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.

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).

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.

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

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.

Covered: Stephane Richer

2011 Hockey Books

Covered: Ken Dryden

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

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:

Covered: Tiger Williams

Covered: Mike Bossy

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.

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.

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

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.

Covered: Chico Resch

Pucks On The 'Net Interview on Kukla's Korner

Special thanks to Alanah McGinlay-Downie for her Kukla's Korner feature of an interview with me concerning my new ebook Pucks On The 'Net.

Also thanks to Rick Buker for his review on the Pittsburgh fan site PenguinPoop.com
and to Dennis Kane for his review on his Montreal fan site.  

Learn more about my third book and first ebook at PucksOnTheNet.com

You can buy the book for just $3.99:

Amazon Kindle

Barnes & 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.

Gretzky and Tretiak Right Guard Commercial.

Covered: Glenn Hall

Odd Odds

The internet has taken gambling on sports to a whole new level. People love playing online poker which in turn has made poker a marquee television event on every sports network in North America.

And of course you can bet on anything and everything regarding hockey nowadays. I do not mean just wagering on the winner and loser. No, you can put money down on everything from who will score a short-handed goal to how many saves any goalie will make in the 2nd period.

It's a weird and wacky world. But now it's gotten even wackier.

I recently saw a website post these odds:

Will either Stu Grimson, Chris Nilan or Jim Thomson officially file a lawsuit against Don Cherry before October 31st, 2011?

Yes +200
No -300

In case you missed it, Don Cherry accused the three former NHL goons of being hypocritical pukes who wanted fighting out of the game because it led to destroyed lives of substance abuse and mental illness. The three took great offense to that, saying they never said that at all, and that Cherry needs to apologize. The three are exploring legal options.

It's hard to imagine being able to wager on that shinny soap opera, especially when I am not confident enough to put down 5 bucks on the Hawks over the Jets tonight.

Classic Auctions Offers Game Worn Gems

The above hockey jersey is Pierre Larouche's game worn jersey (and a blazer!) from the 1977 World Hockey Championships. Let's just say those jerseys are probably the worst in Team Canada history.

Here's a few more interesting game worn sweaters available in the current Classic Auctions jersey:

How's this for rare - a Cy Wentworth game worn Montreal Maroons jersey. Beautiful!

Check out Sylvio Mantha's 1930s NHL referee's wool sweater:

Here's goaltender Joe Daley's WHA All Star game jersey from 1977.

And check out this beautiful Victoria Cougars jersey from the early 1950s:

Check out these unique jerseys, as well as many game worn specials by players ranging from Bernie Nicholls to Kirk Muller to Paul Coffey

Bobby Orr's 1976 Canada Cup Jersey

The showcase item in the Fall 2011 Classic Auctions offering has to be Bobby Orr's game worn jersey from the 1976 Canada Cup:

From Classic Auctions: In 1976, a faltering Orr was selected to represent his nation for the first time at the 1976 Canada Cup tournament. Bobby's knee, ravaged by operations every summer, was virtually without cartilage. He had played only ten games with the Bruins the previous season before requiring more surgery and rehabilitation, but he refused to allow injury to prevent him from playing in the inaugural Canada Cup, the first best-on-best featuring Canada and Europe.

The best-of-three finals pitted the Canadians against Czechoslovakia, and Canada began with an impressive 6-0 win in which Bobby scored twice including one that came on his trade-mark rush down the right wing to pot one over the glove of netminder Vladimir Dzurilla. After Canada's historic victory in the second and final outing, finishing on Sittler's memorable goal, Bobby Orr, who led Canada with nine points, was named the tournament MVP. Wondrous white knit with the heavily-screened rubberized red name, numbers and Team Canada demi-leaf design was worn by Bobby Orr throughout the international tourney.

Who can forget the emotional celebratory scene following Canada's victory when both teams met at center ice to shake hands and exchange jerseys. Pete Mahovlich found the Czech player with the jersey number matching his own and soon after, every other participant on the ice followed suit. Bobby swapped shirts with Czech star Oldrich Machac and this jersey remained in Machac's collection from that day to this.

Bidding ends on November 1st.

Other International items of interest:

• Valery Kharlamov collection
• Vladimir Dzurilla collection
• Game worn Vaclav Nedomansky Czechoslovakia jersey
• Jackie McLeod's game worn 1961 Team Canada jersey

Covered: Eric Lindros

Rare Rocket Statue Generating Huge Interest

The photo below is of a very rare statue of Maurice "Rocket" Richard that is already generating a significant bidding war at Classic Auctions.

This truly scarce Maurice "Rocket" Richard collectible is an extremely limited edition masterpiece that was inspired by the 10-foot-tall monument erected in front of the Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal in 1997. This pure bronze sculpture of The Rocket in full flight weighs approximately 28 pounds and stands 13 1/4" inches tall. Only nine of these sculptures were produced and this one is number 6 in the set. The 13 3/4"-diameter base features an impression of the Rocket's hand in the middle. Richard's facsimile autograph is engraved on the base along with the "VI/IX" limited edition notation, the signatures of artists Annick Bourgeau and Jules LaSalle, and "Atelier de Bronze" stamp along with a couple of sculpture notation marks. A worthy tribute to the greatest Montreal Canadiens legend of them all. This item may be subject to a silent reserve.

The bidding closes on November 1st, 2011.

Other Rocket Richard items in the auction:

• Autographed, game-used Maurice Richard stick from 1953
• Framed 25x28 photo autographed by Richard, Lafleur and Beliveau
• Last worn Canadiens jersey by Maurice Richard

Howie Morenz's Last Pair of Skates

Classic Auctions is back with a new offering, including this amazing item: Howie Morenz's last pair of skates.

From Classic Auctions:

On January 29, 1937 the Montreal Canadiens took on the visiting Chicago Blackhawks at the Forum in Montreal. During the first period of play, the towering Earl Siebert bore down on Habs star Howie Morenz as they chased the puck along the boards. The tip of Morenz's skate blade caught a crack in the boards and he fell awkwardly to the ice, his leg twisting beneath him. They say the snap of the bone was so loud it could be heard from any seat in the arena. Morenz was rushed to hospital where doctors explained that he would never again be able to play the game that was his passion. Within a few weeks, the great Howie Morenz was dead. Complications arising from the broken leg was listed as the cause of death but it is said that, fearing he would never again take to the ice, Morenz died of a broken heart. These are the last pair of skates worn by Howie Morenz and the actual pair of blades that brought his brilliant career to a shattering conclusion.

The last time these skates were auctioned off they fetched $25,000! Bidding closes on November 1st.

More Montreal Canadiens items up for bids:

• Guy Lafleur's HHOF induction ring
• Clarence Campbell's seat from the Montreal Forum
• 1985-86 Championship Trophy

Covered: Marcel Dionne

Classic Snap Shot: Dale Hawerchuk