2016 ATD Bio Thread

[Stoneberg]

Mike Ramsey

Born: December 3, 1960.
Position: D
Height: 6-3
Weight: 195 lbs
Shoots: Left.

Career Highlights:

Member of Team UsA Olympic Gold Medal Team 1980 - Miracle on Ice
Played in the NHL All Star game 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986.
Member of Team USA for the 1984 and 1987 Canada Cup.
Member of NHL Team for Rendezvous '87.
Stanley Cup Finalist 1995.
Captain of the Buffalo Sabres 1991-1992.
Inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.

Achievements:

Norris Voting: 7 (Single votes: 10, 12, 15)
AS Voting: 6, 8, 13, 14, 16 (Single votes: 13,16, 29)
Played 4 NHL regular season All-star games 1982,1983,1985,1986.

Ramsey was 11th among all defensemen in +/- over the course of his career (47th all time), despite playing mostly for Buffalo. In his prime with Buffalo, Ramsey was routinely near or at the top of his team in +/-, despite being a low scoring defenseman who was matched against star players.

NHLers voted Ramsey the NHL's best defensive d-man in 1990:

Best defensive defenseman: M Ramsey (34), B McCrimmon (17), K Lowe (14), C Ludwig (13), R Bourque (8)

1994 poll of NHL coaches:

Best Shot Blocker
1. Guy Carbonneau (12) 2. Craig Ludwig (4).
Others (1) Garth Butcher, Steve Chiasson, Mike Keane, Craig MacTavish, Craig Muni, Joel Otto, Mike Ramsey, Paul Ranheim, Kjell Samuelsson, Mark Tinordi.
This category was the stumper for most voters.
"That's a lost art," said Crisp, who chose Butcher.
"Carbonneau," King said, "but only because Curt Giles is gone. It's a dying art."
Berry chose Ramsey of Pittsburgh before the playoffs. Otherwise, he might have backed Dallas' Ludwig, who blocked many shots in the Round 1 sweep of the Blues.

Quotes:

Over the next 14 seasons the words "Sabres blueline" and "Ramsey" became synonomous. He was the foundation of the team with his consistent play. He was rarely flashy but almost always effective.

After the Olympics, he stepped onto the Sabres' blueline and quickly discovered that he'd have to adjust his game to survive. NHL men, as he discovered, were bigger, stronger, faster, and meaner than what he had been used to. So the rearguard, who was originally drafted for his offensive ability, had to reinvent himself as a stay-at-home defender and he became one of the best in the NHL as Scotty Bowman was quick to point out.

Points production doesn't paint the proper picture of Mike Ramsey. He never scored more than 9 goals in a single season, and scored only 79 in a career that spanned 1070 games and 18 NHL season. He never scored more than 40 points in a season, and had only 345 in his career. But make no mistake, Ramsey was a star. he was a perennial All Star candidate and 5 times as a Sabre he represented the team at the mid-season celebration, including in 1987 when the NHL put together a team of 20 players to take on the Soviets in Rendez-Vous '87. He also twice represented the United States in the Canada Cups, once in 1984 and once in 1987. He also played in the 1982 World Championships, but usually couldn't compete in that tournament as he was too busy leading the Sabres into the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Ramsey was a very intelligent defenseman with a great understanding of the game. He was always in great position and always made a solid play and clearing the zone dependably. He also was an honest physical player - very tough in front of his net and a good open ice hitter. He was also recognized as one of the game's best shot blockers. His work ethic, dependability, and importance to the team made him a natural choice to serve as the Sabres captain after Mike Foligno's departure in 1990.

Mike Ramsey, defense: Blocks many shots, usually plays at or near an All-Star level, effective in his end, but can be caught out of position if he tries to do too much.

Buffalo's best defenseman is Mike Ramsey, not to be confused with winger Craig Ramsay. Ramsey is a proven leader: he played for the United States Olympic team which won the gold medal in 1980 at Lake Placid, N.Y. He's a hitter behind the blueline and an excellent shot blocker.

Associated Press - Buffalo, N.Y. --- If a player's value to his team were measured only by goals, the Buffalo Sabres might have traded veteran defenseman Mike Ramsey long ago.

The fact that they haven't despite the fact he scored only 56 goals in his first nine years in the NHL is testament to his importance to the team. "He's been one of the best defensemen for the last decade," said Sabres' coach Ted Sator, not one to give effusive praise. "If a team had 20 Mike Ramseys, they would be a perennial Stanley Cup team."
...
For his part, Ramsey says he just wants to continue doing the little things that have earned him All-Star honors 4 times and established him as one of the NHL's top defensive defensemen.

Penalty Killing:

Over the course of his career Ramsey killed 49% of his teams penalties, and the Buffalo teams he spent most of his career on were generally at or near the top of the league in PKing.

Via pnep from this HOH board thread on best PK units Ramsey appears in good company on the list of defensemen in the category of number of times on the top PK pairing of a top 3 PK in the league since 1967:
Chris Chelios (9 times)
Bill Hajt (6 times)
Dennis Potvin (5 times)
Raymond Bourque (5 times)
Serge Savard (4 times)
Mike Ramsey (4 times)
Scott Stevens (4 times)
Tim Horton (4 times)
Nicklas Lidstrom (4 times)


Credit to nik jr and BC for compiling most of this stuff.

 

[tony d]

Ted Green, Defenseman

Pic Courtesy of a Yahoo Image Search:

Stats and personal info courtesy of hockeyreference.com:


Position: D ▪ Shoots: Right
Height: 5-10 (178 cm)
Weight: 200 lbs. (91 kg)

Born: March 23, 1940 (Age 75.345) in Eriksdale, Manitoba

- 2 time NHL all star
- 81st all time in wha assists
- 17th all time in WHA Games played
- 1 time Norris finalist
- 4 times played on league champs

Legends Of Hockey:

When Ted Green stepped onto the ice with the St. Boniface Canadiens in 1956-57, he was the property of the Montreal Canadiens. Three seasons later, he won the Memorial Cup with the Winnipeg Braves before the Boston Bruins secured his rights in the inter-league waiver draft of 1960.

In Green, the Bruins got a solid enforcer who provided the club with crease-clearing spine and leadership during the lean years of the early sixties. He put in eight seasons in Boston, watching the team accumulate an increasing number of Stanley Cup pieces when he suffered one of the more serious injuries in NHL history. Green's skull was fractured as the result of a stick-swinging duel with XXXX XXXX of the St. Louis Blues during a pre-season match in 1969. Green was left paralyzed and close to death with no expectations of ever resuming his career on ice. But a year of convalescence and conditioning brought on an impressive recovery. With a metal plate in his head, Green returned to the Bruins line-up to finally savor a Stanley Cup victory in 1972, having missed the first win in 1970.

In 1972, Green became one of the high-profile NHLers who jumped to the WHA, in his case, with the New England Whalers. The team won the league's first Avco Cup in 1973. After two more seasons with the Whalers, Green closed out his career with the Winnipeg Jets where he enjoyed two more Avco Cup victories.

Joe Pelletier:

Green opened the 1961-62 season in Boston and led the team with 116 PIM. He gained instant respect around the league that season, dropping the gloves with any and all comers, including a memorable fight with Frank Mahovlich in which Green broke his hand. Green playing hurt would quickly become a regular occurrence. Never a true offensive threat, Green developed into a decent d-man with the puck. He became very good at making the first pass to clear the zone, and his assist totals eventually reached the mid- 30s on a consistent basis. He scored a career high 8 goals on 2 occasions.

Final Thoughts:

Glad to get Green, perfect way to cap off my starting defenseman, guy seems like a warrior as well.

 

[tony d]

Goalie Dave Kerr

Pic courtesy of a google image search:

Personal info and stats courtesy of hockeyreference.com:

Position: G ▪ Catches: Right
Height: 5-10 (178 cm)
Weight: 160 lbs. (73 kg)

Born: January 11, 1910 in Toronto, Ontario

-1940 Vezina Trophy Winner
-2 Time Post Season All Star
-203 wins rank him 77th all time
-4 20 win seasons in an era of 50 or less games played
-1940 Stanley Cup winner

Legends Of Hockey

While he came close to personal and team success, it wasn't until 1939-40 when everything fell into place for Kerr. He won the Vezina Trophy, was elected to the First All-Star team, took the team on a league-record 19-game unbeaten streak, played all 48 games for the Blueshirts, and led the Rangers to a Stanley Cup victory over Toronto.

joe Pelletier

His best season was the 1939-40 campaign. He won his only Vezina Trophy as the league's top goalie with a 1.54 GAA and a league leading 8 shutouts. Then in the playoffs he was spectacular in leading the Rangers to their now-famous 1940 Stanley Cup championship. He was also named to the First All Star Team that year.

But even before that legendary season he was a hit. In fact, on March 18th, 1938, Kerr became the first hockey player to be pictured of Time Magazine. He was hockey's first cover boy.

The Toronto born Kerr was extremely popular with the fans, in part because he was as agile as a ballet dancer. He loved to do the splits to take away the entire lower part of the net. In practice one of Davey's favorite maneuvers was to lay his stick across the goal mouth in front of the goal line while he did the splits to take away the lower portion. Then he'd have both hands free to catch his teammates practice shots. He would dare his buddies to beat him, and they rarely did.

Final Thoughts:

I could have drafted a rock and my goalie situation would have been amongst the best in the league because of Roy. Still Dave Kerr presents me with a credible backup and allow Roy to have breaks during the regular season.

 

[tony d]

Right Wing Pat Verbeek

Picture courtesy of a google image search:

Stats and Personal Info courtesy of a google image search:

Position: RW ▪ Shoots: Right
Height: 5-9 (175 cm)
Weight: 192 lbs. (87 kg)

Born: May 24, 1964 (Age 51.283) in Sarnia, Ontario

- 2 time all star
- 2 top 10 finishes in power play goals
- 34th all time for goals with 522 goals
- 1063 points in 1424 games
- 6 seasons of 80 or games played

Legends Of Hockey:

Pat Verbeek was selected by the New Jersey Devils 43rd overall in the 1982 Entry Draft. If there is a player who represented the nickname of the team drafting him, Verbeek is it.

After the 1988-89 season, the Devils traded him to the Hartford Whalers. He made an immediate impact on the club. In his first season, he led the team in goal scoring and in his second term was named team MVP. 1991 also marked his All-Star Game debut. The following season, Verbeek was named the Whalers captain.

On March 23, 1995, he was traded to the New York Rangers for their quest of a second straight Stanley Cup. Injuries in the 1995-96 campaign prevented him from establishing personal bests. In 1996, he signed on with the Dallas Stars. With Dallas, he passed the 1,000-game mark and, more importantly, helped the team win the Stanley Cup.

Joe Pelletier:

No one ever considers Verbeek in the Hall of Fame debates even though he achieved lofty career goal and point scoring levels in a 19 year career. That's partly because he played with a lot of bad teams and partly because the 500 goal plateau has been devalued in recent years.

It is also because never was Verbeek an all star, a trophy winner, or an elite player in any season. What he was was a very durable and consistent performer who always gave his all.

At just 5'9" and 195lbs, Verbeek was a stocky sparkplug who never let his lack of size effect his play in the NHL. In fact, he was one of most ornery and most effective physical players in his era. He was a kamikaze hitter and a real irritant, often drawing many penalties. Though he was rugged and strong, he always played the game on the edge and was prone to taking bad penalties himself.

Final Thoughts:

A team with Neely needs someone to come off the bench to step in and play a physical game, I think Verbeek provides that and so much more, glad to have him.

 

[Hawkey Town 18]

Bob Pulford, LW/C

(Much of the below information supplied by Dreakmur)


Height: 5’11”
Weight: 188 lbs
Shot: Left

Stanley Cup Champion: 1962, 1963, 1964, 1967
Retro Conn Smythe: 1964
Hart Voting: 6, 10
AS Voting: 5 (C), 5 (C), 6 (LW)
Hockey Hall of Fame: 1991

Regular Season Scoring Placements
Points: 12, 20, 20
Goals: 10, 10, 12
Assists: 18, 19
SH Goals: 2, 2, 2, 7
TOTAL: 1079 GP - 281 G - 362 A - 643 Pts

5-Year Peak: 1964-68
18th in Points, 58% of second place Bobby Hull
14th in Goals, 59% of second place Stan Mikita
1st in Short-Handed Goals, 117% of second place Erik Nesterenko

10-Year Peak: 1959-68
13th in Points, 59% of second place Bobby Hull
13th in Goals, 65% of second place Gordie Howe
7th in Play-off Goals, 66% of second place Jean Beliveau


Playoff Scoring Placements
Points: 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 11
Goals: 2, 3, 4, 7
Assists: 1, 8

Scoring Among Players on the Leafs for all 4 Cups
Mahovlich 47-13-26-39
Keon 48-22-15-37
Armstrong 45-17-20-37
Kelly 48-10-26-36
Pulford 48-15-19-34
Horton 48- 7- 25-32
Stanley 48- 2- 17-19
Baun 46- 2- 9- 11
Shack 40- 2- 2- 4

Pulford was a good defensive player and a top penalty-killer for the Leafs: he scored six short-handed goals in 1959-60. A versatile player, he could also play on left wing, but was probably best known for his penchant for scoring timely goals.

Although his arrival in Toronto wasn't heralded by much pomp and ceremony, he would become one of the cornerstones of four Stanley Cup championship clubs in the 1960s... A tenacious winger, he teamed with Keon and George Armstrong to give Toronto a checking line unmatched in the NHL. Pulford was a truly superb penalty-killer, capable of thwarting an enemy power play and hurtling up the ice for a shorthanded marker. While not the speed-burning kind, he was a solid skater. And as his 281 goals over 1,079 games attests, he could score a bit, too.

Some players just have a knack of scoring important goals. Bob Pulford was one such player for the Maple Leafs.

....

Pulford's heroics should not be considered as much of a surprise. He was an honest hockey player who worked very hard at shutting down the opposition's top talents. His forechecking and physically abrasive style put him in great position to score timely goals.

He joined the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1956-57 and earned a reputation as a hard-working player who was a top two-way talent.

Toronto won three consecutive Stanley Cup championships, then added a fourth in 1966-67. Bob Pulford had played an integral role with the Maple Leafs as they grew from also-rans to victors. He was regarded as an outstanding two-way forward, responsible defensively yet able to score timely goals.

Bob was one of the most reliable players in the NHL during his 16-year NHL career that spanned over three decades. He played 1079 regular season games and 89 playoff games in the NHL, scoring a respectable 643 pts (51 in playoffs) and winning four Cup titles.

....

His value to his teams couldn't be measured in stats. He reached the 20 goal plateau only four times and the 50 point plateau three times. Bob was considered one of the best fore-checkers in the NHL with a knack of scoring important goals. He thrived under pressure and was especially valuable during the playoffs when the checking got tougher.

Legendary Montreal coach Toe Blake was once asked who he would pick from the Toronto team if he could. Toe didn't pick Frank Mahovlich, Dave Keon or Tim Horton, but he chose Bob, and when asked why, his simple explanation was, "He's the heart of that hockey club."

Pulford is one of my private headaches because he has to be classed as one of hockey's greatest forecheckers. There's a deep knowledge of the game in his forechecking, hook, poke check, strength of arms, quickness, the whole bundle of wax.

Bob Pulford is known in the trade as a hockey player's hockey player. It's a rating that any National Hockey Leaguer would trade a few bushels of headlines for. It means that in goals for and goals against (by his covers), he's always on the plus side. Or, to put it more plainly, he's a hard working, two-way player. A coach with a team of such forwards wouldn't have a worry in the world.

Bob Pulford is a piece man. Any time he's near you he gets a piece of you. He's possibly the most combative of the modern players.

He can play havoc with our club when he wants to. I would like to have him.

It was indicative of his chips-down ability and marked him as born for the NHL. His fireball attitude in the dressing room was also typical of major league performers. He by-passed minor league pro hockey, went straight to the Leafs and stayed up; I'm glad because oddly, he might not have done so well in the minor pros.

He is one of the most complete hockey players the game has produced in recent years and one of the hardest-working. He plays all facets of the game at both ends of the ice and he never lets up. He gives his best at all times. He is good and he is inspirational.

"....the most dangerous of the Leafs".

Even early in his career, Pully was recognized as an extremely valuable asset by his coach Punch Imlach. In the summer of 1960 it was reported; "New York Rangers were to have offered Andy Bathgate, Larry Popein and Eddie Shack to Toronto for Bob Pulford, Dick Duff, Ron Stewart and Billy Harris. Leafs said no. The Leafs indicated that any proposal meaning the loss of Pulford wouldn't get anywhere." Imlach thought so highly of Pulford he offered the following when asked about an exchange of Ranger Bathgate for Pulford; "They're asking me to give up a battleship for a rowboat."

 

[Voight]

Phil Kessel


Awards and Achievements:

NHL All-Star Game selections: 2011, 2012, 2015
Olympic All-Star Team 2014
Olympic Best Forward 2014
Led 2014 Olympics in Goals & points
5x 30 Goals

All-Star voting - 3rd(2014), 4th(2013), 5th(2012), 13th(2009)

Offensive Accomplishments:

Career - 731 GP | 562 P | 267 G | 295 A

Points - 6th(2014), 7th(2013), 6th(2012)

Goals - 6th (2012), 5th (2014)

Playoffs - 22 GP | 13 G | 8 A


5-Year Peak: 2009-2014
14th in Points, 84% of 1st place Martin St. Louis
5th in Goals, 74% of 1st place Steven Stamkos
25th in Assists, 64% of 2nd place Joe Thornton


**Numbers current as of March 5th, 2016. Kessel is in the midst of his 10th season, thus no 10 year peak**

"I think Phil can be a 45-50 goal scorer in this league."

But it's hard to find players like Phil. I see him right in with Ovechkin and Stamkos on a day-to-day basis.

In the last four seasons (2011-2015) on a Leafs team that hasn’t been able to surround Kessel with much talent, he has 275 points in 294 games, or a 77-point pace over 82 games.

“It’s a nice addition to our team,†said Crosby. “Obviously he’s a great scorer. He brings a lot. Offensively, he’s going to help any team."

​

 

[Dreakmur]

Rick Nash !!!


Awards and Achievements:
2 x Olympic Gold Medalist (2010, 2014)
World Championship Gold Medalist (2007)


IIHF MVP (2007)
3 x IIHF All-Star (2005, 2007, 2008)


Hart voting - 7th(2015), 13th(2009), 19th(2004)
All-Star voting - 3rd(2015), 4th(2004), 4th(2009), 5th(2008), 6th(2013), 8th(2006), 9th(2010)


Offensive Accomplishments:
Points - 18th(2009), 20th(2015)
Goals - 1st(2004), 3rd(2015), 5th(2009), 10th(2013), 11th(2008), 13th(2010), 14th(2011)

Even Strength Goals - 1st(2015), 5th(2009), 6th(2013), 8th(2011), 9th(2004), 10th(2008)


IIHF Points - 2nd(2005), 3rd(2008), 6th(2007)
IIHF Goals - 1st(2005), 2nd(2008), 3rd(2007)
IIHF Assists - 6th(2005), 7th(2008)


5 Year Peak: 2008-12
22nd in Points, 76% of 2nd place Henrick Sedin
7th in Goals, 85% of 2nd place Ilya Kovalchuk
4th in Even Strength Goals, 87% of 2nd place Ilya Kovalchuk
3rd in Short-Handed Goals, 87% of 2nd place Alex Burrows

10 Year Peak: 2006-15
24th in Points, 70% of 2nd place Sidney Crosby
3rd in Goals, 94% of 2nd place Jarome Iginla
3rd in Even Strength goals, 98% of 2nd place Jarome Iginla
3rd in Short-Handed Goals, 81% of 2nd place Marian Hossa


Scoring Percentages:
Points - 80, 74, 72, 67, 66, 65, 61, 61, 51, 50
Best 6 Season: 424

4th Best Power Forward

​

 

[Hawkey Town 18]

Syl Apps, C

(several quotes provided by EagleBelfour, chaosrevolver, and TDMM)

Height: 6'0"
Weight: 185 lbs
Shot: Left

Stanley Cup Champion 3 times (1942, 1947, 1948)
Retro Conn Smythe: 1942
Hart record: 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 5
All Star Voting: 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5
Lady Byng: 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4
Hockey Hall of Fame: 1961
Calder Trophy: 1937
Toronto Maple Leafs Captain: 1941-43, 1946-48
*Missed 2 full seasons to WW2: 1944 + 1945
**Missed 21 games in 1943 and 10 games in 1946 to WW2

Top 15’s
Points: 2, 2, 2, 6, 7, 8, 12, 12
Goals: 4, 5, 5, 6, 10, 11, 11, 12, 13, 15
Assists: 1, 1, 6, 6, 11, 14, 14,
Points Per Game: 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 8

7 yr vs.X: 92.4

Regular Season: 423 GP – 201 G – 231 A – 432 Pts
Playoffs: 69 GP – 25 G – 29 A – 54 Pts


Notable Playoff Runs
1938 Cup Runner-up: 7 GP – 1G –4A – 5 Pts (t-2nd on Team/t-8th in NHL)
1939 Cup Runner-up: 10 GP – 2G – 6A – 8 Pts (2nd on Team/5th in NHL)
1940 Cup Runner-up: 10 GP – 5G – 2A – 7 Pts (1st on Team/t-3rd in NHL)
1942 Cup Win: 13 GP – 5G – 9A – 14 Pts (1st on team/ t-1st in NHL)
1947 Cup Win: 11 GP – 5G – 1A – 6 Pts (t-3rd on Team/t-8th in NHL)
1948 Cup Win: 9 GP – 4G – 4A – 8 Pts (3rd on Team/t-4th in NHL)

Syl Apps ranks as one of the greatest captains in Toronto Maple Leaf history. A team captain from 1940 through 1943 and again from 1945 until his retirement in 1948, Apps was the star of the 1940s dynasty that captured 3 Stanley Cups with him at the helm.
Apps was an artistic a player as have ever played in the National Hockey League. They called him the “Nijinsky of the Ice,” comparing his graceful skating abilities to the happy feet of the great Russian ballet dancer Naslav Nijinsky. Equally as impressive were his puck skills – he had one of the most accurate shots and loved to set up his teammates – particularly XXXXX and XXXXX. He could do tricks with the puck as he stickhandled down ice unlike almost any player of any era. Comparisons to modern day superstar Joe Sakic are not without merit. Several of the few old timers who are still with us insist Syl was the greatest player they had ever seen.

Perhaps never has a finer man played in the NHL than Syl Apps. A remarkably skilled hockey player, he was big and strong and possessed one of the best shots in the league. He never drank or smoked, never swore and was as loyal to his boss, Conn Smythe, as to his team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In his first NHL season with the Leafs, he won the Calder Trophy, the first Leaf so honored, and his career continued to flourish. During that first year, many players thought he was too nice and not tough at all. Flash Hollett discovered this belief was mistaken one night when he high-sticked Apps, knocking out two teeth. Apps dropped his gloves and pummeled Hollett, but he got into only two other skirmishes in his whole career. In 1941-42, he went the whole season without getting a single penalty and was awarded the Lady Byng Trophy for his gentlemanly play. At the end of that season, he led the Leafs to the most improbable Stanley Cup win in NHL history, a series against Detroit that he calls his career highlight. The Leafs lost the first three games of the finals to the Red Wings but somehow won the next four in a row to win the Cup, the only time this has happened.

Apps played on a line with Gord Drillon and Bob Davidson, and this unit quickly became the team's best line. He teamed with Harry Watson and Bill Ezinicki after the war, once again forming a powerful offensive unit. Watson and Ezinicki were ideal linemates for Apps because they could score goals and take advantage of Apps' ability to draw players to him before passing the puck.

Apps once crashed into the goal post during the 1942-43 season, breaking his leg. He missed almost half the season, and one day during his time off for his injury he went into owner Conn Smythe's office with a check for $1,000. "He was getting $6,000 for the season," Smythe recollected, "and he came to me and said, 'Conn, I'm making more than I deserve. I want to give you this check.' Well, I almost died of heart failure. Of course, I refused his check. I felt that anyone who thought in such terms was bound to square off what he thought was a debt the following season." At the end of that season, while in the prime of his career, he left the team to join the Canadian Army. There he stayed for two years until the war was over. When he resumed his career, he put the captain's "C" back on his sweater and promptly picked up where he left off.

In 1947 he was appointed the athletic commissioner for sport in Ontario. Later he became a Conservative member of the Legislature, representing Kingston. Apps was chairman of the select committee on youth until appointed Correctional Services minister in 1971. He is the only member of all three Hockey Halls of Fame, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Amateur Athletics Hall of Fame, and in 1993 his number was honoured at Maple Leaf Gardens, one of only six so designated in franchise history.

"Apps had more to do with the image the Leafs in the 1940s as Canada's team - the good guys, the very good guys - than any other player," author Jack Batten wrote in his book "The Leafs in Autumn." "He looked so dashing on the ice, all that speed and skill. And off the ice, he was the last word in pure vessels, a teetotaler, a non-smoker, a Baptist steeped in moral propriety, the model team captain."

"He's a Rembrandt on the ice, a Nijinsky at the goalmouth," Vince Lunny wrote in "Sport Magazine." "He plays with such grace and precision, you get the impression that every move is the execution of a mental image conceived long before he goes through the motions."

...

Red Wings coach/general manager Jack Adams called him, "the greatest center I have ever seen."

Teammate Howie Meeker contended, "He never played a bad game in his life."
His successor as Leafs captain, Teeder Kennedy, went further, calling Apps "as fine a man as ever lived."

...

In a time when roughhouse hockey was de rigueur, Apps played hard but exceedingly clean, using his stick not for evil, but for sharp passes, deft puck-handling and powerful shots. A regular contender for the Lady Byng Trophy, Apps won it in 1941-42 after going the entire season without being penalized.

And among NHL players who played simultaneous with Apps' full career until 1948, only Cowley's 1.06 ppg. surpassed his 1.02, and Cowley benefited from playing while Apps was in the Army, when the 1943 rule change that permitted forward passes to the red line unlocked NHL offenses.

After signing with the Maple Leafs, Apps quickly demonstrated he could make NHL players around him better. Coach Dick Irvin inserted him at center on the former Kid Line, where retired star Joe Primeau had skated between Charlie Conacher and Busher Jackson. The wingers were no longer kids, but Apps rejuvenated Jackson into a First Team All-Star. And after Conacher's early-season wrist injury, Gordie Drillon moved in, beginning a productive six-season partnership that saw Drillon score 127 goals and Apps 103.

Quietly intense and hugely competitive, Apps had already perfected his own, hard-to-defend plays, including speeding down the wing, cutting behind the net and laying a perfect pass in front to a charging linemate.

While he played a gentleman's style, Apps refused to be pushed around. When Boston's Flash Hollett high-sticked Apps, knocking out two teeth, Apps punched him to the ice, one of only three NHL fights he'd have. More frequently, Apps would vent his frustrations with a sanitized form of swearing, as he demonstrated in 1937 when a referee failed to penalize a Red Wings player who had slashed Apps in the head. Apps unleashed a string of, for him, harsh words, consisting of "Jiminy Christmas!" and "By Hum!" - much to his teammates' amusement.

The Leafs named Apps captain for the 1940-41 season and a season later he helped spearhead what remains the most remarkable comeback in Stanley Cup Finals history. Down 3-0 to the Detroit Red Wings, Apps sparked the turnaround in Game 4, scoring the tying goal and setting up the winner, then getting two goals and three assists in 9-3 win in Game 5. Momentum having swung, Toronto rallied to win the Cup and Apps led all postseason scorers with nine assists and 14 points in 13 games.

Apps returned from the Army for the 1945-46 season needing to adjust to a faster, more offensive NHL, telling Batten, "I'd hardly been on skates in two years and I had a terrible time settling down." Apps still scored 24 goals, a career high. He'd score 25, then 26 in his final two seasons.

Teamed with Harry Watson and Bill Ezinicki, Apps led the rebuilt Leafs to two consecutive Stanley Cups. In 1947 against the favored Montreal Canadiens, Apps played an inspired Game 4 and scored the winning goal at 16:36 of overtime to put Toronto up 3-1 in games. After the Leafs lost Game 5, Toronto won Game 6 2-1.

Apps considered retirement that year, then pledged to first reach the 200-goal plateau. With 196 career goals heading into the last weekend of 1947-48, he scored five goals in two games, finishing with 201. He again led the Leafs to the Cup, scoring key goals in the first and fourth games as Toronto swept Detroit. Smythe urged him to rejoin the club the following autumn, but Apps stuck by his decision.

Following the Olympics, Apps signed to play hockey with Toronto, joining the Maple Leafs for the 1936-37. Some questioned whether the non-drinking, non-smoking, non-swearing Apps was simply too nice to play in the National Hockey League. While the smooth-skating centre played the game with gentlemanly finesse, he was not to be crossed. When Boston's Flash Hollett highsticked the placid Leaf, knocking out two teeth, he quickly learned that Apps could more than take care of himself. Syl pummelled Hollett before being restrained and escorted to the penalty box. It was the first of but three fights in which Syl would be engaged through his NHL career.

But because he was gentlemanly didn't mean Apps was soft or ineffective. The rookie stepped in to replace another clean player, 'Gentleman' Joe Primeau on what had been the Maple Leafs' strongest trio, the Kid Line, centring Charlie Conacher and Harvey Jackson. Although Conacher injured his wrist early that season, he was replaced by another sniper, Gordie Drillon, who would team with Apps through the early part of his career. In his first NHL season, Apps scored 16 goals, an NHL-best 29 assists and collected a team-best 45 points, second-best in the entire league. He was named the league's rookie of the year for 1936-37.

By his sophomore season, Syl Apps was already being recognized as one of the finest players in the league, securing a spot on the NHL's Second All-Star Team in 1938-39 after finishing second in the NHL scoring race with 50 points. By 1938-39, Apps finished sixth in league scoring and was selected for the NHL's First All-Star Team.

On his retirement, Syl Apps had scored 201 goals, assisted on 231 others and accumulated 432 points in 423 regular season NHL games. During that time, he had but 56 penalty minutes. In post-season play, Apps played 67 games, scoring 25, assisting on 29 and collecting 54 points, and served just 8 minutes in penalties. Apps was well-rewarded for his exemplary play. In 1998, the three-time Stanley Cup champion was ranked thirty-third on The Hockey News' list of 100 Greatest NHL Players. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961. In 1975, he was elected to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and he is also a member of the Canadian Amateur Athletics Hall of Fame and McMaster University's Sports Hall of Fame. Apps was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1977.

While there were several astonishing moments that spring, there was no surprise in the leadership of Syl Apps. He led the playoffs with 9 assists and tied with Don Grosso of the Red Wings with 14 playoff points. In the final alone, Apps scored 3 goals, assisted on 4 others and collected 7 points.
While the Conn Smythe Trophy was still more than two decades away from being introduced, a group of hockey historians with the Society of International Hockey Research (SIHR) judged that had there been such a trophy in 1941-42, it would have been presented to Syl Apps. He was named one of the Three Stars in four of the six semi-final games against the New York Rangers and helped turn the Stanley Cup final around with a goal and an assist in the pivotal fourth game and then scored two goals and added three assists in Toronto's 9-3 laugher over Detroit in Game Five.
Syl Apps enjoyed many pinnacles, but no finer moment than accepting the Stanley Cup on behalf of his Toronto Maple Leafs in the most dramatic comeback series ever to be played in the National Hockey League.

Though a big man for his time, Apps moved with speed and grace and possessed one of the most accurate shot around.
Peak Years 1939-43
Comparable Recent Player Joe Sakic
In a Word CANADIAN

When you get into the stories of most players, they basically come off as human. They have their strengths and their faults, some tending more to one side than the other, as we all do. Syl Apps, though, reads as though he was something dreamed up by a comic-book writer. Tall, athletic, a beautiful skater with fantastic hands, he captained one of the most famous hockey teams on the planet to multiple championships. At the same time, he's the sort of ramrod-straight character who never so much as utters a curse word. He's Clark Kent as well as Superman. Jack Batten described him as "the Stainless Hero."

The six-foot, 185-pounds centre had a determination to go to the net. Apps was a clean player and would rarely display any temper, but woe to anyone who dared to challange him too strongly. His leadership skills were never more evident than when he led the Leafs back from a three-game-to-none deficit against Detroit.

Jack Adams, the Detroit manager, was particulary impressed with Apps whom he rated as even greater than Howie Morenz.

He was a bigger player than most of those he faced but he never took advantage of his size to intimidate an opponent. However, his great stickhandling and finesse attracted holding, tripping and boarding.

To begin with, his virtues were beyond reproach. He played the game with infinite finesse, yet with a courage and vigor that inspired every hockey-loving father to tell his son that that was the way he wanted his kid to do it.

Syl Apps was the Bobby Orr of the pre-WWII era (except of course, that Bobby was a defenseman), and for some time beyond...long and lean, Syl developed a graceful skating style...thanks to Syl's crisp passes, Drillon led the NHL in scoring...

When one mentions the “prototypical” captain of a NHL team, the first name that often comes to mind for long-time hockey fans is Syl Apps…similarly, although Bobby Orr, Guy Lafleur and Dave Keon are contenders for the title of the best skater in league history, once again, the choice of most experts is Syl Apps…Apps was a hard working but clean player, seldom putting his team at a disadvantage by taking penalties…in contrast, with that one do-or-die win under their belts, and Syl Apps’ highly focused leadership, the Maple Leafs were on fire…Apps’ skating abilities were legendary around the league. He was not only a graceful skater, he was also very fast…to raise funds to help him out, the Leafs held a contest at Maple Leaf Gardens to see who was the fastest skater in the league. Each NHL team sent their fastest skater to compete. Apps easily defeated great skaters like William “Flash” Hollett and Doug Bentley, to claim the crown as the NHL’s fastest man.

He's a better player than Howie Morenz was at the same age.

He represents what pro athletes should be. He was the Jean Beliveau of English Canada.

Everyone who ever wanted to play for the Leafs looked to Syl as their inspiration. He was a great, great man.

A rembrandt on the ice, a Nijinsky at the goal mouth. He plays with such grace and precision you get the impression that every move is the execution of a mental image conceived long before he goes through a motions

His dazzling bursts of speed and great sweeping strides made him an exciting player to watch, and he soon discovered that he was gaining quite a reputation among sports fans in his hometown.

Apps made the best impression of the newcomers. It was thoight he might display nervousness, but instead he acted like an old-timer. Some of his passes were beauties and he played his position to the king's taste.

Syl Apps/Milt Schmidt Comparison from the HOH Top Centers project by TDMM

Dink Carroll on Milt Schmidt and Syl Apps

Dink Carroll's regular column in the Montreal Gazette was often loaded with information about the playing styles of current or recently retired players. Here are some good excerpts that have been floating around about Milt Schmidt and Syl Apps:

Milt Schmidt, Syl Apps, Teeder Kennedy, Sid Abel, and even Howie Morenz are not classified in the trade as great playmakers, though acknowledged as great hockey players.

"They belong to the 'driving' type of player, Dick Irvin said. "Fellows like Schmidt, Kennedy, and Abel go into the corners and get the puck out to their wings." Apps used to hit the defense at top speed and Drillion would come behind and pick up his garbage. Apps used to get sore when I told him that Drillion profited from his mistakes.

Howie Morenz wasn't a good playmaker, said Elmer Ferguson. "Aurel Joliat was the playmaker on that line and the greatest playmaking left-winger of all time. Just like Bobby Bauer at right wing was the playmaker for the Kraut Line."

The Montreal Gazette - March 10, 1952
http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AJ&pg=4301,1318041&dq=lach+morenz+irvin&hl=en

Milt Schmidt has better assist totals than Bauer, and Howie Morenz has better assist totals than Joliat. In the modern sense, the centers would be considered "playmakers" based on what they did in the offensive zone, but I think that before the Red Line, skating and stickhandling the puck into the offensive zone was considered part of playmaking - possibly the biggest part.

_________________________________

The following column quotes defenseman Jack Crawford on his former teammate Milt Schmidt. The article starts with Crawford saying that Rocket Richard was the best player he ever saw.

You know who was something like the Rocket? Milt Schmidt.

Those three fellows on the Kraut Line were all different in temperament. Woody Dumart would parade up and down his wing all night. He had a placid temperament and it was hard to get him annoyed. Bobby Bauer was a very smart hockey player at right wing. He used to work out plays for the line, and he was the playmaker too. He paid strict attention to his knitting and he hardly ever got a penalty. Why he won the Lady Byng Trophy too.

Milt was the fireball of the line. He was a wonderful skater, a great bodychecker, and a fine all-round player. But he had a temper. Nobody ever gave him the works and got away with it. When a game exploded, Milt was right in the middle of it.

Lots of praise for Milt from his former teammate Crawford, and yet another reference to Bauer basically being the brains and playmaker of the line. Yet, Bauer was just not credited with that many assists. I really do suspect that "playmaker" at the time was like a point guard in basketball or a powerplay quarterback today, rather than the guy who made the final pass for a goal.

Dick Irvin, who coached Apps for Apps' first few seasons in the league was also quoted extensively on him:

Apps was a great broker, field runner. He could carry the puck, but he wasn't a great scorer. Gordie Drillion led the league in scoring twice just by cashing in on Apps mistakes once he hit the defense. The fellow who could get the big goal on me for the Leafs was Charlie Conacher.

Great description of Apps' ability to go end to end with the puck and not necessarily know what to do with it, and Drillion as basically the ultimate garbageman. I have seen it said elsewhere that the only reason that Hap Day tolerated Drillion's lack of, basically anything without the puck, was because of his chemistry with Apps.

The article then goes on about Apps' lack of creativity:

Syl once confessed that he found it difficult to vary his tactics aroundthe goal mouth, the thing that Rocket Richard does so superbly.

The article then quotes a reporter who interviewed Apps and found that when the Leafs visit New York, Apps always went to the same hotel, had breakfast, went to his room, went for a walk (always the same walk), sat around the lobby, ate, then rested until game time. The reporter said, "New York is one of the most exciting cities in the world and he didn't seem to have any curiosity about it."

Montreal Gazette, March 25, 1955

So what can we gather from the columns above? Schmidt was something of an intangibles god, while Apps' biggest attribute was his ability to drive play (a CORSI god if he were to play today)?

More articles about Apps

Report about the breakup of the defensively weak line of jackson - apps - drillon line, early in Apps' career

Breaks Up Line
Even before the fans had a chance to howl, Smythe had decided to do something about the Leafs' lack of back-checking, particularly on its high-scoring line of Harvey Jackson, Syl Apps and Gordon Drillon.

He has broken up the combination that has scored 39 of the Leafs' 96 goals this season, the trio that bagged almost half the Leafs' markers last season. Jackson is being dropped back to a line composed of the big left winger, Buzz Boll and Bill Thoms. Bob Davidson will move up to work with Apps and Drillon.

It is emphasized that Jackson is not the only culprit on the highest scoring line and that the only reason he is being dropped back is that a right wing substitute wasn't available for Drillon. It seems Drillon, the league's leading point scorer, is no more a two way man than Jackson.
....
But Apps, Drillon and Jackson were never quite the back-checkers Smythe wanted, and while they scored plenty of goals, the opposition got many, while the Dynamiters were on the ice. The shift will give the No. 1 line back-checking and add scoring punch to the 2nd line.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AJ&pg=1484,3132687&dq=bob+davidson+apps&hl=en

In 1939, Detroit's manager Jack Adams (a proponent of the theory that more recent players are better than older players) made waves by declaring Syl Apps the best player of all-time. Art Ross (who coached Boston) went with Eddie Shore, and Lester Patrick stuck with Cyclone Taylor.

Apps' coach Dick Irvin was asked about the comparison:

Syl Apps goes by players of today faster than Taylor and Morenz went by me. That isn't the whole argument, but it's something

Irvin then goes on to say the comparison with Taylor and Morenz is premature, but that one thing in Apps' favor is that he was a better playmaker. Irvin then praises Apps' ability to work passing plays with Gordie Drillon, something of a contradiction with his statements above.

Montreal Gazette, Novemer 22, 1939

(I believe the above is the article The Edler posted earlier that I said I was bookmarking for when Apps comes up).

Year by Year comparison of Apps and Schmidt

First thing's first, BOTH players missed all or parts of FOUR seasons because of World War 2:

• Schmidt missed 14 of 50 games in 1942, then all over 1943, 1944, and 1945.
• Apps missed 21 of 50 games in 1943, then all of 1943 and 1944, then 10 of 50 games in 1946.
• I verified with google and the LOH website that the time missed in those seasons was due to the war.

I'll post some conclusions below, but while putting this together, I realized that it made Apps look shockingly good and Schmidt look shockingly bad.

Both players were rookies in 1936-37. Apps immediately came in as a star; Schmidt took a few years to get going. Apps retired after 1947-48 as a still very effective player, Schmidt would play until 1954-55.

Points = top 20 points finishes, PPG = top 20 PPG finishes, Hart = Hart finishes with at least 2 votes, AS = All Star finishes with at least 2 votes (writers) or 1 vote (coaches).

"WAR" means missed full season and "(WAR)" means missed part of the season. "RET" means retired.

Year | Apps Points | Apps PPG | Apps Hart | Apps AS | Schmidt Points | Schmidt PPG | Schmidt Hart | Schmidt AS
1937 | 2 |3 |-|3|-|-|-|-|
1938 | 2 | 2 |-|2|-|-|-|-|
1939 | 6 | 4 | 2|1|-|-|-|3
1940 | 16 | 1 |2|4|1|2|4|1
1941 | 2 | 2 | 3|2|10|10|-|-|
1942 | 8 | 5 | 2|1|18(WAR)|8|(WAR)|(WAR)
1943 | (WAR )| 4 |3|2|WAR|WAR|WAR|WAR
1944 | WAR | WAR | WAR | WAR |WAR|WAR|WAR|WAR
1945 | WAR | WAR | WAR | WAR | WAR|WAR|WAR|WAR
1946 | 12(WAR) | 5 |(WAR)|(WAR)|-|-|-|3
1947 | 12| 8 |-|5|4|4|2|1
1948 | 7 | 4| 5|5|-|-|8|6
1949 |RET|RET|RET|RET|-|-|-|-
1950|RET|RET|RET|RET|-|-|5|5
1951|RET|RET|RET|RET|4|3|1|1
1952|RET|RET|RET|RET|10|12|4|2
1953 |RET|RET|RET|RET|-|-|-|-
1954 |RET|RET|RET|RET|-|-|6|-
1955 |RET|RET|RET|RET|-|-|-|-

Observations:

• Apps was top 8 in PPG for every year of his career and top 5 in PPG for every year from 1937 to 1946, except for the 2 missed years!
• I think that when you look at Apps' consistency in scoring, it is clear that he missed 3-4 end of year finishes as a top 10 scorer because of World War 2!
• Apps was a Hart finalist for 5 straight seasons from 1939 to 1943, including his 1942-43 season when he missed too many games due to the War to finish in the top 20 in overall scoring
• Schmidt played for quite a bit longer than Apps, but he was much less consistent in terms of both scoring and awards recognition, and I don't think losing PP time to Bill Cowley has that much to do with it, as Cowley was gone by the time Schmidt came back from the War.
• Given Schmidt's reputation as a two-way force, I was very surprised that his only top 20 points finish beyond the top 10s that are easily spotted on hockey-reference was his war-shortened 1941-42.
• I could forgive Schmidt for having a weak 1945-46 after being away from the game of hockey for 3.5 years, and indeed he comes back strong in 1946-47. But after 1947, his career gets really up and down.
• After looking at the analysis above is there ANY question that Apps was superior to Schmidt?

 

[Hawkey Town 18]

Ralph Backstrom, C

(several quotes provided by BubbaBoot)

Height: 5’10â€
Weight: 165 lbs
Shot: Left

Stanley Cup Champion: 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969
Calder Trophy: 1959

NHL Regular Season: 1032 GP – 278 G – 361 A – 639 Pts
WHA Regular Season: 304 GP – 100 G – 153 A – 253 Pts
NHL Playoffs: 116 GP – 27 G – 32 A – 59 Pts
WHA Playoffs: 38 GP – 10 G – 18 A – 28 Pts

NHL Top 10’s
Points: 7, 9
Goals: 7, 8
Assists: 8
SH Goals: 7

Ralph Backstrom was a swift skater with a deft scoring touch whose defensive and team-oriented play earned him accolades throughout his career. The most significant years of his pro tenure were spent with the Montreal Canadiens, with whom he won the Stanley Cup six times between 1959 and 1969.

Backstrom spent two seasons with the Montreal Junior Canadiens before graduating to the Ottawa-Hull Canadiens, the Habs' top minor affiliate in Eastern Canada. He captained the team to the Memorial Cup in 1958, when he was arguably the top junior skater in the country. The Canadiens planned to send Backstrom to the Rochester Americans of the AHL for a year of minor pro seasoning, but his performance at training camp was so impressive that the Habs brain trust decided to give him a shot at the big league right away. Backstrom rewarded Montreal by scoring 40 points and earning the Calder Trophy. His freshman season was so laudable that he received more than double the votes of runner up Carl Brewer of Toronto. The following year he impressed coach Toe Blake by approaching his sophomore training camp with increased dedication and enthusiasm. His production dropped to 28 points, but he solidified his place as a key defensive forward on the club.

Although he was overshadowed by Montreal's top two centers, Jean Beliveau and Henri Richard, Backstrom became an important two-way forward on six Stanley Cup-winning teams. He and teammate Claude Provost garnered reputations as two of the most dogged forwards in the game. Even though he often drew checking assignments, Backstrom produced five 20-goal seasons, including a personal high of 27 in 1961-62. Years later, Backstrom reflected on this period: "There were times in my career that I felt I could have played better statistically if I would have played on another team besides the Canadiens. But there was nothing like the team successes that the Canadiens had during the time I played with them."

Jean Beliveau and Henri Richard were in their prime, leaving Backstrom to pivot the third line in a defensive capacity against the opponent’s leading scorers. He rose to the challenge, covering opposing shooters and killing penalties, alongside fellow defensive forward Claude Provost.

One of the strongest skaters in the league, Backstrom was fast enough to play deep in the offensive zone, relentlessly forecheck an opposing defenseman, and still get back in time to catch a puck-carrying forward skating towards the Montreal net.

Making the most of his offensive chances, Backstrom regularly made it onto the score sheet. He scored 20 or more goals five times in 12 full seasons with the Habs and was a reliable playoff performer, often one of the most consistent point producers in the postseason.

…

Backstrom: “I’ll always remember when we faced Boston in the semifinals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 1969. I scored the winning goal in overtime in the second game of the series at the Forum. My job that night was to check Phil Esposito and our coach Claude Ruel told me that it didn’t matter if I didn’t get a shot on goal, as long as Esposito was off the score sheet. That’s exactly what happened and as a bonus, I scored in overtime. That was a night I’ll always remember. “

Henri, Claude, and Ralph, by virtue of their seniority, were absolutely vital to the 1960s Canadiens. They were there every night, year in and year out, leading us to Cup after Cup, and yet remaining low-key about our extraordinary successes.

…

Ralph Backstrom would have been a big star on any othjer team in the NHL, especially after his first seven or eight seasons. He had won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1959. As it turned out, he became our third-string center, playing behind Henri and myself, and therefore did not see a lot of time on the power play. He had taken on a more defensive role, eve though he had been a high scoring jumior player.

Backstrom was a fine playmaker and a good back-checker, but he was never more than the number three center in Montreal, behind Jean Beliveau and Henri Richard.

On any other team Backstrom would have been the first center. He was faster than most players, had a good shot and excellent hockey sense and was good enough to play for more than a decade [with Montreal].

With his Canadiens background–classy skating and excellent stickhandling–Backstrom helped the WHA Cougars to an upset and a spot in the WHA playoff finals in 1974, the same year he also became an uncontested star of the WHA-Russia series.

That series I had the dubious honor of playing against Phil Esposito. He was my man, especially at home, because we had the last line change.

I remember playing against him all night. In that series, I know he was quoted in the papers a few times saying that he was glad the series was shifting to Boston so he wouldn't have to face me all the time. It was quite a compliment.

When I was matched up against him, I tried to keep it pretty simple. When I was forechecking, I would do my regular forechecking job. Then if the puck was coming up the ice, I would be looking for Phil in the neutral zone. Then in the defensive zone, it was me on top of Phil. That was my game: forecheck, catch him in the neutral zone, and in the defensive zone, I was right on top of him. That was the way I approached the game.

A symbol of Backstrom's hard-earned success was a letter he received from one of hockey's living legends, Conn Smythe. "I have never believed in the statement that it doesn't matter whether you win or lose, but how you play the game. However, with your example in the Russian series, I have to say that it has merit."

Down the middle, Montreal has to be given the edge. While Stan Mikita is one of the two best centres in the league, he, along with his supporting cast of Phil Esposito and rookie Freddie Stanfield are slightly inferior to the Habs’ centre corps of Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard and Ralph Backstrom. Beliveau is still one of the top talents in the game, while Richard and Backstrom are speedsters who are superior defensively and have good hands around the net.

The '74 [Summit Series] squad also had useful, middle-of-the-roster players with Stanley Cup experience" XXXXXX XXXXX, Hull's shadow from the '71 final and Ralph Backstrom, who, game in and game out, turned out to be the best two-way forward.

He again approached September training camp in the same set-jaw fashion of last season when he had been ticketed for a year in Rochester for pro seasoning. With the Stanley Cup champions far from sort of sentres, Ralph had dug in so furiously that manager Frank Selke and coach Toe Blake looked at one another and agreed: "We can't let the kid down, he's born for the National Hockey League".

A bulldog type who makes you forget he's only 165 pounds (five feet 10), he kept the same hellbent style in the Big Time that had made him a favorite in junior hockey. This invites injuries but his excellent shape and bodily bounce seem to compensate for violent bangs that would put the average player on the shelf. It all adds up to a furious love of the game that's invigorating to encounter.

In his last year as a junior he was unanimously conceded to be the best in Canada. In addition to 45 goals and 53 assists, he averaged 50 minutes a game on the ice and played every position but goal as the Hull-Ottawa team won the Memorial Cup.

"I often wondered how well I would have done with another organization. I'm pretty sure my individual scoring stats would have been considerably higher, but I don't think I would have gotten to win six Stanley Cups. I'll take the Cups over the individual goals … I'm happy with my six Stanley Cups."

Mark Howe talking about the 1974 Summit Series: “Ralph Backstrom, who still had speed at age 36, and I killed penalties well and our team won 4-1 while Cheevers’ father-in-law, who was sitting in the stands in Toronto, was suffering a fatal heart attack.â€

New York and Chicago, Thursday, April 12, 1973 – Stanley Cup Semi-finals Game One

…

Chicago Coach Billy Reay used Ralph Backstrom to shadow Pete Stemkowski in this game.

Stemkowski had zero points in this game

 

[Hawkey Town 18]

Nicklas Backstrom, C

(some quotes provided by BillyShoe, TDMM, and Dreakmur)

Height: 6’1â€
Weight: 213 lbs
Shot: Left

Hart Voting: 9
AS Voting: 4, 6
Selke Voting: 10, 11

Top 15 Scoring Finishes through 2015
Points: 4, 6, 8, 9, 13
Assists: 1, 3, 3, 3, 3
Power Play Points: 1, 3, 4, 4, 11

Vs.X through 2015
7yr: 81.3
10yr: 61.4
*Likely to improve both scores once the 2016 regular season ends

Assets: Displays outstanding patience with the puck, playmaking acumen and a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Is mature and has great instincts. His shot is improving and he also boasts sound defensive ability.

Flaws: Needs to continue getting a little better at fending off defenders when the checking is at its tightest. Also needs to do more of the little things when he's not putting up points consistently. Injuries are a bit of a concern here.

…Backstrom’s story had remained static since he arrived stateside, a baby-faced teenager from Sweden, in the mid-2000s, drawn to the shadows of a sport played beneath bright lights. Consider his trademark power-play spot, along the right half-wall. Consider his supreme patience, how he holds the puck so long that the crowd grows agitated. Then consider the passes that follow, threaded between skates and sticks, space opened by a slight shift of the eyes, or a swivel of the hips.

Now consider the alternate captain’s clout inside the locker room, where his presence attracts little more than a handful of cameras and recorders after any given practice but demands a level of respect rippling across the wooden stalls. He has tweeted twice in the past 35 days. One apologized for previous posts that “must have been a virus.†His commercial appearances are limited to GEICO spots, because a close friend handles the shoots. Yet the Capitals consider him their heartbeat, their rock, the stabilizing force whose 172 assists since 2007 rank first in Washington and ninth in the NHL, who now stands six points from 500.

“I think he’s the guy who makes this team run,†forward Troy Brouwer said.

“I’ve seen a lot of people play,†Chimera said, “and he’s up there with one of the best players in the world.â€

“I’ll tell you,†Coach Barry Trotz said, “both ends of the ice, he’s as good as anybody I’ve seen.â€
Over coffee last June, one week into his tenure helming the Washington bench, Trotz marveled at the side of Backstrom’s game that diligent film study had revealed. At the time, Trotz dubbed Backstrom the Capitals’ best all-around player, a sentiment carried onto the eve of the regular season, when Trotz began a public campaign for a skater whose NHL awards list includes all-rookie honors, a second-place Calder Trophy finish for rookie of the year and not much else.

“How he hasn’t been recognized as a Selke [Trophy] candidate a little bit more often is sort of astounding to me,†Trotz said, referring to the award given to the most defensive-minded forward. “I’ll be pounding that drum, so that was my first pound on the drum. I think he’s as complete a player as there is in the National Hockey League. I think the world of him and I don’t know him that well.â€

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spo...8c61cc-5087-11e4-8c24-487e92bc997b_story.html

Nicklas Backstrom is pretty damn smooth when the Caps are a man to the good, but you already knew that. In fact, since coming into the League in 2007, only Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, and Sidney Crosby have more power play points than Backstrom's 269. Ovechkin is, of course, the beneficiary of Backstrom's handiwork and vice versa.
What you may not know is just how important Backstrom is to this year's power-play unit, currently ranked third in the NHL by conversion rate. The Caps have knocked home 19 goals at five-on-four so far, and Backstrom has been on the ice for nine of those... which may not sound like a tremendous amount, but note that the Caps tallied three power-play goals before Backstrom returned to the lineup for the fourth game of the season. So since Backstrom's return he has been on the ice for nine of 16 extra-man goals, and most impressively, he has tallied a point on every single one.
Now on the one hand, that sample size isn't exactly trustworthy; on the other hand, the guy's gotten a point on every goal for which he's been on the ice, on the first unit on the third-best man-up squad in professional hockey. Backstrom is certainly a candidate for regression by this measure, but the company he's currently in reinforces the notion that this Swede pivot is an elite power play quarterback.
Further to the point about sample sizes, we can take data from the last three seasons and see that Backstrom is tops amongst players who've seen more than 400 minutes of 5v4 TOI. The guys behind him? Claude Giroux, Patrick Kane, Shea Weber, and John Tavares. It's evident that Backstrom is an outlier-type player.
[Chart Missing – see link]
Of these players, the only ones who have been in on more power-play goals than Nicky are Patrick Kane and Erik Karlsson, who respectively quarterback the fifth- and fourth-best power plays in the league. If you're looking for comparables in the elite echelons of power-play quarterbacking society, it's hard to do better than that.
But these guys have also almost all spent more time on the power play than Nicklas, probably partially due to Backstrom missing a couple games at the start of the year, and partially due to the fact that most squads don't have an Evgeny Kuznetsov to turn to when their Nick Backstrom needs some oxygen.
Backstrom is the most productive of these players with his minutes, with only Kane sniffing his production level:
Backstrom's productivity at five-on-four is actually third best in the league, behind only Patrice Bergeron and Keith Yandle. And who comes in fourth? Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Ultimately, none of this tells us anything we don't already know, but with Alex Ovechkin having such a reputation for a power play savant, it's clear as ever that Nick Backstrom's expertise from the half boards is more than an ancillary contributor to that success.

http://www.japersrink.com/2015/12/10/9883092/as-goes-nick-backstrom-so-goes-washingtons-power-play

Although he's tough to knock off the puck - many compare Backstrom to Peter Forsberg because of his surprising ability to shield the puck, especially along the boards - and has carried defensemen on his back as he emerges from the scrum with the puck on his stick, Backstrom's real strength is his soft hands and deft touch. His slick flip pass has become a trademark, and he gets away with some risky-looking passes because they usually connect.

An extremely talented two-way center. Bäckström stands out with his tremendous hockey sense and soft hands. His technical skills are very good and one of his trademarks is the way he moves the puck into the offensive zone. He stickhandles really well through traffic. Offensively his passing skills are superb. His flip passes are perhaps a bit risky, His shot is decent, although it can and should be improved, and although he is still more of a playmaker than a scorer, he has a pretty good scoring touch.

Defensively Bäckström takes care of his responsibilities and is a rather good penalty killer. He could use some work on his conditioning and skating. Not slow by any means, but there is some room for improvement. Bäckström is not an overly physical player, but he is pretty strong and tough to knock the puck off.

I think he's the quietest superstar in the league. I've said that exact line for years. The guy he plays with, No. 8 [Alex Ovechkin], he gets the headlines, he's the rock star, right? Nicky's the guy that keeps the band together.

Nicky's the beat of the band. He's so good all over the ice he's our quarterback. The best thing about Nick is that every player that he plays with he makes them better, and I think that's the true testament to a great player is they make everybody else on the ice better, and he does that and it's with intelligence, it's with positioning.

Obviously everybody knows about his elite skill level, the hands, the vision, but the way he sees the game and understands the game, and his other talent is understanding his teammates, what they want, where they want the puck, when they want the puck, do I have to give it to them now or should I hold it longer with this guy and give it to him when he's open? Just an elite level of intelligence. Great teammate. Hard worker. The quietest superstar in the National Hockey League.

For me, I was scared of him before and I'm probably more scared of his game now. He has such a great ability to hold on to the puck, manufacture time, read the play and execute with the puck, that it allows the other players on his line to freelance, to not be in the same spot all the time.
They can go to different areas, they can work to get open away from the puck.

It's an unbelievable asset that he has. I don't want to say it's sleight of hand. To me, he's the best player on the half wall, he's the best half-wall distributor.
As for the breadth of Backstrom's game, he is perhaps more of a force now than ever at both ends of the ice.
He covers up for a lot of mistakes. He's sound. Good, intelligent defensively, he covers up for a lot.
He's good. He's real good.

I didn't realize there was a bite to Nick Backstrom. He actually excels when you try and sort of get under his skin. It sort of lights his fire a little bit. That's probably the biggest thing that surprised me. And then realizing how good he is and how important he is to this team.
I just think he is, to me, one of the best all-around forwards I've ever dealt with.

You just said it. This year is the very first time I've seen him have snarl or bite to the game. He doesn't take anything from anyone anymore. You see how tough he is finishing hits. He's just so much more physical on the puck.

“When you’re around him every day you see how talented he is, how driven and how much attention he pays to every little thing, even though he’s that good. That doesn’t go unnoticed.â€

Backstrom’s workmanlike attitude was one of the reasons Boudreau named him one of the team’s alternate captains this season. He had previously served as a captain of the Swedish national team as a teenager, but the acknowledgment of his significance to the Capitals gave him pause.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...gular-season/2011/04/07/AF7NAD4C_story_1.html

"A lot of people want to credit Alex, but I credit Nicky with a lot of Alex's success as well," said Boudreau, who rarely hesitates to give his young players more responsibility. Over the past 11 games, Backstrom averaged 2 minutes 14 seconds on the penalty kill, helping the Capitals unit deny its opponent on 50 of 59 opportunities (84.7 percent).

Backstrom knew as a center he needed to improve his defensive play, and his dedication to becoming more well-rounded has not gone unnoticed by his teammates.

"I think he realizes as a center he needs to play down on defense just as well," Fedorov said. "Down low in our zone he's realized he needs to work a little harder and that's what he's done. That's maturity."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/23/AR2009022302970.html?hpid=sec-sports

Nicklas Backstrom cut to center ice, glanced up and saw a gaping hole in the New York Rangers' defense.

Only the hole wasn't there -- yet.

Everything was unfolding at full speed, but in Backstrom's mind it was in slow motion. Then, without a hint of hesitation, the center threaded a pass between two Rangers and onto the stick of xxx, who scored the third of five consecutive goals in the Washington Capitals' 5-4 victory at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 23.

"You see a lot of great passes in your lifetime, but there are only certain people who can make that pass," Coach Bruce Boudreau said. "He's one of those guys, and he did it with all of the confidence that the pass was going to get there. He had 3 1/2 inches, and the puck is three inches in diameter."

It's passes like that -- and the rate at which he's been racking up points recently -- that have the league buzzing about Backstrom. He was expected to blossom into a world-class playmaker someday; it just wasn't supposed to happen three months into his second NHL campaign, just a month after his 21st birthday.

"Every year you want to be better," Backstrom said. "I have that responsibility right now. I get a lot of ice time. I want to be good out there. I don't want to be just some random player."

Backstrom no doubt benefits from playing on the same line as Alex Ovechkin, the reigning most valuable player and the league's third-leading scorer. But what has distinguished Backstrom's play this season is the fact that he has, on many occasions, dominated games on his own. Of his 31 assists, in fact, only 10 have come on goals scored by Ovechkin.

Boudreau has started turning to Backstrom in critical situations, including putting him out for defensive zone faceoffs in close games. The coach has also given him the alternate captain's "A" the past four contests.


But the thing that doesn't need any work is the same one he struggles to explain: his ability to make imaginative passes, such as the one he made to xxx, that surprise opponents and wow fans.

"It's my best thing on the ice, the way I see the ice," he said. "I don't know where it came from. Maybe it was a gift from my parents."

Boudreau couldn't explain it, either.

"I haven't seen many kids his age -- obviously I don't see Sidney Crosby too often -- that can make saucer passes that end up on the guy's stick that aren't bouncing, over two sticks, on to his teammate's," he said. "It's something special."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/31/AR2008123103069_2.html

Nicklas Backstrom has already cemented his reputation as one of the NHL's best setup men. But over the past month, the 22-year-old Swede has shown he has the potential to be one of hockey's best finishers, too.

"He's shooting the puck," coach Bruce Boudreau said of Backstrom. "He's got a good shot, and it's sneaky quick. We've been asking him for a long time now to shoot more."

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/20...uvirth-nicklas-backstrom-goal-scoring-prowess

This is debatable, but Nicklas Backstrom may have played the best game of the season by a Washington Capitals player. He was that good.

Brian Pothier said he was "disgusting." Bruce Boudreau said there might not be words to describe how great he was. Backstrom just killed the Rangers on almost every shift.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/weblogs/in-the-room/2009/apr/20/backstrom-caps-get-back-in-it/

Backstrom, the Capitals' No. 4 overall draft pick in 2006, showed flashes of his vast potential and scored a goal in Washington's 4-3 overtime loss to Carolina at RBC Center. He also displayed the defensive discipline that has team officials hoping he'll develop into a two-way dynamo, much like fellow Swede Peter Forsberg.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/16/AR2007091601394.html

 

[Hawkey Town 18]

Eddie Gerard, D/LW

Credit to overpass for much of the below

Short version: Great defensive defenceman, great captain and leader of one of hockey's first dynasties. He began as a left winger, and had his greatest success as a defender.


Gerard won the Stanley Cup in four consecutive seasons. From 1920-1923, he won it three times with the Ottawa Senators, and once with the Toronto St. Pats as an injury replacement. (They had their pick of any defenceman in the East and chose Gerard.) He was also one of the original 12 inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame from 1945.

Legends of Hockey:

Rarely in hockey history has a defenseman exhibited as high a level of play and gentlemanly conduct as Eddie Gerard. While playing a position that constantly required physical confrontation, he performed with superior efficiency but in sportsmanlike fashion. Gerard was a fine skater with superior puckhandling capabilities who was a fair match for any adversary at either end of the ice, while his leadership skills made him the ideal captain for the Stanley Cup-winning Ottawa Senators and a fine coach with the Cup champion Montreal Maroons in 1926.

Gerard first signed with hockey's Ottawa Senators in 1913-14, a transaction that reaped many benefits for the club. He began as a forward, playing on a line with Jack Darragh and Skene Ronan, and didn't switch to defense for another three years. Following this positional shift, Gerard established himself as a tower of strength on his squad's defense while serving as the team's inspirational heart. He formed an outstanding defensive partnership with George Boucher and was the natural choice for team captain.

Gerard captained the version of the Senators that was dubbed the "Super Six" as a tribute to their winning three Stanley Cups in four years between 1920 and 1923. During the 1920 Stanley Cup series against the Seattle Metropolitans, Gerard formed an impenetrable defensive wall with Sprague Cleghorn in his own zone and scored on a dramatic end-to-end rush in the deciding game. The Senators retained the Cup the following year in an emotionally charged series versus the PCHA champion Vancouver Millionaires. In one of the most keenly watched Stanley Cup encounters of the 1920s, Ottawa triumphed in the fifth and deciding game with a 2-1 score.

Eddie Gerard on all-time teams

Cyclone Taylor (Hockey Pictorial, February 1956)

The second "dream team" dates from the start of the modern era to 1944. Tiny Thompson, goal. Eddie Shore and Eddie Gerard, defense. Howie Morenz, Syl Apps and Bill Cook, his forward line.

Cyclone picked two centers in Morenz and Apps but explained that by commenting "They would have been just as great playing wing as they were at center."

Red Dutton

Red Dutton...selects an all-star, all-time team, all-time only in the respect that he deals with players who have come and gone under the big toll of the NHL since he began to play. Dutton's team: Sprague Cleghorn, right defense; Eddie Gerard, left defense; Eddie Shore, No 2 right defense; Herb Gardiner, No 2 left defense...

Shorty Green

Goal: Georges Vezina
Defence: Sprague Cleghorn
Defence: Eddie Gerard
Centre: Frank Nighbor
Right wing: Bill Cook
Left wing: Aurel Joliat

Gerard and Cleghorn he regards as top defenceman for their ice generalship and thumping rearguard play.

Foster Hewitt:

Goal: Charlie Gardiner, Chicago Black Hawks in the early thirties. "A colorful holler guy. If somebody threw a hat on the ice, Gardiner'd wear it the whole game."
Defence: Eddie Shore, Boston Bruins 25 years ago. "Colorful, high-handed and hotheaded. A bull moose when you got his goat."
Defence: Eddie Gerard: "Great ice-leader and traffic director."
Centre: Howie Morenz, Montreal Canadians circa 1930. "Reeked with color. He'd electrify a crowd the minute he got the puck. A regular sputnik on skates."
Left Wing: Ted Lindsay, lately of Chicago and Detroit. "He scored, checked, and needled. Play with him and you play with dynamite."
Right Wing: Rocket Richard, Montreal immortal. "Put people in the rink and pucks in the net. He was the Babe Ruth, the home-run hitter of hockey."

Jim Coleman - 10 best players of all time:

Howie Morenz
Eddie Shore
Gordon Howe
Maurice Richard
Bobby Orr
Bobby Hull
Jean Beliveau
Milt Schmidt
Dit Clapper
Eddie Gerard - One must defer to the opinion of King Clancy and hockey historian Charles L. Coleman who insist that Gerard was the best. On Wednesday of this week, Clancy said "You can put Gerard's name at the very top of your list."

Ultimate Hockey
Best Defensive Defenseman of the 1920's
Retro Norris: 1920-21 Season


Quotes from Gerard's lengthy obituary in the Ottawa Citizen
Tommy Gorman on Gerard:

I admired Eddie Gerard more than any athlete I ever handled. He always gave all he had, was a great organizer, an exceptional team captain, and a fine sport. He was courageous and possessed a fighting-spirit that was hard to beat. He was the spark-plug of the famous Super-Six, which I consider the greatest team of all time. Eddie Gerard and Sprague Cleghorn, were in my opinion, the greatest defence in hockey.

Sprague Cleghorn on Gerard:

In my estimation, there was none better. You can have all your Shores and Conachers, and the others, but Eddie Gerard was in a class by himself. He knew just what to do and no one ever needed to coach him.

The 1923 Cup final (Gerard's final season, after which he was forced to retire on doctor's orders):

Gerard suffered a severe shoulder injury in this series, and George Boucher suffered a badly cut ankle and was out for the series. Gerard played in the Edmonton series with his shoulder bound up with adhesive tape. Although suffering intense pain, he refused to stay off the ice, and frequently escaped from the bench, where Tommy Gorman, manager, and Frank "Cosy" Dolan, trainer, tried to keep him.

Gerard was captain of the team that year and he played the greatest part of the two games with Edmonton.

This is Eddie Gerard, one of the early greats of the game. An inaugural member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, some writers back in the day claimed he was better than Eddie Shore.

...

The Senators offered Gerard a $400 signing bonus, a significant sum in those days. Gerard's father is said to have proclaimed that the hockey team were "a bunch of damned fools" for such a signing bonus.

It paid off for the Sens though, and quite handsomely at that. Gerard had 10 assists in 1914-15,which in those days was exceptional. He played in the Stanley Cup final that season, but Ottawa lost to the Vancouver Millionaires.

In 1917-18, the NHL was formed and he served as the Senators player-coach After a losing season he gave way to Alf Smith. It was in 1917-18 that Gerard moved back to defense for good, and this is where he would prove to be so great.

In 1918-19 Gerard was outstanding this year, both offensively and defensively as Ottawa gave up the fewest goals against for the next five years, largely in part due to Gerard's outstanding play. Gerard would be named captain of the Senators and the team would go on to win the Stanley Cup - the first of four championships for Eddie.

1920-21 was one of his best seasons. Not only did he score 11 goals in 24 games, but Ottawa continued to be the best defensive team in the NHL, and Gerard's great passing and stickhandling abilities left little room for rough play.

But he ran wild in the 1921 playoffs, getting 53 minutes in penalties in 7 games to lead all performers in that dubious distinction. The Senators also won their second straight Stanley Cup that year.

Gerard had another great year in 1921-22 with 7 goals 11 assists for 18 points in 21 games. Oddlly, he would play on a Stanley Cup champion this year as well, but not with the Senators. The Toronto St. Patricks had beaten Ottawa and played Vancouver for the Cup. During one of the games Harry Cameron was injured and the St.Pats asked permission of the Patricks to use Eddie Gerard and were granted permission. He played well in that one game, and that prompted Frank Patrick to withdraw his permission for the final game. But it was too late as Toronto defeated Vancouver 5-1 to win the Cup.

Gerard was back with Ottawa for 1922-23, but misfortune struck him. He was struck in the throat by Sprague Cleghorn, damaging his vocal cords. He would only have a weak voice for the rest of his life. But he stuck it out and played 23 games for the Senators that season.

Despite injuries, he played well in the Stanley Cup classic and when the undermanned Senators won the Stanley Cup that year, Frank Patrick, president of the PCHA called them the greatest team he had ever seen.

But Gerard had enough as a player, as the asthma and the throat injury convinced him to retire.

He was a gentleman on and off the ice and played his defense position well and cleanly.

For recognition of his great contributions to hockey, Gerard was one of the nine charter members elected to the brand new Hockey Hall of Fame in Kingston, which later moved to Toronto.

In 1915, he was named to the NHA All-Stars which went on a tour in British Columbia to play PCHA teams. Gerard was player-coach of the Senators from 1916 until 1918. He later served as captain of the Senators from 1919 to 1923.

 

[pappyline]

EDDIE LITZENBERGER

Height: 6’1”
Weight: 195 lbs
Shot: Right

Stanley Cup Champion: 1961(captain), 1962, 1963, 1964
Hart Voting: 6, 7
Allstar: Second team centre 1956-57
Calder: 1954-55
Regular Season Scoring Placements
Points: 5, 6, 5, 12
Goals: 9, 4, 3, 4
Assists: 6, 12, 15, 15, 18

ORIGINALLY POSTED BY LEGENDS OF HOCKEY
Centre/right-winger Ed Litzenberger played over 600 NHL games for four different clubs in the 50s and 60s. He was a fine goal scorer who once hit the 30-goal mark three consecutive seasons.
Born in Neudorf, Sasktachewan, Litzenberger was a scoring star in junior with the Regina Pats. In 1950-51, he led the league with 44 goals in 40 games and was the leading point producer in the playoffs. In 1952-53, he played a pair of games for the parent Montreal Canadiens but spent most of his first two years as a pro with the Montreal Royals of the Quebec League. In 1953, he was presented the William Northey trophy as the league's top rookie after a 26-goal performance and was placed on the second all-star team in 1954.
The talented forward began the 1954-55 season in Montreal but the club had too many good players. In December, he was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks for cash. Litzenbeger blossomed with the increased ice time and scored 40 points in the last 40 games of the season. Chicago missed the playoffs, but their new addition was named the Calder trophy winner.
By the late 1950s Litzenberger was one of the league's most reliable scorers. He notched three straight 30-goal seasons and was named to the NHL second all-star team in 1957. He often formed a solid line with Bobby Hull and Lorne Ferguson. Between 1958 and 1961, the steady veteran served as the Hawks' team captain. In 1961, he helped the team win its first Stanley Cup since 1938

QUOTES REFERENCING SKILL/ABILITY
The Globe and Mail : June 14, 1961
However I am nothing if not generous with advice if Imlach has a chance to get Ed Litzenberger from Chicago as the dispatches say, what is he waiting for? Here there will be a brief pause to review the bidding Litzenberger once was one of the best righthanded shots in the National Hockey league. He won the league's rookie award and was considered in any all star ballot and most nights looked like a natural 30 goal shooter if there ever was one.

The Globe and Mail, Feb 26 1962
But in Toronto's last five games, Litzenberger has been used at right wing on some lines and left wing on others. Saturday night against Boston he scored Toronto's first goal, assisted on the fourth and scored on the fifth. Last night in Detroit he scored again and assisted on two more. In both games he showed the puck control that once made him on of the league's more feared young gentlemen inside and opposing blueline, worked the corners as if he liked it, and generall qualified as one of the stars of the game/

"He can play either wing and do a good job," Imlach said. "In addition he's the best center I have for taking face-offs and getting the puck. When you're talking about a team that also has Red Kelly, that's pretty high praise, eh? You watch when there's a faceoff and Litz is out there, the others lt him take it. they know he can get the puck out better than anybody."

Toronto Daily Star-Jan 24, 1962
Coach Punch Imlach thought his power play was poor. And before the Dec 17th game it was. Only permanent change has been the insertion of Eddie Litzenberger at right point.

Toronto Daily Star-Feb 20, 1960
Pilous pointed out the Hawks had been playing better than .500 hockey despite the loss of Eddie Litzenberger, captain and star right-winger. When we lost the big fellow (Litzenberger) through that unfortunate accident, the other boys started stretching out to take up the slack.

Toronto Daily Star-Sept 21, 1957 (Tommy Ivan quote)
Ted Lindsay has to play as well as he did last season and jell with Eddie Litzenberger and Eric Nesterenko on our big line

Toronto Daily Star-Feb 22, 1962
Eddie Litzenberger set up three fine plays but his passes went begging.

Toronto Daily Star-Oct 28. 1960
Why Are Hawks Soaring? Litz, Nester Clicking--Ivan.

The Windsor Star-March 24, 1961
Litzenberger...punched home a goal...at 17:05 of the third period to give the jubilant Black Hawks a 4-3 win over the Canadiens in the second game of their... cup semi-final....Litzenberger emerged from the milling players with the puck and snapped it behind goalie Jacque Plante.

HOCKEY BLUELINE-February 1957
He’s (Litzenberger) shooting more. He didn’t shoot enough last year and with the shot he’s got he should shoot more often. -Tommy Ivan

“Litz has made a remarkable comeback after the tragic accident which cost him his wife and almost finished his career last season. “ “I think Eddie’s shift back to centre has helped both Litz and Nester. Eric had his top years playing on right wing with Litz at centre and Eddie always got his share of goals in the pivot spot.”

Saskatoon Star-Phoenix-Nov 6, 1961
He (Litzenberger) took Vic Stasiuk’s pass at the Leaf blueline and faked a shot making Baun commit himself. Litzenberger calmly skated around the Toronto defenceman and easily beat bower from fifteen feet.

The Calgary Herald-Feb 20. 1957
Litzenberger has been a well regarded player ever since he broke in with the Regina Pats as a smooth skating youngster who knew how to use his six-foot-one frame. When he went to the Hawks, their president, James D. Norris said “if we can’t be a representative (contending) club with players like Litzenberger it will be nobody’s fault but our own.

The Windsor Star-Nov 7, 1961
And the 29 year old centre has come back spectacularly this season. Playing on a line with Gordie howe and Alex Delvecchio Litz has scored seven times and has nine assists in Detroit’s first 11 games.

Chicago Stadium Review Hockey Program 1958-59 season Black Hawks-Hawk of the Week (Litzenberger on cover)-Nov 15, 1958.
Eddie rates as one of the best stickhandlers in the business, has a most deceptive shift and an unusually hard shot. His slap-shot in particular is a menace to all goalies.

The Hockey News-March 9, 1957
Harry Watson, the big Chicago left winger said: "Litz has all the assets of a great player. He can skate. He can shoot. He plays position well most of the time. He's big enough and has just enough aggressiveness so the other players don't push him around. The big difference over last year is that he is shooting the puck more."

COMPARISONS TO OTHER PLAYERS

Toronto Daily Star-Feb 27 1958
Last nights game matched the scoring efforts of Bathgate and Chicago’s Ed litzenberger.

Bathgate and Litzenberger have had strikingly similiar careers ever since they were given NHL trials in 1952-53. Each is in his fourth full season and Bathgate has 93 goals to Litzenberger’s 90.

Litzenberger has spearheaded the Chicago attack since he joined the team from Montreal in 1954...

HOCKEY BLUELINE (Painting of Litzenberger by Tex Coulter cover)-November, 1957
Ivan moved Litzenberger fron right wing to center in mid-season last year and for the rest of the season he was one of the hottest goal getters in the league with 20. Only Maurice Richard with 21 counted more in the last 35 games.

Eddie Litzenberger: Windy City’s Hurricane.

Litz, who employs somewhat the same style of play as Gordie Howe...and Ted (Lindsay) should fit together like cogs in a well-oiled machine.

Hockey Pictorial (litzenberger on cover)-Nov 1958
The next year, 1956-57, switched to centre, he was a full fledged star, rated up there with the Richards, Howes, Beliveaus, Geoffrions, Bathgates.

Hockey Pictorial-November 1955
“He’s(Litzenberger) acting downright nasty “ exclaimed one onlooker. Coach Irvin makes it clear that this is just the kind of player he likes. He likes them rough and he likes the kind of skaters that can take it...and the fellows that can dish it out even more....”Wait until someone gallops into him with thos elbows sticking out like that---wow-e-e.”

Another point in favour of a second top season for Litzenberger is his wicked shot which can’t be rivalled by that of another Black Hawk. “It is as hard as any in the league” says Irvin. He compares it favorably with those of Jean Beliveau and Bernie Geoffrion but adds “Ed drives a heavier puck.”

And the Hawk coach can go further...”He has reminded me of Gordie Howe ever since he was playing junior out west at Regina. He has that same energy and spunk!”

The Montreal Gazette-Sept 18, 1951
One of the likeliest looking youngsters at the first workout was Eddie Litzenberger from the Regina Pats Juniors.The tall rangy rightwinger showed good speed and smooth skating. “He looks and acts like Gordie Howe” said Irvin “ and he has more weight to fill out as he grows older. I think I will try him out at centre as well as right wing.”

The Montreal Gazette-Feb 10, 1959
New York’s Andy Bathgate has regained...the scoring leadership from Bernie Geoffrrion of Montreal but both have a new challenger in big Eddie Litzenberger...Litzenberger picked up ... 13 points in the last 2 weeks. (note; with Howe in 4th, the top 4 scorers are all rightwings)


DEFENSIVE PLAY

Town Crier Sports Nov. 24, 2010

“Eddie played on a lot of winning teams, which is a compliment to him,’’ said former Toronto teammate Dick Duff. “He was a big, rangy guy, had a good shot, was a good defensive player and was a lot of fun.

Toronto Daily Star-Mar 30, 1962
Eddie Litzenberger did an excellent job of shadowing Andy Bathgate and took time out to do some fine puck-carrying. Worsley robbed him on two occasions

Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph-March 31, 1960
Our checking line of Glen Skov, Eddie Litzenberger and Earl Balfour we used against Beliveau, Marcel bonin and Berni Geoffrion gave us 100% effort. But that was the only one.

Hockey Pictorial-October 1960
Told by doctors he was through for the year and possibly for the rest of his career, Ed Litzenberger became a dedicated hockey man.

In the playoffs against Montreal he teamed with Skov and Earl Balfour and held the vaunted Beliveau-Geoffrion-Bonin line to only one goal while they were on the ice.

MISCELLANEOUS QUOTES

The Globe and Mail : Apr 27, 1955
Litzenberger provided one of the few bright spots for the last place Black Hawks after they purchased him from the Canadiens for $15,000. He played 29 games for the Canadiens and played 44 for the Black Hawks for a season total of 73, three more than any other N.H.L performer played last season.

Litzenberger, a native of Neuforf Saskatchewan was one of the most polished rookies to hit the league for some time.

Toronto Daily Star-Apr 19, 1963 (Milt Dunnell column)
This was the night big gracefully gliding Gordie Howe, in a sweat-soaked scarlet shirt, met Leafs’Eddie Litzenberger at mid-ice and drawled “I suppose you’re using them Stanley cup replicas for cheese dip”.

The only way Litzenberger could get out of Toronto now would be to contact leprosy

Toronto Daily Star-Oct 25, 1962
Usually I (Litzenberger) play from 200 to 202 pounds but this year I am down to 195.

Leaf manager-coach Punch Imlach calls Litz “the hardest worker on the team”.

Litzenberger now has played all three forward posts for the Leafs.

“I have no preference as to what position I play” , Litz concluded...

Hockey News-Dec, 1954
Player-of-the-Week/ Eddie Litzenberger. The young right winger picked up four points for the week but scored them playing for two different clubs. On December 8, Litz clicked for the Montreal canadiens only goal...On December 10, he was traded...Eddie bounced back the following evening in the Windy city to figure in all three Black Hawks goals...

The Montreal Gazette-Apr 7, 1961
Ed Litzenberger captain of the Chicago Black Hawks yesterday was hospitalized with influenza and will miss the opening of the Stanley Cup finals. (note: explains lack of production in the finals)

Inside Hockey/Old School with Mike Wyman/Big Litz Looks Back-printed off Internet May 19, 2004
He recorded 40 points in 44 games with the Hawks. At season’s end, The Calder trophy...was awarded to Litzenberger.

“They called me in and offered me the C”....I said “If you are looking for a man who will say yes sir, no sir......you’ve got the wrong guy but if you want me to represent my team then you’ve got the right guy”.

“I had Teddy (Lindsay) on the left and Tod Sloan at centre. I think I got 33 goals that year, Tod got 27 and Ted got 22. That’s 80 some goals, which in those days, was a lot of goals...”

“They put me at centre between Delvecchio and Howe. I had six goals after the first five games, Gordie had three and Alex had one” The honeymoon was short-lived and Litzenberger found himself on Jack Adams spit list. “I had broken a stick and went to get another. I came back & jack Adams said something to me. I can’t recall exactly what he said. I...very politely said I try to do the most intelligient thing I can the earliest possible moment I can do it...The next game I was benched”

Upon his arrival Imlach sat the veteren down and asked one question “Do you know why you are here?” “Yes I do” replied Litzenberger, “You want to win the Stanley cup and I know how to do it...”


NASTY SIDE

Toronto Daily Star-Sept 21, 1959
Sims suffered a nasty bruise over his left eye trying to break up a wild stick-swinging duel between Hawk captain Eddie litzenberger and Leafs Marc Reaume...

Toronto Daily Star-Nov 14, 1957
A more serious eruption took place at 17:49 of the third period when a battle between Ed litzenberger of the Hawks and Dave Creighton of the Rangers behind the New York net and was joined by most of the players on the ice. When order was restored Litzenberger and Creighten were tagged for fighting...

LEADERSHIP

Book-The Man They Call Mr. GOALIE: The Authorized Story by Tom Adrahtas
One of those positives was the leadership of Ed Litzenberger. Litz came to the Hawks from Montreal and deserved credit, according to team mate Glen Skov to bring a winning attitude to the locker room. “When I got traded to Chicago from Detroit in 55, I went from a first place team to a last place team”, Skov recalled, “the team had a defeatest attitude. Some guys were happy with a tie game. Litz stood up to them by telling them when you tie a game...that’s not a win. That’s nothing to celebrate.”

...but the team was growing closer under the influence of Litzenberger and Lindsay.

Ed Litzenberger notched the game winner on a point blank chip shot over Plante’s left shoulder. (game 2 of the 61 semi-finals).

Book-HEART of the BLACKHAWKS: THE PIERRE PILOTE STORY: Waxy Gregoire, David M. Dupuis, Pierre Pilote
“Ed Litzenberger was a leader. He talked it up in the room and he delivered”, Pierre observed.

“...he(Litzenberger) had a hard low shot that could pick the corners. He scored us a lot of goals in those early years.”

Doreen Litzenberger was killed when the car she was driving skidded off the road and struck a viaduct. Her Husband, a passenger in the car sustained broken ribs, contusion of the liver, and a concussion...

Regina Leader-Post (obituary)-Nov 4, 2010
Litzenberger suffered serious injuries and was in a coma for several days. “I don’t think that when he came back he was the same Litz” said Hall (Glen)...”I don’t think he ever got over it.”

“He was a great junior player and ended up being a great player in the NHL”, said Regina’s Bev Bell, one of Litzenberger’s team mates in 51-52...”He had all the tools,” recalled Bell, He had the size and all the moves with the puck. And he was a good team leader. He was just a good hockey player.”