ATD 2014 - the Bios Thread

[tony d]

Goalie Billy Smith

Biographical Information courtesy of: http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/s/smithbi01.html

Position: G ▪ Catches: Left
Height: 5-10 ▪ Weight: 185 lbs.
Born: December 12, 1950 (Age 63) in Perth, Ontario

Stats courtesy of http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/s/smithbi01.html

-Career Record of 305-233-105 in 680 career games
-88-36 career playoff record
-1978 All Star, 1982 Conn Smythe Trophy Winner
-Led NHL in wins in 1981-1982
-Inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993

Legends Of Hockey:

Goalie Billy Smith battled just about everything and everyone during his long and glorious National Hockey League career. He fought opposing players, using his stick like a scythe to rid his crease of encroaching forwards; he fought the media with his bold tirades; and he occasionally took on his own teammates and coaches, challenging them to raise their performance to match his own. Most of all, though, Battling Billy fought the puck he hated and attempted to ke

Joe Pelletier:

More importantly than numbers, Smith is considered to be one of the NHL's greatest playoff goaltenders of all time. Smith twice posted 15 post season wins and recorded a stingy 2.73 goals against average and five shutouts in 132 NHL playoff games. For 5 straight playoffs he led the entire NHL in appearances and wins, and three of those years he led in shutouts and GAA. Perhaps if he had been given a chance to play more in the regular season he would have won more individual honors and bolstered his all time numbers so that he would be hailed even more so as one of the all time greats. But his playoff performances alone have cemented his place among the immortals.

Final Thoughts:

While Smith is not a top 10 goalie of all time (He's more of a top 15-20), he's still going to be good. His playoff exploits certainly raise his level, glad to have him.

 

[Dreakmur]

Marty Barry !!!


Awards and Achievements:
2 x Stanley Cup Champion (1936, 1937)

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (1937)
1st Team All-Star (1937)


Offensive Accomplishments:
Points - 2nd(1936), 3rd(1937), 4th(1934), 4th(1939), 7th(1933), 8th(1935), 11th(1932), 13th(1931), 18th(1930)
Goals - 2nd(1934), 3rd(1933), 3rd(1936), 8th(1932), 8th(1935), 9th(1931), 10th(1937), 16th(1939)
Assists - 2nd(1937), 4th(1939), 7th(1936), 12th(1938), 14th(1932), 16th(1935)

Play-off Points - 1st(1930), 1st(1937), 5th(1936), 6th(1933)
Play-off Goals - 1st(1937), 2nd(1930), 4th(1939), 6th(1933), 10th(1936)
Play-off Assists - 1st(1937), 2nd(1930), 2nd(1936), 6th(1933)


5 Year Peak: 1933 to 1937
1st in Points, 106% of 2nd place Charlie Conacher
1st in Goals, 101% of 2nd place Charlie Conacher
6th in Assists, 88% of 2nd place Art Chapman

1st in Play-off Points

10 Year Peak: 1930 to 1939
2nd in Points, 99% of 1st place Nels Stewart
3rd in Goals, 91% of 2nd place Charlie Conacher
2nd in Assists, 88% of 1st place Frank Boucher

1st in Play-off Points


Scoring Percentages:
Points - 100(1936), 98(1937), 93(1939), 91(1934), 85(1935), 84(1933), 76(1932), 72(1931), 66(1938), 53(1930)

Best 6 Seasons: 551
​

A great skater and prolific playmaker, Barry played briefly with the New York Americans during the 1927-28 season but didn't stick in the NHL until he joined the Bruins in 1929. In Bostone became an solid second line center but by 1933 he developed into perhaps the Bruins top offensive threat. He led his Bruins in scoring for 3 consecutive seasons.

Wherever he played, Marty Barry was a productive center whose work ethic was lauded by teammates and opponents alike. His stamina and dedication made him one of the most consistent and durable performers of his era. Between 1929 and 1939, he missed only two NHL regular season games.

Although he was born in Shannon, just north of Quebec City, Barry grew up and learned to play hockey in Montreal. He played in the Mount Royal intermediate league with the Gurney Foundry team in 1922-23, with St. Michael's the following year and then with St. Anthony for two seasons after that. A proficient scorer, he was known by the local sportswriters as "Goal-a-Game" Barry.

....

Barry's play was crucial to the Detroit franchise's enormous success during this period. The team finished at the top of the NHL regular season standings and won the Stanley Cup in both 1936 and 1937, making the Wings the first U.S.-based team to capture back-to-back championships.

In November 1939 Barry signed with the Montreal Canadiens, for whom he played his last NHL season. He left the league with the reputation of being a consistent offensive producer as well an "iron man" who almost never missed a game.

Barry became one of the Bruins’ most effective offensive tools over the next five seasons, leading the team in goals for three consecutive seasons from 1931-1934. He averaged 23 goals per season, combining for 129 goals scored as a Bruin. He was also the team’s leading point-scorer for three consecutive seasons from 1932-1935. Barry was also one of the team’s great leaders, and the Bruins declared him team captain in 1933.

There are numerous other remarkable players today. Marty Barry isn't far removed from the front rank. Indeed many competent critics rate the Detroit center smack up there.
Barry, big and strong and a hard worker, is as fine a playmaker as he is a defensive player. He has played left wing during the greater part of his career, but is the clever, snappy type of center who feeds his wings exceptionally well.

Like the great Black Knight of the Tiger infield, Marty Berry possesses that faculty of mechanical perfection. He sweeps the ice with such smooth, rhythmic strides his play seems effortless. He is called hockey's greatest passer.

The Boston Bruin's center, Marty Barry, is one of the most aggressive players in the National Hockey League. He has assisted his mates scores of times this season in penetrating opponents' defense zones and has scored several goals himself.

Marty Barry, Larry Aurie, and Herb Lewis give the Red Wings one of the best forward lines in the game. It is not only a high scoring array, but one of the finest defensive combinations.

 

[Velociraptor]

Paul Coffey, D

Position: Centre
HT/WT: 6'0", 205 lbs
Handedness: Left
Nickname(s): "The Doctor"
Born: June 1st, 1961 in Weston, ON

Coffey was very much like a surgeon slicing through the defense.

- Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.
- 4-time Stanley Cup Champion - (1984, 1985, 1987, 1991)
- 14-time Top 10 in All-Star D Voting (1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 7, 7)
- 3-time recipient of the James Norris Trophy - (1985, 1986, 1995)
- 4 acknowledgements for the First NHL All-Star Team - (1985, 1986, 1989, 1995)
- 4 acknowledgements for the Second NHL All-Star Team - (1982, 1983, 1984, 1990)
- ranked number 29 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players
- scored 396 goals and 1135 assists for 1531 points in 1409 games, adding 1802 penalty minutes.
- scored 59 goals and 137 assists for 196 points in 194 playoff games, adding 264 penalty minutes.

Coaching Survey conducted from the early 70's to mid 80's:

PAUL COFFEY

Best skater | 1st | 1984
Most natural ability | 5th | 1984

Top 10 Finishes:
Goals - 1x - (7)
Assists - 9x - (2, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 8, 10)
Points - 6x - (2, 3, 5, 6, 6, 9)
Shorthanded Goals - 1x - *(1)

*Scored nine shorthanded goals in 1985-86.

Voting Record:

Norris Voting Record:

1st (84-85), 1st (85-86), 1st (94-95), 2nd (83-84), 2nd (88-89), 3rd (81-82), 4th (89-90), 5th (82-83), 5th (86-87), 5th (90-91), 5th (95-96), 7th (87-88), 9th (92-93)

Hart Voting Record:

3rd (94-95), 4th (85-86), 10th (83-84), 14th (84-85)

Quotes

Legends of Hockey

Smooth-skating Paul Coffey embodied everything an offensive defenseman could be -- lightning fast, a skilled playmaker, a booming shot and savvy, yet still able to defend his team's zone employing blinding speed.

Greatest Hockey Legends

The first thing everyone thinks about when the name Paul Coffey is mentioned is his skating ability. Wearing skates several sizes too small, this guy was simply amazing. In a couple of strides he was able to glide through the neutral and offensive zones faster than those dogged checkers chasing him. He was every bit as silky smooth as he was lightning quick.

...

Most people will remember Coffey's magnificent 1984 blocked pass on a Soviet 2-0n-1 break and his subsequent transition on the offense to set up Mike Bossy for the overtime winning goal. It's funny how his defensive play was considered spotty in the NHL, but with his amazing speed he was a key defender for Canada against those powerful Soviet teams in the 1980s.

It was exciting to be on the ice with him and watch the way he could skate, the great thing was he would take a few strides and then he'd just glide most of the time. He would glide by people, which is fairly unusual. He was such a powerful skater that it was fun to watch. He could come out of our end and find guys in the middle of the ice and the pass would be right on the tape. There weren't very many times that it wasn't right on the tape.

His ability to see the ice and make those kinds of plays was remarkable. You know, it was something different every game. You never knew what was going to happen. It was exciting for me to be part of it."

Coffey was one of the most unique defensemen to ever play in the league. He was often referred to as a 'rover.' The biggest thing about Coffey was his tremendous speed. If he couldn't skate like he did, he would not have been able to move up and play like he did. He was like a fourth forward on most attacks.

Jeff Gordon, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jan 10, 1988

Coffey, the league's best rushing defenseman, is like a nuclear weapon.

Dave Molinari, The Pittsburgh Press - Apr 16, 1991

Coffey was about as good as any defenseman can be. He threw the first of several hard checks on his first shift, rushed the puck with his usual vigor and scored the fourth goal.

"I can honestly say that's one of the best games I've ever seen him play," left winger XXXX XXXXX said. "He played great," Bourque said. "He was taking the body, playing great defensively. He was playing both ends of the ice, probably one of the best game's I've seen him play. And he's only got 1 1/2 eyes."

Francis Rosa, Boston Globe, Jun 13, 1985

Glen Sather, coach, general manager and president of the champion Edmonton Oilers, saw the election of Coffey as best defenseman as "a precedent setter," because Coffey is hockey's ultimate offensive defenseman. "He could win this a lot of years in a row," said Sather. "He's the only player I know of who has been spoken of in the same breath as Bobby Orr."

Credit goes to BC for this lovely bio.

 

[Velociraptor]

Doug Bentley, LW/C

Position: Left Wing/Centre
HT/WT: 5'8", 145 lbs
Handedness: Left
Born: September 3rd, 1916 in Delisle, SK

- Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1964.
- 1-time Top-10 in All-Star C Voting (1)
- 5-time Top-10 in All-Star LW Voting (1, 1, 2, 3, 4)
- 3 acknowledgements for the First NHL All-Star Team - (1943, 1944, 1947)
- 1 acknowledgement for the Second NHL All-Star Team - (1949)
- ranked number 73 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players
- scored 219 goals and 324 assists for 543 points in 566 games, adding 217 penalty minutes.
- scored 9 goals and 8 assists for 17 points in 23 playoff games, adding 12 penalty minutes.

Voting Record:

Hart Voting Record:

2nd (42-43), 3rd (43-44), 4th[/B] (48-49), 11th (47-48)

Top 10 Finishes:
Goals - 3x - (1, 1, 6)
Assists - 7x - (1, 1, 4, 5, 5, 9, 9)
Points - 6x - (1, 2, 2, 3, 6, 7)

Quotes

Legends of Hockey

Doug played left wing and was known as a "complete" player. Although he weighed only 145 pounds during his heyday, he had tremendous speed and was a natural goal scorer. Six times he had 20 or more goals in a season, and in 1942-43 he led the NHL in points even though the team finished in fifth place and out of the playoffs.

...

Doug was also exciting to watch and frequently had more ice time than anyone else in the game. Because of his speed, he was one of the great backcheckers of his era as well.

Greatest Hockey Legends

Doug Bentley only weighed in at an amazing 145 pounds, but his speed, anticipation and heart made up for any shortcomings his diminutive stature forced upon him.

Great Left Wingers: Stories of Hockey's Golden Age:

For the next 12 seasons with the Black Hawks, the 145-pound "ghost", Doug Bentley, was indeed "terrific". Using his tremendous speed and natural goal scoring ability, Bentley scored more than 20 goals in a season six times. He was an all-star three times and won the NHL scoring title once. Bentley also used his blazing speed to help out his defence. He was considered one of the most ferocious back-checkers of his era.

...

Max Bentley: "We had so much fun playing together. Doug and XXXX were the best I ever saw, the fastest. They had different styles. When we were coming up to the other team's blue line, XXXXX liked me to pass him the puck before he hit the defence and he'd carry it around them. With Doug, he wanted me to dump the puck between the two defencemen and he'd swoop around and pick it up."

...

In 1950, he was awarded the Half-Century Award as Chicago's best player by the Chicago newspaper Herald American.

Bentley's power play prowess:

The Leafs may have some trouble with Doug and Max Bentley, the two power-play experts who will be showing at the Gardens together for the first time since they were teammates with Chicago Black Hawks six years.

"Max is the greatest player at the point position on power plays that I've ever seen" says Hap Day, assistant general-manager of the Leafs. "Max and Doug together make up the two best point men in the business."

 

[BraveCanadian]

With our 6th round pick (166), the Guelph Platers select: G, Johnny Bower

Career Highlights

Stanley Cup Champion 1962, 1963, 1964, 1967
Vezina Trophy 1960-61, 1964-65
1st Team Post Season All Star - 1960-61
Played NHL All Star Game - 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 (injured 1968)
Inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame 1976
Ranked #87 on The Hockey News list of the 100 Greatest Players

Les Cunningham Award winner (AHL MVP) 1956, 1957, 1958
Hap Holmes Award winner (AHL Best GAA) 1952, 1957, 1958
Calder Cup winner 1948, 1951, 1953
Inducted to the AHL Hall of Fame 2006



Vitals:

Position: G
Catches: Left
Height: 5-11
Weight: 189lbs.
Born: Nov 8, 1924 (Prince Albert, Sask.)



Regular Season

In essence, Bower has two careers: an AHL career and an NHL career.
With only 6 starting jobs available in the NHL, he did not stick in the NHL full time until he was 34.

Meanwhile, in his AHL career he was extremely successful.
Bower won multiple MVP honors and championships as well as eventually being elected to the AHL Hall of Fame.

Bower remains the winningest goaltender in American Hockey League history, with a remarkable record of 359-174-57 to his credit. His 45 career shutouts are also more than any other AHL goalie, and his league record for longest streak without allowing a goal, shutting out his opponents for a span of 249:51, stood for 55 years until it was surpassed in 2012.

After finally sticking in the NHL, Bower would continue to have success on the dynasty Leafs team of the 60s. He would win the Vezina trophy twice (best GAA days) and be named a first team all star in 1960-61. His NHL all-star record:

Season|All Star
1960-61|1st
1961-62|3rd
1963-64|3rd
1964-65|3rd
1967-68|3rd

Reconstructed save percentages portray Bower in a very favourable light:

I wanted to add a bit more information on just how outstanding Johnny Bower's save percentage numbers were in the 1960s, because that would essentially be the case for him to be considered for a top four spot here.

I already gave his year-by-year rankings, but here's a simple list of overall save percentage from 1958-59 to 1967-68, both regular season and playoffs, among goalies with 150 or more regular season games played:

Rank|Goalie|Reg GP|Reg Sv%|Reg SA/60|PO GP|PO Sv%
1|Johnny Bower|451|.922|32.2|70|.924
2|Glenn Hall|595|.916|30.6|87|.914
3|Jacques Plante|400|.914|31.2|36|.915
7|Terry Sawchuk|435|.904|30.1|56|.908

(BC - snipped out undrafteds)

There are very few goalies who have ever been that far ahead of the rest of the league over a decade span. This isn't really a cherry-picked period either, as it includes all of Bower's seasons with more than 20 games played with the exception of his one-off year as a starter in New York in 1953-54. It should be noted that this period was mostly a down time for Plante and Sawchuk, that there was a lot of goalie turnover and platooning around the league near the end of the O6 era, and that the Leafs were a strong defensive team during this period, but even taking all that into account Bower's performance was still pretty impressive.

(keep in mind here that reconstructed save percentage is probably not 100% and that Toronto's team & defense was quite strong in the 60s)



Playoffs

The playoffs are where Johnny Bower's legend takes flight as the clutch backstop of a dynasty Leafs team that won Stanley Cups in 1962 1963 1964.
Bower platooned with Sawchuk for one last cup win in 1967.

During each playoff Bower led the playoffs in wins and GAA.
He posted a reconstructed .924 save percentage over the 1960s playoff games he played.



Quotations & Perspectives:

...
(King) Clancy agreed that Johnny Bower had had a couple of off-nights in the series, though the Leafs won one of those games.

"We're not worrying about Bower," he declared. "This is a clutch game and that's when he plays his best."

It was remarked that Bower didn't have to make many big saves in the sixth game of the series in Toronto, which the Leafs won by a 3-0 score.

"Our defense is solid," he said, "and he had good protection. But it seems to me that the more work he has to do the better he is. Some goalkeepers are like that. If they're too busy to think, they won't have time to make mistakes."
...

(Bower saves 38/39 as the Leafs win game 7 on the road 3-1 over the first place Habs to advance to the Stanley Cup)
Source

Frank Mahovlich, on the griddle for ineffective play, broke 43 minutes of scoreless overtime Sunday night with a goal that gave Toronto Maple Leafs a dramatic 5-4 win over Detroit Red Wings in the third game of their Stanley Cup semi-final series.
...
Despite Mahovlich's emergence as a clutch man, much of the glory for Sunday night's grueling triumph must go to netminder Johnny Bower and Kelly, in the twilight of their big-league careers.

Bower, a 35-year-old who has had trouble sticking in the NHL in his 17-year professional career, turned in one of his most brilliant games, turning aside 62 shots in the marathon.
...

Source

...
Why was Johnny Bower such an effective, unflappable goalie when he came into the NHL when he was past 30? "He came to Cleveland at 16 as assistant goaltender and trainer," explained Frank Porteous. "For the first 9 years he never played a game because the Barons had Roger Bessette, a helluva goalie from Rosemont Masson and 18th avenue who was indestructible. But Cleveland always had the best team in the AHL and Johnny learned everything about how to handle the best shots in the workouts. When Johnny finally reached the NHL, there wasn't anybody who could show him anything new. Besides he had the perfect temperament for a clutch man.
...

Source

...
TOP TEN CLUTCH MEN

1. Rocket Richard
2. Arnold Palmer
3. Johnny Unitas
4. Bernie Faloney
5. Yogi Berra
6. Johnny Bower
7. Terry Sawchuk
8. Bart Starr
9. Gump Worsley
10. Jean Beliveau

Source

...
In 1969-70, the last year I played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, I earned $25,000. That's the best I ever got. Punch would line your contract with bonuses for winning things like the Vezina Trophy, then if you had a chance to get it, he'd call up a couple of minor league defencemen late in the season, just to make sure you'd give up a few goals. Why he did that, I don't know.

Source
​

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Herb Gardiner, D​

A surveyor by trade, Herb Gardiner was also one of hockey’s greats of his time. Born in Winnipeg in 1891, he was a dominant amateur defenseman for many years before turning pro with the Calgary Tigers of the West Coast Hockey League at the age of 29.

The transition was a successful one and Gardiner continued his stellar play, recognized as one of the top rearguards in the circuit. The Tigers travelled east in 1924 to challenge for the Stanley Cup but lost to the Canadiens, who invited Gardiner to their training camp in the fall of 1926 when the PCHL ceased operations.

He accepted and spent the next three years in the NHL, closing out his career as a member of the Canadiens. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound blue-liner was one of the bigger men in the game and among the strongest. Playing in an era that featured a far more brutal form of play than is accepted today, Gardiner was in his element when the going got rough.

As he had done in the past, the 35-year-old Gardiner quickly established himself as one of the NHL’s most skilled and consistent blue-liners. His smooth play and sound work in his own end was complemented by defense partner Sylvio Mantha’s playmaking and utterly fearless approach to the game, making the duo one of the top defensive pairings in the game.

The Tiger boss is certain of Harb Gardiner, the stalwart defence star who is regarded as the finest man at his position in hockey today

if there is a better defenceman in hockey than Herb Gardiner, he is not visible to the naked eye.

pre-NHL

In 1921, Gardiner appears to have won the "Gordon Efficiency Medal" for MVP of the then-amateur Big-4 league, the top league for players coming from the Canadian prairies, which would turn into the profession WCHL the next season. Numerous ATD-calibre players were in the Big 4 at the time. (This source from 1946 indicates that Mickey MacKay and Herb Gardiner were the first two recipients of the award that went to the MVP of the western canadian senior leagues, and MacKay was only in the Big 4 during 1920). (via BM67 in the Dishing the Dirt Thread)

WCHL 1st Team All Star Left Defenseman in 1923 and 1925. I'm not sure what to do about the nod in 1923 when the WCHL was one of three leagues and didn't have the strongest group of defensemen. But by 1925 it was one of two leagues along with the NHL. Eddie Shore was an up and coming 22 year old in 1925, though he wouldn't explode offensively until the following season.

In 1926, 23 year old Eddie Shore seems to have won the LD spot in the WCHL, and we have no idea who finished 2nd.

In 1924, Gardiner lost in the Stanley Cup finals to the Montreal Canadiens, but left a big impression:

Despite the Tigers' setback, Gardiner made a strong impression on the Montreal management. The most notable feature of the contest from a Calgary perspective was that defensemen XXX and Gardiner gave no ground to Sprague Cleghorn and XXX on the winning side.

After the WCHL disbanded, Gardiner came to the NHL at the age of 35 and was a star for the next 2 seasons

In 1926-27 (the first year of the consolidated NHL), Gardiner won the Hart Trophy for his role in helping to turn around the Montreal Canadiens:

Gardiner's selection as the winner of the Hart Trophy comes as no surprise. This veteran from the prairie, who came to Canadiens this season from Calgary, has been credited with much of the success that the team has attained. He not only has proved a star at left defence, but he has travelled practically 60 minutes in all games; has taken few penalties, but above all, has been the inspiration to the team from the first. He generals them on the ice and when they show signs of crumbling, he always cuts loose with speedy hockey which serves to rally his teammates. His generalship has been the big factor in Canadiens' triumphs and his example as a clean player has been a benefit to the club.

In 1927-28, Gardiner was selected a 2nd Team All-Star on the unofficial All-Star team that was voted on by the NHL General Managers.

Gardiner was inducted into the HHOF in 1958.

Translating Herb Gardiner's record into something of a modern Norris record.

1927 is easy - he won the Hart in a consolidated NHL. Defensemen were much more likely to get Hart consideration back then, so it's not the same as a modern Hart, but I think it should count like a modern Norris. Call it a 1st.

1928 - 2nd Team All Star in the consolidated NHL. Be conservative and call it a 4th.

1925 - 1st Team All Star in a WCHL that was 1 of 2 leagues. I'll call it a 4th since the WCHL's defensemen were weaker than the NHL's. Perhaps this is a little high, but given how conservative I am about other years, I think it's fair.

1923 - 1st Team All Star in a WCHL that was 1 of 3 leagues. Pretend the NHL has 1/2 the talent and the PCHA and WCHL have 1/4 each. Call it an 8th place finish, which is extremely conservative, considering, in theory, he could have been anywhere between 1 and 8 (but I do think closer to 8 is more likely).

1921 - MVP of the Big-4, a Big-4 containing several ATD-worthy players and HHOFers probably in their primes? I don't think it's giving him too much credit to count it as a 6th place finish among all defensemen in the world. The Big-4 was a weak league, but it did have some really good players in it.

This record, which is intentionally conservative and gives Herb Gardiner zero credit for seasons where we don't have data:

Gardiner's Norris equivalent record: 1, 4, 4, 6, 8

Compare to these Norris records:

Howell: 1, 5, 6, 6, 9, 9, 10
White: 3, 3, 3, 7, 7, 9
Flaman: 3, 3, 3, 5, 5

Stapleton: 3, 4, 4, 7, 10
Zubov: 3, 4, 8, 8, 9, 9
Vasko: 3, 4, 9, 13

More quotes (via JFA87-66-99)

Originally Posted by The Vancouver Sun, 2 Feb 1937
He stressed science more than bruising brawn. In his heyday he was considered one of the cleverest and smoothest defencemen in the league.

Originally Posted by The Calgary Daily Herald, 27 August 1928
As a good sport, a clever player and a clean athlete, Herb has no superior in the ice game, but it is very questionable if he would enjoy much success as a manager.

In the first place, Gardiner has always been a good fellow with his mates, and this is never a good feature when it comes to management.

Gardiner is one of those 60-minute players seldom found in the sporting ranks today, and and when a man keys himself up for this strenuous task he can ill afford to squander his energy in the consuming flame of worry.

And Gardiner is that sort of fellow who would show so much concern in the affairs of his team that he would wear down under the strain of worry. He is a top notch player, but in the role of manager, it is safe to predict that his efficiency would be materially reduced.

True, he has few equals as player, but he hasn't experimented as strategian.

Originally Posted by The Morning Leader, 3 Jan 1923
There is some talk of Dutton and Benson teaming up together on the defence, and Herb Gardiner, the playing manager, taking up the centre ice position.

It is figured that Gardiner, with his bullet shot, would greatly strengthen the Tigers' attack. Playing forward will be nothing new to Gardiner, as he only shifted back to the defence two or three years ago. He is aggressive, a fast skater, and a good shot, and would be able to rush through for a lot of rebounds.

Originally Posted by Gettysburg Times, 12 Jan 1972
Gardiner, a suburban Upper Darby resident, gained an "Iron Man" reputation after playing every minute of 48-game season with the Montreal Canadiens in 1926.

Originally Posted by The Calgary Daily Herald, 5 Mar 1925
No finer sporting spirit could have been evinced than that of Herb Gardiner, playing manager of the club, who left a sick bed to battle the way through to the leadership with his mates. It was a great risk, but the stalwart defence man took it, and the example of his pluck was no doubt reflected on the rest of the club.

Originally Posted by Edmonton Journal, 7 Feb 1920
...Mickey O'Leary, taking a smart pass from Herb Gardiner...

Herb Gardiner and Arbour made history for themselves, plugging through with great strength on the rushes and battering the Eskimos down on heavy attacks.

Originally Posted by Ottawa Citizen, 21 Feb 1927
There is no question about the forward line of the Flying Frenchmen. Morenz, Joliat, Gagne and Lepine form a quartet of super-stars and on the other end the Canadiens are not lacking in high-class material. George Hainsworth in the nets is one of the best of net guardinas and if there is a better defenceman in hockey than Herb Gardiner, he is not visible to the naked eye.

Originally Posted by The Calgary Daily Herald, 15 Dec 1925
Herb Gardiner was his old foxy self and broke up countless rushes.

Originally Posted by The Montreal Gazette, 28 Dec 1927
Gardiner pulled off the most sensational rush of the night, and Connell kicked out his vicious drive.

Stalwart Tiger defense man, who started his team on its way to victory by scoring the first goal.†– The Calgary Daily Herald – March 17, 1924

“… Along with Herb Gardiner, the speedy captain of the Calgary Wanderers….†– Edmonton Journal – January 21, 1920

“Gardiner raced end to end after MacKay went down, and was clean through, but _______ tripped him….

Herb Gardiner dashed down alone on a nice effort and showed some classy stickhandling, but his shot was blocked by _______.†– The Calgary Daily Herald – March 13, 1924

“__________ and Herb Gardiner are the two foxiest defenders in the game.†– The Vancouver Sun – January 14, 1924

“The Tiger boss is certain of Harb Gardiner, the stalwart defence star who is regarded as the finest man at his position in hockey today.†– The Calgary Daily Herald – February 2, 1924

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Harry Cameron

Cameron was the finest rushing defenceman and goal-scorer of hockey's early pro years.

• Right handed shot for the PP
• Stanley Cup winner (1914, 1918, 1922)

Charles Coleman, author of Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol 1 selected Sprague Cleghorn and Moose Johnson as his All-Star pre-1926 defensemen with Eddie Gerard and Harry Cameron the alternates.

Cameron was a dominant offensive defenseman (his stats at the bottom of this profile alone tell that), but it's hard to tell how good he was overall, as there were no NHA or early NHL All-Star Teams. But here are data points I've found:

• In 1913 (Cameron's first season in the NHA), he and Frank Nighbor were the two Toronto players selected to the NHA All-Star team that would play the PCHA All-Stars in the second annual All-Star Game between the two of them (Source). Given the fact that each team only carried 2-3 defensemen, this is as close as we have to the equivalent of a First Team NHA All-Star.
• The Montreal Daily Mail polled readers to create a 1914 All Star Team. Cameron was selected All-Star Point (12 votes at point, 5 at coverpoint). Cleghorn was All-Star Coverpoint (10 votes at coverpoint, 6 votes at point) Source
• Harry Cameron was the highest paid player on Toronto's 1918 Cup winning team at $900. The rest of the players' salaries ranged from $450 to $750. (Source).
• 3/21/1919 (Calgary Herald): "Who is the greatest defense player in professional hockey today? Pacific Coast students of the puck chasing game would name Rowe, Johnson or Duncan, but according to eastern critics, Harry Cameron of the Ottawa team carries off the crown. The Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal press rate Cameron as the best in the game today. In the world's series a year ago he was one of the big stars, and Vancouver attributes its defeat chiefly to his wonderful work."

Cameron was considered one of the first great rushing and scoring defencemen.[1] He scored 88 goals in 121 games in the NHL. He was also famous for his "curved shot" similar to that of today's curved hockey sticks, although he played with a straight blade.[1] He was the first player in NHL history to achieve what was later called a "Gordie Howe hat trick", doing so on December 26, 1917

He was considered the first man to be able to curve his shot--with a straight stick, no less!--and long before Bobby Orr flew end to end with the puck Harry Cameron was the finest rushing defenceman and goal-scorer of hockey's early pro years.

One of the great defence players of all time who scored more goals than any other defence man in the history of Stanley Cup competition to the end of 1926.

Harry Cameron was quite a boisterous fellow on and off the ice...

Harry Cameron was the first defenseman to shoot from the point in earnest and developed the so-called "curve-shot."

Quotes involving defensive plays
Following two quotes from JFA87-66-99's profile

When it comes to calling stars, little XXX cannot be well overlooked for he did some clever work, while Harry Cameron, who was only fair on Tuesday, showed his old-time form. His defence work was wicked and his rushes dangerous all the time. He was mixed up in a dozen fierce clashes with XXX, XXX, XXX, but he came right back fearlessly

XXX, the big defence man, played grand hockey until he was laid out by a heavy body check by Cameron. XXX got a rough passage every time he started and was mixed up in many of the little skirmishes, but he looked as good as any man on the ice until Cameron laid him low.

Stats

Not going to take the time to go into Cameron's NHA stats (which are also great), but here are his NHL stats among ALL players (ages 27-32):

1917-18: 6th in goals, 1st in assists, 6th in points
1918-19: 7th in goals, 8th in points
1919-20: only played 7 games
1920-21: 8th in goals, 4th in assists, 6th in points
1921-22: 7th in goals, 1st in assists, 4th in points.

See also the table at the bottom of tarheel's quote

Season by Season archives search

Here's what I can find on Cameron.

Pre-NHA

Cameron played for the Pembroke Debaters as an amateur from 1908-11. He first went pro with the Port Arthur Lake City team of the Northern Ontario Hockey League. Very little information is available about these years, other than that Cameron insisted that teammate and boyhood friend Frank Nighbor also be offered a pro contract.


1912-13

Cameron entered the NHA with the Toronto Blueshirts, and made an immediate impact. It's noteworthy that while Cameron was the spectacular rusher from the back line, it was coach Jack Marshall's role as a stabilizing force that allowed Cameron to be maximize his talent.

The Toronto World 1/16/1913
Marshall and Cameron made a defence that could not be improved upon. Cameron got the hand [ed: applause] several times for his individual rushing.

The Saskatoon Phoenix 1/17/1913
Coach Jack Marshall got into a uniform and made a great improvement to the defence with Cameron. The latter's rushing was sensational... Cameron, Wilson and Neighbor (sic) were Toronto's stars, with Marchand playing brilliantly in goal.

The Toronto World 2/6/14
Harry Cameron was again the favorite last night. His lone rushes are regular things every night the Torontos play at home.

The Toronto World 2/10/14
Harry Cameron electrified the crowd time after time with his rushes and Marshall kept taking the puck away from his opponents until they looked rather sick.

The Toronto World 2/17/1913
The Torontos displayed laxness at times, but Jack Marshall, who has proved himself the life of the team, time after time, was there with an opportune word, and kept the boys hustling. Alto he is not the best player on the team his generalship is the blue shirts' biggest asset. Nighbor was the star of the game...
... Harry Cameron put up a nice game, and his zig-zag rushes were always to the fore when things looked doubtful.

GP | G | A | P
20 |9| 0| 9

1913-14

The major change to the Blue Shirts this season was the departure of Frank Nighbor and adding George Macnamara as a substitute on defense. They gelled as a team and won the first Stanley Cup in Toronto hockey history. On this team, Cameron had risen to the point of being a legitimate star.

The Toronto Sunday World 2/22/1914
Cameron was the best man on the ice, and his all-round good work did more to put the locals on top than anything else. He scored one of the Torontos' goals and sent about ten more hard ones right at Vezina, who was forced to step lively to clear them. Every time a rush was started at his nets he was there in all his element, and he blocked and saved well. He did a lot of rushing also, and relieved in places when things looked dangerous.

GP | G | A | P
19 | 15 | 4 | 19

1914-15

Jack Marshall came down with appendicitis mid-season, and after his departure the Blue Shirts quickly dropped out of contention. Their 1-8 streak to finish the season is an indication of how important Marshall was to this club. His next game in Toronto would be as a member of the Habs.

GP | G | A | P
17| 12| 8| 20

1915-17

The sale of the Blue Shirts to Eddie Livingstone in 1915 signaled a turning point for the team and for Cameron's career. Judging by the amount of press coverage they received, the sorry team lost the attention of the Toronto hockey public. In turn, it's a lot more difficult to find details of Cameron's performance.

Cameron ended up briefly with the Montreal Wanderers after Livingstone's feud with the NHA led to the demise of the Blue Shirts.

Season | GP | G | A | P
1915-16 | 24 | 8 | 3 | 11
1916-17 | 20 | 9 | 5 | 14

1917-18

Cameron returned to Toronto when the Arenas franchise began play in the NHL. Around this time, he began to feud with manager Charlie Querrie. That feud would play out in the media and the court of public opinion, but Cameron proved a bit too valuable to be disposed of easily.

The Saskatoon Phoenix 12/27/1917
To Harry Cameron, Querrie's sterling defence player, belongs the lion's share of the credit. Three of the goals were directly due to his clever skating and stick handling, while he notched another on a pass from Meeking. On the defence he stopped Lalonde, Malone and Laviolette time and again, and on several occasions he out-skated the whirlwind "Newsy".

The Toronto World 1/29/1918
Cameron showed some of his old time form in rushing and played a fair defensive game.

The following three quotes are from the Stanley Cup Finial series between Toronto and Vancouver.

The Toronto World 3/27/1918
Cameron was the outstanding player for the locals. He rushed in his old time style and the game needed these thrillers at times to liven it up. The good defence man grabbed two goals himself and paved the way for two more.
... Cameron was especially brilliant with his rushes, and he dodged the checkers nearly every time.
... Cameron received a pass and set sail down the ice alone. He shoved the puck ahead of him and when he hit the defence, skated around Griffis, and then picked it up and beat Lohman from close range. It was a pretty goal.
Cameron rushed right back, passed over the defence, and sent the puck across the goal mouth, but Meeking failed to reach it.
... Cameron tore down, skated around the defence and passed to Skinner at the goal mouth. Lohman didn't have a chance to save.
... Cameron got this one back for the Toronto Club with a beautiful lone rush. When Cameron hit the defence he shoved the puck along, went on and grabbed it and scored.
A three-man Toronto rush was next in order and Cameron missed the net by inches only from a good pass.

The Toronto World 3/29/1918
Torontos were simply lost at the seven-man, no offside in centre ice stuff. Vancouver ran all over them with speed and had a bag of tricks that left the blue shirts gasping.
... Cameron was a strong rusher for Toronto, but had hard luck with his shots.

The Toronto World 4/1/1918
Individual rushes were the order, and the work of Cook and Cameron featured.

While it certainly would appear that he was less oustanding as the series wore on, Cameron appears to have been one of the only Toronto players to impress in every game and he was perhaps the single most important player in the first game.

Note the reference to rushing "in old time style". One gets the impression that he was seen as something of a relic at age 28, playing a rushing game that was increasingly less common among younger defensemen.

GP | G | A | P
21 | 17 | 10 | 27

1918-1919

The Calgary Daily Herald 1/31/1919
And the honor of netting the winning goal and of breaking up the big battle again fell to Harry Cameron who had already made himself famous by scoring the deciding point in the Ottawa-Toronto grind at the Queen City arena two nights before.
... Cameron took [Frank Nighbor's pass] perfectly, swerved slightly to his left and then let go a high shot which landed in the twine behind Vezina. ... Cameron kept right on skating after slamming in the goal which brought victory to Ottawa, and was in the dressing room, tired and panting before the majority of spectators realized that it was all over.

The quote above paints a nice picture of an offensive force in his prime. One gets a sense not only of the gracefulness of his skating, but that he had grown into that stage where players seem to operate at a level slightly above the opponent.

Cameron was briefly traded to Ottawa that season... alas, if any reactions to that trade exist in print I can't find them.

GP | G |A |P
14 | 11 | 3 |14

1919-20

This was an interesting season for Cameron. He returned from a brief sojourn in Ottawa. Querrie, his longtime nemesis in management, bought the team in December and renamed them the St. Patricks. Note the following series of events.

The Toronto World 12/24/1919
Mitchell was very good in the Toronto nets, while Cameron and Randall both furnished strong defence games.

The Toronto World 12/29/1919
[several others played well, as did] Cameron, tho the latter was not at his best owing to a bad gash he received in the preliminary practice when he crashed into the goal post with his head, requiring medical assistance.

Edmonton Journal 1/15/1920
Noble and Cameron were away below form. Cameron gave a listless exhibition and was taken out near the close of the first period. Immediately following the game the locals traded him to Canadiens for "Goldie" Prodgers.

The Montreal Gazette 1/19/1920
Harry Cameron, who was recently secured from St. Patrick's in trade for Goldie Prodgers, made his initial appearance with Canadiens and acquitted himself in a creditable manner. Cameron was not only used as a substitute defenceman, but was sent in to relieve players on the forward line.

The Montreal Gazette 1/21/1920
Cameron is playing better hockey with Canadiens than he did with St. Patrick's, and fits well into his new position.

Within a month's time he goes from solid, to severely injured, to listless, to expendable, to a success with a new team.

Brings a few questions to mind. Who the hell goes head-first into the goal post during warmups? Why was he so listless after that injury? Why was the team so quick to pull the trigger on trading a 5-year star? Was he in a concussion-like state, or something else along the lines of a Lionel Conacher situation? Or was he simply disinterested in playing for Querrie, who had the leverage to unilaterally send Cameron packing for the second time.

It's a very interesting drama indeed.

GP| G | A | P
23 | 15 | 5 | 20

1920-21

Cameron, of course, returned to Toronto the next season (more questions spring to mind) and appears to have been right back to form.

The Toronto World 1/24/1921
... Harry Cameron skated from goal to goal, shot and slapped in the rebound...

The addition of Sprague Cleghorn gave him a defense partner comparable steadiness to Jack Marshall, and the results were notably similar.

The Toronto World 1/25/1921
Cleghorn and Cameron will be a hard defence to score on. It was Harry Cameron's defensive work which helped materially to beat Ottawa in the overtime period. Harry saved the situation twice in the overtime period by good headwork.
... [Cleghorn] will steady the defence and improve the play of Cameron.

The Toronto World 1/27/1921
Cameron was also brilliant with his rushing, and was not adverse (sic) to giving or taking a pass. ... Cameron fitted in nicely with [Cleghorn] in the rushing.

GP | G |A | P
24 | 18 | 9 | 27

1921-22

With Cameron leading all defensemen in goals, assists and points, the St. Pats finished second in the league and beat the heavily-favored Senators in the playoffs on the way to the Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, much of the summary of the first game of the series is unreadable on the Google archive. It appears that Cameron had a hand in a controversial goal. In the second game, apparently played in "inches of water", the St. Pats played suffocating defense against a Senators club that could be described in Terry Murray's words as experiencing a choking situation. The Montreal Gazette seemed scandalized that the Cup would be defended by a team which was "not truly the best representative team of eastern professional hockey". I suppose we should take that kind of talk with a grain of salt, but it does say something about the degree to which the St. Pats stepped up their game in the playoffs while the juggernaut Sens faded.

Cameron was 3 points shy of Babe Dye for the team lead that season.

GP | G | A | P
24| 18 |17 |35

1922-23

The Calgary Daily Herald 12/2/1922
Cameron for the visitors stood out conspicuously in the already conspicuous performance of the St. Pats. All three of Toronto's goals went to his stick. He faithfully contributed one in every period.
... Noble, Denenny and Rye were responsible for some brilliant work and they were only prevented from piling up a handsome score by the work of Fowler. Old Harry Cameron was the only man that had Fowler's number.
... Then Cameron showed the lads something flashy and beat Fowler.

Cameron was clearly still a force to be reckoned with, but I think it says something when a player starts to be referred to as "old so-and-so" and talked about as showing "the lads" a trick or two.

This was his final season in the NHL. When the Pats missed the playoffs in 1923, Cameron departed for Saskatoon where, as I understand it, he made a transition to forward.

GP | G | A | P
22 | 9 | 7 | 16

-------------------------------------------------------------------

The following table shows the top 5 defensemen in scoring from 1917 through 1923. Note that it does not include two seasons (1914 and 1915) when Cameron was a point-per-game scorer.

Rk | Name | GP | G | A | P | PIM
1 |Harry Cameron | 128 | 88 | 51 | 139 |189
2 |Eddie Gerard|128 |50 |48 |98 |108
3 |George Boucher | 109| 50| 39| 89 |207
4 |Sprague Cleghorn| 100 |52| 33 |85 |257
5| Bert Corbeau | 127 |45 |30 |75 |291

Starting in 1917-18, Cameron led all NHL defensemen in the following categories:

1917-18: Goals, Assists, Points
1918-19: Goals, Points (tied with his partner Randall)
1919-20: Points (tied with his partner Randall) and 2nd in goals to Cleghorn
1920-21: Goals, Assists, Points
1921-22: Goals, Assists, Points


Best I can tell, Cameron was likely the premier puck-rushing defenseman in hockey during the early years of the NHL. He took the solo-rushing sensibility of early hockey and applied it to the "modern" game. The major weakness in his game was the need for a steady partner, a Marshall or Cleghorn, to give him a bit of space to roam. Still, he was by no means a one-way player and if we had plus-minus numbers from back then, they would probably show very favorably for him.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=42979705&postcount=41
____________________

Cameron provides elite level puck movement for a second pairing, and provides that highly sought after right-handed shot for the powerplay.

The biggest knock on Cameron (and the main if not only reason he was ranked below Georges Boucher on the HOH Defensemen project) was that he was a flake at times and often undisciplined off the ice, but I don't see that being a huge problem on a team loaded with leadership (Bill Cook, Toe Blake, Babe Siebert, Red Kelly)

 

[SchultzSquared*]

Ehrhardt Henry "Ott" Heller

After the Rangers, there were stops in Indianapolis and Cleveland. He finally quit hockey after playing for the Barons at the end of the 1954-55 season. That meant Heller played professional hockey for an incredible 27 straight seasons.

Achievements/Awards

2nd All-Star Team- 1940-41, New York Rangers
Team MVP (as voted on by the West Side Assn.)- 1942-43

Stanley Cup- 1933, New York Rangers (NHL)
Stanley Cup- 1940, New York Rangers (NHL)

Awards Voting

NHL 1st/2nd All-Star Team

1940-41: 4th (2nd AST)
1939-40: 5th
1936-37: 6th
1938-39: 7th
1941-42: 10th

Contemporary Quotes

Though the red-haired Heller was said to be a very personable character off the ice, on the ice he was a quiet, steady defenseman who excelled at keeping opposition forwards outside of the slot and towards the perimeter. He was said to have incredible upper body strength, allowing him to quickly pin his opponent and by doing so avoiding many penalties. He was tough too, often training with local boxers at a local gym.

Heller was a great skater, and not afraid to join or even lead the rush from time to time. His most famous goal came in a playoff game against Montreal very early in his career. He dashed from one end of the rink to the other to score the game's only goal.
Heller, who captained the Rangers in his final three seasons, played in 646 career games, once a team record. He scored 55 goals and 231 points in an era when defensemen really were there for defense only. He added 6 goals and 14 points in 61 Stanley Cup playoff games.

Ott was a hockey player, simple as that. He was as tough as nails, and not an ounce of fat on him. What an athlete. It seemed like the guy played forever, and at such a high level. He was amazing.

Heller, 36-year-old veteran from Kitchener, Ont., long was rated one of the outstanding defencemen in hockey

Heller started his career as a right winger and switched to defense before getting the call-up to the Blueshirts

When he first arrived, [Heller] was paired with Ching Johnson, allowing the veteran to rush the puck a bit more, then with Babe Pratt to form an almost impregnable duo during the 1939-40 season.

Heller was a top defenseman with New York Rangers of the National Hockey League for many years.

Notable Numbers

Season|Team Scoring Placement (Defense)
1932-33|1st
1935-36|1st
1936-37|1st
1938-39|1st
1939-40|1st
1942-43|1st
1943-44|1st
1944-45|1st
1934-35|2nd
1937-38|2nd

​

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Albert "Babe" Siebert

Siebert was one of those few players who could do it all - excelling both as a power forward and an all star defenseman. You don't see that any longer! He was as strong as an ox, making him nearly impossible to stop. In addition he added very good skating abilities with good straight-ahead speed. He was very responsible defensively and though he never had the scoring exploits of his famous "S" Line teammates, he was an underrated shooter and a skillful playmaker

Although Siebert was originally a rover, a hockey position held over from an era when the game employed seven players per side, he was later used as a defenceman. Considered exceptionally strong, making it difficult to stop him in his tracks, 'Babe' also had outstanding skating skills.

Babe Siebert is a very unique player. Spent 10 years as a utility player who usually played left wing but filled in at D when needed. Switched to D full-time at the end of his career and had an amazing short peak. 3 straight 1st Team All Stars followed by a 6th place finish in AS voting, then retired. Won the Hart and led all dmen in All Star votes in 1937. Was a very close 2nd to Eddie Shore in All Star voting in 1938 and finished 3rd in Hart voting.

Hart voting finishes: 1, 3, 14
All-Star finishes among defensemen: 1, 2, 2, 6

Siebert as a LW/D/utility player: 1926: 14th in Hart voting. 1931: 2 votes for 1st Team LW, 1932: 1 vote for 1st Team, 1 vote for 2nd Team LW.

Stanley Cups in 1926 and 1933

The years as a Left Wing / Utility Player (1925-26 to 1933-34)

Babe Siebert as best known as the Power Forward who helped do the dirty work for his teammate Nels Stewart when Stewart was standing in front of the opponent's net Phil Esposito style or outright cherrypicking:

Stewart was the natural scorer on the line, and Smith was the passer, but Siebert was equally well known for his rushing, his sheer physical strength and his relentless backchecking to get the team possession of the puck

Siebert was the digger, using his physical strength to spring pucks from opponents in the corners, then backchecking relentlessly in order to lug the puck back into the opposing end.

However, Siebert spent a significant amount of time at D even during this time (quotes via Sturminator).

It appears that the Montreal Maroons regularly rotated their players between forward and defense:

There are only two regular defense players, Dunc Munro and Red Dutton, but the Maroons have three others who can fill in on the guard positions when required, namely, Nels Stewart, Hooley Smith and Babe Siebert, all of whom are perfectly at home in front of the net.

Hooley Smith can work in three positions, centre, right wing or defense. Bill Phillips can work at centre and right wing. Nels Stewart can play centre, right wing and defense. Babe Siebert is at home at left wing or defense. Bill Touhey is a centre or left wing player. Oatman plays left wing and a fair defensive game. Ward is a right winger primarily, as is Frank Carson.

With a galaxy of players as mobile as the Maroons, Manager Eddie Gerard should be able to meet any occasion without impairing the effectiveness of his team. In the practices he has tried out all the possible combinations and finds the results are about the same.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bX0uAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AYwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=7073,665235&hl=en

Siebert appeared to be a regular on defense for the 1927-28 season:

Dunc Munro, who has developed into a fast performer and who has achieved a reputation as a money-maker on the stock market; Red Dutton, the most improved defense player in hockey, and the durable Siebert, help to form a flashy and hard-checking defense.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tzk0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=kvUIAAAAIBAJ&pg=1333,5073190&hl=en

Based on what I've seen (didn't save all the articles), it seems that this was the regular formation for most of the season - Siebert on D, Stewart at LW and Smith at center with (Jimmy Ward) on the right wing.

From the playoffs that season:

The Lineup:

The Maroons will have Clint Bendict in their nests (sic) with Babe Siebert and Red Dutton on defense. Hooley Smith at center and Nelson Stewart and Jimmy Ward at the wings.

Siebert also spent siginficant time at D during the 1928-29 season. Here are two game reports that list him at D:

Montreal Gazette - November, 19, 1928: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ACMjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MYwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3483,3245670&hl=en
Montreal Gazette - December 10, 1928: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PHAtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MowFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4286,1668198&hl=en

Conclusion: While Babe Siebert is traditional thought of as a left wing during this period, it would be more accurate to call him a "utility player" who would play either left wing or defense, depending on team needs.

His late career peak as a defenseman (1934-35 to 1938-39)

Having lost a step, Siebert moved back to defense where he not only held his own but actually improved his game, claiming the Hart Trophy as league MVP. Renowned for his offensive rushes and his outstanding defensive coverage, Siebert had eight goals and 20 assists in 44 regular season games.-ourhistory.canadiens.com

Blessed with a powerful body and broad shoulders, Albert "Babe" Siebert played hockey with a great deal of heart and determination. He was certainly not afraid to use his body, and while he racked up penalty minute totals, Siebert was a complete player whose career as a Montreal Canadien included winning the Hart Trophy as the best player in the league

(Quotes via Leafs Forever)

1934-35: Babe Siebert's first full season in Boston. This appears to be a transition year. Despite high point totals, Siebert was not an All-Star, indicating that he probably began the season at forward.

1935-36: Siebert's second and final season in Boston. Siebert is a full time defenseman by this point. He is a 1st Team All-Star at D next to Eddie Shore, but finishes far behind Shore in All-Star voting.

1936-37: Siebert's first season as a Montreal Canadien and the best of his career. He leads all defensemen in All Star voting - Eddie Shore is right behind. And Babe wins the Hart Trophy in a landslide:

1. Babe Siebert, Mtl D 63
2. Lionel Conacher, Mtl M D 43
3. Ebbie Goodfellow, Det D 42
4. Tiny Thompson, Bos G 31
5. Marty Barry, Det C 26

In the context of the 1930s, a 20 point win is a landslide.

1937-38: Siebert is a 1st Team All Star for the 3rd season in a row. He has almost as many votes for the All Star Team as Eddie Shore, and finishes a distant 3rd behind Eddie Shore and forward Paul Thompson for the Hart.

1938-39: Siebert finishes 6th in All Star voting for defensemen at the age of 35. He then retires.

The Babe would become embroiled in fistic battles. Perhaps he would suffer penalties, earn the disfavor of the crowd by his bruising style of play. Perhaps the game would make him seem like a crude and uncouth person, rough and brutal.

From the dressing room, the Babe would stride along the promenade until he reached the chair where his fragile bit of an invalid wife sat. Bending down, he would kiss her, then he would gather her up into his great muscular arms, stride out of the rink, and deposit her carefully in a waiting car that would take her home to the kiddies that he adored so much."-Montreal Sportswriter Elmer Ferguson, via Joe Pelletier bio

http://habslegends.blogspot.com/2007/03/babe-siebert.html

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Peter Forsberg

​

With pick 71, the New Jersey Swamp Devils are pleased to welcome the best YouTube player of all-time to the fold.

Peter Forsberg, C

Forsberg is just the type of two-way playmaking center that Bill Cook needs. Forsberg's weakness as a player is a tendency to get TOO involved in the physical game and get injured as a result, and I think Bill Cook's physicality will take a lot of the pressure off Forsberg in the physical sense.

• Hart Trophy winner in 2003
• All-Star voting – 1st(1998), 1st(1999), 1st(2003), 3rd(1997), 5th(1996), 6th(2001)
• Selke voting – 2nd(1997), 4th(2003), 6th(1998), 8th(1999), 11th(2001)

• Points – 1st(2003), 2nd(1998), 4th(1999), 5th(1996), 9th(2001), 11th(1997), 14th(1995)
• Assists – 1st(2003), 2nd(1999), 3rd(1998), 4th(1996), 6th(2001), 7th(1997), 10th(1995), 14th(2006)
• Points per Game – 1st(2003), 1st(2004), 1st(2008)*, 2nd(1998), 4th(2001), 5th(1999), 6th(1996), 6th(1997), 9th(2006), 17th(1995)
• Assists per Game – 1st(1998), 1st(2003), 1st(2004), 1st(2008)*, 2nd(1999), 3rd(1996), 3rd(2006), 4th(1996), 4th(2001), 5th(2000), 11th(1995), 12th(2007)
• 171 points in 151 playoff games, playing the large majority of his career in the "dead puck era"

Here's a table that was posted during the HOH Top centers project:

Ok, I've run the numbers for Forsberg, Trottier and Yzerman (I know Trottier doesn't belong in this discussion but since I brought him up before I should be fair and bring him up now). I wanted to focus on the offensive prime of each player's career. For Trottier this would mean 77/78 to 83/84, for Yzerman 87/88 to 93/94 and Forsberg 95/96 to 05/06 (you could throw out Trottier's 82/83 and Forsberg's 99/00 as they are the only seasons when they wasn't top-10 in ppg but I think it's more fair to leave them in to get consecutive seasons. Scoring is adjusted according to the method in this thread which gives less of an advantage to players from the dead puck era. Reference season is the 09/10 season.

Player | GP | Adj. G | Adj. A | Adj. PTS | Adj. PPG
Bryan Trottier |532| 231| 401| 632| 1.19
Steve Yzerman |524| 280 |363| 643| 1.23
Peter Forsberg |593| 218| 537| 755| 1.27
Marcel Dionne | 854 | 432| 581 | 1014 | 1.19

This is the basis for me arguing that Forsberg had a long prime and it does not involve any prorating or argument about players being "on pace". But if career value is important then I definitely think Yzerman is ahead of Forsberg.

Edit: Let's add Dionne as well since he belongs to the same time frame. I considered his prime to stretch from 74/75 to 84/85, obviously more impressive as it's longer.

Forsberg missed games with injuries, but when he played, he was awesome.

He played a fearless, power game in the relentless era of clutching and grabbing.

… he was an explosive skater with excellent vision. He was a playmaker more than a goal scorer, and he relished the physical battles. There was definitely some of Gordie Howe's magic in this Super Swede. He is proud and fierce, sometimes a little bit cocky, with a mean streak necessary to survive the NHL battles. He was also a great playoff warrior.

People were raving about his intelligent and rational way of handling the puck, his ability to play effectively deep in his own zone and his snappy transition in performing his main duty – scoring goals.

He's such an unselfish player. He's one of those players who would rather make a pretty play and feed somebody else for the goal than score himself.

Forsberg’s a physical terror right now. He’s just punishing everybody near a puck.

Here's a link to a long list of quotes calling him "the best player in the world" at various points in his career: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=75371825&postcount=145

The Best YouTube Player of All Time

 

[BraveCanadian]

With our 9th selection in the 2014 ATD (225) the Guelph Platers have selected: D, Duncan Keith

Career Highlights

Stanley Cup Champion - 2010, 2013
Norris Trophy Winner 2009-10, 2013-14
NHL First Team All Star - 2009-10, 2013-14
NHL All Star Games - 2008, 2011

Olympic Gold Medal Winner - 2010, 2014
World Championships Silver Medal - 2008


Vitals:

Position: D
Shoots: Left
Height: 6-1
Weight: 200 lbs.
Born: July 16, 1983 (Winnipeg Manitoba)
Draft: Chicago Blackhawks, 2nd round (54th overall), 2002 NHL Entry



Regular Season

As of the 2013-14 playoffs, Duncan Keith has the following Norris record:

Season|Norris Finish
2007-08| 11th
2008-09| 6th
2009-10| 1st
2010-11| 9th
2012-13| 6th
2013-14| 1

Norris summary: 1, 1 ,6, 6, 9, 11.

Keith also helped Canada secure a gold medal at the 2014 Olympics this year.

GP|G|A|Pts|+/-|PIM
666|62|295|357|122|425

Playoffs

In 2010, Keith famously lost a pile of teeth and quickly returned to the ice to help the Blackhawks clinch their series against the Sharks:

The chicklets came pouring out of his mouth, and one even got stuck in the back of his throat. Duncan Keith lost seven teeth in all, three on the top and four on the bottom, when the puck came off Patrick Marleau's stick and hit him square in the mouth.

That was with 12:30 remaining in the second period of Sunday's series-clinching win over the San Jose Sharks. Seven minutes later, after some pronto dental work behind closed doors, Keith was back on the ice for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Wow.

"It's just missing teeth," Keith said through his bloodied and swollen mouth. "It's a long way from the heart."
...

Source

Duncan Keith was an absolute horse during the Chicago Blackhawks two Stanley Cup championship runs, playing obscene minutes - and in all situations - for a very strong team:

2010 - 4 minutes / game over #2

Player|ES|PP|PK|Total
Duncan Keith|21:47|2:52|3:31| 28:11
Undrafted|19:37|2:38|2:09|24:10
Undrafted|17:18|3:37|0:05|21:00

2013 - 4+ minutes / game over #2

Player|ES|PP|PK|Total
Duncan Keith|21:38|2:58|3:01| 27:37
Undrafted|19:22|3:32|0:05|23:14
Undrafted|18:30|2:14|2:19|23:04

GP|G|A|Pts|+/-|PIM
74|8|35|43|11|46

Quotations & Perspectives:

Keith offers a heady mix of high-end speed, smart reads and courage without any noticeable holes, unless you count the chasm where seven of his front teeth had been rooted until they intercepted a puck two weeks ago at the end of the Western Conference final.

Keith might soon have a Cup, with a side order of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.He already has that other modern measure of success—6,824 members of the Facebook group Duncan Keith's Missing Teeth. The Blackhawks, who faced a possible clincher on Wednesday after a wild 7--4 win over Philadelphia in Game 5, have been chasing a Stanley Cup dream that has languished since before the age of color television. The genesis of the revival of an Original Six franchise from moribund to incandescent, from patsy to powerhouse, probably started in 2002 when the team drafted Keith in the second round. Although Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are the faces of the franchise, Keith, a Norris Trophy finalist, is the face of playoff hockey. In the finals against a Flyers club with almost cartoonlike resilience, Keith has been more than a missing piece of the puzzle. He is the whole damn Jigsaw.
...

Source

...
Offense pays the bills in the NHL, and Keith's 69 points this season (Seabrook had 30) was second among all defensemen in the league. His upside remains enormous. A couple of years ago, when the team went through physicals, former Blackhawks skating coach and retired Olympic speed skater Dan Jansen noted that the only person he's seen with a higher VO2 max (a measure of aerobic capacity and fitness) than Keith was Lance Armstrong. It's safe to say that the 28 minutes of ice time Keith averaged during these playoffs (about four minutes more than Seabrook; for one thing, Keith generally gets additional time on the power play) didn't take a toll on his body. Keith's athleticism and ability to recover have always set him apart. "When we saw him at Michigan State, he skated like his feet never touched the ice," Tallon says.

Yet for all his dynamic ability—he has drawn comparisons to Norris Trophy winner and skating wizard Scott Niedermayer—and all his deceptiveness with the puck, Keith understands and appreciates what Seabrook does to help trigger his game. Just as Rangers great Brian Leetch thrived next to Jeff Beukeboom and the Oilers' Paul Coffey was helped by being alongside Charlie Huddy, Keith benefits from the security Seabrook brings.
...

Source

Scouting report from Mich. State days (Keith at age 19):

...
"Keith's an exciting guy to watch," says one impressed Eastern Conference scout, "he's not only a great skater, he's a fluid and effortless one as well. His acceleration allows him to join the rush, and his passing will bring a solid transition game to any team he's on."
...
Keith is well aware of this despite his 5-11, 168-pound frame that some traditionalists might consider less than desirable for a defenseman.
...
"His size isn't a problem with me," Mason explained, "even though it may not be preferred at the pro level, they're finding out in the NHL that skills are being more appreciated and recognized in players his size. He'll fill out, and by the time he's up to 180, he'll have everything he needs."

"He does need to get stronger," said another scout bluntly, "but with the tools he has, a guy his size can be successful because of his skating ability."
...
Gazing into his crystal ball, Keith hopes to someday become the finest mixture of Bobby Orr, Brian Leetch, and Nicklas Lidstrom.

"Those three are pretty much my idols," said Keith, who rooms with fellow 2002 draft hopeful Jim Slater. "I've watched old tapes of Bobby Orr, and try and bring part of his game to mine, but I also like how Leetch jumps up and anticipates the play and gets open for a shooting lane or pass, and I like Lidstrom's calm on the ice, and how he controls the play."
...

Source

Assets: Is as good a skater as you can find from the back end. Can log ridiculous amounts of ice time effortlessly. Excels at using his mobility to shut down opposing forwards. Has above-average two-way instincts for the blueline position. Plays a very cerebral game, too.

Flaws: Is a little undersized to play against giant-sized NHL forwards. May not be capable of taking his offensive game to the next level, as he's not a natural power-play quarterback. Could also stand to improve his shot from the point.

Career Potential: Elite all-round defenseman.

Source


How is this for a breakout pass?


​

 

[tony d]

Defenseman Gary Suter

Biographical Information courtesy of http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/s/suterga01.html

Position: D ▪ Shoots: Left
Height: 6-0 ▪ Weight: 215 lbs.
Born: June 24, 1964 in Madison, Wisconsin

Stats courtesy of http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/s/suterga01.html

-844 points in 1145 career games
-90 career power play goals
-4 time all star
-1985-1986 Rookie of the Year
-2 time Olympian

Legends Of Hockey is currently down, when it comes back up I'll post snippets of Suter's bio.

Joe Pelletier:

Having been passed up in both the '82 and '83 entry drafts, Suter (a product of the University of Wisconsin) spent the following summer lugging cases of beer at a brewery in his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin, wondering if he would ever get a chance to play in the big leagues. Finally, he was selected by Calgary in the 9th round of the '84 draft. Although neither Suter nor the Flames were terribly ecstatic at the time, this turned out to be one of the best late-round investments ever.

In his inaugural season (1985-86), Suter exploded offensively with 68 points (highlighted by a 6-point night against Edmonton), earning him the Calder Trophy. Two years later, he topped that mark by setting a career high 91 points (scoring in 16 consecutive contests), and he finished third in Norris Trophy voting after Ray Bourque and Scott Stevens. During eight and a half seasons in Calgary, Suter tallied 60 or more points six times, finished fourth among league defensemen in scoring six years in a row, and was offered a spot in the All-Star Game four times. Injuries precluded him from skating in both the 1986 and 1989 Stanley Cup Finals; nevertheless, he understood what it meant to be a big-time player and consistently carried his scoring touch into the playoffs.

During his years in Calgary, Suter roomed with and manned the point alongside Hall of Famer Al MacInnis. Together, they provided one of the best defensive pairings (if not the best) in the NHL. Said former Flames Assistant GM Al MacNeil, "[both Gary and Al] were magic on the powerplay." While Big Al's booming slapshots tended to overshadow Suter's floating wrist shots, Suter was still respected as one of the best defensemen in the league. When he left Calgary in 1994, he ranked second all-time in team scoring behind MacInnis (making Calgary the only club ever to, at any particular time, have two defensemen as its top two all-time scorers).

Final Thoughts:

Happy to have Suter on the team, he's more of an offensive guy so the plan is to draft a good defensive guy to pair with him. Suter should also see time on the Racer's 1st power play unit.

 

[tony d]

Left Winger Brian Propp

Biographical Information on Propp courtesy of http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/p/proppbr01.html

Position: LW ▪ Shoots: Left
Height: 5-10 ▪ Weight: 195 lbs.
Born: February 15, 1959 (Age 54) in Lanigan, Saskatchewan

Stats on Propp courtesy of http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/p/proppbr01.html

-1004 points in 1016 career games
-148 points in 160 playoff games including 3 playoff runs with more than 20 points
-5 time all star
-1982-1983 league leaqder in game winning goals
-425 career goals rank 72nd all time

Legends Of Hockey:

The Philadelphia Flyers in the 1979 Amateur Draft then snapped him up. He joined the club the following season and found himself on a line with Bobby Clarke and Reggie Leach. The trio clicked as Propp established himself as a complete player who could work the corners, check opponents, make creative passes, and score goals.

From there, the foundation was set as Propp became a solid fixture on the Flyers forward lines for a total of ten and a half seasons. During that time, his team made it to the Stanley Cup finals three times, he made four trips to the All-Star game, and, during regular season play, his consistent work ethic brought home a notable percentage of game-winning goals.

Joe pelletier:

While he never had a single enormous offensive season, Propp's strength was his consistency, as his point total with the Flyers suggest. During the 1980s he scored 75, 66, 91, 82, 92, 97, 97, 67, 76, and 78 points in successive seasons. He was one of the league's best left wingers during the 1980's but his work often went unnoticed by the media and the fans outside of Philadelphia.

But scoring stats never properly told the story of Brian Propp. He was quiet and shunning of any spotlight. He always placed the team's goals ahead of his own, and he worked hard to become a complete player. He became a tremendous defensive player while averaging over a point per game. Blessed with speed and strong anticipation skills, he and Dave Poulin formed a tremendous penalty killing tandem, perhaps the best of the 1980s. And though he was small at 5'10" and 195lbs, he was very willing to initiate physical play, although he understandably didn't like being the recipient of such contact. He also had a reputation of being a diver.

Final Thoughts:

Really glad to have gotten Propp. Seems to be a great all around player.

 

[Johnny Engine]

Brad McCrimmon!

Vitals: (Source: Hockey Reference)
Position: D ▪ Shoots: Left
Height: 5-11 ▪ Weight: 197 lbs.
Born: March 29, 1959 in Dodsland, Saskatchewan
Drafted: 15th overall, 1979

Stanley Cup - 1989, Calgary Flames
Canada Cup - 1987


McCrimmon is the very epitome of the conservative, tough, stay at home defenseman. His natural role will be to punish opposing forwards in front of the net, and to give solid support to a more offensive partner.

Accolades:

In a 1990 coaches poll, 17 picked McCrimmon as "best defensive defensman", good for 2nd in the league.
In the 1990 THN yearbook, Craig Simpson picked him first among his 5 "toughest defensemen in front of the net"

1985 - 8th AST voting
1986 - 6th AST voting
1988 - 4th Norris voting, 4th AST voting
1989 - 7th Norris voting, 6th AST voting
1990 - 17th AST voting
1992 - 12th AST voting

--------------------------------------

Numbers

Despite playing with a variety of teams throughout his career, his plus-minus was consistently high. He's 11th all time in career +/- at +444.

Top +/- finishes:
1, 2, 2, 4, 4, 5


While one would never count on him for offense, his modest, 4-season offensive peak from (1985-1988) would suggest he'll be competent and safe with the puck.

Top points finishes among all defensemen:
17, 28, 25, 31

--------------------------------------

What others have to say about Brad:


Hockey Hall Of Fame

And although McCrimmon wasn't as flashy as some of the [players drafted in 1979], he proved to be a bluechip blueliner whose specialty was keeping his crease clear of traffic.

In Philly, McCrimmon continued his solid play, ending each season on the upside of the plus/minus scale … In 1988, McCrimmon came in as the league's plus/minus leader with a +48 reading. He was also chosen as a second-team All-Star.

McCrimmon continued to perform like a rock for the Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers and finally, the Phoenix Coyotes where he retired from on-ice duty in 1996-97.

Joe Pelletier

After one of the finest junior careers in hockey history, McCrimmon topped it all off with a NHL 1st round selection - 15th overall in by the Boston Bruins.

Though possessing a strong stride, McCrimmon was not a great skater at the NHL level. He lacked any element of speed and in his early days was weak one on one because he was awkward in his turns in pivots. Over time he learned to overcome his deficiencies by playing the angles and rarely being caught out of position. Once he learned how to do this he really became a solid NHL defensive back liner.

McCrimmon really came into his own in Philadelphia, particularly when he assumed the spot along side highly skilled defenseman Mark Howe. The fierce competitor was never a star, but was a valuable member of the Flyers. He would take care of the defense and physically manhandling players in his own zone allowed Howe to take chances offensively...

McCrimmon was never an offensive threat at the NHL level, he did put up some decent numbers from 1984 through 1987. Though it wasn't until his trade to the Calgary Flames in the summer of 1987 that saw him emerge from Howe's shadow. He was named as a second team All Star as he posted a league high + 48 as well posting 42 points without Howe (although playing with the likes of Al MacInnis and Gary Suter might have helped his stats some!).

The Flames traded a 1st round draft pick to Philadelphia in exchange for McCrimmon. The trade came shortly after the 1987 Stanley Cup finals in which McCrimmon was a key performer for the eventual runner up Flyers. The Flames were seeking some veteran leadership, defense and toughness to help guide them to the Stanley Cup finals, and in McCrimmon's second season in Cow Town, that is just what happened. Only this time McCrimmon was the bride and not the bridesmaid, as the Flames won their first Stanley Cup in 1989.

Brad retired with 81 goals, 322 assists and 403 points in an amazing 1222 games career. He added 11 goals and 29 points in 116 playoff games.

Brian Propp:

You can't replace a guy like him. He was one of our main team leaders.

Nicklas Lidstrom

Brad was my first defence partner in the NHL. He looked after me and took me under his wing. He was a mentor for me. On the ice, he was more the stay-at-home type and it allowed me to jump into the offensive side a little more.

He was my partner every game my first year. He was that steady defenseman who stayed home all the time. He protected me in certain situations too when things got a little too heated. He was a great partner to have.

Chis Pronger:

I leaned on him heavily. He was my partner, my roommate. I spent a lot of time with him, got to know him very well.

He wore his heart on his sleeve. He played hard and tough. He was an opinionated, boisterous guy. People loved him because of that. He was a farm boy from Saskatchewan who wore his heart on his sleeve. You always knew where you stood with him. That's something a lot of people loved."

He taught me an awful lot about the game, about being a professional, preparation, coming to play each and every night. There's a lot of great memories.

I don't know if he influenced [Pronger's aggressive physical game] so much as wanted me to keep it. You see it a lot of times, guys come in with that and then it gradually goes away. That was one of his biggest things, to always make sure you're unpredictable. If the other teams doesn't know what you're going to be doing out there, they're always going to be a little hesitant, a little leery whether you're going to stick a guy, slash a guy, hit a guy, poke check a guy. If you never know, they never know. If you're unpredictable, you give yourself that extra second, whether it's to recover, go the other way, buy yourself an extra second of time. That's something I've tried to do throughout my career.

 

[Velociraptor]

Teemu Selanne, RW

Position: Right Wing
HT/WT: 6'0", 195 lbs
Handedness: Right
Nickname(s): "The Finnish Flash"
Born: July 3rd, 1970 in Helsinki, Finland

- 1-time Stanley Cup Champion - (2007)
- 8-time Top-10 in All-Star RW Voting (1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7)
- 2 acknowledgements for the First NHL All-Star Team - (1993, 1997)
- 2 acknowledgements for the Second NHL All-Star Team - (1998, 1999)
- 1-time recipient of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy - (2006)
- won the Calder Memorial Trophy - (1993)
- has scored 682 goals and 768 assists for 1450 points in 1434 games, adding 660 penalty minutes.
- has scored 42 goals and 40 assists for 82 points in 118 playoff games, adding 58 penalty minutes.

International Accolades
- 37 Points in 39 Best-On-Best International Games
- 59 Points in 51 Other Senior International Games
- Three Olympic Medals (Silver-2006, Bronze-1998, Bronze-2010)
- "Bronze" in 1991 Canada Cup
- Silver at 2004 World Cup
- Two World Championship Medals (Bronze-1999, Bronze-2008)
- Top-5 in scoring at 7 International Tournaments (1st-1991WC, 1st-2006OG, 2nd-1999WC, 3rd-1998WC, 4th-1992OG, 4th-2003WC, 5th-1996WC)

Voting Record:

Hart Voting Record:

3rd (97-98), 5th (96-97), 5th (98-99), 6th (92-93), 9th (06-07), 14th (05-06)

Top 10 Finishes:
Goals - 6x - (1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 10)
Assists - 5x - (4, 7, 9, 9, 10)
Points - 7x - (2, 2, 5, 5, 7, 8, 8)
Power Play Goals - 7x - (1, 1, 3, 3, 5, 5, 8)
Game Winning Goals - 5x - (1, 3, 4, 5, 9)

Quotes

The Winnipeg Jets drafted him in the first round in 1988 and he joined the club four years later. He played for the Jets for three and a half seasons until they traded him to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim for Russian defender Oleg Tverdovsky. In 1992-93, "the Finnish Flash" had an incredible rookie season. He won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year hands down leading all other rookies in goals, in power-play goals, in game-winning goals and in total points. His record 76 goals set a new plateau in this category for rookies, eclipsing the old mark set by Mike Bossy by 23 goals.

The third season was decimated by the lockout and Selanne placed 19th in the scoring race. He again surpassed the 100 point mark in the next two years, but in the two after that he was for the second and third time the top goal scorer in the league. The last of these also saw a new trophy named after Maurice "Rocket" Richard established for the goal-scoring leader and Selanne became its first recipient. He has played in the All-Star Game nine times. He has 12 awards to date in the Finnish league. His first two full seasons in the SM-Liiga were bumper years as well, with a total of seven awards.

After parts of six seasons in Anaheim, Selanne joined the San Jose Sharks in the latter stages of the 2000-01 season and represented Finland at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. During the 2002-03 season, Selanne played in his 800th games and reached the 900-point milestone before signing with the Colorado Avalanche as a unrestricted free-agent in the summer of 2003. Upon his arrival with the Avs, Selanne struggled and finished with his lowest point total in his 12-year NHL career, finishing the season with 32 points (16-16-32).

Following the season, he would undergo reconstructive knee surgery and spend the entire 2004-05 lockout season rehabilitating his surgically repaired knee. After returning for a second stint with the Mighty Ducks, Selanne would once again find his touch, leading the club in goals (40) and points (90), his highest total since 1998-99. At the end of the season, Selanne was awarded the Bill Masterson Trophy for his perseverance and dedication to hockey.

In 2006-07, Selanne picked up where he left off tallying 48 goals (third best in the league). His success fuelled the Ducks offence that season as the club set new franchise records in wins (48) and points (110). In the ensuing playoffs, Selanne tallied 15 points in 21 games and helped the Ducks to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The following summer Selanne considered retirement, but returned to the league in January 2008.

On the international stage, Selanne has represented his homeland at the World Junior Championships (1989), the World Championships (1991, 1996, 1999 and 2003), the Winter Olympics (1992, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010), the Canada Cup (1992) and the World Cup (1996, 2002, 2004 and 2008).

At the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, the fifth games for Selanne, he became the all-time leader for points scored in the Olympics, surpassing Hockey Hall of Famers Valeri Kharlamov and XXXXX XXXXXX in the process. In addition to his personal success, Teemu also helped propel the Finnish club to capture the bronze medal.

Some excellent quotes and publications thanks to this excellent bio by 70's.

 

[markrander87]

MICKEY MACKAY

Below shows he was called the greatest player both Lester Patrick and Eddie Oatman have ever seen. Also he missed 2 years of his prime due to a vicious Cross check breaking his jaw.

Lester Patrick saying MacKay was the greatest Center to ever play in the Coast League:

http://books.google.ca/books?id=bWY...0CDAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Mickey MacKay&f=false

MacKay was sidelined for almost 2 seasons of his prime due to Vicious Cross check to his jaw:

http://books.google.ca/books?id=jbi...0CEcQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=Mickey MacKay&f=false

As a result of MacKay being out is had a profound impact on the 1919 PCHA Championships:

http://books.google.ca/books?id=vxP...X&ei=8AD5UpHxLofY0QH0oYGADQ&ved=0CC8Q6AEwATgU

In the 1918 Cup finals at Toronto, the critics rated him as a better player than his teammate Fred Taylor

A very clean player, he was a phenomenal stickhandler and was idolized in the west. Modest and unassuming he had no hesitation in setting up other players for goals that he might have scored himself. In many ways he was like Frank Nighbor.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=9039702&postcount=266

Mackay and Taylor displayed expert passing…Mickey MacKay was easily the best player on the ice:

http://books.google.ca/books?id=vF-...X&ei=AgP5UoGZFqSV1AH2p4HoAg&ved=0CCoQ6AEwADge

Veteran pro puckster Eddie Oatman picks Mickey mackay as the greatest hockey player he's ever seen:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...f8uAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EdwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2007,3743444


Plus the great Bio already completed by Dreakmur:

Awards and Achievements:
2 x Stanley Cup Champion (1915, 1929)

2 x Retro Hart Winner (1915, 1923)
5 x PCHA First Team All-Star (1915, 1917, 1919, 1922, 1923)
3 x PCHA Second Team All-Star (1916, 1918, 1921)
WCHL First Team All-Star (1925)

Ultimate Hockey’s “Best Stick-Handler” of the 1920s
PCHA’s All-Time leading scorer

Scoring:
PCHA Points – 2nd(1915), 2nd(1922), 2nd(1923), 3rd(1924), 6th(1917), 9th(1918), 10th(1916), 10th(1919), 10th(1921)
PCHA Goals – 1st(1915), 1st(1924), 2nd(1923), 5th(1922), 6th(1917), 9th(1918), 9th(1921), 10th(1919)
PCHA Assists – 1st(1922), 2nd(1915), 2nd(1923), 3rd(1916), 6th(1924), 8th(1921)

WCHL Points – 2nd(1925)
WCHL Goals – 1st(1925)

NHL Points – 13th(1927), 13th(1928)
NHL Goals – 12th(1928), 18th(1927)
NHL Assists – 8th(1927)

“An offensive genius, he was a clean and gentlemanly player and a fine defensive forward who was often asked to play rover so he could poke-check opposing rushers to frustration.” – Ultimate Hockey

He was a great crowd pleaser. He was clean, splendidly courageous, a happy player with a stylish way of going. He was sensational in making quick breakaways. He was a sure shot alone with the goalie. He could handle his stick and was almost as good a hook-check as Frank Nighbor. He was one of those who helped make pro hockey a great game. He was outstanding in every way” – Undrafted Player

He was a master at handling the wood and rubber. Some say he was the single biggest hockey influence on the great Frank Nighbor. He was also a very effective poke-checker.” – Ultimate Hockey

 

[BillyShoe1721]

C Vladimir Petrov

4x Led World Championships in Scoring(1973, 1975, 1977, 1979)
Most Goals, Assists, Points in a Single World Championships(1973)
4x World Championships All Star
4x Top 5 Soviet MVP Voting (2, 2, 4, 5)
10x Top 10 Soviet League Points(1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10)
2x Soviet 2nd Team All Star
4x Soviet 1st Team All Star

Kharlamov vs. Petrov vs. Mikhailov

Soviet Top 10 Finishes

Kharlamov: 1, 2, 3, 5, 5, 7
Petrov: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10
Mikhailov: 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5

Soviet MVP Voting

Kharlamov: 1, 2, 2, 2, 4, 4, 4, 5
Petrov: 2, 2, 4, 5
Mikhailov: 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5

Soviet All Star Teams

1st Team

Kharlamov: 7
Petrov: 4
Mikhailov: 7

2nd Team

Kharlamov: 1
Petrov: 2
Mikhailov: 1

Note: Maltsev was almost always considered a center, giving Petrov the toughest competition for AS placements among all three forward positions

World Championships All Star

Kharlamov: 3
Petrov: 4
Mikhailov: 2

World Championships Scoring

Kharlamov: 159 points in 105 games (1.5143PPG)
Petrov: 154 points in 102 games (1.5098PPG)
Mikhailov: 169 points in 105 games (1.6095PPG)

Olympics Scoring

Kharlamov: 36 points in 18 games
Petrov: 17 points in 17 games
Mikhailov: 17 points in 16 games

This is the biggest divide, and is the most plausible explanation I can see for Kharlamov being seen as so great. But, how did they fare against teams that were actually good? Here are their points against the Czechs, Canadians, Americans, Swedes, and Finns:

Kharlamov: 17 points in 11 games
Petrov: 5 points in 11 games
Mikhailov: 5 points in 9 games

'72 & '74 Summit Series Scoring

Kharlamov: 15 points in 15 games
Petrov: 14 points in 15 games
Mikhailov: 11 points in 15 games

World Championships, Olympic Games Against Good Teams, and Summit Series

Kharlamov: 191 points in 131 games (1.458PPG)
Petrov: 173 points in 128 games (1.352PPG)
Mikhailov: 185 points in 129 games (1.434PPG)

...but Tarasov needed Petrov. He needed this actively aggressive, brazen, down-to-earth player from the Moscow region because he was exactly right for Tarasov's new tactic of putting on the pressure and checking all the way down the entire length of the ice. Tarasov dreamed of a confrontation at the highest level with the Canadians, and he was in dire need of players who could beat the Canadians at their own game... Petrov was the only possible player to assist and anchor a lineup with the superb skater Valeri Kharlamov and Boris Mikhailov. Petrov, a center with plenty of power, pulled these two polar opposites together... He loved to start a commotion out of nothing during a game, over how his opponent held his stick during a faceoff, for example. Behind the simple and good-natured appearance of this Russian giant, there was a cunning mind and a passionate heart He knew how to turn up the heat on an opponent in one-on-one combat. He knew how to play to win, and what to do in that crucial moment when he needed to break his opponent... he could appear impassive while forcing stronger opponents to give up. Petrov played according to his own rules... Through sheer driving force and the amount of time spent on the ice, he became the kind of center that was unique to Soviet hockey. Add to this an insatiable ambition and there was no one who could compare to Petrov back then or even years later... Mikhailov never considered himself as gifted as Valeri Kharlamov. Petrov did. This wasn't arrogance. Petrov believed he was energized by hockey. The only difference was that Kharlamov was able to find a more effective way of transferring his energy to the ice.

Vladimir Petrov was a great offensive force throughout his career, but he credited playing against the Canadians for making him a complete player.

"By Soviet standards I'd always been considered an offensive centerman. Phil Esposito and Bobby Clarke forced me to play a more defensive style. The experience made me a better all around player," he said.

This trio was absolutely unstoppable. They scored 1086 goals in the Soviet league and 539 goals on the national team. In the World Championship All-time scoring table they are 1st, 2nd and 4th overall. Mikhailov had 98+71 = 169 points in 105 games. Kharlamov had 74+85 = 159 points in 105 games. Petrov had 74+80 = 154 points in 102 games.

So in 105 games they combined for an incredible 482 points ! almost 5 points per game. They were the highest scoring line in 1969,73,74,75,77 and 79. They still hold the record for most points by a line in a single WC tournament. 86 points in 1973. They also have the second best result (56 points in 1977).

Petrov himself won the scoring title in the World Championships four times. 1973 (34 pts in 10 games), 1975 (19pts in 10 games - tied), 1977 (21pts in 10 games) and 1979 (15pts in 8 games). Petrov still holds the record for most goals, assists and points in one tournament (1973). He was also a four time All-Star in the World Championships.

On the contrary from most Soviet players, Petrov wasn't a good skater. He didn't have that fluid skating style that many of his teammates had. His strength was his excellent stickhandling and hard shot. He also wasn't afraid to use his 6'1" and 205 Ibs body in the corners. Petrov was also strong on faceoffs and a dangerous and aggressive forechecker.

http://www.1972summitseries.com/petrov.html

Vladimir Petrov obviously belongs on the list of the glorious centers in the Soviet hockey history. He was a vital playmaker of hte legendary Mikhailov-Petrov-Kharlamov line in Team USSR and Red Army Club.

Petrov established himself as a sound two-way forward. He was a very fine powerplay and penaltykilling player. His skill set included slick playmaking, incredible chemistry with his wings, top level 1-on-1 mastery and an extremely powerful and accurate slapshot that led Petrov to many scoring titles.

In defense, he was known for outstanding physical play equal to the level of the best Soviet blueliners.

http://www.chidlovski.net/1974/74_playersru.asp?playerid=ru16

One of the best lines to play hockey ever. Unmatched master of hockey improv and great team player at the same time, Kharlamov was obviously a centerpiece amd major crowd attraction of the "first troika". Petrov was a very solid playmaker and a two-way forward. Mikhailov borrowed a few tricks from Espo at the 1972 Summit and became the all-time Soviet scoring leader. Most of his goals came from rebounds. The line had an incredible chemistry and dominated international hockey for over a decade.

http://www.chidlovski.com/personal/1974/liners/

The Soviets bounced right back and showed they were dangerous even short-handed, when Vladimir Petrov got a breakaway and tied the game.

http://books.google.com/books?id=xK...BQ#v=onepage&q=vladimir petrov hockey&f=false

Up front on the forwards was an explosive offensive well oiled machine with Vladimir Petrov, Sergei Makarov, Helmut Balderis, Boris Mikhailov, and even still Valeri Kharlamov.

The line-up of players they had was awesome. Mikhailov, Kharlamov, Yakushev, Shadrin, and Petrov could have stepped into the nHL among others and been very good players.

http://books.google.com/books?id=B5...Bw#v=onepage&q=vladimir petrov hockey&f=false

Petrov, No. 16, was perhaps the strongest player on the Soviet national team, with blacksmith arms and a bulging neck, a 200 pound slab of muscle who was possessed of the rarest of Russian weapons: a nasty slapshot.

Vladimir Petrov jabbed at the puck with his stick. You don't do that to Mike Ramsey's goalie. Ramsey cross-checked Petrov in the head, crashing him into the boards. Petrov pushed back and the sticks went up and then Ramsey dropped his, as if he were ready to go.

http://books.google.com/books?id=jO...gK#v=onepage&q=vladimir petrov hockey&f=false

No sooner have these words left Gallivan's mouth than the Red Army's Vladimir Petrov starts out with the puck behind his own blueline. He is able to skate through center ice, right past Montreal checker Jim Roberts. Gaining the Canadiens' blue line unobstructed, he goes to his right near the far boards and drags three Canadiens (Savard, Lapointe, and Wilson) with him. With all three players focused on him, Petrov saucers the puck in a beautiful pass towards the center that is picked up by an onrushing Kharlamov, who splits between Savard and Lemaire and softly slides the puck behind a sprawling Ken Dryden.

"Here's Petrov, he's a great stickhandler, number sixteen. Now watch him slide this puck through to Kharlamov...a super goal," says Ferguson.

http://books.google.com/books?id=7h...gK#v=onepage&q=vladimir petrov hockey&f=false

I remember Vladimir Petrov tied it on a shorthanded goal after he outskated everybody from a faceoff in their end.

http://books.google.com/books?id=lT...gU#v=onepage&q=vladimir petrov hockey&f=false

Forward Vladimir Petrov Claim to Fame A physically strong center, he used slick passes to set up wingers Kharlamov and Mikhailov on the Soviets' top line in the 1970s.

https://www.google.com/search?q=vla...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&start=30&tbm=bks

Vladimir Petrov, the greatest centreman in all Russia...

"So did we," the lynchpin of the Kharlamov-Petrov-Mikhailov line, said, coking his head and fixing her with a wry grin.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...qq4vAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6KEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3506,333861

In the second goal, it was again the beautiful stickhandling of center Vladimir Petrov that teed it up. Petrov sucked in the desperate Canadian defenders, then passed it to Lutchenko who fired.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...F4s0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=fqEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=975,2131541

And they lost Eddie Westfall, who with Sanderson formed the best penalty-killing unit this side of Valeri Kharlamov and Vladimir Petrov, to the New York Islanders in the expansion draft. "They all hurt," winces Defenseman Don Awrey.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1086619/index.htm

A picture-perfect goal by Evgeni Zimin and a shorthanded score by Wing Vladimir Petrov tied it up.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1086501/index.htm

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

With the 98th pick in the draft, the Swamp Devils select a scrappy, all-round player:

Toe Blake, LW

There was nothing at which he did not excel. He was a strong, fast skater; he could and did pick the corners with his shots; his passing left little to be desired; he was a past-master at both fore and back checking; his services were in demand when his team had the odd-man advantage and he was often pressed into service when his team was short-handed.

-Weekly Sports News of October 1948 by H.P. Zinck

Hart Trophy (1939)

1937-38 NHL NHL All-Star Team (2nd)
1938-39 NHL NHL All-Star Team (1st)
1939-40 NHL NHL All-Star Team (1st)
1944-45 NHL NHL All-Star Team (1st) * War year*
1945-46 NHL NHL All-Star Team (2nd)

Top 10 points: 1, 3*, 3, 6, 7, 9
Top 10 goals: 2, 3*, 3, 8, 10
Top 10 assists: 3*, 7, 7, 8, 8, 9, 10

*War year

Most quotes are from overpass's profile last year:

Known more as a tough forward, Toe's talents were refined while with the Canadiens, and he became a proficient playmaker and scorer.

Toe Blake is a modest young man. After the Canadien left-winger went on that four-goal scoring rampage last week-end, he attributed it all to luck. He may be right to a certain extent, according to his own viewpoint, but there is one thing for which Blake didn't take any credit: he is a worker. Every second he is on the ice, he is digging. He skates ceaselessly, bores in all the time, and is trying every inch of the way. And if you try hard enough, you're bound to be rewarded sooner or later.

Montreal Gazette, Jan 8, 1938

Legends of Hockey:

Long before he became a coaching legend, left wing Hector "Toe" Blake was a talented scorer and NHL star. He totaled 235 career goals, including six 20-goal seasons and became known as "the Old Lamplighter" in honor of his skill for putting the puck in the net. During the 1940s he formed one of the league's most dangerous lines, the Punch Line, with Maurice Richard and Elmer Lach.

Blake's first two full NHL seasons were solid, but he took his game to a higher level with a league-leading 47 points in 1938-39. His effort was rewarded with the Hart Trophy and placement on the NHL First All-Star Team. He was teamed up with Elmer Lach and Maurice Richard in 1943 and the Punch Line led Montreal to the Stanley Cup later that season. It was the Old Lamplighter's goal at 9:12 of overtime in game four that gave Montreal a 5-4 win over Chicago and possession of hockey's ultimate prize. That year he led all post-season scorers with seven goals and 18 points. His record for that playoffs of two points per game went untouched until Wayne Gretzky took over the NHL record book in the 1980s.

Lach on the Punch Line:

"Blake was the backbone of that group," explained Lach. "He was always in position; he was always serious and he was the same when he coached the Canadiens. The three of us did like to win. We made sure that we didn't have any goals scored against us. We hated that more than wanting to score.

The Montreal Canadiens: 100 Years of Glory:

"The hallmark of Blake's success is his doggedness," Marc T. MacNeil of the Gazette wrote. "He never ceases trying. He doesn't know what it means to quit." MacNeil was watching the Canadiens one night with Blake's injured teammate Bob Gracie. "There goes the best left winger in the National Hockey League," Gracie said as Blake dashed down the ice. "What a worker that guy is."

What most impressed the fans was his fiery temperament. "If ever there was a player in the league with more spirit, we haven't seen him," Dink Carroll wrote.

Montreal Gazette, Mar 3, 1936

Toe Blake is Getting Reputation as a Fighter
Toe Blake's outbreak at Detroit is nothing new for the fiery Frenchman from norther Ontario. They say that when he was in the Canam league earlier this year with Springfield he was willing to take on all comers and got into some glorious brawls.

Mar 10, 1939 Calgary Herald (from Ted Reeves of the Toronto Telegram):

Toe Blake is an aggressive, boring-in goal scorer, who has inspired the Floating Frenchmen to a fine late season spurt. He will hurtle through the centre of a defence man or practically run along the rail of the boards to get that biscuit into a shooting spot and he should rank with the all-time greats in a few more years if his ribs hold out.

Montreal Gazette, Dec 7, 1949

Blake is a coach who lives to get out on the ice and show his players just what he means. He took the odd turn with the team, sometimes at defence...Now old Toe has to get out there and do his stuff, aching dogs and all, but still a canny player and a wizard at killing off penalties.

 

[BillyShoe1721]

D Mike Grant

4x Stanley Cup Champion (captain for all of them)
Hockey Hall of Fame Member

Ultimate Hockey Awards

Best Skater of the Earlies
Most Consistent Player of the Earlies
Retro Norris (1895, 1896, 1897, 1899, 1899)
Retro Hart (1896, 1898)

Rushing: A rushing defencemen is one who relieves the pressure on his side by rushing the puck up the ice himself. He is generally, though not necessarily, a gifted offensive player. He can either carry the puck all the way to the goal, or pass it off to another player for a scoring chance. Mike Grant is a noted example of a rushing defenceman from the game's early days, and there were many others since this style of play attracted so much attention.

http://hockeyhistorysis.blogspot.com/search/label/Mike Grant

Grant played cover point and was known for his speed and skating ability. He is regarded as one of the first defenceman to rush forward and with the puck. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950.

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

He took his skating prowess to the hockey rink and was to become known as one of the original rushing defencemen in the sport.

It was said of Grant that he "was a durable competitor and a wonderful all-around hockeyist."

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/Lege...dsMember.jsp?mem=p195003&page=bio&list=ByName

Mike Grant was the premier defensive specialist of 1890s ice hockey, playing the ancient position of cover-point primarily for the Montreal Victorias of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada and the Canadian Amateur Hockey League.

A very strong case can be made that Mike Grant was hockey's first true star; he was the first player to actually draw crowds that would sell out ice rinks all over Eastern Canada. He was also the first hockey player that newspaper reporters consistently reported on which helped popularize the game via the press.

Grant, already an accomplished speed-skating champion, played his first hockey with the Young Crystals, the junior team to the Montreal Crystals, and was named Captain within a year. He led the Young Crystals to the championship and then its intermediate squad to two more titles. The Montreal Victorias took note of this rising young star and signed him to a contract in 1893. In his third season with the Victorias, Grant captained his team to the first of four consecutive Stanley Cup championships.

He was a tremendous leader of men, played a fine brand of defensive hockey, was most likely the quickest skater in the game, and he was the finest puck-rusher of early hockey by practically all accounts. In fact, it may have been Grant who influenced later puck-rushers like Art Ross and Lester Patrick to master this art. It is safe to assume that if a Norris Trophy was awarded back in Grant's era he would have earned perhaps four or five as he was the premier dominant defensive player of his time. Similarly, it could be easily argued that Grant would have won at least one Hart Trophy and maybe even a Conn Smythe Trophy had there been such awards.

http://www.greatesthockeylegends.com/2009/05/stanley-cup-legends-mike-grant.html

The captain of the first real dynasty in organized hockey, Mike Grant led his Montreal Victorias a multitude of Stanley Cup victories. A defenceman with very good offensive skills, Grant was also a great ambassador for the game as he organized exhibition games in the United States spreading the sport there. Grant remains the youngest captain to ever hoist the Stanley Cup.

http://www.notinhalloffame.com/hock...es/1950-hockey-inductees/item/2451-mike-grant

In the days when Mike Grant was their captain and defence star, Vics captured the trophy three straight years from 1897 to 1899 inclusive, a feat never surpassed and equalled once by Ottawa's famed Silver Seven.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...y0rAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EZkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6857,3632111

Mike Grant, the best known hockey player in Canada, captain for years of the erstwhile invincible Victorias, in speaking of general defense work says...

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...QwbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pkgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2763,4748918

Coming to personal mention, the name of Captain Mike Grant naturally suggests itself first. He has the rare qualities to make him at once a good player and a good captain. With a temper absolutely above the petty trivialities incidental to hockey, with a frame proof to the assault of the swiftest forward, with a judgment never more sure than when required on the instant and possessing as he did the perfect confidence of his team, Captain Grant proved himself a captain among captains.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...Q0uAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UTkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1680,6299396

Below is from a previous bio made by jarek, adding it here to combine everything and format it to look nice

In 1894, *** ********* and ****** ***** were added to the roster, as was defender extraordinaire Mike Grant. Although it was not easy to replace ******** on the blue-line, Mike Grant stood tall. An outstanding skater who at age 11 had won speed skating titles in three different age groups, he subbed for an injured ******** in a mid-January match against the MAAA. He made his first start on February 10 against the MAAA, an assignment in which he did anything but disappoint. One newspaper reporter spoke of a defender "impossible to get by." In his five starts in 1894, the Victorias went 4-1, allowing but eight goals. And four of these goals came in a February 24 loss to Quebec, a game in which Grant started at forward rather than at his usual cover-point position.

The Victorias' combination play, or run-and-gun, came together in 1894. Solid forward play combined with Grant's consistent brilliance to provide a two-way punch.

Mike Grant was one of hockey's first celebrities. From what is known, he literally packed arenas across eastern Canada from the mid 1890s onward. He was the first player about whom newspapermen consistently wrote and, although **** ******** was probably the first of the pre-modern rushers, Grant was quite certainly the finest.

Grant showed great athletic ability early in life, winning speed skating titles in three different age categories. As a teen, he earned a solid reputation among Montreal's Junior hockey community. Several "seconds", or agents, for AHAC clubs approached the blacksmith's son, guaranteeing him a spot on their sides. He hung back, though, if only because he felt tied to his family's business. He was afraid his father would disapprove.

But just before the start of the 1892 hockey season, Grant was permitted to try out for the Young Crystals, the Montreal Crystals' junior club. He of course made the team and within a season was the captain. Grant was snatched up by the Montreal Victorias in late 1893. He would captain this fine club to Stanley Cup victories in 1895, 1896 and 1897. In 1901, Grant joined the Montreal Shamrocks before finishing his glorious career back with the Vics.

After a refereeing stint, Grant became the first Canadian ambassador for the game of hockey in the United States. He embarked on a number of goodwill ventures to America, playing in exhibition games and "giving much good advice on skating and hockey to our neighbors across the border."

As a player, Grant did much to popularize the rush. His skating ability, both in terms of flat-out speed and overall power, was in a class of its own. He had a roguish air to him that served to stoke his fans' imaginations. It's easy to picture him tearing up the ice on one of his patented rushes, his trademark handlebar mustache twitching in the cool night air.

Not that it has anything to do with hockey, but Grant's oldest son Donald, a wizard on Wall Street, ended up as a top executive with major league baseball's New York Mets in 1962.

Mike Grant was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950.

"Grant tried to body *******, but was a little slow and went into the fence. That was Grant's characteristic throughout the match. He did fairly well, but from his reputation on the old Victoria team the Shamrocks expected better.

Then ***** and ******* got into a snarl and were ruled off. Grant did some heavy body-checking, but evidently was not fast enough. **** scored by a pass from Bain."

"In the meantime a judicious change was made on the Shamrock defence. Grant was brought back to point, where his stops proved invaluable."

Another great defence star of this era was Mike Grant. He made his bow with the Victorias on February 10th, against Montreal. This gentleman, sporting a generous moustache, was very prominent with his frequent rushes and boisterous play.

... Capt. Mike Grant was a feature with his end-to-end rushes from defence but found ******** impossible to beat in the Winnipeg goal

The game at Ottawa between the same teams was a hotly contested one with Mike Grant standing out with his end-to-end rushes, on one of which he scored.

 

[bluesfan94]

Pavel Bure
"The Russian Rocket"

3/31/1971 -
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 191 lbs
Shot: Left

Played For:

Vancouver Canucks (1991-1998)
Florida Panthers (1998-2002)
New York Rangers (2002-2003)

Statistics
Regular Season:

Year|League|Team|GP|G|A|Pts|+/-|PIM
1991-92|NHL|Vancouver Canucks|65|34|26|60|0|30
1992-93|NHL|Vancouver Canucks|83|60|50|110|35|69
1993-94|NHL|Vancouver Canucks|76|60|47|107|1|86
1994-95*|NHL|Vancouver Canucks|44|20|23|43|-8|47
1995-96|NHL|Vancouver Canucks|15|6|7|13|-2|8
1996-97|NHL|Vancouver Canucks|63|23|32|55|-14|40
1997-98|NHL|Vancouver Canucks|82|51|39|90|5|48
1998-99|NHL|Florida Panthers|11|13|3|16|3|4
1999-00|NHL|Florida Panthers|74|58|36|94|25|16
2000-01|NHL|Florida Panthers|82|59|33|92|-2|58
2001-02|NHL|Florida Panthers|56|22|27|49|-14|56
2001-02|NHL|New York Rangers|12|12|8|20|9|6
2001-02|NHL|Total|68|34|35|69|-5|62
2002-03|NHL|New York Rangers|39|19|11|30|4|16
||||||||
Total|NHL|Vancouver Canucks, et al.|702|437|342|779|42|484

*shortened season

Playoffs:

Year|League|Team|GP|G|A|Pts|+/-|PIM
1991-92|NHL|Vancouver Canucks|13|6|4|10|4|14
1992-93|NHL|Vancouver Canucks|12|5|7|12|0|8
1993-94|NHL|Vancouver Canucks|24|16|15|31|9|40
1994-95|NHL|Vancouver Canucks|11|7|6|13|-1|10
1999-00|NHL|Florida Panthers|4|1|3|4|-3|2
||||||||
Total|NHL|Vancouver Canucks, et al.|64|35|35|70|8|74

International:

Year|Competition|Team|GP|G|A|Pts|PIM
1988|European Juniors|Soviet Union|6|10|0|10|2
1989|World Juniors|Soviet Union|7|8|6|14|4
1989|European Juniors|Soviet Union|6|5|6|11|4
1990|World Juniors|Soviet Union|7|7|3|10|10
1990|World Championship|Soviet Union|10|2|4|6|10
1991|Goodwill Games|Soviet Union|5|4|1|5|-
1991|World Juniors|Soviet Union|7|12|3|15|31
1991|World Championship|Soviet Union|10|3|8|11|2
1998|Olympics|Russia|6|9|0|9|2
2000|World Championship|Russia|6|4|1|5|10
2002|Olympics|Russia|6|2|1|3|8
|||||||
Total|All|Soviet Union/Russia|76|66|33|99|83
Total|Junior|Soviet Union|33|42|18|60|51
Total|Senior|Soviet Union/Russia|43|24|15|39|32

Russian:

Year|League|Team|GP|G|A|Pts|PIM
1987-88|Soviet|CSKA Moscow|5|1|1|2|0
1988-89|Soviet|CSKA Moscow|32|17|9|26|8
1989-90|Soviet|CSKA Moscow|46|14|11|25|22
1990-91|Soviet|CSKA Moscow|44|35|11|46|24
|||||||
Total|Soviet|CSKA Moscow|127|67|32|99|54

Transaction History:

1999: The Vancouver Canucks traded Pavel Bure, Bret Hedican, Brad Ference and a 3rd-Round Draft Choice to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Ed Jovanovski, Kevin Weekes, Dave Gagner, Mike Brown, and a 1st-Round Draft Choice
2002: The Florida Panthers traded Pavel Bure and a 2nd-Round Draft Choice to the New York Rangers in exchange for Igor Ulanov, Filip Novak, a 1st-Round Draft Choice, a 2nd-Round Draft Choice, and a 4th-Round Draft Choice.

Career Rankings:

Regular Season:
Playoffs:

Yearly Rankings:
Regular Season:
Playoffs:

Records:

Awards:

Soviet:
Soviet Champion: 1988, 1989
IIHF European Champions Cup: 1988, 1989, 1990
Soviet Championship League Rookie of the Year 1989
NHL:
Calder: 1992
All-Star Game Participant: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001
All-Star Game MVP: 2000
First Team All-Star: 1994
Second Team All-Star: 2000, 2001
Rocket Richard: 2000, 2001 (Led NHL in Goals in 1994 prior to the trophy's introduction)
International:
WJC Champion: 1989
WJC Best Forward: 1989
WJC All-Star 1989
WC Champion: 1990
WC Second Team All-Star 1991
Winter Olympics Best Forward: 1998
Team:
Most Exciting Player Award: 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998 This award is now named after Pavel Bure
Molson Cup: 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998 This award is given to the player with the most three-star selections
Cyclone Taylor Trophy: 1993, 1994, 1998 This award is given to the team MVP
Cyrus H. McLean Trophy: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998 This award is given to the leading scorer

Voting Records:

Calder:
Hart:
All-Star:

Honors:

Inducted into HHOF (2012)
Inducted into the IIHFHOF (2012)


Miscellaneous:

Other

Quotes:


Videos:



​

This is obviously a work in progress.

 

[ResilientBeast]

Igor Larionov C

- Canada Cup Champion 80/81
- Canada Cup Runner-Up 86/87
- Hockey Hall of Fame 07/08
- IIHF Hall of Fame 2008
- NHL Stanley Cup Champion 96/97, 97/98, 01/02
- Olympic Bronze Medal 01/02
- Olympic Gold Medal 83/84, 87/88
- Olympic Most Assists 87/88
- Triple Gold Club 96/97
- U20 WJC All-Star Team 79/80
- U20 WJC Gold Medal 78/79, 79/80
- World Championship All-Star Team 85/86, 82/83
- World Championship Bronze Medal 84/85
- World Championship Gold Medal 81/82, 82/83, 85/86, 88/89
- World Championship Silver Medal 86/87

Canada Cup/World Cup Career Scoring leaders

19. Igor Larionov, USSR/RUS 15 Pts in 26 Games

87 Points in 103 Senior International Games

Soviet League Scoring Finishes

1980-81, 9th 45 Points in 49 Games
1981-82, 5th 53 Points in 47 Games
1983-84, 10th 41 Points in 44 Games
1984-85, 5th 46 Points in 40 Games
1985-86, 2nd 50 Points in 40 Games
1986-87, 3rd 46 Points in 40 Games
1987-88, 2nd 57 Points in 51 Games

434 Points in 457 Soviet League Games

644 Points in 921 NHL Games

Due to the Soviet system the center Larionov was always understated. But he was the perfect man for the job, willing to play positional, deep-defensive zone hockey and making perfect transition passes. He was the glue, both technically and psychologically, that kept the machine running.

Ready to take those brilliant passes were Krutov and Makarov, the wingers with the speed and offensive arsenal of fighter jets. They were explosively spectacular players, blessed with incredible skating and puck handling ability.

Igor Larionov was, very subtly, one of the most highly skilled hockey players we have ever seen. In some ways his best days were left behind in the old Soviet Union, but he still has excelled at the NHL level more so than any other of the veteran former Red Army teammates.

Detroit became the utopia Larionov was looking for when he left Moscow in 1989.

"I finally found my harmony. In my years with the Red Army and national teams I had success, but not much fun. But in Detroit, I found what I was looking for when I came over in 1989 -- good teammates and freedom for what I wanted to do on the ice and off the ice."

"Igor was a very important part of our hockey club, a very important part of our winning the Stanley Cup last year. He's a very creative, playmaking center-ice man. Not only is he important on the ice, but as well (for) what he brings off the ice, in the dressing room," said team captain Steve Yzerman.

With a great sense of purpose, it was Larionov as much as anyone who led Detroit's emotional Stanley Cup defense to a successful championship in 1998. The entire season was dedicated to Konstantinov and Mnatsakanov.

Larionov and the Red Wings won a third Stanley Cup in 2002, and returned to the Olympics in 2002, winning bronze, making Larionov as one of the most decorated hockey players in the history of hockey.

Igor Larionov was already heralded as one of the top hockey players in the world when he finally made his NHL debut in October of 1989 at the age of 29. Prior to that debut, Larionov had earned this reputation during a dominant stretch back home in Russia where he centered the top-line in the country for several years. Larionov, who teamed with wingers Sergei Makarov and Vladimir Krutov, was a four-time Russian First Team All-Star, a two-time World Championship All-Star and the Russian Player of the Year in 1988. He was a big part of the Russians 1981 Canada Cup victory as well as being a huge contributor to Olympic gold medals for Russia in both 1984 and 1988 as well as several World Championship titles. When the iron curtain fell, and Russian players were finally cleared to play in the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks salivated at the possibility of reuniting Larionov and Krutov in their NHL lineup.

In Detroit he was reunited with former National Team player Slava Fetisov, but also joined a club led by a group of young Russian stars who all admired Larionov greatly. The Wings top scorer that year was center Sergei Fedorov and the team also boasted bruising blueliner Vladimir Konstantinov and sniper Slava Kozlov. Coach Scotty Bowman often used the group as a five-man unit and Larionov fit in right away. The veterans poise and leadership in the locker room was immeasurable but his 71 points in 69 games was. When added to the two points he had scored in San Jose prior to the deal it added up to a career-best 73 point season. In the playoffs, Larionov once again was a force with 13 points for the Wings in 19 games, but the team fell short of its goal of winning the Stanley Cup.

The critics grew quieter when the Red Wings exploded out of the gates and led the league from start to finish while their veteran crew enjoyed a healthy, successful season. Larionov, who was now the oldest player in the league, played 70 games and scored 43 points. In the playoffs, Detroit continued to roll and advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals versus the Carolina Hurricanes. The man known to teammates as "The Professor" became the oldest player in NHL history to score a Stanley Cup Final goal when he notched one versus the Hurricanes. Larionov wasn't through though. He scored a high-light reel back hand goal versus the 'Canes in the third overtime period of Game Three that essentially broke Carolina's back. Then, in game five, his slick pass to Tomas Holmstrom set up the Stanley Cup clinching goal for the Red Wings.

 

[BraveCanadian]

With our tenth selection in the 2014 ATD (280) the Guelph Platers have selected: D, ' Terrible' Ted Green

Career Highlights


Stanley Cup Champion - 1972 (Bruins)
Captain of the WHA Hartford Whalers Avco Cup Champions - 1973
Avco Cup Champion - 1976, 1978 (Jets)
NHL Second All-Star Team - 1969
NHL All Star Games - 1965, 1969



Vitals:

Position: D
Shoots: Right
Height: 5-10
Weight: 200 lbs.
Born: March 23, 1940 (Eriksdale, Manitoba)



Regular Season


While Green is best known as a nasty, stay at home defenseman, he developed into a good outlet passer and finished 2nd, 2nd, 3rd and 8th in points among defensemen during his career.


Green's Norris Record:

Season|Norris Finish
64-65|7th
65-66|13th
67-68|9th
68-69|3rd

Norris summary: 3, 7, 9, 13.

All Star voting record: 3rd(1969), 6th(1965), 6th(1968), 10th(1966)



Quotations & Perspectives:

I had one philosophy… and that was this – the corners were mine. Any man who tried to take a corner away from me was stealing from me. I get mad when a man tries to steal from me.

...
Green, a 190-pounder with dimensions of a fullback, isn't likely to feel any apprehension about bounty hunters among the Rangers. Some members of this year's New York team would have trouble subduing a hamster.

Green is an aggressive, often truculent, player. He has the physical attributes to play it that way. In pugilistic parlance, he has the fastest pair of fists in the NHL. He rarely dodges an opportunity to use them.
...
Often overlooked, because of his assault and batter style, is that Green is an exceptionally able defenseman. Bruins desperately need his talents, muscular and artistic.

"I've never seen Green spear anybody," said King Clancy of Leafs. "He's a good, tough, defenceman."
...

...
Even so, Green as Boston's policeman and best defenseman had a shot at an all-star berth when a long bout with a virus and a serious knee injury put him on the shelf.

The combination of illness and injury ended a bid by Green for the NHL ironman role because he hadn't missed a game through illness or injury for four seasons.
...
Boston's defensemen are the league's youngest. Green, at 26, is the oldest. The others are spectacular rookie Bobby Orr at 18, Gil Marotte 20, Joe Watson 23, and Dallas Smith and Bob Woytowich 25.

Marotte has developed as a body checker but it is Green who wades in and does the heavy work.
...

Pound for pound, Ted Green was the toughest of the Post-World War II Bruins and – with the exception of Eddie Shore – the meanest player to ever don the black, gold, and white.

Like the immortal Shore, Green would do anything to win a hockey game.

The Boston Bruins are suddenly hurting, with Bobby Orr and Ted Green on the sidelines, but General Manager Milt Schmidt says his surprise team of the 1967-1968 season isn't about to collapse.

"Certainly we're going to miss them - lets not kid ourselves," Schmidt said Monday after medical reports revealed Orr would be out about three weeks with a broken collarbone and Green a few days with a severe right knee bruise.

"There's only one Bobby Orr," Schmidt said of the sensational 19-year-old defenseman who was Rookie of the Year and a second team All Star selection last season.

"It's really rough right now with Green out too -- they're two of the best defensemen at getting the puck out of their own zone."
...

Source

...
BOSTON

With Bobby Orr where else but first?

New coach Tom Johnson has the most aggressive and talented group in the league.
...
And Ted Green won't hurt the defense any once he regains his confidence.
...

Source

...
The guy talking is Ted Green. Remember him? Don't hear much of him anymore. Terrible Teddy Green they used to call him. Played defence for the Bruins a few seasons back. Big, slab-cheeked guy with burning embers for eyes. Meanest, rottenest player in hockey. Wielded his stick like a machete. Stalked heads instead of pucks. Whose code of survival was a fist for a frown, a slash for a sneer and may the Lord have mercy on the meek and mild. So vicious he once had a price put on his head by the president of the New York Rangers. Never collected. So hated he once had boots and bottles thrown at his head by irate fans around the league. Never connected. Terrible Teddy Green lived by the sword for eight violent seasons in the NHL until he was felled one fall night in 1969.
....
Today, he's captain of the Whalers, 34 years old and in the sunset of his career.
...
Teddy Green was an All-Star before the tragedy, one of the top 3 defensemen in the NHL. Last season he made the third All-Star team in the WHA.
...

Source

Gerry Cheevers, the Boston goalie with the thinning blond hair and thick sideburns, has a foolproof method to compensate for the loss of Terrible Teddy Green.

Cheevers simply shuts out the other team. After turning back Oakland 6-0, in his first start, he backstopped the unbeaten Bruins to a 4-0 victory over the Penguins last night before a crowd of 14,831 at the Boston Garden.

With Green's future clouded because of a fractured skull, Cheevers noted that the defense is working harder these days. Bobby Orr who often IS the Boston defense, credits Gary Doak with capably replacing Green.

"There's a lot of pressure on him." Orr said. "You've got to hand it to him for playing so well."

Source

Ted Green of the Boston Bruins has rejected an opportunity to play in the National Hockey League's 20th All-Star Game tonight at the Montreal Forum.
...
Green apparently refused the invitation because he feels he isn't playing up to All-Star calibre and doesn't deserve to be in the game.
...

...
He is best remembered however for a stick-swinging duel with defenseman Ted Green during an exhibition game on Sept 20 1969. Green, one of the top defensemen in the NHL, suffered a fractured skull...

Source

...
The Bruins are better defensively than they were last season, if only because Gerry Cheevers is much sharper in the nets. But there is also Ted Green who has been enjoying a fine year.
...

Source

During a long interview with Frank Selke Sr., this week, he said he thought the defensive pair of Serge Savard and Larry Robinson ranked with the best ever.

There may have been as good or even better individual defensemen - Eddie Shore, Doug Harvey, Bobby Orr, Ted Green, Red Kelly, Marcel Pronovost, Fern Flaman, Pierre Pilote, Earl Siebert are names which often surface from the past - but there aren't many entries to challenge Robinson-Savard.
...

Source

One thing in my favor – when you played the way I did then – was reputation. Players on the other teams knew that I was going to get them. They had to be thinking about it. I got a lesson from (Leo) Boivin. He’d crack an arm when they tried to get around him. That was my style.

When the term “Bobby Orr, and the Big, Bad Bruins' was heard, Ted Green was still regarded as the baddest of the bad. Yet the respect with which he was held by teammates had reached such a high level that Teddy wore the captain’s ‘C’ on his jersey and was considered the team leader both on and off the ice.

In Green, the Bruins got a solid enforcer who provided the club with crease-clearing spine and leadership during the lean years of the early sixties. He put in eight seasons in Boston, watching the team accumulate an increasing number of Stanley Cup pieces when he suffered one of the more serious injuries in NHL history. Green's skull was fractured as the result of a stick-swinging duel with Wayne Maki of the St. Louis Blues during a pre-season match in 1969. Green was left paralyzed and close to death with no expectations of ever resuming his career on ice. But a year of convalescence and conditioning brought on an impressive recovery. With a metal plate in his head, Green returned to the Bruins line-up to finally savor a Stanley Cup victory in 1972, having missed the first win in 1970.

Though he was brought in initially for his physicality and intimidation, Green developed into a good NHLer through sheer determination. A monster in his own zone, Green kept the other team honest. A hard hitting and willing fighter with a short fuse, Green became an integral part of the Bruins. An excellent shot blocker, Green saw time as a forward on penalty kills. His puck skills improved to the point where in 1969 he was named to the NHL Second All Star team when scored 8 goals and 46 points, a far cry from his 11 point rookie season.
…
Green opened the 1961-62 season in Boston and led the team with 116 PIM. He gained instant respect around the league that season, dropping the gloves with any and all comers, including a memorable fight with Frank Mahovlich in which Green broke his hand. Green playing hurt would quickly become a regular occurrence. Never a true offensive threat, Green developed into a decent d-man with the puck. He became very good at making the first pass to clear the zone, and his assist totals eventually reached the mid- 30s on a consistent basis. He scored a career high 8 goals on 2 occasions.

For almost 8 years, Edward Joseph “Ted” Green epitomized the style of the Boston Bruins, bruising, roughhousing, and intimidating members of the opposing team every time he stepped out for a shift.

​

Previous bios by TDMM and Hawkey Town 18 used in this bio:
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=24382025&postcount=79
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=44882397&postcount=135

 

[BraveCanadian]

With our eleventh selection in the 2014 ATD (281) the Guelph Platers have selected: RW/D, Ed Westfall

Career Highlights

Stanley Cup Champion - 1970, 1972 (Bruins)
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy - 1976-77
NHL All Star Games - 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975
New York Islanders first Captain - 1972-1977

*Retro* Selke 1968-69, 1969-70, 1971-72 (judged by Ultimate Hockey?)



Vitals:

Position: RW/D
Shoots: Right
Height: 6-1
Weight: 197 lbs.
Born: September 19, 1940 (Belleville, Ontario)


Regular Season

With his strong defensive background he quickly established himself as a top defensive forward, combining intellect and speed to shut down the opposition's top gunners. Later on his career, the Bruins added a feisty face-off expert in Derek Sanderson. Sanderson centered Westfall as the two combined to be one of the greatest defensive checking units of all time. The two especially excelled as penalty killers, something that was very necessary on the old Big Bad Bruins teams.

Source

To follow up a little on my last post, here is a list of the top penalty killing wingers of the last 40 years, as defined by those wingers who spent a lot of time killing penalties on effective PK units. I think this list is interesting in part because few wingers have actually spent a lot of time killing penalties - usually centres and defencemen have a larger role.

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
Kelly Miller | 6.16 | 0.85
Bill Barber | 3.71 | 0.80
Brian Rolston | 4.48 | 0.86
Jari Kurri | 4.14 | 0.86
Jim Roberts | 4.87 | 0.88
Jay Pandolfo | 4.92 | 0.89

With his speed and ability while penalty killing, Westfall was always a threat to score while down a man.

Shorthanded Goals:
1964-65 NHL 2 (6)
1965-66 NHL 1 (6)
1967-68 NHL 2 (5)
1968-69 NHL 4 (2)
1970-71 NHL 7 (2)
1976-77 NHL 3 (6)


A converted defenseman, Ed Westfall became one of the best defensive forwards in the league and a standout penalty killer. He was also talented enough to reach the 20 goal mark three times.

Regular Season Totals:

GP|G|A|Pts|+/-|PIM
1226|231|394|625|149 |544

Playoffs

An example of what Westfall could do to an opposing star forward in the playoffs:

(The Bruins make it into the Finals by defeating the Hawks)
...
The Bruins' Ed Westfall had another outstanding game guarding Bobby Hull of the Black Hawks. He held Hull to only 4 shots on goal and Hull failed to score. For the series, Hull, who had 38 goals in the regular season, was held to nine shots, no goals and two assists.
...

Source




Quotations & Perspectives:

The Boston Bruins are in last place in the National Hockey League, but they appear to have found a formula to stop scoring leader Bobby Hull of the Chicago Black Hawks.

The formula: assign Ed Westfall, a converted defenseman, as Hull's virtual skating partner whenever the Bruins play the first-place Hawks.
...
Boston coach Milt Schmidt assigned the rugged Westfall to shadow Hull in a desperation move early in the season. In the last four games, Hull hasn't been able to score when Westfall has been on the ice.
...
Hull who leads the NHL with 32 goals and 55 points in 31 games, became irritated with Westfall's defensive tactics and received three minor penalties in the second period.
...

Source

(as a veteran captain of the young up and coming Islanders)
...
"Good old 18," he said, motioning towards a teammate. "I don't think there's anything that shakes the old guy. Sometimes he looks like he's just floating out there; he's so smooth."

Trottier referred to Ed Westfall, a right winger who was playing junior hockey when the 20-year-old center was born.
...
"The old guy's still got some jets, doesn't he? Can you believe the way he broke away for that second goal?" Trottier asked.

Source

...
We had Eddie Westfall to stop Hull, something Eddie does better than anyone in the NHL. Eddie is smart. He doesn't aggravate Bobby. He doesn't stay too close to him. He circles around, but always is in position when Hull gets the puck.
...

Source

...such ace penalty killers as Derek Sanderson and Ed Westfall...

Source

...And they lost Eddie Westfall, who with Sanderson formed the best penalty-killing unit this side of Valeri Kharlamov and Vladimir Petrov...

Source

A handyman who can play either defense or up front...Teams with Sanderson to give Bruins an expert penalty killing team that set a league record for shorthanded goals last season...A fine checking forward who often inherits defensive assignments against high scorers like Chicago's Bobby Hull...Not a fast skater but is always working...Enjoyed his best scoring season last year with 25 goals-seven more than he ever had before-and 59 points, 17 more than ever before...Likes his role as a defensive specialist on the power-packed Bruins

One of the best penalty killers in NHL and not a bad right wing when taking his regular turn either...Vital cog on two Stanley Cup champion teams in last three years at Boston...Surprisingly left exposed in expansion draft when Bruins chose to protect youngsters instead...Came up to Bruins as a defenseman and can still take a turn there if needed...Defensive specialist who does a workmanlike checking job

A two-way player who is always a two-way captain, as Islanders' leader and pilot of his own plane...Takes pride in being club's elder statesman, although he says, "I look at all these kids we have and wonder where the last 12 years went,"...Scored seven shorthanded goals with '70-71 Bruins, has six Stanley Cup shorthanded goals.

Smart, poised veteran of 16 NHL seasons...Respected by teammates and rivals alike as true professional...Leads by example...Gave up Islanders' captaincy last season..."I felt I was being a good captain by stepping down because we're a young team and need a young captain," he says...Outstanding penalty killer, faceoff specialist, defensive forward...Can play right wing, center or defense...Has no immediate plans to retire..."When the top of the hill seems too far to climb, then I'll know it's time to retire," he says...

Class guy who has been described with every positive adjective...Remarkably conditioned despite 17 NHL seasons behind him...Still a superb penalty killer and more than an occasional right wing...Also top player at getting faceoffs...Has played every position but goal during career

...
Islander Captain Eddie Westfall and penalty-killing mate Lorne Henning shut out the vaunted Philadelphia power play...

Source

With the emergence of Potvin, who scored 31 goals and 67 assists and won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman; the dazzle of the young line of Billy Harris, Clark Gillies and Rookie of the Year Bryan Trottier; the goaltending of Resch and Smith, who together yielded only 190 goals, second to Montreal; and the steadiness of Hart, Bert Marshall and Eddie Westfall, the once-abominable Islanders moved into the 100-point class last season. "People think we need a 50-goal scorer to win the cup," Hart says, "but I'm not so sure. We've got guys like Harris and Gillies who can score a lot—and a lot of guys who can score a little. The key is how we react now that we're no longer an underdog."

Source

...Hull is pretty much accustomed to being followed about the rink. All season long he had been shadowed by experts like Claude Provost of Montreal and Ed Westfall of Boston....

Source

​

 

[tony d]

Defenseman Joe Hall

Biographical Information courtesy of http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/h/halljo01.html

Position: D ▪ Shoots: Right
Height: 5-10 ▪ Weight: 175 lbs.
Born: May 3, 1881 in Milwich, United Kingdom
Died: April 5, 1919 (Aged 37)

Stats on Hall courtesy of http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/h/halljo01.html

-2 time league leader in penalty minutes
-Led NHL in defensive point shares on 1 occasion
-Elected to Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961

Legends of Hockey:

Hall was a rough and tumble defenseman in professional hockey's early days but at times he regretted his violent outbursts, saying once that he was "giving a dog a bad name." He played with the Stanley Cup champion Quebec Bulldogs during the 1911-12 and 1912-13 seasons and had developed a nasty feud with the Montreal Canadiens star forward Newsy Lalonde since the early days of the National Hockey Association.

Joe Pelletier:

Hall was a rough and tumble defenseman in professional hockey's early days but at times he regretted his violent outbursts, saying once that he was "giving a dog a bad name." He played with the Stanley Cup champion Quebec Bulldogs during the 1911-12 and 1912-13 seasons and had developed a nasty feud with the Montreal Canadiens star forward Newsy Lalonde since the early days of the National Hockey Association. [/QUOTE

Final thoughts:

Glad to have gotten Hall, I think his physicality will add a lot to the defense for the Racers.

 

[BillyShoe1721]

RW Theo Fleury

1x Stanley Cup Champion
7x NHL All Star Game Participant
4x Top 20 Goals (2, 7, 11, 19)
5x Top 20 Assists (6, 6, 7, 15, 18)
6x Top 20 Points (6, 7, 8, 11, 17, 20)
5x Top 10 SHG (2, 2, 7, 8, 10)
2x Top 6 Hart Trophy Voting (5, 6)
4x Top 4 AS Voting (2, 3, 3, 4)
6th Selke Voting, 1991

VsX Scores: 90, 87, 86, 83, 80, 77, 71, 70, 68, 68, 63, 61, 51

Scoring Among Teammates: 1, 3, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 2

At 5 feet 6 inches, Theo Fleury is one of the smallest players in hockey, and he had to disprove many doubters and skeptics to become a bona fide NHL star. Intense and fearless, Fleury made a name for himself for more than his stature he could score, play defensively and lead teams to championships in junior hockey, in the NHL and on the international stage.

Fleury brought his typical pesky game to the championships, but was involved in an infamous brawl that cost Canada a chance at the gold medal.

Though outspoken and often brash, aggravating opponents, Fleury matured in time, becoming team captain in 1995. He continued to pick up honors for his hard work, including a berth on the league's Second All-Star Team in 1995 and spots on Team Canada's roster at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, the 1998 Nagano Olympics and later down the road Canada's Gold Medal Olympic Team in Salt Lake City.

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=10485

Despite the fact that he was one of the NHL's all time greatest super pests, annoying opponents and opponent's fans endlessly, you could not help but admire Theoren Fleury if for nothing more than his success in overcoming the many obstacles thrown his way in life.

The topic of his size always comes to the forefront when discussing the Oxbow, Saskatchewan born Fleury. Fleury was always the smallest player on any team he ever played on. He grew to be just 5'6" and played around 180lbs. Despite this he played with ferocious physicality. Grit and determination were his calling cards, even though he had the speed and skill to twice break the 100 point barrier.

Fleury was a pesky, sometimes dirty physical player. He started more than a few fires in the NHL, particularly in the legendary wars with the Edmonton Oilers in the Battle of Alberta. But his most famous on-ice incident would have to be his involvement in the 1986 "Punch Up in Piestany" at the World Junior Championships. He and Soviet player Evgeny Davydov started what turned into a bench clearing brawl, kicking both teams out of the tournament and costing Canada a gold medal.

"When you use the word `little' to describe Theo Fleury, you're not talking about his heart," says Wayne Gretzky, who selected Fleury for the gold medal-winning team. "This is a 50-goal scorer who could play for any team in the NHL. He's a small man who has the ability to make the big play at any time. He's living proof that size is not an insurmountable hurdle in making it to the NHL. I thoroughly enjoyed playing with Theo in the Canada Cup [in 1991]. His quickness in going to the net often catches defensemen and goaltenders asleep. When his arms are raised after scoring a goal, then he doesn't look so small."

http://flameslegends.blogspot.com/2008/01/theoren-fleury.html

Signed as a free agent after scoring 24 goals with the Rangers in 2001-02, Fleury will be counted on to add grit and gusto to an offense that faded badly after the Olympics last February.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1027037/index.htm

Six of the newcomers are thirty-something veterans who are free-agent pickups, the best among them being 5'6" All-Star right wing Theo Fleury. Feisty and dynamic, he has scored 374 goals in his 11-year career, and his three-year, $21 million contract is a big chunk of the $67 million the Rangers spent this summer.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1017221/index.htm

If you are the general manager of a team with realistic Stanley Cup aspirations, now is an excellent time to consider leasing for the rest of this season the 5'6", 180-pound Fleury, a proven scorer and defensive dervish known for taxing the patience of his opponents and ratcheting up his play in the playoffs. It's rare for a player of Fleury's talent and astonishing durability—he has missed only seven games in 10 seasons despite learning that he had Crohn's disease four years ago—to become available for the stretch drive and the playoffs.

He's fast, furious and fearless—which the shortest player in the NHL, one who likes to mix it up in the corners and in front of the net, had better be. "He plays with a chip on his shoulder," says Boston Bruins coach Pat Burns. Fleury agrees: "When you're my size, you're never finished proving yourself."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1015188/1/index.htm

The smallest player in the NHL, 5'6", 160-pound right wing Theoren Fleury of the Calgary Flames, might be the most obnoxious one too. Unable to find anyone his own size, Fleury picks on players 30 to 50 pounds heavier and half a foot taller. He slashes at their calves, digs his elbows into their ribs and snarls insults, both generic and personal, at their psyches. And as agitated opponents exhaust themselves chasing him, Fleury adds the ultimate insult: He streaks off to score or set up a goal. When you spend your life defying attitudes, you develop one yourself.

In sum, Fleury is not only intolerable, he's also talented. Last season he scored 31 goals despite being used mainly as a third-or fourth-line player. Now he usually plays on Calgary's No. 2 line, with heady center Doug Gilmour and speedy left wing Paul Ranheim, which forms a potent scoring unit. And Fleury's stats show it. Through Sunday he had 13 goals and 16 assists for the Flames, who were second in the Smythe Division. Fleury, 22, has speed as searing as his ambition, a nice touch around the net, playmaking ability and a low center of gravity, which makes it difficult to bump him off the puck.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1136082/1/index.htm

He scoots in right behind the big snowplows and does his damage that way," says Crisp. The problem is, Fleury thinks he's one of the snowplows; he picks fights with some of the NHL's roughest customers. His most recent battle occurred in the Campbell Conference finals, when he took on Dave (Charlie) Manson, the Chicago Black-hawks' 6'2", 190-pound defenseman. Fleury, as usual, held his own.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1068407/3/index.htm

"Theo Fleury will bring some additional scoring punch to our hockey club and much more," coach Bob Hartley said. "For many years in this league, he has been a proven leader and a great playoff performer."

Sakic, who is a close friend of Fleury, said Fleury "makes us that much better. I think what it really does is give us two solid lines. He's an exciting player who is great with the puck and is a spark plug out there."

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...=FUtUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=do4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3623,65415