ATD 2018 Bio Thread

[ResilientBeast]

Post them below!

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[Dreakmur]

Joe Sakic !!!

Awards and Acheivements:
2 x Stanley Cup Champion (1996, 2001)
Olympic Gold Medalist (2001)
World Cup Champion (2004)

Conn Smythe Trophy (2001)
Hart Trophy (2001)

3 x First Team All-Star (2001, 2002, 2004)

Hart voting - 1st(2001), 6th(1995), 7th(1991), 7th(2002), 7th(2004), 8th(2007) 14th(1997), 14th(2000)

Lady Byng voting - 1st(2000), 2nd(1992), 2nd(2002), 3rd(1991), 3rd(2007), 4th(1993), 5th(1990), 5th(1996), 5th(1999), 6th(1994), 7th(1997), 8th(2000), 9th(2004)

Selke voting - 2nd(2001), 9th(2002), 10th(2000), 13th(2003), 15th(2004)

All-Star voting - 1st(2001), 1st(2002), 1st(2004), 3rd(1991), 3rd(2000), 4th(1995), 4th(1996), 4th(1999), 4th(2007), 6th(2006)

Olympic MVP (2002)
Olympic Best Forward (2002)
Olympic All-Star (2002)

Offensive Accomplishments:
Points - 2nd(2001), 2nd(2004), 3rd(1996), 4th(1995), 5th(1999), 5th(2002), 6th(1991), 6th(2007), 8th(2000), 10th(1990), 14th(1992), 17th(1993), 17th(2006), 19th(1994)
Goals - 2nd(2001), 5th(1996), 6th(1991), 6th(1999), 10th(2004), 15th(1993), 16th(2007)
Assists - 3rd(1995), 3rd(2002), 4th(2000), 4th(2004), 5th(1999), 5th(2001), 6th(2007), 8th(1996), 9th(1992), 11th(1991), 11th(1994), 12th(1990) 16th(1997), 16th(2006)

Play-off Points - 1st(1996), 1st(2001), 2nd(1997), 3rd(2002), 4th(1999)
Play-off Goals - 1st(1996), 1st(2001), 2nd(2002), 8th(1997), 10th(2003), 10th(2004)
Play-off Assists - 1st(1997), 2nd(1996), 3rd(1999), 4th(2001), 8th(2002)

World Championship Points - 3rd(1991)
World Championship Goals - 3rd(1991), 7th(1994)

Olympic Points - 3rd(2002)
Olympic Goals 3rd(2002)

World Cup Points - 3rd(2004)
World Cup Goals - 1st(2004)

5-Year Peak: 2000-2004
2nd in Points, 95% of 1st place Jaromir Jagr
9th in Goals, 87% of 2nd place Markus Naslund
1st in Assists, 100% of 2nd place Jaromir Jagr

4th in Points per Game, 91% of 2nd place Peter Forsberg

T-1st in Play-off Points, 100% of Peter Forsberg
1st in Play-off Goals, 142% of 2nd place Peter Forsberg
3rd in Play-off Assists, 93% of 2nd place Patrik Elias

6th in Play-off PPG, 92% of 2nd place Jaromir Jagr

10-Year Peak: 1995-2004
2nd in Points, 85% of 1st place Jaromir Jagr
9th in Goals, 85% of 2nd place Petr Bondra
3rd in Assists, 97% of 2nd place Peter Forsberg

4th in Points per Game, 88% of 2nd place Jaromir Jagr

1st in Play-off Points, 106% of 2nd place Peter Forsberg
1st in Play-off Goals, 132% of 2nd place Peter Forsberg
3rd in Play-off Assists, 98% of 2nd place Sergei Fedorov

7th in Points per game, 90% of 2nd place Jaromir Jagr


Scoring Percentages:
123(2001), 100(1996), 100(2004), 95(1991), 90(1999), 89(1995), 88(2002), 88(2007), 86(2000), 82(2006), 79(1990), 77(1994), 76(1992), 71(1993), 69(1998), 68(1997), 56(2003)

Best 6 Seasons: 597
Next 6 Seasons: 500

Team Scoring:
Points - 1st(1990), 1st(1991), 1st(1992), 1st(1994), 1st(1995), 1st(1996), 1st(2000), 1st(2001), 1st(2002), 1st(2004), 1st(2006), 1st(2007), 2nd(1993), 2nd(1997), 2nd(1999)

Percentage - 185(1991), 165(1990), 141(2002), 133(2001), 124(1992), 124(1995), 120(2007), 113(2000), 112(2006), 110(2004), 108(1994), 103(1996), 99(1999), 92(1993), 86(1997)​

Joe Sakic is the sort of man you'd want with you in the foxhole - humble, stoic, always on duty.

1. Joe Sakic: Quiet but deadly. If there was ever a capsulated version of Sakic, that would be it. The longtime captain of the Nordiques and Avalanche was never an ebullient personality, but he was one of the most lethal and complete players of his era, ringing up points with his elite skill set.

An all-around splendid centre and fine goal scorer, he was at his best during the play-offs.

Joe was the quiet leader who never wanted to be in the limelight, but always was because he was simply one of the best players in the game.

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He could snap a shot in the wink of an eye, and it would be in the back of the net before anyone even knew he had taken a shot.

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I knew how good he was - I played against him - but, playing with somebody, you get to see how they prepare, their work ethic, their dedication, their passion. Joe was second to none.

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I don't know of anyone that attacked the offensive blueline and the tops of the circles, with the puck, with the same level of intensity, speed, and vigor as Joe did. He knew the net was the end point.

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The amazing thing about Sakic was that, as a leader, as a player, you couldn't read his intensity. You saw it when he fired the puck.

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Joe Sakic truly was the quiet superstar of the NHL.

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He would beat goalies from spots that you'd think there's no chance.

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He got it off quick, and he got it off accurate. What he looked at, he could hit.

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He was driven. He worked hard, not only every game, but every day in practice, every day in the off-season. He was a prototypical pro. If you said you want your son to be like somebody, Joe was one of those guys.

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I always appreciated the way he played the game. Envied the way he could shoot a puck, and skate, and shoot it in stride. He was one of my favorite players, and a guy I admired throughout his career.

​

 

[Dreakmur]

Vyacheslav Fetisov !!!


USSR Awards and Achievements:
11 x Soviet League Champion (1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989)
11 x European Cup (1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989)

2 x USSR MVP (1982, 1986)
9 x USSR First Team All-Star (1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988)

USSR MVP voting - 1st(1982), 1st(1986), 2nd(1985), 2nd(1988), 3rd(1978), 3rd(1984), 3rd(1989), 4th(1983), 5th(1987)

USSR Offensive Accomplishments:
USSR Points - 4th(1984), 8th(1986), 8th(1987)​

​

USSR Points among Defensemen - 1st(1978), 1st(1979), 1st(1980), 1st(1981), 1st(1982), 1st(1984), 1st(1986), 1st(1987), 1st(1988), 2nd(1983), 3rd(1985) 6th(1989)

1983 - behind Kasatonov
1985 - 1st in PPG
1989 - 1st in PPG

Scoring Percentages:
Points among Defensemen - 140(1978), 136(1984), 131(1986), 117(1988), 116(1979), 110(1987), 107(1981), 105(1982), 100(1980), 100(1983), 76(1985)

International Awards and Achievements:
Canada Cup Champion (1981)
2 x Olympic Gold Medalist (1984, 1988)
7 x World Championship Gold Medalist (1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1990)

Canada Cup All-Star (1987)
5 x IIHF Best Defenseman (1978, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1989)
9 x IIHF All-Star (1978, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991)
2 x Isvesta Cup Best Defenseman (1984, 1988)

3 x Golden Hockey Stick Winner (1984, 1988, 1989)

Golden Hockey Stick voting - 1st(1984), 1st(1988), 1st(1989), 3rd(1985), 4th(1986), 5th(1987), 10th(1983)

International Offensive Accomplishments:
Olympic Points - 2nd(1988), 4th(1984)
Olympic Points among Defensemen - 1st(1980), 1st(1984), 1st(1988)

Canada Cup Points - 7th(1987)
Canada Cup Points among Defensemen - 2nd(1981), 2nd(1987)

World Championship Points - 2nd(1985), 3rd(1986), 7th(1983), 8th(1987), 9th(1990)
World Championship Points among Defensemen - 1st(1978), 1st(1982), 1st(1985), 1st(1986), 1st(1987), 2nd(1977), 2nd(1983), 2nd(1990), 5th(1989), 6th(1981), 10th(1991)

NHL Awards and Achievements:
2 x Stanley Cup Champion (1997, 1998)

2 x NHL All-Star Game (1997, 1998)

Fetisov was well respected by his teammates for his strength of character both as a player and as a person, and he served as captain of both the National Team and of the Central Army squad.

Fetisov possessed exceptional mobility and instinctively knew when to pinch in from the blueline to create a scoring chance in the offensive zone. As a defenceman in the 1980s he had few rivals, not just at home but worldwide. He was named as the top defenceman at the European Junior Hockey Championships in 1976 and achieved the same honour at the 1978 World Junior Championships along with a berth on the tournament All-Star team. He was a nine-time All-Star and five-time winner of the best defenceman award at the senior World Championships and played on a total of nine Olympic and World Championship teams during his international hockey career.

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When it was announced that he would not be allowed to play with the National Team during the upcoming World Championships, his teammates rose in solidarity to have him reinstated by stating that if Fetisov would not be allowed to play then they would not play either. He was soon reinstated and the players wasted no time in electing him as their captain.

Arguably the greatest defenseman, perhaps player, in Soviet hockey history, Viacheslav Fetisov is certainly the most important. Fetisov ranks as one of the most accomplished and popular legends of Russian hockey, and should be considered one of hockey's all time greats on either side of the Atlantic Ocean.

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His talent, size, and hockey intelligence was undeniable, and by 16 he made his debut with the Soviet Red Army's junior squad. At the World Junior Championships the Soviets won three straight gold medals with Fetisov taking home the best defenseman award in 1977 and 1978.

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Fetisov had few peers, be it in international hockey or the NHL. He possessed exceptional mobility and instincts, both offensively and defensively. He was always in perfect position defensively, though never shied from taking offensive chances. He was also a hard hitting and mean spirited defender, setting him apart from most international players of his day. The 6'1", 215 pound blue liner was among the biggest and best-conditioned hockey players in the world. He loved physical contact, setting him apart from others and earned the grudging admiration of even the bitterest rivals.

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Potvin of course is one of the greatest Canadian defensemen of all time. Though Fetisov was often dubbed "The Bobby Orr of Russia," the Potvin comparison is bang on. They played very similar styles, and excelled so greatly, that it is impossible to rate one ahead of the other.

Fetisov was not the Bobby Orr of Soviet hockey, as some seekers of superlatives sought to label him. In his prime, however, he was better than Denis Potvin, Larry Robinson, Brad Park and all the rest. Gretzky called him the hardest defenseman to beat that he had ever player against.

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He was smallish as a junior but suddenly developed into a rock-strong physical mass, with tree-trunk legs. He possessed exceptional mobility and an uncanny sense of when to make a telling penetration from the blueline. To sit in the stands in Moscow was to be mystified by this. Fetisov would leave his point position for no apparent reason and dash into the melee in front of the goal. As if pre-ordained, the puck would speed to him among all the other bodies. Fetisov would shoot or pass off and instantly be back at the point.

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In their last game, against the U.S., with the officials losing control the Russians had taken a 10-2 lead. Fetisov, responding to earlier fouls, skated behind the U.S. net and nearly put his fist through the head of American defenseman James Johnson. While blood spilled from Johnson's face, U.S. players encircled Fetisov whereupon he calmly decked another one.

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One thing they and all the players had in common was respect for Fetisov. It was so because of his strength of character both as a player and a person. While intimidating, he was also sensitive.

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... Fetisov was silent. But on the ice he was the star. He had his game back. He willed a superior performance ad it came, offensively, defensively.

He was always a tough competitor because he had great size, he had great vision of the ice and he always made solid plays. Very, very seldom did you ever see him make a bad play and he was a guy that was a lot like Denis Potvin in that he could kind of do it all.

Viacheslav Fetisov, the Soviet Union's premier defenseman and generally regarded by hockey people everywhere as the world's best defenseman.

He's a phenomenal player. He reads and anticipates so well. He's big and strong like Rod Langway, but he moves into the play like a Ray Bourque.

They lost their dynamo and policeman. He was a player with lots of muscle, a guy who could play 35 minutes a game.

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The Soviets without Tretiak and Fetisov are like New York Islanders playing without Billy Smith and Denis Potvin.

He'll help an awful lot. Not only with his ability, but with his leadership. He can make an entire team a notch better.

You look at Viachislav Fetisov, and if you weren't behind 5-1, you would want to stand up a cheer. Or maybe cry in envy.

Contemporary Sources:

Yesterday, a tremendous young Russian defenseman named Vyachesav Fetisov waited patiently for Gretzky to finish his bluff, then blithely skated off with the puck. Fetisov was a tower of strength all day, a fact that stunned us Canadians who had been contemptuous until now of Russian defensemen.

Viacheslav Fetisov, 24, is the star of the Soviet defense and the team captain for the tour. He stands 6-1 and 198, and is sometimes called "the Bobby Orr of Europe". Edmonton's Wayne Gretzky says Fetisov is the best defensemen he has ever played against.

As usual, they were like a red machine, with every perpetually moving part working in unison. But a couple of those gears stood out in particular Thursday: defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov and goaltender Vladislav Tretiak.

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If you can look past the red of his uniform, Fetisov may be the closest thing you'll ever see to Bobby Orr. In one particular sequence, he was skating so fast with the puck - backwards - that none of the Flyers could catch him.

He (Wayne Gretzky) said that Fetisov was excellent both offensively and defensively.

Defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov - considered by many the best defenseman in the world "broke his leg".

Although both teams are coming off shutouts, the Soviets hold a strong defensive edge with the pairing of Viacheslav Fetisov and Alexsei Kasatonov, not so arguably the best defensive pairing ever to play the game. And, despite what you read about Wayne Gretzky, many people outside Alberta consider Fetisov to be the hands-down best all-around player in the world. Some even compare him to Bobby Orr.

Vyacheslav Fetisov, the giant Soviet defenseman who is regarded as the best in the world at that position, isn't in the latest Canada Cup lineup. He's suffering from an ankle injury...

Even the Soviet defensemen are rabbit-quick. Viacheslav Fetisov and Alexai Kasatonov complete what is generally regarded as the first team I the Soviet lineup.

The 27-year-old defenseman was generally regarded as the best hockey player in the world last year - normally a hard-hitting but clean player...

The Soviet Union All-Stars, led by the smooth passing of Vyacheslav Fetisov and the cool goaltending of Vladislav Tretiak, defeated the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Soviets, mixing pinpoint passing and solid defense led by Vyachelav Feitsov.

Defenseman Vyacheslav Fetisov, a 24-year-old Communist Bobby Orr...

 

[ResilientBeast]

Fred "Cyclone" Taylor
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I'm hoping this bio overall helps change the perception of Taylor as a one way softie. There a several excerpts discussing defensive play which was most certainly overshadowed by his offensive skill. Taylor wasn't one to be pushed around...that is if the opposing team could actually catch him. (Posts added in 2018 are nearer to the top)

2x Stanley Cup Champion
2x 2nd in NHA Points Among Defensemen
2nd in ECAHA Points Among Defensemen, 06-07
3rd in ECAHA Points Among Defensemen, 07-08
36 points in 29 games in IHL as Forward
5x Led PCHA in Assists
5x Led PCHA in Points (Also led in PPG one more season having played half the season)
3x Led PCHA in Goals
1st all-time points in PCHA
1st all-time assists in PCHA
Inducted into the HHOF in 1947 (the first year they inducted still-living members)

Some info on Cyclone Taylor, interpret as you wish...

Top ten scores in PCHA history:
And for added flavour:
And for fairness sakes, Cyclone's best two seasons, two worst seasons and the 3 stars before and after seasons, making a more accurate comparisons to the NHA stars.
It would appear that Lalonde's stats are skewed, he played in the PCHA's 1st season, Taylor, Nighbor and Pitre came later, so the PCHA may be weaker, but other than that, there is no evidence that it was easier to score in the PCHA, and Taylor lit up the league in Gretzky like fashion.

Just a note, the year after, Nighbor absolutely destroyed the NHA with 41 goals in 19 games, I'm not sure if that's relevant, but, just HOLY ****!

Now how much more dominant was he in the PCHL season by season
Over the course of these seven seasons Taylor averaged 0.57 pts/game over his nearest teammate and 0.3838 pts/game over the nearest non teammate/league leading point scorer.

Just for completeness Vs2 of Dreakmurs consolidated finishes though I will give him credit for the season he only player half of since 1) It was an appendicitis and not due to age or style of play and 2) because the PPG of that season was in line with his career to date.

1913 - 2nd in Assists, 9th in Points - Score = 52.56
1914 - 6th in Goals, 1st in Assists, 4th in Points - Score = 95.17
1915 - 1st in Assists, 2nd in Points - Score = 100
1916 - 2nd in Goals, 1st in Assists. 1st in Points - Score = 109.38
1917 (Appendicitis) would be 3rd in Points = 99.65
1918 - 1st in Goals, 2nd in Assists, 1st in Points = 134.40
1919 - 1st in Goals, 1st in Assists, 1st in Points = 124.41

Goals - 1, 1, 2, 6 *This is missing the appendicitis season)
Assists - 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2 *This is missing the appendicitis season
Points - 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 9

So his best 6 season total is 663.01
Including his weak first PCHA season 715.57
Average over 7 seasons 102.224

From ages 28-34 is only accounted for


Just comparing for interest sake that puts him in a offence dead heat comparing this to standard VsX with Maurice Richard and Howie Morenz

I've added Harris and Walker to the table I made earlier, and added two columns for points per year and per game.

Here are the adjusted career numbers for some early era stars using a slight variation of the Ideal Points method from the Hockey Compendium. The earliest season included is 08-09

I gave Nighbor his career average of 37 assists (16 year average, not including the 29-30 season where he did not record an assist) for the 12-13 NHA season where assists were not awarded.
I don't have the numbers to include Taylor's 07-08 ECAHA season, and I gave him his average of 60 assists (9 year average, not including the 22-23 season where he did not record an assist) for the 3 ECHA/NHA seasons where assists were not awarded.
I gave Lalonde his average of 34 assists (12 year average, not including the 25-26 and 26-27 seasons where he did not record an assist) for the 4 NHA/PCHA seasons where assists were not awarded.
I gave Malone his average of 29 assists (9 year average, not including the 22-23 and 23-24 seasons where he did not record an assist) for the 4 NHA/ECHA seasons where assists were not awarded. His 09-10 season was left out, but his 08-09 season was included.
I gave Foyston his career average of 27 assists for the 12-13 NHA season where assists were not awarded.
I gave Oatman his average of 36 assists (13 year average, not including the 25-26 season where he did not record an assist) for the 2 NHA seasons where assists were not awarded.
I gave Dunderdale his average of 29 assists (11 year average, not including the 22-23 season where he did not record an assist) for the 3 NHA/PCHA seasons where assists were not awarded.
I gave Harris his career average of 36 assists for the 11-12 PCHA season where assists were not awarded.

Above the closest player to him, would be Keats but in the dishing the dirt thread it was discussed that the system incorrectly treats the WCHL, PCHA and NHL seasons equally and at the start of the WCHL it was weak inflating Keat's numbers. Taylor comes out ahead with the highest PPG beating Bill Cook by 0.23 Pts/Game. Assign whatever value you choose to these stats but it's clear that Taylor probably the most elite offensive player till Morenz.

Hockeyreference Data
In Stanley Cup Challenges, Taylor came to play
1914-15 - 10 Pts in 3 Games (Age 30)
1917-18 - 9 Pts in 5 Games (Age 33)
1920-21 - 1 Pt in 3 Games (Age 36)

1.818 Pts/Game after the age of 30

Compared to "rival" Mickey MacKay
1914-15 - 6 Pts in 3 Games (Age 20)
1917-18 - 10 Pts in 5 Games (Age 23)
1920-21 - 1 Pt in 5 Games (Age 26)

1.3076 Pts/game

Mickey MacKay was unable to even close the gap in Stanley cup challenge games over a smaller sample size that Taylor maintained in the regular season. This is even against stronger competition and with Taylor a decade older than MacKay.


In fact the only time MacKay came even close to duplicating Taylor's scoring feats were when the PCHA was at it's weakest with the emergence of the WCHL.

SIHR Data Overall Playoff Performance
Cyclone Taylor - 22 Points in 16 Games - 1.375 Pts/Game
Mickey MacKay - 33 Points in 52 Games - 0.6346 Pts/Game

Taylor is 31 in his first recorded playoff data, and MacKay is 21. It's not even close, the gap between the two is even wider than in just Stanley Cup Games and the regular season.

​

First hand sources

The Edmonton Bulletin, December 25, 1912

Fred Taylor ran 15 miles and scored 6
Cyclone's greatest exhibition was on a lacrosse field

Taylor played on great game of lacrosse during his career and that was against the Shamrocks at Mike End(?) in July of 1909. On that memorable occasion it is gossip among lacrosse players. Taylor ran fifteen miles during the game and scored 6 goals, beat up two or three Shamrocks players...

The Edmonton Bulletin, December 29, 1916

Fred "Cyclone" Taylor the famous, all around player of the Pacific Coast Hockey League...

The Edmonton Bulletin, March 13, 1919

Vancouver missed Mickey Mackay its star who was crippled in a recent Seattle game. With Mackay out, Cyclone Taylor and his teammates could not stop the peppering Seattle gave the Canadian basket (Literal quote). Taylor led his team in a great defensive fight. He had the puck for a longer period than any of the visitors and help in the score.

"Cyclone" Taylor, the star center of the Vancouver club of the Pacific Coast Hockey association, has been voted the all-around individual championship of the PCHA, for the 1917-18 season, according to an announcement by Frank Patrick, president of the organization.

The official scorers of Seattle, Vancouver and Portland voted on the most valuable player in the league and Taylor was the unanimous choice. "Cyclone" is far ahead of his nearest rival in scoring honors and will probably maintain an edge through the final series next week.

Taylor's defensive play was also exceptionally strong. Last season Frank Foyston of the Seattle club was voted the most valuable individual in the league. Another important point in Taylor's favor was the fact that not once during the season was the star sent from the ice for violation of rules.

Spokane Daily Chronicle - Google News Archive Search

Five Original Coast League Players Left

In the intervening years many hockey players have flashed across the hockey horizon, there have been stars and near stars and fans have glimsed "Cyclone" Taylor greatest of all puckchasers...

Fred Taylor, the former Houghton cover point, has arrived in Montreal to report to the Wanderers Hockey Club, with whom he will play this winter in the cover point position. Taylor has been with several clubs and joined the Houghton team last winter, where he has been the best player in his position in the International league. Taylor the Wanders say has signed for the season..

Note Taylor is 33, Mackay is 23

Taylor is fast, a beautiful skater and handles the puck fairly well but it is extremely doubtful if he has any more speed than Noble or Cameron. McKay who played on the forward line is a much faster skater, carries the puck better and is much more persistent than "Cyclone"

In fact it was the consensus of the opinion after the game that McKay was much the faster man and more effective than Taylor. Cook and Griffis are both fast men, but the showing of Stanley was very disappointing. He was outclassed at times and resorted to questionable tactics on several occasions.

Taylor Loses His Head

The play on the whole however was fairly clean, on;y one incident marring the game. In the final period Taylor who was ineffective all night was checked by Meeking, the latter falling to the ice after he had blocked the Westerner. Taylor angered at the persistence of Meeking in checking turned raised his stick and struck the (word) player. Randall skated over quickly to intervene and Taylor and he exchanged several punches before they were separated...

The Ottawas were chagrined through their failure to get Taylor and their victory over the Canadiens did not remove the sting. Taylor would not only bolster the Ottawa team to a great extent, but he would serve as an immense drawing card and fill the local rink for the balance of the schedule.

Without Taylor a lot of the class would be missing from the coast organization/ The Cyclone is 31 years of age. He looks older, but he's still there with speed and stickhandling and knows all the tricks of the trade. He had been playing hockey for twenty years over half of which has been spent in senior company, and today he is without peer in the puck chasing sport.

Taylor was the best man on the Brantford team, though he showed a desire to circle around with the puck instead of going straight ahead.

I recently found some information on Cyclone Taylor that I don't think had been uncovered before. Some of us, including myself, have expressed certain doubts about Taylor's all-around game (specifically defense) due to a lack of primary sources which mention anything other than his dazzling offensive play. I had been curious about his all-around play and about the reasons for the games he missed in the PCHA, as I had never heard of his suffering any injury. Here is a bit on Taylor's all-around game:

9.3.1918 - Spokane Daily Chronicle:

"Cyclone" is far ahead of his nearest rival in scoring honors and will probably maintain an edge through the final series next week.

Taylor's defensive play was also exceptionally strong.

11.1.1913 - Ottawa Citizen:

Taylor was always in the limelight, and his clashes with Johnson, the star defenseman of the cup holders, were one of the most interesting features of the evening.

The [unreadable] an attack of appendicitis and under the care of a physician earlier in the evening, Taylor went on the ice and played one of his spectacular games, although the "Cyclone" was not taking any great chances in view of his condition. His skating and stickhandling, in fact, all-around playing, has become a feature in every match in which he participates.

11.11.1908 - The Pittsburgh Press:

He was counted a wonder before he went into those games, but still more so after they were over, and at the conclusion of the season was voted unanimously as the best all-around player in that league which contained many experts.

And finally, another mention of Taylor's appendicitis.

3.1.1917 - The Spokane Daily Chronicle:

Fred (Cyclone) Taylor, the star of the Vancouver hockey team who was operated on for appendicitis recently, is on the speedy road to recovery and may get back into a game again before the close of the present season. Taylor underwent his operation on December 11 and was discharged from the hospital December 22.

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So it looks like Taylor suffered from some unusual form of long-term chronic appendicitis (a bit like Harry Houdini?) which eventually was operated on late in 1916, causing him to miss basically the entire season.

He does seem to have been a good two-way or "all-around" player, though his defensive efforts were clearly overshadowed by his offensive prowess. Single sources are of questionable value, but there are a few corroborating points of evidence here about Taylor's two-way play, and contemporary quotes like "exceptionally strong" carry a good deal of weight.

I think this is probably enough to move the needle on our perception of Taylor a bit. I am now quite uncertain as to who I would choose between he and Nighbor as the greatest player of the pre-Morenz era.

Instances of physical play

Taylor isn't remembered as a physical player, but here are three different instances of him playing "rough," two of them from earlier in his career when he played coverpoint (defenseman). I don't think these make Taylor particularly physical in an all-time sense, but he is definitely no softy.

Just one game, but it seems Taylor was a difference-maker defensively all game:

Taylor, who was on the line the night the team was beaten in Quebec (TDMM - I assume this means at forward), was in Moore's position at cover point, increasing the efficiency of the defence about 50 percent. He was ruled off 4 times in the game, twice for heavy bodychecking and twice for slashing Wanderer forwards over the arms. His play, while on the rough side, was very effective; he was a hard man to get by and towards the end he stirred up the crowd by lightning rushes from end to end of the rink. He scored Ottawa's sixth and seventh goal on such dashes and was also responsible for the twelth, although Phillips landed the disc in the twine.

With Taylor off, the Wanderer forwards found it easier to work in on the Otttawa defence...

Taylor made it 11 to 1 on an end to end run and a pretty shot. Taylor immediately after the face repeated the run and Phillips scored from the rebound of Taylor's shot.

Taylor brought the crowd to their feet by stealing the disc from Hooper at the Ottawa end and going through the whole Wanderer team for Ottawa's sixth goal. Taylor went in and out through Glass and Ross and taking his time picked out the open corner of the net.

The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search

Taylor noted as particularly rough, even for the era. Again, just one game:

The trouble came after the referee had been obliged to order off the ice for palpably rough play Taylor, Walsh and Lake, all of the Ottawa team. Taylor had been particularly conspicuous for rough work, and Russell promptly ordered him out of the game for good.

The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search

He supplied the only "rough stuff" of the game when he made a vicious attack with his stick on Meeking as the latter was lying on the ice. The Toronto boy in checking Taylor, fell and his stick caught "Cyclone" on the back. He left the puck and twice hit the fallen player with his stick. Randall went to Meeking's rescue and both he and Taylor exchanged jabs.

The Calgary Daily Herald - Google News Archive Search

Fred Taylor is out ahead of them all in the race for the scoring honors in the league. The "Cyclone" is going in great style just now. He was a little slow in rounding into shape, but now he is fit and will show the other forwards in the league what real Ontario speed is when it gets going strong. As we have said before Freddie is the daddy of them all in hockey.

Tommy Gorman lists his all-time team (in December of 1928):

Roy Worters, goalie
Hod Stuart and Sprague Cleghorn, defense
Frank McGee, center
Tom Phillips and Scotty Davidson, wings
Cyclone Fred Taylor, utility, greatest player ever.

Gorman appends a short list of honorable mentions: Newsey Lalonde, Lionel Conacher, Billy Burch and Les Patrick.

The New York Sun, Dec 22, 1928 (warning, long PDF)

Article contains a long description of Cyclone Taylor and shorter ones of the other guys Gorman picked.


The injury that cut his 1916-17 season short was an appendicitis

Taylor played a whirlwind game against the Spokane Club saturday night, and it was not until yesterday that he complained of illness, but the pain became so severe that a physician was called in and his immediate removal to the hospital was ordered.

"Of course we have certainly suffered some bad luck" observed Frank Patrick today. "The loss of Taylor is certainly going to affect our chances and it is extremely doubtful whether he will be able to play again, we will be up against it for a man to fill the vacancy, however, I am doing the best I can and have lines out for another player. You can rest assured that we are going to do our best.

Cyclone Taylor is headed for the individual scoring honors of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. Vancouver's veteran center forward, who still has several years of hockey let in him and can still give the youngsters numerous pointers on how the game is played, is firmly entrenched in first place in the individual scoring column with a total of 18 points to his credit, having scored 13 goals and assisted in scoring 5 more. He boosted his average here monday night by scoring three of Vancouver's six goals and assisting Moynes in getting one. The "Cyclone" is playing bang up hockey this season if he keeps up his present form he should have no difficulty capturing the scoring honors.

"Cyclone" Taylor of Vancouver has carried off the all-round championship of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association according to President Frank Patrick following receipt of the ratings of three official scorers. Taylor was the unanimous choice of the scorers as being the most valuable man on the coast league circuit this season. This honor fell to Frank Foyston of Seattle last season. All the scorers agreed that the Vancouver star was the logical choice for this season's honors and he will shortly receive the championship trophy offered annually by the association to the player who proves the most valuable during the season. Clean playing, scoring ability, combination play, popularity with teammates are some of the qualifications which a player must possess in the all round championship competition. Taylor leads over all rivals in all respects.

Taylor for the first ten of twelve minutes of the game, gave one of his finest displays in the coast hockey, outplaying the entire Seattle team and having possession of the rubber for about three quarters of the time.

Vancouver missed Mickey MacKay its star who was crippled in a recent Seattle game. With MacKay out, Cyclone Taylor and his teammates could not stop the peppering Seattle game the Canadian basket. Taylor led his team in a great defensive fight. He had the puck for longer period than any of the visitors and helped the score.

Fred Taylor of the Renfrew team favors the six men idea, but this is only natural as the Listowel Cyclone requires big space of ice to get up to his speed and has always been in his element when one or two of the opposing seven were sitting in the penalty bench.

Art Ross, Didier Pitre and "Cyclone" Taylor, three of the the greatest players in Canadian hockey seem may be seen in the linup of the coast teams this season

Fred Taylor, the sensation of the NHA for many years, stood head and shoulders above every other player.

The Easterners scored three goals in this period and westerns one and with the scored tied in the final the excitement was intense. Shore (cover) was benched for tripping in the thd and Taylor, who took his place was mainly responsible for the victory. He came on the ice in time to stop a dangerous western rush and went right through the opposing defense single handily before passing back to Ross for the leading goal. Right after this he went down again and gave Darragh another chance which was accepted.

There is only one "Cyclone" Taylor for cleverness on skates and with the stick, though Tommy Dunderdale is giving him a close run for the high individual honors in the forward section. Fred is showing a disposition to be generous with the puck when combination proves profitable, a question upon which there was a diversity of opinions at the start off the season.

Taylor at times held the puck for several minutes towards the end of the game, skating all over the ice with the Ottawas in pursuit. He finally collided with Darragh and was knocked out. After a five minute rest Taylor jumped back and again began to play rings around his former teammates. The Ottawas handed out stiff punishment but Taylor was far too fast for them.

Excerpts from the Book, The Patricks, Hockey's Royal family discuss Taylor's star power and seem to indicate that it was significantly higher than the star power of Newsy Lalonde

Here are some excerts from the book The Patricks: Hockey's Royal Family . Brothers Lester and Frank Patrick were the founders of the PCHA, as well as players and managers of their respective teams.

From early in Taylor's career:

As usual, it was Taylor who stole the show and got raves such as "...Taylor's cyclonic rushes electrified the audience..." and "...the player they so aptly call 'Cyclone' almost literally explodes with excitement. There is nothing quite like him in American sport..."

The book then documents the Patrick's efforts at luring Taylor out west - to them, getting Taylor to join the PCHA was the key to the success of the fledgling league:

Attendance picked up a little as the season wore on, but Frank was resigned to the fact that he wouldn't fill his building until he had the game's greatest gate attraction, Cyclone Taylor.

Note that Newsy Lalonde was a member of Frank Patricks' Vancouver Millionaries for The PCHA's inaugural 1911-12 season and even led the league in scoring, but Frank was still desperate to sign Cyclone.

From an East vs West All-Star game, when Taylor was still in the East:

The story of the game is more fully told in my earlier book, "Cyclone Taylor: A Hockey Legend", so suffice to say here that Taylor came out just like his nickname and all but blew the West All-Stars off the ice with his blinding speed and hell-for-leather aggressiveness. The arena was in an uproar as he broke up a rush, stole the puck, and then split the defense before slipping a silk-slick pass to Art Ross for the go-ahead goal. The fans were on their feet minutes later when Taylor repeated the maneuver, this time setting up Jack Darragh for the score. He got a two-minute ovation for that little gambit.

Frank Patrick, who had been beaten badly in the second rush, must have had mixed emotions.

That offseason, Lalonde headed back East to Montreal, but Frank Patrick got his prize as Taylor signed with Vancouver. Taylor was to be paid $1800, the most money in hockey and $500 more than Lalonde had been paid the previous season.

Frank and Lester were delighted with the exchange, as their league now had hockey's number one prestige player, and he was cheap at the price

Attendance of Vancouver games skyrocketed with Taylor on the team.

At Taylor's peak, he was a bigger star than Lalonde was at the time:

On the ice, the two (Patrick) brothers, even as every other player in the league including the redoubtable Lalonde, had to get used to the idea of playing second fiddle to Taylor, the master showman who hogged the headlines wherever he played.

According to Frank Patrick, Cyclone Taylor's style of play inspired them to allow forward passing in the neutral zone, the first time forward passing was ever allowed in any way in any professional hockey league:

Of Taylor himself, Frank has written: "Taylor was the ultimate hockey player. There'll never be another like him. He was blessed with the complete skills, quite apart from a unique excitement he generated every time he stepped onto the ice. I watched him very closely, and some of our ideas, such as creating the two blue lines to open up the center-ice area for passing, were inspired by his marvelous style.

Other Secondary Sources (most via BillyShoe1721

Here's the HHOF profile on Taylor:
Legends of Hockey - Spotlight - One on One with Cyclone Taylor

During his time in Renfrew, fans declared that Taylor was such an amazing player that he actually scored a goal skating backwards. "That simply isn't true," Cyclone clarified. "Even though there were many people who would swear they saw it happen, it's just one of those stories that was blown up."

Taylor led the PCHA in scoring 5 times and may have won it a 6th time if it weren't for his damn appendix:

Taylor's prodigious scoring ability was him lead the league in scoring five times altogether. In 1915-16, he totalled 35 points, 43 in 1917-18 and 36 in 1918-19. It is possible that he would also have won the scoring title in 1916-17, but appendicitis kept him out of action for five weeks.

"Was regarded as a speedy rushing defender in the east. (Played rover and center upon moving west) He was a great goal scorer and inspirational leader. He was named many times to western all-star teams.

"When the O'Briens decided to pack the Renfrew team in the newly formed NHA, their plans to win the Cup were predicated on securing Taylor from Ottawa. Although Renfrew never got anywhere in their quest for the Cup, they put on a good show and Taylor was the star."

"Great players like Smokey Harris, Frank Nighbor, Mickey Mackay, Barney Stanley, and Gordon Roberts appeared on the Vancouver forward lines, but Mackay was the only one who seriously challenged Taylor."

Upon his arrival in Houghton/Portage Lakes in 1906 the local newspaper stated:

"Taylor is one of the fastest and most effective, if not the very best player that western Canada has ever produced." (I guess Ontario was considered Western Canada in those days.)

And also: "Taylor is a whirlwind, and has a superior on not any of the league teams."

The likes of Lalonde and several other Hall of Famers played in this league.

Legendary Pittsburgh shortstop Honus Wagner claimed Taylor "was as fine of an athlete as he has ever seen".

His blazing speed dazzled both players and fans alike, and when he used it to dominate the game, scoring five goals in his very first game in the league, it was reported that the governor general turned to his aide and commented, "They should call that man the Cyclone-his speed blew the other team out of the rink."

The rover's place on the ice wasn't clearly defined, but like a centreman, his responsibilities encompassed essentially the entire sheet of ice. Cyclone Taylor was truly one of the best. In fact, some long time sportswriters consider Taylor to be hockey's first superstar. From 1900 to 1918, he was named to the First All Star Team of every league in which he played.

http://books.google.com/books?id=geu3FrdUBaYC&pg=PA135&dq=cyclone+taylor&hl=en&sa=X&ei=f7UCUb2KMMm30AGWioGIDQ&ved=0CDIQ6AEwATgK#v=onepage&q=cyclone taylor&f=false

Hockey first national superstar, the superb skater and defecenman-turned-forward Cyclone Taylor, led Vancouver to its one and only Cup victory.

Taylor was famous from coast to coast for his hurricane speed and agility.

http://books.google.com/books?id=6jE2mJOgzvQC&pg=PA27&dq=cyclone+taylor&hl=en&sa=X&ei=f7UCUb2KMMm30AGWioGIDQ&ved=0CC0Q6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q=cyclone taylor&f=false

Taylor represented the best that the professional game had to offer. Although not a big man, he was a tenacious, skillful, speedy, and flamboyant player...Like Wayne Gretzky in the late 20th century, Taylor's fame and drawing power extended beyond Canada.

http://books.google.com/books?id=P4xx3jv69lsC&pg=PA243&dq=cyclone+taylor&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6L0CUafLKeP00gHX8IHYBA&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAjgU#v=onepage&q=cyclone taylor&f=false

'Cylone' Taylor, the Wayne Gretzky of professional hockey in the early decades of the 20th century. Well known for his stellar play, on-ice antics, and high salary...

http://books.google.com/books?id=BBDYQzZZUNAC&pg=PA38&dq=cyclone+taylor&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6L0CUafLKeP00gHX8IHYBA&ved=0CE8Q6AEwBzgU#v=onepage&q=cyclone taylor&f=false

Other newspaper quotes (via BillyShoe1721)

Fred Taylor, the Renfrew star, over whom there was a long wrangle as to whether he should play or not, when Ottawa substituted him for Fred Lake, after the Wanderers had scored twice in the first period, was the most spectacular man on the ice. For cleverness in carrying the puck down the rink his equal has never been seen here. A giant almost in stature he brought the crowd to its feet whenever he started down the ice, Taylor captivated his audience and was warmly applauded after each rush.

Ottawa Citizen - Google News Archive Search

Cyclone Taylor, the rover of the Vancouver team, is credited with being the individual star of the league and the best scorer in the organization.

Spokane Daily Chronicle - Google News Archive Search

Example of Taylor being expected to play while hurt:

"Cyclone" Taylor, Vancouver's star centre player and boss scorer of the PCHA, is on the hospital list. Playing for the past 2 weeks with a sore back, the scoring wizard suffered a further severe strain in the groin, in the game last Thursday in Seattle. While the veteran, who has been playing in wonderful form of late, is a mighty sick man, it is expected that he will be able to take his place on the lineup against Portland here tonight.

The Calgary Daily Herald - Google News Archive Search

As long as hockey is played the name Fred (Cylone) Taylor will be remembered, but the man who set the yardstick years ago for speed and for being spectacular on the ice is modest enough to believe professional hockey's new generation wouldn't recall him.

The Leader-Post - Google News Archive Search

There are many who say that Cyclone was faster than Morenz.

The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search

 

[tinyzombies]

Chris Pronger we all know and love.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/posts/30650576/

 

[ResilientBeast]

Awards
Stanley Cup: (1932)
Retroactive Conne Smythe: (1932)
NHL First All-Star Team (1934, 1935, 1936)
NHL Second All-Star Team (1932, 1933)
3rd in First Team Right Defense Voting - 2 Votes (1940)
4th in First Team Left Defense Voting - 2 votes (1940)

HHOF: (1961)
7 Year VsX = 96.2

Top 10 Finishes:
Goals - 5x (1, 1, 1, 1, 1)
Assists - 1x (5)
Points - 5x (1, 1, 3, 4, 4)
Penalty Minutes - 2x (4, 9)

Hart Voting Record:

2nd (34-35), 4th (35-36)

New quotes

NHL 100 Greatest Players

Many decades before the cannon blasts of Zdeno Chara and Shea Weber, and of Al MacInnis and Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion and other thunderous shooters before them, there was the man known as "The Big Bomber."

Charlie Conacher, the second captain in Toronto Maple Leafs history after Clarence "Hap" Day, possessed the most fearsome shot of the 1930s, the rockets off his heavy wooden stick a terrifying sight for maskless, thinly padded goaltenders; that is, when the goalies saw the puck at all.
....
In his prime, what got fans, teammates and opposing goalies talking most about "The Big Bomber" was his shot, a heavy, wrist-flicked snap perfected two decades before the slap shot was popularized by Geoffrion of the Canadiens.
....
He was a priceless teammate to the men he played with, his sheer size a deterrent to those who wished to take liberties with smaller players.

"I never had a finer friend in Toronto than Charlie," said diminutive defenseman Frank "King" Clancy, a teammate of Conacher's with the Maple Leafs from 1930-37. "He was my protection as a Maple Leaf. He didn't go looking for trouble, but if it came along, he would clear it up."
Conacher was the brightest light on a team known through the 1930s as "The Gashouse Gang," leading by deed and example. Barely out of his teens, he had fans and seasoned hockey men taking sharp notice.
....
"What amazed the veterans was the fact that 20-year-old Conacher not only could take it, but he could dish it out as well. They began to treat him with a respect seldom before afforded a newcomer," wrote Ed Fitkin, a former Maple Leafs public relations man, in his 1953 book "The Gashouse Gang of Hockey."

Why did Conacher fall off a cliff offensively?

Toronto Daily Star - 20 Jan 1938

Rated by many as the greatest right winger of his day, Charlie Conacher stepped out of the sport late yesterday afternoon, finally halted by the speed and body-shattering checks of the game that brought him fame as a darling of the hockey gods.

Told yesterday by Dr J.W. Rush, Maple Leaf club physician, that he was in no condition to play hockey again and that was inviting a serious breakdown if he continued in the heated action of the game's big time, Charlie sensibly announced his retirement to Manager Conny Smythe.

Dr Rush has advised Charlie to go south immediately for a long rest and proper treatment. Only the utmost care will repair the damage traced in the first place to removal of a kidney back in 1930 and subsequently to added strain and many other injuries.

"the strain on that one kidney over a period of strenuous years has been too much," explains Dr Rush. "The kidney stopped functioning properly. He tried so hard to drive himself out there on the ice that his general condition is suffering. I told him he must give up violent exercise of all kind.

No other player in big league history has crowded into a comparatively short career the brilliant hockey success that was Conacher's.

Same paper later on said

Conacher's Casualty List

Here is a brief list of Conacher injuries down through the years.

1929-30 - Glove punctured by skate. Blood poisoning in the hand resulted. Later in the season forced to undergo operation for the removal of one kidney.
1930-31 - Wrist broken by fall in Boston. Out for three weeks
1931-32 - Two bones broken in back of right hand by fall into the boards at Detroit. Out for three weeks.
1932-33 - Collarbone smashed by a crash into the boards in a game at Chicago. Out for a month
1933-34 - Attack of boils. Out for several games
1934-35 - Broken left hand
1935-35 - Smashed shoulder
1936-37 - Bruised bone in right hand sustained in pre-season match. Out practically entire season.
1937-38 - Shoulder injury in Leafs' fifth game.

Toronto Daily Star 20 Jan 1938

His reputation scarcely dimmed by recent setback he seemed assured of a long career with a place on the defence waiting for him when he slowed as a forward

Now he never made it to play D for the Leafs as far as I can tell, however there are multiple start lineups found in the New York Times and Toronto Daily Star that list Conacher starting on D for the New York Americans. in 1940 and 1941. As for Detroit in 1938-39 I'l keep digging.

For 1939-40 - He was tied for 20th in league scoring with only 1 D ahead of him (tied with Clapper, Goodfellow and Hollett)
For 1940-41 - He was 44th in league scoring with (according to HockeyReference) 3 D ahead of him




Conacher as my backup goalie?

Toronto Daily Star - 18 Mar 1935

Except for Conacher and Boll all players left the ice. This pair ad libbed a while with Buzz in goal and Conny pretending to shoot rubber bullets at him. The crowd liked the show so Conacher converged on the nets with a goal-keeper's stick and the game resumed without Hainsworth which is like Hamlet with the ghost missing.

Ensured several minutes of hilarious hockey. Conacher looming up in goal like the Leviathan in the Welland Canal put on a show that Lester Patrick has never beaten in his wildest moments of showmanship in Montreal or when giving the sports writers a pep talk in New York

Conny stopped four shots from the alert Canadiens two of the with more moxie behind them than Canmera(?) has in his training camp punches..

General Quotes

Toronto Daily Star - 14 Jan 1935

And with Primeau going right and feeding Busher Jackson and Charlie Conacher as he did last year, the Hawks had no combination which could hold the Big Line.

Between them they scored nine points.

Conacher the standout individual performer of the night snared two goals and helped Primeau get his counter.
.....
They were all shooting hard particularly Conacher, they had the Lugubrious Lorn folding up and going to his knees on almost ever shot. They thumped him like a drum

Toronto Daily Star - 16 Mar 1934

His billing as the athlete packing the hardest shot in hockey alone would arouse tumult and admiration in the youthful breasts

Old Quotes from HT18's bio from 2014

Quotes

But Charlie Conacher was the guy who could score the big goal for you, and he could score in a lot of different ways.

It felt like somebody had turned a blow torch on me. I couldn't sit down for a week.

I never had a finer friend in Toronto than Charlie, he was my protection as a Maple Leaf. I wasn't too big and not too good with my mitts, although I tried to win many a battle. If you got a punch in the chin, you either went down or stood up, shook your head and took it. but Conacher was Toronto's policeman for many years and a great one. He didn't go looking for trouble, but if it came along he would clear it up.

Frank Selke, The Montreal Gazette, Nov. 10, 1962

Who was the greatest of them all? I have no hesitation in saying Charlie Conacher, the flashing right winger of the Maple Leafs' famous "Kid Line" of the 30's. He ranks as the greatest all-around athlete I have managed in my 50 years with sport.

I have never known any player and that includes Maurice Richard, Nels Stewart and Gordie Howe - who has reduced the scoring of goals to an exact science as Charlie Conacher.

Those who remember will tell you that Charlie always made the right moves going in on a goal; if he failed to score it was only because other teams also had great defensive players and goaltenders.

Conacher was a truly potent scorer but, bevause he tried to make every play a picture-move, he failed to match the goal-scoring skill of Maurice Richard.

Legends of Hockey

Charlie Conacher inspired a generation of Leaf players with his hard work and determination.

In his time, Charlie "The Big Bomber" Conacher had the hardest shot in hockey, a notorious blast that eluded goaltenders and dented rink boards. As a member of one of the most dangerous lines in hockey history, the Toronto Maple Leafs' Kid Line of the 1930s, right wing Conacher and left wing XXXXXX XXXXXXX were the beneficiaries of center XXX XXXXXXX's slick passes as the threesome found itself near the top of the scoring lists for the better part of a decade.

With his linemates' help, Conacher became the best right wing in the game over the next half-decade. He was a daring and explosive scorer who used his size 6'1" and 200 pounds in his heyday - to his advantage. He could beat goalies equally well with his booming shot or with a deft move from close range. Once he got moving, he was famous for bowling over anyone between him and the net - and then often the net itself as he crossed the goal line just a few seconds after the puck.

Five times between 1930 and 1936, Conacher either led or tied for the league lead in goal-scoring. He was a Second Team All-Star in his second and third years in the league and a First Team selection for three consecutive seasons beginning in 1933-34. He also helped the Leafs win the Stanley Cup in 1932.

Conacher's style of play - which featured all-out attacks - didn't lend itself to a long career and injuries began to wear the big man down. After nine years with Toronto, he was sold to the Detroit Red Wings, where he played for one year before moving to the New York Americans for two seasons.

Dubbed 'The Big Bomber' for his booming shot, Charlie terrorized opposing netminders and, in the process, scored a league-best 31 goals in 1930-31, yet another season hampered by injury.

Greatest Hockey Legends

Charlie Conacher was the Bobby Hull of hockey before Bobby Hull ever came along.

Conacher was big and strong, with a shot that was feared by goaltenders everywhere in the NHL.

A member of a famous athletic family, he played 12 seasons in the league. While brother XXXXXX gets to most acclaim as the best athlete, it was Charlie who gets the nod as the best hockey player. The five time All Star and two time Art Ross winner is considered one of the greatest right wingers of any era.

Conacher's hands were useful for more than just fighting. The sharpshooter who fired bullets from his stick scored 225 goals, and led the league in goals scored five times in a span of 6 years. Conacher played nine seasons with Toronto.

Who's Who in Hockey

There are those who insist even today that Charlie Conacher was the most exciting player they have ever seen and that his shot was the hardest of its day, when slap shots were unheard of and a player beat a goaltender with a quick snap of his wrist.

... Charlie went on to become one of the most dynamic NHL forwards.

Total NHL

The Kid Line of Charlie Conacher, XXX XXXXXXX and XXXXXX XXXXXXX lifted the Maple Leafs to great heights in the 1930's.

XXX XXXXXXX, XXXXXX XXXXXXX and Charlie Conacher emerged as full-fledged superstars.

Hockeycentral

Bill Cook was rivaled only by Charlie Conacher as the NHL's most dangerous scorer.

YorkRegion Article

...who graced the ice with the likes of franchise legends Charlie Conacher and Joe Primeau.

The Toronto Star

Conacher made a splendid impression in his pro debut and was one of the best men on the ice.

he was just like a tank. Chuck was big and strong – not many guys would mess with him.

The Montreal Gazette, Jan. 3, 1968

He's gone now, but his memory will live as long as the National Hockey League keeps records because he holds a number of them.

Globe and Mail, Friday, Mar. 22, 1935

Bill Cook is asked to personally select his all-time team. He chooses XXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX, Eddie Shore, XXXXX XXXXXXX, XXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX, XXXXXX XXXXXXX and Charlie Conacher. A writer criticizes the team for being too biased in favour of modern players.

Globe and Mail, Wednesday, Apr. 17, 1935

Shore narrowly beats Charlie Conacher and XXX XXXXXXX for the Hart.

Ed Fitkin, The Greenhouse Gang of Hockey

What amazed the veterans was the fact that 20-year-iold Conacher not only could take it but he could dish it out, as well. They began to treat him with a respect seldom before afforded a newcomer

 

[Dreakmur]

Dickie Moore !!!


Awards and Achievements:
6 x Stanley Cup Championship (1953, 1956, 1957 1958 1959, 1960)

2 x Art Ross Winner (1958, 1959)

2 x First Team All-Star (1958 1959)
Second Team All-Star (1961)

Hart voting - 5th(1959), 8th(1958)
All-Star voting - 1st(1958), 1st(1959), 2nd(1961), 3rd(1957), 4th(1960)


Offensive Accomplishments:
Points - 1st(1958), 1st(1959), 8th(1957), 8th(1961), 11th(1960), 12th(1956) 19th(1963)
Goals - 1st(1958), 2nd(1959), 3rd(1961), 7th(1957), 12th(1963), 14th(1960), 18th(1955)
Assists - 1st(1959), 2nd(1958), 5th(1960), 6th(1956), 14th(1957), 15th(1961)

Play-off Points - 1st(1954), 1st(1959), 2nd(1968), 4th(1957), 4th(1960), 7th(1956), 7th(1958)
Play-off Goals - 1st(1960), 2nd(1954), 3rd(1968), 5th(1957), 5th(1959), 6th(1961), 8th(1958), 8th(1962), 9th(1956), 10th(1953)
Play-off Assists - 1st(1954), 1st(1959), 2nd(1957), 5th(1968), 6th(1956), 6th(1960), 7th(1958), 9th(1955)

5-Year Peak: 1957-1961
4th in Points, 94% of 2nd place Andy Bathgate
2nd in Goals, 95% of 1st place Jean Beliveau
4th in Assists, 91% of 2nd place Gordie Howe

2nd in Points, 91% of 1st place Bernie Geoffrion

10-Year Peak: 1954-1963
5th in Points, 79% of 2nd place Jean Beliveau
5th in Goals, 77% of 2nd place Jean Beliveau
6th in Assists - 77% of 2nd place Andy Bathgate

4th in Play-off Points, 98% of 2nd place Jean Beliveau


Scoring Percentages:
118(1958), 116(1959), 80(1960), 77(1961), 75(1957), 70(1956), 62(1963), 49(1955), 49(1962), 48(1952)

Best 6 Seasons: 536

Dickie Moore was one of hockey's most productive and exciting forwards during the 1950s. The talented left winger scored at least 20 goals six times, played on six Stanley Cup championship teams and is remembered as part of a potent forward line with Maurice and Henri Richard. Moore was among the NHL's best shooters and puckhandlers and could also skate better than most - an aggressive player whose robust style of play earned him the nickname "Digging Dickie."

Dickie Moore's remarkable skill and superior determination made him a key component in the most extraordinary dynasty in the history of the National Hockey League. Between 1956 and 1960, the Montreal Canadiens collected an unprecedented five consecutive Stanley Cup championships, with Moore contributing by winning the league scoring championship in both 1958 and 1959.

In Montreal, no person is more revered than Maurice "Rocket" Richard. That's why when a scout proclaimed Dickie Moore would make fans forget about the Rocket, Hab management eagerly listened.

Unfortunately injuries plagued Moore's career, but he never-the-less was a very effective and rugged player.

....

Moore was a decorated junior player, leading the Montreal Royals (1949) and Montreal Junior Canadiens (1950) to Memorial Cup championships. He wasn't noted as a goal scorer but rather as an intense and feisty power forward that had the Habs drooling.

Although Moore was part of the 1953 Stanley Cup championship team, Moore did not make the Habs full time until the 1954-55 season. His gritty game was the perfect addition to a team loaded with superstars. Much like a John Tonelli with the 1980s New York Islanders or Brendan Shanahan with the late-1990s-early 2000s Detroit Red Wings, Moore supplied the necessary sandpaper to the Canadiens highly polished offensive game.

Somehow Moore's offensive game blossomed in Montreal, too. He would twice lead the entire league in scoring, winning the Art Ross trophy. Three times he scored 35 or more goals. The six time Stanley Cup champion also made the first all star team twice. He would finish his career with a total of 261 goals and 608 points in 719 NHL games.

One has to wonder had Moore's aggressive style not led to such severe injuries just how good Dickie Moore could have been. As it is, he is forever immortalized in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Most days you can find a six-time Stanley Cup winner and one of the greatest two-way left wingers in the history of the game at his desk, where he's president of Dickie Moore Rentals. Moore could play the game any way you wanted - in the back alley, along the boards or dangling in the offensive zone - so it's certainly no shock that he carved such a versatile post-career niche for himself.

Moore was a swift skater and savvy stickhandler. With a vast array of skills, Moore would eventually become one of the premier talents in the Original Six era, a double-threat who combined finesse with toughness. It would hardly be an easy path to greatness, but the future Hall of Famer would not be denied his rightful place in the sport.

AN ENERGETIC AND TIRELESS LEFT-WINGER, DICKIE MOORE HELD THE RECORD FOR POINTS IN A SEASON FOR SEVEN YEARS, EARNING HIM TWO ART ROSS TROPHIES DURING THAT TIME.

Pride, skill and determination are all attributes that come to mind when Dickie Moore’s name is mentioned. An outstanding all-around player who approached the game with unmatched ferocity, he spent 12 years with the Canadiens, emerging from his time in the hockey world as one of the greatest wingers in Habs history.

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Toe Blake’s decision to place rookie Henri Richard between Moore and “The Rocket” the following year resulted in a forward line that was one of the NHL’s best for the next nine years.

All three men were among the most combative players the game has ever seen. Maurice Richard was still the most dangerous man in the hockey world from the blue line in. His younger brother had very few peers when it came to carrying and controlling the puck.

Five consecutive Stanley Cups came Montreal’s way as the tough kid from a rough Montreal neighborhood continued to establish himself as a star. Moore had all the tools at his disposal and he used every one of them effectively. He was a strong skater, smooth stickhandler, crisp passer and had a strong accurate shot.

An offensive threat as much as anyone on the roster, Moore’s greatest asset lay in what he didn’t do. The 5-foot-10, 168-pounder refused to back down from anyone and he refused to lose. Whether it was a race for a loose puck, a battle along the boards or a round of fisticuffs, Moore usually emerged victorious.

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Moore’s body paid the price for his spirited approach to the game but he refused to slow down, playing through injuries that sidelined lesser competitors. After 12 years of rugged play, his body had had enough. Moore retired after the 1962-63 season to concentrate his efforts on his growing business interests, but he couldn’t stay away from the game he loved.

A six-time Stanley Cup winner and one of the greatest two-way left wingers in the history of the game. He was tough, rambunctious and drove the net like a demon. Had the Selke Trophy been in existence when he played, Moore likely would have won an armful of them.

On the ice, Dickie was something else: a tiger in the corners of the rink where the timid fear to tread; a radar-like passer who also enjoys superb accuracy when he took a shot on goal; and, more than anything, a man of leonine courage, as much as anyone who ever played in the NHL.

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Hockey players normally are a hardy lot, but Dickie Moore was especially tough. In the 1958-59 season, he scored 95 points to break the NHL scoring record during the six-team league, before expansion and the inflationary scoring that followed. Time and again Moore refused to let injuries keep him on the bench.

... Moore was the architect of Richard's goals. He did the body and back checking for Geoffrion. And he did the fighting for Beliveau. Somewhere in between he found time to do plenty of scoring on his own.

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Dickie's talent was all-inclusive. He shot hard and accurately, stickhandled and passed well, played right or left wing, worked easily with all players, and, at 5'11", 170 pounds, played rugged and smart defense... During Montreal's record run of five straight Stanley Cup championships - from 1956 through 1960 - Moore was the key "swing-man". Whenever Geoffrion, Beliveau, or Richard were sidelined, Dickie pinch-hit on their line and, always, the line would get hot.

As it was, Moore doubled as an inspirational force and pretty much one-man boxing team for the Canadiens. His pet sparring partners were the Red Wings, with the rangers a close second and every other team close behind.

Occasionally Dickie went on a rampage and, accordingly, his teammates nicknamed him "Indian". One night in New York, Moore tore over the Garden rink like Geronimo on the warpath. For a while it looked as if he were about to take on the entire Ranger team, but finally settled for Red Sullivan, New York's tough captain.

The two had a couple of vicious brawls and Moore belted Sullivan with fists and sticks. The enraged gallery spontaneously burst into a loud "Get Moore" chant.

Against New York, it was Sullivan; in other cities, the names were different but Moore was just as wild. The "Get Moore" roar still rocked Madison Square Garden. It was also heard in Chicago, Detroit, and Boston.

Moore was a fine stickhandler and skater with an accurate shot. He was also aggressive and quite handy with his elbows and fists.

11. Dickie Moore: One of the best two-way left wingers ever to play the game. His 96 points in '58-59 were the most ever at the time.

Not afraid of anyone, Moore battled frequently with the likes of Detroit's tough guy "Terrible" Ted Lindsay.

Hard-working and intense were words that stuck to Moore from an early age.

TEN BEST PLAYOFF PERFORMERS

1. Dickie Moore: Twice the leading playoff scorer, Moore had his last hurrah with the St. Louis Blues after twice retiring and, despite gimpy legs, still produced an astonishing 7 goals and 7 assists in eighteen games.

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Richard Winston Moore cracked the Montreal Canadiens during the 1951-52 season on a line with Elmer Lach and Maurice Richard. His hard-nosed play earned him 18 goals by season's end. Coach Dick Irvin was impressed. The young man's blood seemed to run red, white, and blue.

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Moore had passion, could hit, could fight, was a solid skater and sure stick-handler, and had a beautiful way of making touch passes the fly.

An excellent stickhandler and skater with a hard, accurate shot, Moore became one of the NHL's top offensive stars. He was also handy with his elbows and fists, and his aggressive play earned him the nickname Digger.

When the Montreal Canadiens were building one of the best hockey clubs of all time during the early 1950s, Richard Winston "Dickie" Moore was among the most gifted young players signed by the Montreal brass. Brash to a fault, Moore was at first believed to be uncontrollable, but the combination of tough coach Dick Irvin, later the equally tough Toe Blake, and Maurice Richard and Doug Harvey settled Dickie into a calmer, more manageable position. The results were sensational. Along with Boom-Boom Geoffrion, Jean Beliveau, and Claude Provost, Moore became one of the most significant Canadiens. So significant that out of town newspapermen soon took notice of his talents.

"We like Moore," said Jim Vipond in his Toronto Globe and Mail Column. "He's a chippy operator who mixes with the toughest and still knows how to stickhandle and skate his way to the opposition net."

Moore had also suffered an unusual injury that season. He got the worst of a scuffle with Detroit defenseman xxx during a game in early February and damaged his left wrist. He had it X-rayed. Doctors saw no signs of a fracture, but the arm remained tender and the injury did not heal. A second X-ray at the end of February revealed that he had broken a small bone between the wrist and the hand. His doctor recommended surgery, but Moore refused. An operation would have cost him the scoring title.

Instead, the physician wrapped the injured limb in plaster from palm of the hand to the elbow. The cast severely impaired Moore's shooting ability, but he could still score on deflections, rebounds, and tip-ins. He finished first in scoring with 84 points, four better than Henri Richard. He led the league in goals(36) and game-winners(8) and played superb defensive hockey, allowing wingers opposite him just three goals all season.

Moore's courage was remarkable, and his ability and desire to overcome countless physical setbacks was an inspiration to his teammates.

They didn't come much tougher than Montreal Canadiens' left winger Dickie Moore. Despite racking up 608 points and 6 Stanley Cups in 14 seasons, Moore's outstanding play was often overshadowed on a team that featured Rocket Richard, Bernie Geoffrion, Jean Beliveau, Jacques Plante, and Doug Harvey. Even as a left winger, Moore was often overlooked by the more visible exploits of Ted Lindsay and later, Frank Mahovlich and Bobby Hull. In truth, Moore may have been the real inspiration behind the great Canadiens teams of the 1950s.

Dickie was a fighter, a real worker. I remember seeing him in junior against Jean Beliveau's team, the Quebec Citadelles. Just about the whole team went after Dickie but he wasn't afraid in the least. He fought everybody on the ice and held his own. It was the same way with him in the NHL, except he had to fight injuries as well.

It was hard to say whether he was a better left or right wing although he was an All-Star left wing for two years.

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When Maurice Richard and Doug Harvey faded, I expected Dickie to take over as leader of the team, and he did.

He deserved it (scoring title). He's the most valuable player on the Canadiens.

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As dedicated to winning as any athlete I've ever known. Rough, tough, talented, and a brilliant guy in his own way.

Dickie Moore was the most under-rated great player that I ever saw. He took more abuse and contributed more than any player. He was on a team that had glowing characters, like Rocket Richard, the Pocket Rocket, Bernie "Boom Boom"Geoffrion, Jacques Plante, Doug Harvey, and all these guys were flamboyant in various ways. Dickie Moore just went out there - he played very tough, like Ted Lindsay played tough, but he scored.

He was quite willing to play a back seat to Rocket and Beliveau and even Boom Boom Geoffrion. He was just delighted to be part of an organization that won Stanley Cups year after year. The sheer love of the game was so obvious in Dickie Moore, and they adored him in Montreal. They adored what he could do on the ice - they loved his pluck and his grit and the fact that he just fit right in.

When he came back from being nearly in the cemetery, he played for St. Louis and they got to the finals. Scotty Bowman raves about how well he played when everyone thought he was done. He didn't have the wheels he used to have, but he had the know-how, and he was a fierce, competitive guy. I always thought that Dickie Moore was the best Montreal Canadien player in my books. There was Richard, Beliveau, Harvey, and other guys too, but Moore seemed to have something they didn't. I'm not saying he was as talented, but he got the job done.

Since time began, players have tried to play the game without sweating, and it doesn't work that way, and he was totally prepared to sacrifice everything. He sacrificed his body.

Dickie Moore going to St. Louis, in the expansion draft, even at 60% of his potential, brought class, skill, hard work, and certainly a winning spirit, and he's not going to cost you any headaches. That's what you want in a fellow - just go out and do his job game in and game out, and always be plus.

He played hurt. He played through a lot of injuries and never talked about it - just went out and played. That's a perfect example of one of the leaders in our organization, and on our team. That's one of the reasons we won so many Stanley Cups. Everybody came to play every night, and Dickie was one of the ring-leaders on our club.

 

[Dreakmur]

Jarome Iginla !!!

I like to compete. I love the competition. I don't know if that's a leadership quality or not. I really just enjoy the battles and the passion. I just love playing hockey and love competing. Hopefully it helps my team.

Awards and Achievements:
2 x Olympic Gold Medalist (2002, 2010)
World Cup Gold Medalist (2004)
World Championship Gold Medalist (1997)

Lester B. Pearson Award Winner (2002)

3 x First Team All-Star (2002, 2008, 2009)
Second Team All-Star (2004)

Hart voting - 1st(2002), 2nd(2004), 3rd(2008), 10th(2009), 12th(2011), 15th(2007)
All-Star voting - 1st(2002), 1st(2008), 1st(2009), 2nd(2004), 3rd(2011), 5th(2007), 5th(2010)

Offensive Accomplishments:
Points - 1st(2002), 3rd(2008), 6th(2011), 8th(2009), 11th(2007), 16th(2004)
Goals - 1st(2002), 1st(2004), 3rd(2008), 3rd(2011), 11th(2007), 14th(2009), 16th(2010), 17th(2003), 18th(2006), 19th(2000), 19th(2012)
Assists - 10th(2009), 17th(2007), 18th(2002)

Play-off Points - 3rd(2004)
Play-off Goals 1st(2004)
Play-off Assists - 8th(2004)

Olympic Points - 7th(2010)
Olympic Goals - 1st(2010), 5th(2002)

5-Year Peak: 2000-2004
7th in Points, 88% of 2nd place Jaromir Jagr
T-1st in Goals, 100% of Ilya Kovlchuk

10-Year Peak: 2001-2011
2nd in Points, 91% of 1st place Joe Thornton
1st in Goals, 107% of 2nd place Ilya Kovalchuk

Scoring Percentages:
Points - 107(2002), 92(2008), 87(2011), 84(2004), 82(2007), 81(2009), 74(2001), 69(2010), 67(2000), 64(2003), 63(2006), 63(2010), 51(1997), 48(1999),

Best 6 Seasons: 533
Next 6 Seasons: 400

Team Scoring:
Points - 1st(2001), 1st(2002), 1st(2003), 1st(2004), 1st(2006), 1st(2007), 1st(2008), 1st(2009), 1st(2010), 1st(2011), 1st(2012), 2nd(2000)
Goals - 1st(2001), 1st(2002), 1st(2003), 1st(2004), 1st(2006), 1st(2007), 1st(2008), 1st(2010), 1st(2011), 2nd(1999), 2nd(2000), 2nd(2009)

Point Leading Percentages - 155, 148, 128, 125, 119, 116, 114, 114, 110, 109, 109
Goal leading Percentages - 228, 193, 159, 157, 152, 140, 123, 119, 115, 115

His game, in which he did everything well, trumped expectation, and vaulted the Edmonton native of African descent into superstardom. A compact, powerful skater at six feet one.

The Complete Call: Hockey Stories From a Legend in Stripes]Jarome is the complete player that leads by example whether his team needs a goal, a big hit, or even a fight to ignite their competitive spirits.

#28 - That's what defines Jarome Iginla: an all-around game, on and off the ice.

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Underneath that smiling face, however, is a ferocious competitor.

2nd Most Respected

5th Best Power Forward

3rd Best Leader

Calgary Flames: Best Player Ever – He's a leader who scores big goals, drops the gloves, runs the power play and does community work. What more can you ask for?

#41 - You know you're going to get your best from him and if he isn't scoring, he's still showing leadership and playing a robust physical game.

#26 - On the ice, he's a smart, fierce competitor who had the fire to fight rookie Adam Henrique when the kid dared hit the veteran, but also the composure not to beat him into a pulp despite having the opportunity.

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Easily Calgary's best player ever.

1. Jarome Iginla: A rugged power forward with a goal scorer's touch and a beaming smile that ran contrary to his solid fighting credentials, Iginla served as captain of the Flames for a decade - and no one represented the team or city with more class.

His last name means "big tree" in his Nigerian father's native language, which seems fitting for a player who is still virtually impossible to move when he plants himself in the slot. The beauty of Iginla lies in his longevity. While others wear down over time, his dark passenger has kept him company throughout his 16-year career. He's relentless and punishing along the boards and a terror down low, but it's his continued willingness to make a statement that sets him apart. When the moment arises, he'll drop them, and he remains one of the most ferocious fighters in the game at 35.

He'll run you over. Or he'll fight somebody. And then he'll score a goal. He does pretty much everything you'd want a guy to do.

You've got a power forward who does it all. I mean, he'll fight, and hit, and score goals. Maybe it's not the end-to-end rushes, but he does all those little things that win games and get things done.

All-around he is just a special guy from being an amazing hockey player, to the way he lives his life, to the way everyone respects him. It's his nature to win the battles, and do everything in his power to win.

I think it was a very classy thing to do. I think Jarome is one of the most classy players in the league, not only that, he's probably the best player in the league. When you have a captain like that, it was certainly a very classy move on their part, no doubt.

He doesn't carry himself with any attitude or arrogance. He's confident in his abilities. He's self-assured. He's genuine. He's a better person than he is a player, and we all know what kind of player he is.

You could really see he was the leader of that team, just by the way he as playing and the way he was acting. That's how he got his team to the final. When you play against him, you can see leadership just the way he plays. He's really involved and he's physical.

He's fast, has a great shot, great release and he's smart. Tough player to play against. I've definitely had problems with him over the years.

Leadership was a factor in our decision. He has always been a player to count on in the clutch.

ASSETS: Has deceptive speed, great strength and a lethal shot. Can overpower defenders physically or use finesse. Possesses the soft hands of a natural goal-scorer, but will also drop the gloves when necessary. He is the ultimate leader.

FLAWS: Is needed on the ice, so he's limited in the amount of physical toughness he can display, as well as the number of times he can drop the gloves. Has been known to start off slowly out of the gate in recent seasons.

Has deceptive speed, great strength and a lethal shot. Can overpower defenders physically or use finesse. Possesses the soft hands of a natural goal-scorer, but will also drop the gloves when necessary.

Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames: Tough, intense right winger can score and bang in the corners.

Iginla is extremely strong on the puck and has solid offensive skills, but is responsible defensively too.

Scouting Reports:

The Finesse Game

Iginla is an ideal second-line player who was forced to handle first-line responsibility with talent-starved Calgary; for most of the season he held up well under the circumstances. If he hadn't run into a second-half slump, he would have given Bryan Berard a better run for the Calder.

Iginla doesn't have great speed but he's smart and energetic. What puts Iginla ahead of other 19-year-olds is his defensive play, which he developed first in junior. The scoring touch came later, which is the reverse for most young players and is one of the reasons why he was able to step into the NHL with such success. He has a veteran's understanding of the game, though he may never be a great scorer and will have to work hard for his goals. Throw out Adam Graves' one 50-goal season and you are looking at Iginla's future.

Iginla does his best work in the corners and in front of the net. He is strong, and doesn't mind the trench warfare. In fact, he thrives on it.

The Physical Game

Iginla is gritty, powerful and aggressive. He will take a hit to make a play but, even better, he will initiate the hits. He has a mean streak and will have to control himself at the same time he is proving his mettle around the NHL; a fine line to walk.

The Intangibles

The key word to describe Iginla is character. He has played on winners in Kamloops and Team Canada. He was not a bit player in those titles, either. He will pay his share of dues with a rebuilding Calgary team, but he proved last year he was all he was advertised to be when the Flames acquired him from Dallas for Joe Nieuwendyk. Iginla's only flaw was learning how to concentrate on each game, but that will come with experience.

Rarely do 19-year-old NHL rookies blend in from their first shift. But that was the with Iginla who from the outset, was clearly the best first-year forward in the league. Page didn't hesitate to use him in any situation, as the former Kamloops star demonstrated the poise and commitment to defense of a veteran. His is a combination of speed, strength and grace similar to Flyer John Leclair, and has quickly gained respect for his talents along the boards and in the corners

Assets: Character and grit. Already one of the best NHLers along the boards and in the corners, Iginla is extremely strong and will take the pounding in front of the net. Great defensively for a youngster. Soft-as-silk hands.

Flaws: A strong skater but not a speed merchant. Has finesse skills but is not overly gifted in that regard.

The Finesse Game

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... Iginla plays well in all three zones. He's a power forward who plays both ends of the rink, and there aren't many players with that description in the NHL.

Has the skills and physical game to be a high-scoring power-forward but needs a major confidence boost to get there.

Blessed with tremendous physical tools, Iginla has developed into one of Calgary's more important players. Versatile enough to play any forward position, he's best suited to play the wing. Strong on the puck, Iginla has deceptive speed for a man of his size.

Big skilled winger has the physical tools to dominate yet has been plagued by inconsistent work habits and confidence problems.

Tough, strong-skating power-winger has the size, strength and puck skills to dominate the offensive zone, however to be effective he must play a physical, hard-working style on a nightly basis which he started to show last season.

Iginla is a complete player with sweet hands, excellent skating ability and hard-hitting skills. He kills penalties, is versatile enough to play either wing and is great with the puck coming out of the corners.

He is a savvy two-way forward...

Iggy combines strength, tenacity and great hands to pose a threat every time he is on the ice. The power forward plays an untraditional big mans game, since he usually carries the puck himself rather than wait for it in scoring position.

Iginla regained his explosiveness and was once again terrorizing opponents with his determination, soft hands and formidable finishing skills.

.. a rugged, power-skating winger with soft hands and a big heart .. consistently uses his size, strength and ever-maturing finishing skills to torment and overwhelm the opposition.

One of the game's most prominent power forwards, Iginla took a step back from NHL elite status last season. A big player with great strength, above-average wheels and a great shot, the Calgary captain can do it all. He can get into a little trouble in his own zone but is far from a defensive liability. Iginla is also willing to drop the gloves to protect a teammate.

Iginla is unstoppable when he decides to crank it up a notch.

....

... he's usually at his best when the games matter most.

The consummate team captain, Iginla is the straw that stirs the drink for the Flames... Physical, he loves to take the man and even drops the mitts if need be.

.. outstanding skater - propelled by remarkable quickness and fluidity in strides .. gets to the net and positions his body intelligently for tips and rebounds.

.. hindered last season by inferior linemates

 

[overpass]

Joe Malone, C (1908-1924)

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Scored 343 goals in 273 regular season games from 1908-09 to 1923-24 (LOH)
NHA goal scoring leader (1913, 1917)
NHL goal scoring leader (1918, 1920)
NHL record holder for goals scored in a game (7) and goals per game in a season (44 goals in 20 games, 1917-18)
Charles L. Coleman named Malone as one of three forwards (plus rover) to his 1893-1926 all-star team
Ranked #39 on The Hockey News Top 100 Players from 1998

Malone, Joe -- Biography -- Honoured Player -- Legends of Hockey

One of the most gifted and prolific goal scorers ever to play the game, Joe Malone became an enduring legend for decades after his retirement. While known for his unique upright skating style and revered for his excellent conduct on the ice, what set "Phantom" Joe Malone apart from the rest was an ability to find openings and weave his way through the defensive alignments of the opposition. Deceptively quick, Malone was the fastest player in the pros and possessed a lethal instinct around the net.

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Montreal Canadiens Legends: Phantom Joe Malone

A prolific scorer before the NHL was formed in 1917, Joe Malone is perhaps the game's least heralded superstars. His modesty contributes to that, according to old time journalists. There is, however, no disputing his extraordinary scoring ability. Gretzky, Lemieux, Howe, the Hulls, and Bossy are among the games most prolific, but none can claim to have averaged two goals a game. Only "The Phantom" can claim that.

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Malone, remembered as a tricky stickhandler, described his own style of play. "I didn't have the hardest shot in the world," he said "but I knew where it was going most of the time. You can't say as much for the slap shot. With the old wrist shot you looked where you were shooting, trying to pick your spots. With the slap the player has to keep his eye on the puck, like in golf, or you're liable to fan the shot entirely. I've seen that done. It's an exciting play, but I wouldn't want to be the goaltender. You never know where the puck's going. Seems to me that's why so many goalies get hurt."

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Joe Malone is remembered for his statistical records, but not much else. Why has Malone's legend not been passed down to the degree that it has for others? A major part of the reason is that the Quebec Bulldogs, the team for which Malone starred for most of his career, last operated in 1920. Additionally, the Bulldogs were a team of the Anglo establishment in Quebec City. Quebec's francophone population did not feel the Bulldogs were their team and have not done much to ensure the legacy of the Bulldogs.

Le Soleil – February 14, 1975. Claude Larochelle

One day not long ago, I told Rejean Houle the city of Quebec had won the Stanley Cup twice, in passing. Rejean looked at me for a moment incredulously, and then said “No, that’s a joke. Quebec has never won the Stanley Cup.” If I hadn’t had the hockey encyclopedia in my hand to prove to him the Quebec Bulldogs had lifted the precious trophy two season in a row, in 1912 and 1913, I think he never would have believed me. Now, as Bobby Hull makes the effort tonight to score 50 goals in 50 games, which would allow him to equal the mark set by Maurice Richard, it may be good to relive one of the feats of Joe Malone with the Quebec Bulldogs, undoubtedly the best shooter in history. Founded in 1909, the National Hockey Association regulated professional hockey before the NHL was formed in 1917. The was the league where the exceptional Joe Malone first shone brightly as a goal scorer. In 1911-12, in a very different hockey from today where there was a single forward line, Malone scored 33 goals in 18 matches. In the final for the Stanley Cup, the Quebec Bulldogs, in a 2 of 3 series defeated Moncton in two consecutive games 9-3 and 8-0, March 11 and 13 1912. It is interesting to note this was the first time they used three periods of 20 minutes. Previously a game was divided in two periods of 30 minutes. Other interesting changes of note in the spring of 1912. For the first time they eliminated the rover, the seventh player, a forward who moved freely over the rink in both attack and defence. The following season, in 1912-13, Joe Malone reached new heights with 43 goals in 20 regular matches. In March 1913, the Quebec Bulldogs won consecutive triumphs of 14-3 and 6-2 against the Sydney team to win the Stanley Cup. In the first match, Joe Malone exploded for nine goals. Incredible! It was in 1917-18, under the colours of the Canadiens, that Joe Malone established an indelible mark with 44 goals in 20 games played. Upon returning to Quebec in 1919-20, he would score 39 goals in 24 games played with his team in last place. In Quebec, on January 31 1920, Malone scored 7 goals against the Toronto St Patricks, scoring 3 goals in the last 2 minutes of the match. At the time, in contrast to the Nordiques of today, the Quebec team was exclusively composed of Anglo-Saxon elements. Do not be surprised to learn, as pointed out by Michel Dehouk, a witness of that time, in an interview with Brother Francois Roy, that the Quebecois crowd supported the Montreal Canadiens in their visits to the old capital. The Canadiens had among their team the illustrious goaltender Georges Vezina, of Chicoutimi, Louis Berlinguette, Edouard “Newsy” Lalonde, Didier Pitre, Jean-Baptiste Laviolette, and other illustrious Habitants. The Quebec Bulldogs abandoned their NHL franchise after a single season and were replaced by the Hamilton Tigers. The latter team abandoned its activities in 1925 when the first American team, the Boston Bruins, joined the league. The Ottawa Senators resigned in turn in 1934, and with their departure the National Hockey League became resolutely American.

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Descriptions of Malone's game

D.A.L. MacDonald, Montreal Gazette, January 23, 1934: Turning Back Hockey’s Pages

Scoring marks were not the only records Malone that left behind him for future hockey stars to shoot at. In the days of rowdy hockey, when butchery was too often the means towards victory, Malone was a Frankie Boucher type of centre. It is significant that in 1919-20, when penalties records were kept for the first time, Malone served only 12 minutes on the side-lines, though scoring 39 tallies. Tall, rugged and a great stickhandler, he was also a potent defensive unit. He had a fine poke-check, and like Nighbor, used a long stick to break up opposing attacks. He and Odie Cleghorn were probably the outstanding stickhandlers of their day. But unlike Odie, who used a short stick and nursed the puck along almost between his skates, Malone swept through the opposition with long, swinging strides. He was a left hand shot.

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Dink Carroll, Montreal Gazette, June 28, 1950 (Malone elected to Hall of Fame)

One thing Joe could do was put the puck in the net. As we recall him he skated with his feet fairly wide apart, was hard to knock off balance, was always in the right place at the right time and had a hard and accurate shot.

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Claude Larochelle, Le Soleil, May 16, 1969– The dazzling career of Joe Malone (written after Malone's death)

Joe Malone is probably the most prestigious athlete in the history of the region of Quebec. Descended from a family of Irish origin, he was born in Sillery. He was 79 years old. Despite his incredible feats of goal scoring, this unforgettable player who wore for 10 years the colours of the Ancient Capital on the ice of the legendary Quebec Skating Rink, was erased. He lived at Ville Saint-Laurent for many years avoiding public appearances. His son John, who told me about his death yesterday morning, told me he was an unpretentious man. What sort of athlete was he? His son John responds: “To score so many goals, he had to have a good shot. It was formidable and with incredible precision. That was his main asset. But he was also a superb stickhandler.” “Gentleman Joe”, as they called him for his kindness, arrived in hockey thirty years too soon. His salary from hockey was not enough to live and he worked all year with a gun manufacturer, Ross Rifles, on the Plains of Abraham. This athlete, who had an unassailable reputation at a time when lapses of discipline were common in hockey, donned his Bulldogs uniform after a hard day of work. From this perspective, the electrifying and unsurpassed goals average he achieved is even more valuable. To the bereaved family, my most sincere condolences.

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Who’s Who in Hockey – Stan Fischler

Many respected observers regard Joe Malone as the greatest all-around scorer of the early NHL year. “He might have been the most prolific scorer of all time if they had played more games in those days,” said Frank J. Selke, the former Canadiens managing director who remembered Malone as a young professional. “It was amazing the way Joe used to get himself in position to score. In that respect his style was similar to Gordie Howe’s. Joe was no Howie Morenz as far as speed was concerned. But he was a clean player like Dave Keon and Frank Boucher. On the other hand, though, Joe never took a backwards step from anybody.”

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Accounts of Malone's play from every game summary in the Quebec Chronicle from the 1912-13 season

BAnQ numérique

Malone appears to have had a great start to the season. He went into a slump late in January where he scored only 6 goals in 5 games as Quebec went 2-3, and by the description in the papers was not playing as well as he had. But he and the rest of the Bulldogs caught fire in February and finished the season with 11 straight wins. Malone scored 27(!) goals in the final 10 games of the season to rave reviews in the game summaries.

Did Malone backcheck? Yes. My reading suggests that right wing Jack Marks was the most energetic backchecker on the Quebec team. Left wing Tommy Smith was a great shooter and very good around the opponent's net, but wasn't a good enough skater to be effective on the backcheck, leaving Malone and Marks to do most of the work. Malone was a very good checker but may not have backchecked as much as Marks did.

The Quebec Chronicle – December 30, 1912 (Game summary, Quebec beat Ottawa 7-3, Malone scored 3)
Quebec’s “patched-up” team exceeded all the expectations of their ardent supporters and took all the heart of the Ottawas, who imagined they were coming down here like the wolf on the fold. While the team play of the locals was not as good as that of the Senators, whose front line put up a superior brand of combination, their solid defense and the brilliant individual work of Joe Malone at centre were altogether too much for the Senators.
Joe Malone was easily the best man on the ice and his control of the puck was wonderful. Time after time he robbed the visitors with the peculiar swoop of his and dodged clear through the Ottawa men swarming about him to fire in a hot shot at Lesueur. He was one of the most classy goal-getters in the league last year and he had developed a lot since, besides gaining both in weight and speed.

Joe Malone, although not yet at the height of his game, is probably the best forward in the game today.
However the game may be going he lets up and it is often when things look most critical that he comes to the rescue. Witness the goal he scored in the last few seconds of the famous match at Ottawa last year which was the means of getting Quebec the championship when the spectators were getting ready to leave the rink under the impression that the Senators had won the victory. Joe never plays the man. It is always the puck. He takes an awful lot of hard checking but always worries through somehow.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 2, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec beat Wanderers 3-1, Malone scored 2)
Malone, as usual, did most of the scoring, his first point being tallied on a pass from Hall and the second in the third period.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 3, 1913, quoting the Montreal Herald
But the players who caught the fancy of the fans on the champion sextet were the old-timers, particularly Joe Malone. Malone was all over the place Tuesday, carrying the puck, checking back, or backing up his own forwards.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 6, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec lost to Toronto 5-3, Malone scored 2)
Malone played better than he seemed to be doing, but he was so closely watched that he could do very little that was effective, and appeared to hold on the puck several times when he should have passed.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 9, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec beat Toronto 10-5, Malone scored 1)
Malone scored only one, but his unselfish passing was a great factor in the scoring of the others.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 10, 1913
Malone, for instance, scored less goals in the last match than in those previous, but he never played a more useful game and the way he got the front line together and fed his wings was a treat to watch. That is the kind of game that tells.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 13, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec beat Canadiens 4-3, Malone scored 2)
Malone and Tommy Smith, though they did not seem to connect as much as usual at the beginning of the game, put up a vigorous and gritty brand of hockey as the game progressed and their work in the last period was some of the best seen here this year. In the last few matches, Malone has done wonders in bettering the team play of the Quebecers.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 16, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec lost to Canadiens 5-4, Malone scored 1)
Joe Malone’s stickhandling made a great impression on the fans and all the Quebec men got an enthusiastic greeting when they came out for the third period.
Malone was playing an excellent game and gave Vezina plenty of trouble handling numerous shots.
Nevertheless the fast pace was kept up, Malone especially playing a very effective game. His stickhandling was a regular exhibition and he received frequent applause from the fans.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 20, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec beat Toronto 4-2, Malone scored 2)
Joe Malone at centre, while he added the two goals in the last period that won the game, did not seem to be in as good shape as the rest of his team mates.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 23, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec lost to Toronto 6-3, Malone scored 0)
Malone did not show his usual brilliance.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 27, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec lost to Wanderers 10-6, Malone scored 3)
The chief trouble with the home team seemed to be that their forwards were not swift enough to check back and overtake the visitors. The consequence was that whenever the latter got away they usually had a clear run until they came to the Quebec defence.
At times Smith and Malone played pretty and effective combination, but they were up against a hard proposition in the shape of the visiting defence and lacked the weight. They played brilliantly in the first period and desperately towards the end of the game.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 30, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec beat Ottawa 5-3, Malone scored 0)
Malone and Marks were both useful.

The Quebec Chronicle – February 3, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec beat Toronto 5-4 in OT, Malone scored 3)
Marks and Malone were conspicuous for the winners.

The Quebec Chronicle – February 6, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec beat Wanderers 4-3, Malone scored 0)
Apart from Moran, Hall and Joe Malone played splendid games, if any particular mention can be made of anyone where all were so good.

The Quebec Chronicle – February 10, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec beat Ottawa 4-1, Malone scored 1)
Tommy Smith and Joe Malone starred for Quebec, though both appeared “under wraps” in the third period.

The Quebec Chronicle – February 13, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec beat Toronto 11-2, Malone scored 7)
Malone was conspicuous at all stages, scoring nearly all the goals

The Quebec Chronicle – February 17, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec beat Toronto 8-0, Malone scored 3)
It would be difficult to know to whom to give the most credit on the Quebec team as each excelled at his own distinctive style…Malone on the forward line and Hall on the defence had a shade on the others in laying the foundation of the victory. The former was effective around the nets and drew out the Tecumseh’s defence in such a way as to make them look foolish sometimes, which is pretty hard to do. Besides this, the Quebec centre never checked back with better results and that wide swoop of his robbed one Tecumseh man after another.

The Quebec Chronicle – February 20, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec beat Canadiens 4-2, Malone scored 2)
Joe Malone played one of the best and most unselfish games of his career and kept his line together with great skill. He not only worried the Canadien defence to distraction, but robbed forward after forward of the puck when they tried to break away.

The Quebec Chronicle – February 24, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec beat Canadiens 7-6, Malone scored 3)
Once again Joe Malone came to the rescue and pulled the game out of the fire when in the last period he beat down Canadiens’ lead half-way through the period and flashed through again thirty seconds later with the winning shot, which lodged the puck in the top corner of the net while Vezina stood helpless. To him more than anyone must go the direct credit of the victory as he not only got the goals when they were needed but kept his line together splendidly and played a tireless and absolutely unselfish game from start to finish.

The Quebec Chronicle – February 27, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec beat Toronto 6-4, Malone scored 2)
Malone and Marks were closely watched and in addition did a whole lot of checking back against the speedy Toronto boys who went pretty strong at times.

The Quebec Chronicle – March 3, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec beat Wanderers 6-4, Malone scored 4)
Joe Malone was Joe Malone. He just seems as if he couldn't play a bad game now, and the fact that he scored four out of the six goals speaks volumes.

The Quebec Chronicle – March 6, 1913 (Game summary, Quebec beat Ottawa 8-6, Malone scored 2)
Joe Malone, who was suffering from a bad cold, only played the first period and was replaced by Tommy Smith after that.
Malone, although evidently handicapped by his cold, did splendid work on the ice.

Finally, the New York Times article that gave Malone the "Phantom" nickname, as the Bulldogs played the Wanderers in New York with a thick mist on the ice.

New York Times: March 14, 1913
Malone is conceded to be the best individual hockey player in Canada and his absence from the game probably had some effect upon the playing of his associates and accounted for the number of goals scored by their opponents.

New York Times: March 16, 1913
Joe Malone, the Quebec centre, was the headline attraction last night, for he scored all of the goals for his team, his net shooting being really fine art.

Joe Malone was lightning fast. He glided over the ice phantom-like in the heavy mist. His ghost-like figure seemed to be in front of every Wanderer skater and never did he fail to steal the rubber from an opponent. His hockey stick was like a thing alive, for it poked its way between skates and under falling players in a way which brought Malone the puck every time. He wiggled his way through the roughest scrimmages and always brought up in front of the Wanderers net. Then he ripped the puck in. Sometimes it didn’t go in and hit Cadotte so hard on the chest that it almost knocked him over.


Accounts of Malone's play from every game summary in the Quebec Chronicle from the 1916-17 season

The Quebec Bulldogs had a terrible first half of the season in 1916-17. Accounts placed the most blame on their defensive play. Defenders Joe Hall and Dave Ritchie were struggling defensively and unable to keep attackers away from the goal, and the forwards defensive system was not working well either. Additionally, the combination play from the forwards was lacking.

Malone doesn't appear to have played particularly well. He scored only 13 goals in 10 games. While this placed him among the league leaders, several game summaries early in the season mention he wasn't playing well, and he was actually taken out of the starting lineup for two games late in the first half. But his play seems to have improved back to his old-time form in the last two games of the first half. Because of the league rules where the first half winners would play the second half winners for the league championship, Malone and the Bulldogs went into the second half still having a shot at the title.

Quebec made a lineup change, with captain Rusty Crawford dropping back to defence and Dave Ritchie moving up to the forward line. The change was a success all around, with Crawford's physical play and hard skating strengthening the defence, and Ritchie combined very well with Malone on the attack. The Bulldogs were a different team, with their defensive and combination issues all seemingly solved.

The Bulldogs were red-hot for much of the second half of the season, leading the league with a 7-1 record after 8 games. Malone had 20 goals in 7 games and was as good as ever on the attack and in defense, playing to rave reviews. With two games to go, Quebec had a one game lead on Ottawa and would face Ottawa in the final. Goal ratio would be the tiebreaker if Quebec and Ottawa finished the season tied, so Quebec went all-out against the Wanderers in their penultimate match and beat them 17-6, with 8 goals from Malone. However, they were still behind Ottawa in goal ratio, so they would have to go into Ottawa and win their final game to win the second half.

What followed must have been among the most disappointing and embarrassing losses ever to eliminate a team. Quebec was well off form and Ottawa was all over them from the start of the game. After 2 periods, Quebec had failed to make good on their chances and trailed 5-0. In the third period they completely fell apart. Ottawa scored 11 goals and won the game 16-1. Frank Nighbor scored 3 goals in the final period and 5 for the game to tie Malone for the league lead in goals as the crowd cheered him on.

Here are the game descriptions from the Chronicle for 1916-17.

The Quebec Chronicle – December 28, 1916 (Game summary, Quebec beat Wanderers 6-2, Malone scored 2 and started at centre)
Joe Malone and Jack McDonald were as good as ever, though neither seemed to get down seriously to hard work…

The Quebec Chronicle – January 2, 1917 (Game summary, Quebec lost to Toronto 8-5, Malone scored 2 and started at centre)
All the old standbys of the Quebec club including Joe Hall, Joe Malone, Jack McDonald and Jack Marks seem to be going as strongly as ever.

Malone is as dangerous as ever around the nets and the Toronto defence watched him closely.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 4, 1917 (Game summary, Quebec lost to Canadiens 4-2, Malone scored 0 and started at centre)
“Newsy” Lalonde never displayed such coolness and cleverness in center ice as he did last night and as “Joe” Malone, Quebec’s clever centre man was off his game, the locals did not shape up dangerously on the attack at any stage of the game.

…Hall and Malone were also stiffened up from the Toronto game.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 8, 1917 (Game summary, Quebec lost to 228th 16-9, Malone scored 1 and started as a forward, position unspecified)

No particular mention of Malone’s play. McDonald was the star for Quebec with four goals and Prodgers had six for the 228th. The game was very fast and clean with little checking and only one penalty called, leading to the high scores.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 11, 1917 (Game summary, Quebec beat Ottawa 5-4 in OT. Malone scored 1 goal and started at centre)
Quebec showed good generalship, systematic effort, and good judgement around the nets, but played in terrible luck, Malone especially having tough luck in not scoring several goals.

Joe Malone played a most useful game helping in the scoring of a couple of goals and scoring one and if he had an even break in luck might have scored a dozen. Malone is playing close to his oldtime form but is just the least bit too anxious to score, though he was not selfish by any means.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 15, 1917 (Game summary, Quebec lost to Wanderers 12-3, Malone scored 1 goal and started at centre)
McDonald and Malone showed clever work at times, but were not consistent.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 18, 1917 (Game summary, Quebec lost to Toronto 5-1, Malone scored 0 goals as a substitute)
“Joe” Malone played below his usual form and was ineffective around the nets.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 22, 1917 (Game summary, Quebec lost to Canadiens 10-6, Malone scored 3 goals as a substitute at left wing and centre)
(McDonald) fits in well at centre and with “Joe” Malone on the left rail and Walter Mummery or George Carey on right, the forwards worked like a charm.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 25, 1917 (Game summary, Quebec lost to 228th 12-4, Malone scored 1 goals as a substitute)
“Joe” Malone, who played one of his old-time games, charged in on top of (Lockhart) time and again, but he either stopped the rubber, it hit him, or missed the net.

Malone played beautiful hockey for Quebec. He made a hare of Goldie Prodger time and again and his long swoop was playing havoc with Oatman and Meeking’s combined efforts.

The Quebec Chronicle – January 29, 1917 (Game summary, Quebec lost to Ottawa 7-2, Malone scored 2 goals and started at centre)
Quebec doing grand work in the first half with Ritchie, Crawford, and Malone as the outstanding stars…Malone and J. McDonald were inside the defence often and Crawford also got through but could not beat Benedict.

End of first half. Quebec finishes 2-8 and Malone has 13 goals in 10 games. Canadiens take the first half title.

The Quebec Chronicle – February 1, 1917 (Game summary, Quebec beat Wanderers 4-3, Malone scored 2 goals (including the OT winner) and started at centre)
Malone missed a fine chance when the puck bounded over his stick in front of an open goal but the lanky boy, who gave Montrealers a real flash of his old-time form, sagged the net for Quebec’s first goal after Dave Ritchie had zig-zagged his way down the ice at full speed and shot the disc over at the proper time.

The whole team showed improvement all around, more vim and determination and their system has improved especially around the defence end which looked rather weak on former visits to Montreal.

The Quebec Chronicle – February 5, 1917 (Game summary, Quebec beat Toronto 7-3, Malone scored 3 goals and started at centre)
“Joe” Malone, Carey, and Ritchie make up a well-balanced forward line, break away together and pass unselfishly. Malone is just now playing his oldtime game—can more be said?

Ritchie…with Joe Malone worked some of the prettiest combination seen here since the days of the Power to Jordan duet.

Keats not showing his usual effective manner, Malone stealing the rubber from him whenever he took the notion.

The Quebec Chronicle – February 8, 1917 (Game summary, Quebec lost to Canadiens 7-3, Malone started at centre. No mention of who scored the goals, but Malone must have scored all 3 for his season total to add to 41)
A very short game summary with no list of goal scorers and no mention of Malone.

The Quebec Chronicle – February 9, 1917
Joe Malone is the only member of the team who suffered any injuries. Malone has a bad gash across the instep and though he hopes it will be healed up sufficiently to allow him to take part in the game against the 228th here on Saturday, the cut is a very bad one and just now he is suffering very much from it. Malone is playing great hockey at present and therefore it is earnestly hoped that he will be alright for Saturday night.

Quebec’s game of February 11th was cancelled as the 228th was not able to make the trip due to army obligations. Quebec won by forfeit, but it was not counted as a game played for the players. The 228th dropped out of league play at this point. Joe Malone had more time to recover.

The Quebec Chronicle – February 15, 1917 (Game summary, Quebec beat Wanderers 7-3, Malone started at centre and scored 4 goals)
Joe Malone and Dave Ritchie worked well together on the attack…Malone and Ritchie played fine games, Carey also figuring in combined efforts and backchecking

The Quebec Chronicle – February 19, 1917 (Game summary, Quebec beat Ottawa 3-2 in OT, Malone started at centre and scored 0 goals)

“Joe” Malone played a whale of a game. He was not off the ice during the playing time until a penalty was handed out to him just a minute before the winning goal was scored and Joe was so tired that he difficulty in climbing over the rail into the penalty coop. Malone showed his old-time ability to check back and he kept Nighbor at bay during the whole evening.

The Quebec Chronicle – February 22, 1917 (Game summary, Quebec beat Canadiens 5-1, Malone started at centre and scored 3 goals)
“Joe” Malone played one of his old-time effective games and notched three of Quebec’s tallies aided by Ritchie and Carey.

The Quebec Chronicle – February 26, 1917 (Game summary, Quebec beat Canadiens 7-6 in OT, Malone started at centre and scored 5 goals)
“Joe” Malone scored five of the Bulldogs’ goals and played the game of his life. He checked effectively also and was jut the Malone of old who always got Newsy’s goat. “Show up the old man, Joe,” cried out some rooter on the side and Lalonde was so sore that he wanted to take a wallop at the man.
(Ed. Canadiens led 6-4 late in the game. Malone scored the goal to make it 6-5, scored the tying goal with a minute to go, and scored the overtime goal to win it.)

The Quebec Chronicle – March 1, 1917 (Game summary, Quebec beat Wanderers 17-6, Malone started at centre and scored 8 goals)
It was Joe Malone’s birthday yesterday. And Joe celebrated it by scoring eight goals against the Wanderers at the Arena last night. Incidentally, Quebec won the game by the monumental score of 17 to 6.

(Ed: The winners of the first half of the season were to compete against the winners of the second half of the season for league honours. Quebec had been last in the league in a very poor first half, but was competing with Ottawa to win the second half of the season. Goal ratio was a possible tiebreaker, so Quebec went all-out to score all game long. However, after the evening’s games, Quebec’s offensive outburst was still not enough to pass Ottawa in goal ratio. Quebec’s second half goal ratio was 0.631, lower than Ottawa’s 0.650. So while Quebec was a game ahead of Ottawa, if Ottawa beat them in the final game of the season the Senators would win based on goal ratio.)

“Rusty” Crawford and manager Mike Quinn had a conference after the close of the first period and told the players that goal averages meant something and that while they might be able to score goals, yet it was up to them to keep Wanderers from scoring just as well.

Quebec never wasted any ammunition. Ritchie, Carey, McDonald or Malone carried the rubber right on net through passing to each other, and Hague never had a chance to save.

(Ed. Malone scored 6 of the first 8 goals for Quebec in the first 2 periods. He didn’t play for most of the third, but returned to the ice to score 2 goals in the final 2 minutes.)

The Quebec Chronicle – March 5, 1917 (Game summary, Quebec lost to Ottawa 16-1, Malone started at centre and scored 0 goals)

(Ed. The lopsided result is even more shocking when you consider Quebec had an opportunity to win the second half championship with a victory over Ottawa.)

The Quebecers made a desperate attempt to keep pace with the blinding speed with which Ottawa opened up the game and though the Barberpoles led at the end of the first period by three to nothing, the Quebec bunch certainly had the hardest kind of luck as they were very much in the game. It was the same in the second period. Malone, Carey, and Ritchie simply played themselves out trying to help the defence out while on the other hand Malone faced a barrier of two or three Ottawas every time he had a chance to score. In fact it looked as if Ottawa would have been content to lose as long as they kept Malone from scoring. When the second period closed Ottawa were leading by five to nothing, though Quebec deserved at least two goal, Benedict falling on the puck twice when McDonald and Ritchie were almost through. Walter Mummery was also robbed of a sure counter by Benedict.

It was the third period, however, which saw Quebec go to pieces and the usual last twenty spurt was replaced by an exhibition of the form which the team showed during the first series when they won only two games. They seemed utterly unable to stop the Capital six and Nighbor, Gerard, Shore, Darragh, Boucher, Denneny, Merrill skated in on Sammy Hebert whenever they had a notion. Hebert tried hard and did make some good saves, but a sieve-like defence such as he had in front is not encouraging to any goaltend and Sammy lost his temper and left the net too often, the result being that Ottawa got a lot of goals that they would not have if he had taken a chance by remaining in goal.

“Give it to Nighbor!” they shouted and every time an Ottawa player came within shooting distance of the net, he took a glance around to see if Nighbor was in position to take a chance at a goal. Nighbor did score five but he had not the opposition that Malone had.

 

[Dreakmur]

Georges Vezina !!!



Awards and Accomplishments:
Inaugural Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame

2 x Stanley Cup Champion (1916, 1924)
6 x Stanley Cup Finalist (1914, 1916, 1917, 1919, 1924, 1925)
5 x NHA Champion (1916, 1917, 1919, 1924, 1925)

Ranked #75 on The Hockey News' list of 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

6 x Retro Vezina Winner (1911, 1912, 1914, 1918, 1924, 1925)
Ultimate Hockey's "Best Goaltender" of the 1910s.

Statistical Accomplishments:
Goals Against Average - 1st(1911), 1st(1912), 1st(1914), 1st(1918), 1st(1924), 1st(1925), 2nd(1913), 2nd(1915), 2nd(1916), 2nd(1917), 2nd(1919), 2nd(1922), 2nd(1923)

Consolidated GAA - 1st(1911), 1st(1912), 1st(1914), 1st(1924), 1st(1925), 2nd(1918), 3rd(1916), 3rd(1917), 3rd(1922), 3rd(1923)

Play-off Results:
1914 - lost cup challenge to Toronto and Hap Holmes
1916 - won cup challenge over Portland and Tom Murray
1917 - won play-off series over Ottawa and Clint Benedict
1917 - lost cup challenge to Vancouver and Hugh Lehman
1918 - lost play-off series to Toronto and Hap Holmes
1919 - cup challenge cancelled after 2-2-1 due to flu epidemic vs Seattle and Hap Holmes
1923 - lost play-off series to Ottawa and Clint Benedict
1924 - won play-off series over Ottawa and Clint Benedict
1924 - won cup challenge over Calgary and Charlie Reid
1925 - won play-off series over Toronto and John Ross Roach
1925 - lost cup challenge to Victoria and Hap Holmes

One of the elite goaltenders in the annals of NHL history, Georges Vezina was a key figure in the early history of the Montreal Canadiens franchise. His outstanding play served as a model for stand-up goalies in the future. Long after he retired, fans were introduced to his name and his contributions whenever the Vezina Trophy was awarded at the end of each NHL season to the best goalkeeper in the league.

Vezina stood out in the Canadiens' net even though he played in a league that was very offensive-minded and on a team that initially struggled. In addition, goalies were forbidden to fall to the ice to make a save. So, Vezina managed to perfect an early version of the stand-up style of goaltending. A quiet, clean-living man who operated a tannery business in his home town during the off-season, his calm and cool demeanor resulted in his being labeled the "Chicoutimi Cucumber."

During his rookie year, 1910-11, Vezina led the NHA in his goals-against average, a feat he duplicated in his sophomore campaign. In 1914 he led the Canadiens to a first-place finish in the NHA standings, though they lost the league championship series that year to the Stanley Cup-winning Toronto Blueshirts. Two years later, his superior netminding skills enabled Montreal to win another NHA regular-season crown and the first Stanley Cup triumph in the club's history. The Canadiens emerged victorious from a memorable five-game set against the PCHA champion Portland Rosebuds in a series that represented the first of many appearances in the Stanley Cup finals for the Canadiens and the inaugural one by an American team.

Despite Vezina's heroics, Montreal lost the sacred silverware to the powerful Seattle Metropolitans the following year and the Washington State team became the first Stanley Cup winner from south of the border. Two years later, in the fateful rematch that was eventually canceled by the influenza epidemic, the normally quiescent Vezina was described as being high-strung. It was a portent of the goaltending showdown that was about to take place between the Habs star and the legendary Harry "Hap" Holmes of Seattle. The Canadiens entered the inaugural NHL schedule in 1917-18 with Vezina as one of their pillars. He topped all NHL goalkeepers in his goals-against average that year and again in 1924 and 1925.

Vezina's heroics were a vital component of the Canadiens' second Stanley Cup championship in 1924. He stymied the Ottawa Senators in the NHL playoffs before helping Montreal overcome the challenges of Vancouver and Calgary of the PCHA and the Western Canada Hockey League respectively. In the regular season, he led all NHL netminders in his goals-against average, ending a five-year dominance by the great Clint Benedict.

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Vezina was an outstanding final line of defence for the bleu, blanc, rouge. He led the Canadiens to a first-place finish in 1917-18, and had the fewest goals against once again.

"The Chicoutimi Cucumber," known for his relaxed style in a tense game, was one of the game's early great goaltenders. But you probably already know that since the memory of Georges Vezina is forever etched in hockey history, as his name perpetuates the trophy annually awarded to the NHL's outstanding goaltender.

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In the era when goaltenders were prohibited from falling on the ice to stop or cover the puck, Vezina bravely stood tall in his net blocking shots during his brilliant 15 years from 1910 to 1925, playing in 328 consecutive games. With Vezina in net, the Canadiens won two NHA championships (the NHA was a forerunner to the NHL), three NHL regular season titles and two Stanley Cups.

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Vezina was said to be instrumental in the Canadiens very first Stanley Cup championship.

GEORGES VEZINA PLAYED 16 SEASONS WITH THE CANADIENS, BACKSTOPPING THE THE TEAM TO THE FRANCHISE’S FIRST-EVER STANLEY CUP, IN 1916.

Nicknamed “The Chicoutimi Cucumber” for his unflappable calm under fire, Georges Vézina, hockey’s original superstar goaltender, first attracted attention from the Canadiens when he backstopped his amateur team to a shutout over the Montreal squad, in town for an exhibition game.

Signed by the Habs in time for the 1910-11 season, Vézina led the National Hockey Association in goals-against average in his first two years in the league. In 1913-14 and 1915-16, the Canadiens finished atop the NHA standings, serving notice that they were a team to be reckoned with.

Vézina’s standout play, beginning in an era when goaltenders were forbidden to drop to the ice at the risk of a penalty, was instrumental in the Canadiens’ first Stanley Cup Championship, a best of three series they took from the Portland Rosebuds in 1916.

By the time the NHL began operations in the fall of 1917, the quiet, seemingly easy-going Vézina had established himself as the preeminent goaltender of his time. He led the new league’s netminders three times in goals-against average.

24. Georges Vezina: 'The Chicoutimi Cucumber' earned his nickname by being poised and collected in net in crucial games.

He played 328 consecutive regular-season games and 39 straight postseason games for the Canadiens, a stoic presence who performed in an almost nonchalant manner. As one hockey writer of the day put it, "He has a calmness not of this world."

Author Andy O'Brien, who watched the Canadiens for over seven decades, recalled in his book "Fire-Wagon Hockey" seeing Vezina play against the Toronto St. Pats and their star winger, Walter "Babe" Dye, a frequent 30-goal man who would lead the NHL in that 1924-25 season with 38. "Babe Dye, owner of a shot, the violence of which wasn't duplicated until Bobby Hull came on the scene 33 years later, got a breakaway down the centre alley," O'Brien wrote. "Vezina remained upright as a statue. At about 30 feet out, Dye leaned on one; only Vezina's left arm moved as he picked off the puck with almost disdainful ease."

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Skilled at deflecting pucks into the crowd to slow the opposition's momentum, he had an upright style of playing shooters that was a holdover from the game's original rules, which prohibited goalies from deliberately dropping to the ice to stop shots. Some goalies became adept at "accidentally" falling while making saves to avoid punishment, but not Vezina, the enthusiast for rules and fair play. He insisted on playing his position with integrity. The rule changed when the NHL began, but Vezina never changed his style, and his average dropped along with the rest.

Vezina's modesty was just one of the marks of his greatness. He was a superb sportsman, neither boastful in victory nor complaining in defeat. Although his spoken English was poor and conversational skills were modest, his presence commanded respect. He was the spiritual leader of the original Flying Frenchmen.

Vezina's coolness on the ice earned him the handle "The Chicoutimi Cucumber." He stood erect in the cage and was blessed with lightning-quick reflexes and a knack for stickhandling uncommon among the keepers of his day. When the pressure around Vezina's net intensified, he would often deflect the puck over the glass. And because he played on offensively oriented clubs, it was not uncommon to see him playing keep-away with an enemy checker until a teammate came to his aid.

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Georges Vezina turned in some great performances behind teams not known for their defensive abilities.

Vezina seemed to onlookers to be deflecting pucks with the grace and insouciance of a symphony conductor.

Vézina was a pale, narrow-featured fellow, almost frail-looking, yet remarkably good with his stick. He'd pick off more shots with it than he did with his glove. He stood upright in the net and scarcely ever left his feet; he simply played all his shots in a standing position. He always wore a toque—a small, knitted hat with no brim in Montreal colours – bleu, blanc et rouge. I also remember him as the coolest man I ever saw, absolutely imperturbable.

Much of the Canadiens' first Stanley Cup victory could be attributed to goalkeeper George Vezina. The 29-year-old goalie surrendered 13 goals for a 2.60 average, well below a typical number of the time.

 

[Dreakmur]

Drew Doughty !!!


Awards and Achievements:
2 x Stanley Cup Champion (2012, 2014)
2 x Olympic Gold Medalist (2010, 2014)
World Cup Champion (2016)

Norris Trophy Winner (2016)
2 x First Team All-Star (2016, 2018)
2 x Second Team All-Star (2010, 2015)

Olympic All-Star (2014)

Norris voting - 1st(2016), 2nd(2015), 2nd(2018), 3rd(2010), 6th(2014), 7th(2017), 9th(2013), 10th(2011)
All-Star voting - 1st(2016), 1st(2018), 3rd(2010), 3rd(2015), 6th(2014), 7th(2017) 9th(2013), 12th(2011)

PHWA Mid-Season Norris Runner-up (2018)
PHWA Mid-Season "Best Defensive Defenseman" (2018)

Offensive Accomplishments:
Points among Defensemen- 3rd(2010), 7th(2018), 9th(2016), 14th(2015), 16th(2017), 16th(2021), 18th(2019)

Play-off Points - 5th(2012), 6th(2014)
Play-off Assists - 1st(2012), 4th(2014)
Playoff Points among Defensemen - 1st(2012), 1st(2014)
Play-off Points per Game - 1st(2010), 2nd(2012), 8th(2014), 9th(2011)

Olympic Points - 5th(2014)
Olympic Points among Defensemen - 2nd(2010)
World Cup Points among Defensemen - 8th(2016)
World Championship Points among Defensemen - 4th(2009)

5-Year Peak: 2010 to 12014
8th in Points among Defensemen, 82% of 2nd place Erik Karlsson​

​

14th in Play-off Points, 73% of 2nd place Jonathan Toews
1st in Play-off Points among Defensemen, 104% of 2nd place Duncan Keith

10-Year Peak: 2009 to 2018
6th in Points among Defensemen, 92% of 2nd place Duncan Keith

5th in Play-off Points among Defensemen, 77% of 2nd place Kris Letang


Scoring Percentages:
Points among Defensemen - 100(2010), 90(2018), 79(2017), 77(2015), 76(2016), 72(2021), 69(2013), 68(2012), 65(2011), 61(2014), 61(2019), 56(2020), 42(2009)

6 Best Seasons: 494

NHLPA Player Polls:
2018
2nd Most Difficult Defenseman to Play Against

2019
2nd Best Defenseman
2nd Best Trash Talker
2nd Funniest Player

2020
4th Best Defenseman
2nd Best Trash Talker
2nd Worst Trash Talker
2nd Funniest Player

2021
4th Best Defenseman

Ice Time:
League-Wide Time on Ice - 1st(2018), 1st(2021), 2nd(2015), 2nd(2017), 2nd(2019), 2nd(2020), 3rd(2016), 4th(2013), 5th(2011), 7th(2014), 12th(2010), 12th(2012)


Team Time on Ice - 1st(2009), 1st(2010), 1st(2011), 1st(2012), 1st(2013), 1st(2014), 1st(2015), 1st(2016) 1st(2017), 1st(2018), 1st(2019), 1st(2020), 1st(2021)
Team ES TOI - 1st(2009), 1st(2010), 1st(2011) 1st(2012), 1st(2013), 1st(2014), 1st(2015), 1st(2016), 1st(2017), 1st(2018), 1st(2019), 1st(2020), 1st(2021)
Team SH TOI - 1st(2017), 1st(2018), 1st(2019), 1st(2020), 1st(2021), 2nd(2015), 2nd(2016), 3rd(2009), 3rd(2013) 4th(2010), 4th(2011), 4th(2012), 4th(2014)
Team PP TOI - 1st(2009), 1st(2010), 1st(2011), 1st(2013), 1st(2014), 1st(2015), 1st(2016), 1st(2017), 1st(2018), 1st(2019), 1st(2020), 1st(2021), 2nd(2012)

Doughty has led his team in ice time every season he entered the league, and often by wide margins
2009: +2:51
2010: +2:22
2011: +2:27
2012: +2:23
2013: +4:05
2014: +3:25
2015: +5:48
2016: +4:58
2017: +4:51
2018: +4:00
2019: +5:04
2020: +4:45
2021: +5:12

3. Drew Doughty: The best player on the most successful teams in the history of this franchise Doughty is full marks for his lofty ranking. Even though he has won just one Norris Trophy, Doughty has been an elite defenseman since the day he entered the NHL.

Ranked #14 (2nd defenseman)

Doughty is not just the best young defenseman in the game today he's one of the best in the NHL period. His poise with the puck, mobility and ability to create offense have become his collective calling card. His status will grow as his game develops physically and defensively.

After just two NHL campaigns, Doughty is an elite player. Last year, he finished third among all NHL rearguards in points (59), while pacing LA in average ice time (24:58/game) and finished second on the squad in plus/minus rating (plus-20). He also piles up hits and blocked shots. The 20-year-old rearguard is simply amazing.

Ranked #23 (5th defenseman)

Ever since junior, when he could thread himself through a whole team en route to a highlight-reel goal, Doughty has been a swashbuckling offensive defenseman. He dazzled with 59 points as a 20-year old NHL sophomore in 2009-10. Skating is a big part of his success.

Ranked #10 (2nd defenseman)

The Norris Trophy engraver is still patiently waiting for Doughty to emerge, but he shouldn't have to wait much longer. Doughty's physical and defensive games have improved leaps and bounds but not at the expense of his ability to jump into the play and spring forwards with pinpoint passes.

Ranked #2 (1st defenseman)

The best player for the best team in the Olympics and the best player on the best team in the playoffs rockets up our list. The Kings have had internal meetings about Doughty and have determined there isn't a player in the NHL for whom they would trade him.

Ranked #8 (3rd defenseman)

No team had better possession stats than the Kings did with Doughty on the ice. And no team had near the shot attempts the Kings had with Doughty. Shockingly last season was just the second time he has been a Norris finalist. Not sure what more he has to do to win one, but if he keeps doing it, he'll get one.

 

[ResilientBeast]

Sweeney Schriner

405 points in 484 games played
29 points in 59 games played, x2 Stanley Cup winner (1942, 1945)

Hart Trophy Voting: 3rd (1936)
All-Star Team Voting: 1st in 1936, 2nd in 1937, 2nd in 1941, 3rd in 1939, 4th in 1938, 4th in 1945
Calder Trophy winner (1935)
Two-time Art Ross Trophy winner (1936, 1937)

6x Top 10 in Points (1st in 1936, 1st in 1937, 2nd in 1939, 7th in 1938, 8th in 1935, 10th in 1941)
5x Top 10 in Goals (2nd in 1941, 4th in 1936, 4th in 1937, 4th in 1938, 7th in 1941)
3x Top 10 in Assists (2nd in 1936, 3rd in 1937, 3rd in 1939)

7 Year VsX - 91.3
10 Year VsX - 79.7
7 Year VsX For Goals - 44.3
10 Year VsX For Goals - 39.6
7 Year VsX For Assists - 57.1
10 Year VsX For Assists - 49.4

New Quotes
Toronto Daily Star: 28 Oct 1939

Tiny Thompson rates "Sweeney" Schriner with Bill Cook as the two toughest guys to stop as far as putting the puck in the net....that's a good plug for our new Leaf because Bill Cook was some hockey player...

Toronto Daily Star: 25 Mar 1936

Dave "Sweeney Schriner might well be called a great money player." He's been called just about everything else what with being choisen on the NHL allstar team aside from leading the league in scoring this season.

He earned the monicked here last night when he scored two goals in the opening period of the playoff game to lead Americans to a 3-0 shutout victory over Chicago Black Hawks. Schiner starred at all times

Toronto Daily Star: 13 Feb 1939

Mr. Schriner scored a pay-off goal last night when he ripped a shot into the Detroit twine to give the Amerks a 1-0 win over the Red Wings. It ended a six game slump for the Americans. Find the players who score the important goals in hockey and you have the real stars.

Toronto Daily Star: 22 Mar 1937

One of the hockey horses that was running well back of the leaders as the field turned off the back stretch turned on a closing burst of speed to clinch scoring honours of the NHL for the second year in succession.

Thus Dave "Sweeny" Schriner left win ace with the almost abandoned Americans duplicated the feat of Charlie Conacher who won the scoring title in the years 1945 and 1935."

Toronto Daily Star: 19 May 1939

That super smoothie of the ice lands Sweeney Schriner, will do his goal scoring for the Conny Smythe's Maple Leafs this coming winter. The Calgary born star comes to the leafs in a four for one, one of the biggest swaps of the past several seasons. Harvey "Busher" Jackson, Jimmy Fowler, Buzz Boll and Doc Rommes are the Toronto players who are now Americans as the result of a long rumored trade.

Jackson, Romnes and Boll go out right. Fowler leaves with a $7,500 option label on him.

The canny Schriner has been one of the biggest headaches in the every day routine of National Hockey League goalies for several years.

Toronto Daily Star: 11 Mar 1939

(Toe) Blake thinks Schriner has good chance of forging into the lead in the few games that the NHL schedule still has to run. But he also considers Bill Cowley of the Bruins and Clint Smith of the Rangers as "dark horses"
.....
"It's different with Schriner, Smith and Cowley. They just go out and play as wide open as they like."

New York Times: 31 Dec 1939

The Leafs' new stat line of Pep Kelly, Sweeny Schriner and Murph Chamberlain rushed in three goals and outplayed any combination thrown against them.

Quotes from Rob Scuderi's Bio from 2013

"He was the best left winger I ever saw. That includes everybody - Frank Mahovlich, Busher Jackson, Bobby Hull, everybody."

Those were the words of Conn Smythe, one of hockey's greatest architects, used to describe Dave "Sweeney" Schriner.

Although Schriner is not as well remembered as other great players of his era, Smythe just might have been right.

The New York Americans were a woefully weak team, but Schriner quickly developed as the team's brightest and on most nights lone star. He would win the Calder Trophy as the NHL rookie of the year in 1935, and lead the NHL in scoring in 1936 and again in 1937.

In the summer of 1939, Schriner was traded in a mammoth deal designed to give the Americans the depth they needed to become a better team, and to give Toronto a super star. Toronto traded Buzz Boll, Doc Romnes, Jim Fowler, Murray Armstrong and former super star Busher Jackson to New York all for Schriner.

Schriner enjoyed playing for the Leafs. The team offered him stability and a supporting cast, and allowed him to thrive without having to be the one-man-show of years past. He would continue to be a top scorer while the Leafs, although was never quite as in explosive fashion that he was known for in New York.

Toronto Maple Leafs Legends: Sweeney Schriner

Sweeney was a big man, a fast skater and very nimble in his play. He played hard and his penalty record is surprisingly low considering his size.

Rarely does a recruit to the major league hockey in his first year among the big-time battlers steal the goal scoring thunder of veterans. That, however, is just what David Schriner, New York Americans' stellar rookie, is doing. Schriner is a big, husky, aggressive lad, standing over six feet high and weighs 183 pounds, and so far has been a standout among the season's rookies.

There is an impression rapidly gaining ground hereabouts that New York Americans...have the greatest left wingman in the business. Dave "Sweeney" Schriner...is just that and nothing else in the opinion of his coach, Joe Simpson, and another keen judge of talent, Frank Fredrickson...

"Why next year? asked Bullet Joe. "Right now he is a shade better than Jackson and that means better than anybody else as his position in the league. He is a deadly shot, is more elusive than Jackson, a better backchecker and every bit as good if not better puck carrier. They say our team has improved 5 percent over last year. I think it has shown even greater improvement than that. And there is but one answer, Sweeney, of course.

"The kid has everything," said Fredrickson. "I could harp on his good points, and yes the one or two almost weaknesses he has for hours, but I think his record speaks for itself. He was just what you might call a raw graduate when he joined the Americans. It took a few games to polish off the rough spots and another few for him to really find himself. Then what does he go out and do? Why nothing much but jump up into third place amongst the league's leading scorers. If he isn't the best at his business today he soon will be."

The Calgary Daily Herald - Google News Archive Search

Although it's anybody's race right now, there seems to be a good chance for Dave (Sweeney) Schriner, the clever left winger of the New York Americans, to win the National Hockey League's individual scoring crown for the third time...Schriner is up in a four-way tie for the lead in the current race.

What's more, Schriner's position demonstrates his versatility. When he won the title in 1936 and 1937, he was on the receiving end of a lot of brilliant passes from Art Chapman. This season he's doing the passing himself, collecting 22 of his 32 points so far on assists. He's the league's leading playmaker.

The Day - Google News Archive Search &hl=en

A feature continued to be the advance of Dave "Sweeney" Schriner, the year's outstanding rookie to date, who is pacing New York Americans and taken over third place in the Canadian Section with 17 points, seven goals and 10 assists.

The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search

Dave Schriner, prize rookie of the National Hockey League last season, has proved himself no flash in the pan. Pacing the New York Americans to their first playoff series in eight years. Schriner compiled forty-five points to lead the circuit in scoring.

Rochester Journal - Google News Archive Search

Only Toronto's big bomber, Charlie Conacher, and young David Sweeney Schriner, of New York Americans, barely out of the rookie class, represent the non-veterans [on the all-star team].

http://news.google.ca/newspapers?id=jn8tAAAAIBAJ&sjid=I5kFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6642,2625963

Schriner played in the Howie Morenz Memorial Game representing the National League All-Stars

New York players, on the other hand, shone for the All-Stars as far as scoring was concerned...Sweeney Schriner and Art Chapman of the Americans were scorers...

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=er8tAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HpkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6393,416726

Schriner's left-winging has been a standout all season and his showing made up for a mediocre first year with Toronto Leafs after seasons with Americans of New York had him tabled as one of the big stars of the league.

The Calgary Herald - Google News Archive Search

Sweeney Schriner, hero of Toronto's Stanley Cup victory....

There was that ear-splitting roar when Schriner tied it up on a rather sloppy goal...Then Schriner again on a blistering shot to cinch it all.

Finally came the announcement that Sweeney Schriner was star No. 1, which award met with unanimous approval.

The Leader-Post - Google News Archive Search

Schriner said yesterday it was the game he missed since jumping to professional ranks in 1933-34 when he moved from Calgary amateur ranks to Syracuse, only season he spent in the minor pro leagues. The Syracuse stay was followed by five seasons with the New York Americans, during which he led the league in scoring two seasons. Leafs bought him from the Americans this year. It was decided to rest Schriner for a game following a tilt against Detroit here Sunday...Sweeney says he had no hopes of setting an "iron-man" record.

The Calgary Herald - Google News Archive Search

And so it may be taken for granted that an Apps-Drillon-Schriner trio on the attack will land a lot of goals for Conn Smythe, but who will do the backchecking for that proposed line with be Conny's worry if he sends them out in that order. All three can move smartly on the goal, but hockey is still a two-way game - the other side must be stopped as well.

The Calgary Herald - Google News Archive Search

Schriner, fractured toe in a cast and wearing oversize skates, returned to National Hockey League wars last night in Toronto and led the Leafs to a 4-2 victory over Montreal Canadiens. Schriner scored two goals.

The Calgary Herald - Google News Archive Search

Dave (Sweeney) Schriner, left wing ace, returned to action after one year's absence to highlight the Toronto win over Rangers. Schriner, ever a dangerous sniper, potted both Leaf goals to delight 13,000 fans.

The Maple Leaf - Google News Archive Search

Whose year in retirement from hockey had no ill effects on his ability to get the puck in the net. Schriner, back with the Toronto Maple Leafs for his 11th season of National League play, scored two goals on Saturday and three on Sunday as the Leafs upset the Rangers an Black Hawks, respectively.

news.google.com/newspapers?id=Khc_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=Ek8MAAAAIBAJ&pg=5994,1675036

Schriner himself, the big number 11 on his back, glided around the ice in the effortless fashion that tabled him the smoothie of all smoothies.

The Calgary Herald - Google News Archive Search

Playoffs
1936 (5 GP): 13th in points (6 behind Buzz Boll), 2nd on team (1 behind Joe Jerwa); 2nd in goals (4 behind Boll), 1st on team; only 1 assist
1938 (6 GP): only 1 point 9th on team; only 1 goal 5th on team
1939 (2 GP): scoreless, Americans were shutout in both games with Schriner getting a misconduct penalty for high-sticking Reg Hamilton in Game 2
1940 (9 GP): 10th in points (5 behind Phil Watson and Neil Colville), 3rd on team (3 points behind Apps); only 1 goal; 5th in assists (4 behind Colville), 1st on team (tied with Metz, Gus Marker, Bob Davidson, and Pete Langelle)
1941 (7 GP): 26th in points (8 behind Milt Schmidt), 4th on team (4 behind Nick Metz); 11th in goals (4 behind Eddie Wiseman), 4th on team (1 behind Syl Apps, Gordie Drillon, Metz); only 1 assist
1942 (13 GP): 6th in points (5 behind Apps), 4th on team; 2nd in goals (2 behind Don Grosso), 1st on team (1 ahead of Apps); 12th in assists (6 behind Apps), 5th on team
1943 (4 GP); 18th in points (10 points behind Carl Liscombe), 2nd on team (2 points behind Bud Poile); 16th in goals (4 behind Carl Liscombe), 2nd on team (1 behind Mel Hill); 16th in assists (7 beind Flash Hollett), 2nd on team (2 behind Bud Poile)
1945 (13 GP): 18th in points (7 behind Joe Carveth), 4th on team (5 behind Ted Kennedy)

[1936](Round 1, Game 1)On their record they appeared to have little chance against Chicago. However, they staggered the bookmakers and other experts by downing the Hawks 3-0 in the opener. Little Roy Worters played brilliantly to get his shutout. Dave Schriner scored within two minutes of the start and later added another with the assistance of Art Chapman.
(Round 1, Game 2)Sweeney Schriner also played a remarkable game doing double duty.

[1941](Round 1, Game 2)Syl Apps scored three goals and he and Sweeney Schriner were the stars.

[1942](Round 1, Game 4)The scoring leader Bryan Hextall finally converted for a goal but it wasn't enough to overcome goals by the scintillating Apps and Schriner.

[1943](Round 1, Game 4)Sweeney Schriner, who had bruised his wrist in the first game, was back and revitalized the Leafs.
(Round 1, Game 6)Detroit led 2-1 until thirteen seconds from the end of the match when Sweeney Schriner tied the score.

[1945](Round 1, Game6)However, the Leafs backed up by the superb goaling of Frank McCool and the great play of veteran Sweeney Schriner, eliminated the Montrealers in a closely-fought game...
(Round 2, Game 1)Sweeney Schriner scored for Toronto in the first period, and from there it was a great struggle.

Like many NHLers, Schriner did not play during the 1943-44 season but unlike most he was not part of the armed forces. Schriner retired taking the year off, and had a serious habit of "retiring" in his 30s.

Veteran athletes are forever announcing their retirements, only to retract those announcements later. You had a sample of that last spring in the case of Sweeney Schriner, the Maple Leaf hockey player. We asked Dick Irvin for some illumination on this point.

"Sweeney was probably all tuckered out at the end of the season," said Dick, "and suffering from nervous exhaustion. He thinks at the moment that he never wants to play the game again. Then he has a good rest all summer and his nerves become healthy again. He begins to think playing hockey isn't such a bad way to make a living after all. It's as simple as that."

news.google.com/newspapers?id=RQMuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wZgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5420,2228286

This was an article written as a career retrospective, little did the author know it was a few years early

At the peak of his hockey playing career Dave (Sweeney) Schriner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, returned to Calgary yesterday to surprise a welcoming gathering with the announcement that he was retiring as an active player.

"I made up my mind before the Stanley Cup series," he said, "and the main reason is because I find it impossible to make the weight. I can't get down to 190 any more and that's where I play my best hockey."

Always a Star
Schriner broke into the pro game in a blaze of glory closed out his career in similar starry fashion he led the Leafs to victory over Detroit Red Wings in the final game for the Stanley Cup.

Continuing his sensational play with a club that was always in the lower bracket, Schriner won the league's scoring championship in 1935-36 and 1936-37...In both instances his assists bulked larger than his goals.

Because of illness he had a mediocre first season after joining the [Leafs] and failed to show the form that made him a standout with the Americans. He his peak the following year, 1940-41, and teamed with Billy Taylor to form one of the most effective two-man passing combinations in the league.

"Sweeney did a swell job during the past season and were the best of friends when he left for home," Selke said...Schriner, a star in the Leafs' victory over Detroit for the Stanley Cup, received a bonus of $1,000 for his season's work.

news.google.com/newspapers?id=dDpkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EXwNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1083,2796931

June Is Here So Sweeney Schriner Is Back With "Annual" Retirement

Ho hum! It's June and Sweeney Schriner announces his retirement again. Every year about this time the veteran National Hockey Leaguers says he will not return to Toronto Maple Leafs - will hang up his skates. This time his is reported to have said the retirement is definite: that his trick knee has ended his hockey career; that he has a good job in Calgary and will stay will it.

news.google.com/newspapers?id=DvouAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8tsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4076,3687371

The league's "Retiring Club" has many members who retire every spring or so but always look at things differently by the next fall.

Mr. Sweeney Schriner of Toronto Leafs, for example, carries it to the extent of retiring each and every March, and announcing that it is all null and void each September. They don't all retire quite as consistently as Mr. Schriner, but it is quite a large club.

news.google.com/newspapers?id=esY6AAAAIBAJ&sjid=SyoMAAAAIBAJ&pg=695,12656489

Oh Sweeney

Schriner on behalf of himself and Carr said last night that they weren't ready for retirement. "If some other club wants me for next season I'll be Available Jones and I'm sure Lorne feels the same way about it.

"We've signed voluntary retirement papers with the Leafs but Conn Smythe has assured us the Toronto Club won't stand in our way if we get a chance to play next season with another NHL team.

news.google.com/newspapers?id=ESI_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=wk8MAAAAIBAJ&pg=4348,4404470

Big, easy-going Dave (Sweeney) Schriner, who moments before was shaking off sentiment by matching repartee with fleeting well-wishers, or joking as he autographed a collector's book, became serious and direct as he voiced a farewell of a treasured guest who, knowing his time had run out, lingered over departure.

"It's time now for older legs to make way in this game that's becoming increasingly a young man's business," said Schriner who at 34 is a year younger than Carr. "The day of the stickhandler is past," added the man whom NHL observers have classed among the trickiest of all time.

Both got a great thrill upon reaching the 200-goal mark this season...Schriner, needing 12 when the season started, bagged it in the closing weeks, adding one more for a lifetime total of 201 and 205 assists.

"I wanted to get the 200th in Toronto but it came in Boston," Sweeney said. "I got the thrill of my life anyway when the crowd cheered as hard as if I was one of the their Bruins. That's what I'll miss most. Sure, I know it's a business. But it lifts a guy right out of himself to hear 16,000 people yelling his name like that."

news.google.com/newspapers?id=e5JjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QXoNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4494,1760247

Veterans like Sweeney Schriner, Lorne Carr and Bob Davidson retired from active participation at the end of the season. Waivers have been asked on Schriner and Carr, just in case they do decide to play some more...

news.google.com/newspapers?id=RcpTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jjgNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4478,293696

A couple of guys in Calgary told Dave (Sweeney) Schriner that the Western Canada Hockey League is as good as a professional loop. Sweeney disagreed and now at 37 he is riding the crest of a great comeback, just to prove he was right.

Getting bald, and a little bulgy in spots, the man who retired from the National Hockey League three years ago, probably is the western circuit's most dangerous man around the net. Wednesday night he was up to his old tricks. Congratulated after the game for his two goals...Both times he was parked just outside the crease and merely deflected passes behind Keith Woodall in the Edmonton net.

..."I wanted to prove to a couple of guys in Calgary that I could still play in this league." Did he mean the WCHL is not close to professional hockey in quality? Sweeney replied: "Not in my book."

Nobody could ever accuse Schriner of wasting energy, and now that he's older, he's more cagey than ever. But Sweeney can still get into high gear quickly when there is a scoring opportunity. Schriner has been one of the most-feared men on a hard driving team...He was 14th among point getters over the regular schedule with 26 goals and 27 assists for 53 points although he played only 36 games. In seven playoff games he has beaten opposing goalers seven times.

news.google.com/newspapers?id=cjRkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AHwNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2186,2788957

 

[Dreakmur]

Alexander Maltsev !!!

International Awards and Achievements:
2 x Olympic Gold Medalist (1972, 1976)
9 x World Championship Gold Medalist (1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1981, 1983)
Canada Cup Champion (1981)

Canada Cup All-Star (1976)
IIHF Best Forward (1970, 1972, 1981)
IIHF All-Star (1970, 1971, 1972, 1978, 1981)

International Scoring Accomplishments:
Olympic Points - 1st(1976), 7th(1972)
Olympic Goals - 2nd(1976), 6th(1980), 8th(1972)
Olympic Assists - 3rd(1976), 9th(1972)

Canada Cup Points - 7th(1976)
Canada Cup Goals - 9th(1976)
Canada Cup Assists - 6th(1976)

World Championship Points - 1st(1970), 1st(1972), 3rd(1971), 3rd(1981), 4th(1978), 7th(1969), 9th(1975), 10th(1973), 10th(1974)
World Championship Goals - 1st(1970), 2nd(1971), 4th(1972), 5th(1981), 8th(1973), 8th(1975), 9th(1969), 10th(1974)
World Championship Assists - 1st(1972), 2nd(1978), 2nd(1981), 3rd(1971), 4th(1969), 4th(1977), 5th(1970), 10th(1975)

Summit Series Points - 9th(1972)
Summit Series Goals - 3rd(1974)
Summit Series Assists - 2nd(1972)

Domestic Awards and Achievements:
USSR MVP (1972)
USSR All-Star (1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1978, 1980, 1981)

MVP voting - 1st(1972), 2nd(1970), 2nd(1981), 3rd(1971), 4th(1974), 4th(1976), 4th(1978), 4th(1980), 6th(1977), 8th(1973), 8th(1975)

Domestic Scoring Accomplishments:
Points - 1st(1971), 2nd(1974), 3rd(1976), 3rd(1977), 5th(1973), 7th(1972), *8th(1969), *9th(1970), 11th(1975), 11th(1981)
Goals - 2nd(1971), 2nd(1974), 2nd(1977), 4th(1976), 7th(1972), 8th(1969), 9th(1970)
Assists - 1st(1971), 2nd(1974), 3rd(1977), 3rd(1980), 4th(1981), 5th(1973), 5th(1976), 7th(1972), 7th(1975)

*1969 and 1970 incomplete assist totals

Scoring Percentages:
Points - 108(1971), 100(1974), 94(1977), 92(1976), 80(1970), 80(1973), 74(1972), 69(1981), 67(1975), 65(1969), 64(1980), 58(1978), 58(1982), 51(1983)

6 Best Seasons: 554

Team Scoring:
Points - 1st(1969), 1st(1970), 1st(1971), 1st(1972), 1st(1973), 1st(1974), 1st(1975), 1st(1976), 1st(1977), 1st(1981), 1st(1982)

Percentages - 181(1974), 168(1970), 151(1971), 148(1975), 138(1973), 131(1976), 126(1977), 121(1982), 111(1972), 108(1981), 104(1969)

Maltsev was a bit of a rarity in Soviet hockey. While he was a leading player on the National Team, he played with Dynamo Moscow in the Soviet League as opposed to the Red Army team. The Red Army always served as the Russian's national team and most national team members also would skate with the Big Red Machine during the Soviet League schedule. Maltsev was one of the few players who was able to play elsewhere during the season.

....

Maltsev was "born to be a hockey player," and it showed. He loved to be on the ice, even if it was just practice. He was said to be "out of sorts" when away from the rink, anxious to get back to it. He seemed to crave the attention he could generate with his game. Retirement from the game was said to be extremely tough for him.

Alexander Maltsev is one of the all time greats in Russian hockey. And he made a favorable impression on Team Canada stars in 1972. Along with Vladislav Tretiak, Alexander Yakushev, Boris Mikhailov and Valeri Kharlamov, speedy Maltsev was a most-often named player who impressed the Canadians.

Maltsev teamed with CCCP's most dangerous individual player, Valeri Kharlamov. He was a set up man for Kharlamov who was the trigger man. His five assists tied him for second on the Series' assist list. When Kharlamov scored his two goals in game one to shock the Canadians and take a demanding lead, Maltsev, was the guy who set him up.

Although Maltsev did not score a goal in the entire tournament, he managed to impress Canadians.

The only Dynamo player to win the most valuable player award in Soviet hockey history was Maltsev. He did in 1972. In both league and international play, he would score a total of 484 goals in 15 seasons. The number ranks him fifth in all-time scoring for both categories behind Mikhailov, Petrov, Starshinov, and Makarov.

....

He remembers, in particular, the prototype new Soviet star, Alexander Maltsev. Maltsev was brashly superior this evening and, when the game had dwindled down to the last few seconds, Dryden, pouring with sweat, fixed his eyes on the face-off circle and saw Maltsev standing there like an Adonis, so fresh he could go another 60 minutes. The Russian caught Dryden's look and, with a conquering air, levelled a delicate but telling broadside: He winked at him.

....

Maltsev, the powerball who was seldom heard from in the press made the trip. He said the Soviets were looking to have some of that North American "self-sacrifice and desire to win" rub off n them. With this in mind, the Russians had changed their domestic-league rules in 1972 to allow bodychecking anywhere on the ice.

Alexander Malstev is one of the brightest stars in the history of Soviet and international hockey. Throughout his hockey career, Maltsev was an advocate of the so-called "creative hockey". His talents included fascinating 1-on-1 skills and uncanny puck handling, very stylish and speedy skating, fast decision making on ice and incredible tactical sense of the game. He was a master of magnificent improvisations on ice. Being very strong individually, Maltsev was also a team player. He was famous for being able to play successfully in any forward position based on the needs of the national team.

#7 Alexander Golikov-Alexander Maltsev-Vladimir Golikov
Team USSR and Dynamo Moscow
Late 1970s

One of all time best Soviet forwards, Maltsev was a terrific universal player. For years, he played different positions with different linemates on the Team USSR roster. No one had doubts about his fascinating one-on-one skills, playmaking and scoring talent. In the late 1970s, he finally got a short-lived but solid line with the Golikovs brothers from his Dynamo Moscow club. Vladimir was an excellent two-way player with impressive defensive performance. Alexander was more of an offensive forward and a distinct scoring talent.

Alexander Maltsev's playe was disappointing and the reason was clear. He seemed intimidated by strong bodychecks delivered by the Canadians.

He was a smooth athlete, very smooth stride, he moved the puck well.

I played head-to-head against Maltsev through a lot of that series, and he was a tough son-of-a-bitch to play against. When it was all over, I thought, ‘Man, that’s a hockey player.’

 

[Voight]

Adam Oates

Awards and Achievements:
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2012
1990-1991 Second All-Star Team
100 Greatest NHL Players, 2017
7th All Time, Assists & Assists Per Game

Hart voting - 4th(1993), 12th(1994)

All-Star voting - 2nd(1991), 4th(1993), 4th(1994), 7th(1990), 8th(2002), 10th(1998), 11th(2001)

Selke voting - 4th(2000), 10th(1993), 19th(1998), 20th(1997)

Offensive Achievements:

Points - 3rd(1991), 3rd(1993), 3rd(1994), 7th(2002), 10th(1990), 10th(1992), 10th(1995)

Assists - 1st(1993), 1st(2001), 1st(2002), 2nd(1991), 2nd(2000), 3rd(1990), 3rd(1994), 4th(1992), 4th(1995), 5th(1998), 6th(1997), 7th(1989)


5 Year Peak: 1989 to 1994
2nd in Points, 92% of 1st place Wayne Gretzky
39th in Goals, 58% of 2nd place Luc Robitaille
2nd in Assists, 93% of 1st place Wayne Gretzky


10 Year Peak: 1989 to 1999
2nd in Points, 90% of 1st place Wayne Gretzky
49th in Goals, 84% of 2nd place Luc Robitaille
2nd in Assists, 91% of 1st place Wayne Gretzky

He ranks 6th all time in career assists , His career assists per game ratio of 0.81 is only outdone by Peter Forsberg (0.90), Sidney Crosby (0.89), Bobby Orr (0.98), Mario Lemieux (1.13) and Gretzky (1.32).

Oates is the only player to have centered three 50 goal scorers

He is the only player in history to have centered TWO players that scored 50 in 50

Oates puck handling and distributing skills, as well as his sure hands, have made him the second-best passer of his time and the player most commonly compared with the best, Wayne Gretzky. Like other on-ice visionaries, Oates changes speeds and uses subtle shifts in movement and positioning to put defenders off balance. He became an NHL star because of his impeccable passing skills, uncanny ability to anticipate plays and outstanding on-ice vision. He was at times unselfish almost to a fault. But he was far from a one dimensional player. In fact, he was an underrated defensive center and was particularly utilized on the penalty kill or when there was a defensive zone face-off late in the game. His defensive awareness made him invaluable as it would allow his coaches to go head to head with the other team's big line without fear

As far as I'm concerned, he's the second best playmaking center behind Wayne Gretzky in hockey.

Oates credited Bruins teammate Ray Bourque for making him devote more attention to the defensive end of the ice, something he also thinks will help him in coaching the Capitals.

He made me a better player, just because he made me more involved in the whole game, just wanting to, Oates said. He never said anything to me. Just playing with him, it rubs off and I wanted to be [like] Ray more. The centerman is the only player on the team that is involved in all four corners all the time.

It was in St. Louis where Oates really found the range. He was installed on the first line alongside another recent trade acquisition, Brett Hull, and the pair dubbed “Hull and Oates” after the pop duo of the day quickly began to make sweet music together. Oates was the playmaker, Hull the triggerman, and the opponents seemingly helpless as the tandem filled the net. Hull exploded for 72, 86, and 70 goals, by far the three highest outputs of his own Hall of Fame career, leading the league in goals all three years (the Rocket Richard Trophy hadn’t yet been cast, but he would have won it).

In Boston Oates again forged a solid partnership with another sniper on the starboard side, namely Cam Neely, a two-time 50-goal scorer who was just returning to the line-up when Oates arrived, attempting to recover from a serious leg injury which threatened, and would ultimately end, his own Hall of Fame career. The two clicked right away, and the next season was arguably Neely’s finest, when he notched 50 goals in just 49 games, just as Hull had produced on Oates’ flank the year previous.

Oates moved along yet again the following trade deadline, shipped to Washington along with Bill Ranford in a big deal that sent Jason Allison and another future Oiler, Anson Carter, to Beantown. Again the smooth playmaker never missed a beat, quickly teaming up with sniper Peter Bondra who soared to a Richard trophy with 52 goals as the Caps rolled all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in Adam’s first full year there. He and Bondra continued to be an effective tandem for the rest of Oates’ five years in Washington.

During the time Oates was a member of the Blues, Hull consistently produced at the goal per game rate. He had 158 goals in 158 games the first two years, and had struck for 50 in 49 as of the day Oates was moved to Boston. His output began to slip immediately thereafter. Over the non-Oates portion of his career, the Golden Brett scored half a goal per game, but his production fully doubled during those magic 2¾ years of Hull and Oates.
Similar for Neely, whose per-game goal rate was 57% higher with Oates on his team than not. (We can’t tell exactly when the two were joined at the hip as linemates in any of these cases, but it was soon after Oates’ arrival in each new locale, so I just counted goal production during Adam’s time on each player’s team.) In Bondra’s case the improvement was “only” 20%, although it’s worth noting league-wide scoring rates were plummeting throughout that period. Such fluctuating era effects likely inflated Hull’s percentage a little and lowered Bondra’s. Overall, though, the “three amigos” scored at virtually a 50% higher rate during the time Oates was a teammate than they managed for the rest of their careers. Pretty compelling evidence that it wasn’t just Oates who benefitted from these high-powered partnerships.

"To me, he is the most underrated player that ever played the game," Hull said. "Besides the obvious, Wayne Gretzky, I think he's the smartest player that ever played the game.

"He loved to pass the puck and was extraordinary gifted at passing the puck."

"He's a legend at RPI," said former NHL forward Joe Juneau, who followed Oates to the Engineers and later was his teammate in Boston and Washington. "He was one of the best passers in the game.
"A lot of people overlook him, because he was a different kind of player, not flashy like Lemieux or Gretzky. But I think that anybody who knows hockey knows that in his day, Adam Oates was one of the top five players in the game."

 

[jarek]

František Pospíšil, D

6'0, 185 lbs.
Left handed shot

Czechoslovakian national team captain: 1972-1977

Offensive Accomplishments
Czech League
Points: 5th (1968), 5th (1971), 5th (1972), 9th (1970)

Percentages (VS1): 79.2 (1968), 79.2 (1971), 73.1 (1970), 71.4 (1972)

Offensive Accomplishments Among Defensemen
Czech League
Points: 1st (1968), 1st (1971), 1st (1972), 1st (1973), 1st (1974), 1st (1975), 2nd (1970), 2nd (1977)

Percentages (VS1): 100 (1968), 100 (1971)*, 100 (1972), 100 (1973), 100 (1974), 100 (1975), 86.4 (1970), 83.4 (1977)
*144.8% of 2nd place Suchy

World Championships
1968: 4th (VS1: 57.1%)
1970: 2nd (VS1: 40%)
1971: 4th (VS1: 57.1%)
1972: 1st
1973: 3rd (VS1: 64.3%)
1976: 6th (VS1: 57.1%)
1977: 2nd (VS1: 85.7%)

Olympics
1972: 2nd (VS1: 83.3%)
1976: 1st (should probably not be considered because he was caught using banned substances)

Award Voting
(most data from here: International & European Hockey Reference)
Czechoslovakian Golden Hockey Stick
1st (1971), 1st (1972), 3rd (1973), 3rd (1977), 5th (1970), 5th (1975), 5th (1976), 6th (1978), 7th (1969), 11th (1974)

For comparison, the Golden Stick voting of Jan Suchy:

1st (1969), 1st (1970), 2nd (1971), 13th (1974), 15th (1972)

Lastly, the comparison between the two in Golden Stick voting based on the percentage of total voting shares:

[TABLE="class: brtb_item_table"][TBODY][TR][TD]Frantisek Pospíšil [/TD][TD]15.8[/TD][TD]14.5[/TD][TD]10.2[/TD][TD]9.6[/TD][TD]8.1[/TD][TD]7.5[/TD][TD]7.0[/TD][TD]6.2[/TD][TD]4.9[/TD][TD]2.8[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]Jan Suchy[/TD][TD]17.9[/TD][TD]15.7[/TD][TD]13.9[/TD][TD]2.1[/TD][TD]1.4[/TD][TD]0.6[/TD][TD]0.05[/TD][TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD][/TR][/TBODY][/TABLE]
It should be noted that in this annual poll, Suchy was considered the best player in Czechoslovakia in 1967 and 1968, further adding to his peak, although Pospíšil had a pretty great season in 1968 himself, actually scoring 4 more points than Suchy.

Obviously Suchy had a much better peak, but it is clear that Pospíšil was a relevant player for a much longer period of time. I think that does a lot to bridge the gap between these two players.

Czechoslovakian All Star Selections

There was only one team, so I will just list the years Pospíšil was listed and compare again to Suchy:

Pospíšil: 1969-1973, 1975-1977 (total: 8 seasons)
Suchy: 1969-1971 (total: 3 seasons)

World Championship Voting

František Pospíšil:

Best Defenseman: 1972, 1976
All-Star Team: 1972, 1976, 1977
Izvestia Tournament Best Defenseman*: 1969-1971, 1975

*notable as a best-on-best "mini-WHC" tournament, it featured all the best Soviet and Czech players

Jan Suchy:

Best Defenseman: 1969, 1971
All-Star Team: 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971

This is pretty close to even, especially if you take the Izvestia tournament results seriously.

International Hockey Legends

In the 1970s Team Czechoslovakia was a serious challenge to the powerful Soviets for international hockey supremacy. They were led by their great defenseman, Frantisek Pospisil.

Pospisil, along with regular partner Oldrich Machac, was the anchor of the team's defense from 1967 through 1977. In that time he aided CSSR to three World Championship gold medals, two strong showings at the Olympics (bronze in 1972, silver in 1976) and second place at the 1976 Canada Cup. Twice he was named top defenseman at the World Championships.

Domestically Pospisil starred with Poldi Kladno, pairing with Frantisek Kaberle Sr., from 1961 through 1978. Twice he won the Golden Stick award as the best player in all of Czechoslovakia, a rare accomplishment for a defenseman. He scored 134 career goals in 622 league games. Kladno won four league championships during Pospisil's reign.

Pospisil was blessed with good size and great strength. He was a feared physical player in international hockey, though he always played cleanly. He relied primarily on hockey smarts and positional defense. He contributed nicely to the offensive, primarily as a playmaker, as was the norm in those days.

"I was never a great skater. I never had the right speed. Therefore I tried to think quickly. I adhered to the principle that a pass is quicker than a player," he was quoted as saying in the excellent book, The Kings of the Ice.

Controversy swirled around Pospisil at the 1976 Olympics when drug testing found him guilty of using the banned substance codeine. Pospisil admitted he was taking codeine in order to fight off a flu that had spread through the Olympic village. As a result of the failed test, Czechoslovakia had to forfeit their game against Poland, rescinding the 7-1 victory they achieved earlier in the night. The forfeit cost the Czechoslovaks any hope of the gold medal. Pospisil was allowed to continue playing.

Inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1999, Pospisil also enjoyed a lengthy career as a coach.

DN28

Nice quote about one of his strengths - excellent conditioning:

"The main purpose of the tests was the investigation of energetics of organism, meaning the ability of one´s body to produce the most work during the hardest burden - experts explains... Performance is measured on the 'dynamoergometr' (not sure how to translate this, I think it was just a lot more complicated stationary bike - DN) during 170 beats per minute. The most efficient was FrantiÅ¡ek PospÃÅ¡il, he produced 549 watts. Machač have already recovered from the worst and of course he starts (talking - DN) right away: 'Couldn´t Franta borrow that bicycle home? He would moonlight in KyÅ¡ice (his home - DN) as a village power station."

This happened during 1973-74 season when Pospisil was about to hit 30, and he still managed to end up with the best results on physical tests.

What needs to be said is Pospisil´s leadership. He became captain in 1972 and he immediatelly led his team to its first gold since 1949. Captain of the winning teams in 1976, 1977. Long-time captain of his domestic team Poldi Kladno, which became dynasty in 2nd half of the 70s. Kladno won titles in 1975, 76, 77, 78, then Pospisil went to play his last season in Germany and Kladno lost to Slovan Bratislava in 79. Kladno won its last title in 1980 when Pospisil came back as a new head coach.
Suchy and Pospisil both were number one d-men of their respective dynasties. But Pospisil had it harder since Kladno wasn´t an army team. Dukla Jihlava was army team, and dynasty before them in 50s, early 60s - RH Brno - was owned by the ministry of interior (i.e. police, secret services... similar to Dynamo Moscow). So Brno was the state-managed club also.
Kladno couldn´t steal other players and only players from this time in late 70s who played for NT were Pospisil, Novy, Eduard Novák and František Kaberle. That was it. It was very impressive what they achieved.

From this website we can see the opinions of various people regarding the top-10 best Czech players of all time. Note that this list quite possibly shows individual bias towards certain players. I'll note below the placements of Suchy and Pospíšil.

Pospíšil: 4th, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 7th, 7th, 7th, 7th, 8th, 8th, 8th, 8th, 9th, 9th, 9th, 9th, 10th, 10th, 10th
Suchy: 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd, 4th, 4th, 4th, 4th, 4th, 5th, 5th, 5th, 6th, 6th, 6th, 7th, 7th, 8th, 8th, 9th, 9th, 9th, 10th, 10th, 10th

Below is a different perspective of the above:

Theokritos

If we focus on those voters who played with both Suchý and Pospíšil back in their heyday:

Jiří Holeček (G): Suchý 3rd, Pospíšil 9th
Josef Horešovský (D): Pospíšil 7th, Suchý 9th
Oldřich Machač (D): Pospíšil 10th, Suchý —
Ivan Hlinka (F): Suchý 3rd, Pospíšil —
Vladimír Martinec (F): Suchý 3rd, Pospíšil —
Josef Černý (F): Pospíšil 4th, Suchý —
Richard Farda (F): neither player in top 10
Josef Paleček (F): neither player in top 10

(Pospíšil's own ballot omitted because he's one of the players in question. Let me know in case you see somebody I have overlooked.)

Jaroslav Pitner (Coach): Suchý 4th, Pospíšil 7th
Karel Gut (Coach): Suchý 7th, Pospíšil 8th
VladimÃr Kostka (Coach): Pospíšil 6th, Suchý —

Result:
Suchý: 3th, 3th, 3th, 4th, 7th, 9th (37 points)
Pospíšil: 4th, 6th, 7th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th (26 points)

 

[ResilientBeast]

Patrik Elias

Stanley Cup Champion : x2 (2000, 2003)
International : Olympic Bronze (2006) World Championship Bronze x2 (1998, 2011)
All Star Voting Record : 1st (LW), 3rd (LW), 5th (C), 5th (LW), 9th (LW), 11th (LW)
Hart Voting Record : 6, 14, 17
Selke Voting Record : 8, 15
7 Year VsX Score : 78.9
Was either captain or alternate for 14 seasons from 2000-01 - 2015-16 (except 01-02)

Top 10 in Points - 3rd, 6th, 20th
Top 10 in Goals - 4th, 10th
Top 10 in Assists - 7th, 9th
79th All Time in Points despite his prime being in the Dead Puck Era

• New Jersey Devils record for career points (1025).
• New Jersey Devils record for career goals (408).
• New Jersey Devils record for career assists (617).
• New Jersey Devils all-time leader in playoff goals (45), assists (80), and points (125).

From TDMM in the winger project

Patrik Elias

Earlier, Frank Mahovlich was voted in quite a bit earlier than a quick glance at his statistics would have him be, largely because he was the best scorer on a very successful defensive-minded team for a large part of his career. It think the same thing more or less applies to Patrik Elias (and said so at the time).

Most times leading the team in points (wingers only)


1999-00 to 2002-03

It could be argued that the 2000-03 Devils are the closest we've seen to a dynasty since the 80s Oilers, with 3 trips to the finals (2 Cups, 1 game 7 loss) in 4 years.

(The 1995-97 Red Wings went to 3 finals, also winning 2 Cups, but they were swept in the finals in 1995. On the other hand, the wings made it to the Conference finals all 4 years, while an injury-riddled Devils team lost in the first round in 2002).

Patrik Elias led the Devils in regular scoring all 4 seasons during this stretch, and in playoff scoring 3 of 4 seasons (the back to back trips to the finals in 2000 and 2001 and the 1st round loss in 2002).

Leading playoff scorer from 2000-2009

Obviously, playing on a team that always made the playoffs and reached 3 finals plays a big part, but here it is:

1. Elias 102
2. Sakic 94
3. Forsberg 92
4. Lidstrom 88
5. Rafalski 86

http://www.hockey-reference.com/pla...val=&c4stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&order_by=points

Even on a per-game basis, Elias looks good - only Forsberg and Sakic scored more playoff points-per-game over this decade among players with at least 65 playoff games (Elias had 114 games).

Another thing about Patrik Elias is that I don't think many forwards have had their roles changed as many times as he has. Basically, Elias was always the guy asked to fill the gap wherever the Devils were weak.

On the Elias-Arnott-Sykora line of 1999-2001, Elias was the primary puck handler. But then Arnott was traded during the 2001-02 season for being lazy and Sykora was traded after the playoffs for refusing to play through an injury. The two fastest, most skilled players on the team heading into 2002-03 were Elias and Gomez, and Gomez's entire game revolved around puck possession. So Elias not only had to adjust to Pat Burns' more defensive system, but he also had to adjust to playing as more of a shooter while Gomez carried the puck. Probably a big reason his numbers were down in 2002-03 in particular before rebounding in 2003-04 as he got used to his new role (IMO, Elias should have gotten a lot more credit for playing two-way hockey for a defensive-minded club in 2003-04 compared to Kovalchuk and Naslund who put up a few more points playing one-way hockey for more offensive-minded clubs).

Claude Julien took over in 2006-07 and wanted each line to have a forward who played like something of a defensive midfielder in soccer. On every other line, it was the center, but Scott Gomez couldn't play strong defense, so on the Elias-Gomez-Gionta line, Elias was the player who hung back as the defensive safety valve of the line. Then Gomez left via free agency and the Devils were desperate for centers, so Elias starts playing some center. Played center for most of 2011-12, when he finished 10th in overall league scoring and made David Clarkson look like a legit top 6 player (Parise and Kovalchuk played on a different line centered by either Travis Zajac or Adam Henrique).

Anyway, the point of this long-winded post is that for a lot of star forwards (for example, Ilya Kovalchuk), the team bends over backwards to cater to what they do best. For Elias it was the reverse, he had to cater his skills to whatever gap the team had and adjust to various philosophies from the coaching carousal that was the Devils of the era. From primary puck handling winger, to shooting winger, to the defensive winger on his line (while still leading his line in scoring), then constantly switching between C and LW, depending on team needs.

He is Patrik Elias, the greatest forward ever to play for the Devils and one of the great two-way forwards of his generation who probably sacrificed some 75-100 goals and 150-200 points off his lifetime 408-617-1,025 total in order to accommodate the unyielding defense-first philosophy of the only organization for which he ever worked.
......
“You either adjusted in New Jersey or you didn’t stay. We were all proud of being part of those teams. I wasn’t just a one-way player. If they wanted to move me from wing to center, I did it. I played the PP and the PK. I could check. I’m very happy being known for that.

https://nypost.com/2017/04/02/how-two-trades-pushed-patrik-elias-into-devils-immortality/

Elias, in a way, is the perfect embodiment of the Devils over the era he played. He burst into the league with a level of dominance in the late 90’s and early 2000’s that mirrored those Devils teams. In 2000-01, he set the Devils single-season points record, coinciding with what was almost certainly the best Devils team ever assembled. The Devils made the playoffs every one of his first 12 full seasons in the league and he was one of the biggest reasons for that occurrence. And in 2012, Elias had his final truly great season, helping power a flawed team with his steady, dominant play into the postseason where they’d make it back to the final for the last time in that era. Even his magical sendoff at the end of last season embodied the pangs of nostalgia we now have for the team’s glory days. He was a consistent two-way force who made an impact in all three zones and contributed at evens as well as the PP and PK. Others players came and went, free agents slipped away, but Elias and the Devils just kept on churning and winning hockey games. Other teams ebbed and flowed, had good years and bad years, but Elias and the Devils rarely faltered.
.....
When you combine the big moments with the level of play that Elias brought night-in and night-out for two decades in a Devils uniform, it’s hard to deny just how special of a player he truly was. I won’t argue that he was the greatest player of his generation or anything like that but I will damn sure argue that he is vastly underrated and is deserving of a spot in the Hall of Fame. He holds just about every meaningful statistical offensive record in Devils history, played his entire career in one uniform, and was a key contributor on multiple Cup and conference championship teams. He has a bunch of big moments and an immeasurable number small ones that flew under the radar to go along with it. As he decides to hang up the skates for the final time, I consider myself lucky to have seen his career up close along the way. You all should, too.

Patrik Elias was Something Special

However, a lot of people don't consider Patrik Elias to be one of the best defensive forwards in the league. Harrison Mooney, who's one of the most knowledgeable hockey guys in the blogosphere doesn't think Elias is amongst the best defensive forwards in the NHL (Note: I don't disagree with Harrison's choices- they're good). Of course, Elias has been a big part of the team's success both offensively and defensively- he routinely goes up against the NHL's best scorers, and despite that is tied for 14th in NHL scoring. While there aren't going to be a lot of people willing to credit Elias for the job he's done defensively, I wonder how he compares to players who would be considered worthy of the Selke trophy. Considering he's one of the best two-way players in the league, should he be in the discussion for this award?

While my list may seem arbitrary, the players listed alongside Elias have been considered to be elite two-way forwards. Players like David Backes, Patrice Bergeron and Jordan Staal have been used in similar roles against tough competiton. Pavel Datsyuk might be in consideration because of his reputation. Anze Kopitar- who like Elias, is in the top 30 in NHL scoring and is used by his team to face tough competition. All data is from behindthenet.com

In terms of preventing goals against in this group, Elias is the worst when it comes to that. In fact, a lot of his numbers don't seem great in comparison to most of the players here. However, one thing to note is that he's legitimately facing some of the best players on the opponent's teams- as evidenced by his 1.445 CorsiRELQoC. In comparison, Bergeron faces weaker competiton and is able to completely dominate them. Because of that, Bergeron looks much better than Elias. For a favourable comparison to Elias, Jordan Staal's numbers are somewhat similar- he might have a high goals against/60, but he's also doing it against very good players. Elias isn't getting a lot of defensive zone starts- but he fares quite well against his competition.

However, when you look at Elias' work shorthanded, things look a lot different.

In terms of preventing goals (and shots), Elias is streets ahead of his competitors here. Jordan Staal, his closest competitor in terms of goals against is Jordan Staal at 3.97. Considering the Devils have 35.4 SA/60 when Elias is on the ice, he does a great job of preventing chances against. I've included shorthanded points because it also shows that Elias has been pretty deadly in terms of creating offense shorthanded.
.....
From what I've looked at, I think Elias does have a case to be considered in the Selke Trophy voting. In terms of two-way ability, he's capable of playing excellent defense and is a capable contributor offensively. Unfortunately, because he doesn't have the hype train behind him like Bergeron has, he's probably not going to get the credit he deserves.

Should Patrik Elias Be In The Discussion For The Selke Trophy?

Elias won two Stanley Cups with the Devils (00, 03) and played in an amazing 162 playoff games throughout his career. He increased his play when it mattered most, scoring 125 points in those games and helped fuel the New Jersey machine through the early 2000s. It wasn’t all goal-scoring though, as Elias was an excellent defensive forward, receiving Selke trophy votes four times in his career. He never did win a major trophy, but was selected to the all-star team four times.

Patrik Elias Announces His Retirement After 21 Years

Some of the best defensive forwards in the league (being, success at preventing shots), fit the mould of players such as Patrick Elias, Malhotra, Steve Ott, Adam Hall or Jarred Smithson. None of these players, save Malhotra, cracked the top 20 in vote total, but the list, one through four, featured some of the better two-way forwards in the league.

Two-way forwards, Defensive forwards, and the Selke debate

 

[Dreakmur]

Sylvio Mantha !!!

Awards and Achievements:
3 x Stanley Cup Champion (1924, 1930, 1931)

2 x Second Team All-Star (1931, 1932)

Hart voting - 4th(1929)
All-Star voting - 3rd(1931), 4th(1932), 7th(1934)

Offensive Accomplishments:
Points among Defensemen - 3rd(1927), 3rd(1929), 3rd(1930), 5th(1928), 8th(1931), 9th(1935)
Play-off Points among Defensemen - 2nd(1930) 2nd(1931)

5-Year Peak: 1927 to 1931
3rd in Points among Defensemen, 71% of 2nd place King Clancy
3rd in Goals among Defensemen, 74% of 2nd place King Clancy
3rd in Assists among Defensemen, 70% of 2nd place Eddie Shore

3rd in Play-off Points among Defensemen, 88% of 1st place Eddie Shore

10-Year Peak: 1927 to 1936
6th in Points among Defensemen, 59% of 2nd place King Clancy
4th in Goals among Defensemen, 64% of 2nd place Eddie Shore
6th in Assists among Defensemen, 59% of 2nd place King Clancy

6th in Play-off Points among Defensemen, 75% of 2nd place Eddie Shore

One of the best two-way defensemen of his era, Sylvio Mantha enjoyed plenty of individual and team success in 14 stellar NHL seasons. He spent most of his big-league tenure with the Montreal Canadiens, with whom he was an important component of three Stanley Cup teams.

....

Arguably, Mantha's two most rewarding seasons were 1929-30 and 1930-31. He contributed to consecutive Stanley Cup triumphs and was named to the NHL Second All-Star Team both years. By this time, Mantha was entrenched as one of the most revered defensive defensemen in the game.

THE SEVENTH CAPTAIN IN TEAM HISTORY, SYLVIO MANTHA AND HIS PHYSICAL GAME WERE THE CORNERSTONE OF THE HABS’ DEFENSE CORPS FOR 13 SEASONS.

....

The young forward was converted into a defenseman shortly after breaking in with the Habs. He went on to enjoy a long successful career, establishing the standard of excellence for stay-at-home defensemen for generations to come.

....

A tough, strong and mobile defenseman, opposing forwards had no easy way to get around Mantha. Among the NHL’s bigger men, the fiercely competitive Mantha made good use of his size, able to eliminate oncoming threats with a solid hip check. The versatile rearguard also made frequent use of both his fists and stick in the heat of battle.

Mantha played his rock-ribbed game for 13 complete seasons with the Canadiens, missing an average of just one game per year. His tireless efforts and dedication to the team’s success led to Mantha’s appointment as captain to start the 1926-27 campaign. This was a title that, with the exception of one year, he would proudly hold for the rest of his tenure in Montreal.

A physical player, Mantha, who played forward until he turned pro with the Habs, was paired with Herb Gardiner and the two formed a fantastic defensive partnership. Mantha, one of the all time best defensive blue liners, was twice named to the Second All Star team.

Since the Montreal club had immediate needs on defense, they asked Mantha to move back to the blue line. He eventually became known as a top two-way defenseman who was very good at moving the puck up the ice while remaining strong in his end.

....

He had his best years when the Habs won back-to-back Staley Cups in 1930 and 1931, sharing blueline duties with Marty Burke and Albert Leduc. Mantha was especially good in the playoffs and playing an aggressive of defense when he had to.

....

Considered a very reliable defender, Mantha had the full confidence of Dandurand when he was with the Canadiens. He had an offensive side to his game and his highest output of 24 points came in 1929-30.

One of the best two-way defensemen of his era, Sylvio Mantha enjoyed plenty of individual an team success in 14 NHL seasons. He spent most of his big-league tenure with the Montreal Canadiens, with whom he was an important component of three Stanley Cup teams. His offensive rushes aided the club's transition play, while his disciplined checking in the defensive zone rounded out his game.

Like Morenz, Mantha was to play a vital part in the Canadiens' future success.

Mantha was not spectacular like Shore or Clancy but was a good steady player in whom Dandurand had a lot of confidence.

Mantha was one of those players everyone seems to forget. His contributions to the champion Canadiens from the mid 1920s to the early 1930s was great. It was he who anchored the Morenzes, Aurel Joliats, and Billy Bouchers as an ever present defensive conscience.

No, I wouldn't say so. Lionel Hitchman is harder to get by. Shore is a rusher. But for tackling you when you come in and blocking you away from that net, Hitchman is tougher. Not that Shore is easy, you know. No, sir. But fellows like Shore and Clancy catch the eye of the spectator when they buzz up and down the rink, while fellows like Hitchman and Sylvio Mantha can do great defensive work without attracting half as much notice.

 

[Voight]

​

Ryan Suter
Awards and Achievements:
2013 First All-Star Team
2010 Olympics Silver Medal

Hart voting - 12th(2017), 17th(2013), 23rd(2014)

All-Star voting - 1st(2013), 5th(2014, 5th(2017), 6th(2012), 7th(2016), 9th(2015), 10th(2011), 15th(2010)

Norris voting - 2nd(2013), 4th(2014), 5th(2017), 8th(2012), 8th(2016), 9th(2015), 11th(2010), 15th(2011),

Offensive Achievements:

Points - 3rd(2013), 11th(2012), 11th(2016), 18th(2009), 19th(2014), 23rd(2017)

Average Time-On-Ice

1st(2013), 1st(2014), 1st(2015), 2nd(2016), 3rd(2012), 3rd(2017)


5 Year Peak: 2011 to 2016
8th in Points, 88% of 2nd place PK Subban
5th in Assists, 78% of 1st place Erik Karlsson


10 Year Peak: 2007 to 2017
8th in Points, 87% of 1st place Duncan Keith
2nd in Assists, 90% of 1st place Duncan Keith

Suter is also likely underrated by his overall awards record because he spent the majority of his career in the shadow of the flashier and higher scoring Shea Weber, and Suter proved when they were separated that he was anything but the product of Weber.

Possesses an excellent all-around game. Loves to move the puck swiftly up ice and can rack up points on the power play, mainly due to a heavy point shot and pinpoint passing skills. Loves a heavy workload.

As his games-played tally continues to rise, along with his age, Suter’s ice time hasn’t varied much — clocking in somewhere in the upper 20s ever since he joined the organization in 2012.

This dependability has become his trademark in the NHL, a responsibility the 33-year-old relishes and a contribution that undoubtedly helps stoke the Wild as it pursues a postseason spot.

After logging 30:04 in the 5-3 win over the Islanders Monday, Suter boasted a 26:52 average on the season, which leads the league, the seventh consecutive campaign he’s slotted in the top three.

He’s eclipsed 30 minutes seven times and while his plus-minus (minus-4) has taken a hit in 2017-18 compared to the NHL-best plus-34 he posted just last season, Suter remains a go-to anchor on the blue line.
“You get the experience level that he’s at, he knows how to play, when to go, when not to go, all those things,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “So it’s not like he uses a lot of wasted energy out there.”

What makes the minutes even more impressive is many of them come in critical times (on the penalty kill, during a power play or in the waning minutes of a close game) and against the opposition’s best; Suter regularly was on the ice against the Islanders’ John Tavares Monday — just two days after he was tasked with containing the Ducks’ top trio of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Rickard Rakell. Before that, he faced NHL-leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin of the Capitals.

That leaves Suter, who struggled early in the season while trying to adapt to a new system in Minnesota, but he rebounded with a second half during which he was clearly the league's premier blueliner. He contributed to the offense, ranking second among NHL defensemen in assists (28) and third in points (32), and he complemented those numbers with one that really matters. Suter led all NHL players in average ice time per game (27:16), showing that he could be counted on in every situation. As the Wild battled to earn a playoff spot, he played upwards of 30 minutes in six of his final 11 games. That's the kind of beastly presence that's hard for voters to overlook.

When it comes to "all-around ability," there was Suter and there was everybody else this season. He deserves the hardware.

 

[Dreakmur]

Gordie Drillon !!!

Awards and Achievements:
Stanley Cup Champion (1942)

Lady Byng Trophy (1938)
2 x First Team All-Star (1938, 1939)
Second Team All-Star (1942)

Hart voting - 4th(1938)
Lady Byng voting - 1st(1938), 2nd(1937), 2nd(1941), 2nd(1942), 4th(1940)
All-Star voting - 1st(1938), 1st(1939), 2nd(1942), 3rd(1940), 3rd(1941)

Retroactive Conn Smythe Trophy (1939)

Offensive Accomplishments:
Points - 1st(1938), 2nd(1941), 4th(1940), 8th(1942), 13th(1937), 15th(1943), 17th(1939)
Goals - 1st(1938), 3rd(1943), 4th(1940), 4th(1941), 5th(1942), 7th(1939), 15th(1937)
Assists - 3rd(1938), 10th(1940), 12th(1941), 18th(1937)

Play-off Points - 1st(1938), 2nd(1939), 10th(1940), 10th(1941), 10th(1943)
Play-off Goals - 1st(1938), 1st(1939), 4th(1940), 5th(1941), 6th(1943)
Play-off Assists - 2nd(1939)


5-Year Peak: 1937 to 1941
3rd in Points, 97% of 2nd place Syl Apps
1st in Goals, 116% of 2nd place Sweeney Schriner

1st in Play-off Points, 115% of 2nd place Syl Apps
1st in Play-off Goals 182% of 2nd place Syl Apps


Scoring Percentages:
Points - 118(1938), 100(1941), 93(1940), 93(1942), 77(1939), 73(1937), 69(1943)

Best 6 Seasons: 554

Team Scoring:
Points - 1st(1938), 1st(1940), 1st(1941), 1st(1942), 2nd(1939), 3rd(1937)

Percentage - 133(1940), 104(1938), 100(1941), 100(1942)

Although newspapermen and reporters wrote that he was bitter about being benched, Drillon told a different story. "I don't mind talking about it," he said. "Hap Day just told me that my style of hockey was not the same as the rest of the team, and we needed this to beat Detroit. And he was right. I was going bad at the time, no doubt about it."

Drillon's style of hockey was to park himself in front of the net and tip shots and swat at rebounds, and not worry about back-checking. "I spent ten years playing in the slot before anyone invented a name for it," he said later.

Drillon had a lot in common with Frank Mahovlich and even Mats Sundin. Those three were big men and scoring sensations, yet both had their fair share of critics. Traditionally hockey's talented but mostly placid big men have been often unfairly criticized for a seeming lack of effort. Big guys, even the biggest of legends like Jean Beliveau and Mario Lemieux, don't always seem to be playing full out even though they more than often are. Their natural size advantage made the game easier for them - a long stride looked slow compared to the short-step speedsters, and muscle and weight allowed them to easily gain room rather than having to fight through to gain territory. Despite his big size (at 6'0" and 185 pounds, Drillon was almost a giant in his era), Drillon was not a physical player like his predecessor Charlie Conacher. It seemed nothing Drillon could do was enough as he was always compared to Conacher.

Drillon was a spectacular offensive player who arrived in Toronto just in time to replace the extremely popular Conacher. He was known as a deadly accurate shooter, able to exploit even the smallest opening.

Turk Broda, the great Leafs goalie, called him the greatest sniper he had ever seen - and he saw a lot of him in practice and had fits trying to stop this puck master.

Drillon was not an aggressive player in spite of his size and possibly on that account manager Conn Smythe may not have thought he quite filled the spot vacated by Conacher. However, he was to prove a great asset to the Leafs as a goal-getter. His knack reminiscent of Nels Stewart. Although much faster that 'Old Poison' he did not have his fire.

Another dilemma which Drillon never thoroughly solved was how to win the hearts of Toronto hockey fans. He was designated to replace Charlie Conacher one of the most popular players ever to wear the royal blue and white of Toronto. It is doubtful if anyone could have fulfilled that challenge and, Lord knows, Gordie tried.

....

With Apps feeding him computerized passes, Drillon became the nemesis of enemy goaltenders and soon word passed up and down the NHL grapevine that Drillon was scoring "mystery" goals while stationed in front of the net.

....

The Red Wing backcheckers tried to zero in on Goride as he accelerated at the Leaf blue line, but his fierce strides carried him past one red shirt after another. By the time he had zoomed over the Detroit line, Drillon was skating like a man possessed, determined to erase the criticism once and for all. His shot was flawless, hitting the twine at 5:42, and the crowd in Maple Leaf Gardens roared their approval. Drillon had carried the Leafs into the finals.

It was true that Drillon was not the best checker in the NHL but he could score just about anywhere on the ice. Drillon had a deft touch around the net, and playing along Apps certainly helped him produce great numbers.

A big body with a hard accurate shot, Drillon won an NHL scoring title in1938 and a Stanley Cup in 1942.

...Gordie Drillon, whose natural scoring touch was a perfect complement to Apps's playmaking skills.

I don't think there's a player in hockey who can shoot the puck more accurately. Even if you leave him an opening the size of the puck, he'll hit it every time.

Of all the players with whom I have played and against whom I have played in the National league, none was better around the net than Gordie.

Gordie had a real touch around the net. I've never seen anyone who took better advantage of chances he got than Gordie. He'd just hang around in front of the net, and before you knew it, the puck was in.

....

Goride was a great goal scorer, but he wasn't too strong at digging the puck out of the corners.

Bill Roche, who covered the Maple Leafs for the Toronto Globe and Mail at the time, told a story about the Apps-Drillon tandem and the "mystery" goals. The scene was Maple Leaf Gardens during a practice session. Only Drillon, Apps, and goalie Turk Broda were on the ice.

"The only sounds," said Roche, "at rinkside as they settled down to work that afternoon was the ringing of Apps' skates and the sharp clicks of his passes against Drillon's stick - a stick that was being pressed to the ice with all the right-winger's power. Broda was kept jumping from one goalpost to the other as the puck bounced sharply off Drillon's blade.

"They were testing the speed, strength, length and angle of Apps' passes on this play, a play that often looked like a fluke when it was performed at high speed in a game. Actually, it was the result of alert perception and long, hard practice periods. Months before, Apps and Drillon had found some passes would deflect with considerable accuracy from a stick held solidly in a certain way."

While Drillon and Apps were in the midst of their "private" workout, manager Red Dutton of the New York Americans and his players walked into the arena. "Stand still, all f you!" he ordered his Amerks. "Take a good look at what's happening on the ice. Maybe we weren't supposed to see this, but I want you to look hard at it. Do you see what Drillon's doing? He's working overtime. And his coach isn't standing along the boards to see that he does it."

The Americans watched as Drillon bent over in front of the net, his stick held rigidly to the ice. Apps delivered a fast pass, which ricocheted off Drillon's stick and past Broda. The Americans jeered but Drillon did it again, beating Broda no matter how hard the goalie tried to cope with the inventive drives.

"Drillon," said Dutton, "knows what he's doing."

Drillon's Skating:

A fast-skating aggressive player, the clean cut youngster [Drillon] has 28 scoring points to his credit made up of 14 goals and 14 assists.

Gordon Drillon is about as gorgeous a figure on a hockey rink as any rooter could ask to see...the [Maple Leaf] can whirl up and down the ice at a high speed.

But speaking of fast forwards, Gordon Drillon was a good one - a good big one.

Gordon Drillon of the Maple Leafs can move fast on skates.

It may surprise you to know that Apps was only one-fifth of a second faster than Gordie Drillon, whose severest critics picture as hockey's stationary forward, rather than a galloping giselle on the blades.

Gordie Drillon, speedy right winger, who holds the all-time Stanley Cup scoring record of 22 goals.

 

[Sprague Cleghorn]

Jiri Holecek
​

No, Tretiak wasn't anything special. We had at least ten goalies back home who were better than him and the same goes for Sweden. The Russians had such a good team that it wasn't very hard to be in goal for them.

• 5x Best Goalie at World Championships (1971, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1978)
  • #1 all-time for goalies
  • Tied with Fetisov for most best X position awards

• 5x World Championships All Star Team (1971, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1978)
  • #1 all-time for goalies

• Golden Hockey Stick voting (Czech MVP):
  • 1st (1974), 2nd (1975), 2nd (1976) 2nd (1978), 5th (1971), 5th (1972), 5th (1973)

• 3x World Championships Gold Medalist (1972, 1976, 1977)

• 5x World Championships Silver Medalist (1966, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1978)

• World Championships Bronze Medalist (1973)

• Olympic Silver Medalist (1976)

• Olympic Bronze Medalist (1972)

Holecek was undeniably the 2nd best goalie in the international circuit, and arguably better than the man himself, Tretiak. At the World Championships, Holecek won five Best Goalie awards compared to Tretiak's three. In fact, two of Tretiak's three Best Goalie awards came after Holecek was gone from international competition. I'm not going to argue that Holecek > Tretiak, but instead, I will be attempting to show that the usual gap in ranking Tretiak and Holecek is too big.

Holecek is the best goalie in the world – better than (Vladislav) Tretiak, (Ken) Dryden or (Bernie) Parent.

But many consider him being a better goaltender than Tretiak. In his homeland (Czech Republic) Holecek was called "Kouzelnik" (The Magician), for his acrobatic style of play. He was equally good and fast with his blocker as he was with his glove hand. He also had very quick feet and tried to emulate the style of his childhood idol, xxx. Another strength was that Holecek always used to be cool under pressure. Many say that if Holecek had got the same exposure as Tretiak did when he faced the NHLers then he would be regarded as the best European goalie ever.

In 1973 he returned to Prague where he played for Sparta Prague between 1973-78. He played a total of 488 games in the league and won the "Golden Stick" award as the player of the year in 1974. After his domestic career was over he went on to play in Germany for EHC Münich 70 (1978-80) and then EHC Essen (1980-81).

Holecek always played at his best when he faced the Soviets.

"I loved to play against them because our team didn't have anything to lose in those games. Everybody expected us to lose and if we won we became national heroes. I usually liked to skate out a bit to face the shooters but against them I stood on the goal line. Trying to skate out of your crease to cut the angles against the Russians would have been suicide" Holecek said.

Holecek was a "ghost" for many opponents and must be regarded as one of the three best goalies ever in European hockey history.

One of the best goaltenders in international hockey. Exceptional reliability and technical skill. Has excellent reflexes. Doesn't back down in the face of difficulties, particularly focused in crucial games.

In depth breakdown of Holecek's voting record, and reputation, courtesy of TDMM

All of this has been posted elsewhere during the goalie project, but now that Holecek is up for voting, it's time to collect it all in one post. Holecek didn't do much outside the eight season stretch from 1971 to 1978, but what an eight years it was!

When Holecek was the primary starter for Czechoslovakia (1971-1978), they performed almost as well as the (on paper) superior USSR team in the World Championships

USSR: 5 golds, 2 silvers, 1 bronze
CSSR: 3 golds, 4 silvers, 1 bronze
Sweden: 0 golds, 2 silvers, 5 bronze
Canada: 0 goals, 0 silvers, 1 bronze

Holecek was the dominant Czechoslovakian goalie during this high point of Czechoslovak hockey, based on awards voting

Via Sanf, TIP magazine considered Holecek the best goalie in the domestic league for 7 of 8 years. Holecek was selected the All-Star goalie in the Extraliga in 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, and 1976. Dzurilla was selected the All-Star goalie in the Extraliga in 1969, 1970, and 1977: Extraliga :: Statshockey. All Star Teams were replaced by a "best goalie" awarded by TIP magainze after 1977. Holecek was selected best goalie in 1978, his final year on the national team. TOP :: Statshockey.

Holecek led all goalies in Golden Stick voting for the best player in Czechoslovakia 6 of 8 seasons, including 1 win and 2 2nd place finishes to Vladimir Martinec, often considered the 2nd best Czech forward after Jagr. Via Theokritos, Here are all the goalies who placed in Golden Stick voting during this time frame:
1969: 5 Dzurilla, 14 Miroslav Lacky, 15 Miroslav Termer.
1970: 4 Dzurilla, 12 Holeček, 13 Lacky, 16 Pavel Wohl.
1971: 5 Holeček, 12 Dzurilla, 15 Jiri Crha, 17 Vladimir Nadrchal, 21 Marcel Sakač.
1972: 3 Dzurilla, 5 Holeček, 25 Nadrchal, 26 Crha, 28 Jiřà KralÃk and Miroslav Krása, 34 Sakač, 36 Termer.
1973: 5 Holeček, 11 Crha, 22 Sakač, 29 Krása, 39 Wohl.
1974: 1 Holeček, 15 Crha, 22 Pavol Svitana, 31 Dzurilla, 33 Termer, 39 Krása, 41 Miroslav Kapoun.
1975: 2 Holeček, 14 Crha.
1976: 2 Holeček, 9 Dzurilla, 20 Svitana, 23 Crha, 30 Sakač.
1977: 6 Dzurilla, 8 Holeček, 17 KralÃk, 23 Crha, 29 Sakač, 32 Svitana.
1978: 2 Holeček, 15 Dzurilla, 17 KralÃk, 19 Crha, 37 Ivan Podešva, 42 Petr Ševela, 46 Milan KolÃsek.

Holecek, not Tretiak, was considered the best goalie in Europe in the mid 1970s

The World Championships of Ice Hockey at the time featured all the best players in Europe and were held every year. Therefore, they are the largest sample size of competition against Europe as a whole. In the 1970s, when they were both at their peak's, Jiri Holecek generally outperformed Tretiak at the World Championships

Tretiak (USSR)
•World Championships Best Goalie (1974, 1979, 1983)
•World Championships All Star (1975, 1979, 1983)

Jiri Holecek (Czech)
World Championships Best Goalie (1971, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1978)
•World Championships All Star (1971, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1978)

Tretiak and Holecek overlapped as starters for their national teams from 1972-1978. In that 7 years, Holecek was named best goalie 4 times, and Tretiak just once.

Anecdotes

Anecdotally, Holecek (not Tretiak) was considered the best goalie in Europe, heading into the 1976 Canada Cup. From wikipedia's entry on the 1976 Canada Cup (citing Joe Pelletier's book):

The Czechoslovakian team was predicted to face Canada in the final by most experts as they brought the same team that won the 1976 World Championship a few months prior. Their goaltender, Jiri Holeček, was considered the best in the world outside the NHL
​

We all know Holecek didn't play well against Canada in the Canada Cup, but the point is that as Tretiak was in the midst of winning his third consecutive "Soviet Player of the Year" award (which he won in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1982, and 1983), the general feeling was that he was not the best goalie in Europe.

An IIHF biography of Tretiak celebrating his 60th birthday indicates that there was a widely held view that Holecek and even Vladimir Dzurilla were better goalies, and that Tretiak wasn't universally considered the best goalie in Europe until his dominant performance in the 1981 Canada Cup:

The somewhat strange thing is that Tretiak was judged differently in Europe and in North America for many years of his career.

Due to his sensational performance in the 1972 Summit Series, Tretiak immediately became a super-hero in Canada and the perception of him as the superior goaltender from Europe – and thus by far the best European at that position – just grew with the 1975 New Year’s Eve game and the 1981 Canada Cup rout.

But back in Europe, during the ‘70s, the European hockey community generally considered the Czechoslovaks Vladimir Dzurilla and Jiri Holecek as stronger goaltenders than Tretiak. And quite often whenever Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union met in many of their epic World Championship games in the 1970s, the Czechoslovaks came up on top in their head-to-head games, although the Soviet team won the gold nine times out of ten.

But it was the 1981 Canada Cup final – and the sensational 8-1 score which would have been something totally different had the CCCP team had a human in net – that cemented Tretiak’s position as not only the best in Europe, but the best in the world.

Sadly, and due to the totalitarian regime of that era, Tretiak played for only three more years before he decided to quit.​

Statistical breakdown of Holecek's international career, courtesy of DN28

Unfortunately I haven't read Holecek's biography but I still searched some information to help us evaluate his career properly.

We know what he did during his prime between 1971-78 but is there anything noteworthy before that or does he only have 7 outstanding seasons in his pocket?

Jiri Holecek got into training camp of Dukla Jihlava (army club) somewhere around 1963 I believe. It was annual camps for young talents (mostly) who joined the army after the school. The better ones started to play for Jihlava (as this was the case of Suchy, Holiks and many others). I've read that there were 5 goalies fighting for 3 spots. Coach of Jihlava and national team, Jaroslav Pitner, was a former goalie himself so he probably knew how to recognize good and bad goalie. Holecek was NOT picked, 3 goalies were thought to be better so Holecek (along with other secondary talents) was sent to Dukla Košice - the other army club which was in eastern Slovakia (Dukla was the "trademark" for all czechoslovak army sports clubs, not just in hockey).

This suggests that Holecek must have been late bloomer who developped his game later in his career. However, we know that Holecek first played on national team in WC 1966 already! He played also in WC 1967. Then he stopped to be recalled for international games until 1971.

His stats are following:

1966
Vladimir Dzurilla: 6 games / 304:02 min / 10 GA / 91 saves / 90,10 %
Jiři Holeček: 2 games / 115:58 min / 5 GA / 31 saves / 86,11 %

1967
Vladimir Nadrchal: 5 games / 213 min / 12 GA / 3,38 GAA
Jiři Holeček: 4 games / 207 min / 6 GA / 1,74 GAA

His 1st WC looks underwhelming but his 2nd looks better despite the fact that we don't know save percentage from that tournament. So why did it take so long for him to get another call for 4 years? I've read from at least two sources that he was put a lot of blame from the media for bad results of NT in WC 67 (his father allegedly got a heart attack and died because of it! I've read it several times) which is weird judging from his stats. It was the only WC during 60s which CSSR didn't earn medal. Holecek did have one bad game against Swedes but that's sure not a sufficient reason to be out from NT for so long. (I've also read in Miloslav Jensik's book about goalies that there was a rumor at the time that Dzurilla didn't want Holecek in team as his back-up, saying that Holecek is too "ambitious". But I don't believe this, by all acount Dzurilla was extremely popular among all of his teammates for his character, calmness, leadership and sense of humour.)

All in all Dzurilla was more than reliable goalie in late 60s and there was a very good goalie depth in CSSR in general. Holecek didn't receive a single vote in golden stick voting in the 1st year in 1969 but he finished 12th in 1970 even though he didn't play in WC that year. Dzurilla was also league all-star in both years.
I think this all suggests that Holecek was still very good, above average goalie in 60s but nothing extraordinary or helpful to his case in this round.
_____________________________

Here are the rest of his statistics during his prime (in some cases I included stats of Dzurilla for comparison):

WC 1971
Jiři Holeček: 8 games / 440:00 minutes / 12 goals allowed / 216 saves / 94,74 %
Best goalie award
All-star goalie

OG 1972
Vladimir Dzurilla: 5 games / 224 minutes / 7 goals allowed / 87 saves / 92,55 %
JiřÃ Holeček: 3 games / 136 minutes / 8 goals allowed / 45 saves / 84,91 %

WC 1972
Jiři Holeček: 6 games / 360:00 minutes / 10 goals allowed / 137 saves / 93,20 %
All-star goalie

WC 1973
Jiři Holeček: 8 games / 480:00 minutes / 17 goals allowed / 227 saves / 93,03 %
Best goalie award
All-star goalie

WC 1974
Jiři Holeček: 6 games / 340:00 minutes / 14 goals allowed / 138 saves / 90,79 %
Tretyak won best goalie award and Larsson was all-star goalie.
Holecek's dip in SV resulted into zero awards from that WC.

WC 1975
Jiři Holeček: 9 games / 525:52 minutes / 14 goals allowed / 200 saves / 93,46 %
Best goalie award
Tretyak was all-star goalie

OG 1976
Jiři Holeček: 6 games / 293 minutes / 9 goals allowed / 127 saves / 93,38 %

WC 1976
Jiři Holeček: 8 games / 480:00 minutes / 13 goals allowed / 214 saves / 94,27 %
Best goalie award
All-star goalie

CC 1976
Vladimir Dzurilla: 5 games / 227:34 minutes / 9 goals allowed / 104 saves / 92,04 %
Jiři Holeček: 5 games / 203:09 minutes / 11 goals allowed / 68 saves / 86,08 %

WC 1977
Vladimir Dzurilla: 7 games / 400:00 minutes / 18 goals allowed / 153 saves / 89,47 %
Jiři Holeček: 4 games / 200:00 minutes / 14 goals allowed / 94 saves / 87,04 %
Goran Hogosta won best goalie award and was all-star goalie.
This was second Holecek´s slump in WC and again he did not receive any award.

WC 1978
Jiři Holeček: 9 games / 540:00 minutes / 19 goals allowed / 207 saves / 91,59 %
Best goalie award
All-star goalie

As amazing as his accolades AND his stats are, his meltdowns needs to be pointed too. Concretely OG 72, CC 76 and WC 77. It seems to me that Holecek was either excellent or very bad, not much of a something in between. You almost don't see some average SV like 90.5 %. This is what separates Holecek from Tretyak (and Dzurilla). Tretyak was well known for longterm stability of his performance. I posted Tretyak SV from every tournament we have data last thread so I won't post here (at least not in THIS post), but from that and from everything I know about him, I think for Tretyak it was unusual to hit that high SV as Holecek, but also Tretyak didn't blow some tournaments like Holecek did (except of Miracle on ice olympics 1980).

Breakdown of Holecek's domestic career, courtesy of DN28

Again I don't know much and of course I don't have any interesting league stats but there are few points to be found about his domestic play.

He was league all-star in every year during his prime except for his down year - 1977. Between mid-60s to 1973 he played for Dukla Kosice - as I said earlier army club in eastern Slovakia where secondary talents were being sent.

From season 1973-74 to 1977-78 he played for Sparta Prague - very popular, 2nd oldest and historically one of the most succesful club. Sparta had some notable players in early 70s such as Josef Horesovsky, Jiri Kochta or Jan Havel but here are their placements before Holecek arrived: 1970-71 Sparta was 7th (from 10 teams); 1971-72 Sparta was again 7th (from 10 teams); 1972-73 Sparta was 8th (from 10 teams).

And then Sparta's placements during Holecek's tenure:

1973-74: Sparta was 2nd, only behind league's dynasty team Dukla Jihlava. This was such a turnout that it's hard not to explain it by Holecek's arrival. Coincidentally this was the only year where Holecek actually won the golden stick voting. Also he had fairly mediocre WC that year, so his only MVP award must have been really influenced by his impressive domestic play - as his team placement would suggest.
1974-75: Sparta was 6th (from 12 teams)
1975-76: Sparta was 6th (from 12 teams)
1976-77: Sparta was 3rd (from 12 teams)
1977-78: Sparta was 3rd (from 12 teams). From this season I've read in Miloslav Jensik's "Chronicle of Czech hockey" very high praise for Holecek. Sparta started very hot and was 1st or 2nd by half of the season. It was viewed as a huge surprise at the time because of lack of any other seriously good player (those players mentioned above either didn't play there or were old and about to retire). According to Jensik's citation Holecek "was the only star Sparta owned and by far their best player and reason to their success" (that's not a precise citation though, I go by memory because I don't have that book now).

And finally, Sparta's placements after Holecek went to Germany:
1978-79: Sparta was 7th (from 12 teams)
1979-80: Sparta was 5th (from 12 teams)
1980-81: Sparta was 8th (from 12 teams)

Despite his relatively short tenure with Sparta, Holecek was also voted in Sparta All-star Team in 2004. It was voted by many journalists and former players and all-star player's numbers were subsequently retired. (Those players were Holecek, Karel Gut, Frantisek Tikal, Vladimir Zabrodsky, Jan Havel and Jiri Hrdina by the way).

All this basically suggests that his domestic play during his prime was just as dominant as his play on international scene.

Thoughts on Tretiak's Soviet MVP record vs Holecek's Czech MVP record

But another reason came to my mind - Holecek wasn't as much valuable to his team (or rather "viewed as much valuable to his team") due to incredible goalie depth Czechoslovaks had during his time. In 60s there were Dzurilla, Nadrchal (goalie of RH Brno dynasty in 60s, also very competent internationally) and few others. In 70s there were again Dzurilla and Crha (who became a starter for Toronto in 79-80) and again few others (Marcel Sakač who stole Dzurilla's starting position in early 70s, young Kralik, etc.).

That's a very good point and it could explain the difference between Tretiak's and Holeček's reputation in their respective home country. Tretiak stood head and shoulders above the other Soviet goaltenders overall, while Holeček was somewhat replaceable, despite his accolades.

However, it seems Holecek did have trouble with NA teams, just like Dryden with the Soviets.

Holecek's problems with North American teams definitely deserve a mention. He had a bad game vs. USA in the 1972 WHC too (CSSR lost 5-1 in the first round), but in that tournament he redeemed himself; Holecek recorded a shutout in the 2nd game vs. USA and was excellent (by all accounts) in the games vs. USSR.

However, Holecek did have enough of bad games against USA and Canada to raise a question mark about his goaltending. Maybe Ken Dryden vs. USSR is something of a parallel, although Dryden's 'poorness' vs. the Soviets might get overblown at times. I think it was Jan Starsi who said during the 1976 CC that Holecek "has lost his confidence vs. North American teams", so maybe it was more mental than actual style-related problems?

However, in the exhibition game vs. Canada after the 1972 Summit Series, Holecek definitely had some problems specifically with Team Canada's shooting, and was beaten cleanly by two shots early in the game, and with better positioning he might have been able to catch them. However, in that game he seemed adjust after that, and started to play further from the net (to cut down the angles etc). I wish Canada had played a long series vs. CSSR too some time in the 1970s, so maybe we would be a little wiser.

 

[Dreakmur]

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Bob Pulford !!!​

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Awards and Achievemetns:
4 x Stanley Cup Champion (1962, 1963, 1964, 1967)​

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Retroactive Conn Smythe Trophy (1964)​

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Hart voting - 6th(1966), 10th(1960)
All-Star voting - 5th(1965), 5th(1966), 6th(1967)​

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Scoring Accomplishments:
Points - 12th(1966), 20th(1964), 20th(1967)
Goals - 10th(1960), 10th(1966), 12th(1959)
Assists - 18th(1967), 19th(1964)​

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Short-Handed Goals - 1st(1964), 2nd(1965), 2nd(1966), 2nd(1968), 7th(1967)​

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Play-off Points - 3rd(1967), 8th(1959), 9th(1963), 10th(1962), 11th(1960), 11th(1964)
Play-off Goals - 2nd(1962), 3rd(1960), 4th(1964), 7th(1959)
Play-off Assists - 1st(1967), 8th(1963)
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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​

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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​

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Scoring Percentages:
Points - 72, 65, 64, 62, 60, 54​

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Best 6 Seasons: 377
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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.

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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.

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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."​

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18. Bob Pulford: Hardworking winger hit 20-goal mark four times and was integral part of four Cup winners.

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Pulford was rated as an excellent two-way player and his ability to check made him a natural for penalty killing. He was not a great scorer but a steady producer who averaged almost twenty goals per season.

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.

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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.

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

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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.​

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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[Dreakmur]

Hap Day !!!

Awards and Achievements:
Stanley Cup Champion (1932)

Hart voting - 6th(1925)
All-Star voting - 5th(1933), 5th(1935), 6th(1934), 8th(1931)

GM All-Star voting - 6th(1928)

Offensive Accomplishments:
Points - 12th(1925), 20th(1926), 20th(1928)
Goals - 12th(1926), 15th(1925)
Assists - 5th(1925), 11th(1928), 19th(1931), 20th(1929)

Points among Defensemen - 1st(1928), 4th(1929), 4th(1930), 4th(1931), 4th(1933), 5th(1934), 6th(1932), 7th(1936)

Play-off Points - 5th(1932)
Play-off Goals - 4th(1932)
Play-off Assists - 3rd(1932), 4th(1931)

Play-off Points among Defensemen - 1st(1932), 2nd(1931)


5-Year Peak: 1929 to 1933
3rd in Points among Defensemen, 68% of 2nd place King Clancy
1st in Play-off Points among Defensemen, 110% of 2nd place Albert Leduc

10-Year Peak: 1928 to 1937
4th in Points among Defensemen, 73% of 2nd place King Clancy
2nd in Play-off Points among Defensemen, 85% of 1st place King Clancy


Scoring Percentages:
Points - 52, 44, 44
Points among Defensemen - 100, 83, 80, 71, 68, 68, 67, 56

Best 6 Seasons: 470

Day was a born leader, and when the Leafs captaincy became available, there was no doubt as to who would lead the team. He was team captain from 1926 until 1936. Starting in 1931, he was paired on defense with King Clancy; together they formed one of the best twosomes in the league.

Day was a strong and fearless player. His first three years in the league he started out at left wing. By year four he became better known as a defenseman, anchoring a Leafs blueline that also boasted King Clancy and Red Horner. He was a marvellous team player who infused lots of humour into the team's dressing room. The jolly Leafs teams during Day's stay were affectionately known as "The Gashouse Gang" because of their love for humour.

Day was always in the shadow of Clancy and Boston's Eddie Shore, but there was no doubt he was a top defenseman of his era. Offensively he was a constant threat, although unlike Clancy and Shore was never flashy. Defensively he was a genius. He was a masterful stick checker and positional player, and, along with the New York Rangers Ching Johnson, was the league's top body checker. Day was very well respected around the league, even though he employed a clutch and grab style of hockey he would later popularize as a coach, becoming a league power by using the rule-bending tactic.

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With highly respected scoring totals for a defenseman of his era (86 goals, 202 points in 586 career games), he was enshrined in Hockey's Hall of Fame in 1961.

24. Hap Day: Captained the Leafs to Stanley Cup in 1932, partnered with Clancy on one of the league's top blueline tandems.

TEN BEST DEFENSIVE DEFENSEMEN

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5. Hap Day: A vastly superior intelligence (in relation to most other defensemen) gave Day an advantage which he exploited to the full on the Maple Leafs of the early 1930s.

Happy Day was never a heavy kid, but he made up for his lack of weight by a keen appreciation of the value of balance and timing. He played for the Midland Juniors, and quickly became a leader on the team. For although he was quiet and reserved and never forced his opinions upon others, he was quick and alert and exerted a steadying influence on his team-mates.

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Back in his old position in front of the goal, Happy Day soon came into his own. His hockey know-how and his hard-won ability to check quickly and cleanly won the respect of the fans ad the opposing players alike. Not the bashing, bruising type of defenseman like Eddie Shore or Seibert, or a flashing player like Kin Clancy, Day developed into a solid, hard-checking defenseman with a genius for "skating them off".

Day was called the "perfect professional athlete" by his peers. And although Smythe had many stars play for him during his lengthy involvement with the Leafs it is doubtful another player stood higher in his estimation than the man who once owned and operated a pharmacy at Maple Leaf Garders - Clarence Henry "Hap" Day.

 

[Dreakmur]

Claude Provost !!!

Awards and Achievements:
9 x Stanley Cup Champion (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969)

Lady Byng voting: 2nd(1962), 5th(1965)
All-Star voting - 1st(1965), 3rd(1962)

1958 Coaches' Poll:
3rd Best Hustler / Hardest Worker

Offensive Accomplishments:
Points - 6th(1965), 10th(1962), 14th(1966), 15th(1958), 19th(1963), 20th(1960)
Goals - 2nd(1962), 5th(1965), 20th(1963)
Assists - 6th(1965), 10th(1966), 13th(1958), 17th(1963), 18th(1960)

Even Strength Points - 5th(1966), 6th(1965), 7th(1958), 8th(1962), 13th(1963), 14th(1960)

Play-off Points - 8th(1959), 10th(1965)
Play-off Goals - 2nd(1959), 9th(1956)


5-Year Peak: 1962 to 1966
13th in Points, 66% of 2nd place Bobby Hull
12th in Goals, 74% of 2nd place Gordie Howe
17th in Assists, 64% of 2nd place Gordie Howe

10th in Even Strength Points, 90% of second place Stan Mikita

10-Year Peak: 1957 to 1968
15th in Points, 61% of second place Andy Bathgate
10th in Even Strength Points, 76% of second place Andy Bathgate

10th in Even Strength Play-off Points


Scoring Percentages:
Points - 77(1965), 74(1962), 71(1966), 64(1958), 62(1963), 58(1960), 52(1968)
Best 6 Seasons: 406

Even Strength Points - 96(1958), 89(1966), 88(1962), 85(1965), 77(1960), 74(1963), 62(1968), 60(1959), 54(1956)
Best 6 Seasons: 512

When Toe Blake took charge behind the bench of the Montreal Canadiens in 1955-56, he introduced Claude Provost to the club's star-studded roster on the basis of his aggressive and hard-working approach to checking opponents. His peculiar, wide-stance style of skating concealed surprising speed. One observer humorously noted that when he hit the ice, he looked like a drunken sailor walking on a ship's deck during a hurricane. But however awkward he appeared, he used his hustle to good end, serving as Bobby Hull's shadow throughout the 1960s.

In addition to superb defensive play in the company of Andre Pronovost and Phil Goyette, Provost made steady improvements to his offensive game as the years progressed. In 1964-65, he was voted a First-Team All-Star on the strength of his team- leading 33 goals.

CLAUDE PROVOST, WHO PLAYED 15 SEASONS IN MONTREAL, IS ONE OF ONLY FIVE PLAYERS IN TEAM HISTORY TO SUIT UP FOR 1,000 GAMES.

Born and raised in Montreal, there was only one team that mattered to young Claude Provost: the Montreal Canadiens. In the fall of 1955, he was one of four rookies to crack the Habs’ lineup. The 22-year-old right-winger had impressed incoming coach Toe Blake with his energetic and determined checking, earning him a spot on the roster.

With an awkward, wide-gaited skating style, at first glance Provost didn’t look like someone who could effectively counter opposing speedsters. Deceptively fast, he spent the next 15 years thwarting the best left-wingers in the league while regularly scoring at least a dozen goals each year.

Though he spent the bulk of his time keeping future immortals like Ted Lindsay and Bobby Hull off the score sheet, Provost could certainly contribute offensively when he needed to.

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Provost played a tough but clean style of hockey, earning the respect of the guys he was assigned to cover. He was penalized much less frequently than most of the more primitive defensive specialists around the league, averaging about 35 penalty minutes a year.

Relentlessly competitive on the ice, Provost was relaxed and personable away from it. Nicknamed “Joe” by his friends, he whiled away the railroad hours between NHL cities playing bridge and was known to subject dozing teammates to the occasional hotfoot.

The Montreal Canadiens of the 1950s and 1960s are considered to be one of the greatest teams of all time. With names like Beliveau, Richard, Geoffrion, Harvey and Moore, the Habs had offence to spare. Someone had to accept the unglamorous role of checker and role player. Claude Provost sacrificed his own offensive output for the team. His unselfish style of hustling and aggressive checking earned him a place as a Legend of Hockey.

While sacrificing personal recognition, Provost was as big a part of the success of the Habs as anyone. He was part of two dynasty eras, the late 1950s and the late 1960s. All in all, Provost earned nine Stanley Cup championship rings.

Known for his incredible shadowing of the other team's superstars, most notably Bobby Hull, the wide-jawed Provost played over 1000 NHL games, recording very respectable totals of 254 goals and 589 points. Despite his aggressive checking style, he earned only 469 penalty minutes

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Admittedly an average shooter and awkward skater (though he was deceptively speedy), he relied on his ability to read oncoming plays and closing off options of the other team's top stars. While he would average 16 goals a season, his scoring increased after he noticed Gordie Howe used a short stick. Provost followed suit in the 1960s, and his scoring contributions grew.

During his life and career, Claude Provost was one of the most underappreciated members of two great Montreal Canadiens dynasties. He played an integral part on nine Stanley Cup championship teams. He was recognized as the premier defensive forward of his generation. He was a first team all star once and played in 11 All Star games.

1968 also saw Provost honored as the first winner of the Bill Masterton trophy for his dedication to hockey. This rare recognition of his talent and achievement was long overdue.

In 1992, Bob Gainey was deservedly elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In many ways Gainey was the player who took up the defensive forward mantle for the Canadiens after Provost's retirement.

Bob Gainey played 16 years with the Canadiens scoring 239 goals and 501 points. Claude Provost played 15 years with the Canadiens and scored 15 more goals and 88 more points while playing in 155 fewer games than Gainey.

Provost was a hustling and aggressive right wing whose determination earned him a place on a power-packed team that won the championship and Cup in his first year. He was a great checker and despite an awkward skating style had surprising speed. Although used largely on lines where his checking was required, he gradually developed as an offensive player and had some good scoring years.

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He was one of the few checkers who could ride herd on Bob Hull, and many of their triumphs over the Black Hawks were due in good measure to the close shadowing of the Chicago ace by Provost.

40. Claude Provost: Spartan ethic, defensive star, won nice Cups.

For the most part, Claude Provost did the grinding work required for a successful hockey team. His main role was not to score goals but to keep the big guns on the other team silent. Since the Canadiens had so many good shooters who could provide plenty of offense, someone had to accept the unglamorous checking role. It was a job Provost did very well with a hustling and aggressive style.

His role may have been defined as defensive specialist but Provost proved he could score as well...

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... He was at the top of his game when he was checking the likes of Chicago's Bobby Hull with a fierce determination.

An explosive offense featuring a glittering array of stars like Richard, Geoffrion and Beliveau made the Canadiens' teams of the 1950s and 1960s formidable. The ability of lesser lights like Claude Provost to smother forwards with relentless checking made them unbeatable.

Provost broke in with the Canadiens in 1955. He was one of 12 men who played on each of Montreal's five consecutive Stanley Cup winning squads from 1955 to 1960. The bog-jawed winger with his peculiar, wide-stance skating style evolved into a very efficient checker. Quiet and introverted, he seemed suited to an unspectacular role on a team filled with spectacular individuals.

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Hockey fans remember him particularly for the effective way he always covered Chicago's superstar, Bobby Hull. A defensive specialist, he gained his share of points.

Provost was a choppy, frenetic skater whos legs, wide apart, seemed to surge in different directions. Although he looked like a frightening spider skittering down the ice, he was one of the hardest men in the NHL to knock off his feet. His great speed and energy enabled him to shadow such ice-blazers as Chicago's Bobby Hull. Provost wasn't just a checker though. In 1961-62, he scored 33 goals and 62 points.

TEN BEST DEFENSIVE FORWARDS

1. Claude Provost: The eminently clean guardian of the likes of Bobby Hull and other big guns, Provost played for nine Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup winners. They couldn't have done it without him.

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Best Defensive Forward
Claude Provost

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Best Shadow
Cladue Provost proved in the 1965 finals against Bobby Hull and the Black Hawks that he was one of the finest shadows ever to play the game. His covering Hull like a family quilt was one of the keys to Montreal's Cup victory that year.

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Bobby Hull had high praise Tuesday night for Montreal's Claude Provost, who has limited the great Chicago winger to five shots on goal in two Stanley Cup final games. He described Provost as a "hell of a good skater, strong, and dedicated."

Provost was Hull's master again Tuesday night, keeping the blond winger to four shots on net as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Chicago Black Hawks 2-0 for a two-game lead in the series.

Asked if it was Provost's labors - or his own ineptness - that has prevented him from breaking out, Hull replied: "I imagine it's Provost."

Provost was on nine Stanley Cup teams in his 15 seasons with the Canadiens. In 1968, he was awarded the first Bill Masterton Trophy as the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. And while he is best-remembered as a defensive player, in 1961-62 he was voted to the first all-star team on the strength of his career-high 33 goals. That year, he was also runner-up to Toronto's Dave Keon for the Lady Byng Trophy.

Consistency is what "Joe" Provost was all about. On the ice and off it, he was the poster boy of what the NHL was all about ... the pure joy of playing in the world's best league. He played in 11 all-star games and delivered goals in double-digit numbers throughout his career.

Numbers alone don't begin to describe what Provost meant to this team. Where he truly excelled was in shutting down the opposition's best players. When the Canadiens faced the Detroit Red Wings, wherever Gordie Howe went, Provost was alongside him. When Bobby Hull and the Chicago Blackhawks were at the Forum or the Canadiens visited Chicago Stadium, Provost was there.

It had nothing to do with Provost's size - he was 5-foot-9 and a mere 175 pounds. It had everything to do with the fun of playing, of the pride he felt in wearing the Canadiens jersey, of being in the company of his teammates, starting with his closest friend, Henri Richard. The bigger and stronger players Provost checked found it really hard to knock him off his feet.

He was this good. Bob Gainey was the winner the first four Frank Selke trophies, introduced in 1978 to honour the league's best defensive player. That was seven years after Provost retired. There's no question Provost would have won at least as many, and perhaps more, if the trophy had been introduced during his playing days.

When the Canadiens retired Gainey's sweater, he made it plain he doesn't take credit for the Selke, saying he didn't invent defensive hockey. Provost, Gainey said, "represented that style of player."

As the Canadiens knocked over the Bruins and the Black Hawks in supporting bouts to the Stanley Cup final it was only natural to open nominatuons for the Conn Smythe Trophy. Gump Worsley, Jacques Laperriere, Jean Beliveau, Claude Provost, JC Tremblay and even rookie Jacques Lemaire were, and still are, worthy contenders.

The style on the ice reflects what the man was. He was doing his job, doing what we expected of him. He was a very important part at that time. We knew whoever we played, any type of game, we could count on Claude.

Another Canadien worth mentioning is Claude Provost, a former teammate of mine and one of the unsung heroes of the NHL. Provost was never a star in the true sense of the word, but because of his great desire, his perseverance, and his love of work, he became one of the most valuable of the Habitants and the best defensive forward in hockey.

Claude Provost was the typical front-line soldier, a good guy, usually quiet, but capable of laughter, too. NHL play during the 1960s was dominated by Bobby Hull, except when the Hawks came up against the Canadiens, and the reason why we prevailed against them can be summed up in two words, Claude Provost.

What you have to remember about 'Joe' was that he made sure that everything he brought to the game was his best. Everybody liked him. All of us liked the way he worked, the way he hustled, the way he checked the best players in the game. He could score goals, too but the biggest reason all of us liked him was that he was a team man. Everything he did was for the team.

 

[ResilientBeast]

Art Duncan
PCHA First Team All-Star: 1920, 1922,1924
PCHA Second Team All-Star: 1919, 1923
PCHA League Champion: 1918, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924
Stanley Cup Finalist: 1918, 1921, 1922

Pacific Coast Hockey League [1915-16;1918-24] *REGULAR SEASON*
Top-10 Scoring (1st, 9th, 10th)
Top-10 Goalscoring (1st, 8th)
Top-10 Assist (1st, 3rd, 4th, 9th, 10th)

Top-10 Scoring Among Defenseman (1st, 1st, 2nd, 4th, 4th, 7th)
Top-10 Goalscoring Among Defenseman (1st, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th)
Top-10 Assist Among Defenseman (1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 9th)
Top-10 Penalty Minutes Among Defenseman (6th, 6th)

National Hockey League [1926-30] *AGES 35-39*
Top-10 Scoring Among Defenseman (7th, 10th)
Top-10 Goalscoring Among Defenseman (7th, 9th)
Top-10 Assist Among Defenseman (5th, 8th)
Top-10 Penalty Minutes Among Defenseman (4th)

Dreakmur's Consolidated Points among Defensemen
1st(1920), 2nd(1924), 6th(1929), 7th(1922), 7th(1926), 8th(1923), 9th(1916), 9th(1928), 10th(1921)

Vancouver Millionaires/Maroons Captaincy
1921 - Lloyd Cook
1922 - Lloyd Cook
1923 - Art Duncan
1924 - Art Duncan
1925 -Art Duncan

Edmonton Bulletin April 5, 1921

Captain Cook tried to score....

Edmonton Bulletin November 14, 1922

Vancouver's first goal also came from it's captain

First goal was from Cook

Edmonton Bulletin November 22, 1923

Vanouver's only goal was the result of the fine combination between Joe Matte and his captain Art Duncan.

Report from game 1 of the Western League Finals Vancouver vs. Calgary
Calgary Daily Herald - March 11, 1924

Photo Caption: (Top) Leads Vancouver to Victory Again
(Bottom) Art Duncan; Captain and star defence man, who turned in a brilliant performance last night

Second Hand Information

The Trail of the Stanley Cup

Big Art started as a forward with Vancouver on a line with Mickey Mackay and Lloyd Cook. During the season he and Cook took turns replacing the tiring Frank Patrick and Si Griffis. They learned a lot from these veterans .
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Duncan returned form overseas decorated with the Military Corss and rejoined the Millionaires. After a few games as a sub he displaced Alex Irvin on defence where he remained a regular until 1926. Cook was his partner until 1925 when in turn Bostrum, Patrick, Matte and Moran were tried as replacements. It was no avail the great defence combination that had help Vancouver win four consecutive PCHA championships was broken.

Year to Year Quotes

Edmonton Bulletin April 5, 1921

Duncan the Vancouver defenseman was largely instrumental in saving the situation for the coast champions his long reach intercepted many dangerous passes before the goal

The Vancouver Sun - Mar 22, 1921

Darragh and Nighbor staged several excursions toward the Vancouver goal, but either failed to get by Cook and Duncan or were turned back by Hughie Lehman.

Art Duncan cashed in on one of his sensational solos and made it two to nothing for the home crew.

The Vancouver Sun - Mar 4, 1922

The five-man defense of the Millionaires was always up there, always intact and always properly set. Once in a while they'd let Mickey Mackay or Cook or Duncan go down with the puck, but always two men would drop back to take his place and the break the Mets sought for was impossible.

Seldom do hockey fans get such an exhibition of defensive brilliancy as the Millionaires showed them tonight and the big house rocked with shrieks as the Mets piled in time after time trying to break down that board wall.

The Vancouver Sun - Mar 7, 1922

Over 8000 raving fans saw Lloyd Cook and his huskies present a five-man bulwark over which the Mets could not hurdle.

Vancouver's five-man defence arrayed against the three-man rushes of the Mets was effective as the French defence at Verdun.

During the closing minutes of play Cook's men did everything they knew to keep the puck away from their net.

Cook and Duncan had the Mets talking to themselves before the first period was halfway through.

The Vancouver Sun - Mar 13, 1922

Duncan and Cook teamed up in wonderful style, checked and rushed like fiends and were easily the pick of both teams.

Lethbridge Herald March 13, 1922

The spectacular play of Art Duncan, the husky and smooth working defenseman of the Vancouver team was the deciding factor in the brilliant victory of the coast leaguers. This strong young athlete not only saved his own citadel on numerous occasions by clever checking but maneuvered through the Regina defense for three goals on individual efforts.
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Duncan and Cook teamed up in wonderful style, checked and rushed like fiends and were easily the pick of both teams.

Toronto Star, March 15, 1922

Anyway Lester Patrick has a mighty smart looking bunch along with him and figures on handling George O’Donoghue’s newly crowned champions a bigger surprise than “Happy” Mellroy got the morning he found a quart of Irish where the bottle cow sap was usually parked.
Here they are:
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RIGHT DEFENSE: Art Duncan, the Soo boy. Five feet 11 inches he stands, and he is the star of the team. He played here with the 228th Battalion team along with the McNamara’s. The fans remember him. He is one sweet hockey player and a boy they will love to cheer.

The Vancouver Sun - Feb 4, 1922

The sterling performances put up by Art Duncan in recent games at the Arena have been the talk of fandom. Duncan has cut loose with a burst of speed which has often left many a lighter forward standing still. There are not many men of Duncan's stature who can break away as fast as the big Millionaire defence man can. He is a strenuous checker but very seldom does the referee find it necessary to even warn Art.

On Friday evening at Victoria Tommy Dunderdale started out to get Duncan's goat. He did not succeed in doing so until the third period. Then Art took the naughty Tommy in hand and boxed his ears in such a manner that the Victoria winger will think twice before starting anything with Lloyd Cook's partner.

The Vancouver Sun - Feb 20, 1922

The big fellow who holds down the right defence position on the Vancouver Millionaires, Art Duncan, is playing the game of his life this season. The P.C.H.A. boasts some pretty good defence players and the fact that Mickey Ion selected Arther for a place on his mythical all-star septette speaks for itself. Duncan is also high man in scoring among defence men.

The Morning Leader - Mar 10, 1922

Regina fans will see in Art Duncan, defense star of the Vancouvers, one of the cleanest and most effective puck propellers in hockey history. Standing over six feet in height and weighing around 185 pounds, Duncan has starred throught the Coast League season.

Fredrickson, former Winnipeg star, prior to leaving home a few days ago, informed the writer that he considered Duncan the cleanest and most gentlemanly player he had ever gone against

The Morning Leader - Mar 13, 1922

Art Duncan, as clean and fine a player as ever skated on any ice, was the outstanding star of both aggregations. Individually the flying ace accounted for three of his team's tallies. He seemed at home on the heavy ice and time after time swept down the length of the rink and generally finished by testing Laird by a rifle shot from his stick.

Report from game 2 of Semi-Finals Vancouver vs. Ottawa
Calgary Daily Herald: March 20, 1923

Stanley Cup Semi-Final Series Evened Up When Maroons Completely Outclass NHL Champions in the Second Game. Frank Boucher And Duncan Star

The Maroons were masters of the situation one minute and eighteen seconds after the initial faceoff, when Duncan swept down the ice in one of his irresistible rushes and parked the disk behind Benedict for the west's first goal in two games. Thereafter the Maroons were never in danger. Skinner worked the puck down shortly after and passed back to Boucher from the extreme right corner behind Benedict, and Frank snapped the puck into the corner of the net.
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Benedict got another hard crack, when MacKay's shot hit him on the mouth from two or three feet out; he fell to the ice and the game was halted while he was being patched up. But he played fine hockey, as did Art Duncan, Mickey MacKay and Frank Boucher.

Photo Caption: (Top) At Top Form When Ottawas Are Beaten
(Bottom) Art Duncan; Who Excelled for Vancouver last night in the second game of the Stanley Cup series.

Report from game 5 of Semi-Finals Vancouver vs. Ottawa
The Vancouver Sun – Mar. 27, 1923

Duncan failed to put the finishing touch to his rushes that marked his work last week.

Harris and Duncan both slammed a number of hot ones at the nets, but with one exception, Benedict handled them all.

Report from game 1 of the Western League Finals Vancouver vs. Calgary
Calgary Daily Herald - March 11, 1924

DUNCAN EXHIBITS STYLE

That being done with lauding Boucher, let the light sweep around and stare on Art Duncan for a while. He did a lot of stuff and it was all good. He did a neat strut step through the Calgary make-up on several fast sweeps, and the boys appeared to be at a loss to figure out his style. He made a way for himself with apparent ease, the left side of the Calgary defense being the most popular course to follow. Cook also veered the course of his straddling pins in that direction and broke in a few times, especially with the first goal, that should have been clamped. Duncan’s drive follwed the same route, just 17 seconds after the third period started and before the stretch was spent, the rangey chief of the red sides slipped around the port side of the protection again, and his pass to Mackay was a cinch opening for Mickey to slap the cake into the coop. The shot beat Reid all the way, as did Duncan’s drive in the opening when he fired the puck across Reid’s front like a crack from a rifle.
…
Photo Caption: (Top) Leads Vancouver to Victory Again
(Bottom) Art Duncan; Captain and star defence man, who turned in a brilliant performance last night

Report from game 2 of the Western League Finals Vancouver vs. Calgary
Calgary Daily Herald - March 13, 1924

Series Now Evened Up And Saturday Will Decide
Individually, Vancouver works well, the bulk of the club’s power lying in the defense, where most of the offensive originates.

Report from game 3 of the Western League Finals Vancouver vs. Calgary
Calgary Daily Herald - March 17, 1924

Tigers Evolve Scheme to Hold Big Art Duncan and Their Tactics Bring Results

Duncan Watched Closely
Art Duncan, Vancouver’s ace, was hounded on most of his trips down the floor. The Tigers evolved a successful scheme of controlling this “big boy” and it worked quite as effectively Saturday as it did last Wednesday in Calgary. The checks pestered him from the time he started out to attack and they skated all the way down with him. At that, the Maroon skipper was troublesome to the defense, and he led off several strong drives against the plainsmen. Had MacKay and Boucer played the combination style of the Tigers, the Maroons would probably have Calgary’s position today.

Aggressiveness beat the Vancouver Maroons out of the bye into the final round of the Stanley Cup series here Saturday night when the Calgary Tigers swept in on Hughie Lehman with a system of fast combination that resulted in a toll of three counts and the Tigers finished in front 3-1...

Boucher and MacKay were mighty annoying and they drew all kinds of attention. Boucher's hook checking was extremely clever, and he worried the Tigers when they swung into position for attacks. Duncan and Cook were stout obstacles and it was apparent that the Maroons were providing for a stiff weight battle as they started off with Bostrum and Skinner on the forward line, two of the heftiest customers on the coast makeup. They had the weight, but not the speed and the Tigers were soon breaking away from them, but Duncan and Cook blocked many rushes in the early part of the show.

Report from game 2 of Semi-Finals against Montreal
The Calgary Daily Herald – Mar. 21, 1924

Dunacn being closely guarded, more particularly by Joliat, who insisted on annoying the “big boy” all through the show

The Morning Leader - Oct 25, 1924

The peerless defence leader of the Maroons will be back at his old place in front of Hugh Lehman, and once again will inspire his team-mates to greater prowess on the ice by his gallant example. Duncan's record in Canadian hockey annals lest season when he led the PCHA in goal scoring, and Duncan's driving power, which so often carried him through opposing defences, gave him a grand final of 30 points, exclusive of playoff games and world series battles, 21 goals and 9 assists.

It was Duncan's big year. Not only did he show the scorers the way from a defence position, but he captained the club and bore the brunt of attack and defence.

Standing well over six feet, built in proportion, heady and a clever stick-handler, Duncan is the terror of opposing defenders. He is about as easy to shift from the puck as a mastiff from a snippy "pom." He shoots with dead accuracy and although he takes many falls in the course of a strenuous season and sometimes mops up acres of ice and athletes, he is certainly the outstanding defence star in wester hockey circles, and stands out as one of the great modern super-stars of the game.

The Calgary Daily Herald - Mar 17, 1924

To lead all others in such a league of stars is a remarkable and rather unusual scoring record for a defense man, and suggests that such a one must be possessed of at least two qualities which are essential for candidates to the "perfect player" class. First he must be wonderful on the attack, since as a defense man he has opportunity to attack much less frequently than his scoring competitors: secondly he must be a great defense man and must not neglect that department in order to keep his rivals down and in order to help win a championship.

If he were a dirty or hot tempered player he would not be on the ice long enough to accomplish what he has to: and if he were not clean of life as well as play he would not have the stamina to play practically the whole time, as he has done.

Had he not brains in plenty he could not have taken advantage of openings and he could not have made the wonderful openings for others to score, and so credit himself with assists. He is adept at drawing the opposing defense to one side so that a team-mate will have an easier passage. To do this sucessfully he must be a clever stick-handler and a good shot, so that opponents will be greatly concerned when he is on the rampage or else using his strategy in their territory.

He must be unselfish enough to pass the puck to a contender for scoring honors like Mackay and he has the nerve to draw punishment his own way so that a less robust team-mate may be spared. He must also be a fast skater to get back to his position in proper time. He is a good passer and a good one-hand artist.

Lovers of clean sport everywhere admire him and wish him all kinds of luck when he does not happen to be opposing their favourites.

The Calgary Daily Herald - Mar 12, 1924

Art Duncan will be going great guns as usual and the fans will get plenty of excitement when he starts off down the ice and he will give them plenty of thrills when he lets drive one of his wicked shots.

Lethbridge Herald November 12, 1925

Vancouver paralyzed the calculating minds of some of the hockey students when they jet Art Duncan out in favor of Reg. Mackay rising amateur of the prairie class. Duncan generally regarded as one of the finest hockey players in togs today, will be hard to replace in the Maroons black line. But Frank Patrick is struggling to install a capable substitute.
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The Calgary Tigers are not braking in any amateur products this season. It doesn't look like the best of judgement but the regulars are strong. Bolstered on defence by the addition of Duncan formerly of Vancouver, the Tigers have undoubtedly the strongest hockey protection in the annals of sport history. Dutton, Gardiner and Duncan with Winkler in goal. It holds weight strength, experience, speed and strong counter attacking force. For two seasons Duncan was scoring ace of the coast league.

The Calgary Daily Herald - Dec 14, 1925

Vancouver is anxious to see how Art Duncan, stury defense man, once held as the pride of the Maroons, will perform against his former mates.

The smart shooting of Duncan thrilled the crowd.

The Globe September 6, 1926

Art Duncan, for the past six years as one of the shining lights of professional hockey on the Pacific Coast. will manage and play defense for the Detroit team of the National Hockey League.

Duncan, who has been captain of the Vancouver club for the past two years, stands out among defense men of the Western circuit. He led his team to the Pacific Coast League Championship in 1924 and although playing defense set up a record for professional hockey by leading the league in scoring.

The Detroit club made no mistake when it signed Duncan in the player-manager role. One of the smartest and fastest hockey player in the game today, Duncan should prove a strong foundation about which to build Detroit's entry in the National League

The Montreal Gazette - Feb 3, 1928

Toronto were without big Art Duncan, the 200-pound defence star, who has been the chief block on the Leafs' guard.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Mar 2, 1928

Duncan threw a scare late the Pirate camp when he carried the rubber to the net, only to see the perfect pass fanned by Cox.

Ottawa Citizen - Nov 20, 1928

Hap is back in his best form teaming with Art Duncan to make one of the best defences in the National Hockey League.

The Globe February 7, 1930

He is an experienced defense player and there isn't a team in the league who couldn't use him to advantage. The Maple Leafs have three good defense men in Day, Duncan and Horner...

Hockey Historysis: The Maybe-Meritorious Men of the 1920s

It would lead to the sticky situation of his being deemed meritous, while the player directly above him, Art Duncan, would not. Duncan, a defenceman who spent most of his career in Western Canada, is very close to being deserving, to my eyes. But he never had that one huge season that most Hall-of-Famers have. He did lead the PCHA in scoring in 1923/24, but of course he played left wing that season, not defence. As a blueliner he contributed to the offence but was merely good in his own end. I think his career is just not quite good enough for the Hall, and the actual voters have agreed to date.

Just above Duncan on the list is Lionel Hitchman, who I think probably deserves to be called a meritous man. He was a hard-rock defenceman, and his presence this high on the list is a testament to the ability of the Point Allocation system to recognize the excellence of stay-at-home blueliners. Hitchman is credited with only 8.2 offensive points in his NHL career (not a complete zero, but very low), but 68.7 points for his defence.

Duncan as Iain Fyffe has since confirmed didn't play LW that season, he did have a peak season worthy of the Hall and as Nalyd Psycho pointed out

The first issue is that Art Duncan is not in the Hall of Fame. Is this proof that he is less than peers that are? Or is it an oversight? Unfortunately I didn't save the quotes and links, if desired, I can, but I believe it to be an oversight. The reason being that he pissed off people who would have had sway in the Hall of Fame. First he held out on the Patrick family when he played in Vancouver. Then he held out in Toronto, causing the NHL to suspend him until he reported to camp, the first player suspended for holding out. Then after he was fired as the Leaf's coach, he sued Conn Smythe for back pay. In the first 20 years of the Hall you could get in if one of Patrick or Smythe was against you, but both? Probably not. By the time the people who would oppose Duncan were out, the Western leagues were no longer historically appreciated. But he (and Hugh Lehman) was the star player of the four time PCHA champions in the early 20's and would have been the unified MVP of major pro hockey in the 1923-24 season when he lead the PCHA in scoring playing solely as a defenceman. Whenever the Millionaires/Maroons are mentioned in papers, Duncan and Lehman were the players highlighted as the teams stars and star attractions. References to Duncan as an elite and sensational player were frequent.

 

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