The Soviet Hockey Program

[Canadiens1958]

Post 1956 Olympics

Very interesting tidbit. How they ever figured he'd be released during that period in history, no idea....
And ya, Paille followed by Bower then in the early 60's Les Binkley enjoying a long run & success in Cleveland.

If you do not ask and offer, nothing happens. Post 1956 Olympics there was also interest in Nikolai Sologubov but his age - he would have been 32 at the start of the 1956-57 season was a negative given that he would have had to learn certain NHL tactics to deal with the aggressive forecheck, freezing the puck against the boards, etc were a consideration.

Granted he was probably better at that time than most 4-6th NHL defensemen, as were a number of minor pro and Senior veterans but he did not have the versatility - bob Turner of the Canadiens could play forward and work on the PK and would have cost much more than the typical fringer.

 

[Canadiens1958]

1962 Soviet League Parity.

Page 132, Boivin Chouinard touches on the issue of parity in the Soviet League. Like others he seems to lack access to complete game summaries, travel issues, etc that influence parity but he does make an interesting comparison between Moscow area teams and the teams in eastern Russia.

Seems that Moscow area teams played 28 away games in eastern Russsia, outscoring the host teams by a combined 177 goals to 36. App. 6.3 to 1.3 being a typical score.

The methodology is not the best, perhaps constrained by a lack of data but the issue of parity is not resolved and in fact one wonders whether the Moscow based teams were the main feeders for the national team.

 

[Scotty B]

LLoyd Percival published the Hockey Handbook in 1951 yet the Soviet Hockey program started in 1948 so there is a bit of a chronological issue with the interpretation you propose.

Tut tut.... even by 1950-51, Soviet Hockey was still in it’s infancy. Indeed, at this point , if memory serves, they didn’t even have a single indoor arena yet. Tarasov , by necessity, had to resort to dry land training, But no worries, cuz a series of dry land training exercises , specifically recommended for hockey players came straight from...wait for it...Percival again!

Don’t get the absurd idea, that Percival’s Hockey Handbook was the first thing he had to say on the subject. Far from it... I seem to recall that Percival had a regular radio show , back in the forties, where he also discussed various physical fitness regiments, particularly those that were hockey related. And, reportedly, one of his eager listeners as a youngster, was non other than Don Cherry.

Now add to this, the fact that the Hockey Handbook ( penned in 1950 ) wasn’t even Percival’s first hockey book...But don’t take my word for it

January 12, 2014
Interview With Gary Mossman, Author of Lloyd Percival: Coach And Visionary

www.hockeybookreviews.com/2014/01/interview-with-gary-mossman-author-of.html

Recently we discussed Gary Mossman's new book - Lloyd Percival: Coach and Visionary. In many ways it is a book about the most important hockey book ever written....Below is the transcript of an email interview I did with Mr. Mossman about his new book...

....Question - Would you say The Hockey Handbook was the most important book in hockey history?

Answer - I think it would be fair to say that “The Hockey Handbook” (1951) is the most important book in hockey history. It stood alone for thirty years and some experts say it is still the most complete hockey instruction book ever written. NHL coaches tried to ignore it; however, for minor hockey coaches and college coaches in Canada and the United States it was essential reading.

The first real instruction book for hockey was Percival’s, “How to Play Better Hockey”, published in 1946. It holds a special place in hockey history because Anatoly Tarasov was probably given a copy in 1951. It was the first hockey instruction book he read and the basic philosophy and style of Russian hockey were derived from it.

“The Hockey Handbook”; however, was much bigger and more detailed. We know that Tarasov shipped 500 copies from New York in 1955 and that it was translated into Russian. The book was also the primary source for hockey instruction in Sweden, Finland and Czechoslovakia.

Canadiens1958

...As for circling back with the puck ( wingers crossing etc ), Henri Richard, Bobby Orr and a few others did so regularly without fear of demotion or reprimand.

We're talking about the early fifties, which was pre-ORR. Moreover, while it's true that some star players were ahead of their time, many of the old guard continued to preach that wingers should stay in their lanes, blah blah blah...Established stars might get away with thinking outside the box, but even this was a grey area. * As for a rookie at his first NHL camp ( in the case of H Schooley ) insubordination was a BIG no no...Back in those bad old days ( when players were treated like chattel ) one of the ways they ( Bruins management ) ' cured' a kid of this ( supposed insubordination ) was to introduce them to Captain Bligh ( aka Eddie Shore !)

___

.Elsewhere...u seem to be insinuating ( rather absurdly imo ) that Percival was NOT a great hockey innovator, and that he was NOT ahead of his time.. Now even though Percival’s ideas were NOT born in a vacuum ( obviously! ), I defy u to find a single hockey historian ( worth his/her salt ) that would agree with u on this pt. .

But even if, for argument’s sake , many of Percival’s innovations weren’t the least bit New...since Tarasov, by his own admission, and as has been widely documented, borrowed heavily from Percival , it follows that the Soviets can’t lay claim to having developed their tactics and training methods independently either...

Besides, u can't have it both ways...if this was all ( cough, cough ) old hat as u seem to be insinuating, why did Canuck media, and even many Canadian students of the game, marvel at supposed Soviet innovations? Take, for example, Tretiak's much reported exercize of bouncing a tennis ball against a wall, to increase hand -eye coordination. Newsflash: That didn’t come from Tarasov chum, once again it came from Percival, who first recommended it to Terry Sawchuk!

[MOD]
---

PS: * I seem to recall, that early on, even Rocket Richard got into plenty of hot water for his maverick streak...Course, that was before he became an established and largely untouchable mega-star, capable of inciting unparallelled Quebecois passions and even a riot...

 

[Zine]

Sorry, but ( the bolded part ) that's nonsense...again just a rehash of CCCP MYTH as I stated earlier. Strictly from memory, Tarasov had one of Percival's Books translated into Russian, and 500 copies made and distributed....What follows isn't conjecture, it's FACT...MOST of CCCP's ostensibly unique training methods and hockey tactics, which Canadian media marveled about in 72, were Percival's Hockey Handbook 101...

Also , if memory serves, Tarasov made a pt of visiting Percival when he was dying, and he wrote a glowing handwritten tribute to his guru, on the inside cover of Percival's book ( again Tarasov's Bible ) acknowledging the tremendous debt Tarasov, and by extension CCCP hockey, owed him...

Seems Antoli, like most public figures, had both a private and a public face...It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out, that the Canuck roots of CCCP hockey had to be glossed over/expunged for political reasons.Hells bells, this was the height of the Cold War...

As an aside, one of my relatives ( Harold Schooley ) was invited behind the iron curtain, by Tarasov, to serve as guest coach for CCCP, prior to them winning their first World Championship in the 50's...After that, Schooley was summarily shown the door, without so much as a thankyou/ acknowledgment. Schooley (another early Percival disciple ) was a prolific goal scorer playing overseas*; and that's how he ( Schooley ) first got noticed by Tarasov et al...

Again after CCCP won their first WC, that was when the Big Red ( Propaganda ) Machine took over...and the rest as they say, is ( revisionist/ heavily politicized & sanitized ) HISTORY

--------

* if memory serves, Harold Schooley was initially in the Boston Bruin's organization, scoring 9 goals in 5 NHL exhibition games . But he liked to do things ( wingers crossing, circling back with the puck ) which were strictly verboten by NHL old guard,in those days, and when they tried to send him down to the minors to play for the notorious Eddie Shore, he bolted, first to the British Professional League ( which was really quite good in the years immediately following WW2 ) and later to mainland Europe, where he became a kind of freelance hockey player, often earning more than most NHLers of that era. Aside from his stint behind the Iron Curtain, Schooley also coached @OG and WHC's for team Italy and/or Austria ( circa 1956, 60 ) if I'm not mistaken, also serving as a WHA scout ( Calgary Cowboys?) , and in the off season (strangely enough ) a baseball scout for Philadelphia Phillies...

Not exactly.


1. Bandy was the genesis of the Soviet tactical game. Percival's contributions only served to enrich Soviet hockey. In fact, Tarasov published his first book on tactics and dryland training in 1948. Tarasov almost certainly took a liking to Percival's book because many of the methods mirrored existing Soviet ones (regrouping, puck possession, etc.) which came from bandy and to a lesser extent soccer. Nonetheless;

2. You appear to put too much emphasis on Tarasov in the development of Soviet hockey. Yes he was the central figure, but it's a gross oversimplification to insinuate that the implementation of all methods and tactics went solely through him. Tarasov wasn't the only person 'running the show' when the Soviet game was developing. Far from it actually.

 

[Scotty B]

Not exactly.


1. Bandy was the genesis of the Soviet tactical game. Percival's contributions only served to enrich Soviet hockey. In fact, Tarasov published his first book on tactics and dryland training in 1948. Tarasov almost certainly took a liking to Percival's book because many of the methods mirrored existing Soviet ones (regrouping, puck possession, etc.) which came from bandy and to a lesser extent soccer. Nonetheless;

2. You appear to put too much emphasis on Tarasov in the development of Soviet hockey. Yes he was the central figure, but it's a gross oversimplification to insinuate that the implementation of all methods and tactics went solely through him. Tarasov wasn't the only person 'running the show' when the Soviet game was developing. Far from it actually.

Well doubtless the Bandy influence was considerable, at least early on...and doubtless they were others besides Tarasov. Still he ( Tarasov )was, and still is, far and away, the most well known and likewise has been given the most credit, ostensibly for being an innovative genius...In stark contrast, Percival's influence on Tarasov, and by extension on Soviet hockey, which was also considerable, has largely been ignored by historical revisionists...Since Percival wasn't even mentioned in this thread...and likewise seems to have been given short shrift, in an ostensibly informative and intellectual thesis, I felt compelled , yet again, to address this slight ...

 

[Theokritos]

Tarasov had one of Percival's Books translated into Russian, and 500 copies made and distributed

Yes he did. In 1957, ten years after the start of the Soviet hockey program and after the Soviets had already won the World Championship twice.

Seems Antoli, like most public figures, had both a private and a public face... It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out, that the Canuck roots of CCCP hockey had to be glossed over/expunged for political reasons.

I think you're on the wrong track here. Tarasov contributed a preface to the Russian translation of the "Hockey Handbook" in 1957, what's not public about that?

As an aside, one of my relatives ( Harold Schooley ) was invited behind the iron curtain, by Tarasov, to serve as guest coach for CCCP, prior to them winning their first World Championship in the 50's...After that, Schooley was summarily shown the door, without so much as a thankyou/ acknowledgment. Schooley (another early Percival disciple ) was a prolific goal scorer playing overseas*; and that's how he ( Schooley ) first got noticed by Tarasov et al...

Now that's really interesting and something I've never heard of. Will look into it. Do you have more infos, details?

 

[Theokritos]

one wonders whether the Moscow based teams were the main feeders for the national team

Absolutely. With their ties to high offices in the party and the trade unions they were able to offer the players material incentives non-Muscovite clubs could not compete with. CSKA (army) and Dinamo (KGB) were in the best position in this regard so that they usually attracted most of the best players. And in those cases when the lure wasn't enough, their connection to the armed services enabled them to acquire a player via a conscription order. The other Muscovite teams (Spartak, Krylya Sovetov) picked up what was left in the talent pool and the teams outside of Moscow were normally last in line. That's how it worked in general, with a few exceptions here and there. Coaches and officials in the provinces as well as functionaries of the hockey federation in Moscow complained about the constant talent drain to the capital, but there was very little they could do against it.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Harold Schooley

Yes he did. In 1957, ten years after the start of the Soviet hockey program and after the Soviets had already won the World Championship twice.



I think you're on the wrong track here. Tarasov contributed a preface to the Russian translation of the "Hockey Handbook" in 1957, what's not public about that?



Now that's really interesting and something I've never heard of. Will look into it. Do you have more infos, details?

Some stats:

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=25700

Anatoli Tarasov and Vsevolod Bobrov disagreed about training, tactics and strategy.
Well known in hockey circles in the Soviet Union.

As for Tarasov's other side or personna he pulled his team of the ice to protest a referees decision in the late 1960s, Soviet league - similar to the Flyers/Soviet 1976 game. Was sanctionned and reprimanded.

 

[Canadiens1958]

New Media

Tut tut.... even by 1950-51, Soviet Hockey was still in it’s infancy. Indeed, at this point , if memory serves, they didn’t even have a single indoor arena yet. Tarasov , by necessity, had to resort to dry land training, But no worries, cuz a series of dry land training exercises , specifically recommended for hockey players came straight from...wait for it...Percival again!

Don’t get the absurd idea, that Percival’s Hockey Handbook was the first thing he had to say on the subject. Far from it... I seem to recall that Percival had a regular radio show , back in the forties, where he also discussed various physical fitness regiments, particularly those that were hockey related. And, reportedly, one of his eager listeners as a youngster, was non other than Don Cherry.

Now add to this, the fact that the Hockey Handbook ( penned in 1950 ) wasn’t even Percival’s first hockey book...But don’t take my word for it





Canadiens1958

We're talking about the early fifties, which was pre-ORR. Moreover, while it's true that some star players were ahead of their time, many of the old guard continued to preach that wingers should stay in their lanes, blah blah blah...Established stars might get away with thinking outside the box, but even this was a grey area. * As for a rookie at his first NHL camp ( in the case of H Schooley ) insubordination was a BIG no no...Back in those bad old days ( when players were treated like chattel ) one of the ways they ( Bruins management ) ' cured' a kid of this ( supposed insubordination ) was to introduce them to Captain Bligh ( aka Eddie Shore !)

___

.Elsewhere...u seem to be insinuating ( rather absurdly imo ) that Percival was NOT a great hockey innovator, and that he was NOT ahead of his time.. Now even though Percival’s ideas were NOT born in a vacuum ( obviously! ), I defy u to find a single hockey historian ( worth his/her salt ) that would agree with u on this pt. .

But even if, for argument’s sake , many of Percival’s innovations weren’t the least bit New...since Tarasov, by his own admission, and as has been widely documented, borrowed heavily from Percival , it follows that the Soviets can’t lay claim to having developed their tactics and training methods independently either...

Besides, u can't have it both ways...if this was all ( cough, cough ) old hat as u seem to be insinuating, why did Canuck media, and even many Canadian students of the game, marvel at supposed Soviet innovations? Take, for example, Tretiak's much reported exercize of bouncing a tennis ball against a wall, to increase hand -eye coordination. Newsflash: That didn’t come from Tarasov chum, once again it came from Percival, who first recommended it to Terry Sawchuk!

[MOD]
---

PS: * I seem to recall, that early on, even Rocket Richard got into plenty of hot water for his maverick streak...Course, that was before he became an established and largely untouchable mega-star, capable of inciting unparallelled Quebecois passions and even a riot...

Most of the first wave of Soviet Ice Hockey players were also soccer players, familiar with dryland training.

Old guard like Frank Boucher used to advocate against the Red Line, introduced at the start of the 1943-44 season for exactly the reasons you are attributing to Percival and others.

Percival's exercise for goalies that you reference - Sawchuk was improved upon by east end Montréal hockey coaches by adapting the old Baseball Throw and Field apparatus - will try to find an image. A wall gives a regular return unless the ball catches the edge of a brick. The Throw and Field randomizes the return so the goalie cannot find a groove.

New media types were impressed by the Soviets. The old guys - Elmer Ferguson, Dink Carroll etc had seen it before.

 

[Theokritos]

Harold 'Hal' Schooley (1929-2010) was active as player and coach for a variety of hockey clubs from England to Italy throughout the 1950s and 1960s, but I can't find anything about him "guest coaching" a Soviet team. More information would be helpful.

Harold Schooley...was invited behind the iron curtain, by Tarasov, to serve as guest coach for CCCP, prior to them winning their first World Championship in the 50's...After that, Schooley was summarily shown the door, without so much as a thankyou/ acknowledgment. Schooley (another early Percival disciple ) was a prolific goal scorer playing overseas*; and that's how he ( Schooley ) first got noticed by Tarasov et al...

Schooley making waves as an outstanding goal scorer overseas – that would be during the winter of 1953-1954 when he played for the Paisley Pirates (Scotland). In March 1954 the Soviets won their first World Championship. If Schooley indeed "guest coached" them prior to that, it must have been in early 1954. But note that Tarasov was not in charge of the Soviet national team at that time, he was released in November 1953 and replaced by Arkadi Chernyshov. More informations/details are needed at this point to verify the Schooley claim.

 

[Scotty B]

Theokritos
Moderator

Now that's ( the story about Schooley behind the Iron Curtain ) really interesting and something I've never heard of. Will look into it. Do you have more infos, details?

Absolutely, the Hamilton Spectator did a full page piece on Harold Schooley, written by Glenn Nott , back in the 80's...You can still find it, in the special collections dept of Hamilton Central Library...here it is ( not quite ) in its entirety...

THE WIZARD OF EUROPE -‘They ( the Soviets ) had heard he was an exceptional goal scorer and would like to learn from him.”
by Glen Nott special to the Hamilton Spectator

THOSE POOR souls toiling for the Fife Flyers probably didn’t know what hit them on that fateful eve of December 11,1953. What started out as just another hockey game between Flyers and the Paisley Pirates of the British Professional League that evening, would end as a world history maker as Hamilton’s own Harold Schooley fired 8 goals in leading his team to a lopsided victory.

And just for fun if you check page 178 of the 1955 edition of the Guinness Book of World records, you’ll notice that Schooley’s feat was indeed a bonafide record of its time.

However if you want a lot more fun, just ask the 60 year old Schooley about it in person.
“I was 23 at the time and I broke the league record for goals that year, scoring 89 in 62 games”,recounts Schooley, who now spends his time as general manager of Flamborough’s Niagara District junior C entry. “ The record before that was 62 in 62 games”.
The event was big stuff in its day, but it was just the beginning of a hockey odyssey that carried the Cathedral High student through virtually every country in Europe and the Soviet Union before returning to England and finally to North America in the early 1970's
“After I scored the 8, I guess the Russians read it in the paper and got on the phone to Canada House in London. They wondered if Mr. Schooley would come over for one month and tour Russia. They had heard he was an exceptional goal scorer and would like to learn from him”
One year later, Schooley was behind the Iron Curtain, wowing the comrades with his prolific touch around the net. One day he suited up with the East German national team and potted 12 goals in an exhibition game against the Soviet nationals. The next day, he buried a dozen more against a West German club in a tournament.
Needless to say hockey in Europe has never been the same since.
But it wasn’t a burning desire to travel that led Schooley to a career of hockey stardom on the Continent. He had signed a professional contract with Eddie Shore’s Springfield Indians of the American hockey league early in his career and a combination of Shore’s stubborness and Schooley’s maverick streak eventually led the latter across the pond.
He did get a try-out with the Boston Bruins early in the 1950's , scoring 9 goals in 5 exhibition games. But when he was eventually sent back down to Springfield, along with friend Billy Cupolo of Niagara Falls, the two decided to bolt for Europe instead of playing for Shore. “Everyone has Eddie Shore stories, he was the Harold Ballard of his era,” recalls Schooley. “He just flat out told you he was not going to trade you and back then you didn’t argue with management so I just took off.”
He shrugs off a suggestion that maybe he was a little timid for the rough and tumble NHL, instead pointing to a face that's seen its share of projectiles.
“Hell one year in the AHL I took 200 stitches. I’m a dumb Irishman, so once I got started you couldn’t stop me”
After a couple of season in Britain, Schooley became what he describes as a “freelance” hockey player, playing for teams all over Europe and getting as much as $500 per game. When he was playing in Italy, he got a call one weekend from an Austrian team desperate for his services
“I ended up playing In Italy one night and driving up to Austria the next day. I think we played 3 games in two days and I made $2,500 that weekend.”

Schooley earned a litany of nicknames during his playing days. ‘Silver’ for his abundance of prematurely greying locks, and ‘THE DEKE’ for his scoring and play making abilities that left Europeans shaking their heads.

In many places he was simply known as ‘THE CANADIAN’, a revolutionary-style player that had to be seen to be believed. He would drive, sometimes with equipment still on, from one town or country to the next one seeking new crowds to wow.

He was playing 60 minutes a game most nights,11 or 12 months of the year. And he racked up three languages along the way-Italian German and French.
“I was having a heck of a time and as it turned out I was making more money than a lot of the National Hockey League players. It worked out just fine for me”

Just fine indeed . His expertise was such that he coached two Olympic teams ( Italian team 1956, Austrians in 1960 ) when he came back over to North America , he worked with the Philadelphia ( later Vancouver ) blazers and Calgary Cowboys of the now defunct World hockey association. He even coached the Hamilton Redwing junior club in 1973.
Schooley's keen eye for athletic talent also led him to a 12 year stint as a Canadian scout for baseballs Philadelphia Phillies when rinks were quiet in the summer. He spent a lot of time in Quebec then , but he always retained Hamilton as his home base*....

...Speaking of his 1980's junior C assignment. “ i really feel that i didn’t get a chance to play in North America and I see the same thing happening to a lot of kids today. I’m just glad to be doing what I’m doing now and making a contribution...( THE END )

----

* i omitted a couple of paragraphs of Nott's article here, didn't seem pertinent..

.Also, to avoid confusion, I deleted the part, originally in brackets, I had previously added about Carl Brewer (I probably wrote that nigh on 20 years ago ). Ergo, with the possible exception of typos, and except for the aforesaid 2 paragraphs omitted, for brevity sake, that’s Glenn Nott’s original article VERBATIM

 

[Theokritos]

Absolutely, the Hamilton Spectator did a full page piece on Harold Schooley, written by Glenn Nott , back in the 80's...You can still find it, in the special collections dept of Hamilton Central Library...here it is ( not quite ) in its entirety...

THE WIZARD OF EUROPE -‘They ( the Soviets ) had heard he was an exceptional goal scorer and would like to learn from him.”
by Glen Nott special to the Hamilton Spectator

THOSE POOR souls toiling for the Fife Flyers probably didn’t know what hit them on that fateful eve of December 11,1953. What started out as just another hockey game between Flyers and the Paisley Pirates of the British Professional League that evening, would end as a world history maker as Hamilton’s own Harold Schooley fired 8 goals in leading his team to a lopsided victory.

And just for fun if you check page 178 of the 1955 edition of the Guiness Book of World records, you’ll notice that Schooley’s feat was indeed a bonafide record of its time.

However if you want a lot more fun, just ask the 60 year old Schooley about it in person.
“I was 23 at the time and I broke the league record for goals that year, scoring 89 in 62 games”,recounts Schooley, who now spends his time as general manager of Flamborough’s Niagara District junior C entry. “ The record before that was 62 in 62 games”.
The event was big stuff in its day, but it was just the beginning of a hockey odyssey that carried the Cathedral High student through virtually every country in Europe and the Soviet Union before returning to England and finally to North America in the early 1970's
“After I scored the 8, I guess the Russians read it in the paper and got on the phone to Canada House in London. They wondered if Mr. Schooley would come over for one month and tour Russia. They had heard he was an exceptional goal scorer and would like to learn from him”
One year later, Schooley was behind the Iron Curtain, wowing the comrades with his prolific touch around the net. One day he suited up with the East German national team and potted 12 goals in an exhibition game against the Soviet nationals. The next day, he buried a dozen more against a West German club in a tournament.
Needless to say hockey in Europe has never been the same since.
But it wasn’t a burning desire to travel that led Schooley to a career of hockey stardom on the Continent. He had signed a professional contract with Eddie Shore’s Springfield Indians of the American hockey league early in his career and a combination of Shore’s stubborness and Schooley’s maverick streak eventually led the latter across the pond.
He did get a try-out with the Boston Bruins early in the 1950's , scoring 9 goals in 5 exhibition games. But when he was eventually sent back down to Springfield, along with friend Billy Cupolo of Niagara Falls, the two decided to bolt for Europe instead of playing for Shore. “Everyone has Eddie Shore stories, he was the Harold Ballard of his era,” recalls Schooley. “He just flat out told you he was not going to trade you and back then you didn’t argue with management so I just took off.”
He shrugs off a suggestion that maybe he was a little timid for the rough and tumble NHL, instead pointing to a face that's seen its share of projectiles.
“Hell one year in the AHL I took 200 stitches. I’m a dumb Irishman, so once I got started you couldn’t stop me”
After a couple of season in Britain, Schooley became what he describes as a “freelance” hockey player, playing for teams all over Europe and getting as much as $500 per game. When he was playing in Italy, he got a call one weekend from an Austrian team desperate for his services
“I ended up playing In Italy one night and driving up to Austria the next day. I think we played 3 games in two days and I made $2,500 that weekend.”

Schooley earned a litany of nicknames during his playing days. ‘Silver’ for his abundance of prematurely greying locks, and ‘THE DEKE’ for his scoring and play making abilities that left Europeans shaking their heads.

In many places he was simply known as ‘THE CANADIAN’, a revolutionary-style player that had to be seen to be believed. He would drive, sometimes with equipment still on, from one town or country to the next one seeking new crowds to wow. ( *It is because he was mostly a freelance hockey player, and also his choice of venue i.e. 1950-60's Europe that many of his accomplishments remain unrecognized *)

He was playing 60 minutes a game most nights,11 or 12 months of the year. And he racked up three languages along the way-Italian German and French.
“I was having a heck of a time and as it turned out I was making more money than a lot of the National Hockey League players. It worked out just fine for me”

Just fine indeed . His expertise was such that he coached two Olympic teams ( Italian team 1956, Austrians in 1960 ) when he came back over to North America , he worked with the Philadelphia ( later Vancouver ) blazers and Calgary Cowboys of the now defunct World hockey association. He even coached the Hamilton Redwing junior club in 1973.
Schooley's keen eye for athletic talent also led him to a 12 year stint as a Canadian scout for baseballs Philadelphia Phillies when rinks were quiet in the summer. He spent a lot of time in Quebec then , but he always retained Hamilton as his home base

Thanks.

Unfortunately that article prompts more questions than it answers. (Not to mention the sensationalist tone: "Needless to say hockey in Europe has never been the same since.")

So Schooley scored 8 goals in a game for Paisley in December 1953 and that prompted the Russians to invite him. "One year later, Schooley was behind the Iron Curtain." That would be the winter of 1954-1955. By then the Soviets had already won their first World Championship. Contrary to your claim that Schooley taught them his lessons prior to that. Also, Tarasov was not in charge of the Soviet national team during the time in question (released in November 1953, didn't return until 1957). And where in the article does it say Schooley "guest coached" the Soviets?

More questionable claims:

"One day he suited up with the East German national team and potted 12 goals in an exhibition game against the Soviet nationals."

The Soviets played numerous exhibition games against the national team of East Germany throughout the 1950s, but at no occasion did they concede 12 goals (or anything close to it really). Can post games & results if needed.

"His expertise was such that he coached two Olympic teams ( Italian team 1956, Austrians in 1960)"

Austria didn't even participate in the 1960 Olympics with their hockey team. And the Italian team was coached by Richard Torriani in 1956 according to Czech Wikipedia.

 

[Scotty B]

Scotty B :

Tarasov had one of Percival's Books translated into Russian, and 500 copies made and distributed

Theokritos
Moderator

Yes he did. In 1957, ten years after the start of the Soviet hockey program and after the Soviets had already won the World Championship twice.

The Russian translation came in 1957, but reportedly Tarasov had 500 copies shipped over seas from New York in 1955. Also, reportedly ( and u seem to be conveniently ignoring this! )Tarasov was given a copy of Percival’s earlier book ‘ How to play good hockey’,* in 1951 when CCCP hockey was still in its infancy, when , as I stated earlier, Soviets still didn't have a single indoor arena ! ...

He ( Tarasov ) obviously consumed Percival's first book with relish, and it must have left a deep impression on him too, since he went on to read his second book ‘ The Hockey Handbook” ( we don’t know when? ) + buy and ship 500 copies + have them translated!...Anyone ( not still in denial ) ought to find that Pretty telling NO?

Scotty B

...
Seems Antoli, like most public figures, had both a private and a public face... It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out, that the Canuck roots of CCCP hockey had to be glossed over/expunged for political reasons.

Theokritos
Moderator

I think you're on the wrong track here. Tarasov contributed a preface to the Russian translation of the "Hockey Handbook" in 1957, what's not public about that?

IF Tarasov did acknowledge his debt to Percival, to a Russian audience, in that preface** that's what I call, a good start. STILL that doesn’t change the fact that many of the ostensibly unique training regiments, dry training exercises, on ice tactics etc., which the Canadian Press marveled at in 1972, and in which Tretiak ( for example ) in his book also ascribed to Tarasov, really originated with Percival. Surely it behooved Tarasov, at some point, to do a better job of setting the record straight? So why didn't he ? To me, the most obvious answer...wait for it... is POLITICS!...

As an aside: You ask a Russian hockey fan who Lloyd Percival was? Or even a Russian hockey historian, the vast majority still have no clue.*** Ditto most European and Canuck hockey fans. Is that right? If NOT, than I'm certainly justified in trying to set the record straight...Bearing in mind, that others before me have tried.....

I'm NOT wrong either , in suggesting that many Russians ( both then and now ) would find the notion that Soviet hockey tactics and training methods were NOT uniquely their own/ were NOT developed exclusively inside their borders ( and what's worse, should largely be credited to a Canuck ! ) deeply unsettling. Indeed, it doesn't take a PHD in Russian studies to realize, that the potential shattering of this MYTH would still be a political hot potato in Putin's Russia...

Alas, Tarasov ( the widely acclaimed ' Father of Soviet Hockey', the supposed genius, the supposed great innovator, ) is, in no small part, a fraud!.A la all heroes, Tarasov had feet of clay...

-----
* NB: Percival's first book, How to Play Better Hockey (1946) contains the same basic tactics and training methods discussed, in greater detail, in his better known Hockey Handbook (1951)

** It’d be nice if someone could find an English translation of that preface, and post it here. I’d love to read it, and I’m sure others would too.


***At the risk of repeating myself, even the author of the thesis discussed in this thread gives short shrift to Percival, hence my original complaint...

 

[Scotty B]

Thanks.

Unfortunately that article prompts more questions than it answers. (Not to mention the sensationalist tone: "Needless to say hockey in Europe has never been the same since.")

So Schooley scored 8 goals in a game for Paisley in December 1953 and that prompted the Russians to invite him. "One year later, Schooley was behind the Iron Curtain." That would be the winter of 1954-1955. By then the Soviets had already won their first World Championship. Contrary to your claim that Schooley taught them his lessons prior to that. Also, Tarasov was not in charge of the Soviet national team during the time in question (released in November 1953, didn't return until 1957). And where in the article does it say Schooley "guest coached" the Soviets?

More questionable claims:

"One day he suited up with the East German national team and potted 12 goals in an exhibition game against the Soviet nationals."

The Soviets played numerous exhibition games against the national team of East Germany throughout the 1950s, but at no occasion did they concede 12 goals (or anything close to it really). Can post games & results if needed.

"His expertise was such that he coached two Olympic teams ( Italian team 1956, Austrians in 1960)"

Austria didn't even participate in the 1960 Olympics with their hockey team. And the Italian team was coached by Richard Torriani in 1956 according to Czech Wikipedia.

I double checked....because this came from an OLD word file on my computer, and my memory isn't 20/20... Plus a couple of the things ,in brackets, in the original article, I added ( The part about Carl Brewer, for example )....BUT NO, that particular tidbit appears VERBATIM, in brackets , in the original article...Ergo, if it's wrong , that's on Glen NOTT, not me...And again, the original Hamilton Spectator news article is still available in the special collections department of Hamilton Central Library...

PS: maybe Schooley was an assistant coach? no clue? Can't ask him either, he's been dead for 2 or 3 years now, if memory serves...

 

[Scotty B]

Theokritos
Moderator

So Schooley scored 8 goals in a game for Paisley in December 1953 and that prompted the Russians to invite him. "One year later, Schooley was behind the Iron Curtain." That would be the winter of 1954-1955. By then the Soviets had already won their first World Championship. Contrary to your claim that Schooley taught them his lessons prior to that.

The way I heard it ( Schooley was my mom's cousin, and some of this came second hand, but I also had a fairly lengthy conversation with him about hockey, his exploits etc ) he was there before they won their first WC. Maybe I'm remembering it wrong? Or maybe he ( Schooley ) was thinking about Cortina,Italy, Soviet's first OG victory? I also got the impression, that he ( Schooley ) felt, in hindsight, that the Soviets didn't given him enough credit for his contributions...and was rather PO'd about how his stay there ended

Theokritos

where in the article does it say Schooley "guest coached" the Soviets?

Hmm..now ur nitpicking...when I first mentioned Schooley's overseas exploits, I was writing strictly from memory, I had to use a text search program later, to find a digitized copy of Nott's article in Word on my computer, as per ur request...And, pursuant to this, I also found a photocopy of Notts original article, just to double check what Nott wrote vis a vis Schooley and team Italy/Austria @OG...

From Nott's article, we read:

...They wondered if Mr. Schooley would come over for one month and tour Russia. They had heard he was an exceptional goal scorer and would like to learn from him”

Learning implies teaching, teaching is tantamount to coaching, and he was their invited guest...ergo I used the term ' guest coach'...seems pretty self explanatory sans explanation

Theokritos

...Also, Tarasov was not in charge of the Soviet national team during the time in question (released in November 1953, didn't return until 1957).

Hmmm...thanks for setting me straight...MY BAD! I just assumed that Tarasov was in charge of CCCP hockey circa 1954. It seemed equally reasonable to assume, especially at the height of the Cold War, that no Westerner would be invited ,behind the Iron Curtain to serve as a defacto CCCP coach , sans the head honcho of Soviet Hockey's stamp of approval ( namely Tarasov, or whomever it was? ): that still seems like a reasonable assumption. NO?

 

[Scotty B]

Theokritos

"One day he suited up with the East German national team and potted 12 goals in an exhibition game against the Soviet nationals."

The Soviets played numerous exhibition games against the national team of East Germany throughout the 1950s, but at no occasion did they concede 12 goals (or anything close to it really). .

The only part of NOTT's article I added to , I was careful to put in brackets ( I could go back and delete that to simplify things* )

*=DONE

So now, aside from the odd typo, it's ALL NOTT Verbatim, including the part about Schooley potting 12 vs CCCP while suited up for an East Germany side..

Theokritos

...Can post games & results ( CCCP vs E. Germany)if needed

.

Hmmm...this might be a stretch, but I'm wondering IF, back in the fifties, all those friendlies got recorded. I'm also wondering IF Schooley was allowed ' officially' to suit up for East Germany, and IF NOT, perhaps that might explain why it can't be found in the " official records".Paraphrasing NOTT, he also mentions Schooley playing against West Germany, the very next day, and potting 12 more goals. Since this reportedly took place in a tourney, perhaps these records can be found? Just a thought...

___

P.S. Mr Theokritos: I found smthg like a half dozen photo copies of Glenn Nott's original article, complete with a photo of Schooley discussing strategy with boyz from the Flamborough Gamblers...

Long story short, PM me with ur mailing address if u want, and I'll snail mail u one of those photo copies.

P.P.S: Since u seem to be something of a sleuth ( intended as a compliment ) maybe u could find NOTT, and ask him about it, assuming he's still around?

 

[steve141]

many Russians ( both then and now ) would find the notion that Soviet hockey tactics and training methods were NOT uniquely their own/ were NOT developed exclusively inside their borders ( and what's worse, should largely be credited to a Canuck ! ) deeply unsettling. Indeed, it doesn't take a PHD in Russian studies to realize, that the potential shattering of this MYTH would still be a political hot potato in Putin's Russia...

Alas, Tarasov ( the widely acclaimed ' Father of Soviet Hockey', the supposed genius, the supposed great innovator, ) is, in no small part, a fraud!.

You really haven't shown the logical step between Tarasov liking Percival's book to Tarasov being a fraud. What if it turned out that Scotty Bowman had read the book aswell, does that somehow make Bowman less of a coach?

It seems to me that the Russians tried to gather as much knowledge as they could from a number of sources, and from that developed their own style of play. Sounds like a pretty good approach, no?

 

[Scotty B]

Steve

You really haven't shown the logical step between Tarasov liking Percival's book to Tarasov being a fraud.

Au contraire, I have done so repeatedly, but Gary Mossman, Author of ' Lloyd Percival: Coach And Visionary' does it better (though NOT in so many words). So once again, here's the link www.hockeybookreviews.com/2014/01/interview-with-gary-mossman-author-of.html

Anyway, it's all there in black and white, in ' The Hockey Handbook ' ( 1951 ) and ' How To Play Better Hockey' ( 1946 ). Percival's books speak for themselves!

Steve

...What if it turned out that Scotty Bowman had read the book aswell, does that somehow make Bowman less of a coach?

Speaking hypothetically...IF literally countless people had ascribed, literally for decades, to Bowman, a ‘ revolutionary style ’ of tactics and training methods, devised by another, the same person who literally wrote the book on the subject, a book Bowman ( read Tarasov ) had likewise described as ‘ His Bible’. And if Bowman, again for decades, had failed to set the record straight, that would INDEED make Bowman a FRAUD!

Of course Bowman didn’t live inside Soviet Russia...Ergo (1950's McCarthyism and blacklisting notwithstanding ) he didn’t have to contend with an oft times unforgiving ( read potentially lethal )political backlash. So perhaps Anatoli should be forgiven.

IF his political masters ( as seems plausible ) dictated that he should keep mum about certain politically sensitive subjects, ( bearing in mind that Soviet officials used CCCP sporting triumphs to tout the supposed superiority of their societal model ) what could Tarasov reasonably be expected to do?

Canadiens1958:

New media types were impressed by the Soviets. The old guys - Elmer Ferguson, Dink Carroll etc had seen it before.

I’ll file this under the heading: backpedaling + trying to have ur cake and eat it too. If 1972 Soviet tactics and training methods were old hat, ( and I agree they were ) why do u seem to accept , sans protest ( see the bolded parts ) Boivin-Chouinard’s and others bogus contentions that:

Canadiens1958:

One of the aspects that is rather clear in Boivin's - Chouinard's book is that the Soviets stressed putting their own stamp on every aspect of their ice hockey program. ( sure they did, but that stamp was fraudulent, since it should rightly have read PERCIVAL 101 ) Unlike other countries - Czechoslovakia which relied heavily on Mike Buckna, a Canadian who helped launch their hockey program in the thirties and forties, or Britain importing eligible Canadians to win the 1936 olympic Gold Medal, the post 1948 Soviet National Team stayed within their borders.

Well again, Tarasov relied HEAVILY on a Canadian,one Lloyd Percival, plus he strayed way beyond Soviet borders, going all the way to New York to garner 500 copies of Tarasov's Bible, The Hockey Handbook for mother Russia. And that's why earlier I said ( of the bolded part ) That's NONSENSE! .

Incidentally, I first heard about the connection btwn Soviet tactics/ training methods and those described in the Hockey Handbook, and that Tarasov called it, ‘ The Bible’ way back in 1972. Others, inclusive of some historical revisionists, have purposely turned a blind eye to this link. Still others seem genuinely not to have known about it.

This really is nothing new...u could Google ( I’m too lazy to ) Tarasov’s Bible, Tarasov and Percival and get tons of hits, again the odd one stemming from the 72 Summit series.

___

Canadiens1958

...In the second half of the 1950s the Soviets toured Canada and played games against the Junior Canadiens in Montréal.

Didn't Mtl Jr Canadiens also play CCCP in the late sixties, and beat them something like 9-3 ( again too lazy to check )

 

[Canadiens1958]

Alumni Team

Canadiens1958:

I'll file this under the heading: backpedaling + trying to have ur cake and eat it too. If 1972 Soviet tactics and training methods were old hat, ( and I agree they were ) why do u seem to accept , sans protest ( see the bolded parts ) Boivin-Chouinard's and others bogus contentions that:

Canadiens1958:

Well again, Tarasov relied HEAVILY on a Canadian,one Lloyd Percival, plus he strayed way beyond Soviet borders, going all the way to New York to garner 500 copies of Tarasov's Bible, The Hockey Handbook for mother Russia. And that's why earlier I said ( of the bolded part ) That's NONSENSE! .

Incidentally, I first heard about the connection btwn Soviet tactics/ training methods and those described in the Hockey Handbook, and that Tarasov called it, 'The Bible' way back in 1972. Others, inclusive of some historical revisionists, have purposely turned a blind eye to this link. Still others seem genuinely not to have known about it.

This really is nothing new...u could Google ( I'm too lazy to ) Tarasov's Bible, Tarasov and Percival and get tons of hits, again the odd one stemming from the 72 Summit series.

___

Canadiens1958

Didn't Mtl Jr Canadiens also play CCCP in the late sixties, and beat them something like 9-3 ( again too lazy to check )

First, I am not accepting what you call bogus contentions. I am presenting excerpts from a book published in French in the province of Quebec that few have read or have access to.

Next.The 9-3 game was in late December 1969, just after aggressive forechecking was allowed in International hockey. The team was not the Montreal Junior Canadiens but an Alumni team of grads from the spring 1969 Memorial Cup playing in the NHL or the minors and some of the leading 1969-70 Junior Canadiens.

The last time that a true Junior Canadiens played a Soviet team was in November 1962. After 1962 they would play as reinforced Junior teams - usually 6 AHL players or CHL players plus Jacques Plante.

 

[Scotty B]

First, I am not accepting what you call bogus contentions. I am presenting excerpts from a book published in French in the province of Quebec that few have read or have access to.

Next.The 9-3 game was in late December 1969, just after aggressive forechecking was allowed in International hockey. The team was not the Montreal Junior Canadiens but an Alumni team of grads from the spring 1969 Memorial Cup playing in the NHL or the minors and some of the leading 1969-70 Junior Canadiens.

The last time that a true Junior Canadiens played a Soviet team was in November 1962. After 1962 they would play as reinforced Junior teams - usually 6 AHL players or CHL players plus Jacques Plante.

Fair enough...But, to me, it behooved you to challenge those bogus contentions, or at a bare minimum to mention that Many would not agree and/ or accept them at face value, sans comment or challenge. Instead it seemed ( and perhaps I'm reading too much into this ) that u were going tete a tete with urs truly, for having the gall to do so...

PEACE OUT

 

[Theokritos]

The Russian translation came in 1957, but reportedly Tarasov had 500 copies shipped over seas from New York in 1955.

I don't doubt that the Russians became aware of Percival's "Handbook" as early as 1955. I'd like to know what source Gary Mossman cites for the shipping of 500 copies by Tarasov though. But 1955 is after the Soviets won their first World Championship anyway.

Also, reportedly ( and u seem to be conveniently ignoring this! )Tarasov was given a copy of Percival’s earlier book ‘ How to play good hockey’,* in 1951 when CCCP hockey was still in its infancy

Here is what Mossman says in the interview linked above:

The first real instruction book for hockey was Percival’s, “How to Play Better Hockey”, published in 1946. It holds a special place in hockey history because Anatoly Tarasov was probably given a copy in 1951.

You seem to conveniently ignore the word "probably". So not even Mossman presents it as an established fact. Now what source does Mossman base his assumption on?

Ithat particular tidbit appears VERBATIM, in brackets , in the original article...Ergo, if it's wrong , that's on Glen NOTT, not me...

It's not as if this is something personal, but since you brought up the article to support your claim it's not without consequence for your argument if the article turns out to be wrong.

The way I heard it ( Schooley was my mom's cousin, and some of this came second hand, but I also had a fairly lengthy conversation with him about hockey, his exploits etc ) he was there before they won their first WC. Maybe I'm remembering it wrong? Or maybe he ( Schooley ) was thinking about Cortina,Italy, Soviet's first OG victory? I also got the impression, that he ( Schooley ) felt, in hindsight, that the Soviets didn't given him enough credit for his contributions...and was rather PO'd about how his stay there ended

Without tangible and reliable information it's rather difficult to draw any conclusions at all, wouldn't you agree?

Learning implies teaching, teaching is tantamount to coaching, and he was their invited guest...ergo I used the term ' guest coach'

If Schooley "guest coached the CCCP" by playing against them then I guess every Canadian player who played against the Soviets in the 1950s and 1960s served as a "guest coach of the Soviet national team".

I just assumed that Tarasov was in charge of CCCP hockey circa 1954. It seemed equally reasonable to assume, especially at the height of the Cold War, that no Westerner would be invited ,behind the Iron Curtain to serve as a defacto CCCP coach , sans the head honcho of Soviet Hockey's stamp of approval ( namely Tarasov, or whomever it was? ): that still seems like a reasonable assumption. NO?

That's the problem right there. A lot of seemingly reasonable assumptions, not a lot of actual facts.

Paraphrasing NOTT, he also mentions Schooley playing against West Germany

Another problem right there. The article says he played against a "West German club", your paraphrase turns it into "West Germany". So who did he play with/against? Club team, national team? I mean, Team Canada and the Toronto Maple Leafs are not one and the same, are they?

Long story short, PM me with ur mailing address if u want, and I'll snail mail u one of those photo copies.

Thanks, but I trust your rendering of the article is accurate. It's just the accuracy of the article that is in question.

 

[Sanf]

Lot of interesting stuff in this thread. Noticed this only few days ago so haven´t yet had time to focus on the OP´s pdf. Also thanks to Canadiens1958 sharing info from Boivin-Chouinards book.

 

[Scotty B]

Scotty B:

The Russian translation came in 1957, but reportedly Tarasov had 500 copies shipped over seas from New York in 1955.

Theokritos:

I don't doubt that the Russians became aware of Percival's "Handbook" as early as 1955. I'd like to know what source Gary Mossman cites for the shipping of 500 copies by Tarasov though. But 1955 is after the Soviets won their first World Championship anyway.

Seems to me, that BEFORE Tarasov is going to order + ship 500 copies of a hockey book, behind the Iron Curtain, he’s going to read it AND presumably try to put some of its suggestions into practice on the Ice. Likewise, it seems reasonable to assume Tarasov needed the OK from his own bosses, since presumably the Soviet sports’ ministry was footing the Bill, plus, with the wheels of Communist bureaucracy moving notoriously slowly, common sense dictates that this 1955 date should probably be pushed back quite a bit. Ergo, Mossman’s contention, that Percival's tactics and training methods probably first came to Tarasov's attention circa 1951,certainly doesn’t seem out of line with the above.

Zine:

Bandy was the genesis of the Soviet tactical game.

Doubtless in part, BUT Bandy is NOT Hockey eh?

Zine :

Percival's contributions only served to enrich Soviet hockey.

Says you, but others say different. Indeed some contend that Percival, author of ' Tarasov’s Bible', literally wrote the book on Soviet Hockey.

Zine

Tarasov published his first book on tactics and dryland training in 1948.

Percival’s first hockey book, How to Play Better Hockey --- containing the basics tactics and training methods further detailed in 'Tarasov’s Bible', came out in 1946. Be pretty interesting to compare Percival’s first book with that of Tarasov’s, and see which one more closely parallels the CCCP hockey model of the early 1950's and later. It’d be interesting too, to read an English translation of Tarasov’s intro to the Hockey Handbook.

***
Theokritos:

If Schooley "guest coached the CCCP" by playing against them then I guess every Canadian player who played against the Soviets in the 1950s and 1960s served as a "guest coach of the Soviet national team"

ur not just nitpicking now...ur being ridiculous !

The Soviets reportedly invited Schooley behind the Iron Curtain for a month, BEFORE they had played against him, and because they wanted to LEARN from a reputed goal scoring WIZARD!

It’s Not like they ( the Soviets ) extended this sort of invitation to every Tom , Dick or Harry hockey player, or many Westerners either. This was 1950's Russia we’re talking about, at the height of the Cold War and having just recovered from its Stalinist hangover= a VERY CLOSED SOCIETY! I don’t have any cold hard facts ( oh niggling one ), still, I’ll lay dollars to donuts, that this sort of invitation woulda been almost unheard of !

Scotty B:

I just assumed that Tarasov was in charge of CCCP hockey circa 1954.

Theokritos:

....That's the problem right there.

Sorry, I don’t see the problem here at all? ... This particular tidbit has no bearing on the Percival/ Tarasov debate. So what does it matter if it was Tarasov, or some other head honcho from the Soviet Hockey Establishment, who green lighted Schooley’s invite?

Theokritos :

...A lot of seemingly reasonable assumptions, not a lot of actual facts.

Nott cites the 8 goals scored by Schooley vs Fife Flyers, on Dec 11,1953 , as a world record, at the time, and one which got recorded , as such, on page 178 of the 1955 edition of The Guinness Book of World Records. These FACTS would be pretty EASY to check, plus the date of that game jives with the 1954 time-line for Schooley tutoring ( do u like that term better ? ) Russian hockey players, presumably, at the behest of ( do u like that designation better ? ) officials overseeing Soviet Hockey, although it still doesn’t help us with the month obviously.

For the record, I have no trouble believing ( in hindsight ) that Schooley’s visit came some months AFTER Russians won their first World Championship.

Scotty B:

Paraphrasing NOTT, he also mentions Schooley playing against West Germany

Theokritos:

Another problem right there. The article says he played against a "West German club", your paraphrase turns it into "West Germany"

Most of the time I talk about this stuff it's from memory (not with a copy of Nott’s article handy ) and I got in the habit of saying West Germany Nats, cause that’s who I thought it was. What can I say? Old Dog + Old Habits = Die Hard.

As an aside, I wondered earlier whether Schooley ( his ability to speak German notwithstanding ) was even eligible to suit up for East Germany in any official game vs CCCP Nats. So now I’m wondering if Schooley and/or Nott might not have made the same sort of mistake as me.

Nott’s article must have been written circa 1989. Schooley was reportedly 60 ( his memory, like his hair, might have gone a tad grey by then). Plus that was before the Internet became what it would become in the 90's, never mind what it is today. Doubtless newspaper writers, facing a deadline and such, were a lot less careful circa 1989 about fact checking; plus research woulda been a good deal harder back then.

So Maybe, just Maybe, it was an East German club team Schooley suited up for vs a West German one, and Maybe it was a Russian club team, he played the previous day?

 

[Canadiens1958]

Lloyd Percival

A few comments as it seems that his efforts are viewed here as absolutes or extremes when they should be viewed as a collection or a source for hockey techniques / training, etc as known by 1951 or the date of later printings.

Off ice or dryland training goes back to at least the 1930 - NHL team level, there are photos of 1930s Leafs at training camp doing such routines. Also going back to the late 19th century when hockey started to make in roads in the schools in Canada, primary and secondary, the young players were simultaneously taking phys ed where they were exposed to most of what appears in Percival's work.

Lloyd Percival concentrated what was known, made the knowledge readily available in a format that brought everything down to a common denominator yet allowed for flexibility to suite age group and individual needs.

The goalie training referenced above is an example. Good but does not involve the shooters. Coaches adapted the drill to involve multiple shooters so the drill increased benefits while having the virtue of involving everyone.

The NHL with an elitist attitude looked down on Percival's works as overly simplistic while others adapted them as appropriate to their needs.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Pleasure

Lot of interesting stuff in this thread. Noticed this only few days ago so haven´t yet had time to focus on the OP´s pdf. Also thanks to Canadiens1958 sharing info from Boivin-Chouinards book.

Pleasure and thank you.

A couple of comments.

Boivin-Chouinard's effort should be viewed as a starting poing to discussion and research. Example being the 1969 Soviet Tour of Canada. Eight game tour including a five game series against the Canadian National team which the Canadian Nationals won 3-2 and three games against re-inforced junior teams which the Soviets won 2-1, although the last game - a 9-3 loss to the Junior Canadiens was very telling. Very interesting reviewing the games and seeing how all sides were experimenting/responding to the new rules, etc. The roster adjustments, tactical adjustments, etc. Will comment more in the weeks to come.

The other key element is the extensive bibliography and reference notes that the author provides. The various claims are well supported leaving the reader an easyier task when examing the conclusions.