Tell me a story about oldtime hockey

Flash Walken

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May 10, 2005
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Vancouver
This is a story from Denis Potvin's Legends of Hockey.

His first NHL game against the Atlanta Flames, he arrives in Atlanta, and has the wrong coloured helmet. Despite everything he had learned about protecting yourself first, he was the rookie who wouldn't want to speak up, he played his first period in the NHL without his helmet, scared to death.

Stan Fischler:

"If it was up to Denis Potvin, he would've done exactly what bobby orr did, and that was spending his entire playing lifetime in the other end of the rink going for goals, setting up goals. Denis Potvin would've been to Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier what Bobby Orr was to Phil Esposito and Kenny Hodge. There was one major difference: Al Arbour. It was the irresistable force versus the immovable object. Al Arbour would not move, so the irresistable force moved just enough to the right and it was a happy blend. Denis Potvin becomes a hall of famer, and not like bobby orr, Potvin played in his own end."

Pretty interesting summation.

So someone else tell me a story about hockey from the good old days.
 

MiamiScreamingEagles

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Jan 17, 2004
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Bob Baun from the 1964 Stanley Cup Finals. He was taken off the ice on a stretcher but returned for the OT.

http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11937

Baun's career-making night was the sixth game of the 1964 Stanley Cup final, with Baun playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs against Detroit. Baun describes what happened halfway through the third period with the score tied 3-3 at the Detroit Olympia: "I got hit in the foot by a shot by Gordie Howe, so they took me to the Olympia infirmary. The guys who looked at it didn't think I could hurt it any more than I already had, so they froze it and I went back to play the game," recalls Baun, who had to be taken from the ice on a stretcher. "I knew it was broken; I didn't need any X-rays to tell me that. But I didn't want to miss the overtime. I told the trainer he had to do everything possible to get me out there. He gave me a shot of painkiller, which numbed the ankle, and taped it tight. Then I laced up my skate and went back to the bench."
 

hfboardsuser

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Nov 18, 2004
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1969: 34 year-old Bob Barlow cracks an NHL roster for the first time, making the North Stars out of camp.

On his first shift, Barlow scores his first NHL goal.

Skating back to the bench, Bobby quips "What's so hard about this league?"
 

arrbez

bad chi
Jun 2, 2004
13,352
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Toronto
Masao Kishin said:
Vsevolod Bobrov could shoot the puck through the net's meshings because his shot was so hard

And that wasn't the bloated capitalist mesh of today either. Back when men were men and nets were nets.
 

Transported Upstater

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arrbez said:
And that wasn't the bloated capitalist mesh of today either. Back when men were men and nets were nets.


arrbez is a COMRADE!
 

Big Phil

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Nov 2, 2003
31,703
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Flash Walken said:
Denis Potvin becomes a hall of famer, and not like bobby orr, Potvin played in his own end."
.


I cant understand if thats a knock on Orr or not. Potvin was a great defenseman no doubt about it, possibly in the top 5 ever. But what was Stan Fischler trying to say? That Orr didnt play in his own end? I can see where its coming from since Fischler is about as smart as a bucket of shrimp.

Orr did play in his own end. He was the greatest defenseman ever and played an all around game. Geez even Paul Coffey played in his own end. Both of these guys just had the speed to get back to their own end.
 

reckoning

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Jan 4, 2005
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Big Phil said:
I cant understand if thats a knock on Orr or not. Potvin was a great defenseman no doubt about it, possibly in the top 5 ever. But what was Stan Fischler trying to say? That Orr didnt play in his own end? I can see where its coming from since Fischler is about as smart as a bucket of shrimp.

Orr did play in his own end. He was the greatest defenseman ever and played an all around game. Geez even Paul Coffey played in his own end. Both of these guys just had the speed to get back to their own end.

Fischler used to slag Orr a lot in his columns back in the 70s. His standard phrase would be like "Don`t get me wrong, Orr is an immemsely talented player...BUT... he`s not good at this, he`s not good at that, blah, blah, blah". He`d briefly give Orr credit for about two sentences, then spend 20 paragraphs explaining how Ed Van Impe or Bill White were better defensively.
 
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Slats432

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Jun 2, 2002
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hockeypedia.com
Big Phil said:
Orr did play in his own end. He was the greatest defenseman ever and played an all around game. Geez even Paul Coffey played in his own end. Both of these guys just had the speed to get back to their own end.
Being an oldtimer, I can concur about Bobby Orr, but not Paul Coffey. Great offensively, average defensively.

There was a great many times he was called Paul Cough-up. That said he was probably as good as any defenseman offensively save Orr.
 

MiamiScreamingEagles

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Jan 17, 2004
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Rick MacLeish's odyssey from 1976-1978:

In February 1976, his season (regular season and playoffs) abruptly ended on a check by Harold Snepsts resulting in torn knee ligaments.

In May 1977, he was involved in a vehicle accident as the van he was driving turned over multiple times on a wet highway, with teammate Bob Dailey as a passenger, resulting in a broken vertebrae in his neck, and other injuries, requiring him to wear a body cast for three months.

But on April 1, 1978, maybe the worst. In game at Los Angeles, his throat was slashed accidentally by Marcel Dionne's skate blade. The scene was described as you might expect. A puddle of blood on the ice, blood oozing out, every available towel turning red, etc. Afterwards, MacLeish is quoted as saying he had a cigarette and smoke came out of the sides of his neck. The cut required 80 stitches. But he returned with fortitude appearing later that month for the beginning of the playoffs, played in all of the Flyers' 12 playoff games, and led the team in goals (7), assists (9), and points (16).
 

Chili

En boca cerrada no entran moscas
Jun 10, 2004
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The Stanley Cup that wasn't decided...



The Montreal Gazette. -- (April 2, 1919). -- P.14

Seven of the Canadiens and Owner George Kennedy Stricken With "Flu"
Seattle, April 1. -- Definite and final announcement was made by the Arena management at 2.30 p.m. that there will be no more world series games here this year. At noon today workmen started tearing up the Arena ice floor preparatory to converting the building into a roller skating rink.

The fact that the ice was being taken up settled all arguments as to whether or not the series would be continued if the visitors were able later to put enough men on the ice.

Lalonde, Berlanquette, Couture and Kennedy are reported only slightly ill. Last night the remaining four men came down, leaving only Pitre, Cleghorn and Vezina, who are not afflicted. It is believed here the Canadiens contracted the disease in Victoria, where the players of that team are just recovering from influenza, seven of them having been in bed at one time.

Not in the history of the Stanley Cup series has the world's hockey championship been so beset with hard luck as has this one. Of the 19 players engaged in it, hardly one of them has gone through without some bad luck. The Seattle team has been badly battered, Rowe, Foyston, Wilson, Murray and Walker all having had injuries. Corbeau, the great Canadien defence man, was hurt in the very first game and has not been able to do more than substitute since.

The great overtime games of the series have taxed the vitality of the players to such an extent that they are in poor shape indeed to fight off such a disease as influenza. However, the Canadiens are being given the very best of care, nurses and physicians being in attendance at all times on them and every other attention is being shown the stricken players.

A few days later Joe Hall of the Habs passed away.
 

ClassicHockey

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May 22, 2005
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Interesting thing about Bob Barlow.

He was the left wing on the famous 'CBC' line in Junior hockey along with Brian & Barry Cullen and won the Memorial Cup with St. Catharines in 1954.

Barlow probably could have had a good NHL career but he preferred to play his career in the minors. Some players get comfortable and don't want the pressure with playing in the NHL.

Mr Bugg said:
1969: 34 year-old Bob Barlow cracks an NHL roster for the first time, making the North Stars out of camp.

On his first shift, Barlow scores his first NHL goal.

Skating back to the bench, Bobby quips "What's so hard about this league?"
 

ClassicHockey

Registered User
May 22, 2005
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I'm not sure if it was Fischler or not but one critical writer thought that Bobby Orr couldn't skate backwards. Orr got a laugh out of that one. I think Fischler says things just to be controversial and couldn't possibly believe everything he writes.

reckoning said:
Fischler used to slag Orr a lot in his columns back in the 70s. His standard phrase would be like "Don`t get me wrong, Orr is an immemsely talented player...BUT... he`s not good at this, he`s not good at that, blah, blah, blah". He`d briefly give Orr credit for about two sentences, then spend 20 paragraphs explaining how Ed Van Impe or Bill White were better defensively.
 

Psycho Papa Joe

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Flash Walken said:
Stan Fischler:

"If it was up to Denis Potvin, he would've done exactly what bobby orr did, and that was spending his entire playing lifetime in the other end of the rink going for goals, setting up goals. Denis Potvin would've been to Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier what Bobby Orr was to Phil Esposito and Kenny Hodge. There was one major difference: Al Arbour. It was the irresistable force versus the immovable object. Al Arbour would not move, so the irresistable force moved just enough to the right and it was a happy blend. Denis Potvin becomes a hall of famer, and not like bobby orr, Potvin played in his own end."

Stan Fischler is an idiot.
 
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turnbuckle*

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Fischler has been spouting utter garbage for more than 40 years. His column in The Hockey News back in the 1970's was unreadable, filled with factual errors and misinformed opinions at every turn. Every year he picked the Rangers to win the Cup, and pretty much every week he fawned over Mike Milbury - had to mention what a great guy he was in almost every column. Believe me, Pierre McGuire has nothing on Fischler when it comes to man crushes, Fischler practically invented it.

Orr was more than capable in his own end. Potvin couldn't tie Orr's skates when it came to natural ability - Potvin was outstanding but Orr has no peer IMO - if he hadn't be burdedned with 20 kenee surgeries Orr would have been able to play into the 90's, and there'd be little question about who was the greatest of all time. That's coming from an old-time Habs fan BTW, I used to hate him (in a competitive sense).
 
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Transported Upstater

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George Bachul said:
Being an oldtimer, I can concur about Bobby Orr, but not Paul Coffey. Great offensively, average defensively.

There was a great many times he was called Paul Cough-up. That said he was probably as good as any defenseman offensively save Orr.


Personally, I think calling Coffey "Average" in his own zone is very, very generous ;)
 

VanIslander

A 19-year ATDer on HfBoards
Sep 4, 2004
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Stories of hockey from long ago are often much wilder, and certainly more entertainingly described. Newsy Lalonde once fought a guy on the ice and it continued off the ice that day and down the street!

Here is from the first game of the NHL season in 1921, between Toronto and Montreal. In the second period, Toronto winger Corb Denneny cross-checked Lalonde across the stomach, which provoked the Montreal captain, a few minutes later, to charge Denneny from behind. Marsh’s description:
In an Irish rush on goal [Bert] Corbeau knocked Denneny kiting and the Toronto lad spilled Lalonde. Both went sliding into the nets like a varicolored avalanche, with Lalonde riding the prostrate Denneny. In the melee Lalonde’s stick lovingly caressed Denneny’s neck, and Denny did the possum act in the corner. Lalonde was booted for a major penalty despite his protests that it was all an accident. Lalonde shouldn’t have accidents with his truncheon caressing the vicinity of the other fellow’s collar button. It doesn’t seem reasonable.

In the third, before Lalonde scored his goal, he ran into Toronto’s Babe Dye. I’ll let Lou Marsh tell it:
Lalonde spilled Dye and Dye gave a correct imitation of a corpse. While the first aiders were doing resuscitation business and Lalonde was standing around weeping crocodile tears, Denneny sailed across the pond and pucked the famous Canadien one in the famous puss. Lalonde looked as surprised as a bulldog bitten by a gold fish.
https://puckstruck.com/tag/newsy-lalonde/
 

BobbyAwe

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Nov 21, 2006
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South Carolina
Fischler used to slag Orr a lot in his columns back in the 70s. His standard phrase would be like "Don`t get me wrong, Orr is an immemsely talented player...BUT... he`s not good at this, he`s not good at that, blah, blah, blah". He`d briefly give Orr credit for about two sentences, then spend 20 paragraphs explaining how Ed Van Impe or Bill White were better defensively.


Fischler hated Orr because he blamed him for influencing a number of defensemen to sacrifice defense by attempting to emulate him and act like forwards when they didn't have the ability Orr did. There might have been a few examples of that, but it's not Orr's fault. Fischler was stuck in the past. He also actually recommended that the slap shot be banned because of the same reason. Some players began to try and use the shot, who were not practiced at it, because of the success of Geoffrion and Hull. He viewed it as a corruption of the game because he didn't have the foresight to realize that the next generation of players WOULD have greater control of the shot because they would grow up practicing it. Just like Orr's eventual influence on the greater mobility of defensemen in generations to come.
 

BobbyAwe

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Another example of Fischler's archaic mindset is that he ranked Orr as only the 13th greatest player of all time. (and this was in 1983 before a lot of other great players came on the scene) He even ranked Cyclone Taylor ahead of Orr. Think about that a minute...a guy who played most of his career before 1920 was better than Bobby Orr? :shakehead
 

BobbyAwe

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I'm not sure if it was Fischler or not but one critical writer thought that Bobby Orr couldn't skate backwards. Orr got a laugh out of that one. I think Fischler says things just to be controversial and couldn't possibly believe everything he writes.

Rest assured Bobby could do ANYTHING on skates. That type of misunderstanding probably originated from the fact that Bobby generally turned his back on the opposing team and skated back into his own zone when killing a penalty. That was an intentional tactic designed to confuse the opposition. Very hard take the puck from a guy who is skating ahead of you in the same direction. He did this because he had the ability to wheel around and go up ice again while keeping the puck - then rinse and repeat.
 

BobbyAwe

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Nov 21, 2006
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South Carolina
Fischler has been spouting utter garbage for more than 40 years. His column in The Hockey News back in the 1970's was unreadable, filled with factual errors and misinformed opinions at every turn. Every year he picked the Rangers to win the Cup, and pretty much every week he fawned over Mike Milbury - had to mention what a great guy he was in almost every column. Believe me, Pierre McGuire has nothing on Fischler when it comes to man crushes, Fischler practically invented it.

Orr was more than capable in his own end. Potvin couldn't tie Orr's skates when it came to natural ability - Potvin was outstanding but Orr has no peer IMO - if he hadn't be burdedned with 20 kenee surgeries Orr would have been able to play into the 90's, and there'd be little question about who was the greatest of all time. That's coming from an old-time Habs fan BTW, I used to hate him (in a competitive sense).


I think the greatest accolade to Orr is that virtually everyone in the game at that time was of the opinion that he was the best. Like you, even the bitterest enemy of the Bruins, John Ferguson, said so. And, even more impressive is that many veterans, whose careers went back 20 years or so, (like Howe and Plante) admitted Orr was greater than any of the old timers they had seen. This in the face of the fact that oldtimer's many times are biased in favor of the players from their day. Milt Schmidt, of course, was the greatest example of this. He was around in the days of Eddie Shore but he said no one came close to Orr.
 

The Macho King

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Rest assured Bobby could do ANYTHING on skates. That type of misunderstanding probably originated from the fact that Bobby generally turned his back on the opposing team and skated back into his own zone when killing a penalty. That was an intentional tactic designed to confuse the opposition. Very hard take the puck from a guy who is skating ahead of you in the same direction. He did this because he had the ability to wheel around and go up ice again while keeping the puck - then rinse and repeat.

I think I've heard Espo say the whole "Orr couldn't skate backwards" thing as a compliment - in that he was always attacking. I may be remembering that poorly, though. And you'll be hard pressed to find someone as complimentary to Orr as Esposito.
 

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