Interview With Aurel Joliat

I normally do not post entire articles, but @NHLhistorygirl Jen Conway found this amazing 1986 Ottawa Citizen interview with former Montreal Canadiens legend Aurel Joliat and it is just so good that it has to be shared.

So I present to you, in it's entirety, this Earl McRae interview with the one of a kind Aurel Joliat:

If there is, indeed, a heaven somewhere for old hockey players, you can be sure of this: King Clancy will be hiding behind every available cloud today, trying to avoid his Ottawa compatriot, Aurel Joliat. And Joliat will be just as determined to find Clancy, hand out-stretched and saying, "Pay up, ya bleeping bleep, you lose."

This marvellous, untold story goes back six years, the winter of 1980, when Joliat was 78 and Clancy was 77; two ancient warriors bonded by time, memories and too many familiar names on the obituary page. Joliat, the legendary Habitant, the finest player, pound-for-pound, of his time; Clancy, the legendary Senator and Leaf, the King of hearts with the joker up his sleeve.

Hockey Night In Canada, at the time, ran a series called Showdown, pitting two players against each other in several skills. It was a popular feature and, one afternoon, Joliat and I were sitting in his Laurier Avenue apartment talking hockey and it started this way:

"Who was the toughest player you ever played against?"

"Eddie Shore, Boston Bruins. The dirtiest sonofabitch ever. He blinded me in the Forum once. I was on a rush and he'd been knocking me around good. Just like Hooley Smith with the Maroons used to do. Anyway, Shore hits me and knocks me out. I mean, jeezus, I'm only 'bout five-six and 130 at the time and he musta weighed 190.

" So he nails me and they carry me off with a dislocated shoulder. Terrible pain. But then, I sees the big bugger circling behind his net and starting up the ice. He gets half way and then I leaps over the boards, shoot across the ice and hit him with a flying block in the gut. He never knew what hit him. Went down like a tree, out cold. "

" You must have been tough? "

" That's nuthin'. I flattened Smith once at centre ice and he takes off after me, over the boards. This big cop in a fur coat grabs me. I spins him around, rips open his coat and pulls it down over his arm so he can't move. Learned that trick from my first wife. God, what a temper she had. Half Indian, eh? Then, o' course, I decked Smith with a sucker punch. "

" What do you think of today's game? "

" Ach. Sissy stuff. They call it violent, they don't know what they're talking about. Take Sprague Cleghorn. He's playing defence for Montreal and he drops Lionel Hitchman with a stick in the kisser. Then he's standing over him, laughing. OK, fine - next time Cleghorn comes down the ice, Hitchman cross checks him into the boards and then puts him into the stands with a stick under the chin. Cleghorn never came back out. Holy bald-headed, he was dirty. "

Joliat, at this point in the conversation, leaned out from the kitchen table and peered squinty-eyed down the hall, looking for his wife, Yvette, who was somewhere else in the apartment. " She don't like me drinkin', " he whispered. " I gotta be careful or she'll go nuts. " Convinced it was safe, he reached behind a kitchen cabinet, pulled out a bottle of scotch, took a deep hit and quickly put it back.

" Do you miss playing, Aurel? "

" Oh, yeah, hell. I still play old timers, but if a team today made me the right offer, I'd come back. I'm in shape. These punks don't know how to pass, how to check; I'd show 'em. "

" How long do you think you'd last out there? "

" About five minutes. "

" Only five minutes a game? "

" Game, hell - a shift. "

" Maybe you should give the Habs a call. "

" Know what? I got a better idea. You know that Showdown thing on TV? I could go on that. I could go on that against King Clancy. I'd beat the tar out of him and then Ballard would want to sign me. Whaddaya think of that? Me and Clancy on Showdown. "

" You really think you could take him? "

Take him? I'd kill him. He was a good rusher, a good defenceman, but he was mainly a needle. I tried to nail him good one night in Montreal. He ducked and, after that, took off scared every time he saw me. We're great friends now, though. That's what I'll do; I'll call Ballard."

Three weeks later, Joliat did. And Ballard was all for it. If Clancy would agree, too. Joliat phoned Clancy to arrange the supreme Showdown, but Clancy just laughed, saying he was too old and so was Joliat.

"Old?" snapped Joliat. "Yer younger 'n me, for chrissake."

"Yeah," barked Clancy, " and I betcha I out-live ya by 10 years at least."

"Ten years, eh?" spat Joliat. "Put some money down, Ballard gives ya enough of it."

So, Clancy did: $25 that he'd be around 10 years longer than Joliat, a crazy bet if ever there was one.

Aurel Joliat died this past spring.

And the other day, they buried the King. Should be a hot Showdown in heaven this week.

Strombo Night In Canada

I think a lot of people were caught off guard this week by the announcement of George Stromboulopoulos as the new host of Hockey Night in Canada.

I have a lot of respect for Stromboulopoulos. I consider him to be one of the best interviewers I've ever known. No matter what the topic he comes across as well informed and genuinely interested. He is smart, sharp and witty.

Now I have to admit I was initially skeptical. Will Strombo show up wearing his ear and nose rings and a Ramones t-shirt? Okay, probably not, be he certainly won't be wearing the old company baby-blue blazer, either. But that's the thing about Strombo. He's gotten everyone to look past the spikey hair and the MuchMusic presentation to realize he is not only Mr. Charisma but the hardest working man in the business. He will earn your respect. But he might have his work cut out for him with such an entrenched show like HNIC, with it's 60 years of history.

And, unbeknownst to many who know him as a rocker turned news personality, Strombo actually got his start in the business in sports. He worked for Bob McCown and the boys at Toronto's FAN 590 radio station before quickly moving on to his own radio stardom that led to television opportunities with MuchMusic, CBC and CNN.

Stromboulopoulos replaces Ron MacLean. MacLean has a huge following but his exit is long overdue. Long ago MacLean forgot his role as host as he turned Hockey Night in Canada into his own personal soap box. He also seemed to think he was bigger than the show itself. Only Don Cherry is allowed to think that - partially because he actually is.

MacLean does stay and will continue to host Cherry's Coach's Corner segment where Cherry is sure to keep him in line. Besides, Cherry is less likely to ever correctly pronounce Stromboulopoulos as I am to ever spell it without triple checking.

MacLean will also host Hockey Day in Canada festivities and similar celebrations, as well as figure prominently in a new Sunday show Hometown Hockey largely aimed at grass roots. Those are MacLean's strengths, though the return of Scott Russell in similar roles would have been welcomed.

No word on other changes in store for Hockey Night in Canada. There probably won't be too many fans disappointed if P.J. Stock and Glenn Healy disappear. Hopefully Elliotte Friedman is given a much larger role.

I do hope they keep Bob Cole in the rotation if only because his iconic voice is such an institution. I also hope they keep the Punjabi broadcasts alive. I have no idea how profitable that operation is but it is a great vehicle for hockey and Canada, giving our great game to new generations of Canadians.

Daren Millard and Jeff Marek were also announced as Roger's new hosts of Wednesday and Thursday night broadcasts, respectively.

Ryan O'Reilly's Clean Slate No Guarantee of Lady Byng Trophy

With his missing tooth Ryan O'Reilly looks like your stereotypical hockey player - rugged warrior who will do whatever it takes to win.

Well that's only partially right. He is a great player and warrior in his own right, but he will only do whatever it takes to win within the rule book.

In fact, Ryan O'Reilly may complete one of the rarest of feats this season - a full season without a single penalty taken.

The Colorado forward has played 62 games with 24 goals and 51 points but he has not been banished to the penalty box once.

If he can complete the season with a clean slate, it will mark only the 15th time in NHL history that a player has not taken a single penalty (minimum 60 games played).

The list of names to accomplish this rare feat is impressive. Butch Goring, Bob Nevin, Craig Ramsay and Matti Hagman join Hockey Hall of Famers Buddy O'Connor, Bill Quackenbush, Harry Watson and Edgar Laprade.

Quackenbush is the only defenseman on this esteemed list.

Jimmy Peters, Lew Morrison, and Rick Kessel are lesser-knowns to appear on this list.

As is Val Fonteyne, a penalty killing specialist who amazingly accomplished the penalty free season three times including back-to-back in 1970-71 and 1971-72. His other clean season was 1967-68. In 1968-69 and 1969-70 he was only assessed a single minor penalty each season.

In fact, Fonteyne should be credited with another penalty free season in 1965-66. He had 0 minutes in 59 games that season, but the NHL schedule was only 70 games long back then. (Same goes for O'Connor, who had a clean season when he played 48 of 60 games in 1947-48)

Fonteyne played 820 NHL games and only took 26 minutes in penalties. He had consecutive game stretches of 185 and 157 games without taking a penalty!

And here's the kicker - Val Fonteyne never once won the Lady Byng trophy as the league's most gentlemanly player! He was never even a top three award nominee!

In fact, of the 14 previous penalty free seasons, only the defenseman Quackenbush won the Lady Byng. Goring, O'Connor, and Laprade all won the Lady Byng but did so in seasons when they did take penalties.

So Ryan O'Reilly's impressively clean season by no means guarantees him the Lady Byng trophy in 2014.

Other top Byng candidates this season include Martin St Louis (6 PIMs), Tyler Seguin (4), Duncan Keith (18),  Phil Kessel (21), Ryan Getzlaf (22), and Patrick Kane (18).

I mention Keith because he is also very possibly to be nominated for the Norris trophy as the league's top defenseman. It is so incredibly rare for a dman to win the Byng - only Quackenbush, Red Kelly (three times) and Brian Campbell have ever won the Byng.

Traditionally defensemen are expected to be rugged and take more PIMs than forwards. But there are a lot impressive disciplined numbers out there among defensemen this season, though none are likely to win the Byng.

45 defensemen have taken 20 or fewer PIMs so far this season, led by Jamie McBain (6), Chris Tanev (8) and Nick Leddy (8). Also included in that list are some of the league's top dmen - Alex Pietrangelo (16), Jay Bouwmeester (16), Dan Girardi (14), Marc Staal (14), Ryan McDonagh (20), Olli Maatta (14) and Brent Seabrook (16). Even the NHL's highest scoring defenseman, Erik Karlsson, has only 26 PIMs so far this season.

Fred Brathwaite

Have pads, will travel.

Such is the life of a goaltender - even a NHL goalie. Just ask Fred Brathwaite.

The 5-7 netminder from Ottawa played his junior hockey in the OHL with the Oshawa Generals, London Knights and Detroit Jr. Red Wings.

Undrafted despite a stellar junior career, Brathwaite was signed by the Edmonton Oilers as a free agent walk on in 1993. He played only 40 games in the NHL over three seasons before heading down the highway to Calgary.

Brathwaite was something of a Flames saviour when, after a string of goaltending injuries, general manager Al Coates signed the 5-7 netminder from Canada's national team.

Brathwaite's success in Calgary helped keep Brathwaite in demand over the remainder of his career. He had a 20 year professional career with stops with the Oilers, Flames, St. Louis Blues and Columbus Blue Jackets. He played a total of 254 games in the NHL.

“It just shows that if you work hard — you have to get the right opportunities as well — but if you work hard and don’t let things bother you and follow your dream, that things can happen like that,” he said.

His career brought him to a number of other leagues, including the KHL in Russia and Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany, where he won league MVP honours in 2009. He also spent a season with Canada’s national team in 1998-99.

Brathwaite credits his time in the international game with growing his goaltending ability.

"The biggest thing is that I became more patient," he said when asked how he has improved the past two seasons. "They don't play the dump and chase much there. You learn to adjust, play a little further back in the net.

"You see European goalies and they read the play so well, it seems they always know where the puck is going. Those guys don't shoot as much (as North Americans). They love to pass the puck."

By my count Brathwaite played in more than 900 junior and pro/international games. He enjoyed every single one.

“I was lucky that I was injury-free, but I really enjoyed coming to the rink,” Brathwaite said of his career. “I enjoyed going to work every day. I know a lot of people wouldn’t call it work, but for me, it was going to work, being with the guys and working hard."

For Brathwaite it was always a battle for respect.

“I wasn’t a big goalie, so everyday, I had to try and prove people wrong and that made it fun for me as well.”

Great Trades In Hockey History: The Butch Goring Trade

On March 10th, 1980, New York Islanders GM Bill Torrey traded Billy Harris and Dave Lewis to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Butch Goring.

Torrey thought he was acquiring the second line center his team had been missing, and he had. But in doing so he also set the standard for all trade deadline deals to be judged.

With Goring on board, the Islanders were finally able to forget about a few missteps in previous years and emerge as Stanley Cup champions - for the next four years.

Goring was a major contributor to that dynasty, scoring 27 goals, 35 assists and 62 points in 78 playoff games in those 4 years, and capturing the 1981 Conn Smythe trophy as the Stanley Cup MVP.

Rink Rap With Mick Colageo recently caught a few new Denis Potvin quotes about Goring's importance.

There was an element missing, and I think a lot of it had to do with the combination of maturity, which we recognized at that point, and maybe (playing) a little too uptight,” said Potvin.It wasn’t the newcomer’s point-per-game production that made the trade pay off. It was his effect in the other players.

“Between my brother (Jean) and Butch Goring, we had two of the funniest guys in a dressing room around. That really lightened things up for us,” said Potvin. “One thing I’ll never forget is what Butch did. After a couple of games, he stood up and said, ‘I don’t think you guys realize how much respect everyteam in the league has for you. I don’t think you guys know how good you are.’ Coming from a guy who was 30 years old, it meant a lot to us.”

The Islanders were a bland 29-26-7 at the time of the trade, and arguably the greatest Stanley Cup dynasty ever after it. 

Adam Henrique: All Hail Henry The 6th!

Is there a hotter player in the NHL these days than New Jersey's Adam Henrique?

The answer would be no. Henrique has scored goals in six consecutive games, totalling nine in that time frame. He also has two assists for 11 points.

Only one of those nine goals came on the power play, while two came while short-handed.

Amazingly Henrique has only take 20 shots in those six games, giving him a shooting percentage of an impressive 45%.

Six times in New Jersey Devils' history has a player scored goals in six consecutive games. Zach Parise, back in 2009, was the most recent to do so, scoring 7 goals.

But the franchise record pre-dates New Jersey. Back in 1980 the Devils were in Denver and were known as the Colorado Rockies. A nimble winger named Paul Gagne scored goals in eight consecutive games!

The NHL record for most consecutive games with a goal is 16 by Ottawa's Punch Broadbent way back in 1921-22. He scored 26 goals in that time frame! The modern day record belongs to LA's Charlie Simmer in 1979-80, who scored 17 goals over 13 games. Dave Lumley (1981-82) and Mario Lemieux (1992-93) both posted 12 game goal scoring streaks. Lumley scored 15 times and Mario 18 times!