ATD 2019 Bio Thread

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[Voight]

Al MacInnis


Awards and Achievements:

Hockey Hall of Fame (2007)

Stanley Cup (1989)

Olympic Gold Medal (2002)
Canada Cup (1991)

James Norris Memorial Trophy (1999)

Conn Smythe Trophy (1989)

4x First All-Star Team (90, 91, 99, 03)
3x Second All-Star Team (87, 89, 94)
Canada Cup All-Star Team (1991)

100 Greatest NHL Players


Norris voting - 1st(1999), 2nd(1990), 2nd(1991), 2nd(2003), 3rd(1989), 3rd(1994), 6th(1987), 7th(2001), 8th(1992), 8th(1998), 8th(2000)

All-Star voting - 1st(1990), 1st(1991), 1st(1999), 1st(2003), 2nd(1987), 2nd(1989), 2nd(1994), 6th(1992), 7th(2001), 8th(1998), 8th(2000), 9th(1998), 10th(1995)

Statistical Accomplishments:
Points - 9th(1991)

Assists - 3rd(1991), 9th(1987), 10th(2003)


5 Year Peak: 1987 to 1992
2nd in Points, 96% of 1st place Paul Coffey
2nd in Goals, 96% of 1st place Phil Housley
2nd in Assists, 92% of 1st place Paul Coffey


10 Year Peak: 1986 to 1996
3rd in Points, 90% of 1st place Paul Coffey
1st in Goals, 104% of 2nd place Phil Housley
3rd in Assists, 84% of 1st place Paul Coffey

Shot-blocking defencemen feared him. Goalies cringed when they saw him climb over the boards. It comes down to two words, 'the shot.'

The seven-time winner of the Hardest Shot competition at the annual NHL All-Star Game, Al MacInnis is acknowledged as possessing the hardest slapshot in the NHL, and although at one time he used it at every opportunity, MacInnis later learned to harness the fear of his shot to set up plays, take an extra step or unleash the blast with another drive.

"There's hard and then there's Al MacInnis hard. I tried to get out of the way. If it happens too often, you have to sit down and re-evaluate what you're doing with your life."

Perhaps even more amazing than the strength and velocity of his shot was his accuracy. It was pretty rare to see a player block a MacInnis shot of any kind, especially the big slapper. MacInnis knew how to get puck through traffic and on to the net. It was this uncanny skill that he would pass on to many defensive partners

MacInnis was a good skater in terms of lateral movement and agility, but he had average speed. He rarely rushed the puck, instead preferring to make crisp outlet passes. He played a very effective physical game, but was anything but a punishing physical presence. His game based on subtle intelligence, and if not observed closely, it can be taken for granted, even ignored.

His career resume reads like few others before him, but somehow Al MacInnis never really got the public recognition he deserved. One of the few times he did was in the 1989 Stanley Cup playoffs. MacInnis and his big shot led Calgary Flames to their first Stanley Cup championship. MacInnis was the leading scorer in those playoffs, the first defenseman to accomplish that feat. In fact he scored a point in each of his last 17 games that spring. For his dominant efforts he was awarded the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP.

 

[Dreakmur]

Eddie Shore !!!


Awards and Achievements:
2 x Stanley Cup Champion (1929, 1939)

4 x Hart Trophy Winner (1933, 1935, 1936, 1938)

7 x First Team All-Star (1931, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1939)
Second Team All-Star (1934)

WHL First Team All-Star (1926)

2 x GM Voted First Team All-Star (1928, 1929)


Hart voting - 1st(1933), 1st(1935), 1st(1936), 1st(1938), 2nd(1931), 3rd(1928), 3rd(1929), 5th(1939)

All-Star voting - 1st(1931), 1st(1932), 1st(1933), 1st(1935), 1st(1936), 1st(1938), 1st(1939), 4th(1934)

Offensive Accomplishments:
Points - 10th(1929), 10th(1933), 13th(1931), 20th(1928)
Goals - 13th(1929), 20th(1931)
Assists - 2nd(1933), 5th(1935), 9th(1931), 12th(1930), 14th(1929), 17th(1928), 17th(1936), 18th(1927)

Points among Defensemen - 1st(1928), 1st(1929), 1st(1931), 1st(1932), 1st(1933), 1st(1935), 2nd(1927), 2nd(1930), 2nd(1936), 4th(1926), 5th(1939), 6th(1938), 8th(1934)
Goals among Defensemen - 1st(1926), 1st(1928), 1st(1931), 2nd(1927), 2nd(1929), 2nd(1933), 2nd(1935), 3rd(1930), 5th(1932), 5th(2939)
Assists among Defensemen - 1st(1929), 1st(1931), 1st(1932), 1st(1933), 1st(1935), 1st(1936), 2nd(1930), 3rd(1927), 3rd(1928), 3rd(1938), 4th(1939), 5th(1934)

Play-off Points - 4th(1929), 8th(1927)
Play-off Goals - 6th(1929), 8th(1927)
Play-off Assists - 3rd(1929), 5th(1927), 6th(1939)

Play-off Points among Defensemen - 1st(1927), 1st(1929), 1st(1939), 2nd(1931), 2nd(1935), *5th(1938), 5th(1940), *6th(1933), 6th(1936), *7th(1930)
Play-off Goals among Defensemen - 1st(1927), 1st(1929), 1st(1931), 2nd(1933), 3rd(1930), 6th(1936)
Play-off Assists among Defensemen - 1st(1927), 1st(1929), 1st(1939), 2nd(1935), 2nd(1940), 3rd(1933), 4th(1938), 5th(1931), 5th(1936)

Scoring Percentages:
Points - 127(1929), 127(1935), 125(1933), 124(1931), 100(1927), 100(1928), 100(1930), 100(1932), 100(1936), 88(1926), 77(1938), 69(1939), 53(1934)

Best 6 Seasons: 703
Next 6 Seasons: 534


5-Year Peak: 1931-1935
1st in Points, 117% of King Clancy
2nd in Goals, 89% of King Clancy
1st in Assists, 135% of King Clancy

10-Year Peak: 1930-1939
1st in Points, 131% of King Clancy
2nd in Goals, 96% of King Clancy
1st in Assists, 154% of King Clancy

By every account, Shore was a hothead who returned every slight with compound interest and who rarely passed up an opportunity to get into a fight. Also, by every account, Shore was not above a little theatrics.

....

Always a terrific fighter, Shore sought to demolish those who had wronged him or any of his mates, and he earned a bad-boy reputation to match.

Shore was soon known to zigzag down the ice on a raid and wind himself around defenders like a piece of tape. He could also fly down the ice as straight and as fleet of foot as an arrow shot from a powerful longbow. Shore was there and back, covering more territory in one period than most forwards did in an entire game, even though he was a defenseman. Shore's body had now filled out to make him bulky as well as muscular, and his hockey skills had become noticeably more sophisticated. Shore blocked well, he seldom lost possession of the puck, and he passed with good judgement... Shore's defensive ability, combined with his never-tiring aggressiveness, caused him to be picked by the sports press as one of the stars of the WHL. Under no circumstances did Shore ever wilt, and he withstood checks that sent him clear over his war club and into the boards. He survived sticks wrapped around his head that laid him out flat, and which would have killed a lesser man.

....

Breaking up an attack, the galloping cowboy would circle his own net with the puck and then thunder off for the other end of the rink. Rounding check after check dished out by opponents, and leaving them all in turn as if they were standing still, Shore would split the defensive combination wide open and then, racing through the gap, and without slowing up for an instant, would fake the opposing goaltender out of position, smash the puck down the ally, and score.

....

Capable of superhuman feats of rushing and scoring, Shore was all too human when it came to making blunders. Two mistakes that he commonly made were being caught up ice when the play had reversed direction, and being confined to the cooler because of some pointless penalty that he had taken.

....

With an uncanny ability to perfectly place the puck on the tape of other Bruins' sticks, Shore was giving his colleagues every opportunity for easy goals.

....

Shore remained the fastest-breaking defenseman in the league, and he continued to show off every trick that he had. He could rag the puck to his heart's content at center ice, he could effortlessly pivot on a dime, he could reverse direction to avoid opponents and then reverse himself again to avoid another, he could fake this way and that, he could swerve around players just when contact seemed imminent, he could pass and shoot with pinpoint accuracy, and he could fight.

....

Eddie was soon leading power plays, knocking down rivals, and checking like a wildcat on skates. He was forever floating in on the play, intercepting passes, smothering shots, icing the disc, and hitting hard.

Absolutely fearless, totally talented and dedicated to his profession like nobody before or since, Shore was a defenseman who was so extraordinary a skater than he instinctively became an intrepid puck-carrier and thus added a new dimension to the game - defender-on-the-attack - decades before another Boston skater, Bobby Orr, would copy his style.

During an era when hockey featured more woodchopping than the Canadian northwoods, Shore was virtually indestructible. Opponents understood that if they could neutralize the Boston Bruins' defenseman the game would be theirs...

....

Shore's versatility as a rushing defenseman with the Boston Bruins has beclouded his crunching play behind the blue line.

Through tireless practice and study, Shore perfected a peculiar crouch in his skating that made him almost impossible to knock down.

....

Instead of shooting at the goal, he would aim a few feet wide and charge past a defender to pick up the puck on the carom. The best offensive defenseman of his era, Shore was even better on defense and he treated every incursion into the Bruin zone as an enemy invasion.

Eddie Shore in the meantime was hard at work refining his skills and fashioning a reputation for toughness...

Shore embodied the rough-and-tumble game of hockey of the late 1920s and 1930s. He was a high-octane performer with a temper to match. Although he rush like a storm, he would knock down anyone who stood in his way.

Dick Irvin, Sr., said Eddie Shore was the best offensive defenseman he ever saw, although he was never keen on the big bruiser's defensive abilities. Shore was a colossal force in hockey in the 1930s, having as great an effect on the game as Bobby Orr would have some 40 years later.

If Howie Morenz was hockey's Babe Ruth, Shore was surely hockey's Ty Cobb. He was a stunning talent with a short fuse whose finesse was often overshadowed by his temper, which was about as hot as they came. Where Eddie Shore was concerned, you either loved the guy, or, more likely, you hated him. As one of hockey's all-time greatest defenders, he was a greater pest than Claude Lemieux, and he had a penchant for delivering hard, often questionable, hits - comparable to Ulf Samuelsson today. Despite, or perhaps because of, his rough edges, Boston fans lionized him. Fans in other NHL rinks could generally be heard screaming for his blood.

Ornery, swashbuckling Eddie Shore was an eccentric hybrid of entertainer and philosopher, who made it to the big time from the disbanded Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Hockey League and quickly became a favorite of the raucous Boston Garden. As intimate as a bearpit, the Garden's fans screeched and pounded within spitshot of the players, who often responded in kind. If the Garden was "The Zoo", then Eddie Shore was the zookeeper, bringing the hoarse groundlings to their feet with his ramrod-straight rushes, then setting up a Boston marksman for the kill with a sweet pass of the puck.

An imposing blend of raw talent and intimidation, defenseman Eddie Shore was one of the greatest ever to play his position in any era and his end-to-end rushes became every bit as famous as his crushing bodychecks and nasty disposition.

Shore joined the Boston Bruins in 1926 and went on to personify the most vigorous aspects of the rough and fast game of hockey. His explosive temper was only matched by his incredible talent. While setting up offensive plays he would literally knock down any opponent that got in his way. This of course led to many hard fought and legendary battles.

....

Absolutely fearless and unbelievably talented, Shore was indestructible. Perhaps the best way to describe him would be to say he was an early day Gordie Howe who played on the blueline. It certainly wouldn't be a stretch to say that. No one who hit as hard as he did was ever hit harder - or more often - in return.

....

Shore's style was all his own. Pugnacious and downright mean, he was also very skilled...

Almost as amazing was his ability to play the entire game! He would average 50-55 minutes a contest. Well, at least in games when he wasn't spending that much time in the penalty box!

It was this almost unheard-of hybrid -- frontier feistiness braided with an artisan's touch -- that constantly placed Shore in the middle of mayhem, on the ice and off.

In an era of fast and physical hockey, Eddie Shore was among the fastest and most physical, and he might have been the best.

Ultimate Hockey's All-Star Team of the 1930s

Ultimate Hockey's Best Offensive Defenseman of the 1930s
Ultimate Hockey's Best On-Ice Instincts of the 1930s
Ultimate Hockey's Toughest Player of the 1930s
Ultimate Hockey's Most Hated Player of the 1930s
Ultimate Hockey's Biggest Flake of the 1930s

He was a powerhouse of a hockey player. He was a hard man to hit because he had that weaving style of skating.

Shore was a very colorful hockey player who put everything he had into the game but also used every subterfuge he could to win the sympathy of the crowd. He'd fake getting hurt and would lay down and roll around in agony. Then he'd get up and be twice as good as ever. To me, Shore was a country boy who had made good; he was a good skater and puck-carrier but he wasn't an exceptional defenseman like his teammate Lionel Hitchman who was better because he could get them coming and going. But there wasn't another character like Shore.

....

One night we had a game and Shore came skating out on the ice - wearing a bathrobe. It was crazy and I think Art Ross encouraged him; of course, Art himself was quite a character.

Shore was the best of all. He was a lot like Ted Williams in that he could help a teammate if you wanted help. Eddie was very fair about things; if you asked him how to play this or that man, he'd tell you. He didn't withhold advice. Personally, I liked Shore. He was the greatest hockey player I ever saw. He could skate like this fellow Bobby Orr does today and he could shoot. And he was a great defenseman who could hit. He was a dynamic person who could really lift a team.

....

I know some people have said Shore was a vicious player but I don't believe they saw him play too much. Let's say he was a tough, rough player who could give it out as well as take it without complaining.

I always describe Shore as both the Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb of hockey. He had skill and a charisma that made you never want to take your eyes off him, and also had a competitive ferocity that created this aura of imminent dread and contention that we always present. You always had the sense that something was going to happen when he was on the ice.

....

When the best player is also the best fighter and the best warrior on the team, that's an unusual combination.

Like a car with high-beams on. He'd take the puck from one end of the ice to the other, and they'd all spread out as if he were some bowling ball.

....

Most people of the day would skate down the side, but Eddie always went down the middle of the ice. People bounced off him like tenpins.

….

He was bruised, head to toe, after every game. Everybody was after him. They figured if they could stop Eddie Shore, they could stop the Bruins.

Eddie Shore of the Bruins was worse; he was sneaky. In those days there used to be only one official and naturally he couldn't see everything. So when he wasn't looking Shore would give it to me. I'll never forget the first time I played against him; he knocked me cold.

Shore was nasty and, as far as I was concerned, a threat to the life of other players, a real danger.

Shore's abnormally long stride built up a momentum that carried him down the ice with frightening speed. His chilling disregard for personal safety enabled him to maintain the peak speed to a point well beyond the limit dared by lesser men. The result was that he came up consistently with plays that no other stars were lucky to duplicate once in a lifetime.

....

With his head lowered like a vengeful bull, he'd smash through the defense line as though it were so much paper, retrieve the puck as it came off the boards, and pass it back to his forwards.

He's a hard player but a fair one. He can take a bump or give one with the same cheerful spirit.

His defensive skills and ability to control a game were never in doubt. Shore was named the NHL's most valuable player four times in the 1930s.

On defense, he smacked the hard-driving Maroons left and center and the Bruins finally won the gruelling game by a score of 1-0. I might add that Shore also found the energy to score than one goal!

In physical strength, concentration, and quickness of temper, Shore has an edge over all other hockey players, although he is approaching his fortieth birthday.

Eddie Shore, the big husky player, was on hand for the first time - and this gent will do, mark that down on your cuff. Shore uncorked a great burst of speed, stick-handled well, and was dead on target with his shots.

Eddie Shore caught the fancy of the fans. The new defenseman is tall, yet sturdily built. His speed is exceptional and he handles the body and stick well.

Pre-1931 Record:
1926: 4th in consolidated scoring among defensemen
Sprague Cleghorn was Hart Trophy runner-up. King Clancy and Lionel Conacher received strong Hart voting, and Reg Noble received some.
Shore was voted to the WHL's First All-Star Team, along with Bob Trapp.
I think it's fair to say a 5th in all-Star voting would be a conservative assumption.

1927: 2nd in scoring among defensemen
Herb Gardiner, King Clancy, Dunc Munro, and Georges Boucher reveived Hart votes, and Shore did not.
I think it's fair to say a 5th in all-star voting would be fair.

1928: T-1st in scoring among defensemen
Shore was 3rd in Hart voting, far ahead of the only other defenseman to receive votes - Ching Johnson.
Shore was selected to the GM's First Team.
I think it's fair to say a 1st in all-star voting would be fair.

1929: 1st in scoring among defensemen
Shore was 3rd in Hart voting, barely edging out Sylvio Mantha and King Clancy.
Shore was selected to the GM's First Team.
I think it's fair to say a 1st in all-star voting would be fair.

1930: 2nd in scoring among defensemen
Lionel Hitchman and King Clancy received Hart votes, and Shore did not.
I think it's far to say a 4th in all-star voting would be fair.

That's 5 seasons that Shore missed out on likely all-star recognition, which is pretty considerable. His "uncounted" finishes - 1st, 1st, 4th, 5th, 5th - on their own, are probably worthy of being a top pairing defenseman.

Final Result:
1st(1928), 1st(1929), 1st(1931), 1st(1932), 1st(1933), 1st(1935), 1st(1936), 1st(1938), 1st(1939), 4th(1930), 4th(1934), 5th(1926), 5th(1927)

Eddie Shore, who was honored by the coaches by being selected to the first team in 1932-33 and to the second team last year, regains his position as top man among the defensemen by being chosen by eight coaches for the first team and by the ninth one for the second.

The dynamic wheat farmer from Saskatchewan is considered the greatest defenseman in hockey today by the majority of the managers, and some even claim he is the greatest backline performer of all time. Shore’s value to his team is well proved by the fact that when he was not up to his regular form after suffering a nervous breakdown in 1933-34, his club went all tu pieces, failing to finish in the play-offs. This season, however, with Shore blocking better than ever and acting as the spearhead of many attacks, his inspired performance has been the greatest factor in Boston’s much improved play.

The only other perfect score registered was polled by Eddie Shore, who has been one of the outstanding defensemen in the game for the past decade. Last season Shore polled twenty-six out of a possible twenty-seven points, this season he registered twenty-four.

....

If you have ever seen the Shore-Siebert defense in action you know what we mean. This bone-crushing pair of guards love the rough going. They are not only willing to hand it out, but take their share of the hard knocks and come back for more. They do not devote their time to playing rough hockey, but they are so robust that when they bodycheck an opponent they not only take him out of that particular play but usually weaken him for the rest of the period, if not for the entire evening.

Shore is a brilliant leader. As captain of the Boston club he is a constant source of inspiration to his men. He is absolutely tireless and frequently plays forty-five and fifty minutes a game. There are few better play-makers in hockey than Shore. He sets up scoring plays for his forwards in the same faultless style as the better centre-ice players.

“Iodine” Eddie Shore, although no longer the dashing figure on the attack of a few years ago, is still one of the best defensemen in the game. The Bruin veteran can still do everything anyone else can do on the ice. Concentrating chiefly on defensive tactics this season, Eddie no longer bears the title of the “Puck Prima Donna.” There was a time when Eddie would-crash heavily into a speeding forward, seize the puck himself and flash up the ice, his legs pumping at breakneck, sjieed. He usually got through for a shot, but when he was heavily dumped he invariably went into a “Dying Swan” routine which lacked only Saint-Saen’s music to make you think you were witnessing Sonja Menie give one of her inimitable performances. Although Shore has lost some of his “zip” he still brings the crowd to its feet when he goes hustling up the ice.

 

[Dreakmur]

Bill Cook !!!


Awards and Achievements:
2 x Stanley Cup Champion (1927, 1933)
5 x Stanley Cup Finalist (1927, 1929, 1932 1933, 1937)

3 x First Team All-Star (1931, 1932 1933)
Second Team All-Star (1934)

GM’s First Team All-Star (1928)
New York Times First Team All-Star (1927)

3 x WCHL First Team All-Star (1924, 1925, 1926)

Hart Voting – 2nd(1927), 2nd(1933)

Scoring Accomplishments:
WCHL Points - 1st(1924), 1st(1925), 1st(1926), 8th(1923)
WCHL Goals - 1st(1924),1st(1926), 4th(1925)
WCHL Assists - 1st(1924), 1st(1925), 2nd(1923), 6th(1926)

NHL Points - 1st(1927), 1st(1933), 4th(1930), 4th(1931), 5th(1932), 7th(1929), 10th(1928), 17th(1935)
NHL Goals - 1st(1927), 1st(1933), 2nd(1931), 2nd(1932), 5th(1925), 6th(1929), 6th(1930), 10th(1928)
NHL Assists - 3rd(1930), 6th(1933), 8th(1929), 18th(1928)

WCHL Play-off Points - 2nd(1926)
WCHL Play-off Goals - 2nd(1926)

Play-off Points - 2nd(1928), 3rd(1933), 5th(1932), 8th(1935)
Play-off Goals - 2nd(1928), 3rd(1933), 4th(1932), 5th(1931), 8th(1927)
Play-off Assists - 1st(1928), 3rd(1932), 4th(1935), 6th(1933)


---------------- Consolidated ----------------
Points - 1st(1924), 1st(1926), 1st(1927), 1st(1933), 4th(1930), 4th(1931), 5th(1932), 7th(1925), 7th(1929), 10th(1928), 17th(1935)
Goals - 1st(1927), 1st(1933), 2nd(1924), 2nd(1926), 2nd(1931), 2nd(1932), 6th(1929), 6th(1930), 6th(1935), 10th(1928), 12th(1925)
Assists - 3rd(1923), 3rd(1930), 4th(1924), 4th(1926), 5th(1925), 6th(1933), 9th(1929), 18th(1928)

Play-off Points - 2nd(1928), 3rd(1933), 5th(1932), 5th(1926), 8th(1935)
Play-off Goals - 2nd(1928), 3rd(1933), 4th(1932), 5th(1926), 5th(1931), 8th(1927)
Play-off Assists - 1st(1928), 3rd(1932), 4th(1935), 6th(1933)

Scoring Percentages :
Points - 116(1927), 114(1933), 111(1924), 103(1926), 98(1931), 95(1930), 94(1932), 79(1929), 77(1935), 72(1925), 69(1928), 60(1934), 56(1923)

Best 6 Seasons: 637
Next 6 Seasons: 451


5-Year Peak: 1929 to 1933
1st in Points, 102% of Howie Morenz
1st in Goals, 108% of Nels Stewart
4th in Assists, 77% of 2nd place Joe Primeau

3rd in Play-off Points
3rd in Play-off Goals
9th in Play-off Assists

10-Year Peak: 1927 to 1936
3rd in Points, 95% of 1st place Frank Boucher
1st in Goals, 101% of 2nd place Nels Stewart
8th in Assists, 75% of 2nd place Joe Primeau

3rd in Play-off Points
5th in Play-off Goals
4th in Play-off Assists


Team Scoring:
Points - 1st(1924), 1st(1925), 1st(1926), 1st(1927), 1st(1931), 1st(1932), 1st(1933), 2nd(1923), 2nd(1929), 2nd(1930), 2nd(1935), 3rd(1928)
Point Percentages - 200(1924), 152(1925), 135(1933), 132(1927), 129(1926), 126(1932), 108(1931), 95(1930), 88(1929), 80(1935), 74(1923), 69(1928)

Goals - 1st(1924), 1st(1925), 1st(1926), 1st(1927), 1st(1929), 1st(1930), 1st(1931), 1st(1932), 1st(1933), 2nd(1928), 2nd(1935), 5th(1934)
Goal Percentage - 260(1924), 236(1927), 172(1926), 167(1931), 148(1932), 129(1925), 127(1933), 115(1929), 112(1930), 84(1935), 78(1928), 72(1934)

William Osser Cook was considered by many to be the greatest right winger ever to play the game. He was a remarkably gifted and rugged competitor who served as the catalyst on the New York Rangers' famous Bread Line with his brother Bun and Frank Boucher. Cook's input was crucial to the Rangers' first two Stanley Cup triumphs in 1928 and 1933.

A burly right winger with the desire of Rocket Richard and the physical prowess of Gordie Howe…played a very similar style to that of Gordie Howe - a hard and physically dominating style, overpowering his opponents, going through them instead of around them. But like Gordie he had some great skills as well, especially his nose for the net.

Until Rocket Richard burst onto the NHL scene, Cook was the league's dominant right winger, a power forward before the term came into vogue. A First World War veteran, Cook too a warrior's mentality onto the ice with him. Though a wonderfully gifted player, Cook was just as feared for his fractious behavior as his scoring ability.

A key contributor for the franchise's first two Stanley Cups, Cook captained the Rangers for 10 seasons and was the alpha male on the roster, much the way Messier would become almost 60 years later.

Bill Cook was virtually unknown to National Hockey League fans when at thirty years of age he began his fabulous decade with the Rangers, but he had by that time acquired a poise and mastery of technique which players of today have never surpassed. Built on powerful lines, though of average height, Bill Cook was slow to anger; but, once aroused, he was a man to be feared. A hockey perfectionist, he liked nothing better than the rippling, passing play in which the Cook-Boucher line excelled. His deadly accurate shot made him the "pay-off man" of the line, and the mainstay of the Manhattens, until he retired in the spring of 1936.

Long before Mark Messier carved out his niche as the greatest leader of all-time - in large part because of what he did with the Rangers - Cook was a tremendous leader of men. Behind Cook's leadership, the Rangers won the Stanley Cup in just their second season in the NHL and they won another one five years later. Those who watched Cook saw someone much like Messier in that he was fearless and played like a freight train, while also possessing the ability to put up eye-popping numbers.

He was a remarkable blend of brains, beauty and brawn. He was an outstanding stick-handler, a hard and fast skater, and had an incredible shot. He was a huge physical presence with a mean streak.

He had it all - he was an intelligent hockeyist, charismatic, and a physical force. If he were around for us to see play today we would be in awe of his uncanny stickhandling skills, his "hard and fast" skating, and his fantastic shooting ability. And if you were an opponent of him you surely wouldn't want to get on his bad side for his temper and mean streak were among the most volatile of his era.

Considered by many to be the greatest right winger ever to play the game, he was an undeniably focused and gifted competitor...

Nobody fooled around with him because he was tough - real tough. He was the best right winger we ever played against.

He's my choice for the best right winger hockey ever knew. He was better than The Rocket and, in my estimation, better than Gordie Howe as well.
....

Bill didn't have a bullet shot, or at least not a long bullet shot like the golf style slap shot Bobby Hull perfected. But he had a very hard wrist shot from close in and could score equally well backhand or forehand.

I need the Bill Cooks. The other players, when it comes right down to it, will follow the Bill Cooks.

Considered by many to be the greatest right winger ever to play the game, he was an undeniably focused and gifted competitor...

 

[Dreakmur]

Syl Apps !!!



Awards and Achievements:
3 x Stanley Cup Champion (1942, 1947, 1948)

"Retro" Conn Smythe (1942)

2 x First Team All-Star (1939, 1942)
3 x Second Team All-Star (1938, 1941, 1943)

Lady Byng Trophy (1942)

Hart voting - 2nd(1939), 2nd(1940), 2nd(1942), 3rd(1941), 3rd(1943), 5th(1948), 7th(1947)
Lady Byng voting - 1st(1942), 2nd(1947), 2nd(1948), 3rd(1939), 3rd(1940), 4th(1938)
All-Star voting - 1st(1939), 1st(1942), 2nd(1938), 2nd(1941), 2nd(1943), 3rd(1937), 4th(1940), 5th(1948)

Offensive Accomplishments:
Points - 2nd(1937), 2nd(1938), 3rd(1941), 6th(1939), 7th(1948), 8th(1942), 12th(1946), 12th(1947), 15th(1940)
Goals - 4th(1938), 5th(1941), 5th(1948), 6th(1946), 10th(1947), 11th(1942), 11th(1943), 12th(1939), 13th(1940), 15th(1937)
Assists - 1st(1937), 1st(1938), 6th(1939), 6th(1941), 11th(1948), 12th(1947), 14th(1942)

Play-off Points - 2nd(1942), 3rd(1940), 4th(1948), 5th(1939), 8th(1938), 8th(1947), 10th(1941)
Play-off Goals - 1st(1940), 3rd(1947), 4th(1942), 4th(1948), 5th(1941)
Play-off Assists - 1st(1942), 2nd(1938), 2nd(1939), 6th(1948)


5-Year Peak: 1937 to 1941
2nd in Points, 95% of Bill Cowley (T-1 in per game)
4th in Goals, 94% of 2nd place Sweeney Schriner
2nd in Assists, 82% of Bill Cowley

2nd in Play-off Points, 87% of Gordie Drillon
2nd in Play-off Goals, 55% of Gordie Drillon
1st in Assists, tied with

10-Year Peak: 1937 to 1948 (ignoring 1944 and 1945)
1st in Points, 108% of 2nd place Toe Blake
1st in Goals, 112% of 2nd place Toe Blake
2nd in Assists, 90% of 1st place Bill Cowley

1st in Play-off Points, 126% of 2nd place Toe Blake
2nd in Play-off Goals, 96% of 1st place Gordie Drillon
2nd in Play-off Assists, 93% of 1st place Bill Cowley


Scoring Percentages:
Points - 114(1938), 100(1937), 100(1941), 91(1939), 88(1948), 78(1947), 76(1942), 70(1940), 67(1946), 56(1943)

Best 6 Seasons: 571
​

Nowadays there's an app for everything. Updated scores. Traffic information. Angry Birds. You name it and you can probably download it. Apps are available to help us in a number of legitimate and mundane ways. But, contrary to conventional thinking, this isn't a phenomenon limited to the last few years. In the middle of the 20th century, people were actually turning to Apps - Syl Apps, that is, for a number of things.

....

From the first moment he donned the Blue & White, Apps looked at home, demonstrating strong early signs that his hockey future was extremely bright.

Had legendary Toronto Maple Leafs owner Conn Smythe been able to design the perfect man to personify his franchise in the 1930s and '40s, he could not have improved on Syl Apps.

....

Apart from his unusual name, Charles Joseph Sylvanus Apps seemed made to order, a virtuous and handsome real-life Canadian version of the fictional Frank Merriwell, the pulp magazine and American radio serial hero, a dreamed-up multi-sport collegiate athlete who lived an upright life and, in his spare time, solved mysteries and righted wrongs. Apps was no part-time sleuth, but his decades of public service, combined with his on-ice and off-ice behavior, made him a paragon of sportsmanship and citizenship.

....

His teammates universally saluted the strong and dedicated leadership of No. 10 while Leafs fans idolized him for his character and athleticism. The Apps hockey resume provided countless reasons for their admiration.

....

In a time when roughhouse hockey was de rigueur, Apps played hard but exceedingly clean, using his stick not for evil, but for sharp passes, deft puck-handling and powerful shots. A regular contender for the Lady Byng Trophy, Apps won it in 1941-42 after going the entire season without being penalized.

Apps was a six-time 20-goal scorer, including each of his last four NHL seasons, three of which came after he returned from two years of military service. He was runner-up in the NHL scoring race three times, and his player panel would certainly read even more impressively had injuries not intervened, a consequence of his relentless play in high-traffic areas. He played a full schedule (48 games) just once, in his rookie season.

....

Quietly intense and hugely competitive, Apps had already perfected his own, hard-to-defend plays, including speeding down the wing, cutting behind the net and laying a perfect pass in front to a charging linemate.

While he played a gentleman's style, Apps refused to be pushed around. When Boston's Flash Hollett high-sticked Apps, knocking out two teeth, Apps punched him to the ice, one of only three NHL fights he'd have.

Perhaps never has a finer man played in the NHL than Syl Apps. A remarkably skilled hockey player, he was big and strong and possessed one of the best shots in the league. He never drank or smoked, never swore and was as loyal to his boss, Conn Smythe, as to his team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Syl Apps was among the very first legends to wear the famous sweater of the Toronto Maple Leafs. But even before he stepped foot onto the ice in an NHL game, Apps had already established himself as one of Canada's greatest athletes of the 1930s.

He is the greatest player ever to wear a Leafs uniform.

Apps is the greatest center I have ever seen.

He never played a bad game in his life.

Syl Apps, Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the greatest center men ever to play. One of the greatest gentlemen of our time.

Syl Apps was probably the greatest player I ever played against. Syl was a player that you could concentrate on the game of hockey - you never had to worry about any dirtiness or anything like that.

I didn't realize how fast he could skate, the first time I played against him, and he got the puck at center ice and he came down, and he went by me on defense. Fortunately somebody went offside. He could really skate.

The Beliveau of his time - a smooth-skating, elegant player of extraordinary athletic ability, who had no fear of Smythe, and although he was highly skilled offensively, he spoke the defense-first gospel of coach Hap Day to his mates.

Apps had more to do with the image the Leafs in the 1940s as Canada's team - the good guys, the very good guys - than any other player. He looked so dashing on the ice, all that speed and skill. And off the ice, he was the last word in pure vessels, a teetotaler, a non-smoker, a Baptist steeped in moral propriety, the model team captain.

He's a Rembrandt on the ice, a Nijinsky at the goalmouth. He plays with such grace and precision, you get the impression that every move is the execution of a mental image conceived long before he goes through the motions.

The War Years:
1943: Apps left mid-season to serve in World War II. He was on pace to finish 4th in league scoring, which would have given him a vs.X score of 96.0. Looking at just PPG, he was 4th and 93% of 2nd.

1946: Apps came back from service midway through the season. He was on pace to finish 3rd, and a vs.X score of 96.0 ... But Doug Bentley was on a better pace, so Apps drops to 4th and 91.0. Looking at just PPG, he was 5th and 83%. (Mosienko was 4th in PPG, but missed time to an actual injury rather than missing time to WW2)

1944 and 1945: I think it's fair to give him some kind of score for these seasons. I am going to take his 3 years before the war and the 3 years after the war to get his average production before and after the war.

1941 - 100
1942 - 76
1943 - 96 (adjusted above)
1946 - 91 (adjusted above)
1947 - 78
1948 - 88

528 / 6 = 88

New vs.X scores - 114(1938), 100(1937), 100(1941), 96(1943), 91(1939), 91(1946), 88(1944), 88(1945), 88(1948), 78(1947), 76(1942), 70(1940)

7 season average = 97.1

That actually puts him 0.1 points above his contemporary, Bill Cowley, which I think passes the smell test. From 1937 to 1942, Apps scored 250 points to Cowley 246.​

 

[Dreakmur]

Cy Denneny !!!



Awards and Achievements:
5 x Stanley Cup Champion (1920, 1921, 1923, 1927, 1929)

Offensive Accomplishments:
NHA Point - 5th(1916)
NHA Goals - 3rd(1916)

NHL Points - 1st(1924), 2nd(1918), 2nd(1921), 2nd(1922), 2nd(1923), 2nd(1926), 3rd(1925), 4th(1919), 12th(1920), 12th(1927)
NHL Goals - 1st(1924), 2nd(1918), 2nd(1921), 3rd(1922), 3rd(1923), 3rd(1925), 4th(1919), 4th(1926), 8th(1927), 11th(1920)
NHL Assists - 1st(1918), 2nd(1926), 3rd(1923), 3rd(1925), 4th(1922), 5th(1919), 11th(1921), 16th(1920), 19th(1927)

NHL Play-off Points - 1st(1923), 2nd(1922), 2nd(1924), 3rd(1921), 3rd(1927), 4th(1919)
NHL Play-off Goals - 1st(1922), 1st(1923), 1st(1927), 2nd(1921), 2nd(1924), 5th(1917), 5th(1919)
NHL Play-off Assists - 4th(1919)

Cup Challenge Points - 2nd(1921), 3rd(1923), 4th(1920)
Cup Challenge Goals - 3rd(1921), 4th(1920)
Cup Challenge Assists - 1st(1921), 1st(1923), 2nd(1920)


-------------- Consolidated --------------
Points - 2nd(1918), 2nd(1925), 3rd(1924), 3rd(1926), 4th(1922), 4th(1923), 5th(1921), 8th(1919), 10th(1916), 12th(1927)
Goals - 1st(1924), 2nd(1921), 3rd(1918), 4th(1923), 4th(1925), 6th(1916), 6th(1922), 6th(1926), 8th(1919), 8th(1927)
Assists - 2nd(1926), 3rd(1925), 4th(1918), 11th(1922), 14th(1923), 18th(1919)

Play-off Points - 2nd(1923), 3rd(1921), 3rd(1927), 5th(1920), 7th(1919)
Play-off Goals - 1st(1927), 2nd(1923), 4th(1920), 5th(1921), 7th(1919), 9th(1924)
Play-off Assists - 2nd(1920), 2nd(1923), 4th(1919), 4th(1921)
(consolidated play-off scoring is not "adjusted" like the regular season scoring - I just tallied up play-off and cup scoring from all leagues)

5-Year Peak: 1919 to 1923
1st in Points, 117% of 2nd place Newsy Lalonde
1st in Goals, 113% of 2nd place Babe Dye
4th in Assists, 98% of 2nd place Harry Cameron

2nd in Points, 85% of 1st place Newsy Lalonde
2nd in Goals, 82% of 1st place Newsy Lalonde


10-Year Peak: 1918 to 1927
1st in Points, 131% of 2nd place Babe Dye
1st in Goals, 120% of 2nd place Babe Dye
2nd in Assists, 96% of 1st place Frank Nighbor

2nd in Play-off Points, 95% of 1st place Newsy Lalonde
1st in Play-off Goals, 107% of 2nd place Newsy Lalonde


Scoring Percentages:
Points - 100(1925), 99(1924), 98(1921), 96(1918), 92(1923), 91(1926), 85(1922), 72(1927), 67(1916), 66(1919)

Best 6 Seasons: 576

One of the top-scoring left wings of his era, Cy Denneny topped the 20-goal mark eight times in his stellar career. Although he wasn't the swiftest skater, Denneny used his shot to deadly effect. Much to the chagrin of opposing netminders, he also became one of the first players to experiment with a curved stick. Denneny was the top goal-getter in the history of the Ottawa Senators franchise, and when he retired, he trailed only Newsy Lalonde and Joe Malone among players of his era.

....

While with the Senators, Denneny saw the franchise become one of the founding members of the NHL in 1917 and win the Stanley Cup four times in the 1920s. He was a productive scorer despite the fact that he was often in charge of protecting his good-natured linemates Jack Darragh and Frank Nighbor. Later he teamed with rugged Punch Broadbent.

....

One of the most dangerous shooters in league history, Denneny actually stood number one as the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer at the end of the 1919-20 season, although he was passed by Joe Malone the following year. In 1922-23, he regained the lead in career goals scored and remained the all-time league leader when he retired. His lofty position lasted until Howie Morenz set a new NHL standard in 1933-34.

....

After bringing his rewarding career with the Senators to a close, Denneny joined the Boston Bruins as player, coach and assistant manager in 1928-29. He contributed valuable leadership and savvy while helping the Beantowners win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history by defeating New York Rangers in 1929.

​

Though best remembered as a sniper, he was also quite the physical player, not afraid to mix things up with the opposition…

​

​

After joining the Senators in 1917, he made protecting Frank Nighbor and Jack Darragh, his sweet-natured linemates, job one. Later, he played with Punch Broadbent. The two were referred to as the "Gold Dust Twins" on account of their ability to keep opposition bad boys honest…Short and stocky, he looked more like a bulldog than a goal-scorer. Not an exceptionally fast skater, he possessed one of the more accurate shots of his day and was one of the first players to use opposing defensemen as screens...

​

​

A rough-and-tumble type of player… sometimes cast into an enforcer’s role when looking out for smaller, mild-mannered players… a fantastic scoring machine…

​

​

Although he was small in stature, Cy was chunky and knew how to take care of himself. In fact he was the policeman for the mild mannered Nighbor and Darragh. Broadbent was more his type and they were sometimes called the Gold Dust Twins when cleaning up the opposition... When Sprague Cleghorn was carrying on his vendetta with Ottawa, Denneny's policing duties brought him more than a fair share of Cleghorn's sticks and elbows.

Team Scoring:
Points - 1st(1918), 1st(1919), 1st(1921), 1st(1923), 1st(1924), 1st(1925), 1st(1926), 1st(1927), 2nd(1916), 2nd(1922)
Point Percentage - 219(1918), 182(1925), 148(1923), 144(1926), 134(1921), 121(1927), 104(1924), 100(1919), 97(1916), 85(1922)

Goals - 1st(1916), 1st(1918), 1st(1919), 1st(1921), 1st(1923), 1st(1924), 1st(1925), 1st(1926), 1st(1927), 2nd(1922)
Goal Percentage - 257(1918), 180(1925), 179(1921), 169(1924), 164(1923), 150(1926), 113(1927), 109(1916), 100(1919), 84(1922)


Contemporary Reports:

March 23, 1920 - Denneny did some great shooting and back checking.

March 25, 1920 - Cy Denneny also appeared at home an played a flashy game.

March 11, 1921 - The tireless playing of Denneny and his splendid carrying ad backchecking enabled Ottawas to win.

March 15, 1921 - Cy Denneny was as peppery as a bantam ad was willing to mix with anybody on the ice.

March 22, 1921 - ... Also did Denneny, the latter figuring in nearly every move made by the visitors.

March 25, 1921 - ... Both Boucher and Denneny did great comebacks.

March 13, 1922 - Cy Denneny and Broadbent played aggressive games on the wings.

March 14, 1922 - Cy Denneny worked his head off. Cy missed many hard passes, but galloped back and forth, shootig with all the steam he could muster behind his shots.

March 9, 1923 - ... Denneny was always in the thick of the fray.

March 10, 1923 - ... And it was Cy Denneny who won the game.... For the winners, the work of Denneny stood out.

March 24, 1923 - The play of Cy Denneny was not gaudy, but he did a lot of damage.

March 27, 1923 - The two wing men, Broadbent and Denneny, played in sparkling form ad every one of their shots was driven home like bullets.

March 27, 1923 - Nighbor, Broadbent, and Denneny again combined smartly on the attach and their back-checking and general defensive work was better than in any of the previous game.

....

On the wings Cy Denneny and Harry Broadbent just would not be held in check, the latter's five goals during the series speaks for his effectiveness, while Denneny stands out as the possessor of hockey knowledge. Cy did not shine as a goal getter, but his persistence was equally effective, as his ceaseless plugging brought his much larger opponents down to his own size, and he was indirectly responsible for several of the Senators' tallies.

March 30, 1923 - ...honors on the attacking side of Ottawa's game go to Denneny.Cy carried the attack all alone for the greater part of the game, and his shooting was marvellously accurate.

....

The incessant pounding along the rail of Broadbent and Denneny...

April 2, 1923 - Denneny and Broadbent, never spectacular, were always effective. They played their position to perfection, and gradually wore down their opponents.

....

Denneny and Broadbent checked their men to a standstill, combined for winning goal, and they played such a great defensive game that the Eskimos were held scoreless.

....

Both Denneny and Broadbent played remarkable defensive hockey along with Nighbor, and between the two of them they did most of the attacking.

March 26, 1926 - Hooley Smith and Cy Denneny, on the wings, worked incessantly, each repeatedly laying in wicked shots at Benedict.

A fight between Lalonde and Denneny occurred in the game, and Lalonde was blamed as the starter of the trouble. He was checked by Denneny in a scrimmage near the Ottawa nets, and was prevented from getting a shot. He retaliated by clinching with Denneny and the pair engaged in fisticuffs. They were separated, and Lalonde poked Denneny in the mouth with his stick, the upshot being that they began to mix it up with each other, and both players were given a match penalty.

In this chapter Randall created a little excitement when he mixed matters with Cyrill Denneny. The two started into furnish a lively battle, but both were banished...Denneny attempted to start a fracas with Mummery, but the Blue Shirts Hercules grasped him around the waist in a bear-hug and held him helpless until the Ottawa's temper cooled.

Something of a general fracas was precipitated by Denneny and Corbeau coming to blows just after the former had scored Ottawa's fourth goal. They clinched and were rolling around on the ice before officials could separate them...

Ottawa played magnificant hockey with Sprague Cleghorn, Cy Denneny, and Clint Benedict as the Outstanding heroes.

Corbeau and Denneny came to blows in the second period, and each drew a major. They swung at one another and then grappled.

Denneny shone in all departments except shooting, and in this particular he was way off-colour. He got in the Seattle defense at least a half-a-dozen times, and was either outguessed by Holmes, hit the letter, or shot wide.

Denneny was the most bothersome of the Ottawa crew owing to the fact that he was let sail down unchecked nearly every time he had the puck. He packs a bad shot, and the result was that he grabbed all three of the Ottawa goals.

Boucher and Denneny did strong comebacks...

The most effective man on the ice for either team was "Cy" Denneny. He led the attack by the Senators at all times, and his pace never slowed during the game.

Their olive crab uniform is a negative looking garment, and their lack of finish was painfully apparent against such smooth and subtle performers as Nighbor, Denneny and Boucher. ... Cyrus Denneny played a fine game on his wing and helped in two timely counters. His back-checking was a big feature.

Hooley Smith and Denneny on the wings played their positions to perfection. ... Billy Boucher worked hard throughout but was too closely looked ater on his side of the ice by brother George and Cy Denneny to get many shots on Connell.

Cy Denneny, while never flashy, played a steady game throughout. His shooting was always deadly.

Clever pokechecking by Smith and Denneny on the Ottawa forward line often broke up the New York attacks almost before they got started.

Denneny sniped one of his heady goals and drove a dozen other near-goals at Lehman from all angles. He backchecked well and his all-around game was great.

Adams and Denneny played sound hockey while they were on the ice and each came very close to scoring, Denneny on several occasions with his whistling shots from the portside gave Benedict plenty of trouble. ... Jack Adams and Cy Denneny, the ever reliable veterans, subbed effectively and held the fort when Ottawas were riddled by penalties.

Cy Denneny sank the good ship Boston with all hands on board when he blazed in that third goal. He checked Shore at the Ottawa blue line, streaked away through centre and then swerved wide on the weakened Boston defense. As he rounded the outer coron, he sent himself and crashed the puck at the net with such force that, although it hit Winkler's pad, it swept on and nestled in the near corner of the twine.

Denneny is reputed to be the laziest player in the league

It is probable that Denneny who did quite well against Canadiens may well be started out Saturday night. Cy imparts a steadying influence, and his shot is always a potent offensive weapon.

Denneny sailed through to cut loose one of his famous drives from left wing. It was like one of Cy's old time smoking drives and it shook Benny from stem to stern. A moment later Cy was rushing through to try a repeater when Ward spilled him headlong with an intended trip.

Despite his high goal average, Denneny hadn't had a hard shot as weing men go, but he was craft itself close in, and mst of his tallies were scored in faking the netminder out of position. Cy used his head as well as his stick to compile his great record. Some of his shots that beat goaltenders never left the ice.

 

[Dreakmur]

Ken Dryden !!!

It was such an overwhelming experience. When you're thrown into deep water and you don't know whether you can swim, you don't notice how fancy your strokes are. You're just trying to keep your head above water.

Awards and Achievements:
6 x Stanley Cup Champion (1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979)

Conn Smythe Trophy (1971)

5 x Vezina Trophy Winner (1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979)
5 x First Team All-Star (1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979)
Second Team All-Star (1972)

Hart - 2nd(1972), 4th(1973), 4th(1976), 10th(1978)
All-Star - 1st(1973), 1st(1976), 1st(1977), 1st(1978), 1st(1979), 2nd(1972), 4th(1974)

Statistical Accomplishments:
Save Percentage - 1st(1973), 1st(1977), 1st(1978), 2nd(1976), 2nd(1979), 3rd(1972), 7th(1975)

Wins - 1st(1972), 1st(1973), 1st(1976), 1st(1977), 2nd(1978), 2nd(1979), 4th(1975)
Goals Against Average - 1st(1973), 1st(1976), 1st(1978), 1st(1979), 2nd(1977), 4th(1972), 5th(1975)
Shutouts - 1st(1973), 1st(1976), 1st(1977), 1st(1979), 2nd(1972), 2nd(1978), 6th(1975)

1976 Coaches' Poll
1st Best Goalie
4th Player to build a team around

1979 Coaches' Poll
1st Best Goalie

1972 NHL Player Poll.... 1st all-star
1976 NHL Player Poll.... 1st all-star
1979 NHL Player Poll.... 1st all-star

A goalie's job is to stop pucks ... Well yeah, that's part of it, but you know what else is? You're trying to deliver a message to your team that things are OK back here. This end of the ice is pretty well cared for. You take it now and go. Go! Feel the freedom in order to feel [like] that dynamic, creative, offensive player and go out and score. … That was my job. And it was to try to deliver a feeling.

Boston had Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr, Wayne Cashman, Ken Hodge and Johnny Bucyk. And they had another advantage - playing on home ice. In such a situation, coaches usually prefer to rely on experienced players, yet Al MacNeil took a chance on his novice. And Ken defeated the Bruins almost single-handedly. The series lasted for seven games, and Dryden rescued his team after quite a few sloppy plays and from goals that should have been scored.

During his short first season in the NHL, Ken Dryden demonstrated brilliant technique as a goalie and an ability to win even in unfavorable situations - qualities acquired with experience...Ken gained a reputation for his exceptionally quick reflexes and his brilliant work with the goalie stick. He even got 23 assists during his career. But the most important statistic of all is the six Stanley Cup wins in eight seasons.

Ken Dryden was far from the stereotypical NHL goalie. The average goalie is always edgy and a little nervous, and you really can not blame them for that. But Dryden was as cool and confident as could be.

More than any of his dazzling moves, big saves or stolen games, it was his "thinker's pose" that most people vividly remember about Ken Dryden. When the puck was cleared from his zone or when the play was whistled dead, Dryden would coolly dig the tip of his blade into the ice and fold his arms across the top. He simply relaxed until the puck came back down to his end.

An author, politician, and lawyer, there was no other hockey player quite like Ken Dryden.

Against Boston, Dryden was practically unbeatable. In a 7 game battle, Montreal eliminated the Bruins.

When the play-offs began, he was just another rookie, but while facing the Chicago Blackhawks in the finals, Ken Dryden became a household name. After another 7 game battle, Montreal would emerge victorious, and Dryden was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

He was not the prototypical athlete. His off time was spend studying and doing more intellectual things.

Many of the goalies of that era were not big men, and when Ken came along, he represented a different physical presence in the net. He was big.

We felt that, just maybe, just maybe, there might be a chance that he could be spectacular in the play-offs. We didn't feel we were going to win any other way, and we decided to start him in the series against Boston. Of course, that was one of the great upsets of all time, and it just continued on from there.

They felt that this was the guy that could do the job. And Ken Dryden obviously felt he could do the job, although he must have been terrified. He played every single minute and of course he played a huge part in bringing the cup to the Canadiens that year. Although, while I maintain to this day that the Canadiens had a terrific team, the Bruins were a better team.

I think he showed such a strength of character, at that time, being who he was, as the rookie that he was, playing the way he did under those circumstances. I think we should have been tipped off right then and there.

I think Ken Dryden was a better goaltender than a lot of people give him credit for. He ran the risk, as all goaltenders do who play for very powerful teams, of being sort of put in a position of where people could say anybody could play goal for that team.

Everyone says he only had 18, or 20, 0r 25 shots. I think that's a credit to Kenny in that he kept his concentration. You talk to any goaltender, and the hardest thing is to play goal when you're only getting a few shots where and there. You look at the shots he did get, and a lot of them were just labelled.

I always thought, well, he doesn't get much work. He makes one or to big saves. But when I found out later in my career is, to not get the work, to not be in the game the whole time, and then be able to turn it on like that and make the huge save right at the end of the game, or stand 10 minutes and not get any action, and then all of a sudden it's three quick shots, that should have been in the net, he was always there.

The had a great team - 11 Hall of Famers - but they'd let up every once in a while. When you get to them, you get by Guy Lafleur, you get by the defence, and there'd be the octopus waiting for you.

You'd come out and you think you finally had a chance and there'd be Dryden just sort of waiting, "sure, go ahead. Give it your best shot kid, you don't got a chance." It really started to wear you down mentally, because no matter what happened, there was always Dryden. Dryden would make the big save, and make it look easy.

I think what Dryden did was he psyched out a lot of teams. He was so big, there was just no room to shoot on him. It wasn't just his size, but that gave him a big edge on most other goalies.

Dryden is still a thieving giraffe.

What we ought to do is get Dryden a job with a law firm in Florida that won't let him play hockey on the side.

"I thought our club played very well, in fact a great game," said Boston coach Tom Johnson,"one that could compare to our best efforts during the season. He gave full marks to Canadiens' rookie goaltender Ken Dryden who play sparked the underdog Montrealers in their two playoff game victories over the Bruins. "The Canadiens got phenomenal goaltending from Dryden, and they made us work for everything we got." Phil Esposito, the Bruins record-setting scoring champion with 152 points during the regular season, called Dryden's first-period save on him, "the most unbelievable stop I've ever seen made in hockey".

Montreal goalie Ken Dryden wanted to steer clear of absolutes Tuesday night but Atlanta coach Fred Creighton was about to get as definite as you can get, "That is the best performance I've ever seen a goalie turn in".

Moments after the second Angotti goal, a blast by Chicago's Dennis Hull almost ripped Dryden's face mask off. The lanky goalie fell to the ice, but shook off the effects to continue. He took four stitches to close the woulnd on the edge of his chin.

But most Bruins wanted to talk about Dryden, their old nemesis, who stopped all 10 of their first period shots. "I've never seen him play a bad game against us", said Wayne Cashman. "I'd never wish a bad game on anyone, but I wish we'd get lucky against him just once."

He [Gilbert Perreault] had a good portion of the 50 shots the Sabres had at the Montreal netminder in Sunday night's victory but he still appears awed by the lanky Dryden. "If I wasn't playing against Dryden I'd have twice as many goals. There was one time Sunday when I I made a shift on him, faked him out of position completely and fired the puck high up in the far corner. I was sure I'd scored and what happens? He brings that big leg up and stops it.`

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

UPDATED VERSION OF MY 2014 BIO - MODS FEEL FREE TO REPLACE THAT ONE IN THE BIO THREAD WITH THIS ONE

Bill Cowley, C

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Bill "Cowboy" Cowley was one of the top playmaking forwards in NHL history - three times in his 13-year career he led the NHL in assists. He always seemed to know where his linemates were positioned. An unselfish player who always aimed to set up a colleague for a goal before taking a shot himself, and he rarely jeopardized his team's fortunes by taking a penalty. Because of his ability to see the whole ice, he was arguably the Wayne Gretzky of his era.
...
The Bruins, a team stacked with experienced forwards, originally used him as a left winger, but his swift skating and precise passes forced them to move him to center.

• 1st Team All Star (1938, 1941, 1943, 1944)
• 2nd Team All Star (1945)
• "3rd Team All Star" (1940)
  
• Hart Trophy Winner (1941, 1943)
  
• Stanley Cup (1939, 1941)
  
• Led the playoffs in scoring and was awarded the "Retroactive Conn Smythe" (1939)

• Points finishes: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 4th*, 5th, 7th*, 8th
• Goals finishes: 5th, 8th*, 9th*, 10th, 10th
• Assist finishes: 1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd*, 3rd, 5th*, 6th, 7th
• In 1940-41, Cowley became the first player to score enough assists to win the scoring title based on assists alone (he was also 10th in goals). Wayne Gretzky would be the next (and only other) player to accomplish this feat in the NHL.

*1944 and 1945 War years

Statistical analysis

Bill Cowley ranks 19th overall and 10th among centers in 7 year VsX (which already discounts the war years):

TABLE 1 - BEST SEVEN YEARS, POINTS (last updated: 2018)

Wayne Gretzky	155.6
Phil Esposito	130.4
Gordie Howe	125.5
Mario Lemieux	119.8
Bobby Orr	114.8
Jaromir Jagr	114.2
Bobby Hull	108.3
Stan Mikita	107.8
Jean Beliveau	105.7
Guy Lafleur	104.5
Ted Lindsay	104.4
Marcel Dionne	103.3
Sidney Crosby	102.4
Maurice Richard	102.4
Howie Morenz	102.2
Andy Bathgate	101.1
Alex Ovechkin	98.4
Joe Sakic	97.7
Bill Cowley	97.0
Charlie Conacher	96.2
Bill Cook	96.0
Joe Thornton	95.6
Frank Boucher	95.1
Mike Bossy	94.8
Evgeni Malkin	93.7
Bryan Trottier	93.7
Steve Yzerman	93.2
Teemu Selanne	92.7
Martin St. Louis	92.4
Syl Apps Sr	92.4
Sweeney Schriner	91.3
Bobby Clarke	90.4
Max Bentley	90.4
Peter Forsberg	90.3
Nels Stewart	90.3
Adam Oates	90.0
Bernie Geoffrion	89.9

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

5 Year Peak: 1939 to 1943
1st in Points, 104% of 2nd place Bryan Hextall
10th in Goals, 61% of 2nd place Gordie Drillon
1st in Assists, 185% of 2nd place Phil Watson
7th in Play-off Points, 79% of 2nd place Gordie Drillon

10 Year Peak: 1936 to 1945
1st in Points, 117% of 2nd place Syd Howe
5th in Goals, 94% of 2nd place Syd Howe
1st in Assists, 136% of 2nd place Syd Howe
3rd in Play-off Points, 98% of 2nd place Gordie Drillon

The Best playmaker of his era

Bill Cowley of Boston is the smoothest play-maker in hockey, the finest craftsman of modern times. He is in the business of creating scoring opportunities for his line-mates, even scoring, occasionally, a goal or two himself. He hasn't the speed of Sylvanus Apps, the Leafs' one-man tornado, but he's a better play-maker. He hasn't the spectacular qualities of Morenz. Rather, he's a combination of these two, plus a dash of Nighbor.

The Calgary Herald - Google News Archive Search

I had a 100% record: two backchecks in my career, and no goals scored

I'm sure the "dash of Nighbor" was referring to Cowley's playmaking, not his, um "spotless" record at backchecking.

The "best individual achievement" in Canadian sport during 1941 turned out to be a double today with Theo Dubois' sweep of the North American sculling championships tying Bill Cowley's capture of the National Hockey League scoring championship for the honor. ... Cowley, still at the very peak of his form at 29, swept the scoring championship with 62 points and established a record of 45 assists in taking the title.
Cowley was awarded the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player and most of the writers naming him on their ballot (for the Canadian Award) coupled this with his winning of the scoring championship. He has few peers, if any, as a center player and has been at or near the top of the scorers in an attempt to retain his title this season.

Calgary Herald, Dec 24th, 1942

Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, Nov. 5, 1943

Manager Lester Patrick predicted the fans will find that in going in on the goal, Boucher will be the second-best play maker in the league, shaded only by Bill Cowley of Boston Bruins.

Bill Cowley, master play-maker of hockey, is back at centre with Lorne Carr of Toronto and Speedy Doug Bentley of Chicago on his wings. Here is a line which even in pre-war days would be able to hold its own.

Ottawa Citizen, March 5, 1960

Cowley given credit for Roy Conacher's 1939 goal scoring title

Of course, he was one hell of a hockey player. He "made" more wingers than anyone I can think of. I can remember talking with Lorne Duguid and I said to him, "If you see Bill Cowley, thank him. He kept me in the league." And Roy Conacher � Cowley made Roy Conacher the scoring champion one year. Cowley was the center-ice man and he'd pass it � he'd be fooling around and he'd get them in position and bang! into the net!

Old Scores, New Goals. The Story Of The OTTAWA SENATORS By Joan Finnigan

Young Roy Canacher can share his laurels with Bill Cowley, the tireless Bruin centre whom sports writers ranked the best in the league a year ago...somehow or other back of all those goals and the rapid rise to fame of the blond wingman lies the steadying and helping hand of the veteran Cowley.

Art Ross moved Bill in between Conacher and Mel Hill and overnight young Roy started to hit the headlines. League statistics of February 5, first after the new line was formed, showed Conacher with nine goals for three months work. The latest records, February 27, gave him 18, doubling his total in less than a month. And back of almost all those goals was the playmaking Cowley.

Bill Cowley held responsible for Roy Conacher's rapid rise

Cowley "Made More Wings than Boeing"

The extremely smooth and accurate passing center was said to have "made more wings than Boeing."

http://books.google.com/books?id=J-1s6iocLwIC&pg=PT73&lpg=PT73&dq=cowley+made+more+wings+than+boeing&source=bl&ots=aW4c6ddBXS&sig=QQGEDibGNlFB9PfgSs4hn1XJnvo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=kFMCU6X6Ac-zsAS05IDoBw&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=cowley made more wings than boeing&f=false

Cowley was Scottie Bowman's idol as a kid:

It was a player in Boston named Bill Cowley. The games were on the radio when I was living in Montreal as a kid. We used to get the Boston games in clear, and I used to follow them, and I just happened to like the way Cowley sounded. Besides, he was a great centerman, and in fact, a playmaker. I got to meet him later because he owned a junior team.

The reason I followed him is because Boston was my team then. I was impressed with him and at the time they said, "He makes more wings, meaning wingers, than Boeing." I got a kick out of that.

They had another centerman, Milt Schmidt, who was probably the best they had, but I happened to gravitate towards Cowley. That's a long time ago, probably sixty-five years. He was my hero at the time. Bill Cowley. My parents got me a jersey with his number on it, number ten.

How to Succeed in the Game of Life: 34 Interviews with the World's Greatest Coaches

More newspaper articles:

'Those goals of mine were just little things along the way,' Hill said, 'Cowley who really knows how to lay down a pass, handed me the puck and I batted it in.'

The Leader-Post, Oct 25, 1939

Bill Cowley hit the headlines again with six point. The best play-maker in the big time for years, Bill now is making super-man forwards out of Buzz Boll and Art Jackson.

The fellow has been a star on various lines. Wingmen taking passes from Cowley find the path to the goal an open one. He knows how to lay down a pass and Boll and Jackson are just two more wingers who will find their scoring output increasing as members of the Cowley unit.

The Calgary Herald, April 8, 1943

One of the smoothest skaters ever to hit the National Hockey League, Bill Cowley, will return to the puck wars for a one-night stand according to officials of next Wednesday night's March of Dimes Game at the Auditorium.
Cowley, who "made" more wingers than enough with his deft passing, joins a familiar list for the game...

The Montreal Gazette, June 12, 1968

Never noted as a great goal scorer, Cowley was acknowledged as one of the slickest playmakers the league has ever produced.

Quotes from Books (via Dreakmur)

he Trail of the Stanley Cup]Cowley was a terrific stickhandle and a past master of setting up plays for his wings. He was a very clean but nevertheless an aggressive player.

Possessing a fine turn of speed now, young Cowley used his natural stickhndling ability to drive his way through the opposing defence with a style of distinctively as his friendly scowl.

Bill Cowley was a passer, pure and simple, and that gift would carry him to two Hart Trophies and his long-time team, the Boston Bruins, to Stanley Cups in 1939 and 1941.

....

A dependable play-off scorer, Cowley contributed 12 goals and 34 assists in 64 playoff games, including a 14-point performance in 1939.​

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... Bill Cowley, who was an eel-like in his ability to slither away from opponents...

According to Cowley's teammates, he was about as fast an an anchored rowboat. Nevertheless, the crafty pivot always found a way to set up his wingers. He quietly became the NHL's all-time career scoring leader...​

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The art of stickhandling has undergone many changes over the years, and some of those alterations were directly affected by the speed of the game. But few players were as clearly superior at the art of puckhandling at any time than Bill Cowley, who starred for the Bruins both before and after World War II.

During the pre-1943 era, Cowley commanded the most attention. It was before the introduction of the center red line in 1943, at a time when hockey's tempo was slower than it would later be.

Not that it would matter to Bill, whose stick skills would have enabled him to excel at any tempo...​

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Elmer Lach and Bill Cowley were masters of finding the open man. Lach was a physical player, setting up many of his plays while digging in the corner, while Cowley's style was more polished.

Cowley's problem - if it can be called a problem - was the fact that he played on the same team with the formidable and infinitely more colorful Kraut Line of Milt Schmidt, Bobby Bauer, and Woody Dumart. The trio's exploits frequently overshadowed the effortless grace and subtlety of Cowley, who was every bit as good as his more illustrious line mates.

The extremely smooth and accurate passing center was said to have "made more wings than Boeing".

That kid can fly. Put him at center and he'll rattle in the goals.

As for the smaller men, Stan Mikita of the Black Hawks is a little guy who can shoot the way Doug Bentley used to and make plays like Bill Cowley did for Boston. However, little Stan is a hundred percent himself whereas these other guys were more team men.

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Bruins with and without Cowley in 1938-39, 1941-42, and 1943-44

Boston's performance with and without Cowley in three seasons that he missed time to injury - 1938-39, 1941-42, 1943-44.

This is built off a post that @overpass made several years ago. The original data was lost in the site migration, but NHL.com's new historical player game logs made it relatively easy to reconstruct (and with more accuracy than looking through old newspapers!)

1938-39

With Cowley
34 GP | 3.59GF/G | 1.74GA/G | 26-6-2

Without Cowley
14 GP | 2.43 GF/G | 1.21 GA/G | 10-4-0

The Bruins were ridiculously strong and deep this season. While they were slightly worse without Cowley, they were still very strong. Their scoring pace dropped off dramatically without Cowley but their defensive record improved.

Milt Schmidt missed several games during Cowley's time out of the lineup as well. Flash Hollet moved up from his defense/utility role to take a full-time spot at centre while Cowley was out.

After Cowley had returned from injury, with 16 games remaining in the season, Art Ross sent both Cowley's wingers, Ray Getliffe and Charlie Sand, to the minors. He stated he was unsatisfied with the defensive performance of the line. While both returned to Boston within two weeks, Roy Conacher and Mel Hill replaced them on Cowley's wings and they were even more offensively potent than the Getliffe-Cowley-Sand trio had been.

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In the playoffs, the Conacher-Cowley-Hill line tore it up. Cowley led the playoffs in scoring (for which he was awarded a Retroactive Conn Smythe), as the Conacher-Cowley-Hill line easily led the Bruins offense: 1938-39 Boston Bruins Roster and Statistics | Hockey-Reference.com (Cowley was injured and not much of a factor when the Bruins would win the Cup again in 1941, after his record-breaking Art Ross year).
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1941-42

With Cowley
28 GP | 3.36 GF/G | 2.18 GA/G | 18-7-3

Without Cowley
20 GP | 3.30 GF/G | 2.85 GA/G | 7-10-3


At the time of Cowley's injury in Januray, the Bruins were in first place in the league, but they dropped to third without him. Interesting that this year, it was mainly an increased number of goals-against that hurt them when Cowley wasn't in the lineup.
An complicating factor is that the Kraut Line left the Bruins to enlist in the RCAF near the end of this season. The Bruins were 3-6-1 without Cowley and the Krauts, and were 4-4-2 with the Krauts but without Cowley.

With Krauts, No Cowley
10 GP | 3.20 GF/G | 2.40 GA/G | 4-4-2

Without Krauts or Cowley
10 GP | 3.40 GF/G | 3.30 GA/G | 3-6-1

Even adjusting for the absence of the Krauts, it seems the Bruins' goals against actually got noticeably worse without Cowley in the lineup.
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1943-44

With Cowley
36 GP | 4.86 GF/G | 5.33 GA/G | 15-16-5

Without Cowley
14 GP | 3.43 GF/G 48| 5.43 GA/G76 | 4-10-0

Yes, scoring really did increase that much during the war years.

Cowley was on pace to run away with his second Art Ross in the war-ravaged season, and Boston was holding their own as a team. Then Cowley went down to a knee injury in early January, and Boston went into a tailspin without him as they could no longer score at such a high rate. The Art Ross would eventually go to Cowley's linemate, Herb Cain, who only missed 1 game to Cowley's 14.

Herb Cain with Cowley
35 GP | 31-29-60 | 1.71 points-per-game

Herb Cain without Cowley
14 GP | 5-17-22 | 1. 57 points-per-game

After missing 11 games Cowley returned for a game, but he bumped his knee and missed the next 3 games. He returned for good after that but Boston's play did not improve. While they started scoring again, their goals against took a hit. Maybe Cowley had not fully recovered from his knee injury? In fact, Cowley did not perform as well in the remaining three seasons of his career and it's possible that he was never the same after the knee injury.
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In summary

• In all 3 seasons examined, the Bruins' winning record was better with Cowley in the lineup. The difference was small in 1938-39, when the Bruins were one of the most stacked teams in NHL history. But it was quite large in both 1941-42 and 1943-44.
• In all 3 seasons, the Bruins scored more goals-per-game with Cowley in the lineup. The difference was very large in 1938-39 and 1943-44.
• Surprisingly, for a player with a reputation for never backchecking, Cowley mostly seems to have held his own from a goals-against perspective. The Bruins' GA was significantly better in 1938-39 without Cowley in the lineup (but the difference wasn't nearly as great as the increase in GF Cowley brought). However, the team's GA was actually significantly worse without Cowley in the lineup in 1941-42. 1943-44 shows Cowley mostly holding his own, but broken down, Cowley seems to have had a positive impact on GA before his knee injury and a negative impact on GA after coming back from the injury. Maybe Cowley was right about the positive effects of his puck possession (at least when healthy)?
• As a side note, Cowley's effect at increasing his linemates' numbers shines through even though I wasn't initially looking for it. Cowley's new (at the time) line finished 1-2-3 in Bruins playoff scoring in 1939, and it was clearly Cowley driving the bus. Also, Herb Cain probably has his linemate Cowley (and his late season injury ) to thank for his Art Ross in 1943-44.

 

[Voight]

Ed Belfour


Awards and Achievements:
1 x Stanley Cup Champion (1999)
1x Olympic Gold Medal (2002)
2 x Vezina Trophy Winner (1991, 1993)
2 x First Team All-Star (1991, 1993)
Second Team All-Star (1995)
4x William M. Jennings Trophy (1991, 1993, 1995, 1999)
Calder Trophy (1991)
1x Canada Cup (1991)

Vezina - 1st(1991), 1st(1993), 2nd(1995), 3rd(2003), 4th(192), 4th(1998), 4th(2000), 7th(1994), 7th(1999), 7th(2004)
Hart - 3rd(1991), 10th(2004)
All-Star - 1st(1991), 1st(1993), 2nd(1995), 3rd(1992), 3rd(1998), 3rd(2004), 4th(2000), 5th(1999), 5th(2004)

Statistical Accomplishments:
Save Percentage - 1st(1999), 1st(2000), 3rd(1993), 5th(2003), 8th(1998), 10th(1999)

Wins - 1st(1991), 2nd(1993), 2nd(1994), 2nd(1998), 2nd(1999), 3rd(2003), 3rd(2004), 6th(2000), 8th(2001)
Goals Against Average - 1st(1991), 1st(1998), 2nd(1992), 2nd(1993), 3rd(1999), 4th(1995), 4th(2000), 7th(1994), 10th(1996), 10th(2003)
Shutouts - 1st(1992), 1st(1993), 1st(1994), 1st(1995), 2nd(1991), 2nd(2004), 3rd(1998). 4th(2001), 5th(2003), 8th(1999), 9th(2000)

Ed Belfour will go down in history as one of the premier goaltenders ever to play in the NHL

Belfour had quickly established himself as one of the top goaltenders in the NHL, based primarily on one good season. Eager to follow that up, Belfour did not disappoint in 1991-92, where he helped the Blackhawks advance all the way to the Stanley Cup finals before losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"The bigger the game, the narrower the focus," .... "The bigger the stage the better he played all the time."
"He carried us for months on end with incredible play while we got our legs under us," said Hitchcock, who coached that '99 Cup-winning Dallas team with Belfour manning the pipes.
"He just refused to let us lose games."

Eddie, starting almost every game, was on pace to break Tony Esposito's team-record 38 wins, and was a leading candidate for the Calder Trophy as the league's rookie of the year. Eddie's success mystified many in the NHL, especially given the amount of time he spent sprawled on the ice. Coaches begged their players to shoot high when Eddie dropped into his butterfly position, but he always seemed to deflect these attempts just past the net. Some scouts predicted that he would run out of gas late in the year, but they did not appreciate Eddie's remarkable fitness.

The Blackhawks finished with 106 points and the NHL's best record. It was Chicago's best regular-season finish in 19 years. Eddie starred throughout, leading the league in games (74), wins (43), minutes (4,217) and goals against (2.47). His victory total obliterated the franchise record and fell just one win short of Terry Sawchuk's rookie mark, set in 1950-51.

We knew the competitor he was. He was maybe the best biggest-game goaltender I ever played with.

"You think of the goalies he beat in '99 when we won the Cup [with Dallas]. He beat Grant Fuhr, Patrick Roy and Dominik Hasek in the last three rounds.
That's unreal. And he was better than all those guys."

Ask those who played alongside or observed Belfour on the long arc of his career, a career that yielded 484 NHL victories and 88 playoff wins, and the bookend themes are consistent: focus and preparation.

"I think [Gainey] really understood that level of competitiveness," said Button, now a national broadcast analyst.
"I don't think you can talk about Eddie without talking about his intensity. You just can't. He wanted to win in the worst way."

"Eddie was as hard a worker as anybody on that Dallas team -- anybody," Button said.
"A lot gets lost about how prepared he was, how dedicated he was to preparation. He wasn't going to leave anything to chance and he expected that of his teammates."

 

[Dreakmur]

Jean Ratelle !


Awards and Achievements:
Summit Series Champion (1972)

Lester B. Pearson Award (1972)
2 x Lady Byng Trophy (1972, 1976)

Second Team All-Star (1972)

Hart voting - 4th(1972), 6th(1976), 8th(1977), 9th(1968)
Lady Byng voting - 1st(1972), 1st(1976), 2nd(1973), 2nd(1977), 3rd(1971), 3rd(1978), 4th(1968), 5th(1969), 5th(1970)

All-Star voting - 2nd(1972), 4th(1968), 5th(1973), 5th(1976), 6th(1969), 6th(1977), 6th(1979), 7th(1970), 9th(1971)

Offensive Accomplishments:
Points - 3rd(1972), 4th(1968), 6th(1970), 6th(1973), 6th(1976), 7th(1977), 10th(1969), 12th(1975), 14th(1978), 15th(1971), 18th(1966)
Goals - 5th(1972), 6th(1973), 7th(1968), 11th(1970), 13th(1969), 15th(1977), 16th(1975), 17th(1976)
Assists - 3rd(1972), 3rd(1976), 5th(1968), 7th(1977), 9th(1978), 10th(1970), 11th(1969), 12th(1973), 14th(1971), 15th(1975), 19th(1966)

Play-off Points - 4th(1976), 5th(1977), 7th(1979)
Play-off Goals - 2nd(1976), 4th(1979), 9th(1977)
Play-off Assists - 3rd(1977), 7th(1976), 9th(1971)


5-Year Peak:
8th in Points, 82% of 2nd place Marcel Dionne
5th in Assists, 79% of 2nd place Guy Lafleur

4th in Play-off Points, 84% of 2nd place Jacques Lemaire
5th in Play-off Goals, 63% of 2nd place Reggie Leach
6th in Play-off Assists, 88% of 2nd place Larry Robinson

10-Year Peak:
3rd in Points, 99% of 2nd place Bobby Clarke
4th in Goals, 93% of 2nd place Guy Lafleur
4th in Assists, 90% of 2nd place Phil Esposito

4th in Play-off Points, 78% of 2nd place Jacques Lemaire
10th in Play-off Goals, 62% of 2nd place Jacques Lemaire
4th in Play-off Assists, 91% of 2nd place Guy Lafleur


Scoring Percentages:
Points - 100(1972), 93(1968), 90(1973), 90(1977), 88(1976), 86(1970), 80(1971), 77(1978), 75(1975), 74(1974), 73(1969), 62(1979), 61(1965), 61(1980)

Best 6 Seasons: 547

1974 Coaches' Poll:
5th Best Playmaker

1979 Coaches' Poll:
3rd Smartest Player

A talented center who exhibited class and style throughout his career, Jean Ratelle spent two decades in the NHL with the New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins. He was one of the most gifted and respected players of his era but had the misfortune of never playing on a Stanley Cup championship team.

....

A model performer along the lines of Jean Beliveau, Ratelle was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 1971. The 1971-72 season represented the high point of Ratelle's career. He established his personal high of 46 goals and 109 points and was the recipient of the Lady Byng Trophy and the Lester B. Pearson Award as the top player in the NHL as chosen by his peers.

Each member of the potent trio that season finished in the top five of the league's regular-season scoring list, though broken ankle suffered in March cost Ratelle a chance at the scoring title and limited his effectiveness in the playoffs. Even though the Rangers made it all the way to the finals, they might have fared better against Boston with a healthy Ratelle.

Later that year, the classy forward was an important component of Team Canada when it defeated the USSR in the 1972 Summit Series. He scored four points in six matches while playing chiefly a defensive role, and his overall skill and calm temperament impressed the Soviet players and coaching staff.

The smooth-skating centre continued to produce effectively while in Boston...

Because of his determination, skill and gentlemanly play, parallels were regularly drawn between Jean Ratelle and Jean Beliveau.

....

In his place, Sinden placed Dennis Hull, and the line of Ratelle between Gilbert and Hull was given a primarily defensive role, although the trio clicked and contributed offensively as well. Ratelle's calm demeanour served the Canadian team well, but impressed the Soviet team, too.

Jean Ratelle is about as perfect a hockey player as there as we have ever seen. His professionalism and sportsmanship are as rare as his elite puck handling and skating skills.

....

While his road to the NHL wasn't the smoothest, but once he got there he quickly established himself as smooth operator.

"The way I see it, Jean Ratelle is the quiet leader of the Rangers. It's a mistake to think that a player has to be noisy in order to command respect and lead a hockey club. Jean inspires by his behavior - on and off the ice. He's a fine family man and an inspiration to the other players, especially the younger ones. He reminds me of my self in the sense that neither of us were flashy or noisy or were quoted saying anything controversial, and because of that it took longer to get recognized."

By this time Ratelle had cemented himself among the league's elite, but he had already been known as the league's nicest gentleman and most respected players.

"Jean commands so much respect because of his ability and his style, it's impossible to get yourself mad enough at him to try any dirty stuff," once said Derek Sanderson. Sanderson was one of the NHL's top checkers. It was his job to get a top player like Ratelle off of his game by any means necessary, including by breaking the rules.

It has often been said of Jean Ratelle that he was so consistently effective at a high level of play day in and day out that he has been overlooked by some as one of the greatest to have played the game.

He starred for several more seasons for Boston, gaining admiration for his slick passing, skill at faceoffs and all-around excellent play, retiring a Bruin after the 1981 season.

Over a two decade career, Jean Ratelle earned a reputation as one of the NHL's great gentlemen. He was also one of the most consistent and accomplished centers of his generation.

Boston Bruin Center Jean Ratelle was one of hockey's premier performers, an effortless skater and exact shooter who inspired adjectives—"elegant," "classy," "balletic"—not always associated with his sport.

....

Ratelle has become perhaps the league's smoothest center.

....

He was slower and smaller than Vic, so Rod and I had to set up more plays and go into the corners more to get the puck." Once they began digging and hitting, Gilbert and Ratelle also began scoring.

Employing a crisp wrist shot, Jean embarked on a string of three consecutive 32-goal seasons. He was the club's leading scorer throughout those campaigns and commanded the respect of teammates and opponents alike as a quiet, efficient centerman. His forte was not power, but grace. His skates glided lyrically across the glistening ice surface as he put beautiful syncopated passes right smack on the sticks of his wings, setting them up for perfect scores.

Jean Ratelle's sublime hockey intelligence and playmaking skills, combined with his deep sense of honour and dignity, once moved a teammate to say, "He functions at a different level from the rest of us. He's the kind of man we'd all like to be.".. Ratelle never sipped champagne from the cup, but when he retired in 1981 as the league's sixth-highest point scorer, he left a legacy of sportsmanship that embodied all of the virtues symbolized by the Stanley Cup.

A paragon of hard work and determination... happily resigned himself to a checking role in the Summit Series...tall, elegant, and a true leader.

Ratelle nonetheless skated his way into the hearts of knowledgeable local rooters with a combination of skill and dedication. Without much fuss and fanfare, he did the job that had to be done...

What Ratelle brought to Boston-and what he lacked for a number of earlier years as a Ranger-was a consistency about his game that would compliment his innate gifts of skating, stickhandling, and overall creativity.

"Others skate," observed Ryan, "but Ratelle glides. Others arrive on the scene as if escorted by 17 motorcycle cops, but Ratelle is already there."

Cerebral almost to a fault, Ratelle became the thinking man's Bruin. He saw the ice much the way Wayne Gretzky would in later years.

"Some people noticed Ratelle's effectiveness with the puck," former teammate Gregg Sheppard explained, "but they didn't see what a great positional player he was. I very rarely saw an opposing center score a goal from the slot with Jean on the ice."

Cherry: "Jean was terrific at picking passes off in front of our net."

Credit for Ratelle's success late in his hockey life belongs to Bruins boss Harry Sinden for having the wisdom to perceive Jean's potential. "I knew he was a good player," reflected Sinden, "but I had no idea how good he was until he joined our team. I always recognized his offensive ability but I hadn't realized that he was such an excellent defensive player, too."

"They damned near ruined Jean in New York and it was pretty stupid," said Don Cherry. "They wore him out for the playoffs in New York. They never gave him a day off from practice. They had him on the ice every day and made him burn himself out before the playoffs. That's why he never did much in the playoffs with the Rangers. Look at how he changed in Boston: average more than a point a game in the playoffs."

"I told Jean once that if I saw him in practice the day after a game I'd fine him. I knew that he wasn't the strongest guy in the world and he was up there in years and still killing penalties and working the power play and taking all the important faceoffs. You've got to be crazy not to give a guy like that a day off, especially when you know he busts his tail and always keeps himself in shape.

Al Arbour, who both played and coached against Ratelle, put it another way: "Jean always made things look easy. Playing against him was like playing a chess game. He waited for you to make the first move and at the slightest mistake he'd pass the puck or go around you. "He never looked that fast until he was right on top of you and then he would be by you with that great natural stride. When I coached the Islanders, I would tell my players, 'Don't give him any extra room and play him tight,' because he was so deceptive.

Former teammate Rod Gilbert claimed that Ratelle's longevity not only was a product of his skating and stickhandling skill but because of the respect he inspires in the opposition.

At 32 years of age, the 6'1" 175 pound French-Canadian center from Lac St. Jean, Quebec, is, perhaps, the best and cleanest scorer ever to skate on a sheet of ice.

Ratelle's graceful skating style and pinpoint passing lifted him to a plateau above even Orr and Esposito. "If Jean hadn't been injured last season," says Phil Goyette, a center who has played for champion teams in Montreal and St. Louis as well as for the Rangers" he would have beaten out Bobby Orr for the Hart Trophy."

Typical was the night of February 20th when Jean dipsy-doodled through the Detroit Red Wings defense like a pinball zigzagging down its course...

I've been coaching Ratelle for 13 years now, starting in junior hockey," says Francis, "and I can't remember him ever having a bad practice, let alone a bad game. He's the most consistent player I've ever seen.

Ratelle shrugs off barbs as casually as he brushes away enemy bodychecks.

The fan's admiration was for the way Jean Ratelle had nearly faked LA goalie Denis DeJordy out of his skates as he went in on him slowly in the 2nd period and scored the third Ranger goal of the evening.

"Ratelle gave DeJordy so many dekes I nearly fell of the bench just watching him,"

However, Ratelle didn't get down about his status on the team and soon found himself playing in all 4 games scheduled for Moscow. He was a very steadying influence on the team and did some great work killing penalties. When Hadfield left the team, Dennis Hull of Chicago was placed in his spot and the Blackhawk winger seemed to fit right in with the Rangers' stars. The line scored some very important goals and gave Team Canada another steady trio they could count on for offence or defence.

Rod was very, very good. He had a good centerman, Jean Ratelle. I played junior with them. Oh, the passes were unbelievable. Jean used to set up plays and Rod would put it in. That was easy...Rod had an incredible shot, but he needed Jean. Jean was the passer and set him up.

It was a terrible break when Jean broke his ankle. Jean was such a workhorse," Hadfield says. "We just couldn't replace him with anyone. It was devastating when that happened. We couldn't survive with a hole as big as Jean Ratelle in our lineup. We had played together for so long. Jean killed penalties, worked the power play, he was a workhorse for our team."

Ratelle was rated a good player, but he turned out to be an excellent one. In a head-to-head matchup with Esposito, he scored more points with the Bruins than Esposito did with the Rangers. His greatest asset was consistency-he always played with a high level of talent.

As centerman for the New York Rangers' top scoring line, Jean Ratelle was both a scorer and passer. Think Bryan Trottier after him or Jean Beliveau before.

"It was a little different playing with Denins," Ratelle acknowledged. "We weren't as offensive as we had been with Vic, but I think that's why we were put together. We were more defensive."

He had that same class as Beliveau.

He had a straight stick, but what a backhand he had.

What a guy! The guys loved him. he was father-like.

The guys loved Jean so much and the word got out: You touch Jean Ratelle and you're a dead man.

There was no better guy that ever walked the earth than Jean Ratelle. A complete gentleman.

One time I had Jean Ratelle, ********, and Donnie Marcotte on a line. Each of them had over 20 goals and each of them could check.

He could do everything - stickhandling, passing the puck forehand or backhand. I don't think there was a better guy in the league at that time.

He's so unselfish. He was always feeding passes to his two wingers.

I've been coaching Ratelle for 13 years now, starting in junior hockey, and I can't remember him ever having a bad practice, let alone a bad game. He's the most consistent player I've ever seen.

I always knew he was a good player, but I didn't know how good he was until he joined our team. I always recognized his offensive ability, but I hadn't realized he was such an excellent defensive player too.

I very rarely saw an opposing center score a goal from the slot with Jean on the ice.

Offensively and defensively, he might have been the best guy when you put both sides of the puck together.

....

He would never cheapshot anybody. He'd play everybody legit. He wouldn't go in there and throw an elbow. He was a gentleman.

Jean Ratelle doesn't get credit for what a great player he was, but when you look at the numbers, he did truly have an outstanding NHL career.

He was a spectacular player that's main strength was his playmaking. He could pass both to his right and to his left.

....

Enough is not said about Jean Ratelle. I think that he's the most under-rated player in the National Hockey League.

Jean Ratelle got almost 100 points in both his first two years with us. You know, I've often used his name as players have come along since and pointed out what a great defensive player he was without being an aggressive type of forward. He was a terrific checker. A lot of players who don't have an aggressive nature think you're talking body-checking, but Ratelle is a great example of how you can check so well without necessarily being a body-checker. He brought a lot to this team. He was an excellent faceoff man and more of a creative playmaker than a shooter. He'd get 35 goals while Espo would get around 60, but Jean was able to put a lot of points up there with his playmaking.

A clean and gentlemanly player, Jean Ratelle was considered one of the most impressive and technically skilled NHL players in the 1970's.

Management in New York put a lot of pressure on me. They wanted me to play a more aggressive brand of hockey, but that just wasn't the way I played the game.

My team worked hard every year and in every playoff series, but I never won the Stanley Cup. For that reason, I can't look back and say that any one year was really satisfying. In the end, we lost.

Newspapers:

As Jean Ratelle goes, so do New York Rangers. Right now, Ratelle and the Rangers are sizzling. Ratelle centers the expereinced GAG line, with Rod Gilbert and captain Vic Hadfield on the wings. "They are the big thing going for us," says Ranger goalie Ed Giacomin.

"When Ratty's hot, his line is hot; when his line is hot, we're hot."

"Ratelle means as much to the Rangers as Jean Beliveau did to the Canadiens," says Vancouver coach Phil McCreary.

Ratelle is difficult to check when he has the puck, and he does as much checking himself as any centre, McCreary notes.

A big plus on Ratelle's side is the way he plays in the faceoffs. "He must win 80% of his faceoffs," McCreary says. "There wasn't anything I could do to stop him."

Jean Ratelle, who for two decades displayed an effortless and graceful agility on the ice, Thursday announced his retirement...

In his 20 year career, Ratelle blended his own graceful style with an uncanny ability at both ends of the arena as a scorer and a tough defensive checker. He made the all star team just once, in 1972, due mainly to the fact that he played a position which seems to yield a disproportionate number of superstars.

"He's every bit as good as anyone I ever saw or played against," said Gilbert, now the coach of the Rangers' minor league team in New Haven, Conn. "He could do it all. He was always a classic, a real artist, who would have been successful at anything he did."

"Has Esposito done as much for Boston as Ratelle did for New York?" he asked recently. "He (Ratelle) is superb at faceoffs, does an awful lot of work on defence and passes like Beliveau," added Francis in reference to the now retired Montreal centre star Jean Beliveau.

"He has made his line great and this has turned the race around.

"I really like Boston," said the 35 year old centre, who probably is more responsible than he's willing to admit for the Bruins' successful season.

Against the Flyers, Ratelle won faceoffs that helped set up the Bruins' second and third goals by Ken Hodge and Dallas Smith. He won 24 of 36 faceoffs during the game, and 11 of 18 from center Bobby Clarke of the Flyers.

 

[Dreakmur]

Roy Conacher !!!


Awards and Achievements:
2 x Stanley Cup Champion (1939, 1941)

Art Ross Winner (1949)
Second Team All-Star (1949)

Lady Byng - 3rd(1948), 4th(1949), 5th(1940), 5th(1951)
All-Star - 1st(1949), 3rd(1951), 4th(1940), 4th(1941)

Offensive Accomplishments:
Points - 1st(1949), 6th(1950), 7th(1947), 9th(1941), 10th(1939), 10th(1948), 12th(1951), 13th(1942), 15th(1940)
Goals - 1st(1939), 2nd(1941), 2nd(1942), 2nd(1947), 2nd(1949), 5th(1951), 6th(1950), 7th(1940), 14th(1948)
Assists - 2nd(1949), 8th(1950), 11th(1948), 12th(1951), 14th(1947)

Play-off Points - 3rd(1939), 4th(1947), 7th(1941)
Play-off Goals - 2nd(1939), 4th(1947)
Play-off Assists - 3rd(1941), 4th(1939), 7th(1947)

Even Strength Goals - 1st(1939), 2nd(1941), 2nd(1942), 3rd(1950), 3rd(1951), 5th(1940), 6th(1948), 7th(1949)
Game-Winning Goals - 1st(1942), 1st(1948), 2nd(1939), 2nd(1949), 4th(1940), 10th(1941)
Goals per Game - 1st(1939), 1st(1940), 1st(1941), 2nd(1942), 3rd(1947), 4th(1939), 5th(1951), 8th(1948), 8th(1950)


Pre-War Peak: 1939 to 1942
13th in Points, 83% of 2nd place Bill Cowley
2nd in Goals, 98% of 1st place Bryan Hextall

5th in Play-off Points
3rd in Play-off Goals

Post-War Peak: 1947 to 1950
2nd in Points, 98% of 1st place Doug Bentley
3rd in Goals, 94% of 2nd place Ted Lindsey
2nd in Assists, 84% of 1st place Doug Bentley

10-Year Peak:1939 to 1950 (ignoring 1943, 1944, 1945)
1st in Points - 107% of 2nd place Milt Schmidt
1st in Goals - 120% of 2nd place Syl Apps

6th in Play-off Points
6th in Play-off Goals


Scoring Percentages:
Percentage - 126(1949), 89(1941), 86(1947), 84(1939), 82(1948), 81(1950), 76(1951), 70(1940), 69(1942)

Best 6 Seasons: 548

Roy Conacher, the younger brother of Lionel and Charlie, started with Boston in 1939 and before going to war, had been on two championship teams and two Cup winners.
He was a big man like his brothers but somewhat slimmer. He was an excellent stickhandler with a terrific shot.

While not as well-known as his two older brothers, Lionel and Charlie, Roy Gordon Conacher was an excellent hockey player in his own right.
Like the other Conacher boys, Roy was a big man, through slimmer than his brothers. He was a sure stick-handlerwith a sharp, heavy shot, the trademark of the hockey-playing Conachers.
Peak Years 1939-43
In a Word SHOOTER

The War Years:
Roy Conacher missed 1943, 1944, and 1945 due to military service. He also missed almost all of 1946.

The same as Syl Apps, I think it' fair to use the 3 years immediately before and after the missed time is a fair benchmark. 1949 seems to be an outlier season for Conacher, so I think it's probably fair to ignore it.

1940 = 70
1941 = 89
1942 = 69
1947 = 86
1948 = 82

5 season Average = 79.2

That 79.2 would only replace the 7th best season for vs. X, and give him a slight increase from 89.1 to 89.6. Those 4 missed seasons seem to add more to his "longevity" than his actual peak.​

 

[Dreakmur]

Jimmy Thomson !!!


Awards and Achievements:
4 x Stanley Cup Champion (1947, 1948, 1949, 1951)

2 x Second Team All-Star (1951, 1952)

Norris voting - 6th(1954), 7th(1955)
All-Star voting - 3rd(1951), 4th(1952), 5th(1948), 6th(1949), 6th(1950), 6th(1954)
1953 All-Star Game

Offensive Accomplishments:
Assists - 6th(1948), 8th(1951), 16th(1953), 16th(1954), 18th(1952)

Points among Defensemen- 1st(1948), 2nd(1951), 3rd(1949), 4th(1952), 5th(1954), 6th(1953), 11th(1947)
Assists among Defensemen - 1st(1948), 2nd(1951), 2nd(1952), 3rd(1953), 3rd(1949), 4th(1954), 8th(1947), 10th(1950)

Play-off Points - 7th(1949)
Play-off Assists - 3rd(1949)

Play-off Points among Defensemen - 1st(1949), 4th(1956), 6th(1948), 7th(1950)


5-Year Peak: 1947 to 51
3rd in Points, 94% of 2nd place Bill Quackenbush
1st in Assists, 115% of 2nd place Bill Quackenbush

2nd in Play-off Points

10-Year Peak: 1947 to 56
5th in Points, 78% of 2nd place Doug Harvey
3rd in Assists, 87% of 2nd place Doug Harvey

4th in Play-off Points


Scoring Percentage:
Points among Defensemen - 132(1948), 100(1951), 87(1949), 73(1947), 71(1952), 65(1953), 63(1954)

Best 6 Seasons: 528

Jimmy Thomson was a rugged defenseman and team leader who spent nearly 800 games in the NHL during the 40s and 50s. In addition to his feisty nature he was a fine passer who often helped his club's transition game by carrying the puck up ice efficiently.

"Jeems" supplied toughness and leadership on the Toronto defense for eleven seasons. He was regarded as one of the league's toughest foes and placed on the NHL Second All-Star team in 1951 and 1952. He also participated in seven All-Star Games and was an integral part of Stanley Cup wins in 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1951.

Need a text book example of a classic stay at home defenseman? Look no further than Jimmy Thomson.

The two rock solid blueliners (Gus Mortson) helped to solidify the Leaf's supremacy for years.

They played a rock hard style that often left cuts and bruises on any enemy who dared to enter their zone. Thomson especially was positionally perfect and a thinking man's defensive rearguard. Mortson was more of a rusher of the two, while Thomson quietly went about his work. The pairing proved to be as valuable as it was impenetrable.

In the late 1940s it was very rare for the defensemen to get very involved in the offensive attack. So while Thomson wasn't deprived of good skills, he thrived by protecting his own zone. Thomson was physical though clean. He never had over 100 minutes in penalties in one season.

Thomson was a big part of 4 Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup Championship.

Jimmy Thomson, although possibly not as well known a name as some of the other great Leaf defensive greats, was a mutt, a ''check first, ask questions later'' player.

Thomson matured into the picture of the quintessential stay-at-home defenseman. Despite his focus on the defensive side of the game, he was a skilled play-maker.

Peak Years 1050-1954
In a Word FIRM

Thomson was a defensive player in the same mold as his coach Hap Day. He was an expert in the clutch and grab technique that saved a lot of goals.

One of the larger players in the NHL at the time at six feet and 190 pounds, Thomson was tough to play against and often faced the opposition best players. Thomson was the type of defenceman who looked after his own end first.

Thomson could pass the puck effectively. He could handle the point on the powerplay...

….

He was a valuable member of the team and the best defender on the club year after year. During one playoff game against the Boston Bruins, Thomson surprised everyone with a big goal when the Leafs needed it most.

He was possibly the best defensive defenseman the Maple Leafs ever had.

He was 95% interested in defending and 5% interested in scoring.

He combines the qualities of a lot of good defenceman we've had. He has many of the attributes of Day; he can hurt attackers - although not so seriously - as Horner; he can get that puck out of his own end like Clancy - not in as dashing way but just as decisively. He'll be one of the all-time greats of hockey if he keeps his head and continues to give his best.

Contemporary Reports:

Smythe Finds Rookie Duo Worth Shouting About

To Managing Director Conny Smythe of Toronto Maple Leafs, the Stanley Cup playoff performance of his rookie defense duo - baby-faced Jimmy Thomson from Winnipeg and sturdy Gus Mortson from Kirkland Lake, Ont. - is something to talk about.

And talk he did Saturday night as the Leafs doffed their hockey regalia for street clothes after taking the measure of Montreal Canadiens 4-2 in the third game of their best-of-seven Stanley Cup final.

"Those kids have only been scored on four times in eight games," he said, without naming the players but nodding to the corner where the 20 year old Thomson and the 21 year old Mortson were dressing. "Only four times in eight games."

He might have gone further and cited more statistics - that the Leafs were scored on 22 times in the eight games - eight times in their three starts with the Canadiens and 14 times in the five semi-final games with Detroit Red Wings. Thus, 18 percent of the goals against Toronto were scored on the pair of rookies - and they were used extensively in the series.

Pink-Cheeked Jimmy Thomson from Winnipeg ranks in the books of his boss, Conny Smythe, as just about the best defensive defenceman Toronto Maple Leafs have ever had.

Smythe, the Leafs' Managing Director, came out Thursday with high praise for the tall 180 pounder, who reaches his 21st birthday February 23rd and now is in his second full season in the National Hockey League.

''Thomson's record of goals-against is the best of any defenceman we have ever had," said Smythe, giving recognition to the territory this covered by mentioning such former Toronto stars as Clarence (Happy) Day, Red Horner and King Clancy.

"He combines the qualities of a lot of good defenceman we've had," continued Smythe. "He has many of the attributes of Day; he can hurt attackers - although not so seriously - as Horner; he can get that puck out of his own end like Clancy - not in as dashing way but just as decisively. He'll be one of the all-time greats of hockey if he keeps his head and continues to give his best.''

The Toronto club's president went back in retrospect to last year's Stanley Cup playoffs when only some half dozen of the 27 goals against Leafs were tallied against Thomson and his partner, Gus Mortson.

Ted Kennedy and Joe Klukay each had a turn as the lone forward on the ice with defencemen Thomson and Gus Mortson. They checked so fiercely that the Red Wings only got one shot at Broda.

Inability to take advantage of Toronto penalties, contributed heavily to Detroit's downfall. For seven solid minutes in the first period, and for a total of 19 minutes in the course of the contest, the Wings had an advantage in manpower and couldn't cash in. Not only did they fail to score, but a rock-ribbed Toronto defense, spearheaded by Jimmy Thomson, for the most part was able to make their so-called power plays appear futilely feeble.

There wasn't a single weak link in the Toronto team. Broda, when he had to be, was flawless in goal. Rugged Jimmy Thomson was a standout on defense.

Lynn Patrick said the Leafs powdered the Bruins right out of the series in the first two games. They whacked Milt Schmidt and Johnny Pierson into complete submission and left the Bruins without much in the way of a scoring threat.

"Jim Thomson did most of the heavy work for them, but they've got a bruising defense," he said. "Guys like Bill Barilko, Bull Juzda and Fernie Flaman can hurt you if they get a good shot at you and that Gus Mortson is no Little Lord Faultneroy.

Around the Rink...

Jim Thomson, Leaf rearguard, has so few off-nights that you probably could count them on one toe. Saturday, he was below form...So was Tod Sloan, up front...Ex-Leaf Gaye Stewart, streaking away from his check at times, always was dangerous although used sparingly.

Jimmy Thomson has been the one consistent Toronto defenseman throughout the series. Perhaps his playing ability during the season was overshadowed by the load he ofttimes carried. He's had some in-and-out partners.

It was a rugged game, just about the most bruising of the series. Chief Toronto casualty was Jimmy Thomson. The ace Leaf rearguard suffered a rib separation on the right side in a second period collision with Alex Delvecchio. Dead game to the finish, however, Thomson still came back to play in the third period although it was evident that he was in great pain.

Jim Thomson of the Toronto Maple Leafs is another durable type. After nine full seasons and 600 games as Toronto's steadiest defenceman, Thomson failed to take part in only 11 games.

 

[Dreakmur]

Anze Kopitar !!!

The phase we use is playing the right way. Obviously, playing the right way means not cheating, and just being in good spots all over the ice.

Awards and Achievements:
2 x Stanley Cup Champion (2012, 2014)

Hart voting - 3rd(2018), 8th(2014), 8th(2016)
Selke voting - 1st(2016), 1st(2018), 2nd(2014), 3rd(2015), 4th(2013), 9th(2011), 9th(2012)

All-Star voting - 3rd(2016), 3rd(2018), 6th(2010), 6th(2014)

Offensive Accomplishments:
Point - 7th(2018), 12th(2016), 15th(2011), 15th(2012), 16th(2014), 17th(2010)
Goals - 12th(2010), 15th(2018), 20th(2008)
Assists - 8th(2012), 9th(2015), 9th(2016), 13th(2018), 14th(2011), 14th(2013), 20th(2010)

Play-off Points - 1st(2012), 1st(2014)
Play-off Goals - 1st(2012)
Play-off Assists - 1st(2012), 1st(2014)

World Cup Points - 5th(2017)
World Cup Assists - 2nd(2017)

World Championship Points - 5th(2006)
World Championship Assists - 7th(2006)


5-Year Peak: 2014 to 2018
15th in Points, 87% of 2nd place Patrick Kane
10th in Assists, 85% of 2nd place Sidney Crosby

10-Year Peak: 2009 t0 2018
9th in Points, 85% of 2nd place Alex Ovechkin
8th in Points, 84% of 2nd place Nicklas Backstrom


Scoring Percentages:
Points - 90(2018), 83(2016), 80(2014), 78(2012), 74(2010), 74(2011), 74(2013), 74(2015), 73(2008), 60(2009), 58(2017), 54(2007)

Best 6 Seasons: 479





Team Scoring:
Points - 1st(2008), 1st(2009), 1st(2010), 1st(2011), 1st(2012), 1st(2013), 1st(2014), 1st(2015), 1st(2016), 1st(2018), 1st(2019)

Point Percentages - 151(2018), 140(2014), 137(2010), 129(2012), 128(2011), 127(2013), 119(2016), 117(2019), 114(2008), 112(2009), 103)2015)

Team Ice Time:
TOI - 1st(007), 1st(2008), 1st(2009), 1st(2010), 1st(2011) 1st(2012), 1st(2013), 1st(2014), 1st(2015), 1st(2016), 1st(2017), 1st(2018), 1st(2019)

ES TOI - 1st(0208), 1st(2009), 1st(2010), 1st(2011), 1st(2012), 1st(2013), 1st(2014), 1st(015), 1st(2016), 1st(2017), 1st(2018), 1st(2019), 2nd(2007)

PK TOI - 1st(2012), 1st(2014), 1st(2015), 1st(2016), 1st(2017), 1st(2018), 1st(2019), 2nd(2011), 3rd(2007), 3rd(2010), 3rd(20213), 5th(2008), 6th(2009)

Team Defensive Statistics:
Team PK - 1st(2018), 4th(2011), 4th(2012), 5th(2017), 7th(2009), 10th(2013), 11th(2014), 15th(2016), 16th(2015), 20th(2010), 29th(2019), 30th(2007), 30th(2008)

Team GA - 1st(2014), 1st(2018), 2nd(2012), 3rd(2016), 4th(2015), 6th(2011), 6th(2017), 7th(2013), 9th(2010), 11th(2009), 20th(2019), 27th(2007), 28th(2008)

Kopitar has become the complete package. He has Evgeni Malkin's size, but also Toews' defensive game.

30: The big pivot was a key scorer for Los Angeles from the start, but his defensive play and penalty killing put his value over the top. Vision is another strength of Kopitar, who played junior in Sweden because he was destroying local competition.

21: Kopitar made huge strides as an all-round player last season, as evidenced by the fact he scored 81 points and had a plus rating for the first time in his career, albeit on a much better team. But the Kings were better in part because Kopitar has become a more responsible player. The Slovenian has the size and skill to be a dominant center in the NHL.

22: He's the player every team is seeking - a big, mobile center who can score and play well in his own end of the ice. Kopitar is creative, sneaky and a great skater for a big man.

5: None other than Wayne Gretzky himself said during the playoffs that Kopitar is the third best player in the world. We don't completely agree, but he's certainly not far off. Kopitar epitomizes the big center ice man who has become synonymous with success in the Western Conference.

13: Like many of his teammates, Kopitar had something of a down season in 2014-15. Still, no forward had better possession numbers in the NHL than Kopitar's. No surprise if he moves back into the top five next year.

11: Big, powerful, and responsible, Kopitar is showing no signs of aging. In fact, he just established career highs for goals, assists, and point with a 35-57-92 line.

He's methodical. He doesn't look like he's going fast, but he is. He's able to make plays under pressure. He's able to use his big frame to just "Heisman" guys. When I get that guy the puck, I know something good's gonna come out of it. When me and him are on the ice together, you know, we make magic together.

He's mister everything. The situations that he plays trough the game, you know, he play in all of them. I know when I'm out there with him, the puck is better in his hands than in mine.

If you're down 3-2, and you need to make a big play, you want him on the ice. You know he's going to create something out of nothing to help you win.

He's a dominant force. I think a lot of his peers really respect him. As a player, I think that's what means the most.

The things that he does on the ice - the things that he makes look routine - are very, very difficult things to do. That was always a big thing playing with him - knowing that you gave him a horrible pass and he catches it in stride and just goes up ice.

He plays hard minutes every night, and when you play that many hard minutes, I think everybody in the NHL realizes how hard that is to do for a player.

If you go around and talk to people in other organizations, it's Kopitar's team.

He's just really slick. Never seems to take a hard stride, but then he's blowing by you. He always makes a couple plays you don't expect.

 

[ResilientBeast]

Cyclone Taylor - D/Rover/C

Career timeline

Taylor broke into "professional" hockey it seems as a center or rover but in the ECHA and NHA was moved to cover point due to his tremendous speed. The rules of the time would definitely benefit a rushing defenceman as a playmaker so it's a logical fit.

"Was regarded as a speedy rushing defender in the east. (Played rover and center upon moving west) He was a great goal scorer and inspirational leader. He was named many times to western all-star teams.

"When the O'Briens decided to pack the Renfrew team in the newly formed NHA, their plans to win the Cup were predicated on securing Taylor from Ottawa. Although Renfrew never got anywhere in their quest for the Cup, they put on a good show and Taylor was the star."

"Great players like Smokey Harris, Frank Nighbor, Mickey Mackay, Barney Stanley, and Gordon Roberts appeared on the Vancouver forward lines, but Mackay was the only one who seriously challenged Taylor."

Upon his arrival in Houghton/Portage Lakes in 1906 the local newspaper stated:

"Taylor is one of the fastest and most effective, if not the very best player that western Canada has ever produced." (I guess Ontario was considered Western Canada in those days.)

And also: "Taylor is a whirlwind, and has a superior on not any of the league teams."

The likes of Lalonde and several other Hall of Famers played in this league.

Legendary Pittsburgh shortstop Honus Wagner claimed Taylor "was as fine of an athlete as he has ever seen".

The Globe - 17 Apr 1936

M.J Rodden Associate Sports Editor

In reply or in rebuttal I can assurance that the first professional game I ever saw was in the Old Gladstone Rink at Ottawa in 1907. It was between Montreal Wanderers and the famous Silver Seven.

In naming an all-star team since that time I do not expect that man people will agree with me, but there isn't any harm in making the attempt So here they are:

G: Georges Vezina
Defence: Frank Patrick and Eddie Shore
Centre Frank Nighbor
Left Wing: Tom Phillips
Right Wing: Bill Cook
Rover: "Cyclone" Taylor

Other amazing players who deserve recognition and who may have even been superior to those selected are as follows

Goal: Percy Leseur, Paddy Moran, Charlie Gardiner, Roy Worters, "Tiny" Thompson, Clint Benedict, Hugh Lehman, Wilf Cude and John Ross Roach

Defence: Hod Stuart, Lester Patrick, Harry Cameron, Art Ross, Jack Laviolette, Lionel Conacher, Sprague Cleghorn, Eddie Gerard, Didier Pitre, "Ching" Johnson and "King" Clancy

Centre - Frank McGee, Frank Boucher, "Cyclone" Taylor, Russel Bowie, "Howie" Morenz, Nelson Stewart and "Dulce" Keats

Left Wing - Aurele Joliat, George Richardson, Harvey Jackson and Alf Smith

Right Wing - Charlie Conacher, "Mush" March, Scotty Davidson and Babe Dye.

Whether rightly or wrongly it is my impression "Scotty" Davidson and "Cyclone" Taylor were the greatest all-around players the sport has ever produced. The could play on defense, the wings, centre or rover with equal effectiveness-in other words they were superstars

Why does he maintain eligibility as a defenceman?

1907-08 - ECAHA - Ottawa Senators - 2nd in scoring as a defenceman
1908-09 - ECHA - Ottawa Senators - 3rd in scoring as a defenceman
1909-10 - NHA - Renfrew Creamery Kings - 2nd in scoring as a defenceman (Behind teammate Lester Patrick who was mostly a Rover)
1910-11 - NHA - Renfrew Creamery Kings - 2nd (?) in scoring as defenceman (I can't find who was ahead of him)

Additionally the issue of the role of the rover in 7 man hockey and how it would translate to the modern 6 man hockey. This section contains some commentary found on the HOH about the role of a rover, and an old article written by Ian Fyfe showcasing the shift in a rovers role in team offence and defence.

Courtesy of @tarheelhockey - Saskatoon Phoenix 12/10/1919

Under the old style, the rover had to do the bulk of the checking back. In baseball parlance, it was the duty of the rover to back up every play. He had to check any man who got away from his cover; in short, he had to assume the responsibility for any weak spots on the team. One thing that characterised a good rover was his ability to get goals off rebounds. Another way of putting it is that he almost had to play "inside home". He likewise had to go into the corner after stray pucks. He had to be an almost superhuman player. [lists "superhuman" rovers: Rat Westwick, Russell Bowie, Lester Patrick, Pud Glass, Newsy Lalonde, Si Griffis, Bruce Stuart]

Today under the six-man game a new school of players has sprung up. Very few of the great centre men of the seven-man game have ever starred under the present rules. Newsy Lalonde and Joe Malone are two of the few of the old game players who have maintained their "reps" under the shortened style. This is because the centre men depended too much on the rovers to do their checking back. The late Marty Walsh, one of the greatest centre ice men the game has ever known, did not last long under the new rules. The same can be said of Ernie Russell of the Wanderers.

Frank Nighbor of the Ottawa, acknowledged as the best centre man in six-man hockey did not come into any great prominence under the seven-man rules although he did star at the coast. This is for the simple reason that he had been taught to play centre in the proper way for six-man hockey by Alf. Smith. Newsy Lalonde is not a flashy or even brilliant centre ice man; it is his old goal-getting tactics that has left him so long in the ring.

The centre ice man today must bear the brunt of the work of the forward line. He must be a rugged player, a back checker and a goal getter. He has to face off the puck, watch the front of the nets the same as both the centre ice men had to do in the old game. The wing men too must share a certain amount of the work of the rover. During a face-off, one of the wing men usually stands half way between his wing and where the rover usually stood during a face-off. The defence men must also take on a part of the work of the deposed player.

Ian Fyfe's article "The Changing Role of the Rover" - I've lost the link but I saved a copy of the text to work

Some of you have probably heard of the old rover position in hockey. In the early years of the game, a hockey team played with seven men on the ice at a time, rather than the six they do now. Typically called a “fourth forward”, the rover lined up behind the center, off to one side. The National Hockey Association (the direct predecessor to the National Hockey League) did away with the seventh man in 1911—a motion which at first met with some resistance, but passed when certain owners noted they could save money on salaries with one less man to pay. Hockey's second major league at the time, the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA), kept the seventh man until 1922, when it merged with the third major league, the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL).
Some of hockey's earliest pure scorers played the rover position. If you're not familiar with players like Russell Bowie or Fred Taylor, educate yourselves. Of course, not all of the best scorers in those days played rover, some were centers such as Frank McGee or Ernie Russell or Marty Walsh or Newsy Lalonde. Herb Jordan, a gifted scorer and likely one of the best players not in the Hall of Fame, alternated between center and rover, as did Lorne Campbell. Overall, center is more represented among the best scorers of the day. But clearly, at least in the early days of the game, the rover was an offensive position, and was counted on to score goals—perhaps not quite to the same extent as centers, but more than wings.

But an interesting thing happened over the life of the position, specifically near its end in the PCHA. I don't think this has ever been documented before, but at a certain point the rover changed from being a primarily offensive position to a primarily defensive one. And we can pinpoint that change with frightening accuracy. In the 1917-18 season, the rover was an offensive position. In 1918-19, it was a defensive one. And although we're dealing with small leagues with very few players, where an individual player can have significant effect on a league's numbers, it does not appear that this is the case here. So to any quick-witted readers who thought “wasn't that around the time Cyclone Taylor stopped playing?” —you're close, but Taylor is actually support for the idea of this clean break, rather than evidence against it.

You can see this change when you look at positional scoring figures over time. Let's look at some numbers, starting with the 1899-1900 season of the Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL), which eventually became the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA), then the Eastern Canada Hockey Association (ECHA), which led to the NHA. Since the NHA dropped the rover in the same season the PCHA came into existence, we'll then continue on with the western league until we hit the end of the rover's time. This table shows the proportion of team goals scored by each position. For simplicity, left and right wings are averaged together, as are the two defensive positions. They key data we're looking at here are the center and rover numbers.

Proportion of Team Goals Scored by Position
Year League R C W W D D
1899-00 CAHL .234 .293 .197 .197 .040 .040
1900-01 CAHL .344 .178 .204 .204 .035 .035
1901-02 CAHL .318 .265 .169 .169 .040 .040
1902-03 CAHL .272 .306 .178 .178 .033 .033
1903-04 CAHL .309 .238 .184 .184 .043 .043
1904-05 CAHL .316 .269 .158 .158 .049 .049
1905-06 ECAHA .303 .239 .178 .178 .051 .051
1906-07 ECAHA .249 .308 .173 .173 .048 .048
1907-08 ECAHA .218 .291 .169 .169 .077 .077
1908-09 ECHA .213 .360 .146 .146 .068 .068
1909-10 NHA .243 .256 .182 .182 .068 .068
1910-11 NHA .223 .276 .187 .187 .064 .064
1911-12 PCHA .245 .276 .159 .159 .080 .080
1912-13 PCHA .168 .238 .176 .176 .122 .122
1913-14 PCHA .228 .244 .180 .180 .084 .084
1914-15 PCHA .208 .264 .184 .184 .080 .080
1915-16 PCHA .202 .226 .192 .192 .094 .094
1916-17 PCHA .194 .246 .194 .194 .086 .086
1917-18 PCHA .270 .220 .190 .190 .065 .065
1918-19 PCHA .143 .291 .225 .225 .058 .058
1919-20 PCHA .110 .309 .233 .233 .055 .055
1920-21 PCHA .128 .274 .224 .224 .075 .075
1921-22 PCHA .118 .286 .219 .219 .079 .079

Although there is certainly some year-to-year variation, since individual players can have a significant impact on these numbers, from 1899-1900 to 1917-18, rovers scored basically the same number of goals as centers. Rovers scored 25.0% of team goals over that time period, as opposed to 26.3% for centers. From 1918-19 to 1921-22, the figures are 12.5% for rovers and 29.0% for centers. Although we are dealing with a small number of seasons, the effect is dramatic, and as shown below, is supported by team personnel decisions. If we look at the data for centers and rovers graphically, the change becomes quite dramatic:

It's also worth noting that in 1911-12, the NHA's average goals per game dropped from 5.21 to 4.74, which is what you'd expect if you lose an offensive position. And in 1922-23, the PCHA's goals per game increased from 2.82 to 3.44, which is what you'd expect if you lose a defensive position. It seems clear that it was a deliberate choice on the part of managers to make the rover a defensive position.

Perhaps the thing that best illustrates the idea that this was the result of a choice rather than normal turnover of player personnel is Fred Taylor (and the other rovers) of the 1917-18 season. By far the biggest scoring threat in the PCHA, Taylor was the rover for Vancouver up to and including the 1917-18 season, when he led the league with 43 points in 18 games. In 1918-19, he again led the PCHA with 36 points in 20 games. But he was now playing center; Mickey MacKay had swapped positions with him, moving from center to rover.

This effect can be seen on the other PCHA lineups as well. In 1917-18, Portland played Tommy Dunderdale at center and Alf Barbour at rover. In 1918-19 (with the team back in Victoria), Dunderdale went to rover (and saw his scoring totals drop dramatically), while Barbour was a left wing. Barbour was a good forward, but was no defensive standout. The same switch happened in Seattle, where skilled scorer Frank Foyston moved from rover to left wing, while renowned defensive forward Jack Walker, often credited with inventing the poke-check, took over the fourth forward position. The effect is persistent, and the results obvious. In 1918, the rover became a third defenseman, rather than a fourth forward.

The question then arises: why was this done? Since to my knowledge this phenomenon has never been documented before, it will likely be difficult to find an answer to that question. PCHA magnates Lester Patrick and his brother Frank were hockey visionaries in many ways. Perhaps they saw that team defense was a more important facet of the game than had been realized up to that point? Indeed, they were the first to allow limited forward passing in the game, in the neutral zone, starting in 1913. This change began to move the game away from one of individual rushes to one of team offensive play. It makes sense that defending against individual rushes takes a different approach than defending against team passing play. The offensive side of the game was changing; why wouldn't the defensive side change as well?

First evidence of Taylor making the switch to (Cover)Point is given below from 1907. As far as I can tell based on the results of my review, Taylor was consistently played at point or cover-point regardless of who was on the team with him. When playing with the Patrick's for their lone season as a trio in Renfrew, Lester was the usual rover for the squad while Taylor would play cover.

Taylor has 4 seasons in what was typically considered the best of close to best leagues in the world at the position of cover. He was a top 2/3 scorer from the positions typically considered defence, and maybe the top scorer considering Lester Patrick played multiple games at Rover and not point/cover.

When coming to the PCHA he played at rover until 1917-18 when for reasons that are still unknown as Ian Fyfe document, the rover position faced a change that happened across the league. The rover became a third defenceman and the more offensively gifted players at rover where moved to other forward positions. This was when Mackay became the primary rover for the Millionaires.

Based on the article above about the role of the rover posted by tarheelhockey, the rover position was the keystone of the offence in PCHA hockey until 1917-18 and it would make sense to play Taylor at this position as he was the most skilled player the Millionaires had. Additionally the roster of the Millionaires featured Si Griffis and at time Frank Patrick, players that were commonly played at point and cover and perhaps coach Patrick didn't view them as worth for playing the rover position. This is pure conjecture, but based on the description of the rover from the previous article, the centers relied upon the rover's to due the bulk of the back checking. Considering that Mackay was mostly a center until 1917/18 I'm unsure of what to make of this development.

Taylor has 4/5 seasons at the position of cover and was already anointed as the greatest hockey player most people had seen at this point, a mantle he maintained when moving to Vancouver and switching positions.

His total offensive output may be diminished when playing defence in the ATD, but his all around ability should be considered. The bulk of the quotes regarding two way play and physicality come from his time out East at cover.

A Chronological Examination of Taylor's play as a cover-point out east followed by season by season from his time in the PCHA

All the following quotes come from the Globe unless otherwise stated

I'm 95% sure this is my Fred Taylor
11 Feb 1907

Fred Taylor of the Houghton team is the most sensational development of the season in the International League. He joined the team as a forward. He was tried at point when the team was hard up for a men and is a wonder in the position. He is the fastest skater ever seen in International League company

01 Mar 1907

Fred Taylor was again the star of the game

(Taylor listed at Cover Point)

18 Mar 1907

By common consent the finest player in the International League this season was Fred Taylor, the Listowel boy, who played with Houghton. Taylor learned his hockey on a small rink and worked his way into the international when the OHA refused to allow him to play with the Thessalon team a few seasons ago

17 Dec 1907

The second game of the Pittsburgh league was played Saturday night between the Pirates and Lyceum teams, and much better hockey was played than in the first game. A great deal of slashing and tripping was allowed, and it was just luck no one was injured. The play in the first half was fairly even and fast. The second half started with Lyceum scoring in about half a minute, and then the chopping continue until Mallon, in attempting to cut Taylor's legs off, fell landing on his head, was down and out before the referee saw him the Pirates scored another. The game continued in the same manner to the end, Robertaille, Marks, Charlton and Taylor were the best.

(Taylor listed at center, he was clearly the best player on either team)

Time in Ottawa

06 Jan 1908

The ice in the first quarter was hard and fast, but after half-time it was soon covered with water, but both teams kept up the fast pace to the finish. For the visitors Phillips and Taylor were the stars....
(Taylor listed at Right-Wing)

13 Jan 1908

But the Wanderers are not the same team now, nor as good as they were a year ago, while Ottawa has probably the greatest bunch that ever wore the club colours. Taylor was the big man of the evening, bigger than even Tom Phillips in the matter of speed. There was some doubt as to how he would figure, but he made them all look like road rollers in comparison. Ottawa's defence was too strong for the Wanderers....

(Taylor listed at Cover Point)

13 Jan 1908

Taylor, who was on the line the night the team was beaten in Quebec (TDMM - I assume this means at forward, RB if this is the same game he was at CP), was in Moore's position at cover point, increasing the efficiency of the defence about 50 percent. He was ruled off 4 times in the game, twice for heavy bodychecking and twice for slashing Wanderer forwards over the arms. His play, while on the rough side, was very effective; he was a hard man to get by and towards the end he stirred up the crowd by lightning rushes from end to end of the rink. He scored Ottawa's sixth and seventh goal on such dashes and was also responsible for the twelth, although Phillips landed the disc in the twine.

With Taylor off, the Wanderer forwards found it easier to work in on the Otttawa defence...

Taylor made it 11 to 1 on an end to end run and a pretty shot. Taylor immediately after the face repeated the run and Phillips scored from the rebound of Taylor's shot.

Taylor brought the crowd to their feet by stealing the disc from Hooper at the Ottawa end and going through the whole Wanderer team for Ottawa's sixth goal. Taylor went in and out through Glass and Ross and taking his time picked out the open corner of the net.

The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search

27 Jan 1908

Ottawa led all the way. At half-time it was 5 to 2, Phillips having scored three of them alone. In the second half Ottawa made it look like a runaway until the score stood 11 to 3, when Victorias by a sensational brace ran in six goals in close succession. They looked extremely dangerous but, Ottawa settled down and eneged the scoring at 14 to 8. Tom Phillips and Fred Taylor for Ottawa and Billy Gilmour and Frank Patrick were the pick of the fourteen men.

(Taylor listed at Cover Point)

03 Feb 1908

Although the latter team (Ottawa) was without the services of Pulford and Smith they proved too fast for Montral and the result was never in doubt.

According to Montreal papers Marty Walsh of the Ottawas struck Ross of the Wanderers on the head and put him out of business, and Taylor knocked Blachford down and kicked him when he was down.

(Taylor listed at Cover Point)

05 Feb 1908

A game is played no quotes in the game summary

Taylor is listed as cover-point

Later in the Puckerings section

They are beginning to believe in Ottawa and Montreal that Fred Taylor, the ex-listowel junior is the best hockey player they ever saw in those districts

10 Feb 1908

Ottawa defeated Quebec here Saturday night by 11 to 5. The visitors were in poor shape after a thirty hour train journey, but played a remarkably fast game. The score was 6 to 2 in Ottawa's favor at half time, and Quebec went out and scored three straight looking like winners, but Ottawa braced up and won easily. The feature of the game was the sensational work of Moran in goal for Quebec; Phillips, Taylor, Walsh, Smith and Pulford starred for Ottawa...
(Taylor listed at Cover Point)

17 Feb 1908
No quotes - Taylor listed at Cover-Point

24 Feb 1908
No quotes - Taylor listed at Cover-Point

02 Mar 1908

The checking was. A player who recieved the puck was checked hard before he could move a foot. Every man marked his oppoinent and for a long time there were absolutely no rushes. Even men like Phillips, Taylor and Ross were unable to get away from their opponents.

Phillips came back a minute later to score for Ottawa. He played a wonderful game, probably the best of his life. Smith and Taylor were also stars, but the latter was watched too closely to be very effective.

(Taylor listed at Cover Point)

09 Mar 1908
No quotes - Taylor listed at Cover-Point

11.11.1908 - The Pittsburgh Press:

He was counted a wonder before he went into those games, but still more so after they were over, and at the conclusion of the season was voted unanimously as the best all-around player in that league which contained many experts.

11 Jan 1909

Taylor, Lake and Walsh did most of the work for Ottawa in the initial half, at the end of which the score stood 4 to 2 against Quebec. In the second half Bruce Stuart woke up and proved useful. Dey failed to stick to his position at left wing and Bill Gilmour on the other wing was worse than useless. Lesuer's game in the Ottawa net needed no improvement. For Quebec, Moran was easily the star. Jordan although just getting over a bad cold was dangerous man on the Quebec line and Joe Powers defence work was good. The forward as a whole however were weak and lacked the speed to check the rushes of Taylor and Lake.

(Taylor listed at Cover Point)

14 Jan 1909
No quotes - Taylor listed at Cover-Point

25 Jan 1909

Ottawa completely smothered the local team. The feature of the game were the individual rushes of Taylor and Lake of the visitor's team. The half time score was 12-2.

(Taylor listed at Cover Point)

01 Feb 1909
No quotes - Taylor listed at Cover-Point

08 Feb 1909
No quotes - Taylor listed at Cover-Point

15 March 1909

The trouble came after the referee had been obliged to order off the ice for palpably rough play Taylor, Walsh and Lake, all of the Ottawa team. Taylor had been particularly conspicuous for rough work, and Russell promptly ordered him out of the game for good.

The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search


The Move to Renfrew

With the Patrick Brothers, Frank seems to have played Point and Lester Rover in Renfrew

30 Dec 1909
The Stanley cup is the ambition of millionaire owners of the Renfrew club and as Taylor's jump has left a bad hole in the Ottawa team it would not be all all surprising to see the famous trophy come to Renfrew in the spring.Taylor is recognized by hockey experts as the greatest player in the game.

10 Jan 1910

The team had to get along without

the invincible Taylor, but with such players as Stuart, Walsh, Ridpath and Kerr the absence of Taylor was not felt to any great extent.

12 Jan 1910

The Ottawa hockey team is making efforts to get Walter Small from the Cobalt team which arrived in the city this evening. They want a new cover-point to succeed Fred Taylor and believe Small the best name in the game next to Taylor.

17 Jan 1910
No quotes - Taylor listed at Cover-Point

20 Jan 1910

With the commencement of the second period the home team cut out a furious pace, outplaying Les Canadiens everywhere and running in no less than six goals in quick succession. The whole Renfrew team seemed to be enjoying a wonderful "come back" and against the brilliant rushes of Taylor, the Patricks and Rowe the visitors soon faded.

In the second half, the defece blocking everything, while the forwards showed great speed and combination, Frank and Lester Patrick and Fred Taylor were the Renfrew stared. Fred Whitcroft of Edmonton who was present declared Taylor to be the greatest player he has ever seen.
(Taylor listed at Cover Point)

24 Jan 1910

For Renfrew Taylor and Frank Patrick were always conspicuous, although the poor ice told against their speeds.
(Taylor listed at Cover Point)

26 Feb 1910

All the Renfrew players were away off color, the defence of Linsay, Frank Patrick and Taylor having a very poor night. Lindsay let several easy ones in and neither Frank Patrick nor Taylor while spectacular and very fast was effective.

Position is unclear, based on context Taylor was likely at cover-point

16 Feb 1910
No quotes - Taylor listed at Cover-Point

09 Mar 1910 (This is crazy)

Renfrew scoring five goals while playing five men against four. At one period Lindsay, Taylor and Frank Patrick were the only Renfrew players on the ice.
(Taylor listed at Cover Point)

12 Mar 1910

Until this year Lalonde was practically unknown as a hockey player, being a graduate of the Toronto pro team. He has played magnificent hockey for Renfrew. Fred Taylor played a great game on defence...

04 Feb 1911

It was hard, fast hockey from start to finish and although the Wanderers played desperately and they were fairly beaten by the home team which showed astonishing improvement. Fred Taylor was the star of the game.
(Taylor listed at Cover Point)

16 Feb 1911

Taylor was brilliant and Lindsay played fine hockey in goal

(Taylor listed at Cover Point, Sprague Cleghorn at Point)

03 Mar 1911
No quotes - Taylor listed at Cover-Point

08 Mar 1911
No quotes - Taylor listed at Cover-Point

23 Mar 2011

Fred Taylor, the Renfrew star, over whom there was a long wrangle as to whether he should play or not, when Ottawa substituted him for Fred Lake, after the Wanderers had scored twice in the first period, was the most spectacular man on the ice. For cleverness in carrying the puck down the rink his equal has never been seen here. A giant almost in stature he brought the crowd to its feet whenever he started down the ice, Taylor captivated his audience and was warmly applauded after each rush.

Ottawa Citizen - Google News Archive Search

7 Nov 1911

Fred Taylor of the Renfrew team favors the six men idea, but this is only natural as the Listowel Cyclone requires big space of ice to get up to his speed and has always been in his element when one or two of the opposing seven were sitting in the penalty bench.

8 Apr 1912

Taylor, who took his place was mainly responsible for the victory. He came on the ice in time to stop a dangerous western rush and went right through the opposing defense single handily before passing back to Ross for the leading goal. Right after this he went down again and gave Darragh another chance which was accepted. [/B]

14 Oct 1912

Art Ross, Didier Pitre and "Cyclone" Taylor, three of the the greatest players in Canadian hockey seem may be seen in the linup of the coast teams this season

11 Dec 1912

Fred Taylor, the sensation of the NHA for many years, stood head and shoulders above every other player.

The Move West to the PCHA

22 Aug 1911

Fred Taylor is considering an offer, but is not likely to leave the East

Now unless otherwise noted, source is the Edmonton Bulletin

28 Jan 1913

There is only one "Cyclone" Taylor for cleverness on skates and with the stick, though Tommy Dunderdale is giving him a close run for the high individual honors in the forward section. Fred is showing a disposition to be generous with the puck when combination proves profitable, a question upon which there was a diversity of opinions at the start off the season.

11 Feb 1913 - Ottawa Citizen:

Taylor was always in the limelight, and his clashes with Johnson, the star defenseman of the cup holders, were one of the most interesting features of the evening.

The [unreadable] an attack of appendicitis and under the care of a physician earlier in the evening, Taylor went on the ice and played one of his spectacular games, although the "Cyclone" was not taking any great chances in view of his condition. His skating and stickhandling, in fact, all-around playing, has become a feature in every match in which he participates.

Statistics

For this bio I focused more on his exploits as a cover-point out east before moving to player Rover and then Center in the PCHA. This section will have all the statistics and all star teams listed from my previous bios

2x Stanley Cup Champion
2x 2nd in NHA Points Among Defensemen
2nd in ECAHA Points Among Defensemen, 06-07
3rd in ECAHA Points Among Defensemen, 07-08
36 points in 29 games in IHL as Forward
5x Led PCHA in Assists
5x Led PCHA in Points (Also led in PPG one more season having played half the season)
3x Led PCHA in Goals
1st all-time points in PCHA
1st all-time assists in PCHA
Inducted into the HHOF in 1947 (the first year they inducted still-living members)​

Some info on Cyclone Taylor, interpret as you wish...

Top ten scores in PCHA history:
And for added flavour:
And for fairness sakes, Cyclone's best two seasons, two worst seasons and the 3 stars before and after seasons, making a more accurate comparisons to the NHA stars.
It would appear that Lalonde's stats are skewed, he played in the PCHA's 1st season, Taylor, Nighbor and Pitre came later, so the PCHA may be weaker, but other than that, there is no evidence that it was easier to score in the PCHA, and Taylor lit up the league in Gretzky like fashion.

Just a note, the year after, Nighbor absolutely destroyed the NHA with 41 goals in 19 games, I'm not sure if that's relevant, but, just HOLY ****!

Now how much more dominant was he in the PCHL season by season
Over the course of these seven seasons Taylor averaged 0.57 pts/game over his nearest teammate and 0.3838 pts/game over the nearest non teammate/league leading point scorer.

Just for completeness Vs2 of Dreakmurs consolidated finishes though I will give him credit for the season he only player half of since 1) It was an appendicitis and not due to age or style of play and 2) because the PPG of that season was in line with his career to date.

1913 - 2nd in Assists, 9th in Points - Score = 52.56
1914 - 6th in Goals, 1st in Assists, 4th in Points - Score = 95.17
1915 - 1st in Assists, 2nd in Points - Score = 100
1916 - 2nd in Goals, 1st in Assists. 1st in Points - Score = 109.38
1917 (Appendicitis) would be 3rd in Points = 99.65
1918 - 1st in Goals, 2nd in Assists, 1st in Points = 134.40
1919 - 1st in Goals, 1st in Assists, 1st in Points = 124.41

Goals - 1, 1, 2, 6 *This is missing the appendicitis season)
Assists - 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2 *This is missing the appendicitis season
Points - 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 9

So his best 6 season total is 663.01
Including his weak first PCHA season 715.57
Average over 7 seasons 102.224

From ages 28-34 is only accounted for


Just comparing for interest sake that puts him in a offence dead heat comparing this to standard VsX with Maurice Richard and Howie Morenz

I've added Harris and Walker to the table I made earlier, and added two columns for points per year and per game.

Here are the adjusted career numbers for some early era stars using a slight variation of the Ideal Points method from the Hockey Compendium. The earliest season included is 08-09

I gave Nighbor his career average of 37 assists (16 year average, not including the 29-30 season where he did not record an assist) for the 12-13 NHA season where assists were not awarded.
I don't have the numbers to include Taylor's 07-08 ECAHA season, and I gave him his average of 60 assists (9 year average, not including the 22-23 season where he did not record an assist) for the 3 ECHA/NHA seasons where assists were not awarded.
I gave Lalonde his average of 34 assists (12 year average, not including the 25-26 and 26-27 seasons where he did not record an assist) for the 4 NHA/PCHA seasons where assists were not awarded.
I gave Malone his average of 29 assists (9 year average, not including the 22-23 and 23-24 seasons where he did not record an assist) for the 4 NHA/ECHA seasons where assists were not awarded. His 09-10 season was left out, but his 08-09 season was included.
I gave Foyston his career average of 27 assists for the 12-13 NHA season where assists were not awarded.
I gave Oatman his average of 36 assists (13 year average, not including the 25-26 season where he did not record an assist) for the 2 NHA seasons where assists were not awarded.
I gave Dunderdale his average of 29 assists (11 year average, not including the 22-23 season where he did not record an assist) for the 3 NHA/PCHA seasons where assists were not awarded.
I gave Harris his career average of 36 assists for the 11-12 PCHA season where assists were not awarded.

Above the closest player to him, would be Keats but in the dishing the dirt thread it was discussed that the system incorrectly treats the WCHL, PCHA and NHL seasons equally and at the start of the WCHL it was weak inflating Keat's numbers. Taylor comes out ahead with the highest PPG beating Bill Cook by 0.23 Pts/Game. Assign whatever value you choose to these stats but it's clear that Taylor probably the most elite offensive player till Morenz.

Hockeyreference Data
In Stanley Cup Challenges, Taylor came to play
1914-15 - 10 Pts in 3 Games (Age 30)
1917-18 - 9 Pts in 5 Games (Age 33)
1920-21 - 1 Pt in 3 Games (Age 36)

1.818 Pts/Game after the age of 30

Compared to "rival" Mickey MacKay
1914-15 - 6 Pts in 3 Games (Age 20)
1917-18 - 10 Pts in 5 Games (Age 23)
1920-21 - 1 Pt in 5 Games (Age 26)

1.3076 Pts/game

Mickey MacKay was unable to even close the gap in Stanley cup challenge games over a smaller sample size that Taylor maintained in the regular season. This is even against stronger competition and with Taylor a decade older than MacKay.


In fact the only time MacKay came even close to duplicating Taylor's scoring feats were when the PCHA was at it's weakest with the emergence of the WCHL.

SIHR Data Overall Playoff Performance
Cyclone Taylor - 22 Points in 16 Games - 1.375 Pts/Game
Mickey MacKay - 33 Points in 52 Games - 0.6346 Pts/Game

Taylor is 31 in his first recorded playoff data, and MacKay is 21. It's not even close, the gap between the two is even wider than in just Stanley Cup Games and the regular season.​

Secondary Sources

The Globe and Mail 11 June 1979

Lester Patrick at that time manager of the New York Rangers said Taylor was the best hockey player he'd ever seen.

He despised rough play, saying he was paid to play hockey and not sit in the penalty box, Taylor said he didn't think he averaged more than four penalties a season.

He became the highest paid player of his day and made all-star each season. A rushing defenceman Taylor played on Stanley Cup championships and twice led the playoffs in scoring.

Excerpts from the Book, The Patricks, Hockey's Royal family discuss Taylor's star power and seem to indicate that it was significantly higher than the star power of Newsy Lalonde

Here are some excerts from the book The Patricks: Hockey's Royal Family . Brothers Lester and Frank Patrick were the founders of the PCHA, as well as players and managers of their respective teams.

From early in Taylor's career:

As usual, it was Taylor who stole the show and got raves such as "...Taylor's cyclonic rushes electrified the audience..." and "...the player they so aptly call 'Cyclone' almost literally explodes with excitement. There is nothing quite like him in American sport..."

The book then documents the Patrick's efforts at luring Taylor out west - to them, getting Taylor to join the PCHA was the key to the success of the fledgling league:

Attendance picked up a little as the season wore on, but Frank was resigned to the fact that he wouldn't fill his building until he had the game's greatest gate attraction, Cyclone Taylor.

Note that Newsy Lalonde was a member of Frank Patricks' Vancouver Millionaries for The PCHA's inaugural 1911-12 season and even led the league in scoring, but Frank was still desperate to sign Cyclone.

From an East vs West All-Star game, when Taylor was still in the East:

The story of the game is more fully told in my earlier book, "Cyclone Taylor: A Hockey Legend", so suffice to say here that Taylor came out just like his nickname and all but blew the West All-Stars off the ice with his blinding speed and hell-for-leather aggressiveness. The arena was in an uproar as he broke up a rush, stole the puck, and then split the defense before slipping a silk-slick pass to Art Ross for the go-ahead goal. The fans were on their feet minutes later when Taylor repeated the maneuver, this time setting up Jack Darragh for the score. He got a two-minute ovation for that little gambit.

Frank Patrick, who had been beaten badly in the second rush, must have had mixed emotions.

That offseason, Lalonde headed back East to Montreal, but Frank Patrick got his prize as Taylor signed with Vancouver. Taylor was to be paid $1800, the most money in hockey and $500 more than Lalonde had been paid the previous season.

Frank and Lester were delighted with the exchange, as their league now had hockey's number one prestige player, and he was cheap at the price

Attendance of Vancouver games skyrocketed with Taylor on the team.

At Taylor's peak, he was a bigger star than Lalonde was at the time:

On the ice, the two (Patrick) brothers, even as every other player in the league including the redoubtable Lalonde, had to get used to the idea of playing second fiddle to Taylor, the master showman who hogged the headlines wherever he played.

According to Frank Patrick, Cyclone Taylor's style of play inspired them to allow forward passing in the neutral zone, the first time forward passing was ever allowed in any way in any professional hockey league:

Of Taylor himself, Frank has written: "Taylor was the ultimate hockey player. There'll never be another like him. He was blessed with the complete skills, quite apart from a unique excitement he generated every time he stepped onto the ice. I watched him very closely, and some of our ideas, such as creating the two blue lines to open up the center-ice area for passing, were inspired by his marvelous style.

Tommy Gorman lists his all-time team (in December of 1928):

Roy Worters, goalie
Hod Stuart and Sprague Cleghorn, defense
Frank McGee, center
Tom Phillips and Scotty Davidson, wings
Cyclone Fred Taylor, utility, greatest player ever.

Gorman appends a short list of honorable mentions: Newsey Lalonde, Lionel Conacher, Billy Burch and Les Patrick.

Here's the HHOF profile on Taylor:
Legends of Hockey - Spotlight - One on One with Cyclone Taylor

During his time in Renfrew, fans declared that Taylor was such an amazing player that he actually scored a goal skating backwards. "That simply isn't true," Cyclone clarified. "Even though there were many people who would swear they saw it happen, it's just one of those stories that was blown up."

Taylor led the PCHA in scoring 5 times and may have won it a 6th time if it weren't for his damn appendix:

Taylor's prodigious scoring ability was him lead the league in scoring five times altogether. In 1915-16, he totalled 35 points, 43 in 1917-18 and 36 in 1918-19. It is possible that he would also have won the scoring title in 1916-17, but appendicitis kept him out of action for five weeks.

As long as hockey is played the name Fred (Cylone) Taylor will be remembered, but the man who set the yardstick years ago for speed and for being spectacular on the ice is modest enough to believe professional hockey's new generation wouldn't recall him.

The Leader-Post - Google News Archive Search

There are many who say that Cyclone was faster than Morenz.

The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search

His blazing speed dazzled both players and fans alike, and when he used it to dominate the game, scoring five goals in his very first game in the league, it was reported that the governor general turned to his aide and commented, "They should call that man the Cyclone-his speed blew the other team out of the rink."

The rover's place on the ice wasn't clearly defined, but like a centreman, his responsibilities encompassed essentially the entire sheet of ice. Cyclone Taylor was truly one of the best. In fact, some long time sportswriters consider Taylor to be hockey's first superstar. From 1900 to 1918, he was named to the First All Star Team of every league in which he played.

http://books.google.com/books?id=geu3FrdUBaYC&pg=PA135&dq=cyclone+taylor&hl=en&sa=X&ei=f7UCUb2KMMm30AGWioGIDQ&ved=0CDIQ6AEwATgK#v=onepage&q=cyclone taylor&f=false

Hockey first national superstar, the superb skater and defecenman-turned-forward Cyclone Taylor, led Vancouver to its one and only Cup victory.

Taylor was famous from coast to coast for his hurricane speed and agility.

http://books.google.com/books?id=6jE2mJOgzvQC&pg=PA27&dq=cyclone+taylor&hl=en&sa=X&ei=f7UCUb2KMMm30AGWioGIDQ&ved=0CC0Q6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q=cyclone taylor&f=false

Taylor represented the best that the professional game had to offer. Although not a big man, he was a tenacious, skillful, speedy, and flamboyant player...Like Wayne Gretzky in the late 20th century, Taylor's fame and drawing power extended beyond Canada.

http://books.google.com/books?id=P4xx3jv69lsC&pg=PA243&dq=cyclone+taylor&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6L0CUafLKeP00gHX8IHYBA&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAjgU#v=onepage&q=cyclone taylor&f=false

'Cylone' Taylor, the Wayne Gretzky of professional hockey in the early decades of the 20th century. Well known for his stellar play, on-ice antics, and high salary...

http://books.google.com/books?id=BBDYQzZZUNAC&pg=PA38&dq=cyclone+taylor&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6L0CUafLKeP00gHX8IHYBA&ved=0CE8Q6AEwBzgU#v=onepage&q=cyclone taylor&f=false

 

[BenchBrawl]

DERIAN HATCHER

Information

Position: D
Shoots: Left
Height: 6' 5''
Weight: 235lb

Awards and Accomplishments

Norris Record: 3rd (02-03), 7th (98-99), 13th (00-01), 16th (99-00), 17th (96-97)

AST: 2nd (02-03)

- Stanley Cup winner in 1999 (averaging 29 minutes + a night)
- First non-Canadian Captain to win the Stanley Cup
- Captained a team that went to the Finals back to back (99 & 00)

General

For a good portion of the 1990s he was a top 10 defenseman in the NHL.

[...]

Defense was Hatcher's specialty. He had a good head for the offensive game, just not the legs. His skating was laboured, so he learned early not get himself into spots where he could not hurry back. Instead he smartly positioned himself so that the play came to him.

He had good hands for such a big man. He had a good first pass and could handle the puck in traffic. He was a regular on the power play thanks to a smart wrist shot that he more often than not got on net. Occassionally he would move off the line and crash the net with his big body.

Philadelphia Flyers Legends: Derian Hatcher

"But I didn't hate him for what he did to me.I respected Hatcher as an extremely competitive person and a winner.His intensity level was two levels higher than most players.In a weird, maybe perverse way, I respected Hatcher for doing what he did to me, for avenging Modano." - Jeremy Roenick

J.R.

Derian Hatcher, a rugged defenseman with stubble that would demand a sharp razor, has drawn the arduous task of shadowing high-scoring, hard-hitting center Peter Forsberg.

The early results couldn't be better for the Dallas Stars, who have effectively contained Forsberg and Colorado's potent offense to take a 2-1 series lead over the Avalanche in the Western Conference finals.

"Whether I wanted the assignment or not, I got it," Hatcher said Thursday. "I would rather play against the other lines. ... He is one of the harder guys in the league to defend. He is so strong on his skates. You can't knock him down."

Hatcher's work in Dallas' 3-0 victory Wednesday night followed two games of grinding by teammate Guy Carbonneau, who actually asked to go head-to-head with Forsberg in the first two games.

The Augusta Chronicle: Local & World News, Sports & Entertainment in Augusta, GA

The Oilers knew and got exactly what they expected from the Stars. Derian Hatcher was his usual tower of strength along with defensive partner Richard Matvichuk.

Edmonton's slow play hits Lowe point

The Dallas Stars' 24-year-old Derian Hatcher didn't have the Stanley Cup showcase, though he distinguished himself last month in the World Cup, scoring two goals for the U.S. in the first game of the best-of-three finals. Hatcher displayed a combination of toughness, surprising offensive instincts and decent speed. "He looks like he's lumbering out there at times,"
Flyers coach Terry Murray says of the 6'5", 225-pounder, "but he's tough and makes good decisions with the puck."

ROUGH AND READY A NEW GENERATION OF YOUNG DEFENSEMEN, LED BY THE LIKES OF THE FLORIDA PANTHERS' ED JOVANOVSKI, IS READY TO HIT THE BIG TIME

Derian was a tough, heavy-hitting defensive-minded player whose offensive skill was better than most fans realized.

Former Dallas Stars general manager Doug Armstrong calls Derian the "American version of Scott Stevens".

"What always impressed me most about Derian Hatcher was that he walked softly and carried a big stick," Armstrong said."He never said anything controversial or ever drew a line in the sand; he just always let his actions speak for him."

Star-Spangled Hockey

Derian Hatcher was sometimes used as a 2nd unit PP net presence:

Penalty killing has grown so aggressive that teams are altering their power plays. Instead of a puckhandling second unit, Dallas sends out a smash-and-crash group featuring a solar eclipse of a defenseman, 6'5", 225-pound Derian Hatcher, who stands in front
of the net and tries to deflect in wrist shots from the point.

More Power To Them Quicker whistles in cases of obstruction have resulted in a sweeping change in the way hockey is played. In this postseason, a team must be quick, with a lethal power play, or it will be dead

In its April 24 issue, The Hockey News has named Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Derian Hatcher the league’s top penalty-killer for the 2006-07 season.

"Derian Hatcher endured and persevered through a tough year in Philadelphia, and that’s partly why he’s receiving the Guy Carbonneau Penalty-Killer of the Year Award.

Hatcher Named Top Penalty Killer by The Hockey News

Hatcher covers lots of ground with his arms, more with his legs.He covers as much area with one big stride as other players cover with two.

And then comes his head, which may be the best feature of all, because Derian Hatcher has very good instincts.

Our Goal Is Gold

Little study I spent three hours on...

- Determine the top-5 teams defensively each season from 1968-1979, the top-6 each season from 1980-2000, and the top-7 each season from 2001-2012. these are defined as elite defensive teams.
- create a new column in the TOI spreadsheet (1967-2006)that sums up only the total of ES and PK ice time, eliminating PP from the equation. Use NHL.com for 2007-2012
- count the number of times a player is either the leader in non-PP TOI on an elite defensive team, or 2nd place and within one minute.

What I'm left with is a list representing which players since expansion have tended to be the bulwark of a very strong defensive team.

177 players showed up at least once. These are the 85 that showed up at least twice.

Physicality and Mean Streak

Hatcher may be the most feared player in the league because the Dallas captain takes numbers and eventually gets even.

TEAMSCOPE

The post-NHL lockout world was not made for Derian Hatcher, and it showed. In fact, he was the poster boy of old warriors who could not play in the "new NHL." But in the years of the ultra-physical, tight checking NHL leading up to that time, Hatcher was one of the biggest, baddest and most feared men in hockey.

And one of the most effective. He was a tower of power with Dallas when he captained the Stars to the 1999 Stanley Cup.

[...]

I liked Hatcher because he was a force. He was huge at 6'5" and 225lbs, and he hit like a Mack truck. He kept the slot clean of defenders back in the pre-lockout era when you could do so by any means necessary. Hatcher invented many of those means.


He was fearless in his intimidating physical game, demanding respect and room. He also had a real mean streak - just ask Jeremy Roenick. I could not imagine how scary it would be for a forward coming down Hatcher's wing, fully knowing he was going to jar every bone of your body and enjoy it. Hatcher intimidate me at home sitting on my couch.

Hatcher was intelligent about it though. He knew when to stay out of the penalty box, despite what his career 1581 penalty minutes might suggest. He picked his spots, knowing he was too valuable to his team. He was a real work horse, eating up big minutes in all key situations.

[...]

In a game which demands toughness, Derian Hatcher was the toughest.

Philadelphia Flyers Legends: Derian Hatcher

On this night, the Flyers' 6-foot-5, 225-pound monster defenseman, Derian Hatcher, targeted the Penguins' 18-year-old star.At 14:01 of the second period, Hatcher hammered Crosby with a high stick and forearm that broke three of Crosby's teeth.Crosby briefly left the game only to be cracked with another Hatcher high stick- this one across the neck- upon his return.

Hatcher wasn't penalized on either play.

Tales from the Pittsburgh Penguins

A tough, physical defenseman, Hatcher racked up a career-high 211 penalty minutes during the 1993-94 season and was named the Stars top defenseman. From 1995-96 through 1997-98, Hatcher was playing 60-70 games a season for the Stars, logging plenty of ice time and missing games only due to recurring knee problems.

... Hatcher missed 24 games with a calf injury, however upon his return, he only missed a total a four games and continued to be a tower of strength on the Dallas blueline.

Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Derian Hatcher

Dallas defenseman Derian Hatcher was suspended Saturday by the National Hockey League for seven games, including the Stars' first five playoff contests, for hitting Phoenix center Jeremy Roenick in the head.

Hatcher's suspension is the longest in playoff history since Montreal's Maurice Richard was suspended, after punching a linesmen in March 1955, for the final three games of the regular season and the entire playoffs.

"It's a very severe penalty," Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said Saturday. "Both teams suffer. We're missing our captain, our leader, one of our best players. Derian has to take responsibility for what he did . . . and we're going to have to work through it in the playoffs."

Hatcher broke Roenick's jaw during the first period of Wednesday night's game when he left his feet and hit Roenick with his arm and shoulder. Hatcher received a five-minute boarding penalty and a game misconduct. Roenick received a jaw that was dislocated and broken in three places.

HATCHER HIT WITH LENGTHY BAN FOR BREAKING ROENICK'S JAW

"No one during my NHL career inflicted more pain on me than Dallas Stars defenseman Derian Hatcher" - Jeremy Roenick

J.R.

"He's our leader and our captain, and he gives us a big, physical presence," Brett Hull said. "To have him back fills a big hole. He'll add some toughness to our lineup."

The Augusta Chronicle: Local & World News, Sports & Entertainment in Augusta, GA

Hatcher then rocked Titov with a thunderous hit, knocking the helmet off the head of the Edmonton forward.

Edmonton's slow play hits Lowe point

“He was a unique package,†Ken Holland said. “He was regarded as one of the meanest and toughest defenders in the game. Unfortunately he got injured and didn’t play many games for us.â€

US HHOF inductee Derian Hatcher talks about brief tenure with Red Wings

Even though he denied it, the Hawks insist that Hatcher deliberately stuck his knee in Roenick's path.

"This isn't the first time this guy's done it," Pulford said. "John Paddock told me he did the same thing to Numminen.

I expected something like this to happen before now. They said they've sent out a memo, but what good does that do? Tearing out guys' knees has got to stop.

"Did he mean to hurt him? I don't think anyone means that, but he meant to hit him. He looks at J.R., sees him coming and goes out of his way to hit him."

"I'm not even going to be critical of Derian Hatcher," said Hawks coach Darryl Sutter. "He's a heck of a player, and he doesn't have the mobility he'd like to have and that's how he plays."

PULFORD URGES LEAGUE ACTION ON KNEEING

Q. Another question for Derian, your opponents refer to you your playing style sometimes they use the word scary, dangerous intimidating. Do you take these words as a compliment and should they be a little bit worried when you are on the ice?

DERIAN HATCHER: Well, I would have to take them as a compliment, but you know, I have played the same way for a long time and I am a physical player and I don't know if guys should be scared when they are out there, but if they are, I guess I am doing my job.

ASAP Sports Transcripts - Hockey - 1999 - NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: SABRES v STARS - June 7 - Ed Belfour - Bob Gainey - Derian Hatcher - Ken Hitchcock - Mike Modano

Leadership

Derian Hatcher was the first non-Canadian captain to win the Stanley Cup in NHL history.

Derian Hatcher was 22 when he became the Stars' captain, picked over other notable--and older--players like Mike Modano "The first two years Hatcher wasn't the guy I would have put in there," says Carbonneau, who retired in July after playing his final five seasons in Dallas. "He was a great team guy, always looking to organize things. But he didn't know what to do in the room. He got better. Now he's the type of leader they were looking for."

Chain Of Command Unlike in other leagues, a captain in the NHL not only wears his rank on his jersey but also can wield as much influence over his teammates as the coach

Derian Hatcher is the new acting captain for the struggling Flyers. He replaces captain Keith Primeau, who is out indefinitely with a concussion.

Hatcher previously served as captain of the Stars and wore the "C" during the their 1999 Stanley Cup championship.

[...]

"[Hitchcock] and some of the players felt that, with some of what's been going on, there needed to be a captain, a voice in the room that represents the team," Hatcher said.

Flyers name Hatcher as acting captain

He was also a great leader. It was Hatcher that captained the Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup in 1999. He was also a key contributer to USA's World Cup of Hockey victory in 1996.

Philadelphia Flyers Legends: Derian Hatcher

Q. Derian Hatcher, you are the captain of this team. With so many veterans and guys that won Cups before, talk about that as your role as a leader?

DERIAN HATCHER: Makes it easier tell you that much. I have never been to this point the Stanley Cup Finals and I think when we have the players that we have, it just takes a lot of pressure off me and I can concentrate on the day more. It has been like that throughout the course of the last couple of seasons. All those guys take a lot of pressure off me. If ever I have a problem or don't know what to do in certain situations, you know, I can go up to any of them and ask for advice and they are always willing to help.

ASAP Sports Transcripts - Hockey - 1999 - NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: SABRES v STARS - June 7 - Ed Belfour - Bob Gainey - Derian Hatcher - Ken Hitchcock - Mike Modano

Fighting Abilities

The site dropyourgloves has Derian Hatcher with a (W-L-D) record of 33-13-13 and a winning percentage of 55%.He took part in 71 fights in the NHL.The discrepancy between that number and his record is due to some fights being called "unfair" by the website, and they're left out of the record altogether.Hatcher was a heavyweight.Notables he fought include Eric Lindros, Brenden Shanahan, Chris Chelios, Rick Tocchet, Keith Tkachuk, Jarome Iginla and many others.

Derian Hatcher NHL Fights

Knee Injury and Decline

After a strong 2002-2003 campaign in which he finished 3rd in Norris voting and on the 2nd AST, Derian Hatcher moved to Detroit.Many people remember that his play deteriorated, especially that he lost the little speed he had, and this can be attributed to a knee injury.Then the lock-out happened and he was never the same.

Red Wings defenseman Derian Hatcher had right knee ligament surgery Thursday and is expected to be sidelined four to six months.

Hatcher has knee surgery

Hatcher out 4-6 months

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Derian Hatcher will miss four to six months after tearing a ligament in his right knee during a game.

He was hurt when he got tangled up with Vancouver's Markus Naslund and Bryan Allen early in Detroit's 3-2 victory Thursday.

Hatcher is expected to have surgery in a couple of weeks. The Red Wings hope he will be able to return in time for the playoffs, which begin in April.

Hatcher was the runner-up in voting last season for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the top defenseman. He signed a five-year, $30 million contract with his hometown team in July.

Hatcher out 4-6 months

“I signed a long-term deal, a five-year deal with hopes of ending my career there and it didn’t work out,†Derian said of his time in Detroit. “I got hurt, I think the second game in or the third game into the season and came back for the playoffs. The next year was the lockout year. It was tough. … I’m glad I did it. I’m glad I gave it a try. At the end of the day, yeah I’m a little sad maybe it didn’t work out. But, I hold no hard feelings.â€

US HHOF inductee Derian Hatcher talks about brief tenure with Red Wings

Recognition for defensive defensemen throughout Hatcher's prime

Defensive defensemen were generally poorly recognized in the late-90s and early-00s.I assume 96-97 to 02-03 to be Derian Hatcher's prime.I checked which defensemen finished Top 10 in Norris voting throughout that period without scoring 40 points or more (I understand 40 is an arbitrary number, but it's just to give a general idea).

96-97
2nd: Konstantinov (38 pts)
5th: Stevens (24 points)

97-98
3rd: Pronger (36 points)
4th: Stevens (26 points)

98-99
6th: Stevens (27 points)
7th: Hatcher (30 pts)

99-00
6th: Chelios (34 pts)
8th: MacInnis (39 pts)

00-01
3rd: Stevens (31 pts)
(Hatcher finished 13th with 23 pts, was the next in line under 40 pts after Stevens)

01-02
2nd: Chelios (39 pts)
8th: Aucoin (34 pts)

02-03
3rd: Hatcher (30 pts)
7th: Chara (39 pts)
10th: Foote (31 pts)

Stevens, Chelios and Hatcher are the only ones to appear twice on that list, and both Stevens and Chelios had put up strong offensive numbers in the early 90s and had a strong reputation behind them, whereas Hatcher had none.I suspect Hatcher's Norris record underrates him.

Penalty Kill Stats from overpass' spreadsheet (SH% and TmSH+)

Derian Hatcher was a great penalty killer.Noteworthy is how good his numbers are in Philadelphia (2006,2007,2008).He was injured in 2004 and only played 15 games (the Detroit year).

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Alex Delvecchio, C/LW

​

​

Consistent excellence

• More top 10 finishes in NHL scoring (11) than any center but Wayne Gretzky (16) and Jean Beliveau (12). Delvecchio played with Howe most of the time, but he did exactly what you'd expect a great player to do playing with Howe - racking up the top 10 finishes. Delvecchio also got two of his top 10 finishes without Howe as his even strength linemate.
• Played in 13 All Star Games - only Howe (23), Bourque (19), Gretzky (18), Mahovlich (15), Coffey (15), and Messier (15) played in more.
• Retired #2 all-time behind Gordie Howe in games played, assists, and points.

Strong playoff record

• Delvecchio scored 1281 points in 1549 regular season games (0.83 PPG). In the playoffs, he had 104 points in 121 career playoff games (0.86 PPG), a small increase (most players see slight drops in their scoring in the playoffs).
• As late as 1970 (Delvecchio's last playoffs), he ranked 6th All-Time in playoff scoring behind Gordie Howe and 4 members of the Montreal Canadiens (Beliveau, Rocket Richard, Geoffrion, and Moore).

• He was tied with Howe for the Detroit playoff scoring lead with nine points (seven assists) during the Red Wings' run to the Stanley Cup in 1954. He was third on the Red Wings in playoff scoring with 15 points (seven goals) in 1955, when they won the Cup again. In Game 7 of the '55 Stanley Cup Final, Delvecchio scored the first goal and later scored on a breakaway in a 3-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens. And when the Wings again advanced to the Final before losing to the Canadiens in '56, Delvecchio was Detroit's leading playoff goal scorer with seven. Ten years later, when the Red Wings again lost to the Canadiens in the Final, he led Detroit with 11 playoff assists.

Durability - missed only 43 games in a career spanning 23 seasons

Leadership - Red Wings captain for 12 seasons: 1962-63 - 1973-74.

Defensive play - Delvecchio finished 4th in a 1958 poll of all 6 NHL coaches for "best defensive forward" in the NHL. This is the only such poll we have from the period.

2nd Team All Star at both C (1952-53) and LW (1958-59). Also received a spattering of votes at both positions, sometimes in the same year, throughout the 1960s.

Top 10 finishes:

• 5 top 10s in Goals: 3, 7, 8, 8, 9
• 10 top 10s in Assists: 2, 2, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6, 7, 8, 9
• 11 top 10s in Points: 4, 5, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 8, 9, 10, 10

Delvecchio finished 4th in NHL scoring in 1952-53 (his best finish!) and 8th in 1957-58 without Gordie Howe as a regular linemate, proving he could be a top 10 scorer without Howe.

Details:

I'll look at the number of goals on which Delvecchio received points with Howe and with other players.
(table lost in the migration from the old server)

At even strength, it looks like Delvecchio started off on a lower line, with Howe playing on the Production Line with Lindsay and Abel. Delvecchio appears to have been promoted to centre Howe for part of the 1954-55 and 1956-57 seasons, but not the full season. 15/33 points with Howe and 10/26 points with Howe is a bit low for full-time linemates. Delvecchio played with a wide variety of linemates in 1957-58 (basically what Norm Ullman would do in the early 1960s), and then moved onto a line with Howe and Ullman for most of the following three seasons.

In 1961-62 Delvecchio appears to have become Howe's full-time linemate, and he remained there for the next decade until Hull retired. He closed off his career with two seasons centering the young goal-scorer Mickey Redmond.

One would assume that Delvecchio benefitted offensively from playing with Howe. This is almost certainly true on the power play. A Detroit PP without Howe would have been less potent, with fewer points to go around for everyone. But is it true at even strength? Delvecchio was fourth in league scoring in 1952-53 and eighth in 1957-58 without Howe as a regular linemate. It seems he had the ability to be a top-10 scorer on a lower line and without Howe. And of course he deserves credit for being a good fit with Gordie Howe for a decade.

Alex talks about how he was a rough player in junior until his coach told him to stop taking penalties:

"My coach was Larry Aurie. He was a veteran of the Red Wings of the thirties," Alex recalled in an interview as he reflected back on that 1950-51 season. "He made practices interesting, was so earnest and intense in passing on his knowledge that we players hated to leave the ice. He emphasized to me the finesse of stickwork and playmaking." But Larry Aurie's impact went beyond productivity. "I was a hothead then, getting too many penalties for fighting and popping off," Alex admitted. "Aurie smartened me up in a hurry about keeping out of trouble."

Quotes by peers

Alex was a natural athlete. His biggest assets were his skating and passing, a fluid skater with an effortless style. I remember him centering for big Frank Mahovlich. Frank had that big, sweeping stride, and it was tough for centers to judge where he'd be for a pass. But Alex would him almost every time, right on the money. Alex was the best center man at making consistently perfect passes that I've ever seen.

Alex was one of those players who made people around him better. He was an extremely unselfish player. The game slowed down for him. He was a top-notch, excellent passer."

He is unbelievable at anticipating what I'll do, what an opponent will do, what every man out there will do.

He's not the brawniest hockey player I ever saw, but he is one of the brainiest.

You could put a glass full of china on a table. He could throw the puck across ice. That puck would land; he wouldn't break one of those glasses.

He was a heads up hockey player who positioned himself well and was always in the right place.

When you think of the Red Wings, you think of Howe. But Alex is the most underrated player in the game today -- underrated by everyone but the players

You got to be sure to take the body when you check him. You can't play the puck on him because he's so quick and smart with the puck, he'll go right around you.

(Delvecchio is) a deceptive shooter, maybe the most deceptive in the league. He doesn't take a big windup, just sort of slaps at it, but he gets an awful lot on it."

He's like a magician with the puck. He is so good that you think you have direction on him, for some reason he's able to change it in flow. And how he does it, I'll never understand it.

(Delvecchio was) a great artist, that's what he was. I had no idea how much of one until I played with him. Ted Lindsay and I would sit on the bench when Alex was just a rookie and talk about what a good player he could become.

There is no wasted motion. I don't think he even sweats out there.

I don't like to play on the same line as 'Fats'. He is such a smooth skater with that almost delicate toe-dancing style of his that he is worth watching. I can only watch him when he is playing on a different line than I am.

I can thank Alex for a lot of good years. We read each other very well. I played with some great hockey players but none came to his order."

Sources = NHL Top 100, NHL Top 100 video, Greatest Hockey Legends

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Reg Noble, LW/D/C

​

There was no-one tougher to get the puck around than Reg Noble

Source = Toronto Maple Leafs - the 100

I am sure that Reg Noble ranks among the ten best forwards I have ever known. He had an iron constitution and my players told me that every time they came into bodily contact with him, they were jarred from head to foot.

• Stanley Cup Champion (1918, 1922, 1926)
• Stanley Cup Finalist (1917)
• Team Captain (1927-1930) *He also was the captain of the Toronto St-Pats for an unknown period of time*
• Red Wings Hall of Fame (1944)
• Hockey Hall of Fame (1962)

Stats (via Eagle Belfour's profile = ATD 2010 Bios)

National Hockey Association [1916-1917] *FORWARD* - age 20
Top-10 Penalty minutes (7th)

National Hockey League [1917-1918; 1919-1925] *FORWARD* - ages 21, 23-28
Top-10 Scoring (3rd, 6th, 6th, 6th, 7th, 8th)
Top-10 Goalscoring (3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th)
Top-10 Assist (1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, 6th, 8th, 9th)
Top-10 Penalty Minutes (1st, 5th, 5th, 6th)
Top-10 Playoff Scoring (6th, 10th)
Top-10 Playoff Goalscoring (5th)
Top-10 Playoff Assist (4th, 5th)
Top-10 Playoff Penalty Minutes (3rd, 8th)

National Hockey League [1918-1919; 1925-1933] *DEFENSE* - ages 22, 29-36
Top-10 Scoring (9th)
Top-10 Goalscoring (8th)
Top-10 Assist (3rd, 8th, 10th)
Top-10 Penalty Minutes (5th, 6th, 7th, 9th)
Top-10 Playoff Scoring (5th)
Top-10 Playoff Goalscoring (5th)
Top-10 Playoff Assist (5th)
Top-10 Playoff Penalty Minutes (5th)

Top-10 Scoring among defenseman (1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th)
Top-10 Goalscoring among defenseman (1st, 3rd, 4th)
Top-10 Assist among defenseman (1st, 2nd, 2nd, 4th)
Top-10 Penalty Minutes among defenseman (2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 8th)
Top-10 Playoff Scoring among defenseman (1st)
Top-10 Playoff Goalscoring among defenseman (1st)
Top-10 Playoff Assist among defenseman (2nd)
Top-10 Playoff Penalty Minutes among defenseman (2nd)

Trying to figure out a VsX equivalent for Reg Noble:
According to @seventieslord , Noble's best 7 Vs1 seasons (using Vs1 because of splits leagues are:
83 71 67 63 62 61 45

Massive drop off after Noble's 6th best year. However, Noble was a forward for only 8 years of his 17 year career, and he did finish 1st and 2nd in scoring among defensemen in other years. So is it really fair to look at 7 years? Noble's 6 year average Vs1 score is 67.8.

But that still probably underrates his offensive talent, as he was a pass-first player playing in an era that barely counted assists:

the only caveat to this is that he was more of a playmaking forward, from what I can tell. His best goals finishes are:

3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 9

his best assists finishes are:

1, 3, 3, 6, 6, 6, 7, 10, 10.

put another way, his points finishes are:

3, 6, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8

but his adjusted points finishes (which give him more credit for strong assist totals) are:

2, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 9

not a huge difference, but it's something at least.

Hard to know what to make of this, as it's becoming a fudge of a fudge (and is an example of why Sturminator originally never intended for VsX to be used before the 1926 consolidation), but I would estimate his "true" value to be somewhere close to a VsX score of 70-72, about halfway between Bert Olmstead (better) and Baldy Northcott (worse). (If I have time, I'll try to work an a more mathematically rigorous method of the equalization of assists).

All-Time Teams

He (Aurele Joliat) picked an all star team (at the request of W.A. Howard, a writer for Canadian National Magazine) confined to players who played against him during his 16 years as a professional. He puts Benedict or Gardiner in goal; Shore and Noble on defense; Nighbor at centre; with Cook and Jackson on the wings. It's a well balanced unit.

In 1958, in an informal poll, the six NHL general managers were asked to name the toughest player they ever saw and the toughest men playing at that time
....
votes for "all-time toughest": Jack Stewart (2), Reg Noble, Joe Hall, Jimmy Orlando, Bill Cook

Newspaper articles from the 1922 Cup win
Before game 1 against Ottawa:

Reg Noble, captain of the Toronto St. Patrick's pro team... will start at centre tonight in an effort to hold Frank Nighbor, the famous Ottawa mid-ice performer, in the first of the NHL playoff games at the Arena. Noble and Nighbor are both adept at the sweep and poke checks, but Noble is the sturdier of the two and he may shake the lathy Ottawa star up with a few body-checks and stop his speed

Before game 1 against Vancouver, to be played under NHL rules:

Vancouver and St. Patricks will meet here tonight in the first game of the Stanley Cup series, and the visitors from across the continent will start as equal favorites with the locals. So impressive has been the all-around work of the Western champions that many local fans are conceding them the Canadian title; but, irrespective of this pessimism, the great majority of Toronto critics are behind the Irish to a man. The team that defeated the once invincible Ottawa machine will not need for support. The struggle between (former Toronto star Alf) Skinner and (Reg) Noble should be interesting, but unless Skinner has improved a whole lot he will not outplay Noble, who when right is without peer in the hockey world. (Mickey) MacKay will be handicapped at left wing instead of rover, but, irrespective of that, he should be able to hold his own against (Babe) Dye. The substitutes - (Ernie) Parkes, (Eddie) Oatman, and (Charles) Tobin - outclass the local reserve men, and it is here that the championship will be won or lost.

Interest in the series is at fever pitch

Source = The Toronto Maple Leafs: The Complete Oral History by Eric Zweig: The Toronto Maple Leafs

Internet sites & book (via Eagle Belfour's profile):

Reg Noble was a winner at both the amateur and professional levels throughout his career. His consistent scoring and natural skill granted him status as one of the game's top left wings. Despite his free spirit, he was a brilliant stickhandler who played hard and earned the favor of fans everywhere.

Noble remained a stalwart with the franchise when it was renamed the St. Patricks in 1919-20. During this period, he formed one of hockey's great early lines with right winger Cecil "Babe" Dye and center XXXX XXXXXXX. Noble was a crowd favorite at the old Mutual Street Arena and one loyal fan used to wind up a siren whenever Noble stole the puck from an opposing attacker, sending the rest of the crowd into a frenzy. Noble's poke-check to thwart the enemy became nearly as famous as his goal-scoring exploits.

When Jack Adams sought to stabilize his lineup, one of the first moves he made was to spend $7,500 to add veteran Reg Noble in 1927, immediately naming him captain. Adams was quite familiar with Noble's leadership qualities.

Noble was a gritty competitor. A fireplug of a player at 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds, Noble made the switch from left wing to defense with the Maroons and was a stabilizing influence on the back end. His ability to lend a helping hand was also evidenced on the scoresheet.

Championships seemed to follow Reg Noble wherever he went. The hard-skating left winger [...] was a major factor in the team's Cup win the following spring. The scrappy hard rock carried on in Toronto.

Maroon's owner James Strachan had always admired Noble and was convinced the veteran could provide the kind of leadership his young team needed. Taking advantage of Noble's fine stick-handling skills and positional hockey instincts, coach Eddie Gerard moved the fan favourite to defense.

The thick, 37-years-old would lead a young Cougars/Falcons defense for the next five seasons.

Reg Noble was a handsome, happy-go-lucky player who had a long and colourful career in pro hockey. He was a scrappy but not dirty player and was very popular with the fans.

Career history (via EagleBelfour's profile: ATD 2010 Bios)
- He signed as a free agent by Toronto in the NHA on November 25th, 1916
- He was traded to Montreal Maroons by Toronto St. Pats for $8000 on December 9th, 1924
- Noble suffered a fractured skull when clipped by the stick of Ottawa's Hooley Smith in a 1925-26 game, but was back in the Maroons lineup after missing just four contests
- He was traded to the Detroit Cougars by the Montreal Maroons for 7500$ on October 4th, 1927
- In 1929-30, Noble became the All-Time leader in assist, with 93 helpers and surpassing Frank Nighbor
- He was traded to the Montreal Maroons by the Detroit Falcons for John Gallagher on December 9th, 1932, though newspaper reports suggest that Gallagher was sold to Detroit on December 9th and Noble then signed as a free agent with the Maroons on December 13th or 14th
- Noble was the last active NHL player from both the NHL's inaugural season and the 1910s
- After his retirement from the game, Noble launched a career as an NHL referee
- He Died of a heart attack at his home in Alliston, Ontario on January 19th, 1962

 

[ResilientBeast]

Syd Howe

Scoring and Voting Results

HHOF member
Stanley Cup Champion 3 times (1935-36, 1936-37, 1942-43)
2nd team NHL all star in 1944-45
Top 16 in goals 9 times [6 top 10]: 3,5,6,8,9,10,12,15,16
Top 20 in assists 8 times [5 top 10]: 4,5,6,7,9,14,15,19
7 year vsX: 83.9
10 year vsX: 77.7
Top 5 in Hart voting 3 times: 3, 4, 5

The Intangibles

The Globe And Mail 14 Nov 1941

Norris need not worry about whatever raise Howe received last week. Regardless of the amount, Howe was worth every cent of it to the Red Wings. It would not be inaccurate to say that without Howe, the Wings would not have been in the Stanley Cup finals against the Boston Bruins.

This Howe is an unusual fellow. He talks with the bashfullness of a choir boy and bumps opposing hockey players with the abandon of a giant. This is despite that Howe is only 5 feet 9 inches tall and looks even smaller. He is liked by every hockey player in the National League, because they know he is a clean player, yet one will return blow for blow if necessary.

Stan Fischler's "Hockey Chronicle"

Howe exhibited the hard-working spirit of Olympia stadium faithful, playing the corners, digging for the puck, and delivering timely body checks.

Howe was an all-around player, shifting between left wing and centre as needed, killing penalties and dropping back to play defence in a pinch. Those who watched the team closely reported that Howe's ice time with Detroit would constitute an amazing total.

The Wings repeated as Stanley Cup winners in 1937. "For the greatest all around performance, you can't overlook Syd Howe's play in the 1937 series," mentioned xxxx, referring to the semi-final against the Canadiens. "Howe played defense, left wing and centre in the final game of that series." Detroit beat Montreal 2-1 in the third overtime period of that contest.

When Syd Howe broke Nels Stewart’s al-time point total in the N.H.L. the other night, Jolly Jack Adams nominated Syd the all-time Red Wing and declared he wouldn’t take two Stewarts for Howe, though Nels is twice as big.

“Howe was more versatile than Nels was,†said Jack. “He has played every position except goal. He’s a good backchecker and that’s something Stewart never was. Both have been great competitors in the playoffs but Howe’s record overshadows Stewart’s. Stewart collected some of is goals before the crease (the area in front of the goal) was made out of bounds for opponents. In his day, forwards could block the goaltender off.â€

Flash Hollet, who also saw action against Nels, supports Jolly Jack’s opinions and declares that in the 10 years he played with the Bruins he rated Howe as the league’s outstanding centre.

“Howe is a great team player,†said Flash. “Stewart wasn’t, though I don’t think there ever was a better player around the nets than Stewart. When they were shouting the praises of Syl Apps, I couldn’t even see him over Howe. I could always check Apps. You could always force him to make the first move, and drive him over to the side. Not Howe. Syd can shift from the inside or from the outside, or stop. He always makes a play. Some of the Hardest bodychecks I ever took were from Howe while I was with Boston, as I was carrying the puck out of our end.â€
…
But these arguments never do get anywhere. Stewart and Howe are two of the greatest players to ever strut their stuff in the N.H.L. – so why not let it go at that?

The Globe and Mail 21 Feb 1941

You have to list Sydney H (Syd) Howe of Detroit Red Wings as one of the unsung heroes of major professional hockey lands....a sturdy and useful puckchaser who can play left wing, centre or defence and satisfy his bosses....after ten seasons in the National League (now into his 11th) he's a Forgotten Man in the world of headliners...it will the same forgotten man who'll be leading Detroit Red Wings in Saturday night's game here against Toronto Leafs...he's the powerfouse of a Detroit club that ride in third place despite a scoring record that is only six goals better than the trailing New York Americans....With 15 goals and 16 assists Howe towers above the rest of the Detroit score collectors...there are few better defensive forwards in major ranks and on numerous occasions Jack Adams has used his handyman as a rear guard.

The Globe and Mail 23 Jan 1942

Cowley, the league's top scorer last year was taken to the hospital for observation after being felled by a body check by Syd Howe

I looked for some more detail on Syd Howe's play. Most of what I was able to find is from Ottawa papers. Howe was from Ottawa, and the city's papers followed his career with interest.

Howe was the star centre for the Ottawa Gunners in 1928 when they won the Ontario junior title. They lost to Mush March and the Regina Pats for the Memorial Cup. So Howe's move to wing was in the NHL only - he was a natural centre.

Contemporary articles praised Howe for his versatility above all else and his ability as a "utility man" to play anywhere in the lineup.

Benton Harbour News-Palladium – Jan 19, 1943 (by Watson Spoelstra of the Associated Press)

While a top star for many years, there isn’t an iota of explosive temperament in Howe’s makeup. Aside from scoring talents, Howe possesses all-around ability that makes him the handy man of the Detroit club. At present he is centering the top line of Bruneteau and Carl Liscombe, but he can play either wing position and does a superb job on defense even though he’s on the small side.

In the average game, he’s on the ice more than half the time. Besides taking his regular turn, Howe is out there whenever Detroit is shorthanded as a defensive measure and he likewise is utilized when the Wings have a manpower edge and are prepared to swoop in on the rival goalie.

He probably could do a pretty smart job in the nets, too.

I wasn't able to find any game reports of Howe actually taking a regular shift on defense. I thought I had a line on one at one point.

Prescott Evening Courier, March 2, 1942

Howe showed his appreciation to Detroit fans for the recent “Syd Howe Night†at the Olympia by playing a major role in trouncing the Chicago Black Hawks, 2-0. He scored both goals and played a great game on defense to shutout the Hawks.

Despite his long service, Howe has lost none of his speed. A clever stick-handler, he is particularly dangerous in the scrambles in front of the opposition’s nets.

When I looked up the game report from this game (January 29, 1942), Howe was listed as a sub. Both goals were scored in close around the net, and there was nothing to indicate he played the defense position. Maybe he did play defense and it wasn't mentioned in the game report - or maybe "a great game on defense" means he checked well as a forward.

The mention of him being particularly dangerous in scrambles in front of the net is another interesting point.

The Ottawa press felt Howe was underrated around the league.

Ottawa Citizen – April 4, 1945:

Amazing feature of the 1944-45 all-star lineups is the appearance of Syd Howe at left wing on the alternate array...It is long overdue recognition for the Ottawan who has given Jack Adams and Detroit fans such sustained brilliancy on the ice...It seems a shame that the NHL writers wasted years acknowledging Syd’s value...He was ignored at times when fellows named to the all-star teams were not entitled to carry his stick...

On the other hand, this could be the type of hindsight that leads today's hockey writers to rate Scott Niedermayer over Chris Chelios.

Howe's speed was mentioned in a couple of quotes above. He skated in a speed contest at an NHL all-star benefit game in 1937.

Ottawa Journal – April 26, 1937

Phil Watson, fleet New York Ranger forward, overtook Syd Howe with a fast finishing spurt to win the race for forwards.

I also found a mention of his skating style, from an old-timers game report.

Ottawa Journal, April 5, 1955

Syd Howe has never lost that peculiar knee action that first marked his play as one of the classiest juniors ever developed here.

Howe was voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965.

Ottawa Journal – June 8, 1965

Jim Norris inevitably says: “Things started to boom in a hockey way in Detroit when we bought Syd Howe from St. Louis. He was a tremendously conscientious forward who did a lot for us and became one of the most popular players we ever had in Detroit.â€

Durable, clean, and a player who gave of his best every time out, the Hall of Fame boasts no finer performer than Howe who finished his career in 1945-46.

Tremendously conscientious - sounds like another way of saying he was good defensively.

Howe passed away in 1976.

Ottawa Journal – May 21, 1976

Syd was an extraordinary athlete at Glebe Collegiate, excelling in basketball and track and field, as well as hockey, and his versatility continued to show in the NHL where he played for 16 seasons. Despite the fact he was not a big man, playing at about 170 pounds, he was used at centre, on the wing, and on defence.

He was fast, clever, and possessed of a great shot, and while some of the modern players still haven’t learned to keep the shots low, Syd Howe had mastered that skill when he was just a boy on Ottawa’s outdoor rinks.

Rev. George Larose knew Syd Howe for more than 50 years, and he said yesterday:

“He never changed. When he was a kid, we called him Baby Face, but he could look after himself when he had to. And shoot! Low and hard...a couple of inches off the ice.â€

And it’s something special when a man can achieve fame and greatness and a measure of immortality, and wear it as lightly as did Syd Howe. He never changed, as Father Larose said, because he was engagingly humble, consistently sincere, and he carried himself with uncommon grace.

His hit on Bill Cowley was discussed earlier. This account from Cowley leaves no doubt it was an intentional, clean check.

Ottawa Journal – March 22, 1975

Bill Cowley, another NHL Hall of Famer from Ottawa, says: “There’s no doubt in my mind that Syd Howe was the most underrated hockey player who ever played in the National Hockey League past or present. I’ll tell you something else, if you asked most anybody else who played with or against him they’d tell you the same thing.

Syd was primarily a left-winger though he played every position but nets in the NHL.

He was a clean, hard-hitting two-way star who returned to Ottawa shortly after his retirement, coaxed back by the late T.P. Gorman to play a half-season with Ottawa Senators.

Syd Howe despite his determination never resorted to underhanded or illegal tactics to leave his impression in sports. One of the lowest points in his career came when he hit his good friend Cowley with a clean check and broke Cowley’s jaw in five places.

“That was as hard and as cleanly as I’ve ever been hit in hockey†Cowley remembered. “Syd didn’t get a penalty on the play and didn’t deserve one. He caught me with my head down and I spent the night in hospital. (Editor’s note: Bill said it was the only time he had had his head down in the NHL which probably means the fans must have been throwing half-dollars on the ice that night).

Still Syd Howe was shaken by inflicting injury on his opponents.

Not only a superb hockey player and all-round athlete but an outstanding and compassionate citizen, a credit to this city.

When Syd Howe broke Nels Stewart’s all-time point total in the NHL the other night Jolly Jack Adams nominated Syd the all-time Red Wing and declared he wouldn’t take two Stewarts for Howe, though Nels is twice as big.

“Howe is more versatile than Nels was,†said Jack. “He has played every position except goal. He’s a good backchecker and that’s something Stewart never was. Both have been great competitors (unreadable) playoffs but Howe’s record overshadows Stewart’s. Stewart collected some of his goals before the crease (the area in front of the goal) was made out of bounds for opponents. In his day forwards could block the goaltender off.â€

Flash Hollett, who also saw action against Nels, supports Jolly Jack’s opinion and declares that in the 10 years he played with the Bruins he rated Howe as the league’s outstanding centre.

“Howe is a great team player,†said Flash. “Stewart wasn’t, though I don’t think there ever was a better player around the nets than Stewart. When they were shouting the praises of Syl Apps, I couldn’t see him over Howe. I could always check Apps. You could always force him to make the first move, and drive him over to the side. Not Howe. Syd can shift from the inside or from the outside, or stop. He always makes a play. Some of the hardest bodychecks I ever took were from Howe while I was with Boston, as I was carrying the puck out of our end.â€

Syd Howe streaked down the ice and fired a whistler from the left side that also got past [the] Goalie...

Most noteworthy, according to Manager Jack Adams, was the play of Syd Howe on defense.

Detroit went ahead again early in the second period by counting while shorthanded, Syd Howe taking a beautiful pass from Kilrea.

Positions
Here's where Syd Howe received AS votes...

1940: 1 pt 2nd Team LW
1941: 9 pts 2nd Team LW
1942: 1 pt 2nd Team LW
1943: 2 pts 2nd Team C
1944: 34pts (0-3) C, 7 pts (0-1) RW, 6pts (0-1) LW (no more separate 1st and 2nd Team voting from here on)
1945: 103.5pts (2-4) LW, 7 pts (0-1) C

I looked up Syd Howe in Trail and 70s was right that the playoff listings don't help much alone as he was often a substitute.

They had him at
Sub - 53
LW - 11
C - 6 (first start at center in the playoffs was in 1942)

Here's what it said about linemates in his biography.

Played with Cooney Weiland (C) and Hec Kilrea (W) in Ottawa
Played with Bill Cowley (C) and Frank Finnigan (RW) in St. Louis

1936-1937, played with Larry Aurie (RW) and Ebbie Goodfellow (C) or Wally Kilrea (RW/C) and Mud Bruneteau (RW)

Wally Kilrea makes it hard to tell which spot Howe played with the second combination. Kilrea is listed as a RW/C on hockeyreference, his one start in the playoffs in 1937 came at RW with different linemates. Howe's one start in the 1937 playoffs came at LW with Bruneateau and Gord Pettinger at center. However, this combination was reunited for 4 starts in the 1940 playoffs with Kilrea playing center and Howe on the left wing each game.

1939-1943, played with various combinations; Marty Barry (C), Charlie Conacher (RW), Wally Kilrea (W/C), Mud Bruneteau (RW), Gus Giesbrecht (C), and Carl Liscombe (LW)

Hard to tell much from these, here's some certain combinations from the playoffs in this period: Howe-Barry-Conacher (1939 - 1 start), Howe-Motter-Wares (1939 - 1 start), Howe-Kilrea-Bruneteau (1940 - 4 starts) Howe-Giesbrecht-Bruneteau (1941 - 2 starts), Howe-Liscombe-Bruneateau (1942 - 1 start), Liscombe-Howe-Bruneateau (1942 - 3 starts)

Here's what I pulled from writeups on individual seasons
1943 line with Mud Bruneteau (RW) and Carl Liscombe (LW) - Howe had two starts in the playoffs at center with Liscombe on the wing. Liscombe had some starts in the playoffs at center with other linemates so it seems he played wing when with Howe this year as they did in the 1942 playoffs.
1945 line with Jud McAtee (W) and Eddie Bruneteau (W)

Based on all this we can say he was probably purely a left wing until moving to Detroit and seems to have remained one until 1942. From 1942 until his retirement in 1946 it looks like he was mostly a center playing with Mud Bruneteau, Carl Liscombe, and a season of Eddie Bruneteau and Jud McAtee.

 

[Voight]

Jonathan Toews

Awards and Achievements:

3x Stanley Cup Champion (2010, 2013, 2015)
Conn Smythe (2010)

Frank J Selke Award (2013)

Second Team All-Star (2013)

2x Gold Medal (2010, 2014)
Quadruple Gold Club (Olympic, World Championship, World Cup Gold + Stanley Cup)
Best Forward (2010 Olympics)

Hart voting - 4th(2013), 6th(2011), 9th(2014), 10th(2015)
Selke voting - 1st(2013), 2nd(2011), 2nd(2015), 3rd(2014), 4th(2010), 4th(2016), 5th(2017), 6th(2012)

All-Star voting - 2nd(2013), 3rd(2011), 7th(2014), 7th(2015), 7th(2016), 8th(2008), 8th(2010), 8th(2017)

Offensive Accomplishments:
Goals - 5th(2013)

Steve Yzerman sees some of himself in Jonathan Toews but thinks the Chicago Blackhawks' captain is a better player than he was during his Hall of Fame career.

"The reality is Jonathan's bigger, stronger, better," the Tampa Bay Lightning general manager said. "I'm not sure I could even take him in a race, either, so he's probably faster.

"Jonathan's been that since Day One, since he's come into the league," Yzerman said. "He's just a complete hockey player."

"How tough he is mentally, how every day he is, what a great person he is, that's what makes him the conscious of this team and the captain that he is and the person that he is," Babcock said. "He's a very, very good player and he does things right. He's a heavy guy who knows how to play. I like him a lot. His determination and his will are a lot like (Henrik) Zetterberg and (Pavel) Datsyuk."

“I think he’s a conscience for your team,” said Babcock. “(The Blackhawks) don’t win any of their championships without that guy. He does the right (thing) every single day. The bigger the day, the bigger the moment, the better he plays.”

"Jonathan brings it every night," said Scotty Bowman, a Hockey Hall of Fame coach and the Blackhawks senior adviser to hockey operations. "It's one thing to have ability, but another to compete. You are not going to outcompete Toews. He plays in all situations. Power play, penalty kill, 5-on-5.

"He's a big guy. You see him out of uniform. He's strong and thick. But again, it's another thing to use the body the way he uses it. He takes it to all the tough areas and makes sacrifices. He plays the entire rink. He's got everybody's respect, his own guys, guys throughout the league, coaches and general managers.

Indeed, soon enough the hockey world got to know Toews as the kid who couldn’t miss — this at the 2007 world junior championships, when he scored three shootout goals in an epic semifinal win over the United States. And in the intervening years, Toews has grown into a man rarely to be denied.

Name a hockey feat, and he’s probably achieved it. Stanley Cup ring? He’s got two. Olympic gold? Ditto. Selke Trophy as best defensive forward? Knocked that off the bucket list in 2013.

Hart Trophy as league MVP? Well, no, but that’s a regular-season honour, and Toews has defined himself as a post-season animal.

"He's a lot like Rod Brind'Amour," Former Calgary Flames GM Craig Button said before the 2006 Entry Draft in which Toews was taken behind only defenseman Erik Johnson and center Jordan Staal, who went to St. Louis and Pittsburgh, respectively. "There's no part of the game he can't compete in. He just does everything well. But what makes him so special to me is that I have never seen him give up on a single play ... and, believe me, that kind of attitude rubs off on everyone around him."

Toews was the youngest captain to lift the Stanley Cup when the Blackhawks ended a 39-year drought in 2010; he won the Conn Smythe Trophy that season. He also has been instrumental in helping Canada to back-to-back gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics.

He won the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2013 and was a finalist in 2014. He is mentioned consistently in any discussion about the best players in the sport.

“With some players, offensive production outpaces their effectiveness. With some guys, it’s the opposite. Their effectiveness is higher than what they show on the scoresheet. With Jonathan, even when he’s scoring 70-80 points, it’s not the points that define him, it’s about all the other stuff he does.”

 

[Dreakmur]

Corey Perry !!!


Awards and Achievements:
Stanley Cup Champion (2007)
2 x Olympic Gold Medalist (2010, 2014)

Hart Trophy Winner (2011)
2 x First Team All-Star (2011, 2014)

Hart voting - 1st(2011), 13th(2014)
All-Star voting - 1st(2011), 1st(2014), 5th(2009), 6th(2016), 8th(2010), 9th(2015)

Offensive Accomplishments:
Points - 3rd(2011), 5th(2014), 20th(2010)
Goals - 1st(2011), 2nd(2014), 6th(2012), 9th(2016), 10th(2015)
Assists - 14th(2011), 16th(2010)

Play-off Points - 7th(2007), 7th(2015)
Play-off Goals - 3rd(2015), 9th(2009), 11th(2007)
Play-off Assists - 10th(2007)

Olympic Goals - 2nd(2010)

World Cup Goals - 6th(2017)


5-Year Peak: 2008 to 2012
18th in Points, 81% of 2nd place Henrik Sedin
5th in Goals, 86% of 2nd place Ilya Kovalchuk

10-Year Peak: 2008 to 2017
12th in Points, 80% of 2nd place Sidney Crosby
3rd in Goals, 99% of 2nd place Steven Stamkos


Scoring Percentages:
Points - 99(2011), 94(2014), 70(2010), 70(2016), 65(2009), 64(2015), 63(2013), 62(2012), 60(2017), 51(2008)

Goals - 111(2011), 100(2014), 77(2015), 74(2012), 74(2016), 70(2009), 56(2008), 53(2010), 52(2013)

Best 6 Seasons: 462

Player Poll in 2012:
Best Goal-Scorer - 3rd
Best Money Player - 3rd
Best Shooter - 4th
Best Power Forward - 3rd

Sometimes you wonder how good Corey Perry could be if he weren't devoting so much energy to getting under people's skin. On the other hand, perhaps that's what make him so effective in the first place. Either way, Perry brings a high level of play in both the agitating a skill department.

He just wins....
OHL Cup Champion (2001)

Nations Cup Gold Medal (2003)

World Junior Championship Gold Medalist (2005)
OHL Champion (2005)
Memorial Cup (2005)

Stanley Cup Champion (2007)

2 x Olympic Gold Medalist (2010, 2014)

World Championship Gold Medalist (2016)

World Cup Champion (2017)​

 

[Dreakmur]

George Armstrong !!!


Awards and Achievements:
4 x Stanley Cup Champion (1962, 1963, 1964, 1967)

All-Star - 4th(1961), 4th(1964)

Offensive Achievements:
Points - 15th(1956), 16th(1957), 16th(1960), 18th(1962), 18th(1966)
Goals - 13th(1960), 15th(1954), 16th(1957), 19th(1962), 20th(1956)
Assists - 11th(1966), 12th(1956), 17th(1962), 18th(1957)

Even Strength Goals - 12th(1962), 13th(1960), 16th(1956), 16th(1959), 19th(1954)

Play-off Points - 4th(1964), 5th(1962), 5th(1963)
Play-off Goals - 2nd(1962), 4th(1964), 6th(1956), 8th(1963)
Play-off Assists - 4th(1963), 5th(1964), 6th(1960)


5-Year Peak: 1960 to 1964
20th in Points, 57% of 2nd place Gordie Howe
18th in Goals, 60% of 2nd place Frank Mahovlich

10th in Short-Handed Goals

5th in Play-off Points, 87% of 2nd place Stan Mikita
6th in Play-off Goals, 81% of 2nd place Gordie Howe
7th in Play-off Assists, 71% of 2nd place Pierre Pilote

10-Year Peak: 1955 to 1964
13th in Points, 56% of 2nd place Jean Beliveau
15th in Goals, 56% of 2nd place Jean Beliveau
19th in Assists, 54% of 2nd place Gordie Howe

8th in Play-off Points, 59% of 2nd place Bernie Geoffrion
8th in Play-off Goals, 55% of 2nd place Jean Beliveau
12th in Play-off Assists, 63% of 2nd place Bernie Geoffrion​

Scoring Percentages:
Points - 68(1956), 65(1966), 64(1960), 63(1962), 59(1958), 57(1957), 53(1963), 52(1954)

Best 6 Seasons: 376

He did more for the Maple Leafs than any other hockey player who played for me.

Armstrong was never a great skater but was rarely out of position; he knew how to play the angles on the opposing forwards and was a great corner man in the offensive zone. He never attained the scoring heights in the NHL as he had in his junior and senior days but Armstrong brought determination, leadership, and humour to a Leafs squad that was trying to escape the shadow of the Barilko tragedy in the early 1950s.

....

Armstrong was named as captain of the Leafs to start the 1957-58 season and was called by Conn Smythe "the best captain, as a captain, the Leafs have ever had." Smythe later honoured his captain by naming one of his horses Big Chief Army, something Smythe had done on only two other occasions for Charlie Conacher and Jean Beliveau.

Critics said he was a slow, clumsy skater who didn't possess a great shot. Yet somehow he overachieved. He played in 21 NHL seasons, all with the Leafs, and record 296 goals and 713 points in almost 1200 games. He is remembered as one of the all time great Leaf captains and is a member of the National Hockey League Hall of Fame.

Armstrong was able to adjust to the NHL game and prove his critics wrong. He became a very reliable two way player. He was always dependable in his own zone and patrolled his wing with great efficiency, and there are few players who could work the walls and corners with the effectiveness of Armstrong. Offensively he contributed steady though never mind boggling statistics, but was always dangerous when he controlled the puck close to the net. He was the team jester off the ice, but deadly serious on it, both in games and in practice.

Other than his longevity, no hockey statistic could ever relate just how important a player Armstrong was. All the unquantifiable intangibles that make hockey such a great game is where Armstrong excelled.

George Armstrong was never a flashy player but while others left the game early, he played in the NHL for twenty-one seasons. Even Armstrong didn't think he would play that long, but he developed a style that made him very valuable to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Armstrong got a taste of winning early in his hockey career when the Toronto Marlies won the Memorial Cup. He followed with a senior hockey title (Allen Cup) and a Calder Cup with the Pittsburgh Hornets of the American Hockey League.

It was in Pittsburgh where Armstrong's role as a hockey player evolved. Somewhat awkward and not possessing great speed, Armstrong learned to play a tenacious two way game. He could stickhandle effectively and was known as a steady, positionally sound player who could be replied to contribute his share of goals.

When he came to the Leafs, he displayed leadership abilities which led to his being named a captain of the team. He was appointed captain by Conn Smythe, the long-time owner and manager of the Toronto club. It proved to be an excellent choice as, under Armstrong's leadership, the Leafs won four Stanley Cups during the sixties. He still holds the Toronto team record for most seasons and most games played. Armstrong was the modest type but there is no doubt he could be inspirational when it was necessary.

Though he was not a great skater, Armstrong was an excellent two-way performer and his game began to blossom after Punch Imlach became coach of the Leafs in 1958-59. Armstrong scored 20 or more goals in four of the next six seasons and would go on to rank in the top five in Maple Leafs history in goals, assists, and points. More importantly, his dedication to the team and his leadership qualities enabled him to bring out the best in others.

George Armstrong was your basic jack-of-all-trades - a player who did not stand out in any one area yet was very solid in all facets of the game.

... made an impact almost immediately, playing brilliantly in the trenches and on the penalty kill.

Toronto named Armstrong, who was renowned for his leadership, team captain in 1957.

In my own opinion, George Armstrong was the key to it all. He was the one ingredient that was responsible for those teams winning because he had great leadership qualities.

Never a prolific scorer, George is a tenacious checker and his perseverance in the corners is evident in the number of times he comes with the puck.

 

[ResilientBeast]

George Hay

Scoring and Voting Results

4 x WCHL First Team All-Star (1922, 1923, 1924, 1926)
2 x NHL GM-voted First Team All-Star (1927, 1928)
Hart Voting – 4th(1928)
Lady Byng Voting – 2nd(1928), 3rd(1929), 5th(1930)

Offensive Accomplishments:
WCHL Points – 2nd(1922), 3rd(1923), 3rd(1924), 5th(1926), 9th(1925)
WCHL Goals – 2nd(1923), 3rd(1924), 4th(1922), 5th(1926), 8th(1925)
WCHL Assists – 3rd(1922), 3rd(1926), 4th(1924), 6th(1923), 10th(1925)

NHL Points – 3rd(1928), 10th(1929), 13th(1927), 18th(1930)
NHL Goals – 5th(1928), 17th(1929), 18th(1927)
NHL Assists – 3rd(1928), 8th(1927), 8th(1929)

Consolidated Points – 3rd(1928), 5th(1922), 8th(1923), 8th(1926), 9th(1924), 10th(1929), 13th(1927), 18th(1930)
Consolidated Goals – 5th(1928), 6th(1923), 8th(1922), 9th(1924), 12th(1926), 17th(1929), 18th(1927), 20th(1925)
Consolidated Assists – 3rd(1928), 8th(1922), 8th(1926), 8th(1927), 8th(1929), 17th(1924), 20th(1923)

Scoring Percentages:
Points – 90(1928), 86(1924), 84(1922), 81(1923), 72(1926), 66(1929), 61(1927), 52(1930), 46(1925)
Best 6 Seasons: 479

The Intangibles and Other Quotes

Edmonton Bulletin - 03/18/1923

George Hay of Regina Pick of Left Wingers in game

First string left wing position is given to George Hay of Regina. He has speed stickhandling ability and goal-getting poclivities to fit with Frederickson and Gagne. And all three are two way players of the 60 minute brand. And it is the ability to go two ways and thus help the defensive end of the game that gives Hay the call over Jim Riley of Seattle.

Edmonton Bulletin - 02/03/1922

Hay was on of the outstanding players on the Regina team. During the third period he staged one of the prettiest players of the night when he beat the while Edmonton team only to have Winkler stop his stot.

Edmonton Bulletin - 12/19/1922

Hay and McVeigh were Regina's best players skating just as fast the Maroons and getting many dangerous shots on the nets

Edmonton Bulletin 02/09/1922

The only two Regina players who could get through the Moose Jaw defence was Hay and Irvin and the latter's goal was due to a perfect assist on the part of Amby Moran.

The Moose Jaw defence was like adamant and the most terrific rushes of the visitors failed dismally before it. Asseltine also played a good game while Campbell turned in one of the best performances of the season. Hay and Irvin were the pick of Regina.

Edmonton Bulletin 12/12/1921

Regina has a remarkable strong defence in Liard, Traub and Moran while George Hay is the mainspring of the offensive force

Edmonton Bulletin 01/24/1922

The forward wall of the locals Irvin, McVeight and Hay played magnificent hockey..

From jarek's bio from 2017

George Hay was considered the best stickhandler in hockey when he played in the NHL.

Although he was born in Listowel, Ontario, George Hay spent his early amateur days playing hockey in Winnipeg, Manitoba where he was a teammate of future Hall of Fame member Dick Irvin while they both played for the Winnipeg Monarchs in 1915. Hay was one of the so-called little men - he weighed only 156 pounds - who thrived on professional competition. His hockey career was put on hold while he served overseas during World War I but after the war George returned to the game and played senior hockey in Regina with the Vics during the 1920 and 1921 seasons.

Hay turned professional with the Regina Capitals of the Western Canada Hockey League in 1921 and played four years with the Caps before the franchise was transferred to Portland in time for the 1925-26 season. During his time in the WCHL Hay was named to the First All-Star Team on three consecutive occasions, from 1922-24. When the WCHL became the WHL in its final season of 1925-26, Hay was again named a First Team All-Star.

When the WHL ceased operations, Hay continued his career in Chicago with the Black Hawks in the NHL for a year before being traded to Detroit prior to the 1927 season. He was named to the "unofficial" NHL All-Star team, as selected by the managers, in 1927…

George Hay's pain was Detroit's gain.

The left-winger made his NHL debut with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1926-27, but was dealt to Detroit after producing just 22 points in 35 games.

Hay was hampered by torn shoulder ligaments that first season and by the time the 1927-28 campaign rolled around, was completely healed, as evidenced by his first game with Detroit, which saw him score twice and set up the game winner in a 6-0 shutout of Pittsburgh.

The 22-13-35 totals he put up that season led the team in scoring and were good enough to leave Hay fourth overall in the NHL scoring race. He was named to an unofficial NHL all-star team selected by NHL coaches and finished second to New York Rangers center Frank Boucher in voting for the Lady Byng Trophy.

Detroit's first 20-goal scorer was considered by many to be the finest stickhandler in hockey. "Hay leaves all checks behind," noted one scouting report.

Hay turned pro with the Western Canada Hockey League's Regina Capitals in 1921-22 and posted 20-goal seasons in each of his first three pro campaigns. The gangly 5-foot-6, 155-pounder led the Western League in goals in 1925-26, potting 19 for the Portland Rosebuds.

It was Hay who was credited with the first playoff goal in Detroit history when he beat Toronto's Lorne Chabot in a 1929 Stanley Cup game.

Named captain this season, he appeared in all 44 games in 1930-31, but Hay's 18-point total was only good enough for fifth in team scoring. He was dropped to the minor-league Detroit Olympics in 1931-32, but returned to the big club for part of the next season and managed to appear in one game in 1933-34 before turning his focus to coaching Detroit's farm club.

Hay was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958.

Ottawa Citizen - Feb. 4, 1927
George Hay, one of the most brilliant forwards in the western territory

Hay, an exceptional stick handler...

I've seen a lot of good ones, but none who had more stuff than George. He was in a class with Aurial Joliat, Jack Walker, Bun Cook or Harvey Jackson. He could do everything, that fellow. Besides, he was one of the easiest players to handle I ever had -- always in condition, always on the job, always willing to play any position. He never got into any trouble on the ice and was rarely sent to the penalty box. We've often said in the dressing room that when Hay kicks against a decision, the referee should be run out of the league.

He ranked with the great forwards of the game, combining speed and poise, aggressiveness and finesse, with unsurpassed mechanical ability.

​

...Moose Jaw strived desperately but could do nothing with Regina’s great defense and the high-class back checking of the local forwards.

....

Less than a minute before the period was over George Hay instituted a line rush which was a wonderful effort and beat Binney.

George Hay had the honor of scoring Regina’s first, his wicked shot from the wing doing the trick.

He was ably assisted by George Hay, who won more fame than ever as a destroyer of enemy rushes. He had plenty to do last night and always acquitted himself with glory to himself and his team mates.

The Frenchman passed to Simpson, and Hay stopped the play by nice checking.

....

Winkler cleared and Simpson rushed, only to be checked by Hay.

....

Arbour took it from the faceoff and was checked by Hay.

....

Hay stopped Trapp’s rush as center ice and shot on goal.

....

Simpson started a rush, but got no further than George Hay.

....

George Hay broke up the rush and passed to Irvin.

....

Simpson was again stopped by Hay in center ice.

....

Joe’s effort was stopped by George Hay in center ice.

....

Trapp’s rush was stopped by Hay.

....

Simpson rushed, but Hay was there in the back-checking.

....

Joe was blocked by Hay in center ice.

GEORGE HAY EASILY WINS LEFT WING POSITION ON STAR TEAM

In selecting Hay we are compelled to drop two strong candidates in the persons of Ty Arbor of the Eskimos, and Foley Martin, of the Tigers. But there is no question as to the best man for the job. Hay has shown himself all season the pick of the left wingers.

Georgie has never played better hockey than he is doing right now. He is going through game after game with added polish. He is handling the stick and puck with the finesse of an artist, and is bagging goals with unfailing regularity.

Hay's work is vigorous and pleasing to the eye. He has an almost uncanny habit of prancing through the hardest game without a bump, and he never lets up all the time he is on the ice. Best of all, he never hogs the puck. His breakaways with Barney Stanley and Dick Irvin are a treat to watch.

Georgie is another graduate from the Winnipeg School of Hockey. He broke into the senior company with the Monarchs after his big brother Reg, and started the fireworks right away. The sporting writers in the 'Peg predicted a wonderful future for the boy if he didn't lose his head at his success. Happily, Georgie is blessed with a good supply of common sense, and he didn't get excited. The result is that he ranks with the best in the game today.

HAY IS REAL STAR

The real star of the game, however, was the youthful George Hay, of the Regina team. Hay steed out like a diamond amid clear darkness. His stick handling, skating and checking were the signal for an enthusiasm to burst from the fans on numerous occasions. He was the main cog in the Regina attack...

....

On the attack Hay was the star....

... with the fast-stepping Georgie again in his accustomed place along the left boards.

Many are of the opinion that Hay is the greatest all around wing man in professional hockey, their opinions being based on his knack of preventing the opposition from scoring as well as his own almost uncanny ability to bat the puck past the league's best net custodians.

Hay was one of the most consistent goal getters in the old Western Canada Hockey League and probably has a higher scoring percentage over the last five years than most. The question arises: Why was Chicago willing to part with him?

The answer is that Hay experienced the worst season since he turned professional when a member of the Chicago National leaguers. A torn ligament in his left shoulder early in the winter of 1926-27 kept him out of the game for weeks and when he did return the speed and accuracy of his shot - he handles the stick from the port side - was so impaired as to lower his effectiveness.

....

Why should Hay be rated as one of the game's best all around forwards? Those who have followed professional hockey in Canada and the United States will cite the following as some of the reasons.

Because he can skate, stickhandle and shoot from any position with almost uncanny accuracy, all attributes essential to goal getting.

Because he drives in his plays close enough to the opposing net to kame them dangerous always.

He is a player capable of "teaming" with any club and gets the best out of his mates irrespective of their abilities and temperaments.

George Hay, fast left wing, will be at his position for the Blackhawks.

​

 

[Dreakmur]

Cooney Weiland !!!


Awards and Achievements:
2 x Stanley Cup Champion (1929, 1939)

Second Team All-Star (1935)

Hart voting - 3rd(1930)
Lady Byng voting - 3rd(1930), 4th(1934), 6th(1931)

All-Star voting - 2nd(1935), 5th(1931)

Offensive Accomplishments:
Points - 1st(1930), 9th(1931), 12th(1935), 14th(1934), 17th(1929), 20th(1936)
Goals - 1st(1930), 4th(1931), 12th(1933), 15th(1936), 17th(1929), 19th(1932)
Assists - 3rd(1930), 6th(1934), 7th(1935), 15th(1929), 19th(1931)

Play-off Points - 1st(1930), 1st(1931), 4th(1929), 9th(1934)
Play-off Goals - 1st(1931), 3rd(1929), 7th(1937)
Play-off Assists - 1st(1930), 4th(1931), 7th(1937)

Scoring Percentages:
Points - 118(1930), 88(1931), 81(1935), 74(1934), 70(1936), 62(1929), 61(1933), 54(1932), 52(1938)

Best 6 Seasons: 493


5-Year Peak: 1930 to 1934
6th in Points, 91% of 2nd place Frank Boucher
5th in Goals, 85% of 2nd place Charlie Conacher
8th in Assist, 60% of 2nd place Joe Primeau

1st in Play-off Points

10-Year Peak: 1929 to 1938
6th in Points, 95% of 2nd place Frank Boucher
7th in Goals, 83% of 2nd place Charlie Conacher
7th in Assists, 86% of 2nd place Joe Primeau

6th in Play-off Points

One of the slickest players of his era, center Cooney Weiland tormented opposing defenses with his trickery. A magician with the puck, he helped the Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 1929 as a member of the famous Dynamite Line with Dit Clapper and Dutch Gainor. And his offensive totals might have been even greater than they were had Weiland not also been such an adept penalty killer.

Weiland made his name as a penalty killing specialist who could also find the back of the net.

By any standard of comparison, Weiland was a superlative center. He was the balance wheel on Boston's Dynamite Trio...

....

Weiland produced a 100 percent effort, whether he was a winner or a loser. During his one full season with the Ottawa Senators, he was the leading scorer for the last-place club. Yet, it was his precision handling of the subtle skills of the game that caught the attention of experts.

The Dynamite Line was centered by Cooney Weiland. As a youth, Weiland had honed his hockey skills on the frozen ponds of Seaforth, Ontario, using cow pats as pucks. At only 150 pounds, Weiland was a giant in action, if not in size, using his extra-long stick to poke and hook the puck away from opposing players. "Little" Cooney Weiland was not only a defensive wonder, but shifty on the attack, baffling to the enemy, and great at making pretty dashes. It was not unusual for him to score a couple of goals in a game. Off the ice, however, he was an odd sort.

With his poke check and hook check, Weiland was a pest...

....

The Clapper-to-Gainor passing machine worked flawlessly, and Weiland could float in like a ghost to snatch the puck from opponents and score.

....

The ghost-like Conney Weiland lost his cloak of invisibility and was landed a blow to his left cheek.

Weiland was a great face-off man, one of the best I've ever seen. He also was - like Hooley Smith and Frank Nighbor - an excellent three-way stick checker. He was a master of the poke, sweep and hook checks.

....

Cooney was outstanding at breaking up power plays and getting the puck in breakaways out of the end zone when the Bruins were playing shorthanded.

Cooney Weiland has regained his old Dynamite-Line form and is the best defensive center in the league...

Cooney has proved to be one of the best defensive players in the league. He is so good on defense that they have made him a spare, available to scoot out on the ice and up the Bruin's defense when the team is short one or more. Weiland's poke checking has held off many an opposition scoring threat.

Cooney Weiland the other center player is proficient in breaking up plays as well as dangerous on the attack.

Cooney Weiland foiled many Maroon leads with his tricky footwork and poke check, besides heading many attacks on his own account.

Weiland, the master of the poke and hook check, has been elected captain of the Boston Bruins.

 

[Dreakmur]

Punch Imlach !!!

Awards and Achievements:
4 x Stanley Cup Champion (1962, 1963, 1964, 1967)
2 x Stanley Cup Finalist (1959, 1960)

Punch Imlach on Coaching:

I'd rather be shot for a lion than a lamb.

I figure if you are going to play a hockey game for an hour, you should probably practice for two hours. It's like a track coach who prepares his runners for a one-mile race by running them five or ten miles.

There's only one way to win, and that's by sweat. There's no substitute for hard work.

Humility is something I usually don't believe in, being a positive thinker. But at the moment, I'm full of humility because of the one-hundred-and-ten-per-cent cooperation I have received from my players - the world champion Maple Leafs - and the fans. The experts said my old players - Johnny Bower, Red Kelly, and Allan Stanley - were over the hill. I knew they were wrong. They're a special breed of athlete. This is a sound hockey club, real champions with just the right blending of age and youth. I have tried to teach my men that you don't wait for things to happen; you have to go out and make them happen. That is what they did this season ad that is why they are league champions and Stanley Cup Champions.

Players on Punch Imlach:

Up until Punch came along, they wanted everybody to be just up and down defensively. To Punch's credit, I think he sensed that these young guys were gifted junior players and said, 'Let's not put the clamps on these guys. Let Mahovlich go with the puck. Let Keon go with the puck and let Duff do what he wants to do. Let them be artists out there.' He kept the game simple.

By the time 1959-60 showed up, we had a confident team. We had been guys looking for a little direction, a little confidence. Imlach gave that to us when he first came to Toronto. He might have rubbed the other teams and other coaches the wrong way, but he made us a confident team. We knew what it meant to wear the Maple Leaf sweater.

When we were in midget hockey and played badly, the coach would really give us heck. Sometimes, I think we still need to be treated that way.

Imlach knows what he wants and has a knack of getting his ideas across to the player. Now, I don't worry about making mistakes. I know Punch will pull me off the ice, correct the error and send me back into action. There's no danger of being shunted to the end of the bench without being told why.

I like to carry the puck, have a good look before I pass it. Imach instructed me to do so. Now I'm looking forward to every shift on the ice instead of worrying about the possibility of making mistakes.

Imlach may not be the best coach in the world, but at least you know where you stand with him. Imlach will chew you out for a error, but you're back the next shift. You have to play in this league to know what this does for your confidence.

With their spirit and the way they are going, I think the Leafs have a good chance. The way Punch Imlach has been handling this club, he deserves to get in the play-offs.

I haven't been connected with anyone that had more savvy or common sense insofar as hockey is concerned. Getting Punch into the organization has to be one of the big highlights for Toronto. The Leafs for a marvelous coach and Punch took on a tough job when he was elected to be manager as well. This is the test of a great man, and this is just what Imlach is.

Their coach is cocky. Punch gets his club to give one-hundred percent.

When Punch came to Toronto in fifty-eight, it was a real boost. Everyone started playing ten or fifteen percent better than they ever had before. I thought he was good for the first three or four years. He got the most out of everybody and turned things around.

We have been somewhat mediocre throughout the course of that season. Towards the end of the year, we were respectable and in the final game of the season, we finally got into the playoffs, which was really exciting for us. Punch Imlach, at that point in time, did a remarkable job.

After I signed, I told Punch, 'I've been off skates for ten days or so. I'd hate to make a mistake out there and cause a goal,' and Punch said, 'Red, how would you feel about playing center?' I said, "Great! No problem.' I didn't care where I played as long as I was playing hockey. He said, "If we're going to win the Stanley Cup, we're going to have to go through Montreal. I need somebody to check Beliveau.' He said, 'How would you feel if I started you against Beliveau?' I just said, 'Fine. Great. Love it!

Punch is a positive thinker and he's brought us, in fourteen months, from last to twice in the Stanley Cup [final].

Even when Punch said a few weeks ago that Johnny Bower was going to play all the games for the rest of the season, I was still ready. Punch gets these hunches about who should play goal. Don't ask me how or where he gets them, but he hasn't been wrong too often.

From what I've seen, the amount of work the Leafs do won't hurt anybody. You should practice regularly. It certainly didn't hurt us the last two years. We won two Stanley Cups. It never hurt anyone to get out and work.

Frankly, I didn't enjoy Punch's methods of training. Punch believed in hard work but geez, there were times when I had to energy at all for games. He'd wear me out.

There was no enthusiasm. We just wanted to get away from the rink and it wasn't fun there. By my second season in Toronto, I jut wasn't enjoying playing.

Punch was a very stubborn man, and I think the fact that the first year he took over, when we snuck into the playoffs on the last game of the year, eliminated Boston in seven games and then gave Montreal a pretty good battle in the finals, I think Punch though, 'Well, if my methods were successful the first year, then I'm going to use these methods for the rest of my career'.

He did a great job, but he was a tough bugger. But that's the way that you're going to win. You just had to work hard. You had to be in good shape. But the practices used to be so boring. It was skate, skate, skate. But he always treated me excellent.

He didn't take any shit from any player. All those guys were terrified of Imlach, but he got their respect and that's the way he got it - by being a hard-ass. If Punch wanted to do something to you, you were gone. I was amazed at how guys that age could be terrified of a man like they were of Punch, but he got every last ounce out of all of them. I don't think any other coach could have got any more out of what that team had.

King's been doing a great job, don't get me wrong, but Punch had us straightened out before his health gave out. Instead of criticizing, Punch went out of his way to try and build up our confidence and kept impressing on us that we had too much ability to keep skidding. It took patience and courage on his part to wait out the slump.

A good coach doesn't win hockey games but a bad coach can lose hockey games. Imlach was obviously a good coach because he won with a good team. He was loyal. When he had the right mix of people, he knew how to get the most out of them. He was good at that.

With a talent-laden roster and good team chemistry, Imlach discarded the highly defensive game that his predecessors in Toronto had established and allowed the players more autonomy on the ice, as long as they played responsibly and within his rules. Imlach's main role was as a motivator.

....

As the team assembled in the dressing room for their 4:00 pm practice, Punch strode into the room. "Never mind practicing today," he said, stopping the players in their tracks. "I've had to relieve Billy Reay a coach." Each player was called into the nearby medical room, told to bring his items as he would not be returning to the dressing room after his chat with Imlach. The GM asked each one, "Will you play hockey for me?" To a man, each promised Imlach that he would play for him. Knowing that Olmstead was close to Reay as former teammates, Imlach was particularly concerned about his veteran forward, but was assured that he would play as diligently for Imlach as he had for any coach.

....

Imlach changed the texture of the team, immediately loosening the restrictions that Reay had placed on the players.

....

Imlach, the master motivator, found superb ammunition that morning. Curiously, the National Hockey League issued its playoff schedule, including contingency plans and dates, but nowhere was there any mention of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Imlach still clung to the fervent belief that his team was going to compete for the Stanley Cup. In the dressing room before the game, he slammed the league for their lack of faith and, in the words of King Clancy, told his charges tat he wanted them to stick the schedule "where Paddy put the potato." To a man, the Leafs understood.

....

An unknown soothsayer named Punch Imlach arrived on the scene, instilled a new work ethic in the team and, miraculously, came close to delivered the Leafs to the Promise Land; this all in his first season after finishing last the year before. Mahovlich and Brewer blossomed, and Bower emerged as the goalkeeper they had hoped he would be. The future looked very bright indeed.

....

Imlach admitted that he felt Harris was a defensive liability and not rugged enough to play regularly.

….

Toronto coach Punch Imlach, who regularly imposed fines for various team infractions, was forced to swallow a spoonful of his own medicine when traffic tie-ups on the 401 forced him, assistant GM King Clancy, Red Kelly and Tim Horton to miss their flight. Harold Ballard insisted that no one was immune and fined Imlach and Clancy $100 each. "Not enough," laughed Dick Duff. "This is the playoffs. Should be $1,000 each."

....

After losing in game four, Imlach assigned Bob Pulford to shadow Jean Beliveau and Keon to blanket Henri Richard, and the strategy completely threw Montreal off their game.

....

The afternoon of the game, Imlach received a newspaper clipping from a Detroit source that claimed that Sid Abel predicted that "They'll take Toronto and they'll do it easier than the Chicago series." Punch used this as his pep talk before the game. It seemed to fire up the team, as Toronto came out of the first game with a 4-2 win.

....

Imlach had to make a major decision during the season. He only had room on the roster for one extra player, with both Bronco Horvath and Ed Litzenberger to choose from. Imlach decided to send Horvath to Rochester of the AHL and keep Litzenberger. "Litz stayed for one reason. He worked harder," said Imlach. Litzenberger, inserted into Mahovlich's spot in the lineup, came up big with a three-point game. Said Imlach, "He vindicated the decision to keep him on the team all season. He produced in the clutch. It pays a coach to be lucky and to have solid, versatile players on the bench for emergencies. Litz made me look good."

....

Imlach's soothsaying, along with the influence of Norman Vincent Peale's book (The Power of Positive Thinking), had worked, with both a first place finish and the Stanley Cup, as Punch had predicted. "Punch could put a setting of sparrow's eggs under Plymouth Rock and come up with a brood of meadowlarks," suggested the Star. Imlach then confirmed that he would continue in the role of both coach and general manager for the Maple Leafs. "As long as they play for me, I won't hire a coach," he said.

....

It was a disappointing conclusion to a disappointing season, one that would have Punch Imlach contemplating changes through the entire summer.

But there was ongoing restlessness with the Maple Leafs. Cracks were beginning to emerge in the facade of the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club. The earlier years of the dynasty had been glorious, but Punch Imlach's dictatorial approach to the game was taking its toll on the team.

....

Bathgate's public criticism actually articulated the sentiments of many of the players, although most were not prepared to speak out against the coach and general manager for fear of exile to Rochester, or worse. In due time, many of the would divulge their resentment towards Imlach.

….

Imlach clashed with a number of players, most notably Carl Brewer, Frank Mahovlich, Mike Walton, and Bathgate. Issues ranged from constant contract disputes to being overworked in practices, but the underlying tension was having longer-term ramifications on the team.

….

McKenny observed that if you didn't deviate from Imlach's demands, you were fine. "If you tried to be an individualist, then they'd knock you right down. Shakey (Walton) was a real live wire, but he was playing so well at that time they put up with that. After a while, they sort of quelled him down and he was gone because it jut got too hard."

....

Imlach was proud of being a disciplinarian. But, for Punch, it wasn't strictly about attitude and discipline, it also involved conditioning.

....

Threats and fines were the order of the day. Ultimatums were so common that players just began to ignore them. Imlach continued to deal with things in black-and-white terms, when often, especially in dealings with veterans, a subtle grey was often in order.

....

The differences between Clancy and Imlach were in fact stark. While Clancy was described by The Globe and Mail as "the original Good Humour man with the built-in public relations of a Francis of Assisi," the same newspaper called Imlach "perverse, profane, loyal and demanding, refusing to accept less from any player than his absolute best."

One of the most successful and cantankerous characters in major-league hockey history was George "Punch" Imlach. Imlach's tough-as-nails approach to the game won him four Stanley Cups with the powerhouse Leaf teams of the 1960s. Only two other NHL coaches, Toe Blake (Montreal) ad Hap Day (Toronto), have ever accounted for more silverware than that.

Visually impressive, Imlach always wore a fedora while coaching behind the bench, and was renowned for his no-nonsense approach to both friend and foe.

....

Imlach never hesitated to gamble, nor to innovate. He took an aging defenseman, Red Kelly, who had never played forward, and turned him into a canter, whereupon the redhead became pivot on a line with Frank Mahovlich and Bob Nevin. Kelly soon became one of the league's best centers.

Punch took another aging defenseman, Allan Stanley, and turned him into a future Hall of Famer. He also worked with youngsters such as Carl Brewer, Bobby Baun, Dave Keon, and Bob Pulford, each of whom became a Toronto star.

But Imlach had a dark side as well. His Spartan tactics angered players. He constantly mispronounced Mohavlich, calling him "Mahalovich", which angered the ace, who left the team with a nervous breakdown. Brewer, also infuriated by Imlach, walked out on the team to attend university.

Some critics said the Leafs won because the players hated Punch so much, hat they wanted to win in spite of him. Whatever the case, four Stanley Cups in six years was a testament to Imlach's genius.

The players discovered that Imlach was brash and cocky. They liked that - at first. Over the next few short months, Punch would galvanize the team and turn them into Cup contenders. Everybody liked that.

Players responded positively to Imlach's "take charge" attitude. The man had confidence in himself, no question, but Imlach made it just as obvious to the players that he had confidence in them.

....

Imlach was a driven disciplinarian. He didn't spare his players. Nor did he spare himself. In that, Punch Imlach earned his players' respect, but his tirades and taunts coast him their affection. Heartless? Maybe. Effective? Well, somebody was responsible for taking the team to the playoffs every year for eight years. And somebody was responsible for inspiring the team to win the Cup for of those eight times.

Imlach remained with the Aces for 11 years, eventually becoming general manager and part owner of a successful team that for years featured Jean Beliveau, who Imlach always regarded as the greatest player he coached. Imlach moved on to coach the Springfield Americans of the American Hockey League in 1957-58. The very next year he was hired as an assistant general manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs, a nebulous position at best because there was no single general manager, but a committee. It was at this point that his life took a remarkable turn for the better. Just a month into the 1958-59 season, the last-place Leafs showed no signs of improvement under head coach Billy Reay. Imlach fired Reay and took over, promising one and all that this sixth-place team would be in the playoffs by the end of the regular season. Most people laughed at his prediction.

With three games to go in the regular season, the Leafs still trailed the Rangers by five points, but in one of the most incredible finishes of all time, Toronto won all its games and the Rangers lost all theirs. Imlach's prediction had come true, and he was credited with being a genius. The Leafs lost in the semifinals or finals the next three years in a row, but in 1962 the team won its first of three successive Stanley Cup championships under Imlach's direction. They won again in 1967, but after being hammered by Boston in four embarrassing games in the 1969 playoffs, Leaf GM Stafford Smythe fired Imlach and his reign was over after 11 prosperous years and four Stanley Cup triumphs.

Imlach was as notorious as he was famous. He refused to negotiate players' contracts until training camp, feeling that the strategy got the players to work harder because they felt less secure about their positions. He routinely scheduled 15 to 20 exhibition games for the team because players never got paid for them but the Leafs got remuneration. But perhaps most notable of all was his running feud with superstar Frank Mahovlich. The Big M, a quiet, reserved man, was for years harassed and bullied by Imlach to the point where twice he had to leave the team because he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Yet Imlach got the most out of Mahovlich and won the Stanley Cup four times, a record that was always difficult to argue with.

Imlach's relationship with the other Leafs players depended entirely upon how they adapted to his philosophy. He was an anti-union man through and through and vilified those Leafs who joined the NHL Players' Association when it was first formed in 1967. His ongoing belligerence also cost him the services of defenseman Carl Brewer, who quit the team after a dressing room fight with Imlach. Brewer didn't return to the league for four years, such was his obstinacy. Perhaps Imlach's greatest handling of a player was when he acquired Red Kelly from Detroit and then converted him from a defenseman to a center. Four Cup wins later, Imlach again looked like a genius.

Imlach is not satisfied with one miracle season. He actually believes he can win the Stanley Cup and, at that precise moment, there isn't anybody who might even timidly suggest he is suffering from delusion.

Would Punch work with an Assistant?

Although Imlach held the title of coach, by the 1966-67 season, George Armstrong, Tim Horton, and Red Kelly were especially relevant in plotting strategy regarding how opponents should be handled.

Bert Olmstead as Assistsant coach:

In the second intermission, Foster Hewitt spoke with Bert Olmstead about being named assistant coach. "My duties aren't to severe as yet," admitted Olmstead. "I believe the main responsibility that I have to look after this year is to run practices and the team when George Imlach is not available. He is the general manager and has taken on extra duties as coach. He has his hands full." Asked whether the Leafs had the talent to compete, Olmstead stated emphatically, "Yes, I have no doubts in my mind that we should be able to hit that fourth spot."

Bert was clearly drinking Imlach's Kool-Aid. "Right then, I started to say, as often as anybody would listen, that we were going to get off the floor, that we were going to make it into the first four places in the league - be one of the teams that would play for the Stanley Cup," Imlach declared in his autobiography. "I talked loud and long. I did it on purpose. Somebody had to give that team the idea that they could win. Somebody had to stand up for them in public."

Keeping Keon:

"I didn't play much the first two games," Keon remembered. "Then in the third, I played and scored a goal and I played regularly after that. Bert Olmstead helped me a great deal and he was a big booster of mine. He may have had some influence with Punch, but by and large, Punch liked to make his own decisions. Anyway, I ended up staying the rest of the season.

Olmstead was an immediate fan of the young center. "Imlach was going to send him down to the minor leagues for the first year and said, 'Don't you dare send him down to the minor leagues. It'll kill him! By the end of the first year, he's going to be your best centreman.' I was do damn right."

Punch Imlach vs. Carl Brewer:

The guys he (Imlach) had trouble with were Mahovlich and Brewer, who were bright, bright guys. But, you're not going to intimidate a guy like Carl, because intimidation is not going to do anything to him. And you're going to intimidate Frank for a while, but then he's going to do the reverse to you.

I don't think he had the right motivation for those two individuals. He might have had problems with those two, but most of the other players, he could get through to them.

I was an ongoing battle with Punch Imlach. I didn't agree with his methods, I didn't agree with his approach to hockey and I didn't agree with his unnecessary disciplinary measures. He got to me and he got to Frank Mahovlich and Mike Walton. He destroyed our psyches.

He (Brewer) was a shit disturber on that team. He was the only one who was really offside. Most of the rest of the team was straight down the middle, 'grind-it-out' guys.

Brewer was going to do whatever he thought should be done. He was too good a hockey player t bench.

Carl Brewer's holdout:

Brewer was at McMaster University in Hamilton holding out over $100 owed him through an ankle injury. King Clancy was sent to corral the young blue liner. When asked why he hadn't shown up at the Leafs' training camp, Brewer explained the matter of the $100. Clancy unfolded $200 from his wallet, handed the money to Brewer and implored him to return to the Leafs. But Carl resisted, insisting instead on waiting until a contract had been signed. "It's the principle of the thing," he explained. "If I let them kick me around this early in my hockey career, it will be that way through my career."

Punch Imlach vs Frank Mahovlich:

Frank Mahovlich's hospital stays had been described as exhaustion, but later were attributed to depression, part of The Big M's ongoing derision from his coach. "Imlach never spoke to Frank Mahovlich or myself for most of the season," Andy Bathgate charged. "When he did, it was only to criticize. Frank usually got the worst. We were athletes, not machines!"

Mahovlich admitted, "The first four years with Punch were great and the last four weren't so great. Things weren't the same after that. He just wasn't the guy I once knew. I later told some of the guys on the Red Wings what he did and they refused to believe me."

It wasn't just pressure from his coach, but pressure from the media and the fans that crippled Mahovlich. "If there were any such thing as just playing hockey and not worrying about the press, I'd go to heaven," he said.

Dave Keon thought his teammate was misunderstood. "Maybe a little bit too much pressure was placed on him, because he was an enormous talent," while Jim McKenny observed, "Frank was really well-liked by all the players on the team and really respected for his talent." But McKenny believed that The Big M really felt the weight of fan criticism more than most of the other players. "Athletes are like that," he said. "You can say a thousand nice things about then, but you say one bad thing and they'll hate you for life. When you are booed on the road, it's a compliment. When you are booed at home, it kills you. Frank was no different."

Punch Imlach vs. Jim Pappin:

I was sent down, up and down, all the time. They would send me down and I would be mad for a little while then I would get over it and start to score goals again.

He probably caused it himself. He would sulk, and Punch didn't go for that shit at all. If you are pissed off, you go harder - that's how you got Punch off your back. Show him that you hate him; just show him he can't put you down, that you're going to be harder than him. Punch loved that.

Now I realize why Imlach was so mad at me all the time - not picking up my wing, wandering all over, chasing the puck and making dumb plays up the middle because you are looking to go the other way all the time. I always figured that my job was to score goals, not really supposed to check that hard so that I could save my energy and I was saving a lot of my energy in this game. I wish Punch was here so I could thank him and apologize to him for not trying a lot harder.

 

[Dreakmur]

Joe Primeau !!!


Awards and Achievements:
Stanley Cup Champion (1932)

Lady Byng Trophy (1932)
Second Team All-Star (1934)

All-Star voting - 2nd(1934), 3rd(1932), 4th(1931), 4th(1933)
Lady Byng voting - 1st(1932), 2nd(1933), 2nd(1934), 3rd(1931), 3rd(1935)

Offensive Accomplishments:
Points - 2nd(1932), 2nd(1935), 6th(1931), 19th(1934)
Goals - 19th(1935)
Assists - 1st(1931), 1st(1933), 1st(1935), 8th(1930), 8th(1934), 17th(1936)

Play-off Points - 3rd(1936), 5th(1932), 7th(1934), 8th(1935)
Play-off Goals - 2nd(1936), 7th(1934)
Play-off Assists - 1st(1932), 2nd(1935), 2nd(1936), 3rd(1934)

Percentages:
Points - 107(1934), 100(1932), 95(1931), 73(1933), 64(1935), 43(1936), 42(1930)

Best 6 Season: 482


5-Year Peak: 1931 to 1935
4th in Points, 95% of 2nd place Busher Jackson
1st in Assists, 101% of 2nd place Frank Boucher

6th in Play-off Points
1st in Play-off Assists

10-Year Peak: 1927 to 1936
13th in Points, 65% of 2nd place Howie Morenz
2nd in Assists, 74% of 1st place Frank Boucher

4th in Play-off Points, 88% of 2nd place Frank Boucher
1st in Play-off Assists, 106% of 2nd place Frank Boucher


Ultimate Hockey's "Best Passer" of the 1930s

During the 1929-30 season, Primeau's pro career finally took flight when Leafs coach Conn Smythe put the 23-year-old centre on a line with a pair of 18-year-old rookies, Charlie Conacher and Harvey "Busher" Jackson. The Kid Line was born. The three young players - all superstars, Stanley Cup winners and Hall of Famers in the making - complemented each other's style perfectly.

A testament to Primeau's playmaking ability was the fact that Jackson won a scoring title while Conacher twice led the league. But as Primeau revealed, it was chemistry as much as talent that made the line work. In 1931 the Leafs moved into a new rink, leaving the Mutual Street Arena for the palatial Maple Leaf Gardens. That first season, the team won the Stanley Cup, led by the incomparable Kid Line.

Gentleman Joe Primeau, a playmaking wizard and star center of the famed “Kid Line” with Busher Jackson and Charlie Conacher, got a late start as a hockey player.

….

Primeau found a permanent spot on the Leafs in 1929-30, as the Kid Line appeared and changed hockey history forever. While Jackson and Conacher are remembered for their scoring theatrics, it was Primeau who was the glue of the unit.

Not unlike Doug Gilmour years later, the slippery Primeau masterfully set up his two line mates time and time again, as well as acting as the line’s defensive conscience. He was as good a defensive center and penalty killer as there was in his day.

Primeau led the NHL in assists three times. He was never better than in the 1931-32 season. He not only led the league in assists, but he established a new season record with 37 helpers. That record would stand for 9 seasons. Joe, who was named as the Lady Byng trophy winner despite picking up a career high 25 penalty minutes, then went on to lead all NHLers in assists in the playoffs, as the Leafs won the Stanley Cup – the only championship of Primeau’s playing career.

The year was 1931—the first year the Leafs won the Stanley Cup—and starring for the Blue and White was a centre by the name of “Gentleman” Joe Primeau, who immortalized himself during the 1930s as a soft-spoken, smooth-skating playmaker and the driving force of the Kid Line.
....

They arrived at precisely the right time. Rule changes allowed for forward passing, and offence around the league exploded. Primeau excelled with his ability to draw defencemen to him, then dish the puck off to his hard-nosed, desperate-for-the-puck wingers. Primeau joked about “cutting the puck in half” to appease both his linemates, who would curse and yell to get more scoring opportunities. “You guys will drive me nuts,” Primeau said years later of his desire to please them both. But he was content to let others have the glory—he led the league in assists three times and twice finished second in scoring, once to Conacher, once to Jackson.

Primeau was a calming and mature influence on and off the ice. Conacher was a huge right-winger with a big shot and personality, and he and Primeau meshed well, despite the practical jokes Conacher played on his centreman during the long train rides, switching clothes and shaving kits and blaming it on Primeau. In an era of fedoras and hand-knit hockey sweaters, Primeau carried himself with class and dignity. He may have received only one major penalty his entire career, but Primeau was rugged, and once took a stick to the face on New Year’s Eve in New York that knocked out his front teeth. He wandered around that night looking for a dentist. The one he found was drunk.

...In the middle of it all was the slightly built Primeau, as cool and calm an ice-general as there ever was.

By this time, Primeau was one of the top centers around. His genius for the pass, his slipperiness, enabled him to rack up record assist totals. For good measure, he was a superb defensive forward and penalty-killer.

Heading into their third season in 1929-30, the Maple Leafs remained a mediocre team. To help out veterans Ace Bailey and Harold "Baldy" Cotton, Smythe added the smooth skating playmaker Joe Primeau...

....

I could have found lots of guys to go with Joe Primeau, but he was the only centre who could make Conacher and Jackson click.

In his memoirs, Conn Smythe blamed Jackson and Conacher for the Leafs' failure to win more cups. "Conacher and Jackson never did feel very interested in getting in shape. They were busy driving their new cars and chasing women. Conacher and Jackson were never half as good as they were ought to be. They wanted Joe Primeau to do all the work, and they'd score the goals, which they were pretty good at.

Known for his artistry and clean play, Primeau was one of Toronto's all-time favorite players.

In some ways, left winger Harvey "Busher" Jackson was the Rodney Dangerfield of the Toronto Maple Leafs' famed Kid Line. His center, Joe Primeau, was widely admired for his classy playmaking ability...

Few players in NHL history so dramatically exploited a rules change as did Joe Primeau, a tricky, little playmaker who took full advantage of the NHL's decision, in 1927, to allow forward passes in the offensive zone.

Primeau drew rave reviews. "He is without a doubt a real find. His work is better every time he steps out on the ice, and he should be one of the most valuable relief players the Leafs have,"

At five foot eleven and just 150 pounds, he was a stringbean of a player but had speed and puck sense and an ability to put a pass exactly where it needed to be.

There were many wonderful lines in hockey, but to me the most colourful of them all was Toronto's Kid Line of Conacher, Primeau, and Jackson. Joe Primeau was a very slight individual and a great play-making centre. He had quite a time with Charlie and Busher, who would both whistle at him when they were in the open waiting for a pass. And it was up to Joe to give the puck to the fellow who had the best chance. I think he was one of the all time greats as far as handling and passing a puck was concerned. I don't ever remember him giving a bad pass. For instance, if Joe took a look and saw that I was coming along with him, he knew just where I wanted that puck. It had to be away from me, not in around my feet. He'd take a quick look, and the puck would land right on my stick.

Joe knew exactly when to pass him the puck. I have to think that Primeau was the greatest centre in the league, and he doesn't get the credit he should.

….

He's a throwback to Hap Day, Joe Primeau, and Ted Kennedy, all tenacious types who didn't know the meaning of defeat.

The pivot of the kid line was a smooth skating centerman named Joe Primeau. He was an expert at avoiding checks...

Joe Primeau never received the adulation that was bestowed on his line-mates, but it was largely because of his steady playmaking and unselfishness with the puck that the Maple Leafs blossomed into league- leading scorers.

Primeau is one of hockey's outstanding men of distinction...

the playmaking ace of the kid line, the brains behind the brawn and breathtaking brilliance of...

tackweight but artistic...

Smythe envisioned Primeau as the ideal center for the junior boys. He was older and level-headed. He had been "bloodied" in the tough minor pro competition and knew how to handle himself. He also knew how to handle a puck. When it came to ladling out a pass, Primeau was one of the best.

There is no doubt that the introduction of the forward pass contributed greatly to the success of the kid line. Primeau, a brainy puck manipulator, could ladle out passes as though he had the puck on a string.

Conacher, in his first pro season, had scored 20 goals but was glossed over in criticism of seemingly lacksadaisical efforts. Primeau had played steady, clever, and hard hockey all season, so good in fact that thet New York Rangers tried to reclaim him.

Primeau would handcuff his opponents by luring them to him, then his passes to the open wing, either right or left, would let Jackson or Conacher streak through unmolested.

the kidliners were free-thinkers, willing to try anything that would lead to success. They weren't content with hoary hockey format.

the artistry of Primeau, the least-publicized of the trio, was admired even by rival fans. In New York one night, with the Leafs two men short and a goal up on the Rangers, he ragged the puck for two solid minutes with Ranger players chasing him all over the ice. It was such a dauntless display that everybody in the arena cheered him as he staggered wearily to the bench, almost in a state of collapse, when his penalty-killing chore ended.

Of the three, Primeau was accorded the least amount of glory in his playing days, even though he was an integral part in the success of Conacher and Jackson...

I never knew Joe to make a bad pass.

We had our little playmaker there, Joe Primeau, who would give you the puck just where you wanted it.

Defensively, he worked like a trojan for the Leafs. His expert playmaking was the dominant factor in the success of Toronto's famous kid line... Joe could not match them in speed or actual goalscoring, but he was the workhorse of the line. When he quit to devote himself to business, the other two never scaled the same heights without him.

The profile of a movie star, the physique of a wrestler, and the poise of a ballet dancer, could do more things with a flourish than any of his rivals. His left handed shot was second only to Morenz, his backhand drives were beautiful to behold. He could take a bad pass on his skates, flip it forward, and send the puck screaming netward in such spectacular fashion.

He set a pattern of unselfishness in organizing plays for his fine wingmen to finish off... his story is one of persistence. He became a hockey star because of his great heart, and because of his willingness to take the bad breaks with the good... he seldom complained... never the sensational, headline-hunting type of player... a team-man first and foremost and it was his destiny to play at a time when individual stars were the order of the day. hard-working, unselfish... his style of play has been carried forward by such stalwarts as Syl Apps and Ted Kennedy.

Age has finally caught up with the New York Rangers' great trio of Bill Cook, xxx and Frank Boucher, whiel the combination of years and a profitable business has deprived Toronto's famous "Kid Line" of its key man, Joe Primeau.