Eddie Shore: One Crazy Night

January 3rd, 1929. Coach Art Ross and his Boston Bruins all boarded a train bound for Montreal, where they would take on the Maroons. There was only one problem. Boston's best player, Eddie Shore, was not on the train.

"Mr. Ross didn't know it," said Shore years later "but I was running down the station platform trying to jump on the last car of the train. I didn't make it and had just missed the train because my taxi had been tied up in a traffic accident coming across town."

But Shore had every intention of getting to Montreal in time to play the game. At 11:30pm he hired a car and driver to take him the 560km, even though a blizzard was raging. Shore grew impatient with the chauffeur's slow speed and took over the wheel.

"I was not happy at the rate he was traveling," says Shore, "and I told him so. He apologized and said he didn't have chains and didn't like driving in the winter. The poor fellow urged me to turn back to Boston."

Shore, who grew up in wintery western Canada, was not fazed by the storm. He found solutions for their travel problems. He found an open service station where he acquired some tire chains. And when their visibility was greatly limited due to ice on the windshield Shore found a rather unusual answer.

"I couldn't see out the window," says Shore, "so I removed the top half of the windshield."

He drove most of the way, only letting the chauffeur drive so he could take quick cat naps. During one such stretch the chauffer put the car into a ditch. Shore then hired a team of horses to pull the car out of the ditch, and drove the rest of the way to Montreal!

"I paid $8 for a team of horses," says Shore, "harnessed the horses and pulled the car out of the ditch."

Amazingly, Shore arrived in Montreal around 5:30pm, just enough time to eat a steak, catch a 30 minute nap, and then play the game. Not that coach Art Ross intended to use him after all of that.

"He was in no condition for hockey," says Ross. "His eyes were bloodshot, his face frostbitten and windburned, his fingers bent and set like claws after gripping the steering wheel so long. And he couldn't walk straight. I figure his legs were almost paralyzed from hitting the brake and clutch."

But the headstrong Shore insisted he play. He played the entire game! He played all 60 minutes (minus time served in the penalty box on two minor infractions). He even scored the winning goal!

Read the full Eddie Shore biography here.

Eddie Shore: One Crazy Night

January 3rd, 1929. Coach Art Ross and his Boston Bruins all boarded a train bound for Montreal, where they would take on the Maroons. There was only one problem. Boston's best player, Eddie Shore, was not on the train.

"Mr. Ross didn't know it," said Shore years later "but I was running down the station platform trying to jump on the last car of the train. I didn't make it and had just missed the train because my taxi had been tied up in a traffic accident coming across town."

But Shore had every intention of getting to Montreal in time to play the game. At 11:30pm he hired a car and driver to take him the 560km, even though a blizzard was raging. Shore grew impatient with the chauffeur's slow speed and took over the wheel.

"I was not happy at the rate he was traveling," says Shore, "and I told him so. He apologized and said he didn't have chains and didn't like driving in the winter. The poor fellow urged me to turn back to Boston."

Shore, who grew up in wintery western Canada, was not fazed by the storm. He found solutions for their travel problems. He found an open service station where he acquired some tire chains. And when their visibility was greatly limited due to ice on the windshield Shore found a rather unusual answer.

"I couldn't see out the window," says Shore, "so I removed the top half of the windshield."

He drove most of the way, only letting the chauffeur drive so he could take quick cat naps. During one such stretch the chauffer put the car into a ditch. Shore then hired a team of horses to pull the car out of the ditch, and drove the rest of the way to Montreal!

"I paid $8 for a team of horses," says Shore, "harnessed the horses and pulled the car out of the ditch."

Amazingly, Shore arrived in Montreal around 5:30pm, just enough time to eat a steak, catch a 30 minute nap, and then play the game. Not that coach Art Ross intended to use him after all of that.

"He was in no condition for hockey," says Ross. "His eyes were bloodshot, his face frostbitten and windburned, his fingers bent and set like claws after gripping the steering wheel so long. And he couldn't walk straight. I figure his legs were almost paralyzed from hitting the brake and clutch."

But the headstrong Shore insisted he play. He played the entire game! He played all 60 minutes (minus time served in the penalty box on two minor infractions). He even scored the winning goal!

Read the full Eddie Shore biography here.

NHL All Star Game Born Out Of Violent On-Ice Tragedy

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.

King Clancy vs. Eddie Shore

King Clancy and Eddie Shore were two of hockey's earliest hockey rearguard superstars. For a variety of reasons they are certainly the two early day defensemen to transcend the game and remain recognizable to this day.

Shore, of course, was a real ruffian in addition to a superstar player. He liked to mix it up and rarely lost a fight.

The diminutive Clancy was every bit as good a player as Shore, and he was every bit as game in the rough stuff department. The difference was Clancy, for all his piss and vinegar, was said to have never won a fight.

Except one, according to legend. And of all people Clancy supposedly beat up, it was Eddie Shore.

The story has it Shore somehow fell to his knees when Clancy landed a KO punch. Shore staggered to his feet and shouted "I'd like to see you do that again!" Clancy replied "Sure thing, Eddie. Get back down on your hands and knees!"

Old Time Hockey: The Eddie Shore Story (Video)

Eddie Shore

The Boston Bruins have had a long tradition of having the greatest defenseman in the game of hockey. Ray Bourque, Bobby Orr, Brad Park, to name a few. But the whole trend started with Eddie Shore.

He was born (November 25,1902) and grew up in the farming community of Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, and didn't pick up hockey until a relatively late age (18 or so) His father was a strict (but fair) man who laid ground for Shore's toughness later on in his life. Eddie Shore's first sporting loves was baseball and soccer. His brother, Aubrey, was the family hockey player, and it wasn't until Eddie had enrolled at Manitoba Agricultural College in Winnipeg and had been told by his big brother, 'You'll never make a hockey player,'' that he began to take the game seriously.

Shore joined the Boston Bruins in 1926 and went on to personify the most vigorous aspects of the rough and fast game of hockey. His explosive temper was only matched by his incredible talent. While setting up offensive plays he would literally knock down any opponent that got in his way. This of course led to many hard fought and legendary battles. American Hockey League president Maurice Podoloff once observed, ''Eddie Shore did not walk; he stalked'

Hockey of course always has been and always will be a religion in Canada. When the all-Canadian National Hockey League decided to expand to the American cities of New York, Boston, Detroit and Chicago, there was doubt as to its ultimate fate.

"In order to succeed," said Frank Boucher, a star in his own right with the New York Rangers, "the league needed a superstar of extraordinary dimensions."

Eddie Shore was the right man, and at the right time. The "Edmonton Express" put professional hockey on the American map almost single handedly.

Absolutely fearless and unbelievably talented, Shore was indestructible. Perhaps the best way to describe him would be to say he was an early day Gordie Howe who played on the blueline. It certainly wouldn't be a stretch to say that. No one who hit as hard as he did was ever hit harder - or more often - in return. In his heyday, opponents seemed to save all their energy
in order to deal with Eddie Shore. ''He was bruised, head to toe, after every game,'' recalled Hall of Famer Milt Schmidt, a four-year teammate.' Everybody was after him. They figured if they could stop Eddie Shore, they could stop the Bruins.''

Shore's style was all his own. Pugnacious and downright mean, he was also very skilled. '' Most people of the day would skate down the side,'' said Schmidt. ''But Eddie always went down the middle of the ice. People bounced off him like tenpins"

Almost as amazing was his ability to play the entire game! He would average 50-55 minutes a contest. Well, at least in games when he wasn't spending that much time in the penalty box!

Not only was Shore a mean and fearless player but he was also a hard-nosed and savvy negotiator who held out on several occasions for more money. He knew what he was worth and that he was the number one attraction in the league. Bruins coach and GM Art Ross always had mixed feelings about Shore because of the hard times he would give him as a negotiator.

Ross who was a genius always had a show-biz flair, and Shore was a willing accomplice. One year he actually had the other Bruins take the ice first before bringing Shore out last to the accompaniment of ''Hail to the Chief.'' Shore would skate onto the ice in a matador's cloak, which would then be removed, Gorgeous George-style, by a valet.

With Shore, it was always business first, and in 1939, he startled everyone by purchasing the AHL Springfield Indians while he was still playing for the Bruins. What he did was that he played for both Springfield and Boston. This move of course infuriated Art Ross who couldn't stop Shore from doing that so the only way to get rid of the "problem" was to trade Shore. So on January 24,1940 Shore was sold to the NY Americans. A typical week for Shore was a game in Springfield on a Saturday, the Americans on a Sunday, Springfield on Tuesday and Wednesday, and New York on Thursday.

He played against his old Bruins teammates for the first time on March 9,1940. It was his fifth game in six days, despite that he played 35 minutes as the Americans won 4-2 The guy was 38 years old !

Eddie Shore removed himself from the playing ranks after that season, but went on to become a successful (and many times hated) owner in the AHL:

Turner Sports vice president Kevin O'Malley, a Springfield native whose father was the Springfield Indians' PA man for many years, got to see things most Springfield folks never saw. ''After many a practice had ended,'' O'Malley said, ''Eddie Shore would get out there and give his entire team skating lessons. He would critique the form of every player.''

That was a typical Eddie Shore thing.

Even the great Milt Schmidt recognized this. ''He tried to change my style when I was a rookie,'' Schmidt explained. ''He was very much a stand-up skater, and he hated it that I was a stooped-over skater. But he had a theory about everything.''

Shore's business attitude was the stuff of legend. When you worked for Shore, you worked for Shore. ''It's true that when the ice show was coming in [to the Eastern States Exposition] he would have players blow up balloons,'' said Schmidt.

''He always made the players change the light bulbs in the rink,'' added O'Malley. ''I can still see them out there on those giant circus ladders.''

Anyone who crossed him paid the price. O'Malley especially remembered one occasion. ''There was a concessions guy named Lee Morse. He was in his mid-30s, and he weighed about 220,''
He said something to Eddie one day, and Eddie just knocked him cold.''

Another typical Eddie Shore story.

And if one of the local high schools booked the rink to practice from, say, 5 to 6, that did not mean 4:59 to 6:01. You got in the locker room at 5 and you were done with all your business by 6. ''Otherwise,'' chuckled O'Malley, ''it was water off, lights out, and he was out the door.''

There are hundreds of Eddie Shore stories to tell and they are all part of his legend. His toughness was almost legendary even before he had played in the NHL. One time when he played for the Edmonton Eskimos his leg was cut deeply by a skate that required 14 stitches. He was told by the doctor to stay off the leg, yeah right, the next game Shore played full-out and popped all the stitches ending up with his hockey pants soaked in blood.

Or when he played for the Melville Millionaires against Winnipeg in a championship game, his coach told him to not take a penalty no matter what happened. Shore was targeted for the entire game and lost six teeth, suffered a broken nose and a broken jaw and got knocked out a couple of times. After having played a full 50 minutes he was knocked out a third time and was helped off the ice unconscious. He never did draw a penalty...

In the NHL it started right away with his knockdown-dragout fight with teammate Billy Coutu and how he found his own doctor to sew his ear back on. Or when he missed the team train to Montreal, hired a cab to take him there, took over the wheel when he decided the driver wasn't making good enough time, crashed the cab, hiked to a farm house, persuaded the farmer to hitch a sleigh to take him to the nearest train, arrived in Montreal 22 hours after he left Boston, and scored the game's only goal.

And then there is the unofficial record that Eddie holds that is sure never to be beaten - most fighting majors in a single game.

On November 23, 1929 the Boston Bruins were playing the Montreal Maroons. Eddie Shore got five fighting majors in that game, something that has never been equaled to this day, and since a player automatically gets tossed out from the game after three fights, this record seems to stand eternally.

Shore, who's reputation was the only thing more feared than his fists, got into a fight with the Maroons' Buck Boucher. At the completion of the fight he picked up his stick and proceeded to butt end Dave Trottier, who just happened to be the nearest Maroon. Understandably, the Maroon's spent the rest of the night trying to even the score with Shore. Even though he was extremely fatigued and bruised, Shore never once backed down.

The game had to be stopped in the third period so all the blood could be scraped up. Trottier, Siebert and Shore all ended up in the hospital. Eddie Shore had a broken nose, lost four teeth, had two black eyes a gashed cheekbone, cuts over both eyes and a concussion.

By the way, Boston won the game 4-3.

The All-Star game is played today, in a roundabout way, thanks to Eddie Shore, even though the circumstances leading to it weren't all that pleasant.

On December 12, 1933 at the Boston Garden, Boston played against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Eddie Shore was tripped by Francis "King" Clancy in the Toronto zone. As he was skating back, he mistakenly checked Toronto's Irvine "Ace" Bailey from behind, it was a devastating body check intended for Clancy as a retaliation for the trip earlier. Bailey fell and hit his head on the ice and fractured his skull, he lay twisted and twitching in a seizure-like state Bailey had two brain operations and hovered between life and death for 10 days. Bailey eventually recovered but his hockey career was finished. Shore didn't show much remorse. He wasn't exactly the touchy-feely type. He was a hockey player's hockey player, perfectly willing to
endure pain if it meant he could inflict his fair share, although the Bailey hit was an accident.
At that time Shore received a record 16 game suspension for the incident.

The injury resulted in the NHL creating an all star squad to play the Toronto Maple Leafs in a benefit game for Bailey and his family. The game was played in Toronto in 1947. The Leafs, wearing jerseys that said "ACE" across them, would end up losing to the NHL All Stars. It would become the annual mid-season All Star Game.

The hit would plague Shore's reputation as a goon and perhaps hindered him from the true acclaim he deserves. The Hockey News recently named him the 10th best player of all time.

He is the only defenseman to ever win the Hart Trophy on 4 occasions. He also was on an NHL all star team 8 times, and was part of two Stanley Cup winning teams in 1929 and 1939.

When the topic of greatest defenseman is brought up, almost everybody says Bobby Orr, a worthy recipient of such acclaim It is such a shame that most people today did not get to see Eddie Shore play. If we had, then perhaps we would all unanimously agree that Shore was the greatest defenseman of all time. Regardless, he is one of the all time Legends of Hockey.

He was a legend as a player and a legend as an owner, and no other individual in the sport's history can make that statement

We could go on mentioning a lot more of the hilarious stories that Shore was involved in as a player and coach, but that could make an entire book. His 978 stitches, 4 broken noses and 5 broken jaws gives us a pretty good picture of his playing style and toughness.

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.

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.

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.

Eddie Shore and that Old Time Hockey

You think hockey players nowadays are tough? Check out this story from C. Michael Hiam's new book Eddie Shore and that Old-Time Hockey.

Hiam is describing run-in between a young Eddie Shore - with "a reputation of being afraid of nothing" - and Billy Coutu - described as "simply vicious." Coutu singled out the young Shore, but, to the amazement of many onlookers, Coutu took the worst of it, hit so hard by Shore it was as if Coutu was hit by a truck.

We'll let Hiam, with quotes from Shore himself, tell the story from here.

"The victor, however, did not emerge from the encounter unscathed. Shore was bleeding profusely because Coutu's head 'had smashed into my ear and torn it off. There was just a little piece of skin holding it on."

The Bruins team doctor told Shore there was no way to reattach it. Shore calmly wrapped his head, put on his street clothes and spent the better part of the day visiting medical clinics searching for a doctor who would do the procedure.

Back to Hiam's and Shore's words:

"Shore made the rounds of the medical offices in the city. 'They all said just what the doctor told me,' he later recalled. 'It was not possible to save the ear. Just before office hours for the day ended, I ran across a fellow who was more encouraging. He asked me what type of anesthetic I wanted. I told him just to give me a small mirror. That way, I could watch the kind of stitching he did. I made him change the very last stitch. If I had not done that, he'd have left a scar. I told him I was just a farm boy who did not want his looks messed up."

Hiam's book Eddie Shore and that Old-Time Hockey is full of little stories like that, making his Shore biography a fun adventure. It was a different time with some crazy characters, and Hiam tries his best to bring it all back to life.

An Eddie Shore biography is long overdue, and comes with high expectations. The problem is, and the reason why no one really has properly written about Shore before, is many of the details are near impossible to find if not lost forever. Written records of Shore's youth and early career are pretty sparse at best, and first hand accounts are long gone.

Read the full book review at Hockey Book Reviews.com

Clancy Wanted No Part Of Shore

King Clancy was as pugnacious of a competitor that the NHL has ever seen, but in one particular game during the 1930-31 NHL season he found a unique way to avoid a fight with Boston's punishing bruiser Eddie Shore.

Clancy had knocked Shore into the boards, angering Shore who got up without his gloves and stick and ready to attack. But what Clancy did next shocked everyone, especially Shore. He dropped his gloves and stick, but only to immediately shake Shore's hand and inquire about his health.

The stunt apparently was so funny that even Shore could only chuckle.

Eddie Shore on Eddie Shore

In 1975 Boston Bruins great Eddie Shore comment on his career in an interview with John Devaney and Burt Goldblatt for the book entitled The Stanley Cup:

"They always said I was vicious. I wasn't. I just knew how to hit. When did you ever see a hockey player who was a good fighter? Never. And why? Because they carry their weight forward when they skate. When they throw a punch, they don't have their weight behind a punch. I skated with my knees bent and with my weight behind me and when I hit I put all my weight behind me and when I hit I put all my weight behind the swing. I'm 71 years old now and I can still hit a golf ball 280 yards because I know how to swing."

75 Years Ago: Eddie Shore Ends Ace Bailey's Career

December 12th, 1933. The Boston Gardens plays hosts to 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 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 and fractured his skull. He lay twisted and twitching in a seizure-like state. Bailey had two brain operations and hovered between life and death for 10 days.

Bailey eventually recovered to live a normal life but his hockey career was finished.
The lasting legacy of this incident was the birth of the All Star Game. 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. Bailey and Shore shook hands and embraced at centre ice before the game began.