Archie Hooper & The Little Men of Iron

This is Archie Hooper, the scoring star and team captain of the Little Men of Iron.

That was the unofficial nickname of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association team that won back to back Stanley Cup championships long before the NHL even existed.

In 1902 the AAA defeated the two time defending Cup champions, the rough and tumble Victorias from Winnipeg. They successfully defended the title in 1903 against the same group of Winnipegers, ending what proved to be an epic rivalry between the two cities.

The 1902 championship was particularly celebrated by Montrealers. Upon return to Montreal the players were greeted at Windsor Station by 1000s of well-wishers. Once the players got off the train they "were drawn in sleighs by man-power from the station to the MAAA club house when 1000s of admirers refused to allow the horses to pull their heroes. They unhitched the horses and pulled the sleighs themselves, through snow and slush." (Lord Stanley's Cup by Andrew Podnieks)

Playing on a line with Jack Marshall and Jim Gardner, Art "Archie" Hooper was Montreal's star player. In 1902 he led his league in scoring 17 goals, including 9 in one game. He only scored six goals in the 9 game season in 1903, but that still led the team in scoring.

It was the start of what promised to be a spectacular career in hockey. But Hooper died two years later at the age of 24 as the result of an accidental blow he took during a hockey game.

The family of Archie Hooper has recently put a unique Stanley Cup heirloom up for bids at Classic Auctions.net.

To commemorate the 1902 Stanley Cup championship the players were given 14 karat gold pocket watches. Hooper's was engraved with "Presented to A.W. Hooper by the Montreal Hockey Club - 1902." The exterior features the club's winged wheel logo, the year and the well earned words "Hockey Champions of the World."

This is probably the most unique item in Classic Auction.net's current auction. Bidding starts at $10,000.

Weekend Reading: Bobby Carpenter

In 1981 Sports Illustrated put 17 year old Bobby Carpenter on it's cover. Labelling him as "The Can't Miss Kid," Carpenter was being billed as the best American born hockey player ever.

Although he had a 50 goal season, Carpenter never really emerged as a superstar. But he became a very serviceable player over nearly 1200 games, reinventing himself as a defensive specialist later in his career.

You can read the original SI article here.

Sunday Funnies: Boston Bruins Practice

Habs Unite Montreal

Here's an excellent, must-read article courtesy of Alexander Panetta of The Canadian Press:

It was a meaningless mid-November game whose only memorable play occurred in the stands, yet decades later it still illustrates more than any Stanley Cup-winning heroics what the Montreal Canadiens have meant to their city.

It was Nov. 15, 1976, and turbulent political tides were rocking Quebec. The province would make international news that night by electing, for the first time, a separatist government.

Inside the old Montreal Forum, it was eerily silent.

"And when they stood and cheered, thousands of others who had always stood and cheered with them stayed seated and did not cheer," remembered Ken Dryden in his book, The Game.

"At that moment, people who had sat together for many years in the tight community of season-ticket holders learned something about each other that they had not known before. The last few minutes of the game were very difficult. The mood in the Forum had changed."

Full Story

Interview With Claude Lemieux

From pucks to toe picks, Charlie Gillis of MacLean's recently interviewed Claude Lemieux - hockey bad boy turned figure skating heart melter.

Shoebox Memories: Jim Kyte

This is Jim Kyte, the only player in National Hockey League history to be legally deaf.

Kyte suffered from a hereditary hearing deficiency that broke down his audio nerve from about the age of 3. Kyte could hear, courtesy of special hearing aids. He always had to wear a customized helmet with special flaps covering his ears to protect the hearing aids during games.

Kyte was a tough guy defenseman who played in 1980s and 1990s, most notably with the Winnipeg Jets. For the most part he missed out on the big money era in the NHL. His career was winding down as payrolls skyrocketed up.

He made good money no doubt, but he has spent most of his hockey fortune on his own disabled son who suffers from autism.

The National Post has more, although the story is really about new funding initiatives available for families with disabled children.

2009 Hockey Book Of The Year

It should come as no surprise that the HockeyBookReviews.com 2009 Hockey Book Of The Year is Theoren Fleury's tell-all autobiography Playing With Fire.

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com

Tell-all is right. Fleury talks about all of his demons - the drugs, the alcohol, the gambling, the promiscuity - and finally reveals the sad truth behind it all. He was sexually abused by infamous junior coach Graham James.

In a weak year for hockey books, nothing really came close to Fleury's book. It has been a Canadian best seller for weeks, drawing the most attention from media across North America. No book rivaled that attention.

Fleury has won over fans all around the world, which was not easy given he was one of the most hated hockey players of his era. He has earned everyone's respect for the bravery he has shown with this book, and with the progress he has made in his life. Once again we are all cheering for the little underdog in the biggest fight in his life.

Co-author Kirstie McLellan Day deserves full credit for her role writing the book, keep the darkness of Fleury's life very evident in the pages of this book. Her expert touch gives the reader an idea of the emotion and anger of Fleury's life.

Other Nominees

In deciding the HockeyBookReviews.com 2009 Hockey Book of The Year I shortlisted the following four titles:

Gretzky's Tears: Hockey, Canada and The Day Everything Changed by Stephen Brunt. Canada's leading sports columnist gives us a detailed look back at the Wayne Gretzky trade then and now. In addition to giving us a fascinating behind the scenes look at the mechanics of the trade, Brunt gives us an interesting look at the key players, perhaps even changing the reader's paradigms concerning Gretzky and Pocklington.

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com

Hockey Dad: True Confessions From a (Crazy) Hockey Parent By Bob McKenzie - This was not the hockey book everyone was expecting from the hockey insider Bob McKenzie when he finally got around to writing a book. Instead of a book about the inside dealings of the NHL, he talks about his private life as a hockey dad and minor hockey coach. In doing so he comes across as the most likeable character of the 2009 hockey book season.

Buy The Book - Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com

Jacques Plante: The Man Who Changed The Face Of Hockey by Todd Denault. The best 2009 biography was an easy choice, as Todd Denault's amazing research and eloquent writing gave us an amazing look at one of hockey's most important - and most misunderstood - figures in goaltender Jacques Plante. Denault provides the ultimate text on Plante, while he secures the commentary of the likes of Jean Beliveau and Henri Richard to bring him back to life.

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com

Warriors of Winter by Sheldon Kannegeisser - This book is essentially the autobiography of former NHL journeyman Sheldon Kannegeisser, or as he refers to himself as, the Blueline Balladeer. That's because this book is an interesting collection of poetry that weaves together to form the story of one life in hockey. Kannegeisser has a pretty limited audience and small distribution, but he also has the most innovative project of 2009.

Buy The Book: warriorsofwinter.com

The hockey book class of 2009 has something for everyone, including books on the upcoming Olympics and hockey books for kids. Here is the full listing of 2009 Hockey Books. Click on the links for my full book reviews. Also be sure to check for the 2009 paperback and re-releases list.

Olympic Slap Shots

World of Hockey

Time to fire some pucks on the Olympic 'Net:

• It will be interesting to see if Team Canada 2010 will include a player who was not at the summer orientation camp. Team Canada says it is certainly possible, of course, although history tells us it has never been done before.
  
  There has been a lot speculation that Steven Stamkos may break into the ranks, but I think Brad Richards' name needs to be discussed. He's having a great rebound year, can play any forward position plus the PP point, and has a good history with Team Canada including at the Olympics. Why wouldn't Steve Yzerman be interested in the former Conn Smythe trophy winner who reminds many people of Yzerman himself?
  
  
• One drawback on Richards is he's primarily a playmaker. Canada really should not shy away from elite level shoot first players, like Stamkos, Jeff Carter and Corey Perry. In such a short tournament where one loss ends gold medal hopes, teams should encourage players to be a little bit greedy when it comes to trying to score goals. Too often in the past we've seen top players a little too respectful of one another, passing the puck off out of too much respect rather than just bearing down and getting the job done early.
  
  
• The short tournament allows no time to practice together at all. Therefore the team that gels together the fastest usually does well. One way for Canada to increase the cohesion factor is to bring in set combos from NHL club teams. Richards and Carter in Philly. Getzlaf and Perry in Anaheim. And how about the entire top line on the top team in the NHL - Thornton, Heatley and Marleau - all bubble players at orientation camp - of the Sharks.
  
  
• If I had to pick Team Canada today, here's who I'd go to war with:
  
  Goalies: Brodeur, Fleury, Luongo
  
  Defense: Niedermayer, Pronger, Boyle, Keith, Green, Bouwmeester, Weber
  
  Forwards Lines: B. Richards - Crosby - Iginla, Nash - Getzlaf - Perry, Doan - M. Richards - Carter, Marleau - Thornton - Heatley, Toews
  
  
• I'm not sure there is quite enough grit on this roster. Canada would love to see Brendan Morrow pick up his game in the next few weeks. Robyn Regehr may be the perfect 7th dman for Canada, a bruising shut down guy when needed, but could be sat down in favor of offense when needed.
  

Harry Oliver

This is Selkirk, Manitoba's Harry Oliver. He played 463 NHL games in the 1920s and 1930s, most notably with the Boston Bruins but also with the now defunct New York Americans.

The New York Americans were the original NHL team in New York and in the famed Madison Square Gardens, pre-dating the New York Rangers by a season. The Amerks were originally the Hamilton Tigers, relocating after hockey's first labour dispute. Renamed the Brooklyn Americans in 1941, the franchise would fold in 1942 due to dire financial straits during the Great Depression and World War II.

Notable players to wear the Americans' sweaters include Hall of Famers Billy Burch, Red Dutton, Shorty Green, Bullet Joe Simpson, and Shrimp Worters.

And what beautiful sweaters they were. Here's a better look at Oliver's #8 sweater, which happens to be up for auction at Classic Auctions.net.

Oliver is a long forgotten Hockey Hall of Famer.

The Hockey Hall of Fame inclusion is even more remarkable considering he was entirely self taught.

"When I was a kid, there was no organized hockey," he explained. "We just went out and played, sometimes on an outdoor rink, but mostly on the river."

He didn't play organized hockey until his late teens when he was playing junior and senior hockey in Selkirk.

The 5'8" 155lb forward, not surprisingly nicknamed "Pee Wee," had a 16 year pro career in hockey including his WCHL days in Calgary where he was the Tigers' leading scorer.

He moved to Boston in 1927 following the collapse of the western leagues. A nifty stickhandler and remarkable poke checker, he found success in Boston on a line with Percy Galbraith and Marty Barry. In 1929 Oliver played an important role in delivering the Stanley Cup to Boston.

In 1935 Oliver moved to New York where he played well with Art Chapman and Lorne Carr. He played three years with the Americans before retiring in 1937.

Best Hockey Books For Kids

Christmas is coming, and we all have some hockey crazed youth on our shopping list. So why not get him or her a hockey themed book? Give them the gift of hockey and reading, usually in the $10 range.

Here's my recommended list, based on entertainment value, readability and message.

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Just One Goal by Robert Munsch, Illustrated by Michael Martchenko.
HockeyBookReviews.com Full Review

Perhaps the world's most prolific children's author has dreamed up an amazing story about a little girl who loves hockey. She builds the community a rink on the frozen river, but her team never wins. She's determined to score her team a victory, even as the thawing rink presents great danger

It does not get better than this - Hockey and Robert Munsch!

Amazon.ca - chapters.indigo.ca - Amazon.com

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The Hockey Tree By David Ward, Illustrated by Brian Deines
HockeyBookReviews.com Full Review

This highly acclaimed book from 2006 makes it's paperback debut in 2008. The Hockey Tree is a great story about a father, son and daughter enjoying Canada's great game on a frozen lake. But they run into a problem when their puck falls into an ice fisherman's hole. Have no fear, dad has a plan to keep the hockey going, but he needs the kids to help him find the perfect tree - The Hockey Tree

It's a great story folks, but the illustrations really make this book perfect. Using soft tones illustrator Brian Deines perfectly captures the great Canadian dream of hockey in it's purest form.

Buy The Book - Amazon - Chapters - Amazon.com

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Brady Brady hockey series by Mary Shaw, Illustrated by Chuck Temple
HockeyBookReviews.com Full Review

The kid in me was instantly taken by the cartoonish illustrations and the brilliant use of colour. It is sure to catch anyone's eye. And better yet I was then wowed by the fun story telling complete with strong moral messages. Fun plus a good message is the necessary equation for any kid's title that I am going to endorse, and Brady Brady tops the list!

Buy The Books - Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com

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Dino-Hockey by Lisa Wheeler
HockeyBookReviews.com Full Review

Written by veteran children's book author Lisa Wheeler and beautifully illustrated by Barry Gott, this book, aimed at ages 4 to 9, is a fun read that can be enjoyed by both kids and parents. The rhyming text had me chuckling, aided nicely colorful paintings of exaggerated expressions of dinosaurs trying to play hockey.

The premise of the book is of a a hockey game played between opposing dinosaur teams: the Meat-Eaters and the Veggiesaurs. The scowling T. Rex redefines intimidation on ice, while the slap stick humor of the pterodactyl twins keep things light. My favorite characters are the overlooked Dodo bird referee, and the concession stand operator selling various forms of prehistoric delicacies to the crowd - meat and plants, of course.

Buy the book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com

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The Rocket by Mike Leonetti and Greg Banning
HockeyBookReviews.com Full Review
Interview with Mike Leonetti

Leonetti tells the story of Rocket Richard through an aspiring young hockey player named Andre. Andre loves the Rocket, and he loves to play hockey. But he gets tired of always being compared to his big brother, the real hockey star of the family. Then one day Andre and his father are lucky enough to attend a Montreal Canadiens game and watch the Rocket score no less than 5 goals.

Sitting beside Andre that night at the game is the star of Andre's hockey league. He discovers that as good as this other kid is, he too constantly has to put up with comparisons to his big brother. I won't give too much away, other than to say Andre learns the other kid's name is Henri.

Buy the book: | Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com |
The book is also available in Canada in French: | Amazon.ca - Chapters|

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Home Ice: Canada's 2010 Men's Olympic Hockey Team Guide by Lorna Schultz Nicholson
HockeyBookReviews.com Full Review

Officially licensed by Hockey Canada complete with a foreword by Steve Yzerman and an introduction by Bob Nicholson, the book features profiles of all 46 NHL players invited to Team Canada's Olympic orientation camp back in August 2009. 23 of those players will comprise Canada's Olympic team. The other 23 will be after-thoughts, making this title a bit unnecessary. A book of this quality featuring only the 23 players who do make the team would make for a nice keep-sake. With Canada not naming the actual Olympic team until December 31st, publishing deadlines makes that almost impossible. No doubt there will be spectacular magazine releases and tons of television and online coverage to commemorate the team well before the Olympics.

Perhaps that's why this book is aimed more at the juvenile market. Schultz-Nicholson is a veteran youth writer, offering excellent biographies. The team at HB Fenn put together a beautiful book with glossy pages and color action photography throughout, as well as statistical compendiums for kids to devour.

Buy The Book: Amazon.ca - Chapters - Amazon.com

Interview With The Author - Todd Denault

Be sure to head over to HockeyBookReviews.com where I had the great pleasure of interviewing Jacques Plante biographer Todd Denault.

Bobby Orr's Rarest Jersey?

Game worn jersey hounds strive to add the rarest of finds to their collection. Classic Auctions.net is currently offering what might be the rarest Bobby Orr jersey ever:

That is a Team Canada practice jersey from the 1972 Summit Series. Due to knee surgery, Orr was never able to play against the Soviets in that most famous of all international clashes. He did participate in pre-series practices in hopes he could play. Researchers were able to uncover photographic proof to authenticate this as Orr's only jersey from the 1972 Summit Series.

The jersey has been in the possession of the late John Ferguson, who was Canada's assistant coach in 1972. It is already fetching huge interest in Classic Auctions.net's "A Century Of Memories" auction.

Gretzky: Almost A Whaler, Eventually An Oiler

Did you know Wayne Gretzky was almost a Hartford Whaler?


It was back in the late 1970s when 17 year old Gretzky wanted to leave junior hockey and turn pro. He was living far away from home in Sault Ste. Marie, playing for Greyhounds coach Paul Theriault, a man who was hell bent on changing Gretzky's style of play. With the NHL not allowing players under 20 years of age at the time, Gretzky feared stagnating with three more seasons in the Soo. His only real option was to jump to the fledgling WHA, the NHL's rival league near death that was happily exploiting junior talent.

Gretzky ultimately signed with the Indianapolis Racers of all teams. I've always wondered why Gretzky chose to go there. No one's hockey dream ever was to play in Indianapolis. Money appears to be the biggest reason, not surprisingly. Owner Nelson Skalbania offered him a 7 year contract $1.75 million including a $250,000 signing bonus. Now Gretzky would one day be making that type of money in a month, but at the age of 17 he must have felt like had won the lottery, especially after spending that summer working at a job where he filled potholes for $5 an hour.

Interestingly, the deal was agreed upon in an airplane and announced as soon as the plane touched down in . . . Edmonton.

Of course the Indianapolis offer was not Gretzky's only offer. Birmingham was first in line, low-balling Gretzky with a 1 year, $80,000 offer. Fortunately Gretzky's agent Gus Badali wisely turned that down.

Perhaps the most attractive offer came for the Whalers, then known as the New England Whalers. The Whalers were said to be offering an 8 year contract. I do not know how much it would have been worth per season, but it was reported to have included a $200,000 signing bonus. More importantly, the Whalers were a stable franchise and had a great trump card: Gordie Howe still playing for them. You would have to believe that Gretzky would have been ecstatic to join his boyhood idol, even if it meant taking less money than what Indy was offering.

Ultimately Gretzky never had a chance to decide. The WHA was really on its death bed at that time. The NHL and WHA were in talks for some time about merging the strongest franchises into the NHL. The Whalers were certain to be included in the NHL jump, which caused the franchise to, perhaps foolishly, withdraw the offer to Gretzky at the last minute. They were worried about committing a lot of money to an underage player when NHL rules at the time clearly prohibited players under 20 to play in the NHL.

Gretzky would go off to Indy, but eight games into the season, financially troubled Racers owner Nelson Skalbania decided to fold the team. However since Gretzky was on a personal services contract, he first had to trade the teenage phenom.

Skalbania had two deals going, one with the Winnipeg Jets and one with the Edmonton Oilers. Both deals also involved Eddie Mio and Peter Driscoll. Things were moving so quickly that all three were put on a private jet headed to western Canada, though they didn't know where the plane was going to land.

Needless to say the pilots were as confused as the passengers. They wanted to know who was paying for the flight.

"Who's paying for this flight?" they asked.

They looked at one another. Gretzky had lots of money in the bank, but was too young to have a credit card. The other two were broke.

So Eddie Mio reached into his pocket, pulled out his VISA card with the $300 limit, and signed for a $10,000 trip on a Learjet.

Somewhere in midair, the pilot got the word: They were Oilers.

They landed in Edmonton. Mio of course was more concerned about his credit card.

Did He Play or Didn't He?

Even the most knowledgeable hockey fan cannot be found at fault for not recalling the name of Alex “Shrimp” McPherson. After all, McPherson never did play in the National Hockey League. Or did he?

Alex McPherson, a centerman born in Inverness, Scotland, earned his nickname “Shrimp” as he stood only five and one-half feet tall and weighed a paltry 155 pounds.

During the 1930s, “Shrimp” was a useful player for a variety of American Hockey Association teams. McPherson broke in with the Tulsa Oilers in the 1929-30 season and scored 14 goals in the 29 games he played. His next five seasons were spent with the St. Louis Flyers as he netted no less than 17 goals each campaign. McPherson’s AHA travels also landed him in Wichita and Kansas City before his career ended after the 1939-40 campaign, having potted 138 goals over his eleven seasons.

But the legend of “Shrimp” McPherson is not so much about what he accomplished on AHA ice, but what he did one night dressed as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs during a postseason contest. McPherson was given the opportunity to dress for the Leafs due to a rash of injuries which depleted the Leafs hockey club of many of their regulars.

During this particular contest, McPherson was instructed to take to the ice as an injured Leaf was slowly making his way to the bench. However, the impulsive McPherson, just itching to make his NHL debut, jumped over the boards and onto Gardens ice before the injured Leaf had reached the bench. Unfortunately for McPherson, the referee blew his whistle just as his skates hit the ice. “Shrimp” skated back to the Leafs bench dejectedly as a “too many men on the ice” penalty was called.

McPherson never skated on NHL ice again.

Officially, McPherson was not credited with a “game played” by the NHL, but nonetheless, a penalty was called on the Leafs because McPherson was on the ice.

Now you decide. Did Alex “Shrimp” McPherson play in the NHL?

Sunday Funnies: Watch Out For The Coffee Table!

Here's a great story from Lawrence Martin's Mario Lemieux biography simply entitled Mario. It's about the dedication Mario Lemieux's mother, Pierrette, showed to allow her son to learn to skate.

According to local lore, when the snow got too deep to play hockey outside, Madame Lemieux transported shovels of snow into the house. She threw the snow on the carpet and pounded it down to a smooth surface that glistened like ice. With the heat in the house turned off and the doors opened to let the cold blow in, she had her boys, just past toddler age then, practice hockey on the rug.

"The really did quite a job on my rug," she recalled. "But it was good for strengthening their ankles"

Weekend Reading: Bob Gainey

Here's Bob Gainey on the cover of Goal magazine back in June 1986. It's funny - Gainey was a member of five Stanley Cup championship teams in Montreal, but this 1986 shot of a weary veteran Gainey hoisting the Cup is his lasting image.

Jack Shill & The 1942 AHL All Star Game

This is Jack Shill, a little known left winger who played 163 NHL games way back in the 1930s.

Though he also played with Chicago (winning the Stanley Cup in 1938), Boston and the New York Americans, he is best known for playing in his hometown of Toronto with many teams, including the Maple Leafs.

Shill rose to the professional ranks thanks to a great junior and senior career with the Toronto Marlies. After retiring from the professional ranks in 1942, he returned to Toronto to play for various senior teams, including teams named Research Colonels, Dehavilands, Tip Tops and Mahar Jewelers.

"Snowball," as he was known to teammates because of his premature balding, also worked for the city of Toronto.

His last three professional seasons were not spent in the NHL but rather the AHL. He was an all star with the Providence Reds, which is why I bring up Shill today.

ClassicAuctions.net has Shill's 1942 AHL All Star Game sweater up for auction:


What a beautiful sweater. And certainly one of the rarest. There are not a lot of 1942 AHL All Star Game sweaters around, I don't imagine, as this was the very first AHL All Star Game. It was actually a benefit game played at the Cleveland Arena on February 3, with the East All-Stars beating the West, 5-4. Proceeds totaling nearly $5,000 were divided between the American and Canadian Red Cross.

At a starting bid of $500 this auction at least starts off at a very reasonable price. I will definitely be watching this auction with curiosity.

Wings vs. Habs Tonight

The Detroit Red Wings face the Montreal Canadiens Saturday night. It is the only time this season that the two Original Six rivals will face off.

Because of the heavy inter-conference scheduling, these once great rivals rarely meet anymore.

Montreal holds the decided advantage in the all time head-to-head record. In 565 regular season matches Montreal has won 270 while losing 199, one as an OTL. There were 96 tied games, too.

Spanish Uprising?

World of Hockey

When you think of Spain you think of beaches, bullfighting and FC Barcelona, not hockey. But could Spain be making a move up in the hockey world?

Hockey has been played in Spain since the early 1900s, thanks to outdoor ice in the Pyrenee Mountains. By the 1920s Spain joined the IIHF and even hosted 1924 European Championships in Madrid. The first indoor ice rink was built in the 1930s.

Civil and World Wars contributed to hockey's disappearance in the country until the 1970s. Indoor rinks were built in San Sebastien and Barcelona, and the modern era of Spanish hockey began. The national team even escaped the dreaded "D pool" and qualified for the "C Pool" world championships in 1977, thanks largely to Spain's greatest player Antonio Capillas.

Nowadays the Spanish "Superliga" relies mostly on imports from other European countries, with the most famous being Swedish Magic Man Kent Nilsson. The level of play is said to equal 2nd and 3rd tier club teams from around the rest of Europe. and has next to no junior development program.

But times are changing. In the upcoming World Junior Championships (Division II), Spain will ice 4 players who are excelling in more traditional countries. Alejandro Pedraz has been playing in Finland, while Pol González and goalkeeper Ignacio Martínez-Barona have been playing in Canadian high school leagues. The most promising player has to be 16 year old Carlos Quevedo who currently plays for Ilves Tampere in the highest U17 league in Finland.