Teaming together with the elegant Frank Boucher, brothers Bill and Bun Cook dominated the National Hockey League. They were so good that old time hockey fans would tell you the great Soviet lines of 1970s and 1980s were similar in style to Boucher and the Cooks. Their game was based on amazing and intricate passing plays, and they popularized the drop pass.
With a lack of nicknames in the NHL nowadays, I hereby propose Vancouver's exciting top line of Sedin twins Daniel and Henrik and Alex Burrows be named The New Bread Line. The two lines are very similar in mindset and feature two great brother acts. It seems like a nice fit to me!
The 1964 Winter Olympic Games were held in Innsbruck, Austria from January 29th through February 9th. Innsbruck was the near-unanimous choice of host, receiving 49 votes compared to Calgary's 9 and Lahti, Finland's 0.
Interestingly, normally snowy Austria was having a mild winter this year. The Austrian Army was called in. They packed 20,000 ice bricks from a mountain top to the bobsled and luge runs, and also carried 40,000 cubic meters of snow to the Alpine skiing courses, packing it all down the slopes by hand and foot!
It should be noted that East and West Germany competed as one united Germany for these games. Also, two tragic deaths marred these games, as an Australian skier and British luger died in competition.
Canada's New Era
In response to the blatant use of professionals by Eastern European teams and the blind acceptance by the politically corrupted governing bodies of international hockey, Canada opted to stop sending senior teams and created a national team that would train together throughout the season. Canada still foolishly hung on to the falsehoods of the amateur ideal though.
Father David Bauer formed a team that combined academics and athletics. Players would be given scholarships for studying and living expenses while attending University. This inaugural team was based out of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and would be transferred to Manitoba the following year. In addition the players would practice and play exhibition games together in pursuit of world championships and Olympic medals.
The inaugural team, pictured below, included the likes of Rod Seiling, Gary Dineen, Brian Conacher, Roger Bourbounnais, Marshall Johnston, Terry Clancy, Terry O'Malley and goaltender Seth Martin.
The Medals Controversy
Canada waltzed by Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, USA and Finland, but were not quite good enough to defeat the professionals from Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union.
The Soviets won the gold medal with their perfect record, but there was a three team tie for second, third and fourth place. Remember, these were the days where there was no gold medal game; the medals were determined by standings.
Protocol called for goal differential to be the first tie breaker, giving Sweden the silver and Canada the bronze. But during the final period of the Sweden-Czech game IIHF directors, led of course by the self-serving Bunny Ahearne, changed the goal differential formula so that Czechoslovakia would finish third.
Canada was screwed again by Bunny Ahearne and his corrupt cronies at the IIHF.
The Perfect Soviets
As mentioned, the professional Soviets easily won the gold medal with a 7-0 record. Notable players on this Soviet team included Anatoli Firsov, Vitaly Davydov, Alexander Ragulin and Vyacheslav Starshinov.
American Brothers
The defending champion United States could do no better than 5th in these Olympics. Notable players included returning 1960 heros Bill and Roger Christian as well as a new set of brothers, David and Herb Brooks.
Here's some YouTube footage of the game between Germany and Czechoslovakia:
I often miss most of CBC's Hockey Day in Canada, given that it starts early in the morning on a Saturday for us BCers. But I was glad their website had two special pieces available when I got home yesterday afternoon - memories of Iron Mike Keenan and the 1987 Canada Cup, and Dick Irvin talking about "The Stratford Streak," Howie Morenz.
Mario Lemieux wants to buy the Pittsburgh Pirates? How much cash does this guy have, anyways? Okay, it's his grocery-magnate buddy Ron Burkle who has the really deep pockets, but still it's funny that now that Mario got various levels of government to help him build a new arena he can go out and buy a Major League Baseball franchise with poor attendance figures.
Watching the Canucks and Leafs last night wass odd. Because Vancouver has been at home so much lately I forgot what their road white jerseys looked like.
I've long been critical of Alain Vigneault not giving the Sedins enough ice time. He gave it to them last night, and they responded. They put on a dazzling passing show in the second and third periods against the Leafs.
The Sedins and Alex Burrows have been together for 68 games, with Vancouver sporting a record of 46-18-3, dating back to last season. In that time Henrik has scored 29 goals, Daniel 25 goals, and Burrows 40 goals! All numbers come from the CBC, though I suspect they included the 18 games Daniel missed due to injury.
This is Neal Broten, playing for Team USA at the 1981 Canada Cup. He was a star player with the Miracle On Ice in 1980 and one of the greatest American born and trained hockey players of all time.
The tiny (and mostly undeveloped) Californian resort community of Squaw Valley were awarded the 1960 Winter Games back in the summer of 1955. They narrowly edged out Innsbruck, Austria.
Alexander Cushing spearheaded the bid once he learned Anchorage and Reno were preparing their own American bids. Somehow Cushing brought the world's greatest sporting spectacle to a a town with no mayor and possibly only one year round resident, that being Cushing himself. In fact, the only ski resort had just one chairlift, two rope tows, and a fifty-room lodge.
The decision to award these games to Squaw Valley instead of Innsbruck, which had much of the necessary infrastructure already in place, was only the first controversy. There were many complaints about venues and accommodations, all of which were built in a hurry. The scheduling, transportation, media handling and weather also contributed to what many consider to be the worst run Olympics in the history of the games.
The most positive legacy of these games was the Hollywood style celebrations of the games, which at the time was controversial in itself. But Walt Disney himself set the standard for the opening and closing ceremonies, now one of the most important spectacles of the Games.
Controversy In Hockey
Controversy spilled over to the hockey world, too. The schedule was described as "cruel," with teams asked to play 8 games in a span of 10 days. To make matters worse, the Blyth Arena, the only indoor hockey rink, was booked day and night for games and figure skating practices and events, forcing hockey practices to outdoor ice surfaces. The weather would not cooperate, as the warm temperatures and rain turned the ice into slush. Originally many of the games were scheduled for outdoors, though in the end only a few consolation round games were forced outside.
The Tournament
The hockey tournament remained unchanged from 1956. Nine teams competed, with the host Americans surprisingly winning the gold medal. Canada finished with silver and the USSR got bronze. Other nations involved were Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Japan and, no kidding, Australia.
American Gold
The Americans, backed by the awesome goaltending display of Jack McCartan and timely scoring of brother combinations Bill and Roger Christian (pictured above) and Bob and Bill Cleary, picture below, defeated Canada, USSR and Czechoslovakia in consecutive games to win the gold medal on home ice. There was some friction between the two sets of brothers, who, along with McCartan and John Mayasich, were the stars of the team. While most of the team had competed all season for the right to play at the Olympics, Bill Cleary, decided he wanted to play late in the season. Because he was so good the American managers allowed it to happen, and to allow brother Bob to join the team too. Bob's inclusion created some friction on the tight American team, but ultimately Bill lead the Americans in scoring and was a major reason for the gold medal victory.
Make no mistake, the biggest reason for gold was goaltender Jack McCartan, who made 39 saves in a 2-1 win against the Canadians to all but give the Americans the championship. McCartan would be named as the tournament's top goaltender.
By the way, Bill Christian's son Dave would go on to his own notable career. In addition to becoming a NHL standout, Dave would be a major contributor to the 1980 Olympic gold medal winning American team.
There is an amazing documentary out on the 1960 "Forgotten Miracle" team:
Amateurs vs. Pros
The amateur vs. professional debate continued to rage. While the dishonest Soviets again essentially sent professional players disguised as amateurs, Canada foolishly insisted on taking true amateurs.
The Russians, featuring Venjamim Alexandrov, Alexander Almetov, Konstantin Loktev, Nikolai Sologubov and Nikolai Puchkov, would stumble in the medal round, tying the Swedes 2-2 and losing to Canada 8-5. They would be forced to settle for bronze in just their second Olympic hockey tournament.
Canada once again was represented by the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen, as the 1959 Allan Cup champion Whitby Dunlops declined the invitation to go to the Olympics. Dunlops captain Harry Sinden (pictured to the right) and Whitby teammates Bob Attersley, Fred Etcher (who would lead the tournament in scoring) and George Samolenko joined the Dutchies for the Olympics, as did Moe Benoit, Don Head and Jack and Jim Connelly from other teams. The original Dutchies team included future NHL star Darryl Sly, who at this time was working as a teacher in Elmira, Ontario.
Canada rolled through all the competition, even the Russians, but could not solve Jack McCartan and the host Americans. The Americans downed Canada 2-1 on February 25th to all but ensure the American gold medal.
Rousseau vs. Keon
The Montreal Canadiens made future NHL star Bobby Rousseau available for the Olympics, but the Dutchmen originally targeted future Toronto Maple Leafs great Dave Keon. Once it was clear that Keon would not be released from the St. Mike's Majors junior team in order to play with the national team for most of the season, they asked for and received Rousseau.
Brother vs. Brother
The 1960 Olympics featured a pretty rare occurrence when twin brothers Frantisek and Zdenek Tikal faced off on opposite sides of the ice. Frantisek was a star player for Czechoslovakia, but Zdenek had defected to Australia and taken the name Steve. For defecting Steve was considered to be a great traitor, and was the subject of violence when the two teams met in Squaw Valley. It may have been Frantisek, who had not seen his twin brother since the day he defected, who ended Steve's night with a big body check that forced the new Australian to leave the game with an injury.
"It's a story with a six-year-old Wayne Gretzky as the central figure, playing on a team of 11-year-olds called the Nadrofsky Steelers in 1967-68.
Skating against a team from Stratford, Gretzky, wearing number 11, scored his first goal in competitive hockey, a moment captured by his dad, Walter, in a black and white photo.
The controversy surrounding the goal is over the identity of the goalie in the Stratford net. Two men claim to be the kid who was responsible for sending Gretzky on his way as the NHL's most prolific scorer."
This is what GM Place looks like, but starting today the IOC and VANOC start tearing down any reference to General Motors and the Vancouver Canucks. Even though General Motors pays big money for the naming rights, and even though the Canucks own the building, there is to be no corporate sponsorship allowed at the Olympics, after all. (Yeah, right!)
It's a great hockey arena, but it is far from a grand ol' sports stadium. Aside from a Canadian gold medal at the 2006 WJCs and Trevor Linden's jersey retirement ceremony, this building is better known for playoff failures and lots of violence - think Marty McSorley, Todd Bertuzzi and the infamous Guns 'N Roses riot.
Sports stadiums become cathedrals only after many great moments and championships. Think the Montreal Forum or Yankee Stadium. In this era of cookie cutter arenas with no heart and soul, fans long for the stadiums of old.
GM Place, rechristened Canada Hockey Place for the next few weeks, takes a major step towards achieving legendary status by hosting the Olympics.
The Vancouver Canucks are embarking upon a record setting NHL road trip.
Due to the 2010 Winter Olympics being held in Vancouver and the necessary renovations at General Motors Place Canada Hockey Place, the Canucks are on the road for a record 14 consecutive games. Their North American Tour consists of 13 cities over 42 days! They will travel 12,885 miles across every time zone and climate zone in that time, making those whines from Eastern teams when they come out west once every other year even more nauseating than they usually are.
But the Canucks have it easy compared to the old New York Rangers, who for years and years were forced out of Madison Square Gardens every spring because the circus came to town. The Rangers would actually play Stanley Cup playoffs home games in the opposition team's rink, or if possible at a neutral site, usually Boston!
As you can imagine that amounted to absolutely nothing in the home ice advantage category, although that didn't stop them from winning the Stanley Cup in 1928 with all games in Montreal, or in 1933 or 1940 when all but one game were played in Toronto. The Rangers also had to play home games on the road while in the Cup finals in 1932 and 1937, losing both times.
Long time readers know that prior to the 2009-10 season I was vehemently opposed to Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau making the 2010 Canadian Olympic team. For all their impressive point totals, time and time again they have failed to come through in big games and under pressure.
My thought process began swaying when the San Jose Sharks acquired Dany Heatley, a Team Canada regular, in the summer. I figured a Thornton-Heatley combo would prove so lethal in the regular season that I resigned myself to the idea there would be no way Canada could not take Jumbo Joe.
Then the Sharks loaded up the line by including Marleau too, and for stretches he has been the best of three. In the interest of instant chemistry in a short tournament, I advocated the inclusion of all three Sharks players, poor playoff and Olympic histories be damned.
I do not know if any Canadian player will ever face as much pressure as they will in Vancouver. Which brings me back to the Shark trio and their reputation for disappearing in big games. With Canada relying on these three players greatly, how are they going to handle this pressure?
The Sharks, for much of the season the best team in the NHL this season, have not had a lot of "big games" this season, but if they have it would be the four showdowns with the Chicago Blackhawks for the title of best team in the West, if not the entire NHL. Here's how the three fared:
What I see are average offensive numbers from three of Canada's top scorers and poor defensive ratings.
San Jose's big line needs to produce at the Olympics. They do provide big numbers heading into the tournament and instant chemistry, but they also bring some concern about their ability to get the job done.
Canada pretty much rolled through the first six winter Olympics, winning 5 golds and 1 silver. They had a tough game against Britain while their chief competition occasionally came from the United States.
That all changed in 1956, as the Soviets entered their first Olympic hockey tournament. The hockey world changed almost over night. The Russians were instantly the new power in amateur hockey.
The Soviets, wearing their now-unfamiliar blue jerseys with the white V stripe, had Nikolai Puchkov in goal, the great tandem of Nikolai Sologubov and Ivan Tregubov on defense with high scoring Aleksei Guryshev, and Yevgeni Babich but make no mistake, this team was led by the great Vsevolod Bobrov.
Bobrov was the original "Russian Rocket," a nickname earned after favorable comparisons to Maurice Richard. A former bandy and football (soccer) star, Bobrov was a wonderful player who would later become the coach of the 1972 Summit Series Russian squad.
The Soviets were perfect in their very first go around, winning all 7 games, including a 2-0 shutout against Canada on February 4th. Canada outshot the Soviets 23-9, but goalie Puchkov was dominant.
The Canadian Dutchmen
Canada was represented by the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen, the two time defending Allan Cup champions. The CAHA had forgone the practice of automatically naming the Allan Cup champ as the Olympic representative. But the choice was easy in 1956 - there was no finer amateur team in the country.
The Dutchmen were led by Denis Brodeur in goal. He of course is now far better known as Martin Brodeur's father, and for his long career as the official photographer for the Montreal Canadiens. Keith Woodall was his partner, splitting the workload evenly. Woodall actually had a better tournament, allowing just 4 goals while getting 2 shutouts in his 4 games.
Otherwise this Bobby Bauer coached squad was strikingly anonymous. Art Hurst, Byrle Klinck, Howie Lee, Floyd Martin and captain Jack MacKenzie patrolled the back end. MacKenzie was particularly dominant with 7 goals and 12 points in 8 contests.
The offense was powered Jim Logan (8g, 15pts in 8 games), Paul Knox (7g, 14pts), Gerry Theberge (9g, 11pts), Ken Laufman (10 assists, 11pts) and George Scholes (5g, 10pts). Charlie Booker, Don Rope, Bob White, Billy Colvin and Buddy Horne also played up front.
The Surprising Americans
It was the Americans, not the Canadians, that won the silver medal, thanks largely to a 4-1 win over the Canadians on Jan. 31st. John Mayasich scored a hat trick, with Weldon Olson scoring the other goal. Goalie Williard Ikola stood on his head, facing 39 Canadian shots compared to the 29 Brodeur faced on the other end.
Other notable American players in 1956 included Gordon Christian and Bill Cleary.
Sweden finished 4th, with Czechoslovakia, Germany, Italy, Poland, Switzerland and Austria following suit.
Here's an amazing YouTube find - actual game footage from the 1956 Olympics:
Who is the most underrated player in the NHL nowadays? Joe Pavelski? David Clarkson? Eric Belanger? Niklas Hjalmarsson?
Here's some interesting numbers regarding visor use in the NHL: 59% of NHL skaters now wear visors, compared to just 15% of players in the 1998-99 season. That trend will continue to grow upwards as new generations of players arrive in the league. 65% of players under 30 wear visors, compared to 45% of players over 30. 61% of forwards and 54% of defenseman wear visors. Europeans still are far more likely to wear eye protection, coming in at 81% compared to 52% of North Americans.
One reason for the increased usage has nothing to do with the NHL, but rather mandatory visor use in juniors, college and European leagues. It just goes to show that lower levels of hockey can influence the almighty NHL who continue to ignore their responsibility to care for the game at all levels. Head shots is the next great example. The archaic dinosaurs who run the NHL won't do anything about hits to the head, so junior leagues and international hockey have taken the lead. The NHL will be forced to follow through when really they should have been leading the way.
What would AIK Stockholm want with Georges Laraque? An even better question - why are the Canadiens blocking the move?
In honor of the great J. D. Salinger, today's Greatest Hockey Legends of the day are Josh Holden and Jay Caulfield.
Norway is the greatest winter sports country on the planet, at least according to the all time medal haul at the Winter Olympics. Oslo was chosen as the host city for the 1952 Olympic Games, easily outdistancing Cortina d'Ampezzo and Lake Placid.
Despite their love for winter sports, they have never been good at hockey. They finished dead last.
For Canada it would be another easy Olympic gold medal. It would also unthinkably be their last for 5o years.
The Edmonton Mercurys
The Edmonton Mercuries were selected to represent Canada at the 1952 Olympics. They were not the Allan Cup champions, as their league had turned semi-pro prior to the Allan Cup. Edmonton remained amateur, and were so highly regarded that the CAHA asked them to go to Oslo.
The team was comprised of goaltenders Eric Patterson and Ralph Hansch, the latter of which is the only player in Olympic history to wear jersey number zero.
John Davies, Don Gauf, Bob Meyers, Tom Pollock and Al Purvis played on defense.
Up front the team was guided by Billy Gibson's 15 goals and 22 points in 8 games. David Miller, who was accused of having professional experience by the Czechs, scored 10 goals and 12 points. Other forwards were George Abel, Billy Dawe, Bruce Dickson, Gordie Robertson, Louis Secco, Sully Sullivan and Robert Watt.
The team was bankrolled by Jim Christianson, an Edmonton car salesman, hence the name Mercuries after a brand of Ford cars. Christianson put up $100,000 to get the team to Europe. Christianson accompanied the team but he became ill shortly after arriving. He returned to Canada and died soon after.
The team was coached by Lou Holmes.
Every player scored at least 2 goals in the tournament, as Canada rolled to a 7-0-1 record with 71 goals scored and 14 goals against. The only blemish on the Mercuries record was a 3-3 tie with the United States in the final game of their tournament. The two sides seemed friendly, as evidenced in this post game photo:
The Europeans were not nearly as friendly towards Canada or the US. Outrage roared after Gordie Robertson of Canada and Joe Czarnota of the US received major penalties for fighting in different games. A Swiss paper called for the removal of hockey from future Olympics. The Oslo fans pelted the Americans with orange peels following the Czarnota incident.
Other notable players in the tournament included Tumba Johansson for the bronze medal winning Swedes and Aarne Honkavaara for the Finns, two of the early stars in each of those Scandinavian countries. Team Finland is pictured below.
The Fifth Olympic Winter Games were a long time coming.
World War II cancelled the Games in 1940 (originally to be held in Sapporo, Japan then St. Moritz, Switzerland) and 1944 (originally to be held in Garmisch-Partenckirchen, Germany, then Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, who narrowly outbid Montreal).
Once the war was finally over, the IOC met in September 1946 and quickly awarded the 1948 Winter Olympics to St. Moritz, Switzerland. The only other bid came from another past host, Lake Placid.
With the possible exception of goaltender Murray Dowey, none of them had any long lasting fame.
Flying Officer Hubert Brooks, who received the Military Cross after escaping a German prisoner of war camp, made the trip but did not play. But he had a memorable time in St. Moritz, nonetheless. He married long time sweetheart Birthe Grotved of Denmark. Grotved's bridesmaid was none other than Canadian Olympic figure skating gold medalist Barbara Ann Scott.
Canada would win gold, thanks to a 7-0-1 record with 69 goals for and just 5 against.
The Controversial American Team
The Americans blatantly sent a team that included professional players, at least in the eyes of the Canadians and other nations. The IOC agreed, but the Americans would not back down. The IOC retaliated by initially relegating hockey to demonstration sport status, thus making all medals unofficial. They even publicly mused about barring hockey from all future Olympic Games.
A compromise was reached which allowed hockey to stay in the Olympics and allow the Americans to play who they wanted. They would play games that would count in the standings, but USA would be ineligible for a medal. Ultimately it did not matter, as the Americans went 5-3, and finished 4th in the standings.
Finishing second with the silver medal was the team from Czechoslovakia, an up-and-coming power in the hockey world. Jaroslav Drobny, Ladislav Trojak and Vladimir Zabrodsky powered the team to an identical record with Canada, 7-0-1. The tie game came against Canada, 0-0, with goaltender Bohumil Modry, pictured to the right, the hero of that game.
The Czechoslovians even outscored Canada in the tournament 80 to 69. Ultimately though the gold medal went to Canada courtesy of the tie breaker rules. Because Canada had allowed just 5 goals compared to CSSR's 18, their goal average was the better of the two.
The hometown Swiss took the bronze medal, just like they did 20 years earlier, also in St. Moritz. On both of those bronze medal teams was the greatest player in Swiss hockey history - Bibi Torriani.
Sweden, Britain, Poland, Austria and Italy rounded out the competition in 1948.
Here's some YouTube footage of Canadian Andy Gilpin being honoured 60 years after winning the gold medal:
Do you think Daniel and Henrik Sedin ever switch jerseys during games? Daniel is a great passer, too, but that drop pass to Brad Lukowich the other night looked more like Henrik.
The kids were happy the television was not once turned to a hockey game on Tuesday night. But they should have known I can not escape hockey. They turned to Scooby Doo, only to find Scooby, Shaggy and the gang helping Brett Hull and Team USA at a hockey tournament in Moscow!
By the way, Scooby was spooked by a huge monster who was actually a most petite figure skater.
How does Washington score 7 goals in a game but Ovechkin and Backstrom combine for only one mere assist? Don't they know I took them in the HNIC weekly pool this week? Martin Brodeur and Jimmy Howard didn't help much either. Beware if I take you in my pool - I terribly jinx players.
I think my new strategy in the HNIC pool will be to take the top scorers on teams who play my Vancouver Canucks each week.
Talk about the greatest international series played involving Canada and those are the two granddaddies of them all – ’72 with the heroics of Paul Henderson to win that historic eight-game series; and ’87 with three 6-5 games (the identical score to the final game in ’72) and Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux combining to produce the winning goal in the dying minutes of the third and final game.
Believe it or not, Wayne Gretzky turns 49 years old today.
Whoever said "time flies" sure was right. Wow, 49! When did that happen? I still remember the cocky kid demolishing every NHL record and chasing his first Stanley Cup like it was yesterday.
Here's some photos of Wayne when he was a little younger:
Alright, so you know enough about Wayne Gretzky already, but what about younger brothers Keith, Brent and Glenn?
Keith never did make it to the NHL. But he did get on the cover of The Hockey News, and a spot in Sports Illustrated's Faces In The Crowd when he was 13. He also stole the spotlight in this 1981 7-Up commercial starring both him and Wayne.
Brent did briefly. His career as the "Not As Great One" lasted 13 games. But in that time he scored 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points. In doing so he made sure the Gretzkys were the highest scoring pair of brothers in NHL history. Well, I guess Wayne, who left home when Brent was just three years old, helped a little too.
Wayne has another brother, Glen. Try as he might, he never really could play hockey. He was born with a club foot and it hurt too much to skate. But boy did he ever try. Here's what father Walter Gretzky said in the Terry Jones book The Great Gretzky.
"I thought none of the kids would top Wayne when it came to work. Wayne would be out on the rink in the backyard when other kids were going to the movies. He was an incredibly hard worker. All the kids are hard workers. But Glen works even a little harder. I'll look out at the rink when the rest of the kids have gone in because it's too cold out. And he'll still be there, skating around those pylons."
Last I had heard Glenn was serving with the Wayne Gretzky Foundation.
Wayne also has one sister, Kim, who nowadays is a health care worker. She was quite the track and field star back in her younger days.
Check this out: Every Canadian athlete will be eligible for bonus money if they step on the podium in Vancouver: $20,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze. Canada's NHL players, with a combined $120 million in salaries for this season, are eligible too. Watch for the Canadian players to donate any podium money back to Hockey Canada for minor hockey programs in the country.
I like this line - Sidney Crosby's $9 million salary is more than three times what the Own The Podium program spent on biathlon over the last five years.
Beautiful breakaway goal by Henrik Sedin last night against the Sabres. Maybe that move will convince coach Alain Vigneault to use the NHL's leading scorer in the shootout? Henrik never gets a chance in the shootout.
The Canucks have had their issues with the referees lately, but Kerry Fraser's disallowed Buffalo goal late in the 2nd period was one of the worst blown calls I've seen in a long, long time.
Mike Danton's enrolling at the University of Saint Mary's made me wonder how many times in the past a player played college hockey after playing in the National Hockey League. Jean Patrice Martel of the Society For International Hockey Research tells me it has happened 26 times before. Players "of note" include Bones Raleigh, Jared Aulin, Brian Conacher and Mike Moffat.
Mike Chen and the Mechanics have done a great job revamping From The Rink blog. Very promising opening day.
When it comes to international hockey, goaltender Seth Martin truly is a Canadian hockey legend. Best known as a Trail Smoke Eater, he only briefly played in the NHL but starred internationally at World Championships and Olympics.
The Vancouver Sun recently caught up with Seth Martin. They reminisced about Martin's glory days and get Martin's thoughts on the up coming games.
It isn't often that former ice hockey stars visit Israel, but next week legendary Team Canada left winger Paul Henderson and NHL Hall of Famer Darryl Sittler will join some 90 players in the country as part of the fourth annual Israel Recreational Hockey Association (IRHA) Tournament.
The event, to be held at the Canada Center in Metulla from January 26-28, will see four teams from the US and Canada battling out for the trophy.
It is safe to say controversy reigned supreme in the 1936 Olympics, hosted by Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. The twin villages were granted the games over Montreal and St. Moritz.
This is Rudi Ball, the 25 year old was the captain of the 1936 Olympic team, his second time at the Olympics. When his career ended he would be one of the most decorated German players of all time, with 8 German championships, a 1932 Olympic bronze medal and participation in four time world championships under his belt. In 1930 the French Sports Magazine labelled him the best hockey player in Europe. Ball and his brothers Gerhard and Heinz were hockey heroes in Germany.
There was one big problem in 1936 though. Adolf Hitler's Germany was hosting the Olympics, and his hatred Jewish people and other minorities was becoming world-renowned. Ball, a legend of hockey in Germany and the team captain, was of Jewish descent.
The Germans initially refused to include Ball, no doubt an order from a government official much higher up than the hockey officials. That's when Gustav Jaenecke, Ball's good friend and teammate not to mention a real hockey star, stepped in. He refused to play unless Ball was included.
Without Ball and Jaenecke the Germans knew there was no chance they could repeat as Olympic medalists on home ice. They wanted to win as many medals as possible, to display their superiority. They allowed Ball to play, and allowed his family to leave Germany and flee the coming horrors of the Nazis.
The Germans finished in 5th place, thanks largely to an injury suffered by Ball which ended his tournament prematurely.
Ball was one of only two Jewish athletes to represent Germany at the 1936 games. Helene Mayer, a fencer, also represented Germany despite her Jewish heritage and despite living in the United States since 1933. She won a silver medal.
Other Notable Players
Before we move on to the main protagonists on the ice, Canada and Britain, let's take a quick look at the more notable players for other countries.
Japan featured a goaltender, Teiji Honma, wearing a rarely seen mask.
Czechoslovakia had a strong team led by Josef Malecek and Ladislav Trojak.
The United States won the bronze with no notable players in history's eyes. John Garrison Gordon Smith had returned from the 1932 team.
Germany had a player who likely had the longest name in Olympic hockey history - Joachim Albrecht von Bethmann-Hollweg.
Austria, Hungary, Latvia and Sweden also participated.
Many of the games were played in front of sparse crowds on the natural ice of the frozen Lake Riessersee. Canada's first game was played in a blinding snowstorm, with the game delayed for several minutes while they once tried to find the puck.
Controversy In Canada
Long before the Olympics even began there was controversy in Canada.
The Canadians were unable to send the 1935 Allan Cup champion Halifax Wolverines, as too many of their players had moved away and were now playing with different teams. So Canada selected the Allan Cup runner-ups, the Port Arthur Bear Cats, but with one stipulation: the CAHA could add players to the roster if they wished.
The Bear Cats were another team with no notable players to mention, then or now. Jakie Nash was their goalie. Ray Milton and captain Herman Murray played defense. Alexander Sinclair, Bill Deacon, Ralph St. Germain, Dave Neville, Bill Thomson and Ken Farmer made up the forward spots. Norm Friday and Gus Saxberg made the trip but did not play. The Cats were coached by former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Al Pudas.
The CAHA initially wanted four Halifax hold-overs to join the team - Sylvester Bubar, Vic Ferguson, Chummy Lawlor and Ernie Mosher. But they balked, demanding $150 a month for three months to compensate their loss of wages and family time. Since that would not fly in the face of amateur status, they were dropped. Added instead were Pud Kitchen of the Toronto Dukes, Hugh Farquharson of the Montreal Victorias, Dinty Moore of the Port Colborne Sailors and Jim Haggarty, a one time Bear Cat now playing for the Wembley Canadians in Britain.
Controversy in Britain
The Port Arthur Bear Cats may not have even been the best Canadian hockey players at the 1936 Olympics. That title may have gone to the Great Britain team, who invited several British born athletes who grew up and played hockey in Canada. These players included Art Child, James Chappell, and Archibald Stinchcombe, all of whom secured permission of the CAHA beforehand, and noted scorer Alex Archer and superb goaltender Jimmy Foster, who did not.
Canada protested the inclusion of Archer and Foster. Canada would drop their complaints three days into the Olympics, in "the interest of Olympic spirit." They also secured an agreement preventing countries, specifically Britain, from borrowing other countries athletes on the basis of birthplace, not by residency or citizenship.
Britain's Controversial Gold Medal
Archer and Foster would be allowed to play, and that would come back to bite Canada. Great Britain upset Canada 2-1 in the preliminary round. That's where even more controversy erupted.
Olympic officials opted to read the rule book differently than Canada and other nations had assumed they were playing with, screwing the Canadians in the process. In "one of the worst manipulations in sporting history" the Olympic authorities announced after the second round was over that second round matches would count in third round medal matches. Thus, Canada would not get a chance to take on Britain again and avenge the loss. With Britain winning their remaining games, there was no chance for Canada to capture the gold medal.
Britain became the first nation other than Canada to win gold at Olympic ice hockey. Here's two different photographs of the British team:
Here's some amazing YouTube footage of the game between Canada and the USA:
Lake Placid hosted their first Winter Olympics back in 1932. It was the first time the Winter Games came to North America, with the small New York state town beating out, amongst other cities, Montreal.
Just four countries competed in these Olympics. Germany and Poland were clearly the weak sisters, with Germany capturing the bronze medal thanks to a 4-1 win over Poland on the final day of the tournament.
Canada and the United States battled it out for gold, with the US showing strong against the Allan Cup champion Winnipeg Hockey Club. In the first game Canada barely beat the Americans 2-1 in overtime. Double overtime was required in the second game, with the game being declared a draw at 2-2. Canada would take home the gold medal.
There was a lot of ill will between the two teams. Prior to the Games, the Americans played an exhibition game against the Boston Bruins, with the Olympic team keeping a large amount of the gate receipts. Canada objected, claiming they were no longer amateur players. Canada ultimately backed down.
Canada was also upset most of the games were held on the outdoor rink, subject to terrible weather and ice conditions, when an indoor rink was available. Canada cried foul, accusing the organizers of try to nullify Canada's superior skill.
These Olympics were again a no-name special.
The United States were led by names like Ding Palmer, Doug Everett and goaltender Frank Farrell, who wore a mask to protect his glasses.
Here's the American team picture. See if you notice any discrepancies among the uniforms they are wearing.
Three of the players are wearing white bands around their chest. This was done by design, to differentiate defensemen and forwards. If a forward sees a player with the white band, a defenseman, ahead of him, that was a signal for the forward to stay back and temporarily fill in the defensive position.
Canada also featured no historically important figures. Captain and goalie William Cockburn, back up goalie Stanley Wagner, Roy Hinkel, Hugh Sutherland, George Garbutt, Walter Monson, Harold "Hack" Simpson, Bert "Spunk" Duncanson, Romeo Rivers, Aliston "Stoney" Wise, Clifford Crowley, Victor Lindquist, Norm Malloy, and Kenneth Moore all skated for Canada.
If there was one name that stands out for Canada it would be manager Lou Marsh, who later went on to a pioneering career in sports journalism.
Here is also a picture of the Polish hockey team:
The Germans featured Gustav Jaenecke and Rudi Ball
Joe Pelletier's new ebook: Pucks On The 'Net - Just $3.99!
"At just $3.99 I felt like stole this hockey book. Great stories." Foreword by Kirstie McLellan Day
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1920 - Antwerp, Belgium 1924 - Chamonix, France 1928 - St. Moritz, Switz. 1932 - Lake Placid, USA
1936 - G.P., Germany
1940 - No Games - WWII
1944 - No Games - WWII 1948 - St. Moritz, Switz. 1952 - Oslo, Norway 1956 - Cortina, Italy 1960 - Squaw Valley, USA 1964 - Innsbruck, Austria 1968 - Grenoble, France 1972 - Sapporo, Japan 1976 - Innsbruck, Austria 1980 - Lake Placid, USA 1984 - Sarajevo, Yugoslavia 1988 - Calgary, Canada 1992 - Albertville, France 1994 - Lillehammer, Norway 1998 - Nagano, Japan 2002 - Salt Lake City, USA 2006 - Torino, Italy
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