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 New Bread Line?

This is the Bread Line:


Teaming together with the elegant Frank Boucher, brothers Bill and Bun Cook dominated the National Hockey League. They were so good that old time hockey fans would tell you the great Soviet lines of 1970s and 1980s were similar in style to Boucher and the Cooks. Their game was based on amazing and intricate passing plays, and they popularized the drop pass.

With a lack of nicknames in the NHL nowadays, I hereby propose Vancouver's exciting top line of Sedin twins Daniel and Henrik and Alex Burrows be named The New Bread Line. The two lines are very similar in mindset and feature two great brother acts. It seems like a nice fit to me!

Brothers: Bill and Bun Cook

Teaming together with the elegant Frank Boucher, brothers Bill and Bun Cook dominated the National Hockey League. They were so good that old time hockey fans would tell you the great Soviet lines of 1970s and 1980s were similar in style to Boucher and the Cooks.

Bill Cook was the Rangers first goal scorer, first captain, and first Hall of Famer led the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup. Though he is long forgotten, some have said he may have been the greatest right winger of all time. Better even than Maurice Richard or Gordie Howe!

While Bill was the sniper and Boucher was the playmaker, Bun Cook was the glue of the line. He was a real innovative player, generally credited with inventing the drop pass.

Very good for you if you already knew of the Cook brothers. But even hockey's diehard history buffs forget that there was a third Cook brother. Bud Cook only played in 51 NHL games.

Innovator Of The Drop Pass Bun Cook Was Ed Sullivan's Favorite Player

"Who invented the drop pass?"

That was a question posed to me via email today. It turns out that unlike a lot of hockey's innovations, the drop pass actually was invented as opposed to evolved.

Bun Cook literally dreamed up the idea one night, and soon after he and Bread Line line mates Frank Boucher and brother Bill Cook were exploiting unsuspecting defenses on a regular basis.

That New York Rangers trio must have been something to watch. 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. This was a repetition of lacrosse as played by the great Indian teams."

Selke wasn't the only fan of theirs. Ed Sullivan, then a sports reporter and television-legend-in-waiting, was a big fan of Bun in particular.

"When Bun Cook is hot, he is one of the most amazing players in hockey," wrote Sullivan. "At such moments, he attempts plays that stagger the imagination. At his peak, there is no player so enjoyable to watch."

You can read all about Bun Cook, the newest addition to Greatest Hockey Legends.com