Tim Horton: Hockey's Clark Kent

"That morning I entered the dining car, thinking I would be the only one there, and saw, peering out around his newspaper and through his thick glasses, clean shaven, in a shirt and tie, suit,  and white sweat socks, Tim, or as we called him, "Clark Kent." He invited me to join him for breakfast. The lenses on Tim's glasses were the thickest I had ever seen. He experimented wearing contact lenses in games, but found them uncomfortable. I have often wondered how much greater this future Hall of Famer would have been if he were able to see!"

- Billy Harris on Tim Horton, in Harris' book, The Glory Years: Memories of a decade, 1955-1965

Pucks On The 'Net: All Star Edition

The 2011 All Star game MVP should go to Brendan Shanahan.

Shanny is the man behind this year's exciting All Star game make over. Somehow he accomplished the impossible. There is a genuine buzz, a captured fan interest revolving around this All Star weekend. Not since Wayne Gretzky's return to Edmonton at the All Star game in 1989 and to co-starring Gretzky vs. the emerging Mario Lemieux narrative have my interest been this piqued by an All Star game.

The road-hockey style draft is an intriguing novelty. I'd rather have seen Crosby vs. Ovechkin or Henrik vs. Daniel as the two captains. Or even two players from the host city as captains. Regardless, the various story lines - teammates vs teammates, countrymen vs countrymen and even brother vs brother - should get the players competitive juices flowing.

All of the anticipation for the event revolves around tonight's draft rather than Sunday's game itself. How can the NHL ensure more interest and ultimately a better competition on Sunday? Here's a few ideas:

• Each player on the winning team receives $5,000 for a team victory. All winning money would be donated to a charity of the player's choice on their behalf.
• Mix the All Stars with a few celebrities. Or use women goaltenders from the Canadian and USA national teams.
• A radical game change: Instead of a structured league game, how about a mini games of shinny. Maybe break the All Stars into four teams and have a shinny tournament.

Let's hear some of your All Star make over ideas. Comment below or join me on Twitter @HockeyLegends

Hockey's Greatest All Stars: Raymond Bourque

From Eddie Shore to Bobby Orr to Zdeno Chara, the Boston Bruins have always had one of the NHL's top rearguards patrolling their blue line. And while no one will dispute Orr as the greatest defenseman ever, Ray Bourque is not far behind.

When asked which of the two defenseman he would want on the ice in the final minute of player, long time Boston coach/general manager Harry Sinden said "I'll take Orr if I'm down by a goal, but I'd take Bourque if I'm defending a one goal lead."


Read the full Ray Bourque biography.

Hockey's Greatest All Stars: Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky left the game after 20 seasons, taking 61 NHL records with him. Among them: 92 goals in a single season, 163 assists in a single season, 215 points in a single season, a 51-game points streak that's every bit as impressive as Joe DiMaggio's 56-game mark in baseball, 2857 career points, and 1, 072 professional goals. He won every Hart Trophy from 1980 to 1987 (and another in 1989) as the league's MVP and took home ten Art Ross Trophies as the league's scoring leader. While captaining the Oilers to four Stanley Cups, Gretzky also took home two Conn Smythe trophies as the most valuable player in the playoffs.

Until Wayne came along, we didn't know how great great could be. #99 redefined greatness. 


Read the full Wayne Gretzky biography.

Hockey's Greatest All Stars: Gordie Howe

Gordie Howe was once quoted as saying "Hockey is a man's game." In the game of hockey, Gordie is the man.

Hall of Famer Bill Gadsby claimed "He was not only the greatest hockey player I've ever seen, but also the greatest athlete."

The right winger was a giant in his time at 6'1" and 205 lbs. He had the build of a heavyweight boxing champion. And he knew how to fight.

Part of the legend of Gordie Howe is his unmatchable toughness. He had "windshield wiper elbows" and like to give "close shaves" to anyone who dared to challenge. Ask any hockey experts who they'd choose as the toughest NHLer ever, and most would put their money on Gordie Howe against anyone else.

Those who knew Gordie away from the rink would never believe his on ice instincts.

"Despite an even temperament and a real distaste for combat, there is a part of Howe that is calculatingly and primitively savage," Mark Kram wrote in Sports Illustrated in 1964. "He is a punishing artist with a hockey stick, slashing, spearing, tripping and high-sticking his way to a comparative degree of solitude on the ice." 


Read the full Gordie Howe biography.

All Star Weekend

All Star Game Memories: FoxTrax Glow Puck

Who can forget this failed experiment, first started at the 1996 NHL All Star Game:

All Star Game Memories: Owen Nolan Calls His Shot

All Star Game Memories: American Anthem In 1991

The 1991 NHL All Star Game in noisy old Chicago Stadium. No one really remembers much of the game itself, but everyone remembers Wayne Messmer's daunting rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. With the original Gulf War just days old, the crowd at Chicago Stadium almost drowns him out in their undeniably emotional support of their country and their troops. Maybe it was one of those things that you just had to be in the moment to truly understand it. But for those of who were, it's something you can never forget.

All Star Game Memories: Gretzky Steals John Garrett's Car

One of the most famous stories involving John Garrett came during the 1983 All Star Game. Garrett was acquired by the Canucks less than a week prior to the game. However Richard Brodeur, the Canucks number one goalie and all star representative, suffered a broken eardrum courtesy of a Dan Daoust wild shot. As a last minute replacement, Garrett was asked to fill in for the Campbell Conference All Stars despite playing the whole first half in the Wales Conference.

Garrett had a great game too, and was the favorite to win game MVP honors, which of course earns you a brand new car, except a guy named Gretzky put on a goal scoring clinic in the third period. Gretzky's 4 goals in one period instantly became all star legend.

"I had about 15 saves total up to about the six minute mark of the third period" recalls John in Dick Irvin's great book In The Crease. "I knew Lanny McDonald from playing with him at the World Championships one year and he kept talking to me after I'd make a save: 'Hey Cheech, you got the tires....the glove compartment.....hey, great stop. Now you've got the steering wheel.' Then about the six minute mark Gretz scores and makes 4-2. On his next shift he scores again. 5-2. Lanny comes back to me after each goal, 'Oh oh, There go the tires...Oh oh, there goes the steering wheel.' The very next shift 99 scores again. Now he's got the hat trick. And then he gets another goal on his next shift. I mean, he takes four shifts and scores four goals. Guess what. I didn't win the car."

Here's a look back at Gretzky's famous night, including an interview with Dave Hodge.

All Star Game Memories: Big Offer For The Big M

The 16th Annual NHL All Star Game, was played in Toronto on October 6th, 1962. The defending Stanley Cup champion Maple Leafs quieted the NHL All Stars 4-1.

This particular All Star game contest was far from memorable by itself. But the hulabaloo created by the Chicago  Blackhawks on the same day certainly rocked the hockey world.

Chicago owner Jim Norris made a public offer to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Norris wanted Frank Mahovlich, who was involved in a contract dispute with the Leafs. Norris even offered a cheque for $1 million in exchange. Norris even showed off the filled out cheque to the media as part of his antics.

The Leafs firmly rejected the deal the next day.

There was always speculation the whole show was nothing more than a publicity stunt designed to steal headlines away from baseball's World Series.  But Harold Ballard was certainly ready to make the deal.

This was back before the infamous Ballard had full control of the Leafs. He was still part of a group of owners, the "Silver Seven," who managed the team as a committee. Of course Ballard wouldn't worry about the others, and accepted Norris' offer and even took ten $100 bills as a down payment. Ballard then wrote a note of confirmation.

When Norris met with the group of seven the next day to finalize the deal, he was informed to keep his cheque.

The big winner in all of this was Frank Mahovlich. That night the Leafs gave in to his salary demands and signed a 4 year at $110,000 a year - a pittance by NHL standards nowadays, but a king's ransom back in 1962!

Those Were The Days: Gretzky's First All Star Game

Wayne Gretzky's first NHL All Star game came in 1980. He may have been hockey's new superstar, but he also was still a teenager playing against men. Gretzky, who often played against the Wales Conference's top line of Gilbert Perreault, Guy Lafleur and Buddy Cloutier, was not a factor in his first all star game

After the game Wayne met his father Walter, who was earlier given one of the game used pucks.

"Go ahead, touch it," offered Walter.

"What for?" replied a surprised Wayne.

"You didn't get a chance to touch it all game, so maybe you'd like to touch it now," deadpanned Walter.

The Year 12 Year Old Gretzky Scored On Everybody - Except Les Binkley

This is a great story.

The picture above comes from the 1973-74 season. Wayne Gretzky (wearing the Brantford jersey), John Rea (wearing the jersey with the "A") and two unidentified players posing with Les Binkley of the WHA's Toronto Toros.

CHUM radio sponsored intermission shootout contests featuring local minor hockey players. On this night these 4 kids would take penalty shots on the old pro Binkley.

Binkley stopped all four attempts, including Gretzky's. The future Great One slammed his stick on the ice in disappointment.

Will Wayne Gretzky Make The Team?

I get a real kick out of this photo. It's of Wayne Gretzky playing a pre-season exhibition game against Calgary sometime in the early 1980s. Notice there is no name on the jersey?

Seriously? Did they really think there was a chance Gretzky wouldn't make the team? Or that someone else was going to wear #99?!

Wayne Gretzky - The Goalie?

Wayne Gretzky must have decided scoring goals just was not challenging enough, so here he dons Andy Moog's mask, glove and blocker and tries stopping shots instead.

1979 Challenge Cup

The 1979 Challenge Cup replaced the 1979 NHL All Star Game. The NHL All Stars played the Soviet National Team in the "Series of the Century."

The series was played exclusively in New York City and at Madison Square Gardens. The NHL was hoping to use the exhibition series to boost hockey's exposure in the United States. However the tournament was largely ignored in the U.S., especially by television broadcasters CBS, NBC and ABC.

The NHL team should not be confused with Team Canada. The All Stars featured the best players in the NHL, not just Canada. That being said, only three members of the team were non-Canadians: Swedish stars Borje Salming, Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson.

The NHL All Stars had exactly three practices together to prepare for the series. The Soviets, by contrast, spent several weeks preparing specifically for the contest. They even travelled to the Netherlands where they found a rink that matched Madison Square Gardens ice surface.

The NHL jumped out to a convincing 1st game victory, thanks to a opening play goal by Guy Lafleur and a flat Soviet effort. The NHL were in good shape half way through game two, on the verge of a series victory, before the Soviets awakened. The Soviets stormed back to tie the series.

Game three was no contest. The NHL All Stars had a few good chances in a scoreless first period, but were continually stymied by the biggest surprise of the series. Vladimir Myshkin, making his national team debut, took over from Vladislav Tretiak in the final game. The Soviet players played flawlessly in front of the rookie netminder, and supported him with 6 goals scored. Myshkin never surrendered a single goal.


Here's the search results for the 1979 Challenge Cup on YouTube.


Here's a few must read articles about the 1979 Challenge Cup:

• NHL run over by the Big Red Machine
• A game the NHL could never win
• The Soviets were too good, pure and simple
• The Soviets made some changes to end the NHL's reign
• The  NHL's best were not good enough

Here's a statistical look at the series:

• Team NHL
• Team USSR

All Star Game History: Memorial Games Preceded Annual Classic

Prior to the creation of the annual NHL All Star game in 1947, there was four benefit/memorial all star hockey games played:

• Hod Stuart Memorial Game, 1908, Montreal
• Ace Bailey Benefit Game, 1934, Toronto
• Howie Morenz Memorial Game, 1937, Montreal
• Babe Siebert Memorial Game, 1939, Montreal

Also, in 1935 an all star benefit was held in Montreal for Nels Crutchfield, the Canadiens rookie who was involved in a serious car accident. There was many different exhibitions on the ice that night, but no actual All Star game. Thus the night has been all but forgotten by history. Read the Nels Crutchfield biography for more details.

Babe Siebert Memorial Game

The NHL's last All Star memorial game was held at the Montreal Forum on October 29th, 1939 in honour of Babe Siebert.

Albert "Babe" Siebert was a great hockey player, and an even better person.

Siebert was one of those few players who could do it all - excelling both as a power forward and an all star defenseman. You don't see that any longer! He was as strong as an ox, making him nearly impossible to stop. In addition he added very good skating abilities with good straight-ahead speed. He was very responsible defensively and though he never had the scoring exploits of his famous "S" Line teammates, he was an underrated shooter and a skillful playmaker.

Born in Plattsville, Ontario, Jan. 14, 1904, and played his minor hockey in Zurich, Ontario. He played for Kitchener in the OHA in 1922-23 and quickly elevated to the senior level, playing with Niagara Falls. In 1925-26 Siebert made the jump into the National Hockey League with the Montreal Maroons, just in time to taste sweet victory from the Stanley Cup.

Though Siebert was initially utilized as a defenseman, Siebert quickly earned a reputation as an outstanding left winger when he replaced Jimmy Ward on a line with Nels Stewart and newcomer Hooley Smith. The line was quickly dubbed as the S-line, one of the most famous trios in hockey history.

After several strong scoring seasons, the trio was shockingly broken up in 1932 when the cash starved Maroons traded Stewart to Boston and Siebert to the Rangers. Siebert, who was coming off of a career high 21 goals in his last season with the Maroons, spent 1 1/2 seasons in New York before he was traded to Boston.

It was a unique situation in Boston as Siebert's hated rival Eddie Shore was on the team. The two never spoke and it was obvious they didn't like each other. Earlier in their careers they had a bloody fight in which Siebert administered a beating on Shore, who was allegedly held down by another Maroon.

Unable to recapture any magic in Boston, Siebert was mistakenly written off as being in the twilight of his career. The Bruins moved Siebert to Montreal, though this time he was to play with the fabled Canadiens.

The Canadiens realized that Siebert no longer had the speed needed to excel at forward, so they moved him back to the blue line. The move by coach Cecil Hart was sheer genius, as Siebert was reinvented into one of the league's best players again. Some would argue he was never better.

Siebert, who was also named as team captain, played in 3 seasons in Montreal, being named to the first all star team on defense in all three years. He was also named as the league's most valuable player in 1937, a rarity for NHL defensemen. Not bad for a guy who was supposed to have seen his best days gone by.

Babe Siebert died tragically on Aug. 25, 1939, in St. Joseph, Ontario, as the result of a drowning accident. He was trying to retrieve an inflated rubber tube that had drifted out into the middle of the lake. He was supposed to take over as coach of the Canadiens that autumn.

His death left his family in great financial distress. The NHL stepped in and held a memorial game for him, much like they did for Ace Bailey and Howie Morenz. The proceeds of $15,000 went to Siebert's widow and 2 daughters. This game is considered to be, unofficially, the third all-star game in NHL history.

The All Stars defeated the Canadiens 5-2 on this night, thanks to Syl Apps 1 goal and 3 assists. But it was Eddie Shore who stole the show, returning to the ice early in the second intermission to dance a "shag" as an orchestra entertained the waiting hockey fans. Shore, hockey's great villain, won over the Montreal fans who called for an encore.


Sportswriter Elmer Ferguson wrote the following about Siebert the hockey player, and Siebert the man.

"The Babe would become embroiled in fistic battles. Perhaps he would suffer penalties, earn the disfavor of the crowd by his bruising style of play. Perhaps the game would make him seem like a crude and uncouth person, rough and brutal. From the dressing room, the Babe would stride along the promenade until he reached the chair where his fragile bit of an invalid wife sat. Bending down, he would kiss her, then he would gather her up into his great muscular arms, stride out of the rink, and deposit her carefully in a waiting car that would take her home to the kiddies that he adored so much."

Howie Morenz Memorial Game

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.

Only 8683 fans showed up to watch a team of Montreal All Stars (made up of players from the Canadiens and Maroons) fall 6-5 to a team of NHL All Stars. Perhaps the poor attendance was a reflection of the late benefit game, as it came several months after his death. Back in March the Forum was packed for his funeral as he lay in state at center ice.

Including gifts and ticket and program sales, nearly $20,000 was raised for Morenz's widow and his family.

Young Howie Morenz Jr. earned the loudest applause on this night, as the crowd cheered him on during the pre-game warm up as the kid skated with the all stars and took shots on the goalies.

The Ace Bailey Benefit Game

December 12th, 1933. The Boston Gardens plays hosts to the hometown Bruins and the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs. When the puck drops no one in attendance or on the ice knows that they are about to witness, or partake in, one of the most infamous moments in hockey history.

This is the game when the Bruins' great defender Eddie Shore ended the career, and nearly the life, of the Leafs' Ace Bailey. In a wild fit of rage Shore attacks Bailey, mistaking him for King Clancy who initially irritated him. It was a basic slew-foot - as simple as it was unsportsmanlike. But as Bailey fell he hit his head on the ice with, according to the Leafs Red Horner, "a sickening thud." Bailey had fractured his skull and laid twisted and twitching in a seizure-like state, blood spilling onto the ice.

Bailey had two brain operations and hovered between life and death for 10 days. At one point a priest was brought in to administer the last rites. Bailey eventually recovered to live a normal life but his hockey career was finished.

The legacy of the terrible Bailey-Shore incident is the NHL All Star game. First suggested by Montreal Journal sports editor Walter Gilhooley, an all-star benefit game was held at Maple Leaf Gardens on February 14, 1934. This was 13 years before the NHL would introduce an annual all-star game. 14,074 fans attended game, raising, nearly $21,000 for Bailey and his family. The Bruins donated an additional $6,000 in a different fund-raiser.


In the game's most memorable moment, Bailey and Shore shook hands and embraced at centre ice before the game began. The crowd was apprehensively quiet as Shore was introduced, but upon Bailey's embrace the crowd "went wild." Bailey had never held any grudge against Shore



After the pre-game introductions and team photos, Conn Smythe handed Bailey his jersey #6 and announced, "allow me to present this sweater that you have worn so long and nobly for the Maple Leafs. No other player will ever use this number on the Maple Leaf hockey team." It was the first retired number in hockey history.

Not surprisingly the established Maple Leafs team (wearing special "Ace" sweaters) defeated the all star team of newcomers by a score of 7-3. Busher Jackson led the way with 2 goals


The All Stars included Shore, Charlie Gardiner, Frank Finnigan, Aurel Joliat, Herbie Lewis, Ching Johnson, Lionel Conacher, Nels Stewart, Hooley Smith, Normie Himes, Red Dutton, Larry Aurie, Bill Cooke, Al Shields, Jimmy Ward and Howie Morenz.

Fans were also treated to intermission figure skating and barrel jumping displays.

By the way: Did  you know that Shore, too, left that game bleeding and unconscious, thanks to one punch from an irate Red Horner. Furthermore, according to Andrew Podniek's in his book "The NHL All Star Game," Boston police investigated the incident and had informed Shore that in the event of Bailey's death he would be charged with manslaughter.

Shore had another problem coming his way, although he likely did not know about it at the time. Bailey's father was so enraged about the incident that he boarded the first train to Boston carrying a loaded gun, vowing to kill Eddie Shore. Fortunately for everyone, Frank Selke was able to diffuse the situation with the help of a friend from the Boston police department.

Shore, who always claimed he was himself in a dazed state when he committed the horrific foul, was said to have been distraught over the injury. The anxiety seemed to only get worse as he repeatedly tried to visit Bailey in the hospital., but doctors feared Bailey could not handle the excitement. Shore, who was suspended indefinitely at the time, headed to Bermuda to escape.

Hockey's First All Star Game: Hod Stuart Memorial Game

Hockey's very first All Star game pre-dated on January 2nd, 1908, nine years before the NHL even existed, and nearly 40 years before the first official NHL All Star game.

Hockey's first all star game (it is believed to be the first all star game in any sport) pitted the stars of the Eastern Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA) against the Stanley Cup champion Montreal Wanderers. The game was to honour one of hockey's all time greats in a memorial match.

Hod Stuart, just 28 years old, died in the Bay of Quinte on June 23rd, 1907. He was one of hockey's best players, considered to be the best defensive player of his time, and had just helped the Montreal Wanderers to a Stanley Cup victory three months earlier. The Wanderers made him hockey's highest paid player when they signed him prior to that season.

Stuart was summering in the famed Bay of Quinte, enjoying the waters. However he made a fatal mistake of diving into the water off of the base of a lighthouse and into shallow water. He dove from about six feet above ground only to meet his demise when he landed head first into rocks beneath a couple of feet beneath dark waters. He was found submerged, his head cut open and his neck broken. He had died immediately upon impact.

The Montreal Gazette's obituary of Stuart is highly flattering:

"Stuart's work throughout the winter is well known here and requires little comment. He was the backbone of the team, and without him the Wanderers would have been lost. He was a real general of the game, he knew it thoroughly himself, and could play any position from forward to point, and he had the ability to impart what he knew to others. One feature won Stuart hosts of friends here in Montreal, and that was that in all the many hard games he took part in during the winter he played clean, gentlemanly hockey all the way through."

The memorial game was created to raise money for Stuart's widow and two children. 3,800 fans attended the game, raising more than $2000 for the family.

The Wanderers won the game 10-6. They jumped out to a 7-1 first half lead. The All Stars started clicking in the second half, scoring 5 unanswered goals.

The All Stars invited to play were Percy LeSueuer, Ron Kennedy, Frank Patrick, Joe Power, Grover Sargent, Eddie Hogan and Jack Marshall. Stuart's younger brother Bruce, a star down in the United States leagues at the time, was a special invite but he could not participate due to an injury. Jack Laviolette also could not play, allowing Patrick a roster spot.

The Wanderers line up included Riley Hern, Walter Smaill, Frank Glass, Ernie Russell, Cecil Blatchford, Ernie Johnson and, replacing Hod Stuart on defense, a young Art Ross.


Just how good was Hod Stuart? When the Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1945, the powerful skating defenseman, the Bobby Orr of his era, was included as one of the 12 initial inductees. That tells you just how highly acclaimed he was.

By the way, Stuart worked with his father's construction company, often as a brick layer. He also spent the summer months playing rugby and football, briefly playing in the Canadian Football League with the Ottawa Rough Riders. In his younger days he and Bruce were noted curlers, too.

Those Were The Days: Ron Stewart

This is Ron Stewart, a long time, industrious hockey player throughout the 1950s, 1960s and into the 1970s. Teammates loved Stewart because he was hard working on the ice, and fun loving off of it.

I love this story as told by Billy Harris:

"For 10 years I sat between Bobby Baun and Ron Stewart. Bobby approached his job as a defenseman , and life in general, rather seriously. Stewie didn't. I can't think of any other teammate that got enjoyment out of life than Stewart.

Stewie got serious 70 times a year once the opening face-off took place, and was a very durable and often underrated hockey player.

At least once every year Stewie would suffer an injury, a bad cut or a bruised shoulder or ankle, a slight shoulder separation or a cracked elbow, and he would always inquire, while being examined by the doctor, as to whether the injury would have any effect on his ability to play the piano. When the doctor assured him that he should be able to play the piano just fine after the injury healed, Stewie's reply would always be the same. "Thanks Doc. That's great news because before the injury I couldn't play one note!"

Shoebox Memories: The Sutters

These fellows need no introduction. They are the Sutter brothers Brian, Brent, Darryl, Duane, Rich and Ron.

It still seems unbelievable as it sounds. Six brothers all from one family making it to the National Hockey League. And if you ask any of them who was the best hockey player in their family, they will all mention Gary, the oldest brother who never made it out of Alberta and to the big leagues.
Of course, the next generation of Sutters is now on the way. Brent's son Brandon and Darryl's son Brett are both with the Carolina Hurricanes. Duane's son Brody and Rich's son Luke are in junior hockey. Brent's son Merrick and Brian's son Shaun also had hockey careers but never made it to the NHL.

The Swiss Twist on the French Connection

Remember Richard Rugel, the two-time National Hockey League all star left winger on the Buffalo Sabres' French Connection Line?

Well, that's how Rick Martin would show up in the league record books had his grandfather not been a mysterious spy.

The Martin family history was unraveled several years ago when Montréal based agent Danny McCann set out to prove the Martins were of Swiss ancestry. Here's the full story.

Shoebox Memories: Tim Kerr

Stopping Tim Kerr was like trying to stop a freight train. Weighing in at 230 pounds the enormous right winger was impossible to move. Kerr had the ability to park himself in the slot and not be budged even by the defense's best efforts.

Because he was a big player that took abuse often, Kerr was plagued with injuries that he had to continuously overcome throughout his career. His injuries included a torn ligament in his knee, and a bad shoulder that he had to have operated on five times.

When asked about his rough treatment Kerr just shrugged it off saying, "That's what the pads are for. I don't snap much. Sometimes they try to bang me from the back, but that just doesn't work"

Despite his injuries, Kerr was a terrific hockey player who had the ability to score. In his first three seasons, Tim Kerr only managed to score a total of 54 goals, an amount that he equaled in his fourth season. He then went on to have another 54 goal season and then two consecutive 58 goal seasons. Kerr also finished with an amazing 18.8% shooting percentage throughout his entire career.

"Of course, it's pretty hard to miss from the crease in," he said when asked about his incredible shot percentage. Almost 80% of Kerr's goals game from ten feet out or closer, since no defensemen could uproot him from the slot.

Pat Quinn commented on Kerr saying, "He's like a tree out there, but he's a tree with brains." Not only was he strong, but he had the ability to think when on the ice. Ted Sator compared him to Mike Bossy saying that his hands were every bit as fast, so in some key face off situations the coach would have Kerr take the draw.

Kerr started off his career with the Philadelphia Flyers, and was later taken by San Jose in the expansion draft of 1991. However, he never played a game with the Sharks because he was immediately traded to the New York Rangers for a year and then to the Hartford Whalers for the final 22 games of his career in the 1992-93 season.

Throughout his career, Kerr played 655 games in which he amassed 370 goals. He also received the Bill Masterton Trophy in 1989, and played in the All Star game from 1984-1986. However, life wasn't always easy for Tim. Not only did he constantly battle injuries throughout his career, but in the 1991-92 season his wife died ten days after giving birth. A great player and goal scorer Tim Kerr was one of the most underrated players during his career in the NHL.

Trevor Linden's Second Act

From BC Business magazine:

Trevor Linden stares into a freshly excavated hole filled with brown slurry on the corner of Herald and Government in Victoria’s Chinatown, a quizzical look on his face. Now a scrum of construction workers, foremen and architects gathers around the ex-Canucks icon. As they discuss how to stem the flow of groundwater into this crater so that foundation work on 601 Herald, the 27-unit condo complex slated to rise from this pit, can continue, Linden looks as comfortable with shoes in dirt and blueprints in hand as he did with a hockey stick in his mitts. After all, the man knows a thing or two about holes: as one of the most popular athletes Vancouver has ever known and captain of the perennially promising but often underachieving Canucks, number 16 more than once pondered the best way out of a deep, dark one. Nearly two years after his retirement, his poise on and off the ice still endears him to fans, and now, with his skate blades showing rust, he’s bringing a similar poise to the second phase of his life. 


Full Story

Shoebox Memories: Pete Peeters

In the 1982-83 season, Boston's Pete Peeters had one of the greatest seasons in NHL goaltending history.

Peeters played 62 games, posting an amazing record of 40-11-9 with 8 shutouts and a NHL best-of-the-decade 2.36 GAA. At one stretch he went 31 games without a loss. Not surprisingly Peeters was named to the NHL's First All Star team and became the only unanimous winner of the Vezina Trophy as league's top goalie. Almost as impressive was the fact that Peeters finished 2nd in the entire league in Hart Trophy voting as league MVP in a time when the award was basically owned by the great Wayne Gretzky.

Peeters had a couple of other spectacular seasons, in a solid but largely dismissed career. Learn more about Pete Peeters here.

Hockey's Greatest Line

The magic of the Sedin twins has been a real treat to watch in the past few years. Together with Alex Burrows, the twins come up with such intricate offensive plays with an unreal understanding of where each other is. It is almost as if their super twin powers includes the ability to communicate telepathically.

Their consistently surreal play is so impressive that now many hockey pundits are asking if there has ever been a more dynamic duo in the history of hockey. Gretzky and Kurri? Lemieux and Jagr? The Soviets?

But I never hear anyone mention a different set of brothers - the Cook brothers of New York Rangers fame.

Hall of Famers Bill Cook and Bun Cook, together with the gentlemanly elegant Frank Boucher at center (also a Hall of Famer), similarly wowed crowds way back in the 1920s and 1930s. Oldtimers tell us that "The Bread Line" played with the game with the same speed, beauty and criss-crossing creativity as the Soviets, decades before the Russians mastered hockey.

Bill Cook was the goal scorer. A burly right winger with the desire of Rocket Richard and the physical prowess of Gordie Howe, Frank Boucher once proclaimed Bill to be better than both.

"He's my choice for the best right winger hockey ever knew," said Boucher, a fine player himself who is often referred to as the Gretzky of the pre-World War II era. "He was better than The Rocket and, in my estimation, better than Gordie Howe as well."

Historians often tried to compare the Bread Line's intricate passing offense to that of the Soviets several decades later. And none other than Frank Selke acknowledged Bun Cook as the key their attack.

"Men who would know credit Bunny Cook with the introduction of the passing attack," wrote Frank Selke. "The Cook-Boucher line introduced a style of attack completely their own — each member kept working into an open spot, passing the puck carefully and adequately and frequently pushing the puck into the open net after confusing the defensive force of the opposition."

Of course, the Cooks had the great benefit of playing with Frank Boucher, who may have been the best player of the three!

When it comes to discussing the greatest lines in hockey history, the Rangers' Bread Line deserves top consideration.

The Mystery of Fred Lake

Despite losing an eye in the rough International League in northern Michigan, Fred Lake of Moosomin, Saskatchewan played nine years as a professional hockey player.

Lake's most prominent years came alongside defense partner Hamby Shore. The two first teamed up in Winnipeg in the Manitoba Hockey League before spending 4 years together in Ottawa. Standing tall before goalie Percy Lesueur, the duo of Lake and Shore helped the Senators capture the 1909 and 1911 Stanley Cup!

In addition to be a hockey star, Fred Lake was an astute businessman in his days in Ottawa. But perhaps a business deal went horribly wrong, as Lake was found dead in 1937 under very suspicious circumstances.

According to ace hockey researcher James Milks at his excellent website LostHockey.com:

"Fred Lake's body was found under suspicious circumstances on November 30, 1937.

"Lake's body was found in an automobile on a deserted farm near Connaught park Jockey Club in Aylmer, Quebec. He had been dead for 36 to 48 hours, so his exact date of death is unsure, but either the 27th or 28th of November.

"An extension had been placed on the exhaust pipe and twisted into the interior of the car. Lake's head was resting on two small pillows, his body stretched out on the seat. The mystery deepened with the discovery of two sets of footsteps in the frozen snow leading away from the car. An auto crank was also found on the ground near the back wheels."

Shoebox Memories: Glenn Hall

Hockey players, especially goaltenders, have pre-game rituals. Some are more unusual than others. But no one had a stranger ritual than former NHL goaltending great Glenn Hall who, because of nerves, would literally become physically ill while waiting the start of a game.

More often than not, before the first face-off, during the rest periods or after the game was concluded, Glenn quietly and unobtrusively would throw up .

"I always felt I played better if I was physically sick before the game. If I wasn't sick, I felt I hadn't done everything I could to try to win," Hall once said.

It obviously worked for Hall, as the man nicknamed "Mr. Goalie" has to be considered a prime candidate as the greatest goalie ever played.

Here's more on "Mr. Goalie," Glenn Hall.

The Man Who Discovered Gretzky

Hockey Historian Dennis Gibbons at SIHR tells us the man who discovered a young Wayne Gretzky has died.

Ted Beare, former sports editor of The Brantford (Ont.) Expositor, died on Monday at the age of 82. He was the first sportswriter to cover Wayne Gretzky when he was a kid. As a result, Gretzky never forgot it and gave  phone calls and messages from Beare top priority throughout his pro career.

Here's more from the Brantford Expositor.

Shoebox Memories: Richard Brodeur

Before Tony Tanti joined the Vancouver Canucks, my favorite hometown player was King Richard Brodeur, hero of the 1982 Stanley Cup finals run.

Sometime later in the mid 1980s Brodeur came to my hometown, Terrace, BC, to sign autographs at the local sporting goods store. I still remember showing up that morning and seeing the long line up to see The King. It stretched outside the store, down the block, and, for some reason, across an intersection. Even as a kid I wondered why they didn't wind around the block instead of blocking traffic. Good thing it was a small town.

After seeing the line-up my mind quickly turned to worrying about not getting to see Brodeur. There was an awful lot of people. But we did get in, several hours later, and we got a team issued card and a mini-goal stick signed. It was a quick sighting though. There was so many people they just kept the line moving as fast as possible.

What I remember most about that day is my mom. She was staring at the photo card and at the guy signing the memorabilia. To this day she is convinced Brodeur's lookalike agent/event handler/whoever the other guy was actually signed our card and stick. Why? She figured there was so many people signing that my favorite goalie's writing hand needed a break!

Here's more on the career of King Richard Brodeur. And here's a YouTube look back at King Richard's reign in 1982:

Nils Ekman Recovering From Stroke

Nils Ekman, just 34 years old, is in a Stockholm hospital recovering from a stroke.

On December 28th, 2010 Ekman, the former Pittsburgh, Tampa and San Jose forward who was playing with Djurgardens IF in the Swedish Elite League this season, was complaining of a migraine headache, poor balance and numbness on one side of his body after waking up one morning. Doctors quickly determined that he had suffered a stroke.

Bill Meltzer at NHL.com has more.

Shoebox Memories: Wayne Gretzky

This is my least favorite Wayne Gretzky card of all time:

It is card #29 of the 1983-84 OPC set. Gretzky was my favorite player as a kid, but I could never seem to get his card. Until 1983-84. I finally got this card. And I always hated the pose! And I wasn't big on the card layout either.

Here are a whole bunch more Gretzky cards. The earliest cards, the cards that are potentially worth the most, I never had!

And here is a great video of Gretzky career highlights:

Shoebox Memories: Bobby Orr

This is my favorite Bobby Orr hockey card:

Of course Bobby Orr needs no introduction. He is "the perfect hockey player," arguably the greatest player of all time. At the very least he is, seemingly without hesitation, the greatest defenseman of all time.

He is also one of the most collected players in the history of the game. And by collected, I do not just mean hockey cards. I mean anything and everything, as documented at the great website BobbyOrrCollector.com.

And here's a look at Bobby Orr's most famous goal:

Russian Legend Dies

Carl Watts, a.k.a. Karill Yugorov has died. For more than half a century he was the television and radio voice of Russian news.

But he also had a fascinating hockey tie-in.

Because he could speak perfect English, Yugorov was the public address announcer in the Luzhniki Ice Palace in Moscow during the 1972 Summit Series. Now that in itself is not so fascinating. But the story of how he knew perfect English is.

It turns out Karill Yugorov was born in Winnipeg and was originally named Carl Watts. He and his brother were one of the few Canadians to defect to the Soviet Union. Here's more on "The Voice of Russia."

Shoebox Memories: Bob Brooke

This is Bob Brooke.

You may remember him as an honest, hard working role player who had the versatility to play all positions, including defense, though was used primarily at center and on right wing.

I am here to tell you he may be the smartest hockey player ever.

How so? The former NHLer and Olympian graduated from Yale, majoring in Economics. He would spend his off-seasons working for major investment banks and Wall Street firms. When he retired from the game, he went to Harvard to get his MBA.

Ah! You were thinking more along the lines of smart in the hockey sense, weren't you? Oh you bet he was real smart that way, too.

Read the full Bob Brooke biography.

Shoebox Memories: Barry Gibbs

Barry Gibbs is the reason this website exists.

When I was 5 years old, my father took me to the local landfill to drop off some tree branches and grass clippings. While he unloaded the debris, I was awestruck with this small piece of cardboard I found in the dirt.

It was a Barry Gibbs hockey card. O-Pee-Chee card number 304 of the 1979-80 hockey card set, pictured to the right.

Before that I don't recall having any hockey memories. But from that moment on I was enthralled by the game, and the players who made it great. I picked up the card and read the teasing of information about him on the back. I had to know more.

Realizing that this was card #304, I concluded there must have been at least 303 other cards out there. I was somehow able to gather a bunch of them, though not all. I got sick on the bubble gum trying too! But I was hooked on hockey - and learning about the players that captured my imagination on these small pieces of cardboard.

Ever since, I've been trying to learn as much as I can about hockey players, most of whom I've never seen play. I've read books and listened to interviews and TV shows. I digested anything I could. And it all started with that trip to the dump!


The rest of this story can now be found exclusively in my new ebook Pucks On The 'Net. It sells for just $3.99 at your favorite ebook retailer. Don't have an ebook reader? Download it on your computer courtesy Smashwords.com

Shoebox Memories: Lars Molin

Check out the lid on this guy:

That's Lars Molin, a skilled, Swedish forward from the 1980s, best known to North American audiences as a member of the Vancouver Canucks. The specialty teams specialist played three seasons in the NHL, from 1981 through 1984, registering 33 goals and 98 points in 172 career games. Aside from some strong play in the Canucks unexpected march to the Stanley Cup finals in 1982, Molin's NHL career is mostly forgotten, except maybe for his helmet and those awful Canucks "V" jerseys.

The image above is not a hockey card, but rather a sticker produced by OPC/Topps in the 1982-83 season. We would collect stickers (this particular set had 263 to search for) and post them in an accompanying sticker album, such as the one pictured here to the right.

Hockey stickers of this sort have existed in similar variations since at least the 1960s, and continue to be an interesting and generally cheaper alternative to hockey cards to this very day.

By the way, Molin enjoyed a lengthy and noteworthy career in Sweden when not playing with the Canucks. The native of Ornskoldsvik (a small hockey hotbed that later produced Peter Forsberg, Markus Naslund and the Sedin twins) starred for years with the local club Modo. He also represented Sweden on the national team many times, winning Olympic bronze medals at both the 1980 and 1988 Olympic games, and a gold (1987) and silver (1981) medal at the world championships. He also represented Sweden at the 1981 Canada Cup.

Shoebox Memories: Phil Bourque

This is "the ol' two-niner" Phil Bourque. He was an aggressive defenseman who found success in the NHL as a forward. His is a story quite similar to that of one time teammate Marty McSorley. Both broke into pro hockey as defensemen in the Pittsburgh Penguins minor league system in the early 1980s. Both were rugged long shots to make it to the NHL, but made it they did. Both became Stanley Cup champions.

Speaking of McSorley, Bourque had an interesting story about big Marty on the Hockey Night In Canada radio show. Here's how host Jeff Marek described the story later on via Twitter:

@JeffMarek: Strangest moment of @hnicradio show: Phil Bourque talking about Marty McSorley EATING Vicks Vapo Rub when felt a cold coming

Aye aye-aye!

By the way, Phil Bourque is of no relation to Hall of Fame defenseman Raymond Bourque. However, when people ask if his brother is Ray Bourque, fun-loving Phil often answers with a yes. Why? Because he does have a brother named Raymond - just not that Raymond Bourque!

Former Leaf Bob Hassard Died

I just learned of the passing of Bob Hassard on December 30th, 2010. He was 81 years old.

Hassard is best remembered as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the early 1950s, including as a member of the 1951 Stanley Cup championship team. Interestingly, he only played 12 games with the Leafs that season, and none in the playoffs. Yet his named was still inscribed on the Stanley Cup. He may be the only player who never played a single playoff game in his career to have his name on the Stanley Cup.

Winning was something Hassard got used to. The previous season he helped the senior Toronto Marlies win the Allan Cup as Canada's amateur champions. Then the year after the Stanley Cup victory he helped the Pittsburgh Hornets capture the Calder Cup as AHL champions!

Though he was born in Lloydminister, Saskatchewan, he grew up in Toronto, not far from Maple Leaf Gardens. it was his dream to play for the Leafs. Actually, he was just as thrilled to make the Bantam Marlies at the age of 14 and later the junior Marlies.

Described as a great skater and a junior and minor league offensive dynamo, Hassard was in many ways burdened by his position. He was most comfortable at his natural position of center. The problem was the championship Leafs teams of his era had centers named Teeder Kennedy and Max Bentley, both Hall of Famers, and Cal Gardner and Tod Sloan, no slouches in their own right.

Continue reading the full Bob Hassard biography.

Canada's Worst Loss At WJC: Sweden 17 - Canada 1 in 1976

Allowing 5 unanswered goals to blow a 3-0 third period lead to lose the gold medal certainly ranks as one of  Canada's worst losses in World Junior Championship history.

But it was not Canada's worst loss ever - although there is a bit of an asterisk attached here.

In 1976 the World Junior Hockey Championships, held in Finland, was still an unofficial tournament - hence the starry piece of punctuation. Unofficial or not, Sweden's 17-1 whitewashing of Team Canada marks Canada's worst loss at the U20 World Juniors. Sweden scored 9 goals in an 8 minute span in the 2nd period.

The shots on goal were just as lopsided: Sweden 79 - 14.

Canada was represented by the defending QMJHL champions Sherbrooke Castors (also known as the Beavers in English Canada). Coached by Ghislain Delage, the Beavers' roster included future NHLers Jere Gillis, Daniel Chicoine, Peter Marsh and goalie Richard Sevigny.

Sevigny's game worn jersey was sold at auction in 2004, fetching just $354. Here's a look at the interesting jersey:

Sevigny was in net on December 28th, 1975, the night Sweden walloped Sherbrooke 17-1. Sevigny was known to have a few off nights during his career, but this may have been his worst. It appears that Sevigny let in 12 of the goals. Back up Benoit Perreault played part of the 2nd period. After letting in 5 goals, Sevigny returned for the third period.

Very little evidence of the disastrous game seems to exist anymore. I can not find a game summary or a box score anywhere. Not even in Andrew Podniek's excellent and all encompassing book Red, White, and Gold: Canada at the World Junior Championships 1974-1999.

Hockey historian Robert Lefebvre tells me Sherbrooke took 23 penalties compared to Sweden's 2. Robert "Schmoe" Simpson was the worst offender, earning a 5 minute major and a 10 minute misconduct for spearing Thomas Gradin.

Bjorn Johansson and Hans Sarkijarvi paced the Swedes with 3 goals each. Bengt Gustafsson, Lars Molin and Thomas Gradin, all names that would one day become well known in the NHL, had 2 goals each.

Oddly enough, despite that win (and the fact that they led the tournament in goals scored), Sweden finished last (5th place), while Canada, despite that loss (and the fact that they last in goals against and tied for last in goals for), won the silver medal.

After competing in the tournament coach Ghislain Delage suggested Canada needed a national junior team, complete with a winter camp and scouting team. The CAHA agreed, finally. Father Bauer, Canada's leading voice international hockey at the time, had campaigned for a junior national program dating back to the 1960s. Delage's vision was the foundation of Canada's Program of Excellence, adopted in 1982, which oversees U20, U18 and regional U17 national teams.

Russia Wins 2011 World Junior Championship

Russia absolutely stunned Canada with 5 unanswered goals in the third period to win the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championship.

Canada had held a 3-0 lead entering the final period, but started the third period by uncharacteristically sitting back too much. Russia struck with 2 goals in 11 seconds, opening up an avalanche of offense to unthinkably come from behind and win, showing great heart in the process.

It was an amazing come back and an even more amazing collapse. That being said, the Russians probably deserved a better standing after two periods anyways. They had their chances in the first period especially.(including one shot off the crossbar) and probably should have had at least one goal. They did a good job of lessening Canada's size advantage and heavy forecheck, and keeping the all-Canadian crowd surprisingly quiet for much of the game.

Momentum is a great teammate to have, especially at the World Juniors. Remember, as good as these hockey players are, they are just kids, some still in high school. Canada's kids learned tough lessons in this loss.

Meanwhile congratulations must go out to the Russians. They're historic night is now forever the stuff of hockey legend.

Canada's Game - While the IIHF officially thanked the city of Buffalo for making the 2011 WJCs the second most attended tournament in history (behind only Ottawa in 2009), they failed to thank the Canadians that crossed the border to fill what would have otherwise been a average-at-best tourney. We will not always win these tournaments, but Canadian fans proved without a shadow of a doubt that this is still very much our game.

Schenn-sational - Braydon Schenn swept the honours with tournament MVP, best forward, all star and scoring leader awards. His 18 points matches Dale McCourt's all time Team Canada WJC record for points in one tournament. Think about that for a second. Of all the greats to play for Canada at the WJC - Gretzky, Lemieux, Lindros - McCourt and now Schenn have had the best individual tournaments. McCourt, who starred in 1977, is hardly a household name anymore. He was a fantastic junior star who went on to an average NHL career, thanks largely to the weak teams he played on. Here's more on Dale McCourt.

Other notables - As good as Braydon Schenn was in this tournament, I have to say Ryan Johansen is Canada's most intriguing prospect. Ryan Ellis, too, of course. For me personally local boy (almost) Brett Connelly was disappointingly quiet.

Some Interesting Numbers:

• In 38 official WJCs, Canada is now 242-175-47-21 with 1245 goals scored and 621 goals against. They have 30 medals, including 15 golds. 
• Russia (including USSR and CIS totals) are now 239-179-46-13, also in 38 tourneys. They've scored 1261 goals and gave up 556. They have won 32 medals, including 16 golds.
• In 35 WJC games head to head, Russia now holds a 18-15-2, with 129 goals scored compared to Canada's 128
• Canada is now 7-6 in gold medal WJC games. Russia is now 4-5. Remember, until the mid 1990s, the gold medal was awarded to team with best tournament record. There was no medal round with showdown for the championship.
• 2011 marked Canada's 10th consecutive gold medal game. The previous record was 3 straight (Russia 2005-07)
• Ryan Ellis is now the tournament's all time leader in career assists (20) and career points by a defenseman (25).

See You In Alberta - Remember that attendance record we talked about earlier? Expect it to be obliterated at the 2012 tourney. Edmonton and Calgary are co-hosting what will be an incredible showdown. The demand for tickets is already ridiculous.

Shoebox Memories: Eddie Shore

I do not actually have this hockey card in any shoebox in my home. If I did own it, it would probably be in a safe.

This is card #19 the 1933 Goudey Sport Kings Gums sports card set. It is also known as Eddie Shore's rookie card. In mint condition the card can fetch upwards of $800!

Eddie Shore was arguably the greatest hockey player prior to World War II. Montrealers might argue in favor of Howie Morenz, and Cyclone Taylor would get a lot of support out west.

The great Lester Patrick definitely believed Shore was the best in his day. Upon being hired to manager the New York Rangers, Lester Patrick was asked by Rangers boss Colonel John Hammond who was the best player in hockey. Patrick replied Shore, and then was shocked by Hammond's next set of orders.

"Get him in a trade. Offer Myles Lane for him. Lane is a Harvard man and should big in Boston."

Patrick must have been blown away at the order. But he followed through obediently. Patrick sent a message on the wire telegraph, offering Lane for Shore, with some sources suggesting the Rangers offered $5,000 as well.

Art Ross must have had a hearty laugh upon receiving the message. He (some say it was actually Bruins owner Charles Adams) wired back, simply and cheekily, "Get A Life Preserver - You Are Myles Away From Shore."

Even the great Lester Patrick must have had a small chuckle to himself upon reading that one.

You can read more about Eddie Shore here. But also read up on the interesting life of Myles Lane here.

Shoebox Memories: Bill Plager

This is O-Pee-Chee hockey card #122 of the 1972-73 set. I was never much of a fan of this layout. I have always found it boring and bland.

Boring and bland are two words never associated with any of the Plager brothers.

Here's my favorite Bill Plager story.

Bill was of course one of three rough and tumble brothers to come out of the Kirkland Lake, Ontario region and into the NHL. Bob and Barclay probably attained bigger big league acclaim, but Bill was not to be messed with either.

No one knew that better than dear old Dad, who did some scouting for the New York Rangers. Gus Plager was nicknamed Squirrel because he raised three nuts. They loved to fight, and they would fight each other.

One night in junior hockey Bob (playing with Guelph) and Barclay (Peterborough) fought each other not once, but twice.

Rangers boss Emile Francis saw that game, and took it upon himself to call up Papa Plager to let him know what happened.

"Did either one of them go down?" was the father's concern.

"No," replied Francis.

"Good," said Plager. "I have another boy (Bill) at home who is tougher than either of them."

Here is the full story of the Plager brothers here.