Happy Halloween

This is the origin of the painted goalie mask:


On Halloween 1972, Doug Favell's white mask was painted bright orange in a prank to make him look like a Jack O' Lantern. It was the first goalie mask paint job in hockey.

All these years later mask painting has become big business, filled with personalized and intricate artwork. Flaming skulls and screaming spirits and wielding wizards and menacing gargoyles.

But I far prefer masks of the 1970s and even 1980s. Why? Because I can see the mask in the stands and on my television set. Sure the masks were simple, but that is far better than today's intricate masks only the goal judge can see. All these amateur airbrush mask painters today should stick to painting the sides of vans.

Give me Patrick Roy's Canadiens mask or Mike Richter's Statue of Liberty mask or Eddie Belfour's eagle or Andy Moog's bear any day of the week.

HHOF Haunted? - Some people believe the Hockey Hall of Fame is haunted. It turns out in 1953 a 19 year old bank clerk (the HHOF used to be a Bank of Montreal/BMO) killed herself with a gun in a bathroom.

This Date in Hockey History: Oct 31st

1942 - Rookie Maurice Richard played his first NHL game with the Montreal Canadiens. He wore #15, and picked up his first NHL point (an assist) 36 seconds into the game, a 3-2 win for over the Bruins, at the Forum.

1991 - Vancouver Canucks signed Russian forward Pavel Bure to his first NHL contract.

Happy Birthday to Phil Goyette, Mats Naslund, Eric Nesterenko, Risto Siltanen, Tomas Plekanec, Paul Cyr, Bob Manno, Newsy Lalonde, Bucko McDonald, Sailor Herbert, Nick Foligo and Steve Eminger.

Covered: Gordie Howe

Serge Aubry Passes Away

The former goalkeeper of the Quebec Nordiques Serge Aubry died Sunday at the age of 69.

Aubry played goal for the Nordiques and Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1977. He later served as a goalie coach for the Nordiques in the late 1980s, and as a scout for the Los Angeles Kings in the 1990s.

Aubry played in 142 games in the WHA, but never played in the NHL. In 1977 the Nordiques won the WHA championship. Richard Brodeur was the star goalkeeper, but Aubry did appear in the final series, making relief appearances in games 4 and 6 of the Final. Interestingly, he wore #25.

Quebec City to Honour Hockey Past

Their new arena has not even be built yet, but Quebec City is making big plans to honour it's hockey past.

Plans are not finalized, but according to TVA Sports, "the contribution of Jean Beliveau will certainly be emphasized." Beliveau, of course, played junior and senior hockey in Quebec. He starred with the Citadelles and the Aces before joining the Montreal Canadiens in 1953.

Joe Malone will be honoured with a statue. Malone, an early scoring superstar, led the Quebec Bulldogs to Stanley Cup championships in 1912 and 1913.

No other names have been confirmed. One would suspect Guy Lafleur and Peter Stastny would be included for sure.

By the way - the photo above is a small part of a famous three-story mural in Place Royal in Quebec City's Basse-Ville (lower town).

This Date in Hockey History: Oct 30th

1943 - Montreal's famous "Punch Line" played together for the first time -- Maurice Richard was up front with Elmer Lach and Toe Blake. It was also the first time Maurice Richard wore uniform #9. Canadiens tied 2-2 with Boston in Montreal.

1964 - Emile Francis was named General Manager of the New York Rangers, replacing "Muzz" Patrick. He remained the Rangers' GM for the next 11 years.

1969 - Rookie Bobby Clarke scored his first career NHL goal, in a 3-3 Flyers' tie against the Rangers at New York.

1983 - The Sutter brothers made NHL history when the Islanders played in Philadelphia -- Isles' Duane and Brent, and Flyers' twins Rich and Ron became first four brothers to play in the same NHL game. Islanders won the game 6-2.

1983 - Chicago's Tom Lysiak tripped linesman Ron Foyt as the Black Hawks won 6-1 over the Hartford Whalers in Chicago. Lysiak was later susended 20 games for the incident.

Happy Birthday to Cal Gardner, Pat Elynuik, Drew Stafford, Chris Stewart, Danny Lawson, and Len Frig.

Covered: Ted Lindsay

Pucks On The 'Net

GreatestHockeyLegends.com presents Pucks on the 'Net, an e-book by Joe Pelletier. Foreword by Kirstie McLellan Day

This is Joe Pelletier's third book release. He has previously released The World Cup of Hockey (co-authored with Patrick Houda) and The Legends of Team Canada. This is his first e-book release.


Kirstie McLellan Day is Canada's best selling hockey author. She has released Theo Fleury's autobiography Playing With Fire, and Bob Probert's autobiography Tough Guy. In 2011 she is releasing Ron MacLean's autobiography, Cornered.

About The Book

Hockey History Blogger Joe Pelletier shares his favorite stories from the history of hockey. Weird, wacky, inspiring, amazing, and funny stories in this book inspired by his website. GreatestHockeyLegends.com presents Pucks On The 'Net.

For the first time ever Pelletier shares his 1972 Summit Series confession; talks about his love for hockey and hockey books, remembers his encounter with legendary author Jack Falla, and shares his own most unusual story of hockey's most famous injury: losing his front teeth.

Pelletier also shares some of the weird and unusual and even inspiring stories from the world of hockey history, be it in the National Hockey League, the world of International hockey, or in his own life.

Joe Pelletier is the author of two internationally published hockey books: The World Cup of Hockey (2 editions) and Legends of Team Canada.

Pelletier has also contributed articles to The Hockey News, Hockey Digest, Sports Illustrated.com, the Henderson Jersey Tour, Canadian Hockey Magazine and Total Hockey. He has worked on various projects for Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, the Buffalo Sabres, TSN.ca, CBC, CTV NewsNet and the National Post.

Pelletier created and operates three highly acclaimed websites: Greatest Hockey Legends.com, 1972 Summit Series.com and Hockey Book Reviews.com. He has also contributed to writing or research to several books.

 

You can buy the book for just $3.99:

Amazon Kindle

Barnes and Noble Nook 

Kobo

Smashwords (including .pdf file for any computer) 

and of course Apple iTunes for iPad/iPod/iPhone

Thanks again until next time when put more pucks on the 'net.

This Date in Hockey History: Oct 29th

1939 - In the third NHL All Star Game, Toronto's Syl Apps picked up four points to lead the All Stars past the Stanley Cup champion Canadiens, 5-2. The game was played in memory of Montreal's Babe Siebert, who died in Aug. 1939.

1951 - Princess Elizabeth (later Queen of England) and the Duke of Edinburgh were at the Forum when the Canadiens got three goals from Floyd Curry (his only career hat trick) and two from Maurice Richard in a 6-1 win against the Rangers.

1969 - Jean Beliveau became the first player in Montreal history to play 1,000 NHL games, when he appeared in a 4-1 Canadiens' loss to the North Stars at Minnesota.

1970 - Detroit's Alex Delvecchio scored two goals to reach 400 in his NHL career as the Red Wings won 5-3 over Boston. Delvecchio became the fifth NHL player to reach the 400 goal mark, joining Howe, Maurice Richard, Bobby Hull and Jean Beliveau.

1970 - Gordie Howe became the first player in NHL history to record 1,000 career assists, when he picked up two (along with a goal) in a 5-3 Red Wings' victory over Boston, at the Olympia in Detroit.

1996 - St. Louis Blues obtained Pierre Turgeon, Rory Fitzpatrick, and Craig Conroy from the Montreal Canadiens, in exchange for Shayne Corson, defenseman Murray Baron, and a 5th round pick in 1997.

Happy Birthday to Mike Gartner, Denis Potvin, Eric Staal, Joel Otto, Stan Gilbertson, Eric Messier, Bill Juzda, Albert Suomi, Johnny Mowers, Dan Ratushny, Scott Scissons, and Bjorne Skaare.

Covered: Vladislav Tretiak

Canucks Comments

In my weekly Vancouver Canucks column, I take a look at the David Booth trade. I also wonder out loud if coach Alain Vigneault has the answers in Vancouver, or are the players are starting to tune him out?

Let me know what you think!

Beautiful Hockey

In the mid-1970s Winnipeg's Bobby Hull teamed together with Swedish imports Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson to create one of the greatest lines of all time. The trio instantly clicked and they wowed audiences everywhere with their "beautiful hockey." Transition offense based on speed and creative play making.

They were so much better than everyone else in the WHA that they were immediately targeted everyone else with violence. Yes, some things are eternal in hockey. Let the lesser players beat up the stars rather than protect the stars so they can demonstrate hockey at it's best.

Gare Joyce talks about in his new book, The Devil and Bobby Hull.

"If Hull had little protection against the goons, Hedberg and Nilsson had none at all - they were victims of a slow-to-evolve culture of the '70s dressing room, full of resentment toward Europeans coming in and taking the jobs of Canadians, teammates from past seasons, friends.

"Even the refs had it in for us, letting guys get away with murder going after us, when they could have called penalties if it had been anyone else on the end of it," said Nilsson.

It got so bad that in the 1975-76 season Bobby Hull sat out a WHA regular season game to protest the failure of referees around the league to enforce the rules and the coaches, managers and league itself for encouraging "brutality and savagery."

Here's Hull's quote from Joyce's book:

"It's becoming a disaster. The idiot owners, the incompetent coaches, the inept players are dragging the game into the mud. They're destroying it with their senseless violence. You talk to some of these idiots at the top and they say, 'It's the nature of the game. It has always been that way and always will be.' They're full of bull. It's worse than it ever has been and it's going to end up ruining hockey. They ought to take all these incompetents, these idiot owners, coaches and players and put them in their own league so they can kill each other."

Ouch! Now I'm not going to suggest things have not improved since the low days of the 1970s.  But in many ways things have not changed. Bobby Hull's sentiments have been echoed time and time again since then, including quite famously by his own son Brett Hull and arguably the greatest player in the history of the game, Mario Lemieux. Heck, even in 2011 the Sedin twins, the Hedberg/Nilsson of today, have been treated in similar ways, made to suffer stoically instead of being able to demonstrate "beautiful hockey."

The NHL still does not take this seriously enough. It's always open season on the superstars. look at all the great players we've lost to injuries - Lemieux, Lindros, Bossy, Orr. The greatest player of current time (Sidney Crosby, in case you forgot about him by now) has not played in 10 months because of his head shot.

And that is a shame.

Why does the NHL condone such "useless violence?". Simply because allows lesser teams and players to compete. That allows those markets to sell tickets - not necessarily because of the violence itself, but because it allows them a chance to win. I think that is as big as any reason as to why hockey condones such violence.

More Odd Odds

The world of sports betting online is an increasingly diverse world. We are long beyond posting odds on which team will win or lose. You can bet on just about anything these days. Betting on NHL hockey is leading the way.

Goaltending controversy in Vancouver? Now you can bet on how that will play out:

Who will start more games in the month of November 2011?
Roberto Luongo (VAN) -500
Cory Schneider (VAN) +300

Who will have more wins during the 2011-12 regular season?
Roberto Luongo (VAN) -18½
Cory Schneider (VAN) +18½

Will Roberto Luongo be sent down to the minors during the 2011-12 regular season?
Yes 15/1

Will Roberto Luongo be traded during the 2011-12 regular season?
Yes +500
No -800

Mind boggling! What's next? The over/under on how many times Bobby Clarke will pass to Eric Lindros in the upcoming Flyers alumni game? Or how many more commercials Alex Ovechkin will shoot before he actually lands a good gig? Or which will happen first - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goes to NHL All Star Weekend or he legitimately has to shave his face?

This Date in Hockey History: Oct 28th

1978 - Chicago's Bobby Orr scored the final goal (#270) of his NHL career. It came as the Black Hawks lost at Detroit, 7-2.

1979 - Quebec Nordiques hosted the Montreal Canadiens for the first time at Le Colisee in Quebec City, and beat the visiting Montreal Canadiens, 5-4.

1980 - Ron Greschner became the first Rangers' defenseman to score a penalty shot goal. It came against Mike Liut in a 5-4 Rangers' loss to St. Louis.

1981 - Vancouver's Richard Brodeur stopped 34 shots and recorded his first NHL shutout, a 3-0 Canucks' win over Washington.

1982 - Pittsburgh Penguins acquired left wing Anders Hakansson from the Minnesota North Stars in exchange for right wing George Ferguson and the Penguins' 1st pick in the '83 draft (Brian Lawton).

1987 - Los Angeles Kings rookie goalie Glenn Healy picked up his first NHL victory (in his third start), in a 4-3 win over the Rangers at New York.

1993 - Pittsburgh's Ron Francis picked up the 1,000th point of his NHL career.

2003 - Colorado Avalanche retired Patrick Roy's #33 sweater number in a pre-game ceremony, and went on to win the game, 4-2 over the visiting Calgary Flames.

Happy Birthday to Kevin Dineen, Benoit Hogue, Jude Drouin, Martin Skoula, Gary Nylund and Paul Baxter.

Covered: Tony Esposito

This Date in Hockey History: Oct 27th

1963 - Detroit's Gordie Howe scored his 544th NHL goal during a 6-4 loss to Montreal. The 544 career goals tied him for the all-time lead with Maurice Richard.

1988 - slanders Bryan Trottier played in his 1,000th NHL game.

1993 - Lightning center Denis Savard got a goal to become the 20th player in NHL history to score 1,200 career points.

Happy Birthday to Mike Ricci, Sergei Samsonov, Brian MacLellan, Brad Lauer, Paul Broten, Ulcers McCool and Hugh Lehman.

Covered: Wayne Gretzky

Interview With Jean Francois Jomphe

Frederick Lavallee is back. This time he contributes an interview with former NHLer Jean Francois Jomphe.

Maple Leafs Share The Stanley Cup

Here is an odd photo of the Stanley Cup:

No, I am not referring to the fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs actually won the Stanley Cup. Back when Teeder Kennedy captained the team they won it quite often.

What I find more interesting is that the Cup was detachable from it's base.

This Date in Hockey History: Oct 26th

1980 - Quebec's 24-year-old rookie Peter Stastny scored his first NHL goal.

1995 - Mario Lemieux scored three times to become the first Penguin (and 20th NHL player) to score 500 career goals. The milestone came in his 605th game.

1995 - Colorado Avalanche acquired Sandis Ozolinsh from the San Jose Sharks, in exchange for Owen Nolan.

1997 - Wayne Gretzky picked up 2 assists in the Rangers 3-3 tie with Anaheim, in New York. The 2 assists (#1,850 and 1,851 of his career) gave Gretzky more assists than any other player in history had points (passing Gordie Howe's point total of 1,850).

1997 - Tampa Bay Lightning fired head coach Terry Crisp, who had been the only coach the team's six year history.

1997 - Steve Yzerman passed Alex Delvecchio as the longest serving Captain in NHL history.

Happy Birthday to Harry Oliver, Jack Crawford, Robert Petrovicky, Patrick Rissmiller, Steve Kelly, and Miikka Kiprusoff.

Covered: Stephane Richer

2011 Hockey Books

Covered: Ken Dryden

This Date in Hockey History: Oct 25th

1984 - Guy Lafleur scored his 518th and final goal as a member of the Montreal Canadiens in a 3-2 win over Buffalo.

1991 - Buffalo Sabres obtained Pat LaFontaine, Randy Hillier and Randy Wood from the NY Islanders, in exchange for Pierre Turgeon, Benoit Hogue, Uwe Krupp, and Dave McLlwain.

1991 - New York Islanders traded Brent Sutter and Brad Lauer to Chicago in exchange for Adam Creighton and Steve Thomas.

Happy Birthday to Wendel Clark, Reggie Houle, Earl Ingarfield, Josef Beranek, Rey Comeau, Don Murdoch and Kelly Chase.

News And Notes

Some news and notes on former hockey players:

• A new life for Yogi Svejkovsky
• 1972 Summit Series ref passes away
• Paul Henderson explains new book
• NHL greats lace up for wounded soldiers
• AHL Legend Willie Marshall: Hockey player turned poet

Be sure to follow me on Twitter @HockeyLegends for daily news links concerning former hockey legends.

Guy Lafleur's Checkered Past

Covered: Garry Unger

Classic Snap Shot: Stan Smyl

This Date in Hockey History: Oct 24th

1988 - A year and a half after playing in his final game, 31-year-old Mike Bossy announced his retirement, due to a bad back. Bossy scored 50+ goals 9 times, and ended his career with 573 goals and 553 assists in 752 games over 10 years.

2001 - Los Angeles Kings acquired Jason Allison and Mikko Eloranta from the Boston Bruins, in exchange for Jozef Stumpel and Glen Murray.

2002 - Colorado's Patrick Roy passed Terry Sawchuk as the NHL's all-time leader in games played by a goaltender when he appeared in his 972nd career game, 3-2 victory over the Coyotes at Phoenix.

2002 - Boston retired Terry O'Reilly's #24 jersey in a pre-game ceremony beore the Bruins' home opener of the 2002-03 NHL season, a 2-2 tie against the visiting ottawa Senators.
Th
Happy Birthday to Mike Rogers, Jim Peplinski, Harold Snepsts, Jamal Mayers, Jonas Gustavsson, Clarke Wilm, Joe Micheletti, Ray Leblanc, and Seaweed Pettie

This Date in Hockey History: Oct 23rd

1966 - Boston rookie defenseman Bobby Orr fired a 50 foot shot past Canadiens' Gump Worsley for his first NHL goal, during a 3-2 Bruins' loss to Montreal.

1971 - Montreal's Guy Lafleur scored his first career NHL goal. It came against Kings' goalie Gary Edwards in the Canadiens' 3-1 win at Los Angeles.

1982 - Montreal rookie Guy Carbonneu scored the first goal of his NHL career, in a 9-5 Canadiens'
win over the Quebec Nordiques, at the Forum.

1982 - Boston's Normand Leveille suffered a career-ending cerebral hemorrhage during the first intermission at Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum. Bruins lost 3-2 to the Canucks.

1988 - Dave Newell (in his 22nd NHL season) set an NHL record by officiating in his 1,076th career game.

Happy Birthday to Gordie Drillon, Louis Sleigher, Matt D'Agostini, Larry Wilson, Benny Wolf, Fred Shero and Sugar Jim Henry.

Covered: Dave Kerr

Gordie Howe Day

Check out this Gordie Howe Day program from his initial retirement in 1972. The cover is signed by five others: John Bucyk, John Bower, Doug Barkley; Bill Gadsby and Johnny Wilson.

That is one of several Gordie Howe related items for sale this month at Classic Auctions. But what about getting the chance to spend several days with Mr. Hockey at the First Annual Howe Fantasy Camp in Florida in 2012!

In addition to Gordie Howe, sons Mark and Marty will be present. Also tentatively scheduled to attend are Johnny Bower, Bernie Nicholls, Paul Coffey, Marcel Dionne, Bill Gadsby, Bill Barber, Brian Propp, Joe Watson, Darren McCarty, Joey Kocur and the Hanson Brothers!

winning bidder will take part in three hockey games with NHL pros/legend coaches. They will also receive a pro equipment package, including a personalized jersey, pants shell, hockey socks and hockey bag, with the pro touch of an equipment manager and training staff at their service. The lucky winning bidder will enjoy first-class treatment, including five-star luxury hotel accommodations for four nights at the magnificent Atlantic Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale.

Off-ice activities include championship golf, deep-sea fishing, a sunset cruise and what should prove to be an unforgettable closing awards banquet. Luxury transportation to and from the airport, arena, golf/fishing and meals is included as part of the experience.

2011 Hockey Books

Don't forget to check HockeyBookReviews.com for all the latest in this year's newest hockey book releases.

The Art of Scouting by Shane Malloy
A Thrilling Ride by Paul Chapman
Back In The Bigs by The Winnipeg Free Press
Black and Gold by Steve Babineau, Rob Simpson
Defining Moments by Mike Leonetti
Double Overtime by Stephen Cole
East Coast NHLers by Paul White
Extraordinary Canadians: Maurice Richard by Charles Foran
Fighting The Good Fight by Adam Proteau
Forgotten Heroes: Winnipeg's Hockey History by Richard Brignall
Gamble In Goal: Bruce Gamble Story
Georges Laraque: NHL's Unlikeliest Tough Guy
Grilling by Salming by Borje Salming
Hockey Playbook by Michael A. Smith
Hockey's Greatest Stars by Chris McDonell
Hockey's Most Amazing Records by THN
Hockey's Original Six by Mike Leonetti
HHOF MVP Trophies and Winners
HHOF Treasures
How Hockey Explains Canada by Paul Henderson
I Hate Hockey by Francois Barcelo
Killer B's by Boston Globe
The Lives of Conn Smythe by Kelly McParland
The Lost Dream: The Mike Danton Story
Masques by Richard Labbe
My First NHL Goal by Mike Brophy
NHL Guide And Record Book 2012
NHL Records Forever
Over The Line by Al Strachan
Patriot Hearts by John Furlong
Pucks On The 'Net by Joe Pelletier
Rayzor's Edge by Rob Ray
Reflections 2011 by NHL
Sid vs. Ovi by Andrew Podnieks
Sports Illustrated: Hockey Talk
Star Spangled Hockey by Kevin Allen
Stellicktricity by Gord Stellick
Summit Series '72 by Richard Brignall
Tales From The New Jersey Devils Locker Room by Chico Resch
This Sweater Is For You by Sheldon Cohen
Uncle John's Bathroom Reader: Shoots and Scores
Wayne Gretzky's Ghost by Roy MacGregor
We Won The Cup by Boston Herald
Why The Leafs Still Suck by Al Strachan
The Year of the Bruins by Andrew Podnieks

Kids Books:

Finger Hockey: No Poke Checking
Hockey Firsts: Volume 1
Hockey Firsts: Volume 2
Hockey Superstars 2011-12 by Paul Romanuk
Hockey Superstars: All Time Greats by Paul Romanuk
Hockey Trailblazers by Nicole Mortillaro
Hockey Trivia For Kids 3 by Eric Zweig
Line Change by W.C. Mack
The Magnificent Mario by Mike Leonetti
The Muskegon Lumberjacks: Life As A Hockey Puck!
Overtime by David Skuy
Pond Hockey: Kita Learns To Skate
The Puck Hog by Christie Casciano
Puckster's First Hockey Game by Lorna Schultz Nicholson
Puckster's First Hockey Sweater by Lorna Schultz Nicholson
Queens of the Ice by Carly Adams

Classic Snap Shot: Rocket Richard

A Montreal Canadiens trainer takes a look at the great Maurice "Rocket" Richard:

This Date in Hockey History: Oct 22nd

1953 - Montreal's Dick Irvin became the first coach in NHL history to win 600 career games, when the Canadiens beat the Black Hawks 3-2 at Chicago.

1957 - Chicago rookie Bobby Hull scored his first career NHL goal in a 2-1 win over the visiting Boston Bruins.

1980 - Rookie defenseman Paul Coffey scored his first NHL goal, in the Oilers' 5-3 win over the Calgary Flames, in Edmonton.

2002 - Patrick Roy played in his 971st game, to tie Terry Sawchuk's NHL record for career appearances by a goalie, as Colorado tied 3-3 against the visiting Edmonton Oilers.

Happy Birthday to Butch Goring, Miroslav Satan, Stephane Quintal, Billy Brydge, Scott Lachance, Terry Yake, Ron Sedlbauer, Matt Pettinger and Ron Tugnutt.

Covered: Tiger Williams

This Date in Hockey History: Oct 21st

1949 - Hockey Hall of Fame announced it's newest members: Art Ross and Dan Bain.

1961 - Detroit trainer Danny Olesevich was pressed into duty when NY Rangers' goalie Gump Worlsey was injured. Olesevich played goal -- for New York -- for 40 minutes, helping the Rangers to a 4-4 tie against the Red Wings.

1962 - Detroit's Bill Gadsby became the second player in NHL history to appear in 1,000 career games. Gordie Howe was the first.

1972 - New York Rangers played the New York Islanders for the first time ever, and won 2-1 at Nassau Coliseum.

1979 - Phil Esposito became just the second player in NHL history to score 1,500 career points. Gordie Howe was the first.

1981 - Oilers rookie goaltender Grant Fuhr picked up his first career NHL victory as Edmonton won 5-2 over the visiting Hartford Whalers. The win followed a loss in his first game, and was the start of a 23-game unbeaten streak (15-0-8) for Fuhr.

1993 - NHL history was made in Detroit when Paul Devorski was the referee in a game in which his younger brother Greg was a linesman -- the first NHL game ever with brothers as on-ice officials.

Happy Birthday to Mike Keenan, Carl Brewer, Frenchy Lacroix, Mike Danton, Larry Mickey, Bill Berg, Alex Burmistrov, Michel Briere and Brian Kilrea.

Covered: Mike Bossy

This Date in Hockey History: Oct 20th

1978 - Indianapolis Racers rookie Wayne Gretzky scored his first two pro hockey goals, in a 4-3 loss to Edmonton. The goals came in Gretzky's second career WHA game.

1980 - Washington Capitals Mike Gartner became the first player to be named the NHL Player of the Week. The announcement came in the award's debut season (1980-81).

1993 - Rookie goaltender Martin Brodeur recorded his first career NHL shutout to lead the Devils to a 4-0 win over the Mighty Ducks in New Jersey.'

1993 - Wayne Gretzky scored a goal and added two assists in the first ever NHL game featuring two Gretzky brothers! Wayne played against his 21-year-old brother Brent (in his second NHL game), as the Kings won 4-3 at Tampa Bay

2001 - New York Islanders retired Brian Trottier's #19 jersey in a pre-game ceremony before a 2-2 tie against the visiting San Jose Sharks.

Happy Birthday to Guy Chouinard, Gary Monohan, Colin Wilson, Mikhail Shtalenkov, and Todd Richards.

Covered: Pierre Pilote

Phil The Thrill

How about that Phil Kessel? He's leading the league in goals and points. With his exciting dashes down the ice he has helped Toronto to a 4-0-1 start, the best in the Northeast Division. I even saw one television personality compare Kessel to recent Leaf greats like Darryl Sittler and Wendel Clark!

Kessel's great start makes the Leafs Thursday night showdown even more interesting. Kessel, of course, was traded from Boston to Toronto in a very high profile exchange which has, until recently, seemed quite one sided in Boston's favor.

I don't know how many bookies pegged Kessel as hockey's leading goal and point scorer this season, but if I could play at an online casino that offered odds on him doing exactly that in October, I would have taken that bet.

So far Kessel has 7 goals and 12 points in 5 games. Last season Kessel scored 7 goals in 10 October games. In his career Kessel has 26 career goals in 44 games played in the opening month, more than any other month. He then tends to slow down, especially after the holidays. Not coincidentally, the Leafs tend to fall out content around then.

Hopefully this year is different, because it's nice to see some positive stories and life in Toronto. But if Phil Kessel does slow down, maybe Leafs fans should compare him to Reggie Jackson, aka baseball's Mr. October, rather than to Sittler or Clark.

This Date in Hockey History: Oct 19th

1946 - Detroit's Gordie Howe picked up his first NHL assist (on a goal by Adam Brown) and his first fighting penalty as the Red Wings lost 6-3 at Toronto.

1960 - Fresh off an Olympic gold medal performance for Team USA, goaltender Jack McCartan made his NHL debut for the NY Rangers. He recorded his only career NHL shutout to lead New York to a 2-0 win over Chicago at Madison Square Garden.

1966 - Rookie Bobby Orr played his first NHL game and picked up an assist as the Bruins beat Detroit, 6-2 in Boston Garden.

34-year-old Harry Sinden coached his first NHL game, a 6-2 Boston Bruins' win over Detroit.

1978 - Bobby Orr picked up the final assist (#645) of his NHL career, as the Chicago Black Hawks won 6-2 over the Minnesota North Stars.

1980 - In a pre-game ceremony at Chicago Stadium, Stan Mikita's uniform #21 was retired by the Black Hawks. It was the first Hawk jersey to be retired.

1980 - Paul Coffey picked up the first assist of his NHL career, on a goal by Dave Semenko, in the Oilers' 4-2 win over the Rangers, in New York.

1993 - Terry Yake scored the first hat trick in Mighty Ducks history, and added an assist in a 4-2 win over the Rangers at New York. It came in the first road game in Mighty Ducks' history.

Happy Birthday to Dale Tallon, Zdeno Ciger, Boyd Gordon and Shrimp Worters.

Covered: Maurice Richard with Henri Richard

Vladimir Dzurilla Auction

He was a refrigerator repairman by trade. But Vladimir Dzurilla gained much greater fame as the great Slovakian goaltender who earned admiration and praise for his play in the 1976 Canada Cup.

Classic Auctions is offering up nine fascinating items from Dzurilla's personal collection, including Olympic medals and game worn gems such as a sweater and a mask. Be sure to check out the auction, as well as the video below.

This Day In Hockey History - Oct 18th

1930 - The "Falcons" became the new name for the Detroit hockey team, previously known as the "Cougars". The change came following a poll conducted by Detroit newspapers. Trojans, Wanderers, and Magnetos also made the final four.

1944 - Detroit Red Wings signed amateur Ted Lindsay to his first pro contract.

1967 - Portland Buckaroos' veteran Andy Hebenton missed his first pro-game since March 8, 1952, due to the death of his father. Hebenton had played in 1,062 consecutive pro games to set a record.

1967 - Philadelphia Flyers recorded their first NHL victory in team history, a 2-1 win over the Blues, in St. Louis.

1978 - Minnesota North Stars traded center Dennis Maruk to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Pittsburgh's #1 pick in 1979 (from an earlier deal). The North Stars used the pick to select Tom McCarthy.

1978 - Wayne Gretzky picked up his first pro assist in a 4-0 WHA Indianapolis Racers' win over the Nordiques, in Quebec City. It came in his third career game in the WHA.

1980 - Edmonton rookie Jari Kurri scored the first goal of his NHL career, in a 5-5 Oilers' tie against the Islanders, at Long Island.

1988 - Vancouver Canucks rookie Trevor Linden scored the first goal of his NHL career in a 3-2 loss to the Islanders, in New York.

Happy Birthday to Mush March, Doug Lidster, Hilliard Graves, Leroy Goldsworthy, Normand Lacombe, Bryan Lefley, and the skating tripod, Kjell Samuelsson.

Covered: Bobby Hull

Pierre Larouche Collection Up For Bids

Pierre Larouche was the 8th overall selection by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft following one of the most impressive junior seasons. Playing with the Sorel Black Hawks, Larouche scored 94 goals and 157 assists for 251 points in 67 games!

Larouche stepped right into the Pittsburgh lineup the following season and excelled. He scored 31 goals and 68 points and led the Penguins to the second round of the playoffs. The following season Larouche took the league by storm, scoring 53 goals and 111 points. Seemingly Larouche was on top of the hockey world.

However Larouche would take a step backwards the next season, scoring only 29 goals and 63 points and for the first time there was rumours he was available on the trade market. As skilled a skater and shooter as he was, Larouche also needed to have a map to find his own defensive zone. So when Larouche got off to a bad start the following season, the Pens traded Larouche to Montreal 20 games into the season. Larouche was moved for Pete Mahovlich and Peter Lee.

Larouche would battle injuries and the pressures of being a Francophone playing in Montreal for the first two seasons in Montreal. But by 1979-80 he was healthy and burst out with a 50 goal campaign for the Habs, adding 41 assists. However a poor playoff again had his critics rumbling.

His critics (and in Montreal, everyone is a critic) weren't impressed by another injury riddle season to follow up the 50 goal campaign and by 1981-82 he was traded to Hartford in a deal involving lots of draft pick switching (Montreal ended up with Petr Svoboda). Larouche enjoyed playing without the pressure of the media in Hartford, finishing the season with 25 goals in 45 games.

However, (you guessed it!) Larouche would again battle injuries in 1982-83 and was not resigned by the Whalers. Larouche went to Broadway where he signed with the New York Rangers. In New York, he fell two goals short of becoming the only player in NHL history to score 50 goals with 3 different teams. Larouche scored 48 times, 19 of which were power play goals.

"Lucky" Pierre Larouche scored 395 goals, 427 assists for 822 points in 812 career games.

Classic Auctions has several interesting items from Larouche's career up for grabs.

Takes The Starch Out Of Whiskers

Here's a Williams Shaving Cream advertisement from 1937. Lester Patrick, Eddie Shore, Murray Murdoch, and Charlie Conacher all chime in on how to keep those whiskers softer.

Covered: Gerry Cheevers

This Day In Hockey History - Oct. 17th

1974 - Washington Capitals recorded their first victory in team history -- a 4-3 win over Chicago.

1989 - Calgary's Doug Gilmour and rookie Paul Ranheim set an NHL record for fastest two shorthanded goals, scoring just four seconds apart. They came in an 8-8 tie against the Nordiques, at Quebec City.

Amazingly, Calgary trailed that game 8-3 with four minutes remaining in the game. They scored three goals in :27, then added the two shorthanded goals in :04 to tie the Nordiques 8-8 at Quebec City.

1990 - Buffalo Sabres retired uniform #11 worn by Gilbert Perreault, in a pre-game ceremony before a game against Montreal. Sabres lost 4-3 to the Canadiens.

1992 - Jari Kurri became the the first European-trained player (and the 18th player overall in NHL history) to score 500 goals, when he picked up an empty netter to clinch the Kings' 8-6 win over Boston, at the Forum.

2000 - Colorado's Patrick Roy earned career victory number 448, moving him past Terry Sawchuk on the all-time wins list.

Happy Birthday to Ken Morrow, Rick Blight, Francois Bouillon, Bert Wilson, Sami Lepisto, and Mike Tomlak

This Day In Hockey History: Oct 16th

1926 - The NHL re-aligned into two divisions: Canadian (Canadiens, Maroons, Ottawa, Toronto and NY Americans -- relocated from Hamilton) and American (Detroit, Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh and Rangers).

1946 - 18-year-old Gordie Howe scored his first NHL goal in his first career game, as Detroit tied Toronto, 3-3. Howe wore uniform #17 and also had two fights.

1960 - Toronto rookie Dave Keon scored the first goal of his NHL career. It came in the Maple Leafs' 7-2 win over the Rangers, at New York.

1960 - Boston forward Jerry Toppazzini became the final non-goalie to play in the nets, when he replaced injured Don Simmons in a 5-2 Bruins' loss to the Black Hawks.

1968 - Toronto rookie defenseman Jim Dorey picked up 48 penalty minutes in his first NHL game -- four minors, two majors, two misconducts and a game misconduct. Maple Leafs tied 2-2 with the Penguins in Toronto.

1971 - Detroit rookie Marcel Dionne scored the first goal of his NHL career, in a 9-2 Red Wings' loss at St. Louis.

1982 - Forward Victor Netchayev became the first Soviet trained player to appear in an NHL game. He went scoreless for the L.A. Kings in a 4-1 loss to the Islanders in New York.

1988 - Guy Lafleur scored his first goal in three years, 11 months, and 22 days. It was his first goal as a NY Ranger. He also added an assist, and led the Rangers to a 3-2 win over the Canucks, at MSG.

Happy Birthday to Paul Kariya, Marty Walsh, Wilf Paiement, Joe Murphy, German Titov, Darius Kasparitis, Reggie Kerr, Norm Ferguson, Steve Atkinson, and Thomas Eriksson.

Lorne Chabot

Check out the equipment Lorne Chabot wore back in the day.

Note the ball cap and the gloves.

Interestingly Chabot played in the two longest games in NHL history. He was the winning goalie in a 1-0 shutout victory in 1933 when the Leafs beat the Bruins that went into a 6th overtime. Three years later Chabot was on the losing end of a 1-0 game while playing with the Montreal Maroons against Mud Bruneteau and the Detroit Red Wings. That game also went into a 6th overtime - lasting 12 minutes longer than the previous record.

Covered: Phil and Tony Esposito

Time Capsule Found in Maple Leaf Gardens

Crews renovating Maple Leaf Gardens found an unexpected surprise today - an apparent time capsule.

Loblaws, the grocery store that now owns the building, is validating the authenticity of the capsule before deciding exactly what to do with it. Nobody seems to have known about it's existence, not even the Hockey Hall of Fame:

Phil Pritchard, curator at the Hockey Hall of Fame, had no idea the time capsule existed but he's excited to think about what might be inside.

"When I heard about it this morning it was pretty amazing," he told CBC News. "I want to be in line. If there are hockey pieces we'd love to have them here."

Here's the full story.

This Day In Hockey History - Oct 15th

1935 - NHL Board of Governors purchased the troubled St. Louis Eagles franchise (formerly the Ottawa Senators), players, and rights for $35,000. The league then sold off the players to seven of the remaining eight NHL clubs (Chicago didn't make any purchases).

1955 - Montreal defeated the Rangers 4-1 at the Forum. Maurice Richard scored twice while his younger brother, Canadien rookie Henri scored his first NHL goal.

1974 - The first NHL game was played at the Capital Center, in Landover, Maryland. The Washington Capitals tied 1-1 with the Los Angeles Kings.

1975 - Minnesota's Bill Goldsworthy became the first player from a 1967 expansion team to score 250 career goals as the North Stars won 4-1 over the visiting Oakland Seals.

1983 - The first NHL game was played at the Saddledome in Calgary. The visiting Oilers won 4-3 over the Flames before 20,002 fans.

1988 - Mario Lemieux scored twice and added six assists, and Rob Brown recorded his first career hat trick as the Penguins won 9-2 against St. Louis, in Pittsburgh.

2003 - Daniel Alfredsson scored twice to become the Ottawa Senators' all-time leading scorer (with his 492nd career point) in a 4-3 loss to the Kings in Los Angeles. Alfredsson broke the franchise mark of 491 points set by Alexei Yashin.

Happy Birthday to Willie O'Ree, Hank Ciesla, Steve Buzinski, Jean Pusie, Dave Hindmarch, Rocky Saganiuk, and Lefty Wilson.