Boston Bruins Legends

Jack McGill

2012-02-13T19:06:00.000-08:00

Jack McGill may have been the greatest hockey superstar who never was.

A junior star out of Edmonton, McGill spent his first pro season apprenticing with the Boston Bruins farm team. He absolutely lit up the EAHL with the Boston Olympics, scoring an amazing 34 goals and 68 points in 36 games.

Later in the season the Bruins became depleted by players enrolling to participate in World War II. On top of that the great Dit Clapper got hurt, and then ace playmaker Bill Cowley, who would later retire as the NHL's all time leading scorer. McGill was the obvious fill in at center ice.

McGill immediately was slotted in on the top line, centering Eddie Wiseman and Roy Conacher. When Cowley returned McGill continued his strong play while centering Gordie Bruce and Dutch Hiller

McGill put up unreal numbers. In 13 games he scored 8 goals, 11 assists and 19 points. That translates into 30 goals, 41 assists and 71 points in a full 48 game season. He was hot in the playoffs, too. He scored 4 goals and 5 points in 5 post season games.

Needless to say McGill impressed many in his short stint in the NHL. But like so many young NHL players at the time, World War II would call upon McGill's services. He joined the Canadian army, and was stationed in Ottawa. He continued to play hockey in his 3 lost seasons.

For whatever reason, Jack McGill could not find his brilliance when he returned the Bruins line up after the war. He would play in 84 games over three seasons from 1945 through 1948, but only scored another 15 goals and 25 assists. He spent a lot of time playing in the AHL, where he found his game. In 338 AHL games he scored 141 goals and 432 points.

Jack McGill set the NHL on fire when he first arrived. World War II robbed him of the next three seasons, but it is still hard to understand how he never found his younger game upon his return from the Canadian army.

Special Thanks to Derek Thurber

Dallas Smith

2012-01-29T09:45:00.000-08:00

This is Dallas Smith, a tough, stay at home defenseman who often played along side a more offensive defense partner you may have heard of - Bobby Orr.

Smith did not make the Bruins right away. He played 5 games in the 1959-60 season and a full 70 in 1960-61. After that he played only 9 games until the NHL expanded in 1967. He was toiling in places like Pittsburgh, Portland, San Francisco and Oklahoma City.

Once the NHL doubled in size in 1967 there became twice as many jobs in the NHL. Smith played an unheralded role with the high scoring Bruins for the next ten seasons. They would win Stanley Cups in 1970 and 1972.

Smith was Orr's defensive stop-gap. He was good for around 30 points a year himself. You can imagine how most of those points came about. "Here Bobby, take the puck." Next thing you know its in the net.

Smith was also the answer to an interesting trivia question. In 1967-68 the NHL first recorded the +/- stat. With a +33, Smith was the very first season leader in this category. A few years later he would post a +94, 124. which remains the 4th highest +/- ever recorded. Orr, by the way, set the record that same season with a +124. Smith probably would have posted a higher mark himself, but on a couple dozen goals orchestrated by Orr Smith more than likely had already headed to the bench on a line change!

Smith ended up with a career +335. He also scored 55 goals, 252 assists and 307 points in 890 NHL games. He also played in four straight All-Star games from 70-71 to 73-74.

Smith retired in 1976, but after a season off he came back to the NHL. Former Bruins teammate Phil Esposito thought so highly of this underrated defender that he convinced him to come out of retirement and join him in New York to play with the Rangers.

His teammates called him ‘Half Ton’ not because of his size, but because whenever they were in a different city playing, he’d look for half-ton trucks to buy. Why? Because he needed them for his off-season job. Smith was a farmer back home Manitoba. He continued to own farmland for many years even though he eventually moved to Oregon.

Art Jackson

2012-01-27T12:41:00.000-08:00

Art Jackson was the younger brother of Hall of Famer Busher Jackson. The brothers played together for short periods of time in both Toronto and Boston.

Art was a heck of a player in his own right. In the 1930s and 1940s he played in 468 games mostly between Toronto and Boston, with a season with the New York Americans. He scored a total of 123 goals and 301 points.

Playing behind superstars Bill Cowley and Milt Schmidt, Art Jackson often centered the Bruins third line with Herb Cain and Terry Reardon. Their job was to shut down the opposition, something Jackson excelled at. He also did so cleanly, only picking up 144 career penalty minutes.

During the years of World War II depleted rosters of 1942 and 1943 Jackson and Cain moved up to a line with the classy veteran Cowley. Jackson responded with his best two seasons statistically, scoring 22 and 28 goals, and 53 and 69 points, respectively. Not bad at all for a 50 game schedule.

Jackson also led the Bruins in the playoffs in 1943, scoring 6 goals and 9 points in 9 games. The Bruins did not win the Stanley Cup that year, but Jackson did help the Bruins win in 1941. He also celebrated another Stanley Cup championship in Toronto in 1945.

Jackson went on to coaching Junior “A” hockey in St. Catharines, Ontario, and worked at the Port Weller Dry Docks Ltd. in St. Catharines. He passed away in 1971, suffering a heart attack at the age of 55.

Art Chapman

2012-01-27T12:16:00.000-08:00

Art Chapman quietly played ten seasons in the National Hockey League. He was far from a notable goal scorer, but was described as "a smooth operating centre and good playmaker."

Art Chapman played his junior hockey in Winnipeg and senior hockey with the Winnepeg Falcons and then Port Arthur. He turned pro with Springfield of the Canadian-American league, then played with the Providence Reds.

The Boston Bruins signed him in 1930-31. Art Ross was in an experimental mood and Chapman was used in various combinations, playing on lines with Harold Darragh and Red Beattie, George Owen and Percy Galbraith, Bill Touhey and Eddie Burke or Joe Jerwa and Joe Lamb in 3 and 1/2 seasons with the Bruins.

Chapman was traded to the New York Americans during the 1933-34 season with Bob Gracie for Lloyd Gross and George Patterson, and the next season was joined on the wings by Sweeney Schriner and Lorne Carr, and this combination was the main attraction of the star-spangled crew for the next five years.

Chapman finished 6th in NHL scoring with 9 goals, a league-leading 34 assists for 43 points in 1934-35. He set up Schriner and Carr for their goals.In 1936-37, he made the second all-star team despite his team's last place finish.

He began to fade in 1937-38, but the Amerks had depth that year and finished second in the Canadian Division and pulled a big upset, beating their powerful rivals, the Rangers, in a classic overtime goal Carr scored to win the series, and the Amazing Amerks almost beat Chicago, but fell in the third and deciding game.

When Schriner was traded to Toronto, Chapman and Carr played with Harvey Jackson in 1939-40, but this was the final NHL season for Art as a player in the NHL and he retired after the playoffs.

Red Dutton hired him as his assistant coach but by December 18th, 1941, Dutton stepped down as coach and gave Chapman the job, deciding to concentrate on the ownership and management of the team. After winning four and losing four, the Amerks went right back to losing and finished last again.

After the Americans folded in September 1942,Chapman decided to pull on a uniform and became player-coach of the AHL's Buffalo Bisons. He led them to two straight Calder Cups and then eventually would coach the Vancouver Canucks of the Western League. In 1953-54, he coached them to a first place finish.

Chapman was born May 29th, 1906, and died January 1st, 1963

Gordie Bruce

2012-01-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

Gordie Bruce is hardly the best known player in Boston Bruins history. He only played 28 regular season games plus 7 in the playoffs. He spent most of his 11 seasons with the Hershey Bears of the AHL.

Most of his action came in 1941-42 as a war replacement player. The famous Kraut Line of Milt Schmidt, Bobby Bauer and Woody Dumart were all serving in the Canadian Armed Forces. Fellow star Bill Cowley was unable to play with an injury. Bruce came up for 15 games, scoring a respectable 4 goals and 12 points.

The highlight of that season came in the playoffs. Bruce played in 5 post season games, scoring 2 goals and 5 points. His two goals came in a 3-2 win in the clinching game against Chicago. He then notched three assists in game one against Detroit, setting up all of Jack McGill's hat trick goals.

It appeared that the Bruins had found themselves an up and coming player in Gordie Bruce. Then, like so often happened during the War, Bruce was enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces. He would spend the next three hockey seasons serving his country, essentially costing him a NHL career.

When he returned to hockey in 1946 he played 4 strong seasons in Hershey but aside from a 5 game stint (0 points) he never got a shot at the NHL again.

Special thanks to Derek Thurber

Don Cherry

2012-01-14T15:30:00.000-08:00

Don Cherry. He needs no introduction. He was a controversial and more successful coach. Then he became a very controversial and even more successful broadcaster.

But not everyone realizes he was once a NHL player.

Well, once being the key word. He played 16 professional seasons totalling about 1150 pro games, but just one time did he play in the National Hockey League.

"As a kid I prayed to God to make me a professional hockey player. I should have specified in the NHL," the man they call "Grapes" is fond of saying.

Hey, at least it was a Stanley Cup playoff game. And no one was more proud than Don Cherry's mother. She made him a whole bunch of home-made cookies and cakes. The Bruins kidded the rookie pretty good about that after the game. Imagine that - a rookie entering the dressing room carrying bags of cookies and cakes. They may have teased him about it, but they were also sure to help themselves. It's not certain that Cherry ever did get to taste any of those celebratory baked goods.

Had it not been for his reincarnation many years later as a successful coach and boisterous television personality that is probably what would be remembered about Don Cherry's NHL career - his mother's baking.

Bob Armstrong

2011-12-16T22:45:00.000-08:00

Bob Armstrong was a solid stay-at-home defenseman who graduated to the Bruins after one season in the AHL with the Hershey Bears. Nicknamed "Satch," Armstrong played 542 NHL games, scoring 13 goals and 99 points.

Bill Quackenbush tutored him as a rookie though he partnered with Leo Boivin for most of this career. Both Armstrong and Boivin were noted hard hitters, making for an intimidating Boston back line. But Armstrong was clean, not picking up a lot of unnecessary penalties, unless of course he somehow lost his gloves and stick. Armstrong was not much of an offensive threat. He never rushed the puck and his odd goal would usually come from a blast at the point.

After 9 solid seasons in a Bruin uniform, Bob was released to the Montreal organization to coach one of their minor league teams in Hull-Ottawa of the Eastern Professional Hockey League. It was in Hull-Ottawa that Bob had a run-in with Don Cherry that merits mention in Don's book, Grapes. What Don failed to mention is that Don broke his stick over Bob's head, giving Bob a concussion.

While Bob was playing for the Bruins, he continued his schooling, eventually earning a degree from the University of Western Ontario. After being traded from the Montreal organization to Toronto, a teaching opportunity opened up at Lakefield College in Peterborough, Ontario and Bob began his second career. Along with teaching history and economics, Bob coached the hockey team.

Bob's son, Ian, played at the school, and later with the Peterborough Petes of the OHA, and in 1983 Ian was drafted by the Bruins, 142nd overall.

Bob passed away in the summer of 1995.

Bert McInenly

2011-12-15T19:49:00.000-08:00

This is Bertram Harold McInenly. He played a full season with each of the Detroit Falcons, New York Americans, Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins in the early 1930s. He spent most of the decade playing in what is now known as the AHL.

Born in Quebec he grew up in Ottawa where he became a notable amateur hockey star. He also excelled at baseball, football, basketball, lacrosse and paddling.

McInenly settled on professional hockey and baseball. He was a home run hitter in a pro league in western Canada while wintering in Detroit, starring on the blue line of the Detroit Olympics of the CPHL. He decided to give up baseball around the same time the Detroit Falcons arrived in the NHL. They were quick to sign up the "local" star.

McInenly also proved to be excellent at multiple spots on the ice. He usually played on defense, but was also used at both center and left wing. When he joined the New York Americans he move up front and scored 12 goals and 18 points in his most productive NHL season.

He returned home to Ottawa in 1932, to great fanfare. Returning to the blue line was a big reason for a quiet season. Early the following season he was moved to Boston, though he mostly played with the minor league Cubs rather than the NHL Bruins. McInenly would get into 43 NHL games with the Bruins over the next three seasons.

All told Bert McInenly played in 166 NHL games. He scored 19 goals, 15 assists and 34 points.

Bert McInenly died in 1993. He was 87 years old.

Jack Portland

2011-12-15T16:25:00.000-08:00

This neat cartoon tells us a lot about what we need to know about Jack Portland, NHL defenseman from 1933 through 1943. He was best known for playing with the Boston Bruins, along side defensive linemate Eddie Shore. He also had two stints with the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks. All told he played 381 NHL games (and 33 more in the playoffs), scoring 15 goals and 71 points (1 goal and 4 points in the playoffs).

As the cartoon states, jumping to professional hockey must have been quite the adjustment for Portland. The native of Collingwood, Ontario apparently never played any serious level of organized hockey prior to turning pro! The only statistical reference for Portland playing prior to joining the Montreal Canadiens in 1933 was a season with the Collingwood Combines in an Ontario senior league!

Perhaps Portland was too busy pursuing other athletic pursuits such as track and field. He participated in the high jump and triple jump events at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He was the national high jump champion in 1930, 1931 and 1932 and finished in 7th place in the LA Games. Not bad considering he was completely self taught.

From there he went on to the NHL, but only after eschewing opportunities to play pro football both in Canada and the United States. He was also a notable baseball player. The Montreal Canadiens signed Portland at the recommendation of former NHL player turned scout Bert Corbeau.

In the NHL Portland was always overshadowed by flashier stars such as Shore. He was a rugged, capable defender, burly and heavy at well over 200lbs. He was far from the fastest or most agile skater. In fact when he broke into the league he looked so awkward that he heard the cat calls from Montreal fans. That led to his departure from Montreal. He really found his game in Boston where he helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 1939.

World War II ended his career prematurely. He left to serve in the Canadian military in 1943. Unlike a lot NHL players who served in World War II, it appears Portland did not play with military teams during his service time. There is no statistical evidence to suggest he did play.

He attempted to return to the ice in 1946, but was cut by the Montreal Canadiens. Interestingly, though he was not bitter about being cut, he never set foot in the Montreal Forum again until 1990 when he attended a game between Montreal and Boston.

Red Beattie

2011-12-15T15:47:00.000-08:00

This is John "Red" Beattie. He played 335 NHL games in the 1930s, mostly with the Boston Bruins but also with the Detroit Red Wings and New York Americans. He scored 62 goals, 85 assists and 147 points.

Beattie was a notable scorer in his pre-NHL days, including with the Vancouver Lions of the PCHL at the close of the 1920s. He was so well thought of the Bruins and New York Rangers fought over his NHL rights. The Rangers were actually awarded Beattie, but the Bruins boss Art Ross paid the handsome price of $25,000 (remember this was during the Great Depression) for Beattie and Joe Jerwa.

Ross may have been happy to get his man, but he could not have been too happy when Beattie suffered a broken leg in what promised to be his first full NHL season. He only played in one game in 1931-32.

Beattie recovered and became a very serviceable defensive winger, noted for blanketing such stars as Charlie Conacher and Bill Cook. He put up decent numbers himself, but was never nearly as celebrated as many of his teammates like Bill Cowley or Dit Clapper or Eddie Shore.

Beattie is the answer to a pretty unique NHL trivia question. On March 25th, 1937 he was called for the first ever NHL playoff penalty shot when he fell on the puck in front of his own goal. Boston goalie Tiny Thompson stopped Montreal Maroons' Lionel Conacher much to the relief of Beattie, I'm sure.

Born in Ibstock, England in 1907, Beattie passed away in 1990.

Jim "Peggy" O'Neill

2011-12-15T14:38:00.000-08:00

This is James (Jim) Beaton "Peggy" O'Neill. The native of Semans, Saskatchewan played 156 NHL games in the 1930s, mostly with the Boston Bruins but also with the Montreal Canadiens. He later coached the Fenn College Foxes hockey team.

Of course the only question people ever ask about this long forgotten player nowadays is, "How did he get the nickname Peggy?"

I do not know the answer in full certainty, but it appears that "Peggy O'Neill" was a very popular song in the 1920s, especially in New England. Perhaps the name stuck from there.

O'Neill the hockey player (also listed as O'Neil by some sources) did not score very often. In those 156 games he had just 6 goals plus 30 assists. And he was a forward, not a defenseman!

Bobby Orr

2011-11-21T23:07:00.000-08:00

"He's the perfect hockey player."

Those are the words of Boston coach/GM Harry Sinden, who had the best look at Orr on a nightly basis and insists Orr is the best player ever because he blended extraordinary talent and a brand of toughness that no one else has ever possessed.

"(Gordie) Howe could do everything, but not at top speed. (Bobby) Hull went at top speed but couldn't do everything. The physical aspect is absent from (Wayne) Gretzky's game. Orr would do everything, and do it at top speed."

To make matters even more interesting, Orr was the sport's most dominant player, arguably its perfect player, and he did from the blue line. By doing so Orr revolutionized the game of hockey. His slick passing and playmaking and his end to end rushes were unheard of by a defenseman. Only the very very best forwards would try a solo effort. Orr did it seemingly effortlessly, and so convincingly, therefore forever changing the hockey landscape.

Perhaps the great writer Jack Falla sums it up best:

“Orr had broken scoring records by such huge margins and played with such creativity and abandon as to alter a half century of tactical hockey orthodoxy about the proper role of a defenseman.”

Before Bobby Orr defensemen were counted on primarily for defensive purposes. They would rarely join a rush, never mind lead one. They stayed in front of the net and helped clear the puck out of the defensive zone. Their main job offensively was to get the puck out of their end and create a quick transition game. The best players would almost always be forwards.

But the kid from Parry Sound, Ontario played like a forward, while still delivering sound defense. His display of end to end rushes and his mastery on the point of the power play changed the way offense was generated, and how defenses would cover them. He was simply the most skilled player the NHL has ever seen, even more so than Wayne Gretzky or even Mario Lemieux, both of whom benefit from the game revolutionized by Orr.

Orr won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1967. He would finished second in scoring among defenseman with 13 goals and 41 points, astounding numbers in those days. Harry Howell won the Norris Trophy that year, but was quoted after being named the winner - "I might as well enjoy it (Norris Trophy) now, because I expect it's going to belong to Bobby Orr from now on." He would be proven correct.

By 1969 Orr set an NHL record for defensemen scoring with 64 points including 21 goals. The following season he would nearly double that point total to 120 points based on 33 goals and 87 assists, becoming the first defenseman to score 100 points in a season, and the first (and only) to lead the league in scoring! In three years Orr obliterated scoring records not only for defensemen, but for all players.

The 1970-71 season was Orr's best statistically, as he piled in an amazing 139 points based on 37 goals and 102 assists. No player had ever scored 100 assists in one season before, and only two have since (Gretzky and Lemieux). Remember, this was all before Wayne Gretzky's offensive rewriting of the record books. These numbers were even more mind-boggling than Gretzky's considering Orr was a defenseman, and the era he played in.

1974-75 would rival the 1970-71 season as Orr was on a mission to become the first defenseman to score 50 goals. He came up just short, finishing with 46, but added 89 helpers for 135 points. No defenseman has ever scored 50 goals since, although Paul Coffey bettered Orr's total by 2.

All this time Orr was bothered by knee surgeries. However he managed to play a full schedule for the most part. During his prime he played 75-80 games, with the 1972-73 season being the lone exception. He played in only 63 that year, yet still managed 101 points.

He would end up winning the Norris Trophy as best defenseman for 8 consecutive years. In 1970 he became the first player in history to win down four individual trophies in one season. He won the Norris, Art Ross (Top scorer), Hart (MVP) and Conn Smythe (MVP in playoffs). He ended up with 3 Harts and 2 Smythe Trophies, as well as two Stanley Cup rings.

Speaking of Stanley Cups, Orr may have scored the most famous playoff goal in hockey history. Orr's overtime goal that won the final game of the playoffs and brought the Cup back to Beantown for the first time in 29 years. Just 40 seconds into overtime of game four, Orr took a centering pass from Derek Sanderson right in the slot and shot it past a sprawling St. Louis Blues goaltender, Glenn Hall. As soon as the puck hit the back of the net, Blues defenseman Noel Picard would hook Orr's skate with his stick, sending Orr flying through the air. The picture of Orr celebrating the winning goal in mid-flight will forever be etched in the minds of hockey fans all around the world.

Orr finished his career with 270 goals and 915 points in 657 games, absolutely mind boggling numbers for a defenseman. He remains as the only defenseman to lead the NHL in scoring. He held 12 individual records at the time of his retirement. He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1979. Perhaps the greatest accolade given to Orr was the by the fans. The Boston Globe once conducted a poll of New Englanders to determine who was the greatest athlete in Boston history. It was not Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Bob Cousy, Bill Russell or Larry Bird. The winner was Number Four, Bobby Orr.

Often overlooked is Orr's physical attributes. He was a ferocious body checker and an astute shot blocker. People would often tell Bobby not to sacrifice his body, because his knees couldn't handle the punishment, and he was good enough to play without that abuse. Bobby would simply reply "It's the only way I know how to play."

Orr's brilliant career was shortened by bad knees. Had he been able to continue for a few more years, maybe there would be no question as to who is the greatest of all time.

In January 1998, The Hockey News named Orr the second greatest player of all time, behind only Wayne Gretzky. He would finish just 13 polling points out of first, and 13 points ahead of third place Gordie Howe. I think that proves the three stars from different eras are on a level all on their own.

Howe dominated the way hockey was always played, up and down the wing, bash and crash and physically intimidate. Gretzky would dominate the all offense era of fast skating and high scoring. Some how the game had changed between the Howe and Gretzky eras. Bobby Orr was largely instrumental in the revolutionization of hockey. One can only imagine how much more he would have altered the game had he been fortunate enough to stay healthy.

Rick Middleton

2011-11-21T23:06:00.000-08:00

This is "Nifty" Rick Middleton. He was part of one of the more one-sided trades in NHL history.

After a spectacular career in junior with the Oshawa Generals, Middleton started his career in New York with the Rangers, who drafted 14th overall in 1973. He had great speed and puckhandling, but he was not well received in The Big Apple. He was often criticized for being lazy and weak defensively.

The Rangers grew impatient with him, and moved him to Boston. The Bruins offered the aging Ken Hodge to the Rangers, who jumped at the chance to reunite him with Phil Esposito. The two were great together early in the 1970s with the Bruins. The Rangers had hope to rekindle the magic in New York.

Ultimately, that never happened thanks mainly to father time. Middleton, meanwhile, exploded in Boston. He became an exciting fan favorite, even though he was not the typical Boston hockey hero. He was not rough and tumble, but rather a fancy pants with incredible stickhandling ability especially in traffic. Add to that his great skating which featured a couple different gears to change it up and he could deke defenders right on to the highlight reel.

Moreover, Middleton rounded out his game into a solid overall game. And he did it all very cleanly, only collecting 157 penalty minutes in over 1000 NHL games. In 1982 he won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1982.

Middleton, who teamed memorably with Barry Pederson, was Boston's top goal scorer from 1979 through 1984, scoring 38, 40, 44, 51, 49 and 47 goals in respective seasons. Only Mike Bossy, Wayne Gretzky and Marcel Dionne scored more goals in that time frame.

Despite that company, Middleton was never considered to be in that class. Perhaps he was nicely comparable to Lanny McDonald, who was right behind Middleton in goals in that time frame. Lanny was a more physical player, but Middleton, not McDonald was included on Team Canada 1981 and 1984 (playing with Wayne Gretzky). For whatever reason, McDonald (perhaps because he starred in Canada?) is in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Middleton is not.

Rick Middleton played in 1005 NHL games, scoring 448 goals, 540 goals and 998 points. He just missed the 500 goal and 1000 mark plateaus, which are generally considered as musts to be Hall of Fame material. His career was cut short by a nasty concussion. The helmetless Middleton took a puck to the temple in 1986, ending his season. He did return to play two more seasons, but he continued to suffer headaches that eventually ended his career.

Peter McNab

2011-08-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

Peter McNab's dad was a former journeyman hockey player, who won a Stanley Cup with Detroit in 1950, and later went on to become the New Jersey Devils GM for a time, but most of his hockey career was spent in the minor Leagues. Perhaps that is why Peter was one of the first NHL'ers to go the route of US College Hockey before embarking on an NHL career.

After a fine College career Pete signed with Buffalo in 1973. After two full seasons in Buffalo where he scored 22 and 24 goals, Harry Sinden signed Peter as a free agent on June 11, 1976. He then preceded to etch his name among Bruin scoring leaders.

He was a fine puck carrier (though a lumbering skater), with a deadly accurate shot, that saw him notch 82 power play goals in his career. He was an excellent power play performer. Firstly he was excellent on face-offs, so coaches like to put him out to start the PP with possession. He would then park his big frame in front of the net, though he was anything but a dominating physical player. He was not there to simply obstruct the goaltender's view. He had excellent hand skills score from in tight on those loose pucks and rebounds. He also had excellent hand-eye coordination for tip-ins.

Peter's best game as a Bruin came against the Colorado Rockies, February 20, 1979, when he had a hand in all 5 Bruins goals in a 5-3 Bruin victory. When he left the Bruins he ranked in the top ten all-time in goals, assists, points and playoff scoring for the Bruins.

Peter was traded to Vancouver on February 8, 1984 for Jim Nill. After the 1984-85 season in Vancouver, Peter found himself in New Jersey where his GM was also his dad. The contract negotiations must have been the ultimate in allowance discussions between father and son.

McNab retired in 1987 with 954 career games played. He scored 363 goals, 450 assists and 813 points.

Smokey Harris

2011-06-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

This is Smokey Harris. He is the answer to the trivia question "Who scored the first goal in Boston Bruins history?"

The Bruins were the first American NHL based team. Grocery magnate Charles Adams fell in love with hockey after watching the Montreal Canadiens defeat the Calgary Tigers in the 1924 Stanley Cup playoffs. By November Adams was granted a team, and on December 1st, 1924 the Bruins played their first NHL game, hosting their expansion cousins the Montreal Maroons at the Boston Arena.

The Maroons opened the scoring that night, with Dinny Dinsmore scoring on an unassisted effort at the 9 minute mark of the 1st period.

Cue Harris. At 3:30 of the second period he took a pass from Carson "Shovel Shot" Cooper and beat Maroons goaltender Clint Benedict to open the scoring. Exactly 6 minutes later Cooper scored the only other goal of the night, securing the Bruins a 2-1 victory in their very first game.

Despite the good start, the Bruins would have a long season, winning just 6 of 30 games on the schedule, finishing dead last. The Bruins line up featured few names that would go on to star in the NHL: Many were formerly hockey stars on the west coast, including Wilfred "Smokey" Harris.

Harris only played in 6 games with the Bruins that year, scoring 3 goals. For whatever reason the veteran was released and headed back west where he was a legend. People forget that these were the days of the NHL's infancy and many of the PCHA players and teams were every bit as good as the eastern league. But since the NHL eventually won over continental dominance, many of the great western players have been forgotten.

Born in Port Arthur, Ontario, Harris headed west and was a fantastic hockey star for about 20 years from 1911 through 1932. Known as a fast skater, smooth stickhandler and master "hook-checker," Harris was a strong, physical player in the PCHA, starring with the Vancouver Millionaires and Portland Rosebuds. A four time PCHA champion (3 in Vancouver, 1 in Portland), he participated in as many Stanley Cup championship series, too. But he never got his name inscribed on the Stanley Cup.

Harris, who also took regular turns on defense, later extended his career in the California pro league, playing in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

It should be noted that Fred "Smokey" Harris is not the same person as "Smoky" Harris. That's actually his brother Henry, who also starred out west and toiled briefly with the Bruins. The younger sibling seemed to inherit his older brother's nickname at times.

As for the origins of the nickname - that remains a mystery to this author.

Shayne Stevenson

2011-04-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

My first glimpse of Shayne Stevenson came in the 1990 Memorial Cup tournament.

The tournament was televised nationally, thanks to the Oshawa Generals participation in it. They had a certain young phenom that everyone in the country wanted to see - Eric Lindros.

Lindros and the Generals were impressive in winning the Memorial Cup that year. While all eyes were on Lindros, others became noticed too. For me it was Iain Fraser, Dale Craigwell and Mike Craig with the Generals, and with the runner up Kitchener Rangers Steven Rice and Shayne Stevenson.

I first noticed Stevenson because he shared the same name as the kid across the street from my house. But he quickly became my favorite Ranger, playing with heart and desire, and scoring big goal after big goal. This guy was a hockey player.

The Boston Bruins thought so, too. The year previous the Bruins drafted Shayne with their 1st pick, 17th overall. They thought that they had got themselves a Bruin for many years to come. He was drafted ahead of such players like Olaf Kolzig, Adam Foote, Travis Green, Patrice Brisebois and Byron Dafoe to name a few.

Ultimately Stevenson never panned out with the Bruins or in the NHL. He had some maturity issues when he first turned pro, something that surprises me does not happen more often in a world where teenagers are brought into the spotlight with big expectations.

Stevenson never got a fair chance after that. After a total of 19 games (1 assist) he was buried in the minor leagues before being released and signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He only got into 8 games (1 assist) with the Bolts before returning to the minors.

It was unfortunate, as Stevenson's love for hockey could never be questioned. He continued to play, bouncing around the AHL, IHL, CoHL, UHL, WPHL and even in Britain. You don't play for paychecks in some of those leagues. You play because you love the game.

Stevenson finally hung up the blades in 2001. He returned to Newmarket, Ontario and started a family with his wife and three kids. His love for hockey is still very evident, as he is reportedly a very promising coach.

Sailor Herberts

2011-04-13T21:54:00.000-07:00

One of the most underrated early day stars of the National Hockey League was Boston Bruins sensation Jimmy "Sailor" Herberts. Apparently his actual name was Herbert, but he never corrected the media on this. As a result, he is universally known as Herberts.

Jimmy Herberts was born in Cayuga, Ontario back in 1897. He earned the nickname Sailor because he worked as a deckhand on tanker ships on the Great Lakes. He always answered "Ahoy" when directly addressed as Sailor.

He was not a noted amateur star, but became in Boston in 1924-25, he became a star, especially when teamed with Carson "Shovel Shot" Cooper. The duo were dynamic thanks to their quick, short passing game that confused defenses.

The balding Herberts was an early fan favorite in Boston. He was Boston's key man, getting Hart Trophy votes in both of his first two seasons. He scored 17 goals in 30 games in 1924-25, then 26 tallies in 36 games in 1925-26. Furthermore, his brilliant playmaking was credited as the main reason for Cooper's 28 goal outburst in 1926.

Some things never change in Boston, and one of those is Bruins' fans' love of hard nosed hockey. The short tempered Herberts certainly met that standard, using either fist or stick.

Unfortunately his tempered cost him dearly from time to time. He led the Bruins in penalty minutes in his rookie season. In the 1927 Stanley Cup finals he was disgraceful in his attempts to intimidate the referee, resulting in a $50 fine. History has tended to forget his misgivings thanks to his more notorious teammates like Eddie Shore, Sprague Cleghorn and Lionel Hitchman.

With 8 goals (and 22 PIMS) in the opening 12 games of the 1927-28 season, Herberts was off to another strong start. But his heavy drinking and abrasive personality was wearing on the Bruins, so they traded him to Toronto in exchange for Eric Pettinger and cash.

Herberts never got untracked in Toronto, scoring just 7 goals in 31 games to finish the season. He was moved to Detroit before the next season, but in 2 seasons in the Motor City he continued to struggle.

Later in life he was part of a disturbing scandal where he was charged with drunken driving and badly assaulting his estranged wife. She survived, though barely as she was left lying battered and beat on a highway and was almost run over by a passing motorist. Police found Herberts passed out in his car further down the road. When he came to, he could not remember anything.

Herberts settled in Collingwood, Ontario, operating a tourist retreat with cabins on Wasaga Beach. He also coached and refereed for years.

Sailor Herberts died of cancer in 1969.

Special thanks to Derek Thurber

Randy Burridge

2011-04-08T17:34:00.000-07:00

Just 5'9" and 190 pounds, Randy Burridge wasn't the biggest player on the ice. Although he was never afraid of the physical game, Randy quickly learned to use his excellent one-step quickness to become a useful player in the land of giants known as the National Hockey League.

Randy was drafted 157th overall by the Boston Bruins in 1985 after a strong season with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League. He turned pro the following year, but didn't hit his stride until 1987-88 when he scored 27 goals and 55 points. He added 12 points in 23 games as the Bruins unsuccessfully challenged the Edmonton Oilers for the Stanley Cup.

Randy peaked in 1988-89, scoring a career high 31 goals. However injury problems took their toll on the Fort Erie, Ontario native. He would only tally 32 and 28 points in the following two seasons in Boston.
The lowered production and lack of healthy precipitated a trade to Washington. The Capitals moved Stephen Leach to Boston in hopes that Randy could remain healthy and rediscover his scoring touch. Their gamble paid off initially as Randy scored 23 goals and a career high 67 points despite missing 14 games in the 1991-92 regular season.

Disaster struck in training camp 1992 however. Burridge blew out his knee and was forced to undergo surgery which cost him all but 4 games in the regular season. He did return to the lineup in time for the playoffs, where he scored 1 goal in 4 games, although clearly he lacked the extra step because of his long layoff.

Often a blown-out knee can mean the end for a small player who relied on his wheels to succeed in the NHL like Burridge, but Randy made a successful comeback in 1993-94. He played in 78 games and scored 25 goals, but added just 17 assists for 42 points.

The Capitals traded Burridge to Los Angeles early in the lock-out shortened season of 1995. Burridge never got untracked in California, scoring just 4 times in 38 games. He was released at the end of the year.

The Buffalo Sabres signed Randy in time for the 1995-96 season. The move paid off handsomely as Randy, who was seemingly written off by the rest of the league, regained his form when he scored 25 goals and 58 points in 74 games – good enough for second on the Sabres scoring charts.

Randy’s success in Buffalo was fleeting as changes in coaching and management left him out of the Sabres' plans. He would play sparingly over the next two years but by the end of 1997-98 he had his contract bought out by the Sabres.

"I played pretty good for Buffalo when they played me, but they didn't play me all that much," Burridge said. "They wanted to go in a new direction. I was kind of bitter the way it ended."

Randy couldn't find an NHL contract in 1998-99. He ended up splitting the year between Las Vegas Thunder of the IHL and the Hannover Scorpions in Germany. He was all set to hang up the blades after that season when the Detroit Red Wings offered him a training camp try out. Randy went to the camp with the idea that if he couldn't make the team he would retire.

"To move my family to the minors, I don't want to do that. It's not good for the kids. Instead, I'll just say, 'I've had a great career. But I don't want to. Not yet," said Randy at the time.

Unfortunately the great depth of the Red Wings meant that he would not make the NHL team. He was true to his word and to his family, and gave up the game he loved so dearly.

Randy retired with an impressive 199 goals and 450 points in 706 NHL games. He was a strong playoff contributor as well. He scored 18 goals and 52 points in over 100 post season matches.

An Interview With Bob Sweeney by Frederick LaVallee

2011-04-06T20:58:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, March 14th. Again, nervous. Why, oh why? I was working on the phone doing surveys before...it’s the same now, just using more open-ended questions! But there’s nothing I can do about it. This adrenaline that keeps me awake and shaking. Getting to contact my last player was harder than expected, as a few e-mails and even phone calls were exchanged, but I was finally able to get him at 11h AM on that special Tuesday. Just to make sure, I called one minute early....and guess what the guy actually answered? ‘’ You’re a minute early! ‘’

Yeah thanks! That makes me a lot calmer, Bob! ;)

‘’ Just kidding! ‘’ he said when he noticed I was silenced and didn’t know what to say. Too late Bob, the damage is done!

Here is my interview / bio with former Boston Bruins centre Bob Sweeney!

Robert Sweeney, was born on January 25th, 1964 in Boxborough, Massachusetts. It’s a small town of about 5300 people about an hour away from Boston. Young Robert got into hockey at an early age...

"The main reason was definitely the Boston Bruins, they won the Cup when I was six in 1970 and again in 1972. They were on top of the world at that time, so to speak. Hockey was big at the time in the Boston area."

There was always action in the Sweeney house, as Bob had one brother and five sisters! But when he wanted to cool off, he had a pond near his house that he could skate on in the winter...and he was not the only one...

"My older brother played hockey and three of my sisters were figure skaters. My father is a builder by trade, the last two things he built two arenas in 1972. So you could say I’m from an athletic family," said a proud Sweeney.

Like many players from Massachusetts, the former Boston College forward had the opportunity to play alongside a least one future NHLer...

"At a young age and for a long time, my goalie was Tom Barrasso. I also played three years with him in High School."

And the best memories he has from his younger hockey years?

"The bus trips we had to Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal. I played with pretty good teams, and we won what is now known as the Bell Cup back in the day. Getting on the bus and being with the team was a lot of fun back then..."

Robert Sweeney was drafted out of high school by the Boston Bruins in 1982 in the 6th round. He was noticed in a tournament and thought his chances of going soon enough in the draft to come were good...

"Scotty Bowman, who was the coach for the Buffalo Sabres, came to look at me during an all-star tournament when I was in High School. I didn’t have a good tournament and I think I probably would’ve been drafted higher, but things happen for a reason. Scotty finally got a bigger look at Tom (Barrasso) and the Sabres drafted him the next year," said the former Bruins center, who ended up being drafted by the team of his dreams after all...

After being drafted, Bob went to study and play hockey at Boston College for four years. He studied in marketing management there and played with the College’s hockey team, the Eagles. He won the Beanpot tournament in 1983 ( for those who don’t know, the Beanpot is a tournament organized each year between four college team rivals from the Boston area ) and played alongside players such as Ken Hodge Jr., Doug Brown and Kevin Stevens...

"Winning the Beanpot and being named MVP of the Tournament as a Freshmen was something I’ll always remember. We had great players at BC but we didn’t win anything significant for my last three years there. I had fun there and having an education to fall back on...it’s priceless. I’m using it as we speak ," said the former Bruins number 20.

After Sweeney completed his scholarship, he joined the Boston Bruins organization, and got to divide his time between the AHL Moncton Golden Flames and the NHL during his first pro season. He even got to play the first 14 games of his career with the Bruins. When asked about the circumstances of his first game, here’s what he had to say...

"It was a Saturday afternoon game against the Calgary Flames, which was kind of ironic because it’s the team we shared our farm club with in Moncton. Played with Brett Hull and Gary Roberts there and Gary was up for the Flames at that time. The game was played on Januray 24th, a day before my birthday. The day before, I was in Maine to play the Mariners and the assistant coach came in the room as said ‘’ Someone is going to Boston and it’s you! ‘’ It was a dream come true. Playing in your hometown for your first game was quite the experience. "

Ironically, Bob scored his first goal in the NHL on former high-school teammate Tom Barrasso on January 26th, 1987...

"I was playing with Cam (Neely) and Rick Middleton. I started with Dwight Frost and Jay Miller in my first game. Don’t know if there were injuries, but I got some more ice time the next game playing with Cam and Ricky. It was great to get the opportunity to get some quality ice time. I received a pass and went to a two on one with Cam. Mike Ramsey was the defenceman for the Sabres and I knew he loved to try and slide to block the pass so I faked the pass and he went down, so I cut to the net and took a shot and it went past Barrasso."

The former Beanpot winner played six seasons for the Boston Bruins and he had the chance of playing alongside tremendous players such as Raymond Bourque and Cam Neely, amongst others. He went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1988 and 1990, only to lose to an Edmonton team that just had too much talent in its ranks. Many hockey players describe their appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals as the best moments of their careers...

"Actually, the road to getting there would be a better memory....the second time we felt was our opportunity. But we had eight day off between before the Finals because we swept the Capitals before facing the Oilers. We were rusty...you can say we were rested, but it was too much time. Losing that first game in triple overtime...that was just devastating," said a disappointed Sweeney, referring to Petr Klima’s brutal overtime killer against the Bruins at the Gardens in the 1990 Stanley Cup Finals opener.

In October of 1992, the Boxborough, Massachusetts native leaves Boston and goes to Buffalo through the waivers. There again, he gets to play with great stars like Alexander Mogilny, Pat Lafontaine and Dominik Hasek. He stayed there for three years, enjoying little, but unforgettable, playoff success...

"One of my best memories there has to be beating the Bruins in the first round the first year after I left Boston. We were heavy underdogs against Boston...they finished 30 points ahead of us in the regular season and they had beaten us eight times in a row during the season against them. We were well prepared by coach John Muckler. I scored the game winner in overtime in game 1...in Boston. It was very special," said the former Buffalo forward, who would see his team beaten despite fighting very hard against the Canadiens in the second round.

Sweeney’s NHL career ended with short stints with the Flames and the Islanders, as he played his last NHL game in 1996 with the Isles. But he was not done with hockey, as he played pro for another five years after that. In his first ‘’Post-NHL’’ season, he joined the Quebec Rafales for a year.

"There was a Boston connection there, believe it or not. Joe Bocchino was the GM there and Scott Gordon, a former classmate of mine at Boston College, was the assistant coach. I didn’t know what I was gonna do...I went to Pittsburgh at the end of the training camp in September for five days but it didn’t work out. Scott called me and he invited me to play for the Rafales. Quebec was always one of my favourite cities of the NHL...I went there often during my career. I like the downtown area...the restaurants...the fans were very passionate there."

After his season in the IHL, he played four years in Germany, for three different teams. Back in the 90’s, Europe was not as popular a choice as it is today for North-American hockey players.

"There was a guy on the Quebec team, Chris Kontos, who had a connection over there. He put me in touch with the guy...making the decision of doing it was not easy. But I still wanted to play, no matter what level it would be. I still felt I could play. First year was rough, I started with a team with financial difficulties. Went to Frankfurt after, which was a good experience. Lots of North Americans like John Chabot, Len Barrie and guys I played against in the NHL. It was a great atmosphere for me and my wife and kids there. They went to an English speaking school. My last two years in Munich were great...I ended up winning my only championship as a pro there...and I used to kid Raymond Bourque about that before he won the Cup...but he finally did it. There were a lot of players in Germany and it was a good place to continue your career... Robert retired from Pro Hockey in 2001 after 639 NHL games and about 200 more in the IHL and DEL. I asked him what he missed the most about his playing days.

"Any player will tell you the same thing...the camaraderie in the locker room...just being a kid. Doing what you love to do, go to the rink everyday and skate. That’s the hardest part when you leave the game. You have to find another passion, so to speak. That for me, was becoming the President of the Boston Bruins Alumni Association when Johnny Bucyk retired (in 2003). And I had a tragedy in my life...I lost my sister-in-law on 9/11 and that’s what transcended into the position I’m at today...with all the interest and passion to help out my brother and his kids, and the people of Massachusetts. I did that on and off for a couple of years and raised money for 9/11 to help out the spouses and children from the people affected from September 11th. Kept going on with the Alumni, and got this opportunity to come back full circle by coming back with the Bruins and run their Foundation. It’s something I enjoy, helping kids, working with all children’s charities throughout New England."

Sweeney has been the President of the Boston Bruins Alumni Association since 2003 and he was named Director of Development for the Boston Bruins Foundation in 2007. With both these organisations, he participated in numerous charitable events over the years, even winning the Ace Bailey Good Guy Award in 2009 for his great actions towards the children of his community.

"It was something very dear to me because my family and Ace Bailey’s are tied together by 9/11 ( Bailey and Sweeney’s sister in law were in the planes that crashed on that infamous day of September 2001 ). I’m very honoured to have won it. It’s something I look at everyday in my office...I’m looking at it now. I’m happy that they recognized me and I enjoy helping out people."

I had one last question for Mr. Sweeney, as I wanted to know how the family was since his sister-in-law’s death almost ten years ago...

"Her children are now 15 and 13. It’s hard to believe that this will be ten years already. It’s an everyday struggles, but my sisters have been around and one of my sisters helps my brother two days a week for different activities with the kids. But my brother Michael is a survivor, and he’s been doing better and he’s been dating a woman for a couple of years now."

Bob Sweeney is now 47 years old, is married and he has three boys who all play hockey. They are respectively aged 16, 14 and 10, and they play lacrosse as well. They were all coached by their father along the way...the athletics in the family are not to die anytime soon!

I would like to thank Bob Sweeney for his time and honesty.

Frederick LaVallee is a 30 year-old Quebecer from Montreal who has loved hockey since the 1988-89 season. He is a Habs fan, but a hockey fan first and foremost. Most of his work is written in French, but he wanted to share his passion with more English readers. One day he hopes to become a hockey historian/journalist and travel around the world to write about the coolest sport on earth!

Dmitri Kvartalnov

2011-04-03T18:43:00.000-07:00

I guess Dmitri Kvartalnov never really impressed NHL scouts in the 1980s. He played under the radar with Khimik Voskresensk, becoming a regular from 1986 through 1991. Only twice did he represent the mighty CCCP internationally, including at the 1989 World Championships where the team won gold.

But as the Iron Curtain lifted and Russian players started fleeing to the National Hockey League, Kvartalnov attracted little interest. But he was determined to come to North America. He signed with the San Diego Gulls of the IHL. The Californian sunshine compared to the deep Russian winter was an immediate win for him.

The move played out better than even Kvartalnov could have hoped. Playing alongside Len Hachborn and a young Ray Whitney, Dmitri exploded for 60 goals and 118 points in 77 games. He was the face of the IHL, a league which was becoming more and more respected in the 1990s.

This was Dmitri's ticket to the National Hockey League. The Boston Bruins, one of the last teams to get in on the Soviet exodus, selected Kvartalnov 16th overall in the weak 1992 NHL Entry Draft.

At first the fit seemed better than perfect. Playing alongside Adam Oates and Joey Juneau, Kvartalnov exploded out of the gates in record fashion. The 26 year old set a rookie record (since broken) by scoring at least one point in each of his first 14 NHL games. Kvartalnov tallied 12 goals and 10 assists in his impressive debut. He would slow down, but still finished his rookie season with 30 goals and 42 assists for 72 points in 73 games.

But all was not well on the inside. Surprisingly the Bruins left him unprotected in the expansion draft, and despite his rookie campaign. Perhaps more surprisingly, he went unclaimed.
Upon his return to Boston for year two he immediately landed in coach Brian Sutter's dog house. Kvartalnov was a soft, individualistic player who shied away from the physical game - pretty much the exact type of one-dimensional player Sutter could not stand. After half a season Kvartalnov was waived to the minor leagues, never to return to the NHL again.

Kvartalnov left North America at the end of that 1993-94 season. He found big money in Europe, which is where he played for another 13 seasons before retiring in 2007. He starred in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Finland, and of course back home in Russia with several teams, most notably Kazan Ak-Bars.

Mike Milbury

2011-04-02T21:04:00.000-07:00

A lot of hockey fans will remember Mike Milbury as bad. Bad coach. Bad GMs - highlight by some horrible trades. Bad television. Bad hair. And as you can see in the photo to the right, he even had bad hockey cards.

But Mike Milbury was not a bad hockey player. The Colgate educated Brighton, MA resident found a home on the Boston Bruins blue line for 11 seasons, totaling 754 games. He scored 49 goals, 189 assists for 238 points, while accumulating a healthy 1552 penalty minutes. He was slow but scrappy, playing a nice depth role with the Bruins in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Only Terry O'Reilly spent more time in the penalty box while wearing a Bruins jersey.

That being said, and not forgetting all the bad trades he later made as general manager of the New York Islanders, "Mad Mike" will always be remembered for one thing: scaling the glass to beat up a fan with his own shoe:

Milbury was suspended 6 games and fined $500 for the incident.

Woody Dumart

2011-03-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

Coach Lynn Patrick called him Porky, but he was best known as Woody. Woody Dumart was one third of the Boston Bruins famed Kraut Line along with fellow Kitchener Kids Milt Schmidt and Bobby Bauer.

Named after the American president at the time, Woodrow Wilson Clarence Dumart was born on December 23rd, 1916 in Kitchener, Ontario. Actually, back then it was named Berlin, but they renamed the city due to Germany's role in World War I.

Like most of the kids in Kitchener, Woody fell in love with the game of hockey, playing it on the frozen outdoors ponds and sloughs. Soon enough he and his friends caught the eyes of the bird dogs of the Boston Bruins. All three would sign on with the B's.

The three famous linemates did not play on the same line as youths or in junior. In fact, Dumart played defense for much of his youth. It was not until the three turned pro that they became a line. Former NHLer Battleship Leduc first put them together when he was coaching the Providence Reds in the AHL during the 1936-37 season. Battleship even coined their original nickname - the Sauerkraut Line.

The following season the three became NHL regulars, and their play was anything but sour. Bauer was a sniper. Schmidt was the complete center. Dumart was the standout defensive left winger with a timely scoring touch. His hard work made him a natural leader and fan favorite.

By 1939 the Kitchener Kids could also call themselves Stanley Cup champions. That season was special for the line. The trio became the first line in NHL history to finish 1-2-3 in league scoring. They would win another Stanley Cup in 1941.

World War II interrupted their run. All served in Canada's war efforts, although in their case they were not very close to battle. They were stationed in Ottawa and played hockey with the Royal Canadian Air Force team, winning the Allan Cup as Canada's amateur champions in 1942. Dumart actually did serve overseas for two hockey seasons.

When the war was over the Kraut line returned to Boston. Dumart recorded four 20+ goal seasons and was named to the end of season Second All Star team in 1947, the third such honour in his career.

Dumart continued to play with the Bruins through 1954, although he became more of a utility forward towards the end. He finished his career with 211 goals and 218 assists in 772 games. His numbers would have been even more impressive had he not lost 4 prime seasons to the war. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.

Dumart suffered heart trouble Oct. 4, 2001 on his way to Ray Bourque Night at the FleetCenter. He died 16 days later. He was 84 years old.

Don Gallinger

2011-03-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

National Hockey League League president Clarence Campbell shocked the hockey world on March 9, 1948.

On that day he had the unfortunate duty to announce to the hockey world the lifetime banishments of Don Gallinger of the Boston Bruins and Billy Taylor of the New York Rangers for "conduct detrimental to hockey and for associating with a known gambler."

When newspapers first broke the story in February, 1948, both players initially denied any wrong doing. Gallinger met with Bruins GM Art Ross, then with Campbell, and proclaimed his innocence.

However the league and moreover the police were not satisfied. Eventually wire-tap evidence caught a number of phone calls made by Gallinger and Taylor to James Tamer, a Detroit gambler and paroled bank robber.

The wiretaps were illegally obtained so the police were not able to press charges against either player. However it was enough evidence for Campbell to take action.

A few years early, Toronto Maple Leaf superstar defenseman Babe Pratt was banned for life for gambling. However after publicly apologizing and proving that all bets did not involve his own team, Pratt's expulsion was overturned 16 days later. Gallinger, a very proud man, refused to admit his guilt before the public, but tried to apologize to Campbell in a private meeting, hoping that that would be enough to lift the ban.
In that conversation, Gallinger admitted on betting on 8 or 9 games, and lost all of them. He bet from $250 to $1000. He would often bet against his own team if the Bruins had some key injuries.

However Campbell refused to give him a professional pardon.

"Although as a Christian I forgive him for his dereliction, and as a man I admire him for his attempt to rehabilitate himself, as a person entrusted with a portion of the stewardship of major-league hockey, I cannot possibly bring myself to believe that he should be reinstated," one governor told Campbell.

Billy Taylor never once asked for a pardon, but Gallinger never gave up the quest for reinstatement. In 1951, 1955 and 1963 he made desperate appeals. The NHL never wavered.

Bruins legend Bobby Bauer and hockey writer Scott Young backed up the disgraced hockey player.

"Even some murderers," Young once wrote, " get parole from their lifetime sentences."

Twenty two years after the fact, the NHL finally lifted the lifetime ban. In 1970, both Gallinger and Taylor were reinstated with little fanfare.

Gallinger was a notable offensive player in his day. The nephew of former NHLers Red and Shorty Green and childhood friend of Teeder Kennedy, Gallinger scored 65 goals and 88 assists for 153 points in 222 career games. He was a heck of an athlete, even getting a try out with the Boston Red Sox.

Following his exit from hockey Gallinger relocated to Kitchener, Ontario where he raised his family and operated hotels. He died of a heart attack in 2000, just weeks shy of his 75th birthday.

Did You Know? Gallinger was also involved in another scandal of sorts. He impregnated a Canadian socialite in 1947. The son was put up for adoption and was raised in California. In 1998 the son, with the help of San Jose Sharks broadcaster Dan Rusanowsky, contacted his father for the first time.

Gary Doak

2011-03-18T14:05:00.000-07:00

By looking at Gary Doak's stats it's obvious that he wasn't a major scoring threat. But what the stats don't tell us is that he was one of the most rambunctious player of his time. Gary was absolutely fearless and never hesitated to dive to block shots, something he did frequently. His style of play caused him to miss many games due to injuries.

Gary grew up in a small town named Goderich, Ont. with his parents, brother (Steve) and sister (Sue). His dad worked in the docks and in the grain elevator. Gary himself worked there for many summers. His mother worked in a hospital. Gary was always a hard worker off the ice and he took that attitude with him to the rink.

As a junior Gary played for the Hamilton Red Wings (OHA) and made his professional debut in the AHL with the Pittsburgh Hornets. He played for the Hornets between 1963-66. His NHL debut came on November 14,1965 when he donned the jersey of Detroit against Montreal in a 2-2 tie. He was sent back to Pittsburgh and wasn't recalled again until February 12, 1966. He played a total of four games for Detroit and saw very limited ice time. Shortly thereafter,on February 18,1966 he was traded to Boston. Hap Emms who was the Bruins GM at that time had scouted him while he was a junior and liked what he saw. Gary finished the season by playing 20 games for Boston.

A month before Gary was to report to the Bruins training camp for the1966-67 season he managed to break his leg while roller-skating with some friends in Goderich. He wasn't ready to skate until December and was sent to Oklahoma (CHL) so he would get into playing shape. Even though he played 29 games for Boston in 66-67 it was evident that Gary was still hampered by the injury.

In 1967-68 Gary bounced back and had a solid season for Boston,being the teams 5th defenseman.
Harry Sinden who was a coach back then was full of praise for Doak:

"He doesn't rush like Orr, but defensively he takes a back seat to nobody on our squad," Sinden said.
Sinden was right, Gary had a career +/- rating of +141 and was very solid defensively. Gary played in Boston until 1970, winning the Stanley Cup there. For the next three seasons between 1970-73 he bounced back and forth between three teams. He played for Vancouver between 1970-71, NY Rangers 1971-72, then went back to Detroit in 1972-73, before once again coming back to Boston. This time he stayed in beantown for over 8 seasons.

Gary's medical journal wasn't pleasant and he admitted that a couple of times he almost gave up on himself.

"The first time I broke my leg was the off-season and I fell down roller-skating in my home-town. That was embarrassing. The second time I broke my leg was the first game I played for Detroit. I don't know how the story started that I had a spinal surgery, but I didn't. I did have a bad back, but rest and cortisone shots cured it. The most painful injury was the broken collarbone. That was hard to handle. But they all hurt. Mentally as well as physically," Gary said.

Some other of his injuries included mononucleosis, knee injuries, sprained ankles, hyperextended elbows, rib injuries, fractured knuckles and sprained shoulders.

A typical Gary Doak scenario was during the 1977-78 season when he suffered three broken cheekbones near his left eye and 13 stitches in his head after having been belted head first into the boards by Detroit's Dennis Hextall. In only his second game back after that injury he dove head first into a Bill Barber shot on an open net and saved a virtually certain Flyers goal. Gary never let up. Both his teammates as well as his home fans loved his never say die attitude. His teammate Gerry Cheevers summed it up like this:

"Gary was the kind of player who never let up. He was always putting out 100 % whether he took a guy into the boards or blocking a shot. He had that rambunctious style of play that kept him going even if he was risking injury."

Harry Sinden added:

"As much as any player Gary exemplified the attitude surrounding Bruins teams in the 1970's."

As a Bruin player back then, that was the best compliment you could get. Gary's strength wasn't his offensive talents but his strong work ethic and sacrificing play and he would have been a perfect role model to some of the lazy and money hungry players in todays game.

Special thanks to Patrick Houda

Cleon Daskalakis

2011-03-17T17:45:00.000-07:00

Cleon Daskalakis has a special connection with Boston. He was born there, raised there, played NCAA all star hockey at Boston University and later signed and played with the Boston Bruins.

Every hometown kids dream come true, right?. Well, almost.

Cleon's NHL stint was short. He played in 12 games over 3 years. Despite a save percentage of just .839 and a GAA of 4.86, he managed to post a 3-4-1 record, but was never able to stick in Boston. Instead, he spent most of his career in the American Hockey League with a variety of farm teams.

An interesting story about Cleon is told by Wayne Gretzky in The Great One's autobiography.

Apparently Cleon told Glen Sather that "When Gretzky scores his first goal against me tonight, I'd sure like to have an autographed picture." Not if, but when!

Wayne goes on to say in his book "I guess the kid really wanted that picture because I scored on him in the first period. I autographed the puck for him and sent it to his locker room."

Just goes to show even NHL players are big fans of Gretzky.

Gretzky also jokingly adds "I always hoped they'd trade him to the Calgary Flames so I could sign a lot of pucks for him!"

Nowadays Daskalakis is president of Celebrity Marketing, Inc., a sports marketing and event production firm that he founded in 1996. He also does volunteer work at the New England Sports Museum.

Dave Silk

2011-03-11T17:05:00.000-08:00

This is Dave Silk.

He was an aggressive, pesky, hard skating player could play all three forward positions. He was most often used on the right wing. He was pretty smart player with an accurate shot which.

Dave was born in Scituate in the Boston area on New Year's Day in 1958. It was there that he learned to play hockey from the time he was seven. In high school he also played football and soccer. But Boston was always a hockey hotbed and Dave was caught up in "the boom" of the great Bruin teams of the 1960's and 70's when they won two Stanley Cups spearheaded by Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito.

"It was just hockey all the time, summer, winter. You would skate in the winter and play street hockey when you couldn't get ice. Just hockey, all the time," Dave recalled.

His father died when he was very young. It was his mother who encouraged him to play hockey. A Scituate man by the name of Ed Taylor took an active part in Dave's development as a hockey player.

"He was my coach right up until high school," Dave said. "He really paved the way for me. He used to pick me up and drive me to games and practices. He was like a second father to me. My mother was working so I needed someone like that."

Dave's family had great sport roots. His grandfather Hal Janvrin used to play major league baseball between 1911 and 1922. In 1916 he won the World Series with the Boston Red Sox as a 2nd baseman. One of his teammates that year was legendary Babe Ruth. Janvrin still holds the World Series record for most at bats in a 5 game series. Dave's cousin Mike Milbury was a hardnosed Boston Bruins defenseman for 12 seasons. He later became an NHL coach and GM. Dave and Mike were teammates for a while in Boston.

Dave played for Thayer Academy while in high school and then for Boston University during his college days. His trainer in BU was legendary coach Jack Parker.

Under the guidance of the fiery Parker Dave won the NCAA championship in his second year. The team had players like Olympic heroes Mike Eruzione, Jim Craig and Jack O'Callahan. They also had Dick Lamby and Rick Meagher. Dave had an outstanding three-year career at BU. He scored 143 points (70 goals, 73 assists) in only 85 games. His 35 goals as a freshman was a school record. Another BU record was his four PP goals in one game.

Dave, who was NY Rangers 4th round draft, 59th overall in 1978, wanted to become a pro as soon as possible, but the Rangers encouraged Dave to try for the Olympics. It was a decision he would not regret as USA went on to win the Olympic Gold. Dave had a pair of assists in that historic 4-3 game against the Soviets during the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid. It was dave's biggest accomplishment as a hockey player. It's a memory he will cherish forever.

Dave's NHL career lasted for seven seasons. He played for NY Rangers (1979-80 season to 83), Boston Bruins (1983 to 84-85 season), Detroit (1984-85) and Winnipeg Jets (1985-86). In 249 NHL games Dave scored 54 goals and 59 assists for 113 points.

After retiring Dave went into investment banking..

John Blue: An Interview With Frederick LaVallee

2011-03-09T20:27:00.000-08:00

When I interviewed Ed Ronan two months ago, I was so nervous, and couldn’t believe it. For today’s guest, I was a lot less anxious. I was well prepared, and knew the stress to come. I gotta admit I was very thrilled doing this, even if my French Canadian accent always was a big source of stress...this time was no different. When I got former Boston Bruins goalie John Blue on the phone, he started with the following: "Ah, I just love the French Canadian accent!

Now, I was nervous!!! But the result ended up being just as great and satisfying as the first time. So here it is, my interview / bio with a great guy, John Blue.

DISCOVERING AND GROWING WITH HOCKEY

John Blue was born February 19th 1966 in Huntingdon Beach, California. When he grew up, despite having the Kings and the Seals to cheer for, hockey was not very popular in California. How does a young boy growing there at that time gets to like hockey ?

"I moved to Seattle when I was 5 and lived there for two years. My father saw a picture of a hockey player, and thought it would be interesting to try. So I started playing and we moved back in northern California. I played football and baseball too. Hockey was not big then and we had to travel a lot, even for practice. I practiced once or twice a week only, not having an arena close to our home. So I didn’t play as much as I would’ve wanted. I went to the Pee-Wee Tournament in Quebec and we would get beat 7-0, 6- 1....I’d get peppered with 40-50 shots all the time...think it made me a better goalie."

After spending the first 17 years of his life in California, Blue had just started playing quarterback for his high school’s football team, but plans changed when he was invited to training camp by the Des Moines Buccaneers in the UHL. He got a spot on the team and didn’t go back to California.

"It was intimidating at first. I had just gotten there with two suitcases and ended up making the team. I didn’t know what to expect...the guy from California...I’ve never had my own sticks...but I just loved playing hockey and was a decent athlete. It was a good step up and I had to adapt."

Blue then went to Minnesota University to study speech communications. And, it goes without saying, he played hockey there for three seasons as well . He was named to the 2nd All-Star Team in 1985, and he bettered that the next after with a 1st All-Star Team Selection. He played with future NHLers there such as Corey Millen, Paul Broten and Tom Chorske, and went to the Final Four in 1986 and 1987.

"Arriving there was the biggest shock. It was my first experience with cold and snow...Minnesota had one of the finest teams in the country back then. They never had a kid from California before...almost everybody except for two players were from Minnesota. Playing in front of 10,000 people crowds was totally crazy. In 1985, I was runner up to Brett Hull for Rookie of the Year when he won it. I guess they made the right choice!" said a laughing Blue.

He was drafted by the Jets in 1986 as a 10th rounder ( 197th overall ) and was traded to the North Stars in 1987, but never played with either team. He turned pro by signing his first contract at that time with the North Stars organization, leaving school before his senior year.

"I have very few regrets in my life. I’m a blessed man with five children and a great wife. At the time, I signed with Minnesota because Lou Nanne, the North Stars GM at the time, saw me play and traded for me. There were injuries there and they wanted me to be the third goalie. Unfortunately, Lou was fired a year after and I never got my chance under GM Bobby Clarke," said the former Minnesota college player, disappointed. "I had fun playing at college. It was a great experience. If there was one thing I could do all over, I definitely would’ve gone to back for my senior year."

Briefly after signing with the North Stars organization, Blue got to play for the US National team, and was used as the backup for the Olympics...but he only saw action in the exhibition games before the Calgary Olympics.

"I ended up being behind a great goalie, young Mike Richter, and Chris Terreri. But I had a great time there," said the American goalie whose team finished 7th at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.

Between 1988 and 1991, Blue would play in the ECHL and the IHL before signing with the Bruins organization in the summer of ’91. He played for six teams during that those three years...Kalamazoo, Virginia, Phoenix, Peoria, Knoxville and Albany.

"It was very difficult to be travelling that much. I remember waking up in Peoria one morning and wondering where the heck I was. I just lived with a suitcase and a hockey bag...I came from California, not playing a lot, and I had to adapt my game. I had a lot of people telling me I was no good, I had friends quitting, but I knew I was not gonna quit, that they would have to kick me out. I was gonna give it my best and play until I couldn’t anymore...that was my motto. I believe some of that is connected to my faith...God gave me a gift to play hockey and I wasn’t a quitter. Good thing I wasn’t married at the time, because it would’ve made things a lot tougher."

DAYS IN THE NHL

After signing with the Bruins, he played with Maine and Providence, which were the Bruins farm team. He got his first shot at the NHL during the 1992-93 season.

"I was the third goalie in Providence behind Matt Delguidice and Mike Bales, and I remember sitting in the stands for the first 14 games of the season. Mike Milbury came down and he was not happy, and before a game I was told that I was playing that night. I had a 14-4 run, and was called up by the Bruins in January. Andy Moog was injured and they didn’t want Reggie Lemelin anymore. In fact, they threw him out by putting his equipment out of the locker room. I felt bad for him, he was such a nice guy and fans loved him. I remember losing my first game 3-2 in overtime to Quebec and then being pulled in the second period of my second game against the Devils at the Gardens. At 4- 0 Devils, people where shouting for Lemelin...I felt like a complete idiot. I got pulled in that game...and got cheered when I was pulled. I remember praying ‘’ It’s a tough night, God help me! ‘’ But we had a nice run after. Brian Sutter put me in net for the next game against Buffalo, everybody was shaking their heads in disbelief, but it was the start of an interesting career," said the goalie who stopped Denis Savard on a penalty shot in his first stint with the Bruins.

After dividing his time between the AHL and the NHL (18 games) in 1993-94 and playing a couple of games in Providence the season after, Blue had short stints in Phoenix and Fort Wayne of the IHL before being signed as a free agent by the Buffalo Sabres in December of 1995. He played with their AHL affiliate Rochester Americans and would play also his last five games in the NHL with the Sabres.

"I signed with the Kings for a 25 games contract at first with their IHL affiliate, the Phoenix Roadrunners. After the contract expired, I ended up in Fort Wayne and few games after, I was signed by the Sabres and ended up in Rochester in the AHL. It was a tough time for the team (Buffalo)...and I didn’t play a lot because the other goalie was Dominik Hasek. He was such an amazing competitor and goaltender...but we missed the playoffs and I was sent back down to the AHL along with Brian Holzinger and Dixon Ward and we finished the season there. Playing with guys like Pat LaFontaine and Hasek...it was a great experience. John Muckler just told me I was there to back up Hasek and not try to be like him...’’ Just don’t lose any games! ‘’ he said. It was good pep talk," says the father of five.

Days after the NHL and Christian life

Blue retired from the NHL after playing the 1995-96, but he would play one season for Austin in the Western Pro Hockey League.

"I had two hip replacements. The last couple of years were painful and I just got married...It was time to move on. I got a called by the Bruins organization to do color commentary for their games...at the same time, I got a call from Greg Ball, who had a sports Ministry called Champions for Christ, and he asked me if I wanted to go work there in Austin, Texas, and I accepted. I really felt like I wanted to be a part of helping other people find God and find out who they are. I noticed they had a hockey team there, the Austin Ice Bats and I just called them to play for them just for fun, and that’s why I played one last season."

While with Champions for Christ, from 1996 to 2007, John Blue led bible studies with players such as Curtis Brown, Mike Peca and Brian Pothier.

It was in 1991 that John met Champions for Christ founder, Greg Ball, for the first time. He questioned Blue’s commitment to Christianity. The former Bruins goalie admitted years later that Ball was right and he was living like a hypocrite. I asked him what he meant by that, and he replied honestly.

"Greg told me that if I was to proclaim myself a Christian, I’d have to act like one. You know, I was young. Fooling around, drinking...I realized that he was right. When I received my first paycheck with the Bruins, it was a big moment that I had waited for twenty years, but I remember thinking ‘’ There’s gotta be more to life than just this! ‘’...it all comes and goes! We get old and only last for a season, but there’s gotta something more that sustains for a lifetime. And that’s when my relationship with God really started to change."

Former Rochester teammate Curtis Brown would probably tell you that Blue did change. "There was something appealing, he had this peace around him that I'd never seen before," said Brown about his former goalie.

"That’s what I try to convey," said a determined Blue about his good friend’s comment.

Blue is now the lead Pastor at Pacific Point Church in Orange County, California. He has been working there with the community for the last four years now.

"I am married to a great wife and I have five children, McKennah (13), Jack (11), TJ (8), Hudson (6) and Georgia (2). "None of my boys play hockey!" he laughs. "I still play twice a week with like JF Jomphe, Randy Burridge...I don’t play goalie anymore, because of the hips," said the very calm and relaxed Blue, who
now makes a ‘’career’’ out of playing forward with his friends.

"If you ever come by, you know you have a friend here. If you come to Disneyland or Orange County..."

This little guy here will keep that in mind.

Frederick LaVallee is a 30 year-old Quebecer from Montreal who has loved hockey since the 1988-89 season. He is a Habs fan, but a hockey fan first and foremost. Most of his work is written in French, but he wanted to share his passion with more English readers. One day he hopes to become a hockey historian/journalist and travel around the world to write about the coolest sport on earth!

George Carroll

2011-03-05T19:40:00.000-08:00

George Carroll is a bit of a legend in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Together with his six brothers, he dominated the Moncton hockey scene for many years. George was a massive 6'2" and 210lbs in an era when most players were in the 5´6" - 5'8", 140-170lbs region. He was a devastating hitter who used to inflict a lot of damage to opposing players.

The whole Carroll clan were very skilled hockey players. Blair, Fred Jr., Harold, Jack, Cecil, Ken and George. They were in fact so good that the entire family once won a two game challenge series against the best professionals assembled by the Moncton Victorias during the 1922-23 season.

Four of the Carroll's normally played on the Victorias team but where challenged to meet the rest of the pros. With Cecil in goal,George and Jack on defense, and Fred centering Blair and Harold they amazed everyone and beat the Vic's 6-4 and 4-3. The Carroll's triumph later became a part of Moncton's hockey lore. Some people even said that if the Carroll's had challenged an NHL team that they wouldn't have been out of place.

George began his career by playing for the Corncobs Juniors (1912-13), Moncton Machinists (13-14) and then the Moncton St. Bernard's (14-17) in the local city leagues. He only played a total of 16 games between 1913-19 mainly due to the fact that he was enlisted in the army during the WWI. Between 1918-25, George played for the Moncton Victorias where he dominated on defense. He led the league in penalty minutes four times in five years and collected 220 PIMs in only 53 games. Which is a lot even by today standards.

The Moncton Victorias could have been re-named to Moncton Carrolls since they had four brothers on the team with three additional Carrolls around the corner. During the 1920-21 season the Vic's played in the newly formed Maritime Independent League. The Carrolls and George in particular were outstanding and led the Vic's to several titles in the MIL. George was named to three first All-Star teams and to one second in the four years of the leagues existence.

Around 1920, the powerful Montreal Canadiens were looking for George to shore up their defense. George stayed with the Vic's though, and continued with his physical play like in the 1922-23 opener against the arch-rival Amherst Ramblers. The Ramblers were strengthened by ex-Toronto NHL defenseman Ted Stackhouse. Ted was 6'1" and 200lbs and was one of very few players at that time who measured up physically to George. It didn't matter to George who ,in front of a full house of 1100 spectators, flattened Stackhouse with a bone-crunching hit that KO'd the big Ramblers defenseman and sent him to the hospital with a broken ankle. That hit was George in a nutshell and the crowd loved him.

It was this kind of play that the NHL teams liked, and as the Maritime league folded he was signed as a free agent by the Montreal Maroons on November 13, 1924. George was only used as a spare player and didn't see much ice time at all. He was traded to the Boston Bruins a month later after only four games for the Maroons. George was used as a spare in Boston as well and only dressed for 11 games.

At age 28 George returned to Moncton, but was unable to be reinstated as an amateur. So he was restricted to coaching instead. He coached his hometown Sunny Brae Rovers in 1925-26. In 1929-30 he coached the Summerside Crystals in the P.E.I senior league. In 1933-34 and 34-35 he moved to the junior ranks and coached the Moncton Young Acadiens and Moncton Maple Leafs. During this time he also refereed.

There have been many interesting brother combinations over the years. There have been numerous two, three or four brother combos, but very few six or seven brother combos with the skills of the Carrolls. The six Sutter brothers of course come to mind, but the seven Carroll brothers were unique because they beat a professional and powerful team on their own. Only George made it to the NHL but some of his brothers could have played there as well and not be out of place.

Les Colvin

2011-03-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

Les Colvin only played in one NHL game. That was due to an injury to Boston Bruins goaltender Frankie Brimsek. Brimsek was unable to play a game on January 22, 1949 against the Montreal Canadiens due to medical reasons. Colvin was brought in from nearby Shawinigan where he was playing senior hockey at the time.

Colvin played the full 60 minutes and let in 4 goals in a 4-2 loss to the Habs.

Colvin was a well travelled goalie in his career. A product of his hometown Oshawa Generals in junior hockey, Colvin went on to play 2 seasons in the Eastern Hockey League before serving the next 4 years in the military during the second World War. He didn't return to organized hockey until 1946-47 due to an injury. What we are unable to ascertain at this point is whether or not the injury was a result of military service.

Colvin's post-WWII career saw him play in Sawinigan (QSHL), Vancouver, Los Angeles and Portland (PCHL), Moncton New Brunswick (MMHL) and North Bay (NOHA) as well as his one game with the Bruins.

Colvin retired from professional hockey in 1951, though continued on in the senior circuit for a couple of years.

John Carter

2011-03-04T13:10:00.000-08:00

After John's high school career in Woburn he went on to a very successful college stint with RPI (ECAC) between 1982-86. During the four seasons with RPI, John scored 225 points in 131 games. His point total was the 4th best result ever by a RPI player and his 117 goals was second best. He tended to score in bunches, collecting 13 hat tricks. In 1984-85 his 43 goals earned him All-American honors (1st team All-Star) as he, Adam Oates and Darren Puppa led RPI to the NCAA championship. John scored the game-winning goal in triple overtime against Minnesota-Duluth in the semifinals. Two nights later the Engineers defeated Providence College 2-1 in the championship contest. Both games were played at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit

After his college career with RPI was over, John represented USA in the 1986 World Championships (in Moscow). That same season (1985-86) John made his NHL debut by playing three games for Boston. John then only played 8 games for Boston in 86-87 and 4 games in 87-88. The rest of the time he was playing in the AHL for Moncton and Maine.

In 1988-89 John saw a lot more ice time in Boston and had 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) in 44 games. The next season was John's most successful one as he played regularly for Boston, getting 39 points (including 17 goals) in 76 games. Then in the playoffs John helped the Bruins reach the Stanley Cup finals when he led his team in goal scoring in the division finals against Montreal (4 goals). This was John's high point of his professional hockey career.

John saw much less ice time in the 90-91 season and only scored four goals for Boston. His time in Beantown was over and he signed as a free agent with the new San Jose Sharks franchise. John only played four games for San Jose during their inagural season and spend most of his time playing for Kansas City (AHL). When the 92-93 season started,John had a regular spot on the Sharks team and went on to play 55 games for San Jose. That season was his last in the NHL. During a NHL exhibition game in 1993 he suffered a serious eye injury. He continued to play in the AHL for another two seasons (Providence, Worcester). But the eye injury caused him problems and a lot of pain. After eight surgeries his eye was finally removed in 1996. It was a sad ending to John's career.

Early in 1999 John got some unexpected positive news. It wasn't about his eye, but about his NCAA championship ring from 1985. During the summer of 1986, John lost his NCAA hockey championship ring while taking a swim near his home town of Woburn, MA. It slipped off his finger and sank 30 feet to the murky bottom of a lake.

13-years later a glint of light reflected off the ring, catching the eye of a passing scuba diver, who brought it back to the surface and tracked down its rightful owner.

John was happy to to get his ring back.

"It is unbelievable,'' John said. "He (the scuba diver) was out over 30 feet, and it just caught the corner of his eye. The chances of that are just astronomical,'' he added. "I didn't even think they scuba dived in that area "

The scuba diver, Jim O'Connell of Arlington, Mass., didn't ask much in return -- only a photo or two with Carter, and a chance to show the ring off to his scuba class.

John, who went on to train College teams in Massachusetts, never was a star player in the NHL but he had good overall skills that gave him a pretty descent hockey career which included an NCAA championship,a trip to the World Championships and a Stanley Cup final, which is more than most players ever achieve

Gerry "Red" Ouellette

2011-02-24T18:04:00.000-08:00

Gerry "Red" Ouellette played part of one NHL season with the Boston Bruins in 1960-61, but otherwise was a career minor leaguer. He played 12 strong seasons of professional hockey and besides his stint in Boston, is best known New Brunswick where he was born and later coach and played, and in Buffalo where he was a member of the Bisons for 5 seasons.

Gerry was discovered by legendary Bruin scout "Baldy" Cotton. Cotton extended an invitation to the Bruin training camp for the 1959-60 season where he impressed the Bruin brass enough to offer him a spot on the Kingston Frontenacs of the Eastern Professional Hockey League. He tallied 35 goals and registered 42 assists in his rookie pro campaign.

He started the 60-61 season in Kingston, but the Bruins struggled miserably and were quickly looking for help. They gave Ouelette an opportunity to prove him when they recalled him to Boston.

Gerry played in 34 games, scoring 9 points including 5 goals. His most memorable goal had to be his first NHL goal, which he scored against the legendary Terry Sawchuk on November 3, 1960. Gerry's season was cut short by emergency appendectomy surgery in January of 1961. When he recovered from the surgery he was sent back to Kingston where he finished the season.

Gerry obviously didn't impress the Bruins braintrust enough during his 34 game stint. For the next 4 seasons he shuffled between Bruin farm teams in Providence, Minneapolis, Kingston and San Francisco. He played well, scoring more than 30 goals twice but never had another shot at the NHL.

In 1965, Chicago selected him in the reverse draft, and quickly assigned him to the Buffalo Bisons, where he was perhaps best known as a professional hockey player. He enjoyed a lot of success. He even served as team captain when the Bisons went to the AHL Calder Cup Championship in 1970. He is the 13th highest scorer in Bisons's AHL history

The Bisons folded in 1970 when the NHL Sabres began play. The following season Gerry joined the Omaha Knights of the CHL, where he captained that team to the Adams Cup. His 58 assists with Omaha in the 70-71 season lead the league, as did his 5 goals and 13 assists in 11 games during the playoffs.

After the 1970-71 season Red returned to his native New Brunswick and played on the Hardy Cup winning Campbellton Tigers. He later coached the Tigers to two more Hardy Cup wins in 1977 and 1988. Gerry also worked for the New Brunswick Recreation Department in Campbellton until 1993, when he retired.

Murray Oliver

2011-02-24T17:47:00.000-08:00

Murray Oliver was a natural athlete. Murray actually turned down an opportunity to play professional baseball in the Cleveland Indians system, instead opting to further his development in the other sport he loved - hockey. Playing with his home-town Hamilton Tiger Cubs of the OHA, Oliver was named the Red Tilson Memorial Trophy winner as the OHA's Most Valuable Player in 1957-58. He later went on to the Edmonton Flyers of the WHL for a year and a half before being promoted to the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings.

Murray's stay in Detroit was relatively brief. He appeared in parts of two seasons, scoring 31 goals and 31 assists for 62 points in 103 games. While it was short it was definitely sweet for Murray as he often got to center a line with his boyhood idol on right wing - Gordie Howe!

In January 1961 Oliver, Gary Aldcorn and Tom McCarthy were sent packing to Boston in exchange for Vic Stasiuk and Leo Labine. It was in Boston that Oliver became a league star. Using his quick feet and smart playmaking skills, the small center was a consistent scorer and hustling worker who fit in nicely in Beantown.

He topped the 20 goal plateau and 40 assist mark on three occasions with the Bruins, who were a weak team in the 1960s until the arrival of Bobby Orr late in the decade. Playing on the B-O-W line with Johnny Bucyk and Tommy Williams, Oliver's 1963-64 season saw him scored 24 goals and a career high 68 points, good enough to finish 7th overall in scoring. "Muzz" was the Bruins leading scorer in the 1965-66 season with 60 points (18 goals, 42 assists) as well.

Oliver's production slipped to just 9 goals and 35 points in 1966-67. The Bruins, who were looking to get bigger and stronger, traded him to Toronto for Eddie Shack. Muzz played 2 years in Toronto before he was traded to the Minnesota North Stars in exchange for Brian Conacher and Terry O'Malley.

Murray played 5 more years with the North Stars before he found himself out of a job. At the time agents negotiating contracts on behalf of players was a pretty primitive and new practice, one that wasn't warmly welcomed by the NHL teams. Having brought in an agent to negotiate a contract for the first time in his career, the Stars balked at Oliver's request for a 2 year contract and upped and left the negotiating table, leaving Oliver looking for a real job.

Murray stayed very active in hockey after retiring. Initially he got into a sales position with a hockey stick company, thanks to friend Lou Nanne. Three years later Nanne became general manager of the Minnesota North Stars, hired Murray as an assistant coach. He even filled in as head coach part way through the 1982-83 season.

A good penalty killer, Murray was one of the few bright spots in Boston immediately prior to the arrival of Bobby Orr. He also was a bright spot in the early days of NHL hockey in Minnesota.

Mike Moffat

2011-02-14T10:31:00.000-08:00

Mike Moffat was a goalie from the first time he ever laced up a pair of hockey skates as a little kid. His father was a general surgeon in Cambridge and his mother was a nurse until she decided to stay home and raise six little Moffats, four boys and two girls.

As a kid Mike never played for a really good team but the turning point in his early career was a six period overtime marathon in a midget tournament that was played in Hamilton. Mike lost the game to a team from Mississauga and the guy who scored the OT goal against him was future NHL'er Dave Morrison.

Later on Mike ran into Dave at a hockey school and Dave talked to his father Jim Morrison (also a former NHL'er) into giving Mike an invitation for a tryout in Kingston. Mike not only made the Kingston Canadians (OHL) but also went on to win the Hap Holmes trophy as OHL's best goalie later on.

Jim Morrison had the biggest influence on Mike in his early career, something that Mike acknowledged.

" I've never really had any instruction in goaltending. I've learned it mostly by trial and error. In minor hockey I was always on my own. But Jimmy Morrison understood goaltending more than any other coach who never played the position. Jimmy really stressed standing up and squaring off to the shooters. Since I was a butterfly goalie I had to go back and learn how to stand up," Mike said.

Boston selected Mike with their 7th choice, 165th overall in 1980.

Mike went on to excel in the 1982 world junior championships where he posted an excellent 1.75 GAA for Canada when they famously won the gold. Mike was selected to the All-Star team and was voted the best goalie of the tournament, ahead of a goalie like John Vanbiesbrouck.

Unfortunately Mike never saw a lot of action in the NHL. He only played a total of 19 games in the regular season for Boston between 1982-84. The highlight of his career besides the Gold in the 1982 WJC was his excellent performance in the 1982 Stanley Cup playoffs where he lead Boston to a series win over Buffalo in 4 games before losing out a tight 7 game series against Quebec in the quarterfinals. It was his only playoff action in the NHL.

Mike finished his career by playing in the AHL and then for the Canadian national team. He retired at the tender age of 25 in 1987.

Phil Esposito

2011-01-09T19:44:00.000-08:00

One of the game's greatest forwards and one of the game's greatest goalies grew up in the same family home. Phil practiced shooting against brother Tony for hours on end, and by 1970 both had reached the top of the hockey world and we're both named to the First All Star Team.

Tony is best known as a Chicago Blackhawk. It is often forgotten that Phil got his start in the NHL in the Windy City (in 1963-64), though it was a few years before Tony arrived. Phil of course is best known as a Boston Bruin and to a lesser degree as a New York Rangers.

Phil played three seasons as a Blackhawk, and was once touted as Bobby Hull's center of the future. However 3 and 1/2 seasons of averaging around 20 goals and 55 points, Chicago changed their mind on him. They felt he wasn't living up to his potential, and that his skating wasn't quick enough.

Phil joined the Bruins in a six player trade in 1967 from Chicago. Hindsight is always 20/20, but history tells us that this trade was one of the most lopsided in NHL history. Espo, Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield were all sent to Boston and would all become key players of one of hockey's most explosive teams in the 1970s. Going to Chicago was Pit Martin, Jack Norris and Gilles Marotte.

Esposito was teamed up with Bobby Orr in Boston, forming one of the most dynamic scoring duos in hockey history. Orr would dance around from his point position with no one knowing how to defend against hockey's first offensively dominant defenseman. Esposito would park himself in the slot, readying himself for a pass, a deflection or a rebound. He was such a master of scoring garbage goals that a common saying in Boston in these days was "Jesus saves, but Espo scores on the rebound." Stan Fischler once dubbed Espo as the "highest paid garbage collector in the United States."

In his very first year in Boston Espo led the entire league in assists. By year two He became the first player to break the 100 point plateau. In fact, he smashed the old record held by Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull. Both of those magnificent Chicago players shared the record with 97 points in a single season. In 1968-69, Phil scored 126 points!! Two years later he would again post mind boggling totals of 76 goals and 76 assists for 152 points, unheard of stats then especially, and even by today's standards absolutely amazing!

Three years after the trade Espo led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup, ending a 29 year drought for the B's. Although Bobby Orr's flying-through-the-air Cup clinching goal against the Blues is best remembered, Esposito had an incredible playoff, scoring 13 goals and 27 points in just 14 games, leading all post season scorers in each category Two years later, the Bruins won another Stanley Cup with Esposito scoring 24 points in 15 games.

During his 8 1/2 years in Boston, Phil won 5 scoring titles and finished second twice. He led the NHL in goal scoring 6 straight seasons from 1969-70 to 1974-75. He was named to either the first or second All Star team each year he wore the black and gold. He was also a two time winner of the Hart Trophy (MVP) and Pearson Trophy (MVP as chosen by the players), as well as the recipient of the Lester Patrick Trophy for contribution to hockey in the U.S.

Espo should be known as the greatest offensive force prior to Gretzky and Lemieux, but he was overshadowed by his even more amazing teammate Bobby Orr. And despite all the accolades and awards, Phil somehow never quite got the recognition he deserved. All of his success was credited to the presence of Orr. Despite the fact he was smashing the records of Gordie Howe or Maurice Richard, no one has ever placed him in their stratosphere. This could be because of his lack of graceful style as a hockeyist.

One of Espo's greatest hockey moments occurred in Europe. When Orr missed the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviets with a bad knee, Esposito took charge of the team and was the inspirational leader. He played a level never reached before. While everyone remembers Paul Henderson's game ending heroics, it was Phil's heroic effort was a key factor in the victory and finally won him the accolades he deserved.

Phil had a great charisma, much like a Hollywood actor. He was a fan favorite throughout North America, but also in Russia. While Vladislav Tretiak became adopted by Canadian fans as the hero from the enemy team, Russian people grew to love Espo, even though his style of hockey was not seen in Russia. It largely has to do with the pre-game introductions in the first game in Moscow where Espo tripped over a loose flower and fell on his butt when he was introduced. Ever the showman, Espo got up and did a curtsy much to the delight of the Soviet fans. They rarely had seen a hockey player with such personality.

While Paul Henderson gets much of the heroic credit for his game winning goals, it is well recognized that Phil Esposito was the best player for Canada. Without him, there was no way Canada would have conquered.

Phil Esposito was traded to the New York Rangers during the 1975-76 season and would finish his career on Broadway. The reason behind the trade was that Orr's knees had finally all but given up on him, and the Bruins were looking to regroup by trading a few of their top assets.

The adjustment was at first very difficult for Phil, but he soon learned to like New York and next thing you know it could have been named Espoville - it was his kind of town! He average 30 plus goals and a point a game in his 6 seasons in New York. His Ranger highlite was during the 1978-79 playoffs when he was a great leader in the Rangers spectacular playoff drive that finished just shy of the Stanley Cup.

Phil Esposito retired in 1980-81. Phil Esposito's final statistics are absolutely mind boggling. 1282 games played, 717 goals, 873 assists for 1590 points! At the time of his retirement only Gordie Howe had amassed more points! He added 61 goals and 137 points in 130 playoff games and 30 points in 25 international games. Not bad for a guy who didn't learn to skate until he was a teenager.

Espo's career highlight came after retirement. On Dec. 3, 1987 the Bruins retired their great leader's jersey. Ray Bourque, whose stature is such that he need not defer to anyone, relinquished his No. 7 and from then on wore 77, so that Esposito's jersey could be retired and elevated to the rafters of the Garden.

"I don't care (about being inducted into) the Hall of Fame, to tell you the truth," he said. "My biggest thrill was having my number retired at Boston Garden. That to me is where it's at."

In retirement Phil became a pitchman and a broadcaster, but he also was a successful hockey executive. He became general manager and for a short time head coach of the New York Rangers. Later he was one of the founders of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Cam Neely

2011-01-09T19:43:00.001-08:00

Cam Neely was the ultimate Boston Bruin. Character, perseverance, team work, physical play, play to death, win - all traits that can be easily used to describe both Neely and his B's.

Cam Neely actually started his NHL career with his hometown Vancouver Canucks when they made him their first round selection way back in 1983. Neely probably turned out to be their best first round pick ever selected by the Vancouver Canucks. It's just too bad, as any Canucks fan will tell you, they traded him away so early in his career.

The trade happened on Neely's 21st birthday. In hindsight it was the best birthday present he probably ever got. The floundering Canucks traded him and the third overall draft pick in 1987 ( Boston selected Glen Wesley who went on to a career spanning 2 decades) for Barry Pederson, who at the time was a star in the league but was coming off of two major shoulder surgeries to remove a benign tumor. Pederson never did regain his superstar form. Neely became the Bruins leading scorer and the Boston Garden's fan favorite.

Cam would score 36, 40, and 38 goals in his first 3 seasons with Boston. Cam would go on to record two straight 50 goal seasons before he suffered a major blow to his knee. During the Bruins Conference Final against Pittsburgh, a cheap hit on Cam's thigh by rival defenseman Ulf Sameulsson began Cam's injury woe's that would plague him for the rest of his tragically shortened career.

Limited to 22 games the next 2 seasons Cam still managed to chip in 20 goals and 10 assists, and added 4 playoff goals in the '93 playoffs.

Cam returned for the 93-94 season scoring 50 goals for the third time. It took Cam only 44 games to reach the 50 goal plateau, only Wayne Gretzky has done it faster. (Mario Lemieux in the 88-89 season also scored 50 in 44 games.) Cam hurt his knee again shortly after scoring his 50th, and missed the playoffs that season.

Again, Cam went into an extensive rehabilitation program, and returned in the strike shortened season of 1994-95 and scored 27 goals in 42 games. The 1995-96 season proved to be Cam's last, as on February 7, 1996 the Boston Bruins suffered perhaps their worst loss in franchise history. They lost to Buffalo in overtime 2-1, but Cam suffered a degenerative hip condition forced Cam into a premature retirement. But not before he had established himself in the hearts of Bruin fans everywhere. Cam played the game the way it was meant to be played. Cam was as devastating with his body checks and fists, as he was with his goal scoring exploits. Cam's intense efforts to come back time and again from devastating injuries were recognized with his winning of the Masterton Trophy after the 93-94 season.

On January 12th, 2004, the Boston Bruins bestowed their highest honor on Neely, retiring his jersey number 8 high to the rafters, never to be worn again. It was a fitting tribute, as Neely truly ranks with the Bruins all time greats like Eddie Shore, Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito and Raymond Bourque.

Neely's career lasted 726 games, long enough to earn enshrinement in Hockey's Hall of Fame. In those 726 career games his numbers were staggering - 395 goals, 299 assists and 694 points, not to mention a healthy 1241 penalty minutes. And he carried on his production in the clutch when games mattered most. In 93 Stanley Cup playoff games he scored 57 goals and 89 points. Had he been healthy he possibly could have challenged the 650 goal mark.

As amazing of a goal scorer that he was, lighting the lamp did not define Cam Neely. He was the ultimate power forward of his time. His hands were as soft as a feather when he handled the puck, yet hard as a rock when handled an enemy. Defensemen feared going back into their corner to chase a loose puck knowing Neely was right behind them. As a forechecker he was relentless and imposing. He was an insane body checker and a dangerous fighter. Through his physical play he set the tone of games.

The physical game took it's toll on Neely's body, yet he handled diversity with the utmost of class. He showed courage and perseverance, and a deep love of the game. Cam Neely gave everything he had to the game of hockey - his blood, sweat and tears, his hip, quad and knee, and most of all his heart.

Gerry Cheevers

2011-01-09T19:43:00.000-08:00

The name Gerry Cheevers instantly brings to mind images of his unmistakable goalie mask. A simple white old-school mask, Cheevers had it covered in painted stitches.

"There were different types of masks but they were all white," Cheevers recalled in an interview with the Hockey Hall of Fame. "I hated white. It reminded me of purity, which was not the case the way I played goal. My thought was to get out of practice. One day, the puck came up and hit me. It wouldn't have cut me without my mask, but I fainted, passed out and on the training table. (Coach) Harry (Sinden) came in and said, 'Get out there! You're not hurt.' So I said okay. I turned to Frosty Forristall, our trainer and said, 'Frosty, paint a stitch mark or two on the mask,' so he painted this big gouge over the right eye and it got a laugh. We started to paint stitches every time I got hit. Frosty would calculate where it would have been and how many stitches it would have taken."

Beyond the mask, Cheevers is remembered as one of the greatest goaltenders in history, despite never winning a Vezina or never making a NHL All Star team.

He was an extremely popular figure and among the most entertaining goaltenders in hockey history. "Cheesey" had a style described as "aggressive and instinctive." He loved to skate around the ice and handle the puck, becoming one of the earliest goalies to roam the ice. A standup goalie who charged out of his net to challenge shooters, he was far from the perfect textbook goalie. Instead he relied on great reflexes and anticipation, often making saves look incredibly spectacular.

"Cheevers is the most exciting goalie you'll ever see," said Joe Crozier, a former goalie great and Cheevers minor league coach in Rochester. "He'll have your fans on the edge of their seats all night."

He was also very combative, not afraid to mix it up and take matters into his own hands, much like a later-day Billy Smith or Ron Hextall. The truculent goalie's combined 304 career PIMs between the NHL and WHA were once a major league record.

He was also recognized as one of hockey's true clutch goaltenders. He backstopped the Bruins to two Stanley Cup championships, in 1970 and 1972, and helped them reach the finals in 1976-77 and 1977-78. Harry Sinden said: "Certainly we had Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito, but I'm sure we couldn't have won the Cups without Gerry Cheevers." Cheevers was one of the all time best "money" goalies. When the games were big, Cheevers was at his best.

Born in the "Garden City" of St. Catherines, Ontario on December 7, 1940, Gerry Cheevers grew up with hockey in his blood. His father was a part-time scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the local arena manager, and he was very active in the young goalie's upbringing.

His father encouraged his son to play junior hockey in the Leafs system with the St. Mikes Majors, although it was a no-brainer for the impressionable youngster who had always cheered on Turk Broda and the Leafs. He played well with St. Mikes, backstopping them to a Memorial Cup championship in 1961, his final year of junior hockey.

Cheevers actually played part of that final junior season as a forward.

"In my last year of junior, I played a month of forward," Cheevers recalled in an interview with the Hockey Hall of Fame. "They needed a goaltender for the next year, and Dave Dryden was available, but he could only come to the team if he could play ten or twelve games that year. Father David Bauer made a deal with him and put me at forward to satisfy both Dave Dryden and to show me what it was like to play forward. I played ten or twelve games at forward that year. I was never so happy to get back in goal! A lot of guys were trying to get even for wayward sticks in the crease! I could always skate. I was just missing the instinct of knowing what to do with the puck."

In 1961-62 Cheevers turned pro and bounced around with three minor league teams in two different leagues. But on December 2, 1961, just 5 days before his 21st birthday, he was called up by the Leafs to play two games due to injuries to Johnny Bower and Don Simmons.

"It was a great thrill — no mask, Bobby Hull, scared to death. Billy Harris got three goals (the Leafs won 6-4). Then we got on the train and played the next night in Detroit. We got beat 3-1. I'll never forget that night. Gordie Howe came down, shot what I thought was a routine wrist shot and knocked the stick right out of my hands! I thought, 'Oooh....They're a little bit bigger and stronger up here!"

That would prove to be the extent of his career with the Leafs. Those were the days of the Original Six, and goaltending jobs were hard to come by, and the Leafs were a powerhouse backed by Bower. Cheevers was moved on to the Bruins organization, but did not find regular employment until 1967-68, the first season of NHL expansion.

Cheevers confessed he wasn't all that excited about the Bruins, who at the time were a weak team.

I really wasn't crazy about sticking with the Bruins. But when Bobby Orr showed up (in 1966-67), they got a different perspective. You knew that it as just a matter of time before the team turned around. And then (in May 1967), they made the big trade with Chicago for Phil (Esposito), Kenny Hodge and Freddy Stanfield. It looked like things were going to be pretty good. I thought, 'I've gotta be on that team.'"

Powered by Cheevers, Orr and Esposito, the Bruins quickly evolved into a championship team, going from last place in 1966-67 to winning the Stanley Cup in 1970 and again in 1972.

Shockingly, Cheevers defected from the Bruins to sign with the upstart World Hockey Association. Citing unhappiness with the Bruins contract offers, he signed with the Cleveland Crusaders for 7 seasons and a whopping total, back then anyways, of $1.4 million.

"I had wonderful days in Cleveland. I would never trade them in."

Cheevers would play with the Crusaders for the next 4 seasons, but would return to the Bruins in 1976. He would play four more years with the Bruins before retiring in 1980.

Cheevers was one of the few goaltenders to become a successful coach. He took over as the Bruins coach in 1980-81, lasting until 1985. In that time he had an impressive record of 204 wins, 126 losses and 46 ties, though the Bruins could never go far in the playoffs.

Art Chisholm

2011-01-06T21:28:00.000-08:00

Art Chisholm was a great university player with the Northeastern Huskies. A two-time All-American center scored a record 100 goals and 81 assists for 181 points in only 71 games between 1959 and 1961. The 1977 Northeastern Hall of Fame inductee was a three-time All-East, All-New England and Beanpot All-Tournament selection. He won the Walter Brown Trophy his junior year as New England's Outstanding Player.

Under the old amateur status rules, Art was personally invited by Bruin GM Lynn Patrick to play for the Bruins in the final 3 games of the 1960-61 season. Chisholm turned down an original offer by the Bruins but accepted this offer.

"You know I refused the Bruins’ first offer of these three games tryout, but I changed my mind when Lynn Patrick called me up again Tuesday afternoon,” said Chisholm at the time.

Despite not scoring a point in his three games with the Bruins, Chisholm impressed the Bruins, their fans and the media.

Coach Milt Schmidt, Mr Boston Bruins himself, felt that Chisholm made a very good showing in his first game.

“I only had to tell him one thing during the entire game,” said Milt, “He had good moves out there but I am not too sure yet about his speed.”

Reporter Henry McKenna had this to say about him:

"Art’s all-round play made one wonder why pro scouts haven’t been chasing him all season. He took regular turn between Jerry Toppazzini and Don McKenney; fore-checked cleverly in the New York end; made nice passes and almost scored in the third period on a Toppa rebound after having had a previous chance ruined a minute before when his stick broke as he shot on a set-up 10 feet in front.

"He looked not at all out of place. He skated far better than expected and fitted into the plays exceptionally well when one realizes he had no practice to become familiar with the Bruins scheme of play.

"His all-around effort definitely was a large factor in the victory only the third in 14 starts vs. the Rangers. Of what he showed last night, Chisholm, the first local boy to be given a chance with the B’s in 14 years, definitely can play professional hockey if he so desires."

Chisholm however didn't desire to play professional hockey. Art opted instead to finish his degree work at NU under their 5-year Co-op plan, thus ending his professional hockey career after only three games.

“I wanted to satisfy myself as to whether I could hold my own in pro hockey or not. Honestly, I figure I am too old to be starting in this game at the age of 25, and lacking the experience might take me too long to catch up.”

Don Simmons

2010-12-30T15:46:00.000-08:00

Former goaltender Don Simmons passed away in September 2010.

Don "Dippy" Simmons was a three time Stanley Cup champion as a back up goaltender (to Johnny Bower) with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1960s. Previous to that Simmons replaced Terry Sawchuk in Boston and ended up splitting net-tending duties with Harry Lumley with the Bruins of the late 1950. He would finish the late 1960s with the New York Rangers organization, although much of his time was spent in the minor leagues.

Simmons is remembered years after his retirement for two things.

One - he is the answer to a challenging trivia question. Simmons was the second goaltender in NHL history to regularly play with a face mask, after the pioneering Jacques Plante, of course.

Two - he opened up Don Simmons Sports, a very successful "goaltending super store" in Ontario.

In total Simmons played in 249 NHL games over 11 seasons - sporting a 101-101-41 career record. In the playoffs he had a 13-11 record in 24 games, almost all with Boston. He rarely played in the playoffs while backing up Bower in Toronto. But in 1962 he did come off the bench two win two games in the 1962 finals to help secure the Stanley Cup championship.

Harry Pidhirny

2010-12-30T15:20:00.000-08:00

American Hockey League legend Harry Pidhirny died on December 20th, 2010, just weeks before he was to be enshrined in the AHL Hall of Fame.

Pidhirny played 1,071 games in the American Hockey League over 17 seasons, starting in 1948 with the Philadelphia Rockets through to 1966 with the Baltimore Clippers. Along the way, he also played for the Springfield Indians (most famously), Syracuse Warriors and Providence Reds. He also played with the San Francisco Seals of the Western Hockey League and Muskegon Mohawks of the International Hockey League. For all his lengthy career in professional hockey, he only appeared in two NHL games - both with the Boston Bruins in the 1957-58 season.

The 82 year old succumbed to his fight with cancer. Pidhirny was due to be inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame on January 30th, 2011 along with Mitch Lamoureux, Maurice Podoloff and Larry Wilson. He will still be honoured with a posthumous induction.

Pidhirny was the first player in the history of the AHL to play more than 1,000 games and his total still ranks third all-time. His 376 goals, 453 assists and 829 points place him sixth in league history. He scored at least 20 goals in 12 consecutive seasons, and he once scored 6 goals in a single game, one of only four players in AHL history to do so. He was also known as an ironman, as he rarely missed a game due to injury.

So why was Pidhirny, described as one of the most reliable AHL players in the 1950s, not able to crack a NHL line-up for more than just 2 measly games? Pidhirny himself chimed in on that one back in October 2010 when his Hall of Fame induction was announced.

"To go up to the National League, it was tough. I worked for Eddie Shore. He was a real bugger. He wouldn't let me go, so I was stuck with him for 12 years."

But he always cherished his two games in the big leagues.

"It was great. One was in Montreal and one was in Boston against the Leafs. We were playing against some good hockey players."

"If Harry had played at a different time, he would have been in the NHL," Ted Shore, son of Eddie, told reporter Garry Brown. "But it was so tough back then with only six teams in the league."

“He was a really valuable kind of guy. Good scorer, defensive player, penalty killer, captain, and everything else,” added Sam Popei, a retired sports reporter who watch him play closely. He also described him as a "stylish" player who could be counted on in all situations.

Pidhirny had worked as a car salesman in Scarborough after his hockey career was done.

Myles Lane

2010-12-19T18:04:00.000-08:00

Myles Lane became the first American born collegiate player to jump directly to the NHL following his graduation from Dartmouth in 1928. He was an excellent athlete at Dartmouth - in hockey, football and to a lesser degree baseball. In hockey he scored 50 goals in 17 career games over 3 seasons. He was also an All American in football and led his team to the national championship in 1925. But despite all of his athletic gifts, his ultimate goal was his education and obtaining a law degree.

While playing in a game against the University of Toronto, Lane impressed the young Toronto coach. That coach's name was Conn Smythe. Smythe of course would go on to become one of the greatest coaches and managers in NHL history.

Upon graduation from Dartmouth, Lane was offered a one year teaching position but elected to continue his hockey career when the New York Rangers offered him a job. He dressed in 24 games for New York, scoring 1 goal, before he was sold to the Boston Bruins for $7500. The Rangers, who weren't pleased with his play and wanted to demote him to the minors, dealt Lane because he was expected to retire rather than be sent down to the farm team. It was his plan all along to play just the one year and earn a little cash before returning to Boston to enroll in Law School. However the trade to Boston changed things a bit for Lane. He began to study law while playing for the Bruins. He played in 19 more games with the Bruins that year, adding one goal. It was a good move for Lane as he helped the Bruins beat his old team - the Rangers - in the Stanley Cup finals to capture Boston's first championship.

Myles played semi-pro baseball in the Cape Cod League in the summers. After a game in the 1929 season, Myles received serious injuries when the car he was travelling in left the road. He sustained a broken bone in his knee, and three fractured vertebrae. The injuries robbed Myles of his speed, but all through his long rehabilitation, Myles pursued his law degree. Lane did play in 9 games in 1929-30 but missed the entire 1930-31 season. He played the following three years but mostly with the Can-Am league's Boston Cubs. He was called up for 25 games with the Bruins in 1933-34 but retired after the season to devote full-time to his law career.

The real interesting story of Myles Lane is not about his hockey or athletic endeavours, but his post sports career. After serving with the United States Navy in the Second World War, Myles joined a law firm started by President Roosevelt. From there he went on to the US Attorney's Office, before serving as chairman of the New York State Crime Commission, until finally being named a judge of the New York State Supreme Court. He was a famous opponent of organized crime.

Lane is a charter member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame (1973) and the National Football Foundation's Hall of Fame.

Vladimir Ruzicka

2010-12-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

Vladimir Ruzicka started his career when he was just 16 years old, joining CHZ Litvinov of the Czechoslovak League in 1979. He played ther for 9 years plus 2 more with Dukla Tencin. He would represent his country on the international stage many times. His international resume includes the 1984 (earning a silver medal) and 1988 Olympics, the 1984 and 1987 Canada Cups and 5 World championships (earning gold in 1985, silver in 1983 and bronze in 1987 and 1989). He left for the NHL in 1989 but returned by 1994 and helped the Czech Republic win the gold medal in the 1998 Olympics.

Originally drafted by Toronto way back in 1982, the Leafs had little interest in big Vlad and traded to Edmonton who secured his release. It was big news at the time. Ruzicka was just 26, and considered to be the best player in all of Czechoslovakia, a traditional hockey power. Twice named the Czech hockey player of the year (1986 and 1988), he came to Edmonton and immediately placed at center ice between Jari Kurri and Esa Tikkanen - Wayne Gretzky's old spot.

"Rosie" as he became known, was a dangerous offensive weapon who possessed many of the same tricks later displayed by Jaromir Jagr. However, he was a pathetic defensive player. He might have been able to get away with his poor attention to defense back home, but not in the NHL.

Ruzicka joined the Edmonton Oilers part way through the 1989-90 season and scored 11 goals and 17 points in 25 games. However by the playoffs Ruzicka was sitting in the pressbox. In his 25 games he was a -21, despite putting up 17 points. Though he had offensive potential, he was far too great of a defensive liability and the Oilers benched him en route to the team's 5th championship in 7 years.

Ruzicka was acquired by the Bruins in a trade on October 22, 1990. He eventually became a fan favorite in Boston because of his dazzling skills.

During his first season with Boston he suffered a severe ankle injury which sidelined him for much of the season. He returned from his injury during the playoffs and helped the Bruins in their playoff drive with 2 goals and 11.

The next season Rosie played an important role for the Bruins, who were missing leading goal scorer Cam Neely for most of the year through injury. Rosie led the Bruins with 39 goals. Despite his offensive contributions, he remained down right brutal without the puck. However the injury riddle Bruins had to overlook his shortcomings and play him a lot because he was their only offensive threat most nights that season.

Not surprisingly Rosie quickly found himself in new coach Brian Sutter's doghouse in 1992-93. Sutter was an easy coach to play for as long as you gave it your all every shift at both ends of the ice. Needless to say, Ruzicka's days were numbered with Sutter at the helm.

Following that season, Rosie left the Bruins as a free agent and signed with the expansion Ottawa Senators, but he only played in 42 games and scored only 5 goals and 18 points. Coach Rick Bowness blew up at him in practice, and his career in the NHL was over.

Due to Ruzicka's unwillingness/inability to play well defensively and lack of consistent effort, his NHL career was less than noteworthy. Still, domestically he is forever remembered as a spectacular and fun player to watch. Twice, in 1986 and 1988, he was named as the best player in the entire country, back in an era when most of the best players were still back home.

Noted European hockey historian Patrick Houda said this of Ruzicka:

"His skills though placed him among the world's best ever. A hockey genius, perhaps the only players more dangerous in a one-on-one situation in modern times were Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr."

Now that is high praise!.

For a player not noted for a complete game, it was surprising to see him go on to become the Czech Republic's national team coach. He guided the nation to two World Championships in the time, as well as at the 2010 Olympics.

George Geran

2010-12-10T19:15:00.000-08:00

George Geran only played in 34 NHL games, but is a man of a few historic NHL firsts.

First off, Geran became the first American born player to participate in the National Hockey League. Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1896, Geran was playing as an amateur in Boston when the Montreal Wanderers signed him to a professional contract. Geran only played in one game that season. In fact the Wanderers only played in 6 games in total. On January 2, 1918 the Wanderers arena burned to the ground forcing the team to withdraw from the NHL.

Geran returned to Boston where he resumed his amateur career in Boston. By 1920 he represented the United States at the Olympic Games in Antwerp Belgium. By doing so, Geran became the first player with National Hockey League experience to appear in Olympic hockey competition.

After the Olympics, the man known as Duke returned to Boston to continue his amateur career. His career was mostly with the Boston Amateur Athletic Association of the USAHA, but he did play 8 games in the 1921-22 season in Paris, France. In those 8 games Geran record 88 goals! No, that's not a misprint! He scored 88 goals in just 8 games.

In 1925-26, Geran returned to the National Hockey League as he won a spot on the Boston Bruins roster. The Bruins held a try-out camp for local players and Geran impressed them enough to sign him to a contract. Geran appeard in 33 games scoring 5 goals and assisting on another.

The 5'9" 180lb center retired after spending the 1926-27 season with the St. Paul Saints of the AHA.

Alf Skinner

2010-12-04T16:25:00.000-08:00

This solidly built right winger was a very good team player who excelled at both ends of the ice. He was born in Toronto and went on to play for the Parkdale Canoe Club (OHA) as a 16-year old in 1912. Shortly thereafter he appeared in 6 games (4 goals) for the Toronto Rowing Club (OHA Sr.).

The Toronto Shamrocks of the NHA liked what they saw in the youngster nicknamed "Dutch" and signed him as a free agent in November 1914. The Shamrocks faded away after only one season and the good players, including Alf moved across town to the Toronto Blueshirts. He performed well and played a total of 59 games in the NHA between 1914-17, scoring 33 points (22 goals and 11 assists). He played for Toronto during these years with the exception of 6 games during the 1916-17 season when he played for the Montreal Wanderers.

Alf played his first two seasons in the NHL for the Toronto Arenas, winning the Stanley Cup in 1918 where he led the team with 8 playoff goals in 7 games. The Arenas were in need of cash so they traded Alf to the Vancouver Millionaires of the PCHL on December 7, 1919. During Alf's five years on the coast, Vancouver made the playoffs each season and the finals four out of the five seasons, but the Stanley Cup title eluded them. Especially Alf's performance during the 1921 playoffs where he scored 7 goals in 6 games was exceptional considering that he was fighting a severe case of tonsillitis. Alf scored a total of 64 goals in 122 games for Vancouver and was named to the PCHL second All-Star team four years in a row (1920-23).

Goal scoring exploits aside, he was described by newspapermen at the time as "the premier back-checker of the league, and one of the fastest skaters in the game." He was inconsistent though, battling some weight problems that slowed him down as his career progressed.

On November 2, 1924 Alf was traded to the Boston Bruins but he only played 9 games as a right wing substitute before being shipped to the Montreal Maroons for Bernie Morris and Bob Benson. He played the rest of the 1924-25 season in Montreal before signing as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates on November 10,1925. Once again Alf was only used as a substitute and didn't see much ice time. He signed with the Duluth Hornets (AHA) exactly one year after coming to Pittsburgh. He finished his career playing in the Canadian Professional Hockey league and hang up his skates in 1929.

His final NHL stats: 26 goals, 11 assists and 37 points in 70 games. Alfred (Alf) Skinner passed away on April 11, 1961.

Don Ward

2010-11-25T17:51:00.000-08:00

Don Ward may have only picked up 1 lonely assist in 34 career NHL games (3 with Chicago and 31 with Boston), but he too is a legend of hockey.

Especially in Seattle.

For most of the 1960s the 6'3" 215lb rugged blue liner was a key member of the Western Hockey League's Seattle Totems. He was the biggest of a group of giants on that back line. In fact, the defensemen were collectively dubbed the Jolly Green Giants.

Ward may have been rough and at times unforgiving, but he was no goon.

"It was fairly rough," Ward told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in 2006. "I didn't run all over the place, but if they came near me, I took them out. If they were looking for me, I wasn't too hard to find. It was not too bad at all. It was very enjoyable. I'd do it all over again."

"Wardie" paid a hefty price for his physical ways. He had both knees surgically repaired, broke an ankle, separated a shoulder, had three disks removed from his back, lost several teeth and was treated for countless cuts.

"I needed a few hundred stitches, all over my face and head," Ward said. "I got hit in the head with pucks and sticks. My wife says I don't have too many scars. The doctor sewed me up pretty good."

Despite all the blood and sweat, Ward never really had a chance to succeed in the NHL. Like so many journeyman players in the days of the Original Six, there was just not enough jobs and too many good hockey players.

But Ward had no regrets. Though the Sarnia, Ontario native was not even sure if people in Seattle even knew what hockey was when he first came out west, he quickly fell in love with Washington state.

And the fans loved him back. He played 11 seasons for the Totems, highlighted by consecutive WHL championships in 1967 and '68. He played 691 games, scoring 32 goals and dealing out 150 assists, while becoming the franchise leader in penalty minutes with 1,110.

Ward retired to Magnolia, Washington where he worked as a supervisor with a manufacturing company.

Larry Regan

2010-11-23T18:56:00.000-08:00

You could definitely say Larry Regan had a varied career in hockey.

Born in North Bay, Ontario, Regan grew up in Ottawa where he quickly earned the local reputation as a puck wizard. In the late 1940s he starred with junior and then senior hockey teams in the Canadian capital city, as well as with the Toronto Marlies.

He moved to Quebec in the early 1950s, skating for the Quebec Aces. Though he played well in Quebec, he remained buried in the pecking order of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, the team that owned his NHL rights.

That all changed in 1956 when he joined the Boston Bruins. At the age of 27 he became one of the oldest NHL rookies of the year. He won the Calder trophy thanks to a strong 14 goal, 33 point campaign.

Described as a brash, cocky and confident individual who was not afraid to succeed, Regan played another season and a half. He enjoyed his time in Boston, and was said to be a good friend of baseball great Ted Williams.

Regan was sent back to the Leafs, playing for another couple of seasons before retiring in 1961. He met Jack Kent Cooke while in Toronto, and that would serve him well later in life.

He initially took a player-coach position with the Leafs farm team in Pittsburgh, but left after one season to head to Europe. The Austrian government hired him to develop their national hockey team in preparation for the 1964 Olympics.

When the NHL expanded in 1967 Regan returned to NHL, landing with Jack Kent Cooke's Los Angeles Kings. He was originally hired as director of player personnel. Soon enough he would become the team's general manager and coach.

"Larry was a fierce competitor both as a player and a general manager. His focus was always making the Kings competitive and successful," remembered long time Kings broadcaster Bob Miller.

Regan was the GM who landed such key pieces as Rogie Vachon, Juha Widing and Terry Harper, but he is probably best remembered for punching a referee!

Regan left LA in 1974. He moved to Montreal initially, coaching a junior hockey team before a series of back operations and a serious blood disorder sidelined him for three years.

By the 1980s he became the managing director of the Canadian Old-Timers' Hockey Association.

Larry Regan died in Ottawa on March 9th, 2009. He had a number of health problems, including Parkinson's disease.

Johnny Peirson

2010-11-23T18:16:00.000-08:00

"My career has been one of complete accidents."

That's how Johnny Peirson described his hockey career, both on and off the ice. The quote comes from Frank Pagnucco's 1985 book Heroes: Stars of Hockey's Golden Era.

Peirson was a student at McGill University in Montreal when the Boston Bruins organization gave him a pro tryout with their farm team, the AHL's Hershey Bears.

"I gave it an opportunity for a year or two," he recollected. "The money that was there was not very substantial but I could save some money and if I didn't get too far I could always quit and go back to school."

Peirson made the Bears team in 1947 and impressed immediately. He would end up splitting the first couple of seasons between the Bears and the Bruins.

By 1948 Peirson became a regular for the Bruins for the next decade.

Peirson adequately described himself as an "above average, not great" player.

"I would say I was above average because I was a better balanced player, a forward that knew how to back check. The only thing I wish I had done was to work more diligently on my upper body strength because I would've been a better player. I lost a lot of battles and wasn't able to do what I would like to have done from the point of view of strength. But I had some defensive skills as well as being able to find the net sometimes."

Peirson hit the 20 goal mark 4 times in his career, a very solid achievement in 1950s Original Six hockey. In 545 career games he scored 153 goals, 173 assists and 326 points.

He added another 10 goals and 26 points in 49 career post-season games, but the Bruins never would win a Stanley Cup with Peirson on the roster.

"Boston was never a powerhouse but we had some representative teams. Nobody blew us out of the building. There are some very bad teams today that would've been even sadder in our day."

Peirson retired in 1958, because his "legs sort of disappeared." He did not want to uproot his family just to extend his hockey career in some minor league city in the middle of nowhere. Instead he went to work at his father-in-law's furniture manufacturing plant, a job he would hold for many years.

Peirson also managed to remain in the Boston hockey market thanks to landing a role of colour commentator on Bruins television contests. Former B's coach Lynn Patrick got Peirson the gig, first in radio then moving to TV.

Des Smith

2010-11-07T21:03:00.000-08:00

Des Smith was a big and well-travelled defenseman in the 1930s and 1940s.

The Ottawa born and raised hockey star played with the Montreal Maroons, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Black Hawks and Boston Bruins between 1938 and 1942, totalling 195 games played. But all of that happened only after he played a couple of seasons in Great Britain, first with the Wembley Lions and then the Wembley Monarchs.

Nowadays playing in Europe, even for North American players, prior to coming to the NHL is not unheard of. But back in the 1930s this was hardly the conventional way of making the big leagues. The Wembley teams were made up of all Canadian players. As such they were a power house. In fact they even played exhibition games against Canadian teams.

How Smith was recruited I do not know, but it was a good fit. He was considered to be the best defenseman in his two seasons in the BNL.

After his vagabond career in the NHL ended in 1942, Smith turned to coaching army teams in Ottawa and Montreal during World War II. After World War II Smith returned to the ice, but as an AHL referee for several seasons. By 1962 he became an announcer and public relations director at Carleton Raceway in Ottawa. He worked there until his death in 1981.

Des' sons Brian and Gary both would play in the National Hockey League.

Don McKenney

2010-11-07T17:59:00.000-08:00

For much of the 1950s and early 1960s, Don McKenney was a Dave Keon-like star with the Boston Bruins. Old time Boston fans compared him to Cowboy Bill Cowley, a Bruins star from the 1940s.

Tall and rangy, he was a clean and elegant center, winner of the 1960 Lady Byng Memorial trophy as the NHL's most gentlemanly player. He was noted for his excellence at both ends of the ice. He was a polished offensive talent, known for good speed and play-making ability. He was equally as brainy while defending, relying on great anticipation skills and strong positioning.

Donald Hamilton McKenney first made a name for himself as a junior hockey star, captaining the Memorial Cup champion Barrie Flyers in 1953. That power house team featured a number of future notable greats including Doug Mohns, Orval Tessier and a young Don Cherry.

After just a single season in the minor leagues (an incredibly brief apprenticeship in that era), McKenney graduated to the Boston Bruins in 1954-55. Over the next 8 years he would lead the Bruins offensively, scoring 20 goals each year except one. Seven times he would finish amongst the top 20 NHL scorers. And in 1959-60 he led all NHLers in assists.

McKenney's game improved come playoff time. Three times he was in the top 10 in Stanley Cup scoring, twice for goals scored. With the Bruins he was never more prolific than in 1958 when he and Fleming MacKell led the offensive charge in the memorably epic Stanley Cup final against Montreal, a championship series narrowly won by the mighty Montreal Canadiens.

By 1961 McKenney was named team captain of the Bruins, but midway through the 1962-63 season he was moved to New York in exchange for Dean Prentice. About a year later he was part of the big Andy Bathgate trade to Toronto. McKenney played a nice support role in helping the Leafs win their 3rd Stanley Cup in a row. For McKenney, it would be his only Stanley Cup of his career.

McKenney played another season in Toronto before continuing his career largely in the American Hockey League. He did make appearances with Detroit and St. Louis, but finished the decade playing for the Pittsburgh Hornets and Providence Reds.

All told Don McKenney scored 237 goals and 345 assists in 798 regular season NHL games. In 58 playoff games he scored 18 goals and 29 assists for 47 points.

He later went on to become a long time coach at Northeastern University.

Fleming MacKell

2010-11-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

Fleming MacKell joined his father as Stanley Cup champions. His dad, Jack, won two Stanley Cups with Ottawa in the 1920s. Fleming was part of the Toronto Maple Leafs championship teams in 1959 and 1951.

The Montreal-born Fleming was already a hockey hero in Toronto long before joining the Leafs. He, playing alongside Red Kelly (who played junior as a forward), was the St. Mike's Majors leading scorer in the 1947 playoff run which ended with the Memorial Cup as Canada's junior champions.

Though he would spend his first pro-season almost entirely in the minor leagues, MacKell did start the season with the Leafs. Believe it or not, his first NHL game was the NHL all star game!

"In those days the Stanley Cup champions played an All Star team just before the season began. The Leafs were the champions. I seemed to have made the team at their training campand they used me in the All Star game," explained MacKell, who at the age of 18 years, 5 months, and 13 days, remains the youngest player to ever play in a NHL all star game.

"They had all the players at a luncheon the day of the game. I walked in and couldn't believe the guys who were in the room. There was Milt Schmidt and Rocket Richard and Ted Lindsay, Doug Bentley, Bill Durnan. You name it, they were there. I was scared to death!"

So scared, that he ran away from the luncheon!

"Hap Day was the Toronto coach. I told him I didn't belong. He said I had to stay. I did, for a little while. But I felt so out of place I sneaked out and took a streetcar home. I ate my lunch at home. Then I got back on the streetcar and went to the Gardens for the game. I thought Day would be mad at me, but he didn't say anything. Maybe he didn't miss me at the lunch."

Despite the promising start, MacKell would be in and out of the Leafs lineup until 1951. Of course those were the days where the Leafs were the league's power house, regularly winning Stanley Cups. MacKell would spend a lot of time in the AHL with Pittsburgh. When he was called upon by the Leafs he was expected to be a defensive-minded winger with rugged intentions. He was considered by many to be the fastest skater in the league when he played, despite a bowlegged stance.

MacKell stood just 5'8" and weighed about 175 lbs, which was small even back in those old days. He learned early on he had to stand his ground.

"There was a lot of intimidation if you weren't big. If you weren't a rough, tough player, you could never show that you didn't like the rough stuff or they would run you out of the league."

In the 1951-52 season MacKell was traded to Boston where he found a home for nearly a decade. He became an importantpart of the Bruins attack, as well as a specialty teams specialist. He was a regular on both the power play and penalty kill units, thanks to his speed. He was also noted for scoring goals from the side of the net.

The Bruins were not a great team in the 1950s, as that decade was dominated first by Detroit and then by Montreal.

"We were a good team in Boston. Not a lot of stars, but a good spirit on the team. The guys played together."

MacKell, who teamed nicely with Don McKenney, was arguably the Bruins best player. In 1953 he made the NHL First All Star team. He was a strong playoff performer, never more so than in 1968 when his 19 points in 12 games led the entire NHL in post-season scoring. His performance in that memorable Stanley Cup showdown with Montreal would have been one for the ages had the Bruins somehow upset the mighty Canadiens.

By the turn of the decade, MacKell found himself farmed out to the Quebec Aces of the AHL thanks to a dispute with Bruins management.

"The Bruins and I had kind of a falling out. They thought they had better younger players to bring in. The Bruins themseles didn't do very much after I left, either. They went downhill pretty fast. They could never beat anybody. When I was with them we never missed the playoffs except the year I had a bad knee," he said.

"They sold my contract to Quebec," he recalled. "I went to the Quebec Aces as a playing coach. That was a big mistake. It didn't work out at all."

MacKell decided to drop hockey after that sour ending, opting to go to work for Dow Brewerey in Montreal. He later moved to the car sales business.

For the record, Fleming MacKell played parts of 13 seasons in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. In 745 regular season and playoff games he had 171 goals and 261 assists for 432 points.

Boston Bruins Greatest Players

2010-09-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

Boston Bruins Legends

Ray Bourque Frank Brimsek Johnny Bucyk Wayne Cashman Gerry Cheevers Dit Clapper Bill Cowley Phil Esposito Fern Flaman	Lionel Hitchman Adam Oates Cam Neely Terry O'Reilly Bobby Orr Derek Sanderson Milt Schmidt Eddie Shore Cooney Weiland

Other Bruins Players

George Abbott Don Awrey Stan Baluik Jack Bionda John Blue Leo Boivin Andy Brickley Herb Cain Roy Conacher Keith Crowder Norm Defelice Ted Donato Pat Egan Aut Erickson Dunc Fisher Yip Foster Hec Fowler Dutch Gainor Jack Gelineau Mike Gillis Bep Guidolin Terrible Ted Green Gabby Gronsdahl Hago Harrington Sugar Jim Henry "Sudden Death" Mel Hill Ken Hodge Ken Hodge Jr. Flash Hollett Craig Janney Eddie Jeremiah Stan Jonathan	Bob Joyce Joe Juneau Forbes Kennedy Gord Kluzak Ed Kryzanowski Gus Kyle Hal Laycoe Larry Leach Reggie Lemelin Normand Leveille Ken Linseman Norm McAtee Andy Moog Mike O'Connell Allen Pedersen Bob Perreault Jim "Seaweed" Pettie Willie O'Ree George Owen Brad Park Pete Peeters Dave Poulin Max Quackenbush Jean Ratelle Dave Reece Paul Ronty Bill Speer Fred Stanfield Vic Stasiuk Don Sweeney Tiny Thompson

Dunc Fisher

2010-09-06T19:05:00.000-07:00

In 1950 the Detroit Red Wings defeated the New York Rangers in the second overtime period in the seventh and deciding game of the Stanley Cups. The game is one of hockey's classic match-ups as Detroit's Pete Babando went from unheard of skater to national hero, scoring in the the second over time to give the Wings the Cup.

However what is often forgotten about in the recollection of this classic game is that just moments earlier the Rangers had a flurry of chances to score in the Red Wings end. The best chance was off of the stick of Dunc Fisher.

Dunc, a second year right winger, sped around an exhausted Black Jack Stewart and faced goalie Harry Lumley on a breakaway. Fisher had Lumley beaten on a low wrist shot, only to ring the puck off of the post.

Moments later, Babando scored for Detroit, giving them the win, and the Cup. They say hockey is a game of inches. Had Fisher's shot been an inch over he likely would have scored and he would be a hockey hero forever etched in hockey history. Instead he is virtually forgotten about by newer generations.

Fisher, a 5'7" 170lb right wing from Regina, Saskatchewan, made his NHL debut in the 1948 playoffs with the Rangers after spending the year with the Rangers AHL affiliate. He even picked up an assist in his in his first game. Fisher would play 2 1/2 seasons with the Rangers before being traded to Boston in exchange for Ed Harrison and Zellio Toppazzini. After a season and a half in Boston, Fisher wasn't producing offensively as the Bruins had hoped, and they demoted him to the minors where he would be an AHL All Star for the next 6 seasons. His excellence at the AHL level finally earned him a shot at the NHL again in 1958 when the Red Wings traded Don Poile and Hec Lalande to acquire the high scoring minor leaguer. Dunc however failed to scored in 8 appearances and finished his career in the minors.

In 275 NHL games Dunc Fisher scored 45 goals and 70 assists for 115 points. He appeared in 21 games scoring 4 goals and 8 points. He was at best an average player at the NHL level. He would have became a hockey legend had he not hit the post in that Stanley Cup Finals game 7. Alas, it was not meant to be, as Pete Babando became the hero.

Allen Pedersen

2010-09-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for offense, you are looking in the wrong place.

Allen was definitely not a scorer. He only scored 5 goals in 8 years. Four times he went scoreless the entire season. In fact he went a stretch of about 200 games without scoring a goal at one point. He never scored a single point in 64 playoff games.

So how could a guy who put up so little stick in the NHL for 428 games?

Pedersen was an intimidating stay at home defenseman. A willing shot blocker, Pedersen was at his best clearing the front of his net. Although not a bone crunching hitter, Pederen played a strong positional game based strictly on defensive posturing.

Pedersen's game was handcuffed by his skating ability. He was an awkward and slow skater, with little mobility. This hurt him even defensively as he couldn't wander even a step or two out of position to chase a loose puck or make a big hit, as more likely than not he would get burned.

Pedersen's game also was limited by his lack of self confidence. He seemed to always be down on himself, and this hurt Allen's development from a strictly one dimensional hockey player.

Drafter 105th overall by the Boston Bruins in 1983, Pedersen joined the B's three years later for the 1986-87 campaign. He stayed in Boston for 5 years before making a one year stop in Minnesota and another one year stop in Hartford. By 1993-94 Pedersen found himself playing for the Whaler's farm team and was released by year's end. He then turned to the IHL and played one year with the Atlanta Knights, where he continued the same style of play he always played - scoring 0 goals.

Aut Erickson

2010-09-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

Autry Erickson (yes, he was named after famous Christmas carol singer Gene Autry) was a steady defensive defenseman in the NHL back in the 1960s. He was far from flashy, but he was dependable.

After starring in junior with the Lethbridge Native Sons, Prince Albert Mintos and Regina Pats. He moved on to spend 226 games in the NHL, more than half with the Boston Bruins in two full season - 1959/60 and 1960/61.

But those were the days of the Original Six, and there was only about 36 jobs available for NHL defensemen. Even with two full seasons of NHL experience under his belt, Erickson would spend much of the 1960s in the minor leagues. He briefly reappeared with Chicago for a total of 34 games, and with Toronto for a single game.

Though he only played that one game with the Leafs, it was certainly a well timed game to play. Erickson filled in for game one of the 1967 Stanley Cup finals. Of course, that was the year the Leafs won the Stanley Cup. By playing in that single game Erickson earned his name's engraving on the Stanley Cup. Reportedly, Erickson only skated one third period shift, and also served a Toronto too many men on the ice penalty.

The following season the NHL doubled in size by introducing six expansion teams. The new franchises stocked their rosters with veterans from the minor leagues. Erickson finally returned to the NHL on a full time basis, skating on the blue line of the Oakland Seals.

"It was nice to go to the west coast. It was kind of like a vacation with pay," Erickson said in Brad Kurtzberg's excellent book Shorthanded: The Untold Story of the Seals: Hockey's Most Colorful Team.

Erickson admitted that it was tough to play in Oakland. There were constant rumors that the team would move, and team morale was terrible as they did not win very many games.

After the inaugural season with the Seals, Erickson left the NHL on his own accord. The team had planned on his return, but Erickson jumped at the opportunity to join the Phoenix Roadrunners. Phoenix offered him a chance to play with a promise of a coaching job down the road. The aging Erickson was worried about his long term future. Like so many insecure hockey players of that era coaching seemed like an only option

Erickson would coach the Roadrunners for a couple of seasons before returning to the NHL for a short stints as assistant GM and assistant coach with the expansion New York Islanders. He soon left hockey to work for an airline company based in California.

Autry Erickson died on August 21st, 2010. He was 72 years old.

Norm McAtee

2010-08-27T15:52:00.000-07:00

Norm McAtee died on August 25th, 2010. He was 89 years old.

McAtee was a long-forgotten about member of the Boston Bruins, playing 13 games (0 goals and 1 assist) in 1946-47. He is the brother of Jud McAtee, who played with the Red Wings in the 1944-45 season.

McAtee was not unlike many players in the 1940s in that World War II interrupted his hockey career and we may never have known just how good players like him were.

Born in Stratford, Ontario in 1921, McAtee was a local midget hockey star before moving to Oshawa to help lead the Generals to Memorial Cup championships in 1939 and 1940. Described as a brilliant playmaker and heady checker, McAtee's future in hockey looked bright.

McAtee began his professional hockey career with the Detroit Red Wings organization in 1940. He never played for the Wings, but he did apprentice with the Wings AHL farm team in Omaha, Nebraska, as well as spending time with the Philadelphia Ramblers in the 1941-42 season.

In 1942 McAtee was summoned to Canadian war duty. He served as flying officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force until 1945. Based in the Toronto area, he continued to play hockey with RCAF teams in high level senior hockey. In 1943 his team competed for the Allan Cup, the amateur championship of Canada.

When he was discharged from military duty he resumed his professional hockey career, but by then the NHL had all but passed him by. The NHL had introduced many younger players during the war years, and they wanted to find more. Aside from the 13 games with the Bruins, McAtee would play in the minor and senior league outskirts in places like Washington, Hershey, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Tulsa, Sherbrooke and finally Troy, Ohio, where was a playing coach with the Bruins.

It was in Troy that McAtee made a home after hockey. He worked Dayton Gems games with WKEF as Color Commentator and also served as referee in the IHL. He got heavily involved in the community of Troy, serving as president of the Recreation Board for 10 years as well as being members of St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus, Chamber of Commerce and the Troy Kiwanis Club for 30 years.

McAtee also became a legendary local golfer. He had six holes in one and six Senior Championships at Troy Country Club. He also was Super Senior Champion in Dayton.

He retired in 1984 as a branch manager with Sherwin-Williams Paint Company after nearly 30 years of hard work.

Paul Ronty

2010-08-07T22:49:00.000-07:00

Very good players on very bad teams tend to be forgotten about in history's eyes. Case in point - Paul Ronty.

Ronty was a lean center described as a stylish playmaker who twice finished top five in NHL scoring while with the Boston Bruins. He found success centering "the Muscle Line" with Johnny Peirson and Kenny Smith.

"We had one really good team with Boston in 1949," he recalled. "With Milt Schmidt and Frank Brimsek, Woody Dumart, Murray Henderson and many others. We finished second but we met the Leafs in the first round of the playoffs after they finished fourth, and they knocked us out. That was the year Teeder Kennedy had a terrific series."

Ronty lasted only three full seasons in Boston before he was traded to the New York Rangers for Gus Kyle. He spent the bulk of his career in Manhattan, playing almost four complete seasons with the Rangers. He centered the "Light Brigade" line with Wally Hergesheimer and Herb Dickenson as his wingers.

He would actually end his career with 10 games (including playoffs) with the Montreal Canadiens in 1955. Don't think he was brought in late in the season to replace Rocket Richard, who was infamously suspended for the rest of the season following the Richard Riots in Montreal. Ronty was actually brought in to replace Kenny Mosdell, who came up lame with hip injury.

Ronty was excited as he thought maybe this would finally be his chance to play on a winning team. But the distraction of the Richard situation combined with the strong first round play of opposing Detroit ousted the Canadiens. Ronty never even registered a point, even though he played on a line with Dickie Moore and Busher Curry.

The Habs would go on to win the next five Stanley Cups in a row, but not with Ronty. Just 27 years old, Ronty retired in that summer of '55. The Canadiens refused to offer him a guaranteed contract, instead offering him a training camp tryout. Ronty refused, and returned home to Boston to be with his family.

"I had a 6-year-old son then and I didn't think it was fair to keep moving him around," he said.

Ronty found work as an insurance broker in Boston.

Special thanks to Jennifer Conway

George Owen

2010-08-07T18:51:00.000-07:00

George Owen started his hockey career as an amateur legend in Massachusetts. Although he was born in Hamilton, Ontario, he grew up in the Massachusetts area. He attended the Newton-Mass high school before moving on to star with Harvard University, where he also was a star football player.

Owen was a highly sought after NHL prospect back in the 1920s. His rights were held by Toronto but Owen didn't want to leave his home in Massachusetts. He remained in Boston playing senior hockey.

On January 10, 1929 Owen came closer to joining the world's best hockey players in a deal that sent Eric Pettinger to Toronto for George's NHL rights. George, a standout defensman who wore #4 years before Bobby Orr was even born, helped the Bruins capture the Stanley Cup in his first year.

Although that would be their only Cup championship in Owen's 5 year stay with the Bruins, the Bruins were a dominant team with George on the blue line. They finished first overall in the regular season in 4 of his 5 years there. The last 3 seasons George was named as the 2nd captain in Bruins history, replacing Lionel Hitchman.

In addition to being one of the earliest college graduates to play in the NHL, Owen may have been the first player to play in the league with a helmet. There is no real proof as to who was the first player to wear a lid, but there is some documentation suggesting Owen played his rookie season with the Bruins while wearing his Harvard football helmet. In those days football helmets were tight fitting leather caps and nothing like today's helmets.

George retired as a player after the 32-33 season, to become head coach at the Michigan Institute of Technology.

Mike Gillis

2010-08-07T16:46:00.001-07:00

Believe it or not, the above picture is of the same person. There's about 30 years difference between these two photos of Mike Gillis, powerful player agent turned Vancouver Canucks general manager.

But did you know he was once a NHL player? In fact, coming out of junior he was so highly thought of he was drafted 5th overall in 1978! The Colorado Rockies selected the Kingston Canadians junior star ahead of the likes of junior teammates Ken Linseman and Behn Wilson, as well as Brad Marsh, Steve Tambellini and Al Secord.

Gillis was a swift skating playmaker from the left side. He never dominated the OHA scoring races due to several injuries, most notably a badly broken leg that cost him most of the 1976-77 season. He also broke his collarbone in his draft year.

Gillis' high draft billing may have been based more on potential than accomplishment. Unfortunately Gillis was never able to achieve his potential in the NHL, again due to injuries.

In fact, in his very first NHL training camp he suffered torn knee ligaments that cost him to missed significant time early in his rookie season. The knee surgery would create complications for Gillis throughout his two year tenure in Colorado.

After a total of 91 games, 15 goals and 27 points, the Rockies gave up on Gillis and his bad legs. He was traded to Boston in 1981 for Bob Miller.

Gillis played in 125 games over 4 years with the Bruins, but he was never able to come close to the impressive numbers he was able to post in the AHL. He was versatile though, as he took shifts on defense.

Gillis playing career came to an abrupt end in training camp for the 1984 season when he broke his leg badly again. This time he was unable to return to the ice, and retired the following season after Boston did not renew his contract.

Gillis was represented by Alan Eagleson at the time, and he was one of the earliest to realize just how corrupt the now-disgraced NHLPA czar was. Unable to play again, Gillis began receiving disability insurance payments from the National Hockey League. Eagleson duped Gillis into believing that it was he who successfully negotiated for the disability clause in his contract, and therefore Gillis owed him 15% of the disability money. Gillis later sued successfully for $570,000 in back payments, although much of the award went to lawyer fees.

Perhaps it was this bad taste in Gillis' mouth regarding player representation that encouraged him to become a player agent himself. He returned home to Kingston, earned a law degree from Queen's University by 1990, and by 1994 he had become a successful player agent. Some of his clients over the years included Pavel Bure, Markus Naslund, Mike Richter, Bobby Holik, and Pat Verbeek.

Gillis still had a dream of running his own NHL club though. In 1998 he lost out on the job as the first GM job in Atlanta Thrashers' history. Ten years later he became the general manager of the Vancouver Canucks.

Max Quackenbush

2010-07-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

Christmas came early for the Quackenbush boys in 1950.

On December 5th, Max Quackenbush (on the left in the picture above) joined the Boston Bruins from the minor leagues for his first taste of NHL action. His NHL dream was extra special as he was joining big brother Bill's team. Bill Quackenbush was an established star who would one day become a Hockey Hall of Famer.

Max, a defenseman like his brother, never came close to a career quite that great. He finished the season in Boston that year, playing in 47 games and chipping in with 4 goals and 10 points. He also played in 6 playoff games but was held pointless.

The Bruins figured the younger brother simply could not make much of an impact at the NHL level and moved him to Chicago. He would only play 14 games with the Hawks, and otherwise toiled in the minor leagues until his retirement in 1955.

Max returned to Toronto following his vagabond career in hockey and he may have followed in his father's footsteps by joining the police force. He also ended up in Halifax later in life.

The Quackenbush family's youngest brother, Ted, was also said to be quite the hockey player, but he lost an eye and dreams of a pro hockey career were dashed. Another brother, Jack, never attempted a career in hockey.

Hal Laycoe

2010-06-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

Hal Laycoe is remembered to for two things: the fight with Maurice Richard that ultimately caused the Richard Riot, and wearing glasses on the ice.

A native of Sutherland, Saskatchewan, Laycoe played senior hockey in Saskatoon with both the Dodgers and Quakers. During WWII, he played on the Canadian Postal Corps team as well as both the Winnipeg and Toronto Navy unit teams. He stepped into the NHL during the 1945-46 season, playing 17 games with the New York Rangers, and becoming a blue-line star with the New York Rovers of the EHL. He was named to the EHL second all-star team after the season.

After one regular season with the Rangers, Laycoe was traded to Montreal, but not before taking part in one of the NHL’s wilder Original Six brawls. On March 16, 1947 in the final minutes of a game between the Rangers and Canadiens, a bench-clearing brawl broke out. Despite the efforts of the organist (who played the “Star-spangled Banner”), referee George Hayes, his linesman, and the NYPD, the brawl lasted over ten minutes. One of four main events on the card was Laycoe vs. the Canadiens' Leo Lamoureux.

The Canadiens must have saw something they liked in Mr. Laycoe, as they insisted that he be part of the big trade that sent Buddy O'Connor to the Rangers. The Canadiens landed Joe Bell, George Robertson and Laycoe in return.

In Laycoe’s first two seasons with Montreal, he split his playing time between the Canadiens and the AHL Buffalo Bison. Finally, in February 1951 he found a permanent home when he was traded to the Boston Bruins. Laycoe proved to be a steady member of the defence, helping the team reach the finals in 1953.

The moment that defined Laycoe’s career came on March 13, 1955. Laycoe delivered a hard check to Montreal's Maurice "Rocket" Richard, cutting Richard’s face with a high stick. Richard, bleeding and furious, took off after Laycoe. When linesman Cliff Thompson attempted to pull Richard away, Richard punched Thompson. The incident led to Richard’s suspension for the rest of the season, including the play-offs. Laycoe received a 5 minute penalty, even though by his own admission he “swung [his] stick and struck Richard after feeling a sudden impact against [his] glasses."

Despite Laycoe's involvement in the whole incident it was Clarence Campbell who really drew the ire of the Canadiens' faithful. When Campbell attended the Canadiens' game with the Detroit Red Wings at the Montreal Forum four days later, he was pelted with vegetables and struck by a fan. When someone set off a smoke bomb following the first period, the game was forfeited to the Red Wings.A riot ensued outside of the Forum, with windows broken, stores looted and clashes with the police. Needless to say, it was one of most unique events in the history of hockey.

A few days after the infamous Richard Riot, the Bruins played the Canadiens in the semi-finals, and the Montreal fans’ wrath was directed squarely at Laycoe. Bruins teammate Eddie Sandford recalled, “I drew Laycoe as my taxi teammate. When we got to the Forum, the police were waiting for us, and they escorted us into the building and to the dressing room past a bunch of angry fans. Then every time Laycoe came on the ice, the crowd booed him.” The hostile atmosphere and a determined Montreal team proved too much for the Bruins, who lost the series 4-1.

After the 1955-56 season, Laycoe retired. He had played 531 games with 25 goals and 77 assists. Despite the remarkable fights, he accumulated a rather average 292 penalty minutes.

Laycoe stayed in hockey as a coach and general manager in the Western Hockey League and the N.H.L. With the WHL Portland Buckaroos, his team won seven league titles in 9 years. He also is known as the Vancouver Canucks first NHL coach. His hockey travels also took him to Holland where he coached the Netherlands national hockey team in the 1976-77 season. He would return to the Vancouver suburb of Langley to live out his life, but would return often to Europe as a special assignment scout for the New York Islanders.

-- contributed by Jennifer Conway

Norm Defelice

2010-04-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

Expansion came too late for Norm Defelice.

Defelice was a long time minor league goalie during the Original Six era. For nearly 20 years the tiny Defelice bounced around the minor leagues, finding a nice home with the Clinton Comets of the EHL from 1958 through 1965.

But Defelice would only get a short taste of NHL glory.

The Boston Bruins summoned Defelice from Hershey a couple of weeks before Christmas 1957. The Bruins star goalie Terry Sawchuk was hospitalized for "nervous exhaustion."

Defelice would two call ups to Boston while Sawchuk dealt with his breakdown. In a total of 10 games Defelice's 3-5-2 record and 3.00 GAA did not impress to many NHL observers. Nor did his performance on Toronto's winning goal agains the Bruins in Defelice's first ever game. He let in a shot from center ice courtesy of Leafs defensive defenseman Jimmy Thomson.

When Sawchuk was ready to strap on the pads again, Defelice disappeared to the minor leagues, never to be seen by a NHL team again. The Bruins turned to Don Simmons as their goaltender of the future.

He played until 1970 before turning to coaching. He guided the senior league Galt Hornets to the Allan Cup finals only to suffer a heart attack during the playoffs.

Defelice decided his weakened ticker could not withstand the rigours of coaching. he took a job in public relations for the Ontario Jockey Club before securing a career in the construction business. He later managed a concrete business and a building supply business.

Eddie Jeremiah

2010-04-02T14:55:00.001-07:00

Eddie Jeremiah's NHL career lasted just 15 games in the 1931-32 season, 9 contests with the New York Americans and 6 with the Boston Bruins. He picked up a single assist in an otherwise unnoticeable NHL career.

Yet his contributions to hockey undeniably rank him as one of the greatest hockey legends.

The son of Armenian immigrants, Jeremiah was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1905. He grew up excelling not only at hockey, but also baseball and football. He lettered in all three sports at Dartmouth University.

Following graduation Jeremiah pursued a five year professional career, most of that time spent in the old Can-Am League.

Jeremiah became a hockey legend when he returned to Dartmouth as coach of the hockey program, also coaching baseball and football. He coached the hockey team from 1937 through 1967, making the NCAA finals in 1948 and 1949 and winning Ivy league titles in 1959 and 1960. In 1942, prior to an official NCAA championship, "Coach Jerry" guided Dartmouth to a national title with a 21-2 record.

Between 1942 and 1946 he coached Dartmouth to a college record 46 consecutive win. In 1951 he was named as the first ever college hockey coach of the year. And in 1964 he coached Team USA to a 5th place finish at the Innsbruck Olympics.

Jeremiah, who won a college record 46 consecutive games, died of cancer in 1967, just three months after he coached his last game. The National Hockey League saluted Jeremiah's contributions to hockey in the United States with the Lester Patrick trophy in 1969.

In 2008 Jeremiah, who also wrote four books on hockey, was also honored with the Hobey Baker Legend of Hockey Award.

Hec Fowler

2010-03-30T15:27:00.001-07:00

This is Norman Fowler. He was better known by his nickname Hec, sometimes spelled Heck. The origins of the nickname remain unknown to me. Perhaps it was because he gave his opponents heck. He was a a brawling puck stopper, an early day Ron Hextall.

Born in Saskatoon in 1892, Fowler rose through the goaltending in the junior ranks in northern Saskatchewan city, earning praise and notice.

He turned his youthful passion into a career that took him to some unusual places. In 1916 he moved to Spokane, Washington to play for the Canaries of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. He would later play with the PCHA's Seattle Metropolitans and Victoria Aristocrats/Cougars.

When the Boston Bruins joined the National Hockey League in 1924, they acquired Fowler from Victoria to be the Bruins first goaltender.

The excitement soon faded for the Bruins and especially for Fowler. After seven games he was dumped. He had won just one of those games and allowed 42 goals.

There is even some suggestion that Fowler burned some bridges by admitting he was allowing extra goals against in hopes that the Bruins would go out and get some better players. Manager Art Ross opted to do just that, but named Fowler as their scapegoat and let him go.

Ross apparently even suspended and fined Fowler as much as $1,000. Fowler returned home but found a new team in the Edmonton Eskimos. Somehow though, Ross bound Fowler to a contract for just $1. In order to secure his release the Eskimos paid Fowler's $1000 fine.

Fowler took his $1 and framed it. He reportedly posted it on the walls of a printing shop he opened in Saskatoon after retiring from hockey.

Fowler would play two seasons in Edmonton before relocating to California to play for a team called Oakland Shieks! He was somewhat of a celebrity in the sunshine state, dubbed a "human blanket" for his puck stopping abilities.

I found one article from 1951 by Vern DeGeer of the Montreal Gazette which paints "Heck" Fowler as one of the most colorful hockey players ever. Here's the highlights:

"Probably the roughest and toughest goaltender to hit major professional hockey in the last 35 years . . ."
"Fowler was a physical culture fanatic with arms like a village smithy and legs hewed from steel."
"He often participated in speed contests against Phil Taylor (formerly of the Ice Follies and Ice Capades) and Norman Faulkner, a prairie champion before losing a leg in the First World War."
He was an avid baseball player, uniquely playing short stop like a goalie. "He played the position hockey-fashion, blocking grounders with his feet and shins, then making the pick-up for the throw."
"During the summer months he used to get out on the sidewalk in front of his house and invite neighboring kids to fire pucks at his unprotected shins."
He also was quite the amateur soccer goalie.

But it was his temper and physical play that set him apart from most goalies.

"Insisting that a goaltender's cage was his castle, Fowler wouldn't permit an opponent within a stick's length. Oldtimers who campaigned against him will tell you Fowler was the original wood-chopper. He delighted in laying on the lumber. If you got too close for a good belt with the hickory, he'd throw a punch.

"He served time in every penalty box within skating distance during his eventful professional career. In his campaigning days when a goalie was penalized no substitute was permitted to serve his sentence as is done today. He engaged in a dozen fist fights in the Coast League, several in the NHL and despite the burden of equipment, didn't lose many decisions. In a duel with the sticks, which was the favorite skull denting approach until the moderns encouraged a milder form of physical encounter, he could swing his heavier war club vigorously enough to fell one of California's famous Redwood trees. But he preferred his fists. Claimed he was always breaking sticks and his tough knuckles took the punishment easier."

Harry "Yip" Foster

2010-03-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

Yip Foster was hockey's original big man.

While nowadays it is not uncommon to see very tall hockey players even in the junior ranks, Yip Foster was a giant of a defenseman in the 1930s when he played at 6'6" tall and 200lbs. He must have been an intimidating sight for any opposing forward. The average size of players back then was below 6 feet tall and below 200lbs.

While today's NHL giants tend to be quite agile, I suspect Foster was not as nimble. He may have had passable foot skills, though, as he was was also a celebrated rugby player and noted footballer.

Despite his size he appears to have been far from the blue line monster we like to see from giants. In 83 career games over 4 seasons he only picked up 32 PIMs. He also scored just 3 goals and 2 assists in his NHL career.

He played for Boston, the New York Rangers and Detroit. There was some dispute over his playing rights. In September of 1927 the Rangers signed him, though Toronto claimed they already had the Guelph, Ontario native's rights. The matter was only settled when the Rangers agreed to send Eric Pettinger to the Leafs as compensation for the signing.

While Foster's NHL career was somewhat short, his life as a professional hockey player lasted all the way until 1947, spanning nearly 20 seasons.

He settled in Wayne, Michigan and worked with an aircraft company. He died on June 4th, 1978 at the age of 70 years old.

Bill Speer

2010-03-15T22:59:00.000-07:00

In the 1970s the Philadelphia Flyers had star player Bill Barber, but the Boston Bruins countered with Bill The Barber.

Stay-at-home defenseman Bill Speer was a barber by trade, learning from his father who cut hair for 42 years. In addition to his defensive zone responsibilities, he also cut teammates hair in the dressing room! Hence the nickname: "The Lindsay Clipper."

Born and raised in Lindsay, Ontario, he owned his own three-chair barber shop the corner of William and Kent even while playing in the NHL. "Frank Speer's Barber Shop" was originally his father's business.

Bill Speer may have been good with the shears, but he was also good on the ice. He was a standout junior player with St. Catherines. He spent a lot of time in the minor leagues as a pro, but he did play in 130 NHL contests with the Penguins and Bruins.

His best season was undoubtedly 1969-70 when he helped the Bruins capture the Stanley Cup. He even scored a goal in the playoffs. That was a rarity for Speer. He scored only 6 career NHL goals.

Speer continued to play pro hockey throughout the 1970s, mostly in the minors and late in his career with the WHA. He retired back to Lindsay in 1975.

He was 5'11" tall and played at well over 200lbs, once tipping the scales of 240lbs. His fitness level may have kept in the minors more than he should have been, as he was a solid blue line citizen with a good first pass. He also became a noted shot blocker.

Speer died far too young in February 1989. He was riding a snowmobile that fell through thin ice.

Hago Harrington

2010-03-06T14:02:00.000-08:00

Leland Kitteridge Harrington, universally known as Hago Harrington, may be better known nowadays for a Stoneham, MA miniature golf course named in his honor in 1950. But there was a time when Hago Harrington was the best hockey player in all of New England.

Born in Melrose, MA on August 13th, 1904. He became the high school hockey hero who later played for the amateur Boston Unicorns. By 1925 the left winger turned pro with the Boston Bruins, wearing number 15. Over the next two years he would participate in 48 games, scoring 8 goals and 10 points.

During those two seasons he also spent time with New Haven in the long defunct Can-Am League. He quickly became the centerpiece of an inter-league dispute that was not settled until 1928. Harrington really took a liking to New Haven and to the Can-Am League, and refused to go back to Boston when the Bruins called. He asserted that he had no contract with the Bruins and they had no right to relocate him.

This threatened a "hockey war" between the two leagues. It was later agreed that the Bruins did in fact own Harrington's playing rights, and to end the dispute the Bruins sold those rights to the Can-Am League. The only catch - they sold him to Providence rather than New Haven.

Harrington did not seem to mind the relocation to Rhode Island. He played 8 seasons for the Reds, interrupted only by a 24 game sojourn with the Montreal Canadiens, the Bruins' chief nemesis, in 1932-33.

Harrington retired in 1936, helping Providence capture Can-Am championships in 1930, 1932 and 1934. After retirement he became part of the management group of the Boston Garden. He also coached the Boston Olympics for over a decade.

Stan Baluik

2010-02-08T19:21:00.000-08:00

Although he played in just 7 NHL contests, Port Arthur, Ontario's Stan Baluik was a great, great athlete.

He was a standout junior player with the Fort William Canadians of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association, and later with the Kitchener Canucks of the Ontario Hockey Association. In four consecutive junior seasons he led the league in assists, twice finishing as the overall leading scorer.

Baliuk would turn professional in 1956, gaining some minor league seasoning in the QHL and WHL (although his progress was interrupted by a couple of serious leg injuries) before joining the Providence Reds of the AHL in 1959. As a professional he is best remembered in Providence where the great playmaker averaged well over a point a game. In his first AHL season he was honored with the Red Garrett Memorial Award as the league's top rookie. That season he also got his only NHL call up. In seven games with the Boston Bruins he scored zero points and picked up a minor penalty.

Baluik continued to play hockey until 1964. That is when he accepted a position as the club pro at the Kirkbrae Country Club in Lincoln, Rhode Island, a position he held for many years. Baluik was an amazing golfer, playing twice at the Canadian Open while he was still 16 years old. He would go onto win numerous tournaments in his amateur golf career.

"The Preacher" George Abbott

2010-02-01T20:16:00.000-08:00

On November 27, 1943 George Abbott, an ordained Baptist minister, made his only NHL appearance.

Abbott doubled his preaching duties by being the Toronto Maple Leafs practice goalie. Back in these days teams only carried one goalie. If a goalie got injured they would often dress a skater in net or pull someone out of the stands, as long as the other team agreed to it. Teams would only object when there was another NHL goalie in the building.

That's what happened in 1943 when Bruins starting goalie Bert Gardiner became violently ill and could not play against the Leafs. Desperate, the Bruins asked Toronto if they could use Abbott for the game. The Leafs obliged. Maybe it was Abbott's reward for being a practice goalie. Maybe it was because the Leafs knew he wasn't that good, and they knew all of his weaknesses.

The Leafs won the game quite handily. 7-4 was the final score, with Abbott said to have faced 52 shots. Babe Pratt, with his Al MacInnis-like shot, knocked Abbott down, delaying the game.

Abbott was said to be a pretty goalie in his younger days, starring with the Dunnville Mudcats as a youth. A puck to the eye ended his career with the amateur Hamilton Tigers.

John Blue

2010-01-16T18:04:00.000-08:00

John Blue can thank Dominik Hasek's rotator cuff for getting one last shot at the National Hockey League.

Blue, who was born Huntington Beach, California on February 19, 1966, starred at the University of Minnesota before playing with the United States national and Olympics teams of 1988. Originally a Winnipeg Jets draft pick, Blue began his professional career in 1988 buried deep in the Minnesota North Stars organization.

When we say buried, we mean buried. Over his first three professional seasons, John played with 10 different teams in three leagues plus the international arena. The only thing he saw more than pucks were busses. He never played more than 19 games with one team at a time, thus never allowing Blue to settle down and develop at the pro level like he should have. In fact, John actually dressed as a forward for one game in the minor leagues!

John finally had a chance to settle down and develop properly when he signed on with the Boston Bruins organization in 1991. He played a full season with the Bruins farm team, and by 1992-93 he was a very popular player with the Providence Bruins. The fans often chanted his name after every save.

John's 14-4-1 season sparked the Baby Bruins to a top record in the league halfway through the season, and earned Blue a shot at the National Hockey League. Starting goalie Andy Moog was sidelined in February of 1993, and Blue stepped in and started every game for a month. He posted an admirable 9-8-4 record which enabled the Bruins to keep their status in the old Adams division until Moog's return. Blue even posted an impressive 7-0 shutout over the high flying Pittsburgh Penguins.

Upon Moog's return, Blue remained with the team as the backup, and even started one playoff game against the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres won the game 4-3 in overtime.

Moog was traded for Jon Casey in 1993-94, but when Casey failed to live up to expectations, the Bruins acquired Vince Riendeau to shore up their goaltending woes. Blue was ultimately returned to the minor leagues due to the goalie glut, never to return.

Despite his play, John had no NHL interest upon becoming a NHL free agent in 1995. He ended up signing a minor league contract to start the year, but a rotator cuff injury to "The Dominator" Dominik Hasek forced the Sabres to desperately acquire a goaltender as they were already missing backup Andrei Trefilov to injury. They signed John on December 28, 1995. Needless to say it was a nice and unexpected late Christmas present for John.

John was airlifted in and played admirably in 5 contests, posting a 2-2 record. Upon Hasek's return Blue sat on the bench for over a month until Trefilov returned as well. Blue finished the year in Rochester, and was then released.

Blue played one more season of professional hockey before retiring. In the 46 NHL games he appeared in, he recorded a respectable 16-18-7 record with a 2.99 goals against average.

Lionel Hitchman

2009-12-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

Lionel Hitchman was steady, aggressive and defensive-minded defenseman who was often paired with Eddie Shore to form one of the greatest defense tandems in hockey history. Hitchman's flawless defensive play allowed Shore more freedom to play an offensive game, a rarity among rearguards in the early days of hockey. The duo formed a feared one-two defensive punch, with their favorite target being Montreal's Howie Morenz.

Because of his defensive role, Hitchman was an unheralded player. The Toronto-born Hitchman never made an All-Star team and never scored more than 11 points in a season but was integral to the success of the Boston Bruins and prior to that the Ottawa Senators.

"Hitch" started his professional career with the Senators in 1922-23, arriving just in time to play with the legendary Eddie Gerard en route to the playoffs. He played his typical quiet style and even helped the Sens win the Stanley Cup that season.

Though he was a NHL rookie, he played with great composure and dignity. That was never more so evident than in a playoff game against the Montreal Canadiens. Noted goon/superstar Sprague Cleghorn of the Habs cross-checked the lanky Hitchman in the face, knocking out the some of Hitch's teeth and breaking his nose. The foul was so flagrant that not only did the dirty Cleghorn earn a match penalty on the play, but he was suspended by his own team for the final game of the series. Hitch kept on playing, with plaster on his nose, helping the Sens win the NHL title.

The Senators then had to travel west for the Stanley Cup finals where they defeated Vancouver and Edmonton. Frank Patrick, PCHA president, called this year's Senators team the greatest team he had ever seen.

Hitchman was already a player of some notoriety in the Ottawa area before he signed on with the Senators. He had played amateur hockey with the Ottawa New Edinburghs for two seasons while also working as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

But it wasn't until he joined the Boston Bruins that he got some recognition of his own. The Bruins, who had long admired his heart and physicality, acquired Hitchman in the 1924-25 season. It seems Ottawa somehow found Hitchman expendable, probably due to the arrival of highly touted local amateur Ed Gorman (who never really amounted to much in the NHL).

Hitchman, who interestingly would become teammates in Boston with his old nemesis Cleghorn, went on to help Boston to its first Stanley Cup final (the B's fell in two games to Hitchman's old Ottawa teammates) with a solid, 3-6-9 campaign in 1926-27. Late in the final loss to Ottawa Hitchman became involved in a brutal fight with former teammate Buck Boucher, drawing a match penalty and $50 fine.

He then added five goals, eight points and a career-high 87 penalty minutes to the cause as Boston finished first in the American Division -- the club's first first-place finish -- in 1927-28. Although the Bruins had players with far more name recognition, Hitchman was named the first captain in the club's modern history that season.

Everything fell into place in 1928-29. Hitchman had a unremarkable offensive season -- one goal, no assists in 38 games, during which he logged 64 penalty minutes --but he led a defense that was virtually impenetrable. The Bruins surrendered only 52 goals over 44 games, then gave up only three more in five playoff games. After a three-game sweep of Montreal in the first playoff round, Hitchman and the B's allowed just one goal in the two-game final with the New York Rangers and claimed the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Hitchman matched his regular-season scoring output during the playoffs, contributing the only assist of his post-season career.

Hitchman continued to play the same steady, physical brand of defense through 1933-34, even playing with a broken jaw for part of the 1929-30 campaign. During his 10 seasons on Boston's blue line, the Bruins finished first in the American Division five times (four years in a row between 1928 and 1931) and played in three Cup finals. He played in 377 games as a Bruin, collecting 26 goals and 26 assists for 52 points and 466 penalty minutes. His post-season career included 31 games, three goals, four points and 52 PIMs.

Today fans attending Boston Bruins games will notice Hitchman's number three hanging high in the rafters along side much more familiar hockey legends like Shore, Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr and Cam Neely. Hitchman may be all but forgotten by history, but know this: Hitchman was so good in his day that he became only the second player in NHL history to have his jersey retired.

The late Frank Frederickson would agree Hitchman was one of the all time greats. Frederickson, the Canadian Olympic hero turned Hockey Hall of Famer, once compared Hitchman and his partner Eddie Shore:

"To me, Shore was a country boy who had made good; he was a good skater and puck carrier but was not an exceptional defenseman like his teammate Lionel Hitchman who was better because he could get them coming and going."

Gabby Gronsdahl

2009-11-19T14:50:00.001-08:00

Back in 1941 Lloyd "Gabby" Gronsdahl was about to embark upon his NHL career. How far he would have gotten is impossible to ascertain

After graduating from the Saskatchewan junior leagues, Gronsdahl moved to Boston where he played with the Boston Olympics of the EHL. A clean right winger with a knack for scoring goals, Gronsdahl impressed in the EHL, scoring 29 goals in 43 games. His goal scoring exploits saw him get a promotion to the NHL Boston Bruins. He played in 10 games. He scored 1 goal and 2 assists in limited ice time.

With more and more players being summoned to fight in World War II, it was hoped that Gronsdahl could step in and score some big goals during the War years. However in 1942, Gronsdahl too was called off to serve with the Canadian military.

Gronsdahl served 4 years in the military, playing hockey when he could. When he returned from the war for the 1946-47 season, "Gabby" tired out with the AHL's Hershey Bears. He struggled to fine his pre-war form in the two years with the Bears, and soon found a home in a lower minor league, the USHL, with the Tulsa Oilers. Gabby played strongly in the weaker league, scoring 81 goals in 3 years before hanging up the blades.

Jack Gelineau

2009-11-17T21:27:00.000-08:00

When Jack Gelineau died of cancer in late 1998, I have to admit it was the first time I had heard of him. This is what I learned about Jack Gelineau.

Gelineau was born in Toronto on November 11th 1924. He played his amateur hockey at McGill University. He backstopped the McGill Redmen to a 48-21-2 record in his 4 years of schooling, with a career goals against average of 3.39. He was the first ever recipient of the Forbes Trophy as McGill's male athlete of the year in 1948. In 1997 he was inducted into the McGill University Sports Hall of Fame. Gelineau graduated with a B.Com in 1949.

Late in the 1949 season Gelineau was signed by the Boston Bruins to finish the season in Boston. Gelineau went 2-2-0 in 4 games with a 3.41 GAA, enough to impress the Bruins to sign him for the following season.

Gelinau won the Calder Trophy as the NHL rookie of the year in 1949-50. He appeared in 67 games going 22-30-15 with a 3.28 GAA on a bad Boston Bruins squad. The following season was surprisingly Gelineau's last full season in the NHL. He went 22-30-18 playing in all 70 games that year with a 2.81 GAA, good enough to lift the Bruins to the playoffs. Gelineau went 1-2 in 4 playoff appearances with a sizzling 1.82 GAA.

Gelineau would play most of his final four seasons of hockey with the Quebec Aces of the Quebec Senior League, though in 1953 he made two appearances in between the pipes for the Chicago Blackhawks.

In all Gelineau posted a 3.13 goals-against average in 143 NHL games with a record of 46-64-33.

Prior to his NHL days Gelineau served in the Second World War. He was awarded the British Empire Medal for gallantry after surviving a 1944 plane crash and rescuing an injured crewman from the burning plane loaded with ammunition.

Bob Perreault

2009-11-17T10:21:00.000-08:00

Bob Perreault, known as Miche to his friends, was always very popular with his teammates wherever he played. Former Boston Bruins coach Phil Watson once said "Perreault is a good goalkeeper and a great man in the dressing room, he keeps everyone loose with his humor".

Although his NHL career consisted of just 31 games played, Perreault should be noted a very talented goalie. He played three seasons for the Trois-Rivieres Flambeaux (1948-51) before becoming a professional with the Providence Reds (AHL). During his pro career Perreault had the misfortune to get stuck behind goalies like Jaques Plante, Terry Sawchuk and Eddie Johnston.

He had one of the faster glove hands of that time, something that he developed while playing catcher on a baseball team. Toronto's coach at that time Punch Imlach said "There's no doubt that Perreault has one of the fastest hands in hockey today." Late in his career he used to wander out of his net a lot, something that he credited Jaques Plante for whom he at times was a backup for in Montreal.

Bob's NHL debut came In 1956 when he was called up from Shawinigan Falls of the Quebec league by Montreal as an emergency replacement for Jaques Plante. He had a spectacular NHL debut, blanking Chicago. At that time Perreault became the eighth NHL goalie to record a shutout in a NHL debut. He played in another five games that season for Montreal and finished with a respectable 2.00 GAA.

Three years later, an injury to Detroit's Terry Sawchuk prompted Bob's brief promotion (from Hershey) to the NHL once more. His first game for Detroit was televised nationally in the US, and once again the opponent was Chicago (3-2 win for the Wings). During those years he spent six seasons for the Hershey Bears, winning the Harry Holmes Memorial Award as AHL's leading goalie in 1958-59. He twice paced the AHL in shutouts. He also had brief stints with Rochester and Providence. He had previously collected the Vezina Memorial Trophy as the star netminder of the Quebec League in 1954-55. But the award that he cherished the most was the one that he got in 1963-64 while playing for the San Francisco Seals (WHL). He got a trophy from the rival team Los Angeles Blades as the most popular visiting player that season, proving Bob was not only popular with his teammates but with his opponents as well.

On June 6, 1962, Bob was drafted by Boston from Detroit in an intraleague draft. Bob had a good camp for Boston, and coach Phil Watson decided to let Perreault start in goal at the beginning of the 1962-63 season. On October 11, 1962 at Boston Garden, Perreault was to play in the game that he stated was the biggest thrill of his life.

It was against Montreal and Bob displayed some awesome goaltending in that game. With Boston up 2-0 early in the second period, Jean Beliveau skated in on Perreault but was robbed of the sure goal. Then, a moment later Henri Richard hurled a shot from point-blank range. He too, was robbed by Perreault. In the third period with Boston up 5-0, "Miche" made some spectacular saves on both Gilles Tremblay and Red Berenson. What made this so sweet for Bob was that he knew several of the Montreal players well, guys like Beliveau, Dickie Moore, Claude Provost and Bernie Geoffrion.

Perreault shared his goaltending duties with Ed Johnston later that season. But his glory days would be short lived. Bruins sold Bob to the San Francisco Seals in June 1963 for $25.000. Perreault immediately led San Francisco to two straight championships in the WHL.

His 22 games for Boston in 1962-63 proved to be his last hurrah in the big league. Bob became a fixture in the minor leagues,playing for the Rochester Americans (AHL) between 1965-69. He then played in the IHL for the Des Moines Oak Leafs between 1969-72. During these years Bob won another Hap Holmes Memorial Award 1968 (fewest goals against in the AHL) as well as the James Norris Memorial Trophy in 1970 (fewest goals against in the IHL).

Bob's last "major league" appearance came in WHA's inagural season in 1972-73 when he was in goal for one game as a chubby 42-year old for the Los Angeles Sharks as an emergency "solution". Emergency or not, he won that game and only allowed two goals in the game. Bob finished his active hockey career in 1973-74 for the Greensboro Generals of the SHL (Southern Hockey League) where he played 16 games (4.01 GAA) as a 43-year old.

Had Perreault not become a professional goalie, he very well may have given his hands a try at boxing. As a teenager Bob used to box in Shawinigan Falls and Grandmere, Quebec between hockey seasons. He was known as "Kid Flamingo" because he used to wear pink boxing trunks. He had a total of 13 fights (winning 5) before leaving boxing behind him. It was his hockey coach for the Trois-Rivieres Flambeaux (QJHL) who insisted on that Bob should get off the ropes and into the rinks as he was afraid that Bob might injure his hands. The undefeated heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano used to train in Providence where Bob played hockey and they became pretty good friends.

Jim "Seaweed" Pettie

2009-11-14T22:05:00.000-08:00

This is Jim Pettie. He was nicknamed "Seaweed" because of his clumpy, stringy hair.

Pettie was the Boston Bruins back up netminder in 1978-79, playing in 21 career NHL games. He was a tough bugger, too, picking up 13 PIMs in the NHL. In one minor league season he actually earned an amazing 145 PIMs.

He is most famous for being prolific writer George Plimpton's roommate when Plimpton participated in the Bruins training camp (even playing 5 minutes against the Flyers) while writing the book Open Net. As a result, he was prominently featured in the classic book.

In the minor leagues Seaweed found Darryl Edestrand also as a roommate while in Rochester. Edestrand had some great memories of Pettie.

"My romie was a goalie named Jim "Seaweed" Pettie, a little guy, typical goaltender, stranger than a shithouse rat," Edestrand so eloquently stated in Ross Brewitt's excellent book "Into The Empty Net."

Edestrand also recalled the strangest story of how their hotel room was mistaken for someone else's rambunctious party. The story reached the newspaper headlines, complete with the headline "Nude Hockey Players Assault Cops."

It seems Edestrand, who is sleeping with no clothes on, and Pettie, who was enjoying a long bath, were surprised by six cops and the hotel night manager who came into break up the non-existent party.

"About six cops come barelling down the hallway, and in the meantime Seaweed has gotten out of the tub, into a twoel, and comes out of the room. Me and the night manager jump aside, and two cops steamroll ol' Seaweed to the floor. But he's soaking wet and the first cop skidded off him like a greased pig, the second cop can't get the cuffs on him 'cause he's all soaped up or using bath gel or something.

"The cop told the judge Seaweed was like a wiry peach pit, couldn't find a place to grab onto him. We got off, but the best part was the cop who skidded into the wall sued Seaweed for $150,000, claiming that ever since the incident he could no longer perform his manly duties at home. I think he settled for $1,500."

Jack Bionda

2009-11-04T18:52:00.000-08:00

One would think hockey is Canada's national sport right? Wrong. For the longest time lacrosse was recognized as the official sport of this country. Only in the 1990s was hockey recognized as an official sport of the nation. Hockey was named Canada's winter sport while lacrosse became hockey's summer sport.

Lacrosse is in some ways pretty similar to hockey. Many of the oldtimers played both sports. Even in modern times you can find NHLers with strong ties to lacrosse - players like Joe Nieuwendyk, Gary Roberts and Brendan Shanahan.

Arguably the greatest lacrosse player of all time was John Arthur (Jack) Bionda. Jack was like the "Gretzky" of lacrosse and spent the off seasons playing hockey, including parts of 4 seasons in the National Hockey League.

Jack Bionda's lacrosse career spanned two decades 1945-1968. He spent most of those years on the west coast playing for senior lacrosse teams in Victoria, Nanaimo and Portland, Oregon. He helped his teams win the Mann Cup symbolic of Canadian lacrosse superiority 5 times in 14 years. Several times he was named league MVP and won the scoring championship.

Bionda's career started back east in Ontario however, where he also played hockey. Bionda played in the juniors with the Toronto Marlies for three seasons.

In 1955-56 he played professional hockey in the Toronto Maple Leafs organizations. A tough as nails defenseman, Bionda played most of the season in Pittsburgh with the AHL Hornets. He led the league in penalty minutes and added 7 goals and 17 points. He also got his first call up to the NHL where he played in 13 games with the Leafs. He had one assist.

Jack was picked up by the Boston Bruins in the Intra League draft in the off season of 1956. He played in parts of the next 3 seasons with the Bruins while also seeing time with the Bruins AHL affiliates in Springfield and Providence. Jack played in a total of 80 games for the Bruins, scoring 3 goals and 8 assists with 95 PIM. He also appeared in 11 playoff games, picking up 1 lone assist.

In 1959 Jack's lacrosse career carried him out west, first to Vancouver Island and later Portland Oregon. Jack's move out west became a year round thing for the Bionda family. Jack left the NHL and opted to play in the Western Hockey League during the lacrosse off season. He spent one season with the Victoria Cougars before playing 7 seasons with the Portland Buckaroos.

He developed a reputation as a tough and solid defenseman in the WHL. However he earned an even better reputation playing lacrosse.

Ted Donato

2009-10-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

Describing Ted Donato as a very intelligent hockey player and coach should be no surprise. After all he has a history degree from Harvard.

More impressively, he's now molding young Harvard minds.

No, he is not a professor. He is the head coach of his alma mater, probably teaching "his students" life lessons that will take them far, even if it is ultimately not on the ice.

For NHL fans, Ted Donato was an undersized but heady forward best remembered with his hometown Boston Bruins. In Boston, Donato was something of a legend before joining the Bruins, and may be growing into a bigger legend now that he is retired from the game.

Donato had a knack for scoring big goals. He scored the championship winning goal in the Massachusetts high school championships. In 1989 with Harvard he scored the game winning goal in the NCAA championship game, defeating Minnesota to become the national champions!

Donato would go on to score 150 goals (including 22 game winners) in 796 games in the National Hockey League. While in his heyday he got some secondary power play unit time in Boston, he was best known as an ace penalty killer. Donato often teamed with 1992 US Olympic teammate Steve Heinze to be one of the best PK units of the 1990s, using speed and anticipation to break up plays and even create offensive chances. Ted Donato may very much be Ivy League, but he was all blue collar on the ice.

There are a couple of great articles on Donato and hockey in Harvard I want to share with you.

David Waldstein of the New York Times looks back at Harvard's 1989 national championship, while Nathaniel Popper looks at Donato's tough job as Harvard's head coach.

Larry Leach

2009-03-01T11:39:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard of Larry Leach? Me neither, until today.

As you can see in the side photo, if Leach is a legend of hockey, it is in the minor leagues more so than the NHL. He played a long time in Portland with the old WHL Buckaroos.

But he also spent parts of three seasons with the Boston Bruins. From 1958 through 1962 he played in 126 games with B's, contributing 13 goals and 42 points. He was described as a useful checker on a line with Dick Meissner and Fleming Mackell.

I recently unearthed a Scott Young Globe & Mail article from the early 1960s. Young tells of "The Funniest Penalty Shot," involving our Mr. Leach.

Mr. Young will tell the rest of the story:

"On November 8th, 1959, Chicago was playing in Boston. Bronco Horvath of Boston was a large man in the league then, sinking goals as if hew were throwing buckshot into a hat. He, Jean Beliveau of Montreal and Bobby Hull of Chicago were leading contenders for the scoring championship and the bonuses that go with it.

"In the third period Alger Arbour of Chicago threw his stick. This was the one infraction which referees of that day were certain called for a penalty shot. Dalton McArthur ruled accordingly.

"Consulting his rule book he read the part saying that the coach of the non-offending team could name the player to take the shot. "Hmmm," said McArthur to himself, "Well, a Boston player had the puck, so Boston was on the offensive. That means Chicago is the non offending team. I will go and inform my old friend Rudy Pilous of his responsibilities in this matter."

He skated to the Chicago bench. "Who's going to take it?" he asked.

Pilous said, "Whah-h-h-h-h?"

McArthur courteously explained the rule to him. On the Boston bench Milt Schmidt, the coach, was being stricken with several successive attacks of apoplexy as he kept sending Horvath out to take the penalty shot and McArthur kept sending him back. With a might effort, Pilous kept a straight face. "Give me a minute to think about," he said. "It's rather an important decision, you know."

As McArthur skated off a short distance, the Chicago players implored Pilous to exercise this once in a lifetime privelege to the fullest extent and request that the Boston goalie take the shot. Pilous was sorely tempted.

However, he said, "I thought that if I called for the goalie, McArthur would catch on that there was something rather unprecedented in this entire matter and send out for a dictionary."

Accordingly, Pilous raised his opera glasses and scrutinze the Boston bench. Down at one end, slowly turning to stone from lack of action through the first month of the season, sat Larry Leach.

Leach is a nice chap. All the goalkeepers in the NHL at the time said so.

"Larry Leach," Pilous said to McArthur.

When McArthur came over and ordered Leach to the ice to take the penalty shot instead of Horvath, only by the quick use of artificial respiration did Schmidt's physicians save him to fight another day.

Leach missed the penalty shot, although Boston still won 5-3.

Horvath, who could drive a puck through a keyhole at one hundred paces that season, missed the scoring championship four and a half months later. To Bobby Hull. By one point."

Mike O'Connell

2009-02-14T18:16:00.000-08:00

An undersized and under-rated defenseman, Chicago born, Massachusetts raised Mike O'Connell was a great skating standout at both ends of the ice

The son of former NFL quarterback Tommy O'Connell, the diminutive Mike loved both football and hockey. He was always one of the smallest players on the grid iron and the ice. He would find he could be a dominant player in hockey despite his size, and would give up football to chase hockey dreams.

A rare American standout in the early 1970s, O'Connell, on the advice of Boston Bruins general manager Harry Sinden, ventured north to Canada to advance his game against better competition. In 1973 he moved to Kingston to play major junior hockey. Blessed with great skating ability and a terrific understanding of transition offense, O'Connell immediately starred. By 1975 he was named the best defenseman in all of Ontario.

Still, the NHL shied away because of his size. It was not until the 43rd overall pick in the weak 1975 NHL amateur draft that the Chicago Blackhawks took a chance on the Chicago-born star.

For the longest time it looked like O'Connell was never going to be a NHL player. He played the first 4 seasons as a pro almost exclusively in the minor leagues.

It was not until 1979 that O'Connell finally cracked the Blackhawks lineup. He was part of a youth movement in Chicago that included the likes of Doug Wilson, Bob Murray and Keith Brown.

O'Connell would not truly hit his stride in the NHL until 1980 when an old friend Harry Sinden traded another promising young player in Al Secord to bring O'Connell home to Boston.

Although he played behind Ray Bourque and Brad Park, O'Connell, who often teammed with Mike Milbury, emerged as an offensive force. For the next five seasons he was a fixture on the power play, and grew into an all star performer. Not only did he play in the 1984 all star game, but he scored 18 goals and 60 points.

A good modern day comparable for O'Connell would be Brian Rafalski. Not only are they similar sized defensemen, but both were strong offensive contributors thanks to their skating, passing and offensive reads and pinches. O'Connell relied on his heavy shot perhaps more than Rafalski, but both were really crafty. Both were also solid defensive players, relying strong positioning and angling, rarely getting beat one on one. O'Connell was a noted shot blocker who was relied on to rush the puck out of the defensive zone.

After six solid seasons in Boston, the Bruins moved an aging O'Connell to Detroit at the trading deadline in 1986 in exchange for Reed Larson. O'Connell would play 4 more seasons with the Wings, though he would become primarily a defensive veteran than counted on for offensive.

After retiring in 1990 O'Connell almost immediately stepped into management. He started in the IHL with the San Diego Gulls before returning to Boston to serve with and eventually taking over for Harry Sinden.

Gus Kyle

2009-01-12T19:14:00.000-08:00

When you look at Gus Kyle's career statistics, you might not expect much. He came seemingly out of nowhere, first appearing in the NHL as a 26 year old in 1949. He played the next three seasons, two for New York and one for Boston, before disappearing from the NHL scene.

A less than noteworthy career? Not according to legendary broadcaster Dick Irvin.

In his book Now Back to You Dick: Two Lifetimes in Hockey, Irvin inexplicably described Kyle as one of the rare NHL defenseman that gave the great Maurice "the Rocket" Richard great difficulty.

"The two defensemen The Rocket found the toughest to get around in those days were Frankie Eddoll, an ex-Canadien then with the Rangers, and Gus Kyle, a former Mountie who left the force to play pro hockey," wrote Irvin.

That's true. Kyle had served 5 years with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police/amateur hockey star in St. John, New Brunswick. Legend has it he left the force because he wanted to get married, but at the time RCMP forbade marriage before seven years of service. Kyle had other ideas and left the force, heading back to Saskatchewan to play hockey.

Before long his services were sought after by the NHL. He joined the New York Rangers in 1949 as a big, mean defenseman, leading the league in PIMs one season, and finishing second by just one lone minute another year.

Irvin could never quite identify why the 6'1", 200lb defenseman from Dysart, Saskatchewan was so good at shutting down Richard, but he could not help but wonder how history would have changed had Kyle been allowed to keep squaring up against Richard in the playoffs of 1952.

"Kyle was a ploddig type, slow moving but solid, who for some reason had the knack of being able to stop The Rocket more often than not. He was with the Bruins in 1952, but Boston coach Lynn Patrick benched him for the final two games of the series (with Montreal). Kyle normally played left defense along side Bob Armstrong. In game seven, that spot was filled by Bill Quackenbush."

In that game seven Richard scored the most famous goal of his career, and perhaps the most famous goal in hockey history. A bloodied and semi-conscious Richard scores the spectacular winning goal. Afterwards, goaltender Sugar Jim Henry shakes Richard's hand in the ultimate show of respect, as captured in the famous photo.

In his book Irvin added that the coach, Dick Irvin Sr., always wondered how that night might have been different had Kyle been out on the ice.

Kyle would never again play on NHL ice. The following season he would head back to Western Canada, playing four more seasons of hockey with the Calgary Stampeders of the WHL.

Kyle would retire in 1956, but the game would always stay with him. He would turn to coaching, serving as a minor league coach in the Chicago Blackhawks system. Gus and his brother Bill, who also played in the NHL, also operated Kyle Brothers Sporting Goods in Regina and Calgary.

Kyle's coaching gig started in Calgary but saw him move to St. Louis in 1961. He would fall in love with the city, and remain on the hockey scene there until his death.

Kyle coached the CHL's St. Louis Braves until 1966. In 1967 the NHL expanded to St. Louis. Kyle took a sales director's job with the Blues before becoming the long time and much beloved colorman for local broadcasts with the legendary Dan Kelly.

Kyle died of heart disease in 1996. He was 75 years old.

Pat Egan

2008-11-20T17:50:00.000-08:00

Back in the 1940s few defensemen were tougher than Pat "Boxcar" Egan.

Born in the small town of Blackie Alberta in 1918, the Egan family moved to Calgary where Egan became a rink rat if there ever was one. And it paid off. His love of the game took him all the way to the National Hockey League.

After being claimed by the New York Americans, Egan spent his rookie professional campaign with the 1938-39 Seattle Seahawks of the Pacific Coast Hockey League. He scored an impressive nine goals and 11 assists that season. But the 5'10" and 190lb defender proved to be one of the most rugged rearguards around. His 185 minutes in penalties led the league.

Egan brought his hard-hitting approach east in 1939-40, playing with Eddie Shore's Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League. He also got his first taste of NHL action, participating in 10 games, scoring 4 goals and 7 points.

Egan stuck with the Amerks for good in the 1940-41 season. He entered the league with an established reputation for his toughness, which meant he was test with fists and liberal use of sticks with great frequency. The rookie passed the test nicely, earning instant respect from his peers.

As time went on he also developed a reputation as a good skater with a heavy shot. With the weak NY Americans team he was relied on to rush the puck out of the zone and man a point on the power play. By his second season in the NHL the pugnacious Egan was named a 2nd Team NHL All Star on defense. He scored 8 times and assisted on 20 others that season, all while leading the NHL with 124 PIMs.

The following year Egan traded in his hockey uniform for a military uniform. He enlisted with the Canadian Army, though was stationed in Montreal, far from the danger of European battlefields. He spent his off time playing hockey in military leagues.

Egan returned to the NHL in 1943-44, but due to financial difficulties his New York team had folded. The Detroit Red Wings had secured Egan's playing rights, though his stay in the Motor City was short. By mid-season he was moved to Boston. He finished the season strongly in Beantown, picking up an impressive 24 points in 25 games with the B's.

His offensive numbers would fall off, but he became a fan favorite in Boston for the next five seasons. With his hard-hitting, rambunctious style, he became an all around solid presence. He was unforgiving with his physical play in his own zone.

Traded to the Rangers before the 1949-50 season, Egan spent his last two NHL campaigns back in New York, this time with the Rangers.

Though he would exit the NHL in 1951, but he continued playing for seven more seasons in the AHL and WHL. He did some double duty as a player-coach before stepping behind the bench full time. He was very successful in his long stay with the Springfield Indians of the AHL, winning three consecutive championships to start the 1960s.

Over his 20-year playing career he had a total of 554 NHL games played, 77 goals, 153 assists, 230 points, and 776 minutes in the penalties.

After he gave up coaching he took a job in Operations at Northeastern University in Boston for 22 years. He died on June 3rd, 2008

Vic Stasiuk

2008-10-06T20:01:00.000-07:00

"You have to have enthusiasm and a love of this game to play. You must keep interested and not get distracted. I can't understand a player who isn't enthusiastic. If you're not enthusiastic, you've got no business out on the ice."

The man who said that was a fellow named Vic Stasiuk. Enthusiasm, not to mention hard work a dedication, work trademarks of Stasiuk, both as a player and a coach.

Like most farm boys from Alberta, Stasiuk was never afraid of hard work. But he learned an early lesson about love of the game from a one-armed rink attendant.

"Before we were in our teens, we were on skates playing hockey against anyone who'd play us," Stasiuk recalled in the February 1970 issue of Hockey Pictorial magazine. "I remember Bill Hutchinson, a one-armed man who used to be the rink attendant at an outdoor rink we used to play on in Lethbridge. He was a lot older than we were, but he loved hockey and he'd get out there and play against us. Now that I'm older I realize just what love of the game this man had, and how his example really helped me in my own career. Without two arms for balance, hockey is really tough, and there he was, up against a lot of youngsters, just for the love of it. It was a lesson for all of us."

Stasiuk is best remembered as a member of the Boston Bruins famous "Uke Line" of the late 1950s. Johnny Bucyk and Bronco Horvath joined Stasiuk on the line.

Stasiuk joined the Bruins in 1955, after several years suffering in Detroit's deep system despite earning a Stanley Cup championship. Joining the Bruins was a great reprieve for him. The following five seasons were his most productive years of his career. He scored 19, 24, 21, 27 and 29 goals, earning the Bruins MVP award in 1958-59.

The Uke Line was broken up in 1960. The media reported it was because of poor defensive play by the trio. Stasiuk disputed that point vehemently. It was said that the bitterness led to his trade back to Detroit.

His second go around in Detroit was a little better. He got the chance to play on left wing with Gordie Howe.

Riding shotgun with Howe did not last long. Just before Christmas 1962 Stasiuk was demoted to the minor leagues.

"I thought the world was falling in. It meant I was being waived out of the NHL - that no one thought I was worth taking a chance on," said Stasiuk. Unhappy, he returned home to Lethbridge for the holidays before finally reporting to the Pittsburgh Hornets of the AHL.

The move turned out to be far from disastrous like Stasiuk first feared. The next year he became the Hornet's playing coach, starting Stasiuk's interest in coaching.

Stasiuk continued coaching in Pittsburgh, and later coached minor league teams in the Philadelphia Flyers organization. In 1970, that led to Stasiuk's return to the NHL, this time as coach of the Flyers.

Stasiuk was really remembered as a player's coach, hard but fair with his players.

"I always get out there and practice with them. I never ask them to do what I won't do myself, and when i give them a chance to take some whacks at me in practice, I think it helps them to work out that anger they might have."

Despite being popular with the players Stasiuk lasted only two season in Philly. He would resurface for single seasons with California and Vancouver. His all time coaching record was a less than stellar 88-153-66 with only one post season appearance where he lost all four games.

Fred Stanfield

2008-10-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

No one really noticed Fred Stanfield, but he was a top player with the Boston Bruins in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Stanfield was seen as a throw-in in the big Phil Esposito-Pit Martin/Gilles Marotte trade of 1967. Esposito would go on to rewrite the NHL record book, with a lot of help from Bobby Orr.

Stanfield was buried in the Chicago system, toiling behind the likes of Stan Mikita, Bill Hay and Espo. In Boston he would always play second fiddle to Espo, but assumed the number 2 centerman role on a line with Johnny Bucyk and Pie McKenzie.

In Boston Stanfield became a consistent 25 goal, 75 point threat. Though his numbers were dwarfed by several superstars in Boston, Stanfield's contributions were greatly appreciated and recognized.

"Anywhere else, we would really be crowing over what Freddie has been doing," said Boston coach Harry Sinden in the February 1970 edition of Hockey Pictorial magazine.

"In one sense he is the key to our team."

Wow! That's quite the claim given Esposito and Orr's spot in Bruins' lore.

"Orr and Espo are expected to be important key figures," Sinden reasoned. "However, we win many of our games on the work of our second line. Our second line is the best second line in the NHL. Most clubs put their checking line on our big Esposito line and hope they play evenly against the second line with their second line. They figure that their first line may outscore our third or checking trio, but they almost always under-rate Stanfield's muckers."

In addition to supplying a physical element, Stanfield's role was and to distribute the puck to his high scoring linemates.

"It's true we move the puck around pretty well," said Stanfield when describing his line's play. "I can make soft passes or hard ones. With guys who can go like Chief and Pie, I throw it to them real hard. They can reach them, and it gives them more time to make the play. We keep the passes off the ice and that's to our advantage because the puck doesn't get blocked by anybody's stick that way."

Unlike a lot of his Boston teammates, Stanfield did not take a lot of penalties. But does not mean he did not play physically.

"Fred can hit when he was to, but he doesn't look for trouble. This works out pretty well because Pie seems to stir up enough fuss for that line," said Milt Schmidt, Bruins legend and GM.

Stanfield, who had 4 brothers who all play professional hockey, had a reputation as a speedy playmaker, a fine faceoff man and a strong specialty teams player. He showed up to play every night, earning him the nickname Steady Freddy.

He also earned two Stanley Cups with the Bruins, in 1970 and again in 1972.

Stanfield was traded to Minnesota in exchange for goaltender Gilles Gilbert. The Bruins were looking to shore up their goaltending thanks to the departure of Gerry Cheevers and Ed Johnstone. Minnesota was hoping Stanfield could up his production even more on a number one line out west, but he never clicked with any linemates and faltered offensively.

After a season and a half Stanfield was moved to Buffalo where he played quietly for 3 and 1/2 years before his NHL tenure came to an end.

Stanfield played 914 NHL games, scoring 211 goals, 405 assist and 616 points. He added 21 goals and 56 points in 106 Stanley Cup playoff contests.

Fred Stanfield was a very good hockey player who happened to find himself in the perfect with the Boston Bruins.

Bob Joyce

2008-08-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

A product of Saskatchewan's famous Notre Dame Hounds, Joyce joined the University of North Dakota in 1984 where he quickly established himself as on of the best hockey players in American college hockey. By 1986-87 he scored 52 goals in 48 games, earning a berth on the WCHA First All-Star Team, NCAA West First All-American Team, and NCAA All-Tournament Team.

Joyce dropped out of school a year earlier in order to play under Dave King with the Canadian National team. It was a great opportunity for Joyce to learn to play under one of the best coaches in hockey, and also gave him a chance to play for his country in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. Joyce learned the defensive aspects of the game under King and his skating improved on the big ice surface. He scored 12 goals and 10 assists in IIHF sanctioned events and appeared in 4 Olympic matches, scoring one goal.

Bob was Boston's 4th choice, 82nd overall in the 1984 Entry Draft. He joined the Bruins after the 1988 Olympics, scoring 7 goals and 5 assists in only 15 games. He added 8 more goals and 6 assists in 23 playoff contests helping the Bruins advance to the Stanley Cup finals against the mighty Edmonton Oilers. Along side Joyce was another Bruin prospect who also played in the Olympics. New Englander Craig Janney had a strong Olympic tournament for Team USA and chipped in 7 goals and 16 points in his 15 post-Olympic NHL games. He also added 16 points in the playoffs.

In a calendar year, the St. John, New Brunswick native went from being a top college hockey player to an Olympian to playing in the Stanley Cup Finals and was the talk of Boston. Needless to say, there was a lot of expectations placed upon the young winger after that season.

Joyce had a somewhat disappointing season in his official rookie season of 1988-89. He scored 18 times and added 31 assists for 49 points. He had a strong playoff scoring 5 goals in 9 games. To make matters worse, Boston's other hot rookie Craig Janney was emerging as the NHL star people expected him to be. Joyce was not.

Joyce had a terrible start to a forgettable 1989-90 season. He battled injuries and the coach's dog house as he struggled to a 1 goal, 2 assist performance in 23 games. Clearly Joyce had lost all his confidence and a change of scenery was needed for all involved. So the Bruins sent him to Washington in exchange for NHL veteran Dave Christian.

Joyce finished the season with Washington but by early in the 1990-91 campaign he found himself playing in the American hockey league. In the summer of 1991 he was included in a 6 minor league player swap between Washington and Winnipeg.

Joyce would only play two games with the Jets in two years. He spent most of those two seasons playing in Moncton, New Brunswick with the Jets farm team. He enjoyed his two most productive professional seasons with the Moncton Hawks.

Joyce was let go by the Jets in 1993 and there were no takers for his services. He signed a two year deal with the IHL's Las Vegas Thunder and followed that up with a two year contract with the Orlando Solar Bears, also of the IHL. His 4 seasons in the IHL were largely unproductive He headed to Europe at the end of the 1997 season, playing three more seasons in Germany.

Flash Hollett

2008-08-10T23:10:00.000-07:00

William Hollett was a high scoring defenseman overshadowed by other great blue liners of his time.

Names like Eddie Shore (who was often Hollett's defensive partner), Dit Clapper and Art Coulter dominated the era. However it was Hollett who was often topped the offensive leader board from the point. In fact, in 1944-45 while with the Detroit Red Wings, Hollett became the first defenseman to score 20 goals in one season.

Hollett, dubbed Flash because of his great speed on skates, started his NHL career when he was loaned to the Ottawa Senators in 1933-34 by the Maple Leafs before being teamed with Hap Day in Toronto in 1934-35. In 1936 he was sold to the Boston Bruins for a significant sum of cash - rumored to be $16,000. Despite his ability and promise, Hollett wore out his welcome with Conn Smythe. His abrasiveness would come into play throughout his career.

It was in Boston where Hollett established himself as a solid NHLer. Teamed with Shore, Hollett would enjoy 7 seasons with the Bruins, tying NHL records for defensemen when he scored 19 goals in both the 1941-42 and 1942-43 season. Harry Cameron originally set the record in 1921. In 1943 Hollett did break Tom "Cowboy" Anderson's record for most points by a defenseman with 44.

But Hollett's greatest moment as a Bruin came in 1939, and at the expense of his old team. It was Hollett who scored a crushing goal in the finals against Toronto to give the Bruins the Stanley Cup! Hollett and the Bruins would win another title in 1941.

Yet all was not well in Boston. Hollett clashed with boss Art Ross. It was once said that Art Ross toyed with the notion of burying him in the minor leagues. Despite the feud, Ross knew he needed Hollett. He was an extraodinary offensive presence from the rear and he had great versatility. Ross would move Hollett up on a forward line whenever a forward got hurt. Hollett would also take turns as a forward while on the penalty kill.

Hollett was on pace for another near-20 goal season in January 1944 when the Bruins traded away the now 32 year old veteran to Detroit for Pat Egan, a young defensive prospect who would go on to enjoy a lengthy NHL career.

In Hollett's first full season with Detroit he would break Cameron's goal record by defensemen. He scored 20 goals and 21 assists in the 1944-45 season. What makes this even more unthinkable is that he did this in 50 game schedule. Even during the high scoring 1980's when Paul Coffey, Ray Bourque and Doug Wilson were challenging 30+ goals routinely, 20 goals by a defenseman was still considered to be quite the feat. The record of 20 goals would stand for 24 years until a young man named Bobby Orr came along.

Pairded with Earl Seibert, Hollett's performance in the 1945 playoffs were quite legendary in Detroit. Down three games to one against Toronto in the finals, Hollett spurred an unlikely Detroit comeback, winning three straight games before falling just short in game seven.

Hollett's production faltered significantly in 1945-46 as he battled groin and knee injuries and had a falling out with Wings boss Jack Adams. The argument was over Flash's contract. Hollett wanted a $500 a year raise and even retired in the summer of 1946 over the dispute. When he did retire Adams threatened Hollett that he would make sure that Flash would never be placed in Hockey's Hall of Fame. Suspiciously, even years after Jack Adam's passing, Hollett, one of the games top blue liners of that era is still not in the Hall.

To end the dispute Hollett was traded to the New York Rangers, but the aging veteran opted to retire and attend to his young family rather than move to Manhattan. He returned to the Toronto area, where he continued to play senior hockey. In 1950 he led the Toronto Marlboros to the Allan Cup championship.

When Hollett retired he was the highest scoring defenseman in the history of the National Hockey League. He scored 132 goals and 181 assists for 313 points in 565 NHL games

Flash Hollett died in 1999.

Don Sweeney

2008-08-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

For years Don Sweeney had been overlooked by hockey fans and the hockey media. A master shot blocker, Sweeney prefered it that way. He was an unassuming person who took great pride in his work but no interest in any glory for his efforts.

"It's my character to be quiet and try to be unassuming," said Sweeney, an assistant captain. "I just go about my business."

Sweeney comes from a different hockey background. He is one of the few long term NHLers out of New Brunswick, St. Stephen, NB to be exact. While he grew up in the Canadian hinterlands, he didn't play junior hockey. Instead he played US College hockey. And not just any college either. He attended the very top of all ivy league schools. Don Sweeney is a Harvard man playing the most brutal of games. Very well, I might add.

Despite his Harvard degree in economics, Sweeney has earned a living the old fashioned way, albeit in the glamorous world of pro sports. He, more than any other Bruin especially in the late 1990s, embraced the team's lunch-pail approach to the game. His work ethic and dedication were a true throw back to earlier eras.

"He's a true professional in how he approaches everything: the game, his life and his dedication to whatever he does," says Bruins captain Ray Bourque. "He's a hard-working guy, on and off the ice. He prepares really well and he's a smart kid."

Bourque would know. He played with Sweeney much of Sweeney's career. Sweeney helped make things a lot easier on Bourque, one of the game's all time greats.

Many defensive defensemen rely on strength and size to last in the National Hockey League. Not Sweeney. He is all of 5'10" tall, though is very strong and sturdy. He was a shrub in the forest of NHL defensemen, but as new statistics point out what NHL forwards already know, he was a hard hitting body checker. He added some nice mobility to his repertoire, and possessed great hockey sense. All in all, he was a very clever hockey player, and incredibly underrated.

"I've always felt like I've been up against the wall -- I don't want to say overachieve -- in terms of finding a way to battle despite my size and such," says Sweeney. "I've learned to play within my limitations and to try to be a better player."

His limitations in the defensive zone were few in far between. The offensive zone was a bit of a different story, as Sweeney rarely contributed there. That was not so much because of a lack of offensive skills, but more because of his dedication to defense.

The only thing he was more dedicated to is the organization itself.

"He loves being a Boston Bruin," said former teammate Marty McSorley. "I really get that feeling. He'll do whatever he can to keep playing here and stay a Boston Bruin."

Bep Guidolin

2008-07-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

Armand "Bep" Guidolin is and almost certainly always will be known as the youngest player to ever perform in the National Hockey League.

When he debuted with the Boston Bruins on November 12th of 1942, he was just 16 years old! Due to war-time player shortages the Bruins used several youngsters that season. Guidolin played on a line with 17 year old Don Gallinger and 20 year old Bill Shill. With the famed "Kraut Line" of Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart and Bobby Bauer absent from the Bruins line up due to war commitments, the Boston press was quick to dub the rookie line as the "Sprout Line."

Guidolin spent 4 seasons with the B's, though he missed the 1944-45 season due to his own military service. He later played with Chicago and Detroit in the NHL before rounding out his career with several seasons in the minor leagues. By 1958 he was reinstated as an amateur in Canada and helped the Belleville McFarlands win the Allan Cup.

He then went to coach junior hockey, specifically the Oshawa Generals, a junior team affiliated with the Boston Bruins. Yes, Bep Guidolin coached Bobby Orr in junior! He also would coach the Kitchener Rangers.

In 1971 Bep was called upon by the Bruins to coach their new farm team in the AHL - the Boston Braves. Guidolin did an incredible job. His teams were extremely well conditioned, disciplined and aggressive. In his first year as coach the Braves were the best team in their division by far.

In the middle of his second season with the Braves Bep was rewarded for his work by getting the call to step behind the Bruins bench, as Tom Johnson's successor.

Bep was not exactly popular with the players. He ran exhausting practices with relentless drills. He'd keep the whole team working until he was convinced every player had worked his butt off. The results were incredible - In 104 regular season games he had a coaching record of 72-23-9, well over .730 winning percentage!

However things were not rosy in Boston, not for Bep anyways. His players hated playing for him, particularly Phil Esposito and Derek Sanderson, who both had bitter feuds with him. In the playoffs when the Bruins became the first original six team to lose to an expansion club in the Stanley Cup finals, the Bruins used that to release Guidolin, despite his great results. Someone named Don Cherry was given the bench.

Guidolin ended up in Kansas City for the next year and a half, though with but a fraction of the talent he had in Boston, his results plummeted to well under .300 winning percentage.

Guidolin's last stop in pro hockey was Edmonton, where he was briefly the coach and GM of the WHA Oilers. He would walk away from the job with 18 games left in the 1976-77 season after hand picking one of his players to take over as coach. That man was none other than hard-nosed team captain Glen Sather.

Roy Conacher

2008-04-26T13:47:00.000-07:00

The 1998 Hall of Fame induction ceremonies included Roy Conacher, who maybe now will finally get some recognition as a great player in his own right.

Despite his own athletic achievements, Roy Conacher has always been best known as the younger brother of fellow Hockey Hall of Famers Charlie and Lionel. Charlie was probably the best hockey player while Lionel was named Canada's male athlete of the half century in 1950 as he also starred in the Canadian Football League, minor league baseball, lacrosse, boxing and wrestling.

Roy Conacher entered the NHL in 1938-39 and immediately made an impact. As a rookie he led the entire NHL in goals with 26 and also helped his Boston Bruins capture the Stanley Cup. Conacher would help to duplicate the Beantown Cup Championship again in 1941 but then saw his career put on hold due to World War II.

Conacher enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and was stationed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and later Dartmouth, Nova Scotia for a total of 3 years. He played a total of 27 senior games as an amateur in that time, scoring 23 goals in a fairly competitive league which featured other pro-hockey players who were also stationed in the area for military service.

Following the end of the war Conacher returned to Boston but only played in 4 games in 1945-46. The following season he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings where he scored a career high 30 goals and 54 points. However a contract dispute saw Roy on his way out again, this time to the Chicago Blackhawks (he was initially traded to the New York Americans but refused to go to the Big Apple).

Conacher enjoyed 4 fine seasons with the Hawks, none finer than the 1948-49 campaign when he won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer. Though he was teamed with Doug Bentley and Bill Mosienko, the Hawks failed to make the playoffs yet again. During his entire tenure with the Hawks, the team was the cellar dwellars of the league.

Roy Conacher comes from one of Canada's top athletic families. Roy's nephews Peter and Brian also saw time in the NHL. Though he is not as famous as brothers Charlie and Lionel, he, too, is one of hockey's all time greats.

Conacher retired in 1951 with 226 career goals, one more than big brother Charlie.

Frank Brimsek

2008-04-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

Frank Brimsek was nicknamed "Mr. Zero." He earned that in his first 8 National Hockey League games.

Frank Brimsek was certainly a rarity back in the 1940's: He was an American superstar in a time when Canadians truly dominated hockey's ranks. The native of Eveleth, Minnesota got his chance with the Boston Bruins following the trade of Beantown favorite Tiny Thompson. Bruin fans and media questioned the move because they believed they could not win without Thompson between the pipes.

Brimsek quickly made them forget the name Thompson. In his first 8 NHL games, Brimsek recorded 6 shutouts and wiped out a league record for consecutive scoreless minutes. "Mr. Zero" had arrived.

That first year he sparked the Bruins to the regular season and Stanley Cup Championships, earning the Calder and Vezina trophies and a First Team All Star selection on the way. He would help the Bruins to two more regular season titles and one more Stanley Cup prior to being enlisted in the armed forces during WWII.

After 2 years of duty in the South Pacific, Brimsek returned to the National Hockey League, but never did regain his form. "My legs and nerves were shot" admitted Brimsek. He retired in 1949 as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks and was placed in the Hall of Fame in 1966.

Bronco Horvath

2008-03-15T22:20:00.000-07:00

Originally signed by the Detroit Red Wings, Bronco Horvath has the rare distinction of at one time or another being the property of all of the Original Six teams!

Before he played a game in the NHL with Detroit he was traded to New York where he played 1 season. He was then shipped to Montreal, but he would appear in just one game in a Montreal uniform before finishing the season in the minor leagues.

Another off- season saw Horvath traded to Boston, where he blossomed as a NHLer. Playing on the "Uke Line," Horvath centered Johnny Bucyk and Vic Stasiuk to form one of hockey's most electrifying lines.

In his first season in Boston, he scored 30 goals and 66 points in 67 games, good enough to pace the Bruins in scoring. His exploits also got the Bruins to the Stanley Cup finals against the Montreal Canadiens, but fell short.

Nicknamed "Bronco" because of his early childhood roots in western Canada, Horvath's second season in Boston was interrupted by a broken jaw which limited him to just 19 goals in 45 games. The following year however he tied Bobby Hull for the league lead with 39 goals

"If Chief (Johnny Bucyk) hadn't got injured, I'd have shattered 50 goals or more. I'd love to be able to play hockey today with Bucyk and Stasiuk on the wings. I'd score over a 100 goals a year with the 80 game schedule. It'd be a snap with those two guys. They'd get the puck out to me and I'd just shoot it."

Horvath finished second to Hull in the overall scoring derby however. His total of 41 assists was one fewer than Hull's 42. Horvath was named to the NHL second all star team behind the immortal Jean Beliveau.

The "Ukes" were broken up the following year, due mostly to injuries. Horvath himself spent another injury plagued season in Boston, playing in just 47 games. before being claimed in the Intra-League draft by Chicago. But never quite found his niche in the Windy City. The following season he split the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs. He would finish the season with the Leaf's AHL affiliate in Rochester.

Horvath spent sixth of the next seven seasons with the Leafs farm team, and was one of the top players in the minor leagues. When Bill Masterton was tragically killed, the Minnesota North Stars were short of NHL players. The Leafs loaned the services of Horvath to the North Stars organization briefly in the 1967-68 season. Despite playing with a badly broken thumb, Horvath played well in 14 games with the Stars, collecting 1 goal and 7 points.

Horvath wanted to stay in Minnesota, but the Leafs wouldn't sell his contract to the Stars.

"Crozier and Imlach (Toronto Maple Leaf management) were playing games. They wanted 5 players and $50,000 for me! I could have a had a good life in Minnesota," said Horvath be grudgingly. "That's not right. I wanted to be in the big leagues. But I learned every time I was in the minors. It was hard to come back. They control you. They tell you what you can do and what you can't do. No matter how good you are, they're going to stick you.

Bronco retired in 1970 from Rochester and joined the Minnesota as a scout. Later he coached in the OHA for the London Knights, and in Cape Cod for a semi-pro organization, from where he launched a successful cleaning business.

He had to get a real job, as he squandered all of his money earned in hockey.

"I made a good dollar in the minors, as much if not more than some guys in the NHL. I thought I was going to play hockey for 50 years. I could have played for many years like Gordie Howe. I went from day to day. I thought I was going to be a millionaire or something in hockey. When I quit hockey, I was going to be in coaching. Lets face it, it's a dream. Dreams don't work out in that way. You've got to work at it; you've got to put your mind to it seven days a week."

Cal Gardner certainly believed in his own abilities, and was never shy to offer his opinion. That brash personality probably explains why he was traded so often and why he never got along well with coaches and managers.

Reggie Lemelin

2008-02-09T18:06:00.000-08:00

Rejean "Reggie" Lemelin was one of a number of goalies from the 1980s that always perplexed me.

Though goaltending in the 1980s is historically regarded as weak at best, Reggie was an above average goalie who was capable of great performances. Yet he was never able to truly establish himself as an elite goalie, like say Grant Fuhr, Billy Smith and Ron Hextall. Instead Lemelin was regarded to be a level below that, along with names like Bob Froese, Bob Sauve, Brian Hayward, and former teammates Pat Riggin and even Andy Moog. I'm even inclined to include Pete Peeters on this list.

Lemelin was an old-school stand up goalie. That style is basically instinct today, but it was still accepted practice back then, and Lemelin excelled at playing his angles and directing pucks into the corners. In many ways he was blocking shots rather than saving them. By virtue of his playing style he often made stops seem easier than they probably were.

The problem with that theory of goaltending of course is the goalie is very susceptible if he has to move around. Force the goalie to move and he will lose his angles, and Lemelin fit this textbook definition of stand up goalie to a tee as well. Though he had great balance and was quick when forced to scramble while off his feet, he was slow in moving across his crease and often relied on the unreliable stacked-pads attempt to stop 2 on 1's.

Drafted by Philadelphia way back in 1974, Lemelin signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Flames in 1978. He did not become a Flames regular goalie until 1980-81, the first year the Flames relocated to Calgary.

Though he was a constant in the Calgary crease for much of the 1980s, he could never secure himself the #1 starting goalies job. Not even after his magical 1983-84 season where he went unbeaten in 19 straight games and was voted as runner up to Buffalo rookie sensation Tom Barrasso for the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the league. Lemelin was even asked to play for Team Canada at the 1984 Canada Cup following his 21-12-9 season, and would improve his numbers in 1985-86.

Correctly believing organizational depth was a key to success, the Flames always had someone pushing Lemelin for playing time. There was Pat Riggin, Don Edwards, and finally Mike Vernon, who would finally establish himself as the undisputed king of the Calgary crease.

In 1987-88 Lemelin was moved to Boston where he was essential in their voyage to the Stanley Cup finals. Most people will of course remember the Bruins started Andy Moog for the final series against Moog's old Edmonton Oilers teammates. But Lemelin actually played the lion's share of games that post season, posting a 11-6 record in 17 post season games.

Lemelin would remain in Boston until 1993. As time went by his status as the back up goalie behind Moog was cemented. Regardless, the Bruins featured one of the strongest tandems and therefore strongest teams in the early 1990s. The Bruins returned to the Stanley Cup finals in 1990, but would once again fall short to the Oilers.

Lemelin would hang up his skates for good in 1993, famously saying that he knew it was time to retire when his teammates were asking him for permission to date his daughter. (by the way, Lemelin's daughter is actress Stephanie Lemelin.) In actuality, Lemelin chose to retire rather than accept Boston's decision to demote him to the minor leagues.

Lemelin would go on to the world of coaching after his playing days. In 1993-94 he was the goalie coach in St. Louis before moving the next season to Philadelphia where he would serve as the long time goaltending consultant.

I guess history will not be as kind to Reggie Lemelin as perhaps it should be. He was an above average goalie, and for a couple of seasons he may even have been elite. But success and therefore that magical defining moment was tough to find. Consider this - Lemelin was the back up goalie for 3 Stanley Cup finals. Perhaps that is his defining moment.

Ken Hodge Jr.

2008-01-30T12:01:00.001-08:00

Ken Hodge Jr.'s biggest claim to fame remains the fact that he is the son of former Boston Bruin superstar, Ken Hodge Sr.

Ken Hodge was drafted by Minnesota, with their 2nd pick, 46th overall in the 1984 Amateur Draft after a fine Collegiate career at Boston College. He seemed to have troubles living up to the responsibility of the family name. As a result Hodge Jr. failed to impress in three seasons with the Minnesota organization. Ken was obtained by the Boston Bruins in exchange for Boston's 2nd pick in the 1992 Amateur Draft on August 21, 1990. The Stars faired alright in this trade as they used the pick to draft Jere Lehtinen.

The Bruins acquired their former star's namesake with the idea that at worst he'd be a marketing ploy at the minor league level. But after a quick start to the 90-91 season with the Maine Mariners of the American Hockey League, Ken was called up to Boston. Kenny turned in a fine rookie campaign, earning a spot on the All-Rookie Team. Playing on a line with Cam Neely he scored 30 goals and 29 assists, providing much needed offense to the Bruin's lineup.

Ken however struggled to regain his offensive form in his rookie season and on September 4, 1992 he was dispatched to Tampa Bay along Matt Harvey in exchange for tough guy Darren Kimble. Hodge Jr.'s boss in Tampa was Phil Esposito, Hodge Sr.'s old running mate.

Hodge was an excellent face-off man, often called upon to take key defensive zone face-offs. At 6'1" and 200lbs, Junior didn't fully utilize his size to its fullest advantage, much like his father. An average skater at best at the NHL level, Hodge wasn't quite skilled enough to be a scorer, nor physical enough to be a banger.

In 142 games he scored 39 goals, 48 assists for 87 career points with the Stars, Bruins and Lightning. He would finish his career in Britain, where his father was born.

Ken Hodge

2008-01-27T18:32:00.000-08:00

This is Ken Hodge, a great member of the Boston Bruins who could never seem to win over the Boston Gardens faithful, or his Boston coaches.

The British born superstar played in 881 games, scoring 328 goals, 472 assists and 800 points. He formed a special connection with the great Phil Esposito, serving as his RW during the team's great seasons in the 1970s. Hodge is often overlooked in comparison to Espo, Bobby Orr, Derek Sanderson and Wayne Cashman on that team, but the two time all star was a key component of that offensive juggernaut to be sure.

The problem with the fans was that they always expected more out of Hodge. When he arrived in Boston via Chicago he was one of the biggest men in hockey at 6'2" and 215lbs. They wanted him to use every ounce of muscle to bang away the opposition, but that was never really in Hodge's make up. He tried to fill that role, but he was much more successful as an offensive forward on Boston's top line.

As more success came, so did more criticism. He worked tirelessly to improve his skating so he could skate on that top line with Espo and Cash, and it paid off with seasons of 45, 43 and 50 goals, not to mention Stanley Cup championships in 1970 and 1972. Consistency was never a friend of Hodge's though, leading to more boo birds. He followed up monster years with below average campaigns.

Hodge tried his best to shrug off the criticism from fans and media, but coach/manager Harry Sinden was also always on his case, as was subsequent coach Don Cherry. The two didn't get along too well with each other, which led to Hodge's departure to the New York Rangers in 1976.

That trade proved to be one of the most lopsided in NHL history. Hodge played just 96 more games in the NHL, while the Bruins received a young Rick Middleton, who would star with the team for over a decade to come.

Interestingly, Ken Hodge's son, Ken Hodge Jr., also would play for the Boston Bruins. The acrimonious relationship with the fans was non existent for his son, fortunately.

Bill Quackenbush

2008-01-26T18:33:00.001-08:00

Bill Quackenbush played with the Detroit Red Wings and the Boston Bruins in his 14 year career in the NHL. The 5'11" 180lb blueliner was not only one of the best defensive blueliners, but also, much like Niklas Lidstrom in the modern NHL, was as gentlemanly as he was efficient.

While playing with the Red Wings he was teamed with such pugilists as Terrible Ted Lindsay, Black Jack Stewart and of course Gordie Howe. Later Bill would play for the Big Bad Boston Bruins. Quackenbush's play was completely contradictory to that of his teams. Instead of using violence and brute strength, he would use a clean, pure version of defense. He seemingly knew what the opposing team would do before it would happen and he'd break-up the play without having to resort to physically manhandling the player. His positioning was perfect, his defense as elegant as it was disciplined

Quackenbush was an extraordinary thinker. To play NHL defense and to do it without taking many penalties requires an incredibly intelligent level of hockey sense. That being the case, Quackenbush certainly would have to qualify as one of the games most intelligent players ever.

Bill, who had a brother named Max who also played in the NHL, won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1949, an incredibly rare accomplishment for defensemen. It was hard to not give it to Bill that year though as the NHL First All Star Team defenseman did not commit a single foul in the entire season. In fact, Bill once went a span of 137 consecutive games (spanning 3 different seasons) without taking a single penalty! He probably should have won the trophy more than once.

Hubert George "Bill" Quackenbush was born in Toronto on March 2 1922. The 5 time all star never won a Norris trophy as the league's best blueliner but always a candidate. "Quack" would play in 774 games, rarely missing any to injury. He would score 62 goals and assist on 222 others while accumulating a miniscule 95 minutes in penalties.

Bill Quackenbush was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976. Long time teammate Gordie Howe said it best about Bill when he said "He's one of the best all-around players I've ever played with."

There has often been talk about creating an award for the best defensive defenseman in the National Hockey League. There is an award for best defensive forward, so why not for the best defensive blueliner? There would be few better candidates to name such a trophy after than Bill Quackenbush.

Quackenbush lived an interesting life after retiring from hockey in 1956. In 1962 he received his degree in civil engineering from Northeastern University, but ultimately it was sports that would continue to preoccupy him. In 1967 he became head coach of Princeton University until 1975. In 1971 he added the varsity golf team to his duties, a position he held until 1985. And in 1978 he became head coach of Princeton's women's hockey team, also until 1985.