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September 29, 2012

Catching Up With The Past: Coffey Break



Time to catch up with hockey history in the news . . . Be sure to follow me on Twitter for more news headlines concerning players from the past

Paul Coffey Still Wheeling


The StarPhoenix - For now, Coffey sticks to selling cars. That also seems suitable for a guy could wheel around the ice with the best of them.

Coffey - a Hockey Hall of Famer who won four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins - owns a pair of auto dealerships (Toyota and Kia) and a car wash "all beside one another" in Bolton, Ont.

"Let me tell you, it was a lot easier playing hockey," the three-time Norris Trophy winner. Full Story

Heartbreaking Story About Former NHL Coach Bob Francis


Wisconsin Rapids Tribuine - "People here, they're all curious," said former NHL coach of the year Bob Francis, 53. "They don't want to ask, but they want to know: Were you in a serious car accident? Do you have MS (multiple sclerosis)? Do you have brain function problems?

"It's a long process trying to explain everything. No, I wasn't in a serious car accident. No, I'm not dying. I wish I had an explanation."

Looking at the withered coach, it's easy to believe in cursed hockey franchises. Francis is a recovering alcoholic who lost his first wife and his career. As a player, he suffered too many concussions to count, likely triggering his current condition.

Now, he is searching for answers, struggling to regain some quality of life, pushing that walker down the jagged path of life. Full Story

Alton White Deserves Recognition As Hockey Pioneer


Winnipeg Free Press - One prominent black professional player seems to have been unjustly dropped from memory. Alton White, a Winnipeg son, has long been denied his proper place in sport history because he played solely in the World Hockey Association.


White has never been included on the list of Afro-Canadian and African-American hockey pioneers, despite playing in a pro hockey league. White deserves to be recognized for his accomplishments and for the discrimination he faced in life to end. Full Story

Swedish Hockey Hall of Fame Adds Biographies


The Swedish Ice Hockey Association commissioned hockey historians Patrick Houda and Carl Giden to add thorough and extensive biographies for all inductees in the Swedish Hockey Hall of Fame. Now is the perfect time to learn all about Sweden's hockey history. Only one problem - unless you can read Swedish, you will have to use Google Translate for now. An English version will be released in the coming months.

Former NHL Linesman Doing Well


NorthJersey.com - Nearly five years after sustaining a major head injury, former N.H.L. linesman and Rutherford resident Pat Dapuzzo has made a remarkable recovery. As one of the few Americans to ever make it into the upper echelons of hockey refereeing, Dapuzzo's story is at times as breathtaking as it is heartbreaking.

His anecdotes are littered with the names of hockey legends like Martin Brodeur, Mark Messier, and even "The Great One" Wayne Gretzky, yet as amazing as his career was, it will likely be his injury, one of the most gruesome in N.H.L. history, that he may be best remembered for.

The injury occurred in Philadelphia on Feb. 9, 2008. Dapuzzo jumped up to avoid a collision between then New York Rangers defenseman Fedor Tyutin and Steve Downie of the Philadelphia Flyers. That split second decision to jump up would change Dapuzzo's life forever.

In that moment, which has since been viewed over 350,000 times on YouTube, Dapuzzo was slashed in the face by Downie's skate, severing his nose, shattering his cheek-bone, breaking his jaw and leaving him with ten fractures in his face. Full Story

Dave Manson Devotes Spare Time To Several Charities


When Dave Manson played hockey, there was a definite edge to his game. He intimidated players, and even entire teams, with his play as he accumulated just under 2,800 minutes in penalties in slightly more than 1,100 NHL games. Off the ice is a different story.

Manson, who has been retired as a professional player for more than a decade and is now an associate coach with the Western Hockey League’s Prince Albert Raiders, gives freely of his time to help numerous charities. He says that is a responsibility he enjoys.

Sopel Does Not Support Chicago Teachers' Strike


From USA Today: The Chicago Public Schools teachers are on strike and that doesn't sit well with everyone.

Former NHL defenseman Brent Sopel is upset that Chicago Public Schools teachers are going out on strike and thinks they should just be happy to have a job. Full Story

Reggie Leach Talks To Kids About Alcoholism


From the Grande Prairie Daily Herald Tribune: NHL great Reggie Leach blames his absence from the Hockey Hall of Fame on his struggles with alcoholism during his decorated career between ’71 and ’83.

Nicknamed “the Riverton Rifle”, the Manitoba-born Métis spoke with Grade 7 and 8 Harry Balfour students Wednesday about his journey through 14 seasons with the Boston Bruins, California Golden Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, and Detroit Red Wings.

The youngest of 14 children, the 62-year-old began drinking at the age of 12.

“I didn’t realize I was an alcoholic until I was 31 or 32,” he said to the junior high school students. “I performed on ice, and hockey came very easy to me.”  Full Story

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