a NHL Goalie (407)
-4th Most Shutouts All Time by a NHL Goalie (84)
-Played in an astonishing 500+ Consecutive Games
-6 Time Leader for Shutouts in the Regular Season
-4 Time Leader for Wins in the Regular Season.
-Inducted to The Hall of Fame in 1975

Here's Hall's Joe Pelletier profile:

Hockey players, especially goaltenders, have pre-game rituals. Some are more unusual than others. But no one had a stranger ritual than former NHL goaltending great Glenn Hall who, because of nerves, would literally become physically ill while waiting the start of a game.

More often than not, before the first face-off, during the rest periods or after the game was concluded, Glenn quietly and unobtrusively would throw up .

"I always felt I played better if I was physically sick before the game. If I wasn't sick, I felt I hadn't done everything I could to try to win," Hall once said.

It obviously worked for Hall, as the man nicknamed "Mr. Goalie" has to be considered a prime candidate as the greatest goalie ever played.

Glenn Hall is also renowned as the grandfather of the butterfly goalie. He was the first goalie to practice and perfect the now common butterfly stance, as he'd fall on knees, spread his legs to take away the bottom corners and five-hole and let his rapier-like arm reflexes take care of the top corners. Glenn would meet the shot with his feet wide but his knees close together to form an inverted Y. Instead of throwing his whole body to the ice in crises, he would go down momentarily to his knees, then bounce back to his feet, able to go in any direction. Practically every goalie in hockey today relies on the strategies he perfected.

During his 18-year NHL career, which began in 1952 and ended in 1971, Glenn posted a 407-327-163 record, 2.51 goals-against-average and recorded 84 shutouts. He was a First Team All-Star seven times, won three Vezina Trophies, was voted the league's top rookie in 1955-56 and was awarded the Conn Smythe trophy in a losing cause in 1968. Despite his lengthy career, Glenn won his only Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 1961—the last time Chicago captured the title.

Hall actually started his career buried in the Detroit Red Wings system in the early 1950s. With the great Terry Sawchuk established as the number one goalie, it seemed as though Hall would have to wait forever for his turn to get a chance at full-time play in the league. But Hall kept the pressure on Sawchuk, eventually leading to the surprising Sawchuk trade to the Boston Bruins in 1955. Hall took to the Red Wings crease, and turned in a memorable rookie season, coming within one shutout of Harry Lumley's modern record of 13 set two seasons previously. He allowed only 2.11 goals against as he played in each and every game and won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie.

Hall played one one more season with Detroit, before yet another shocking trade involving a Red Wings goalie. This time Hall was packaged up in the infamous Ted Lindsay trade to the Chicago Blackhawks.

It was in Chicago that Hall is best remembered. Hall was a huge part of the Blackhawks turnaround, backstopping them to the Stanley Cup championship in 1961. The Hawks became the toast of Chicago for much of the 1960s, selling out every ticket for 14 seasons. With the likes Pierre Pilote, Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull, the Hawks were hot. But it was Hall who was synonymous with the Hawks, playing seemingly every game. In fact, despite his taxing pre-game ritual, Glenn holds the NHL record for most consecutive complete games, 502, by a goaltender. That's 502 straight contests without missing a minute of play. Not one single minute over the span of 8 seasons. That is one record that is certain never to be broken. Even more amazing is he accomplished this feat while playing without a mask.

At the age of 36, he was left unprotected in the 1967 Expansion Draft and was chosen by the newly minted St. Louis Blues. Due in large part to Hall's improbable heroics, the Blues marched all the way to the Stanley Cup final in their first year in the league. Though they would eventually lose to the Montreal Canadiens in four games, Hall was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the league's top playoff performer. In 1968-69, Jacques Plante joined the team and the two veterans shared the goaltending duties, and split the Vezina Trophy. The duo returned the Blues to the Stanley Cup finals in both 1969 and 1970, only to lose again.

Hall retired in 1971, returning to Alberta to tend to his farm, while working with the Blues and later Calgary Flames as a goaltending coach and consultant.

From the Edmonton Oilers History Website:

Glenn Hall grew up in Humbolt, Saskatchewan, and was a child during the Great Depression. Like many communities in North America, money and prospects were scare. Favourite pastimes, like hockey, need the most basic of equipment to play. Unable to afford pucks, Hall and his friends nailed together frozen cowpies to play with.

From those early days, Hall learned to be a great goaltender. Recognized for his ability, the Detroit Red Wings had signed the goaltending prospect and assigned him to their top farm team, the Edmonton Flyers, back in 1952. Hall soon fell in love with the city and still resides in the area to this day.

Hall is revered as of one of the great names when it comes to goaltending. His NHL record of 502 consecutive games played will likely never be broken and is a testimony to his endurance. Hall was named an NHL All-Star 13 times, a feat that no other goalie in history could match.

After bouncing up and down between Edmonton and Detroit between 1952-55, Hall was finally given the Wings’ starting job at the beginning of the ’55-’56 season. Over the next two full seasons in Detroit, Hall won 68 games and recorded 14 shutouts. In 1956, the NHL named him Rookie of the Year for his outstanding play with the Red Wings. The next year, however, Detroit management accused he and Wings’ captain Ted Lindsay of trying to help form a players’ union, and unceremoniously traded them to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Hall excelled in Chicago; a young team built on the scoring prowess of Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull. In 1961, Hall got the sweetest of revenge on his old Detroit team, when he led the Hawks to a Stanley Cup win over Detroit. In both 1963 and 1967, Hall won the Vezina Trophy as the top goalie in hockey. Five times he was named the MVP of the Blackhawks.

With 1967 expansion, Hall moved onto the brand-new St. Louis Blues franchise. He spent four seasons with the Blues before retiring. He won another Vezina in 1969, and Hall is only one of five players in history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP but not play for the team that won the Stanley Cup that season. He did that in 1968, when the Blues lost to the Montréal Canadiens in the final.

For all that on-ice success, Hall’s legend was inflated by the fact that he was famous for throwing up before games and between periods.

"I do think the media blew up the fact that I was throwing up," Hall said. "When I threw up, I felt like I was doing what I needed to do to prepare for the game. I felt that if I threw up, I played better."

And even though Hall was always considered one of the game’s top netminders throughout his career, the fear of failure always haunted him.

"There was always the fear that you weren’t going to do well, even though you had done all the things you needed to do to play well. You knew you were quick enough and smart enough and had researched the opposition, but there was still a fear you would not play well."

In 1974, Hall was named to the Edmonton Sports Hall of Fame. A year later, he was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 1989, Hall got his second Stanley Cup ring, as an assistant coach with the Calgary Flames.

This is from this website which ranked the top 10 Blackhawks goalies of all time. The site is: http://www.eyeofthehawks.com/2011/04/ten-goalies-that-shaped-blackhawks.html

But, Glenn Hall takes the top spot on this list because he revolutionized many aspects of the game in net. With his butterfly style he brought the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup in 1961, and got the victory. His consistency and dominance for not only the Blackhawks, but several other teams is admired to this day.

I originally didn't plan to select a goalie this early, was planning on getting a winger for Messier at #37 but when I saw Hall slippping I knew the time was right to pick him. A Goalie like Hall is another good building block for any team.