Luck Of The Irish

It is one of the most unique game worn Toronto Maple Leafs sweater in hockey history. It sold last year at ClassicAuctions.net for nearly $38,000!


The story behind this green wool sweater, complete with the shamrock on the back, is amazing. It was actually worn in a league game back on St. Patrick's Day, 1934. While the rest of the Leafs wore their familiar blue, King Clancy wore this very special outfit for the first period. In the second and third Clancy had to return to his normal jersey as Lester Patrick, coach of the opposing New York Rangers, complained about the alternate jersey on the ice.

Why was the impish Clancy wearing this jersey? The Leafs were hosting "King Clancy Night." Clancy was as big a star as Toronto has ever seen. They honored him with the night, the jersey, and a number of stereotypical gifts that would keep any Irish eyes smiling.

Several junior players stepped on to the ice through large potato props. Red Horner emerged from a boxing glove. New York Ranger's star Bill Cook hid in a shamrock. All the while the Knights of Columbus Minstrel Band played Irish music.

But the highlight of the night was when Clancy was introduced to the sold out arena. There has never been anything quite like it in sports before or since.

Here's Clancy's own memories of the event:

When my turn finally came, the lights were all turned out and, dressed in royal robes and wearing a crown, I was ushered in on a big throne pulled by Hap Day. As the float reached the middle of the rink, I got hit in the face with a handful of soot from (Hap) Day and (Charlie) Conacher. When the lights came on, I looked like Santa Claus but my face was pitch black. It took me two or three days to get that stuff off.

This was a wonderful night to give anybody and I have wonderful memories of it. There is also a grandfather's clock at home which is worth more than any amount of money because of the inscription on it: 'From the Toronto Maple Leafs to King Clancy on St. Patrick's Night 1934.'"

Here's some photographic evidence of the evening:


The Leafs won the game 3-2. Talk about luck of the Irish.

Tavares' Big Night

After really hitting a wall in the last 20 or so games, John Tavares erupted for a memorable 5 point night against Vancouver on Tuesday, scoring 2 goals and 3 assists. The Islanders won the game 5-2. By the way, the last time the Islanders won in Vancouver (1999), John Tavares was 8 years old.

According to Islanders statistician and good GHL friend Eric Hornick, Tavares equaled a Islanders' team record. Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy, Pat Lafontaine and Mikko Makela (remember him?!) all had 5 points in a game in their rookie seasons.

Interestingly, only 5 NHL rookies have ever had better nights:

8-Peter Stastny, Feb 22, 1981
8-Anton Stastny, Feb 22, 1981
7-Wayne Gretzky, Feb 15, 1980
7-Sergei Makarov, Feb 25, 1990
6-Wayne Gretzky, Mar 29, 1980
6-Gary Suter, Apr 4, 1986

You'll notice the Stastny brothers both scored eight points in the exact same game, a crazy 11-7 win over the Washington Capitals. Here's the full game summary, courtesy of the Hockey Summary Project.

Slap Shots: Dan Quinn Goes To Masters

Time to put the puck on the 'Net:

• Former NHLer Dan Quinn to caddie for Ernie Els at Masters
• Bruins with great gesture to family of late Bill Speer
• Old Rocket Richard documentaries come to DVD
  

More as always on Twitter @HockeyLegends.

Revamp Suspensions, But How?

Okay, so Alexander Ovechkin gets two games for his reckless hit on Brian Campbell. Steve Downie gets zero for slew-footing Sidney Crosby.

Both were reckless, dangerous plays that need to be eradicated from the game. So why does one not result in a suspension?

Here's why, according to @TSNBobMcKenzie:

Why Ovie was suspended, Downie not? U won't like it, but it's one word - injury. If Crosby injured, Downie sits. If Campbell not, Ovie plays

I have a problem with that. I always have. I remember during the whole Todd Bertuzzi episode thinking that if Steve Moore was not seriously injured, not much would have happened. And that I had seen far worse incidents go undisciplined simply because the victim was somehow not seriously hurt.

In that same season as the Bertuzzi incident I remember Doug Weight deliberately deliver a vicious cross-check to the face of Henrik Sedin. Somehow Henrik got up and walked away, but why was Weight, like Downie several years later, not disciplined?

If you want to truly eliminate dangerous behaviour on the ice, you need to punish those who commit fouls even if somehow there was no injury as a result of the act.

Everyone always calls for a revamping of the NHL discipline system, but no one ever comes up with a reasonable new standard. Suspended as long as the player is injured? Not going to happen. Revoke the instigator rule and allow the players to settle things on the ice? Also not going to happen.

I do not know the answer, either. But I do know I want to see changes that eliminate reckless players, whether they injure someone or not.

Funny Feeling In Vancouver

That's Mike Bossy scoring against "King" Richard Brodeur in the 1982 Stanley Cup finals.

For many Vancouver fans like myself, that was the first great moment in Canucks team history. Against long odds, and completely unexpectedly, the Canucks were in the Stanley Cup finals.

A similar situation unfolded in 1994, although that team was far better and were a couple of game 7 goal posts away from actually winning the Stanley Cup.

Aside from those two glorious springs, playoff hockey in Vancouver has historically been more about early exits. More recently it has been more about disappointing results.

But there is a funny feeling in Vancouver these days. Perhaps it is just post-Olympic optimism, but it seems to me that for the first time ever the Canucks fans see their teams as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.

Now they said that of teams in both the Pavel Bure/Trevor Linden and Markus Naslund/Todd Bertuzzi era, but those experts were ultimately proven wrong. And I don't know that Canucks fans even dared to believe in it back then, anyways. Years of disappointment can be really hard on a fan.

But this spring I like Vancouver's chances so much that I'm willing to risk jinxing it by coming right out and saying it. I'm not quite going to pick them to win the Stanley Cup just yet, but, if healthy, I like their chances in the Western Conference.

Chicago is the odds on favorite, no doubt. Vancouver has some concerns - I don't like the 3rd and 4th lines and the lack of a #1 defenseman. But I do not know that Vancouver has ever entered the Stanley Cup playoffs with a better team.

Game Worn Jerseys

There is less than two days left in the current offering from ClassicAuctions.net. There are some bargain prices out there, in my estimation. Especially on game worn jerseys. Now is a great time to pick one up.

Now, a lot of the bargains are of no-name players. But we all have personal favorites over the years, and picking up a game worn jersey of such a player under $200 is cheaper than buying an authentic replica at your local retailer. Glen Wesley, Steve Smith, Eric Daze, Bob Kudelski, Darryl Sydor, Glen Murray, Tyler Wright and Steve Staios are among the players included in this category.

If you want to get a little pricier, you can go after a Sidney Crosby, Martin Brodeur or Alexander Ovechkin (Team Russia) game worn. Consider it a long term investment.

Some of the most interesting older game worn jerseys available include Tim Horton, Patrick Roy, Mario Lemieux, Guy Lafleur, Jaromir Jagr, and, rarest of them all, Gilles Meloche's Cleveland Barons uniform.

Here is the complete listing of game worn jerseys currently available at ClassicAuctions.net.

Remembering Bob Attersley

Sad news to pass along this weekend - hockey legend and Olympian Bob Attersley died on Friday. He was 76.

Attersley is a hero in the Ontario city of Whitby. He was a long time senior hockey player with the legendary Dunlops. They were crowned as Canada's amateur champs in 1957, winning the Allan Cup. They represented the country at the 1958 World Championships, where they knocked off the mighty Soviets thanks to Attersley's winning goal with three minutes left in the game. Attersley was one of the Dunnies added to the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen team that represented Canada at the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley, bringing home the silver medal.

Attersley, a former Oshawa Generals junior star, never played in the National Hockey League. Instead he chose to play semi-pro hockey in Kingston until 1962. His #15 Dunnies jersey is honoured in Whitby alongside more modern day heroes like Joe Nieuwendyk, Gary Roberts and Keith Primeau.

He lived in Whitby much of his life, serving as mayor from 1980 to 1991. He had served the area politically in one capacity or another since 1964. He was also a prominent businessman in the area.

The Man In The Mirror

Of all the items listed at the current ClassicAuctions.net offering, this Bobby Orr mirror inexplicably excites me:


Bobby Orr pitching whiskey to you every time you check your look. And does this vintage mirror not absolutely scream 1970s.

Bobby is looking positively dapper in that white turtleneck and sports jacket. He doesn't look like he's aged a bit in 35 years. I wonder if this mirror would have the same effect on me?

Those Were The Days: Turk Broda

Here's a funny story about Maple Leafs goaltending great Turk Broda, as told by Max Bentley to Jack Batten in the excellent book, The Leafs In Autumn:

"This one night Turk took me to a Chinese restaurant. In the middle of the place there were some very deep stairs. Turk had had a lot to drink and, my gosh, he fell all the way down the stairs. He hurt himself something bad. Next day at practice, he went up to Hap Day.

"Boy, do my bones ache," Turk told him. "I got a really bad case of the flu."

All week he kept that up. "Boy, I wish this flu would go away."

I don't know if Hap ever caught on. The thing was, you couldn't ever get mad at Turk. I was always grateful to him.

Gretzky's First Bodyguard

His longevity was amazing, especially considering Wayne Gretzky was one of the scrawniest hockey players ever to compete in the sport that prides itself as warriors on ice.

One of the reasons Gretzky survived was that he had "bodyguards" on the ice. No one dared to touch Gretzky, because if you did, his teammates were quick to the rescue. Both the Oilers and Kings loaded up on tough guys, with Dave Semenko and Marty McSorley being the most notable.

So who was Gretzky's first bodyguard? His grandmother.

This is Paul Reinhart. He was an absolute dynamo of hockey in his youth. A chronic back injury really prevented him from achieving his destiny as one of the true great defensemen of the 1980s, but even with the injury his intelligence and puck skills were obvious.

An interesting story about the man they call "Rhino" - As a kid he played often against Wayne Gretzky's peewee team. But there was one game in particular both remember more than all others. In that particular game Reinhart pinned The Little One against the boards in a rink with no glass to stop the puck from going out of play. He picked the wrong spot as Wayne's grandmother was right there. She grabbed her purse and clubbed Reinhart over the head and told him to "leave my Wayne alone!" Gretzky later joked that the Oilers were looking to sign Grandma Gretzky if Dave Semenko ever got injured.

Grandma Gretzky, Mary to those who knew her well, also served as Wayne's first goalie. She loved hockey, especially the Leafs. Her favorite hockey player was Frank Mahovlich.

When Wayne was just a youngster the family would often visit Mary on Saturday nights. The whole family gathered around the TV to watch Hockey Night In Canada. Little Wayne was more interested in playing the game, even back then.

He would slip and slide in his socks across the polished up pine floor, pretending to skate like the heroes on TV. Mary would give him a ball and a mini stick, the plastic kind you get in a souvineer shop. She would sit in her easy chair and let Wayne take shots all night long, earning as many bruises on her legs as saves she would make.

The Golden Jet

The story of Bobby Hull learning how to skate has taken on the status of legendary lore.

When Bobby was four years old, his older sisters Maxine and Laura took him down to open sheet of ice a stone's throw from thier home in Point Anne, Ontario. They laced him up and after a few turns holding his sisters' hands, he was left to his own devices. The sisters skated away, no doubt assuming some hilarity watching young Bobby trying to get back to them. Much to their surprise, Bobby was able to skate, right from the get go.

The legend makes it sound like Bobby Hull was born to play hockey, and given the career he had in the game, few would argue with it. Bobby himself was too young to remember the incident, but did offer the following comments:

"I don't doubt (his sisters') word, but I do doubt that I could do any more than just get along. Anyway, there must have been something about the way I got along or the encouragement of my sisters that kept me at it. I was back the next day, and every day after that, skating until I was exhausted. Even at that age I must have had more than my share of muscle.

That muscle also became legendary. No one was stronger than Hull, not even his idol Gordie Howe. Those two could have combined to have won a tug-o-war contest against a team of Clydesdales.

Hull got his muscle from working on the family farm. Right from an early age he was assigned chores every day. He would bale hay, dig ditches, chop down trees, tend to the cattle and build corrals and barns. He would do this and his homework all in a big hurry, too. He wasn't allowed to play hockey until he was done.

Hull loved the farm, tending to several during and after his career. Sure, his hockey commitments both allowed him and forced him to hire out, but more likely than not you would see Bobby Hull out there slaving away, enjoying every minute of it.

The Stratford Streak

Check this out:

It is the game program from the Howie Morenz benefit game on November 2nd, 1937.

Collecting game programs is an intense passion for some collectors. The more famous the game the more valuable the prize. Few games are as famous as the Morenz game.

The game was played at the Montreal Forum, and pitted a team of NHL All Stars against players of the Montreal Canadiens and Montreal Maroons. The proceeds of the game were given to the family of the late-Howie Morenz, the NHL's first superstar. He had died the previous March due to complications of a broken leg he suffered in his final NHL game.

This particular program consists of 56 articles. Included inside are tribute articles penned by Elmer Ferguson, Baz O'Meara and Len Rountree.

The program is available at ClassicAuctions.net. The price of the item at the time of this publishing is a steal.

Slap Shots: Some Things Never Change

Time to put the puck on the 'Net:

• One of the biggest reasons the Russians lost the Olympic quarter-final game was poor coaching by Vyacheslav Bykov and Igor Zakharkan. Vlaidslav Tretiak has gone on record saying both coaches will return. Curiously, he hinted Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin may have had some input in the decison.
• Everyone is very critical of Gary Bettman for his lack of embracing future Olympic Games. But no one ever gives him much credit for opening the door originally.
• Matt Cooke gets no suspension for his terrible hit. As Scott Morrison tweeted @morrisonHNIC "As distasteful at the Cooke hit was you can't presume intent to injure and under existing rules it was legal. Sad but true."
• Here's a fascinating compilation of statistics courtesy of Scott Cullen of TSN.
  

For more thoughts and conversation, join me on Twitter @HockeyLegends.

Bobby Orr Talks With Bobby Hull: Like You've Never Seen Them Before

The Pembroke Peach

This is Frank Nighbor, the legendary "Pembroke Peach."

He played on Stanley Cup championship teams in 1920, 1921, 1923, and 1927. He was also the initial winner of two of the games greatest trophies: The Hart (1924) for Most Valuable Player; and the Lady Byng (1925 and 1926) for gentlemanly play and sportsmanship.

Because he was so gentlemanly he almost instantly became Lady Byng's favorite player. Lady Byng was the wife of Canada's Governor General, the Queen's representative in Canada. She was so impressed with Nighbor's clean play and sportsmanship she had the trophy for the most gentlemanly player made.

Because he played back in the 1920s every picture of Nighbor is in black and white. It's a shame, as these orange, black and white sweaters are quite something to see.

For more than a few thousand dollars you can show off Nighbor's colorful 1927-28 sweater in your hockey den. ClassicAuctions.net has an authenticated game-worn Nighbor sweater for sale. The going price was nearing $15,000 when I published this article.

It really is an amazing collectible. It is an wool uniform with a felt and chain-stich shield proclaiming "World Champs 1926-27," referencing the team's Stanley Cup championship the previous season. There is only one other authenticated vintage Ottawa Senators sweater known to exist, also a Nighbor original.

Slap Shots: To The Head

Time to put the puck on the 'Net:

Matt Cooke

• I really want to like Matt Cooke. He does great charity and community work. The fact that he is one of classiest guys off the ice is one of the NHL's best kept secrets.
  
• On the ice he has nowhere near as much respect. The pest has long considered to be an at-times dirty player, who never backs up his own actions. While I fully believe Cooke intended to hit Marc Savard shoulder on shoulder, he has a bad history of hitting people in vulnerable positions.
• These blind side hits need to be removed from the game. Hits to the head need to be automatic penalties. But before we vilify Cooke too much, let's remember he did not use his stick, elbow or forearm here. To some degree this was a hockey play gone horribly wrong, but not a blatant attack.
  

New Rules?

• Why is it hockey is the one sport that is constantly changing the rules? And everyone has a suggestion or ten on how to improve the game.
• Expect those suggestions to come fast and furious this week, as NHL general managers meetings are being held in Boca Raton, Florida.
• One interesting tweet from Darren Dreger: NHL GM subcommittee is looking into the possibility of a qualification series for the 8th seed in each conference.
• One thing is for sure - NHL teams would love to see more teams make the playoffs, because that means more gate receipts. And since the players salaries are all paid for by playoffs, this is all cash in the pocket.
  
• With so many teams operating on break-even business plans for the regular season, more playoff teams is desired. A qualification series could be a good alternative. 16 out of 30 teams making the playoffs is a good number, but this would allow other teams their own playoff revenue and excitement. It would also reward the best teams with some time off.

Random Thoughts

• Why are the general managers meetings always in some tropical setting? They should at least be in a NHL city.
  
• Awesome article here by Stephen Brunt. It's about Gary Bettman's and the NHL's need for more visionary leadership. I've never been one to complain about Bettman, as I've always seen him as a puppet of the owners anyways. But after 17 years I agree, it is time to question his leadership going forward.
  
• By the way, I suspect Stephen Brunt could write Pi to 50 decimal places and make it fascinating. Great writer.
• RIP Ronald Petterson. The three time Olympian passed away on the weekend. He was 74.

For more slap shots and links pertaining to hockey history, join me on Twitter @HockeyLegends.

Classic Snap Shot: Chicago vs. Minny

Chicago and Minnesota have a great sporting rivalry, although we are still waiting for the Blackhawks and Wild to heat things up. It certainly was not quite like the old days when the Hawks and North Stars used to go to war.

In today's Classic Snap Shot, Keith Brown gives Brian Bellows an earful, while big Willi Plett is not very far away:

Paul In The Hall?

I have never been one to believe that Paul Henderson belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Yes, he scored arguably the most famous goal in hockey history, but otherwise he was an above average but not great player. Still, many people want to see Henderson inducted, especially now with news that he is battling cancer.

Count Don Cherry as one of those who wants it to happen.

Last week Cherry argued for his induction on his "Grapeline" radio show with Brian Williams.

"I can not, for the life of me, I can not figure why he is not in the Hall of Fame," he proclaimed, later adding his exclusion is "complete nonsense."

"Now figure it out, folks. The most important series ever, as far as I'm concerned, in sports. He gets the three game winning goals like we talked about. Why he is not in the Hall of Fame, it is beyond me."

He goes on to compare Henderson with his 1972 nemesis, Vladislav Tretiak.

"I'm not here to knock Tretiak, he was a great goaltender and if you want to put him in the Hall of Fame, no question at all put him in the Hall of Fame.

Paul gets three game winning goals against him in the greatest series of all time. Tretiak is in the net that he put it in. He's the loser, Paul's the winner. Tretiak getss in the Hall of Fame, Paul doesn't get in. Absolute nonsense. Get smart Hall of Fame. Shake your head and put Paul Henderson in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

You can hear the entire episode of Grapeline with this direct audio link, including Don's memories of where he was when Paul Henderson scored "the goal heard around the world."

I throw it out to you - does Paul Henderson belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Hockey's Oscars

In the spirit of the Academy Awards, I thought it would be an opportune time to look at hockey's Oscars. If I'm not mistaken, there have only been four players in NHL history with the name Oscar.

The most interesting story is that of Oscar "Ossie" Asmundson. The Red Deer native played 111 NHL games for 5 teams in the 1930s, most notably the New York Rangers. He later moved to Hollywood and became a lighting technician on the sets of movies and television shows.

St. Hyachinthe, Quebec's Oscar "Ossie" Aubuchon is often confused for Ossie Asmundson, even though he played a decade later. He, too, played most notably for the New York Rangers.

Oscar Hanson played just 8 games in the NHL, all with the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1937-38 season. The Camrose, Albertan born Hanson enjoyed a long career with St. Paul and later Minneapolis in the American Hockey Association, retiring in 1942.

And of course there is also Oscar Moller, the Los Angeles Kings promising Swedish sophomore. He's battled some injury problems early in his career.

Who Is This Kid?

Believe it or not, this is Bobby Clarke!