Yep, but that is bit different story (though interesting one). Story of Forslund does not tell about development of hockey in Europe.
Early Europeans in North America
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Yep, but that is bit different story (though interesting one). Story of Forslund does not tell about development of hockey in Europe.
Robert Gordon Orr
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Yes, first Swedish born. A bit of trivia is that tough defenseman Bert Corbeau, who played in the first ever NHL game in 1917 had a Swedish mother. Fanny Hagstrom from Kalmar (or Gavleborg county according to some family trees).
IIHF Hall Of Famer Matti "Mölli" Keinonen sadly passed away month ago. Finnish hockey legend. But it is nice to add him on this list.
The Montreal Star March 17. 1969
...Their chief culprit in this regard was Matti Keinonen a tricky forward who´s on the negotiation list of the Los Angeles Kings, but who can´t be wooed out of the country by Kings general-manager Larry Regan who had been prepared to offer all forms of incentives to get his man on a plane...
The Montreal Star March 17. 1969
...Their chief culprit in this regard was Matti Keinonen a tricky forward who´s on the negotiation list of the Los Angeles Kings, but who can´t be wooed out of the country by Kings general-manager Larry Regan who had been prepared to offer all forms of incentives to get his man on a plane...
The current book presentation about Lloyd Percival reminded me of Emil Iverson.
Emil Iverson was Black Hawks coach from late November 1931 to January 1933. Wikipedia is actually really wonky regarding Black Hawks coaches from that period. I believe my information is correct in this.
Iverson had been coaching Minnesota Gophers from 1923 to 1930 before and was gymnastic teacher in there. He joined Black Hawks as physical trainer in 1930 and surprisingly in 1931 got the head coach job after two games when Godfrey Matheson suffered burnout. His coaching heavily focused on training, conditiong, diet and such. His ideas did raise several kind of opinions. Some admired that he had made a strong skating team. But there certainlu was some resistance too.
The Sun Times 12. Jan 1932
...Iverson came to the Chicago Club at the start of last season, ostensibly as a trainer, but he was never a trainer. He was a physical director, and when you know the man you say that without smiling. Ambitious, sure of himself, and one of the foremost students of the fundamentals of athletics and physical condition, in athletics and out...
Why I write about Iverson in here is that according to sources he was born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1892. And according to newspaper articles he wasn´t just born there. He would have gone through what was referred as Royal Institite of Gymnastics in Copenhagen. Now there had been Det kongelige militære gymnastiske Institut in Copenhagen. Though it would have been known Gymnastikskolen when Iverson had been in it. This would also fit to the claims that he had been Danish Army officer in Siam before coming to United States. Also seen claims that he would have done some skating coaching in Denmark too.
Now if this information would be correct it could be said that Iverson was the first European coach in NHL. He did learn about hockey in US, but lot of his coaching fundamentals were already learned in Denmark.
Now the problem is I don´t really know if this information is correct and I´m bit doubful. Lot of wild claims has been made about Iversons life (I could write really really long post about those). Some of them are true, but some like that he would have been part of Danish Olympic Fooball team in 1920 is easily debunked. The first time I have seen his name mentioned is in Chicago Tribune in 1919 when he was Chief Instructor of Chicago Arena ice.
So a long post to ask if anyone know if his history in Denmark is correct?
Emil Iverson was Black Hawks coach from late November 1931 to January 1933. Wikipedia is actually really wonky regarding Black Hawks coaches from that period. I believe my information is correct in this.
Iverson had been coaching Minnesota Gophers from 1923 to 1930 before and was gymnastic teacher in there. He joined Black Hawks as physical trainer in 1930 and surprisingly in 1931 got the head coach job after two games when Godfrey Matheson suffered burnout. His coaching heavily focused on training, conditiong, diet and such. His ideas did raise several kind of opinions. Some admired that he had made a strong skating team. But there certainlu was some resistance too.
The Sun Times 12. Jan 1932
...Iverson came to the Chicago Club at the start of last season, ostensibly as a trainer, but he was never a trainer. He was a physical director, and when you know the man you say that without smiling. Ambitious, sure of himself, and one of the foremost students of the fundamentals of athletics and physical condition, in athletics and out...
Why I write about Iverson in here is that according to sources he was born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1892. And according to newspaper articles he wasn´t just born there. He would have gone through what was referred as Royal Institite of Gymnastics in Copenhagen. Now there had been Det kongelige militære gymnastiske Institut in Copenhagen. Though it would have been known Gymnastikskolen when Iverson had been in it. This would also fit to the claims that he had been Danish Army officer in Siam before coming to United States. Also seen claims that he would have done some skating coaching in Denmark too.
Now if this information would be correct it could be said that Iverson was the first European coach in NHL. He did learn about hockey in US, but lot of his coaching fundamentals were already learned in Denmark.
Now the problem is I don´t really know if this information is correct and I´m bit doubful. Lot of wild claims has been made about Iversons life (I could write really really long post about those). Some of them are true, but some like that he would have been part of Danish Olympic Fooball team in 1920 is easily debunked. The first time I have seen his name mentioned is in Chicago Tribune in 1919 when he was Chief Instructor of Chicago Arena ice.
So a long post to ask if anyone know if his history in Denmark is correct?
sr edler
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So a long post to ask if anyone know if his history in Denmark is correct?
I don't think I've done too much genealogy on Emil Iverson myself, but one noticeable thing (and this you probably already know) was that his younger brother Kay Iverson, two years his junior, also coached collegiate hockey in the States with Marquette University, at the same time Emil coached the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Both Emil (1892) and Kay (1894) are listed as born in Denmark from sources I've come across, but I haven't tried to track them down any further than that.
Yes their rivalry was talked quite a bit. I have seen an article where it is mentioned that they both talked about "navy stories".
Obviosly their surname could have been Iverson before, but considering they were Danish it seem like "anglified" version of Iversen.
NigerianNightmare
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Just imagine:
1973, Jets vs Alberta Oilers - play-by-play:
"Bobby Hull to Kosygin... Kosygin shoots! He scores!!"
I did find this about his time in Danish Army (or more likely as Danish in Siamese army). I have no idea if that means anything near what is claimed in Thai and not going to make any uneducated guesses (google translate did not give any help, but did not really expect it either). If there are any Thai speaking people please help.
Otherwise the claim is plausible because it seems that Denmark had relationship with Siam and there were Danish officers in Siamese army. From Eric Seidenfarden bio from Wiki (Major serving in Siamese army and much more).
In 1914 he became the chief of The Royal Siamese Gendarmerie's officer school. His role, along with that of many imported western officers, was to assist with the modernization of the Siamese military
The Minneapolis Star 21. Apr 1931
That man is Emil Iverson, former physical education instructor at the University of Minnesota and now coach of the Chicago Blackhawks professional hockey team. Mr. Iverson was a captain in the Siamese army for two years, teaching the Siamese soldiers physical hygiene.
During that period Mr. Iverson saw the present ruler on several occasions, allthough at the time he was a prince. Althouugh Mr. Iverson left Siam in 1915, he still carries with him two mementos of his stay there, one hammered silver cigarette case with his name engraved on it both in Englsih and Siamese, his title in Siamese bein "Nun cha cha," or "new white man." The other is a leather billfold with his official title, "Captain Emil Iverson."
The Danes have extensive interests in Siam, and many young men are sent from the scools to Siam to aid the poeple of the country." Mr. Iverson said. "I was sent to help in physical education work. We dressed in conventional English clothes most of the time, but had pure suits with Cork helmets as sort of Uniform."
Among the claims about Iverson that I have found correct are... He did seem to be a fancy skater and doing some exhibitions in US. He indeed was leading an expedition to find "lost tribe" in 1927 too. Overall I don´t know. I´m sceptical.
sr edler
gold is not reality
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I did find this about his time in Danish Army (or more likely as Danish in Siamese army). I have no idea if that means anything near what is claimed in Thai and not going to make any uneducated guesses (google translate did not give any help, but did not really expect it either). If there are any Thai speaking people please help.
Otherwise the claim is plausible because it seems that Denmark had relationship with Siam and there were Danish officers in Siamese army. From Eric Seidenfarden bio from Wiki (Major serving in Siamese army and much more).
In 1914 he became the chief of The Royal Siamese Gendarmerie's officer school. His role, along with that of many imported western officers, was to assist with the modernization of the Siamese military
The Minneapolis Star 21. Apr 1931
That man is Emil Iverson, former physical education instructor at the University of Minnesota and now coach of the Chicago Blackhawks professional hockey team. Mr. Iverson was a captain in the Siamese army for two years, teaching the Siamese soldiers physical hygiene.
During that period Mr. Iverson saw the present ruler on several occasions, allthough at the time he was a prince. Althouugh Mr. Iverson left Siam in 1915, he still carries with him two mementos of his stay there, one hammered silver cigarette case with his name engraved on it both in Englsih and Siamese, his title in Siamese bein "Nun cha cha," or "new white man." The other is a leather billfold with his official title, "Captain Emil Iverson."
The Danes have extensive interests in Siam, and many young men are sent from the scools to Siam to aid the poeple of the country." Mr. Iverson said. "I was sent to help in physical education work. We dressed in conventional English clothes most of the time, but had pure suits with Cork helmets as sort of Uniform."
Among the claims about Iverson that I have found correct are... He did seem to be a fancy skater and doing some exhibitions in US. He indeed was leading an expedition to find "lost tribe" in 1927 too. Overall I don´t know. I´m sceptical.
I don't speak Thai either. What is the claim you're skeptical of? I see he's got a fairly stacked paragraph on Wikipedia but without any inline citations. Yeah, people do that sometimes on Wiki. They stack a paragraph with loads of info and then run away without sourcing it. But apparently there's some University of Minnesota article by James and John Iverson, not linked to. Those must be his relatives?
Yep his great grandsons has wrote a book about him. I think it´s even admitted being partly fictional. But it´s true that atleast in 1927 he was on expedition and according to newspaper (Minneapolis Star 17. Sep 1927) made some foundings.
Well there seems to be so much stuff in his life. According himself he had been living in Argentina (hunting strange monkey). He would have been in Africa hunting elephants. In China and India also hunting trips. Army officer in Siam. Skating instructor in Denmark. Won fame in outdoor sports when in the Royal Institute in Copenhagen. Physical instructor several years in Denmark. Hockey coach in Chicago and Detroit before coming to Minnesota. The olympic soccer participation is obviously false, but that could be made up by newspapers.
sr edler
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...
I love it. But I don't know if it's necessarily that odd, all those things. My grandfather for instance and his brother were both captains/seafarers and traveled to all different kinds of places around the world: Ghana, New Zealand, around the Cape Horn, et cetera. They weren't army officers though or big game hunters, or even skating instructors, but I think if you were in such a position to travel the globe, in an army position or whatever, you could probably see quite a bit of the world. I don't see the appeal myself though to purposely fictionalize anything about it, unless perhaps it's a straight cut novel, but who knows.But I think at the time, amateur archeologist was probably a bit of a rockstar profession, with a fair amount of mystique and/or fame to it. In today's over-technological society with internet and drones and whatever, it's kinda gone away, because everyone knows everything, but back then I think it was highly popular. I've seen it presented with at least one additional hockey figure: Harvard defenseman and captain Bill Claflin Jr., though his archeological work seems to have been taken place exclusively on the North American continent in Utah and Georgia. I haven't got anything to do myself with any of those profiles though, so I'm not into all of the details.
I've seen other players doing outdoor surveys too, like one of the Cook brothers in Alberta, and Herman Koehler who played on the Montclair Athletic Club in the AAHL. He (Koehler) even died doing some type of survey in the Nunavik region of Quebec.
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sr edler
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Though now I see his Wiki page says/claims he visited more than 77 different countries around the world and stacked 34,000 artifacts in his own private museum in Belmont, Massachusetts.
...
But I think at the time, amateur archeologist was probably a bit of a rockstar profession, with a fair amount of mystique and/or fame to it. In today's over-technological society with internet and drones and whatever, it's kinda gone away, because everyone knows everything, but back then I think it was highly popular. I've seen it presented with at least one additional hockey figure: Harvard defenseman and captain Bill Claflin Jr., though his archeological work seems to have been taken place exclusively on the North American continent in Utah and Georgia. I haven't got anything to do myself with any of those profiles though, so I'm not into all of the details.
I've seen other players doing outdoor surveys too, like one of the Cook brothers in Alberta, and Herman Koehler who played on the Montclair Athletic Club in the AAHL. He (Koehler) even died doing some type of survey in the Nunavik region of Quebec.
Yes I agree that it is a story that can be true. Its a wild one, but not quite outlandish to be clearly false. The thing that this potentional European coach wouldn´t have discovered (or atleast written more) before seems weird too. Being NHL coach almost one and half season does not make him that obscure.
Whether true or not it is great story
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Yeah it is. Though what can be said in certainty is that he was "trailblazer" of sort in NHL. He was in one newspaper called Emil "Chart" Iverson. He was later rehired to Black Hawks in 1936 (IIRC). I have read him training players to optimal playing weight. Some needed to drop and some gain weight. He made calisthenic program to the team. And the thing that actually reminded me of Percival first was the fact that he took pride that Hawks had so little injuries (Percival seem took pride from same thing from North Stars). Also one small detail is that he was hired as physical director for Hawks to 1930-1931 season. Dick Irvin was then the head coach of Hawks.
But overall Iverson seemed quite eccentric and I don´t know how good or bad his programs were. And he got lot of critique of not being really a hockey mind. And in the some articles I have seen he seemed to heavily rely on experience of the players and that players should play together for several seasons to build chemistry.
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