ATD 2022 Bio thread

[Voight]

Steven Stamkos


Awards and Achievements:
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy 2010, 2012
NHL Second All-Star Team 2011, 2012
Runner up for the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2012.
World Championship All-Star Team 2009
Stanley Cup Champion 2020, 2021
World Cup of Hockey Champion 2016
One of 19 players to score 60 goals in a season, One of 6 post-1990
One of two players to score 60 goals 1996-present

Hart voting - 2nd(2012), 6th(2010), 8th(2013), 11th(2011), 11th(2015), 14th(2019)

All-Star voting - 2nd(2011), 2nd(2012), 3rd(2013), 3rd(2010), 4th(2015), 12th(2016)

Offensive Achievements:
Points - 2nd(2012), 2nd(2013), 5th(2010), 5th(2011), 9th(2019)

Goals - 1st(2010), 1st(2012), 2nd(2011), 2nd(2013), 2nd(2015), 4th(2019), 7th(2016)


Playoff Points - 3rd(2021), 8th(2011), 5th(2015)
Playoff Goals - 2nd(2021), 6th(2011), 6th(2015), 8th(2018)
Playoff Assists - 5th(2021), 9th(2011), 5th(2015)


5 Year Peak: 2009 to 2014
4th in Points, 95% of 1st place Martin St. Louis
1st in Goals, 103% of 2nd place Alex Ovechkin
32nd in Assists, 64% of 3rd place Martin St. Louis

10 Year Peak: 2009 to 2019
5th in Points, 87% of 1st place Sidney Crosby
2nd in Goals, 84% of 1st place Alex Ovechkin
27th in Assists, 67% of 1st place Nicklas Backstrom

**During this period of time he missed 1/2 of one season & more than 3/4 of another**

He just hits the net. He's always accurate.

He reminds me of a young Yzerman

I didn't have as hard a shot, and he's a better skater. His skating ability has opened eyes.

No question.

He's elevated his play and scored so many goals that were part of our comeback. He's such a big part of our team, he should get serious consideration, in my opinion.

The name of the game is to win, so generally you're going to look at who had the biggest impact on a winning team, but every now and then a player is so good and so important to his team, even if they don't make the playoffs, you have to take a look at him.

Of course, Stamkos really already had found his place: the left face-off circle.

Study a shot chart of the center's goals since 2009--10. The left circle, around the face-off dot, looks like a Google Earth picture of a shopping mall on Black Friday. He scored 22 from that circle last season, five so far this year. Coach Guy Boucher emphasizes mobility on the Lightning's amoeba of a power play, and Stamkos, a righthanded shot, indeed pops up in the slot, or on the right side, practically everywhere. Ten of his 19 goals in 20 games have come from below the circles—so-called "dirty areas"—which underscores that hockey's best pure shooter is improving as an impure shooter. (Stamkos had five tip-in goals last season, but his first two goals this year came on deflections.) Clearly his sublime hand-eye coordination can produce tip-ins, but that's like saying Pavarotti could also sing Happy Birthday. He is a goal scorer, with one noteworthy distinction. Like Wayne Gretzky's "office" behind the net, Stamkos's playpen is the left dot, launching pad for hockey's biggest weapon—his one-timer.

Skates very well, has awesome hand/eye coordination and can score in a variety of ways. His one-timer when parked high in the slot is deadly. Displays solid playmaking and two-way upside. Plays with enough grit and aggression to keep opponents honest.

Elite scorer with big upside.

The power-play prowess. When Hull scored 50 goals in his team's first 50 games in 1990-91, he finished with 86 on the year and scored 29 on the power play. Stamkos plays the same kind of sniper role on the Lightning power play, and has 10 of his 19 goals with the man advantage. He's lethal when given room to shoot.

Can Stamkos stay healthy and go 50-in-50? It's a distinct possibility. But even if he doesn't, we're witnessing an extraordinary offensive season from what is right now -- and due respect to Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin of the Washington Capitals -- the most exciting player in the NHL.

"He's one of the bright young stars of this league," said Canadian and U.S. TV analyst and former Whalers coach Pierre McGuire, who watched Stamkos get two goals and an assist in Thursday's 5-2 victory over the Senators.

"He's so much quicker, and his legs have more power. He was always good. Now he's about to take it to the next level."

When Steven Stamkos is done playing, he’ll likely own most, if not all, of the Lightning’s career scoring records. He’ll have won multiple Stanley Cups and has two Rocket Richard trophies. He’ll almost certainly be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

“Steven is the best goal-scorer in Lightning history and now he has the record to prove it,” Lecavalier said in a statement provided by the team. “How he’s gotten to 384 - all the adversity, scoring from all over the ice - and still managing to set the record in a relatively small number of games is remarkable and further establishes Stammer as one of the top goal-scorers in the history of the game. It’s an honor to call him a friend and a teammate.”

 

[ImporterExporter]

JC Tremblay, D, Montreal Canadians

Scouting Reports:

Montreal Gazette, 13 Oct, 1962:

Montreal Gazette, 12 Oct, 1963:

Montreal Gazette, 17 Oct, 1964

Montreal Gazette, 17 Apr, 1965:

Montreal Gazette, 23 Oct, 1965

Montreal Gazette, 23 Apr 1966:

Montreal Gazette, 22 Oct, 1966:

Montreal Gazette, 6 Apr, 1967:

Montreal Gazette, 2 Apr, 1968:

Montreal Gazette, 31 Oct, 1968

Montreal Gazette, 11 Oct, 1969:

Montreal Gazette, 7 Apr, 1971

Penalty Killing feats:



Montreal Gazette, 23 Feb 1962:

Shorthanded over 150 times to date in season, they have surrendered only 21 goals.

Toe Blake singles out JC Tremblay saying "he has done his share as much as anyone else. But he hasn't been given much credit. He's been especially strong while we have been shorthanded."

This clearly highlights how much responsibility a very young Tremblay is getting while down a man and he's not thought of as just a passenger.

Montreal Gazette, 27 Mar 1964

Tremblay, Harper, Talbot sent out to kill of a 5 on 3 PK and they did so against the Leafs without allowing a single shot

Montreal Gazette, 5 Apr 1965

Blake singles out great defensive work of Tremblay

Tremblay used on 5-3 PK to great effect again. Note Blake would use Dmen to kill penalties when down 2 players.

Montreal Star 19 Apr 1965:

Elmer Ferguson piece highlights the effectiveness of JC Tremblay's defense:

Part of reason JC doesn't get more accoldates is due to him not being a punishing hitter, typical in that time period but is still very effective and his low PIM totals adds to his value.

"He plays the puck rather than the man, plays the game coolly, effectively, is a stalwart when the team is short handed."

Montreal Gazette, 21 Apr 1965

Toe Blake heaps praise on Tremblay and Ted Harris

They played 45 minutes, including stretch of 5 straight w/2 penalty kills

"I must have had them on the ice for 45 minutes." "They played on stretch of five minutes and helped kill two penalties."

Provost completely nullified Bobby Hull who took stupid penalties.

The Palm Beach Post, 28 Apr 1965:

Tremblay scores SH.

Montreal Gazette, 11 Oct 1965:

Tremblay specifically noted "fine defensive effort" while Dick Duff was in the box led to short handed goal by Bobby Rousseau

Montreal Gazette, 21 Apr 1967:

Tremblay and others noted as having scintillating effort in killing many penalties.

Toe Blake thought the PK efforts (they were hit with 9 minors overall) in the first period was turning point in game

Montreal Gazette, 7 Dec 1970

Great PK work leads directly to game winning goal

Montreal Gazette, 29 Dec 1970

Tremblay and Harper mentioned as D duo on kill completely shutting down Flyers PP

Jean-Claude Tremblay - Bio, pictures, stats and more | Historical Website of the Montreal Canadiens

A superb skater – fast, mobile and blessed with innate hockey smarts – Tremblay was an offensive threat able to make precise passes through traffic to teammates in full flight. On December 29, 1962, he picked up four assists in a single period.

Forgoing the more robust style of play preferred by most defensemen, Tremblay rarely lay on the body, going about things with a bit more finesse than most of his peers. A magician with his stick, Tremblay effortlessly stripped enemy forwards of the puck, turning it back up the ice to begin the counter attack.

Agile and elusive, once Tremblay had the puck, rarely did opponents get it back. He quarterbacked the most potent power play in the league and often seemed to kill entire penalties on his own, weaving his way through whole teams for the duration of his team’s penalty.

Remembering the Greats - Part 1: J.C. Tremblay

Tremblay was a superb skater with speed, puck handling abilities and vision making him a constant offensive threat. He was known for being able to make tape to tape passes to teammates through numerous defenders while at full speed on the rush.

Unlike most other defensemen of the era, Tremblay rarely relied on physical play to disrupt opposing forwards. Instead, he used his finesse and stick handling abilities, which were honed during his forward days back in junior to strip the puck, along with his agility and elusiveness to carry it out of the zone and on to the counterattack.

A specialist on the penalty kill, Tremblay could kill entire penalties on his own weaving in and out of opposing players as they futilely chased him around the ice. He also quarterbacked the NHL’s most potent power play and in 1971 broke Steve Harvey’s Canadiens record for points scored by a defenseman with 63.

Born in Bagotville, Quebec on January 22, 1939, Tremblay caught the attention of Canadiens scouts by scoring 71 goals as a 17 year old left winger during the 1956-57 campaign. He spent parts of five seasons with the Hull-Ottawa Canadiens, who were coached by a young Scotty Bowman, helping the team win the Memorial Cup in 1958. It was during this time that Tremblay converted from left wing to defense, in part due to the lack of blue line depth, and excelled at the position eventually winning the Most Valuable Player award in 1960.

The Summit in 1972: Jean-Claude Tremblay by Mike Wyman

Regarding the penalty killing of Tremblay it is also worth noting that he at age 35 was one of the most outstanding penalty killers in the 1974 Summit Series despite getting caught flatfooted when Kharlamov scored a great solo goal on the powerplay in Game 1. Here are a few examples from that 8-game series which shows some of his abilty to control the puck on the penalty kill.

In this first clip Tremblay makes a couple of very nice plays when the Canadian boxplay unit successfully plays keepaway with the puck.



Here Tremblay shows some impressive stickhandling before he sends the puck deep into the Soviets defensive zone.



Another example of his poise with puck on the penalty kill.



In this series Tremblay may not have shown that much of the ability to rag the puck for an extended period of time on the penalty kill but he definitely showed some flashes of it and I am personally impressed by how well Tremblay at the age of 35 managed to control the puck on the penalty kill against one of the best national teams in the world.

All Around Praise:


Montreal Gazette, 7 Apr 1964

More evidence that people generally underrate Tremblay because he wasn't the quintessential rough and tumble type that was typical of 1960's hockey.

Sam Pollock highlights the attributes that make JCT a quality hockey player despite him not being mean/physical.

Montreal Gazette, 9 Apr 1966

Massive praise for Tremblay by multiple peers/opposing and managers

2 way play and brilliance defensively noted

Dick Duff says "he's one of the best defencemen in the NHL and nobody knows he's alive. Sure he doesn't hit because that's not his style but he gets the job better than most of the guys"

Beliveau notes players "have been saying that for three or four years" in regards to Tremblay being overlooked for AS votes.

King Clancy says "This boy Tremblay is easily the best defencemen in the league along with Allan Stanley. I'm talking about him defensively, although he's pretty good the other way too. The other night he made as fine a player as you'll ever see. One of our players seemed to have him trapped but Tremblay put the puck through his legs before he knew it and the Canadiens had a breakaway."

Another teammate notes that Tremblay has to cover for the bigger Jacques Laperriere who gets out of position often on rushes.

Here is more glowing praise from the same game in the Ottawa Journal 9 Apr 1966

Tremblay "is everybody's choice as the best player in the semi final opener and might be the finest defensemen in the world"

Toe Blake expressed eternal gratitude

Ralph Backstrom says "He's got to be the best defensemen in the league. He puts it right on your stick...never gives it away...there isn't anybody can bring it out better than he can...and nobody goes around him...it doesnt matter that he doesn't hit...he's the best in the league"

Eddie MacCabe (author) notes Tremblay was their backroom organizer, collecting the Habs when the pressure rose. He was "cool, smart, and polite".

Called deceptively definite. He doesn't rattle on the ice, or off. He's not intimidated by the plunging antics of tormentors. He moves the puck around, promotes order in the ranks.

He doesn't fit some of the generally accepted of defensemen, so he may never get the credit he deserves.

The Kingston Whig-Standard, 19 Apr 1966:

Tremblay with more praise during a deep playoff run.

Doug Harvey specifically notes Tremblay's ability to transition/pass the puck no matter what the situation is.

Tremblay rates Gadsby and Stanley as toughest Dmen in the league currently.

Montreal Gazette, 25 Mar 1970:

Tremblay's elite stickhandling/puck control noted

After a rough start to the campaign in 69-70, including a wrist injury, Tremblay noted to be strong defensively, and playing more aggresively filling a void left by a major injury to Serge Savard

Montreal Gazette, 9 Dec 1970

Gilles Tremblay speaks highly of JC Tremblay

Once again JC is underrated by fans and media because he doesn't hit.

Highlights Tremblay's transition ability out of the D zone with his laser guided passes

Richmond Review, 25 Apr 1973:

Fantastic piece by Wilf Hurd speaking on the career of Tremblay, and the fact the Habs likely missed him more than anyone was willing to admit.

Called "absolute master in his own zone" and was probably only defensemen on the team capable of hitting the meteoric Yvan Cournoyer in stride from his own zone. States he put Cournoyer in the clear 10-15 times per year.

Master of sweep and poke check

Noted to be booed often and was at one point benched by Claude Ruel, as he occasionally was known to make a bad turnover deep in his zone.

Lebanon Daily News, 5 Jun 1973

Tremblay wins the WHA's Norris Trophy equivalent

The Star Phoenix, 15 Nov 1974

Here is Milt Dunnell's column speaking to the specific instance of Tremblay being praised by the Soviets coaches as "the most accomplished defence player they ever had seen."

JC Tremblay: Urban Legend

More evidence that Tremblay's lack of AS recognition likely stemmed from his lack of physical play typical for the time period, not because he wasn't worthy of consideration or effective in his play while also likely losing out on the HOF due to his jumping to the WHA after the 71-72 campaign.

by Warren Shaw,

Boxscore DETROIT (December 17, 2020)
During the Montreal Canadians Stanley Cup dominance in the 1970s and 80s, they produced a formidable roster that not only included Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt, Jacque Lemaire, and Peter Mahovolich, but also incredible defense.

Larry Robinson, Serge Savard, and Guy Lapointe made up what was coined “ The Big Three.” The three Hall of Famers had different strengths. They all were mobile with exceptional overall ability, with different degrees of physicality and positional style.

Most current fans are not aware that the Canadian’s had a slightly different, but just as formidable corps in the early seventies.

During that era, Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins was the best defender in the game, but in 1971 they were upset by a Montreal squad that included Jean Beliveau, John Ferguson, Henri Richard, a young Yvan Cournoyer, Marc Tardif, Rejean Houle, Mickey Redmond, and Frank Mahovolich.

On defense Jacques Laperrierre, JC Tremblay, Serge Savard , Terry Harper and a young Guy Lapointe patrolled the Montreal blue line.

Often overlooked in discussions involving Montreal’s best defenders ever to be on the Canadians roster is Jean Claude (JC) Tremblay. He was signed to eventually replace Doug Harvey but was regularly criticized because of his lack of physicality.

Tremblay had a smooth skating style and was a magician with the puck providing the 1971 squad with a bevy of skilled puck movers who presented an unexpected problem for the favored Bruins squad.

Tremblay was considered by many to be the best defenseman in the series outplaying the great Bobby Orr.

He displayed his puck-handling ability time and time again evading Bruins forecheckers while advancing the puck into the Boston zone. At times he seemed to know where his teammates were positioned without looking, continuously setting them up for shots on Bruins goaltender Gerry Cheevers.

Tremblay ended up with 3 goals and 14 assists in the playoffs outscoring Orr who produced 3 goals and 7 assists after a record-breaking regular season that saw him score 37 goals and 102 assists.

Tremblay established his reputation as a great playoff performer, seemingly notching up his game in the postseason Stanley Cup championships.

Capitalizing on the fact that Serge Savard and Jacques Laperriere were injured, Tremblay exploded to career highs with 11 goals, 52 assists, and 63 points in 1970-71.

The following year he scored 6 goals and 51 assists for 57 points. Tremblay emerged as one of the best defensemen in the league coming into his own.

His performance resulted in him being high in Norris Trophy balloting for several campaigns.

Then in 1972-73, Tremblay, at the top of his game, jumped to the World Hockey Association. He captained the Quebec Nordiques as he led the league in assists with 75. He also added 14 goals for 89 points. Tremblay went on to be the best defenseman in the WHA's short existence, with a career 66 goals and 358 assists for 424 points in 455 games.

Tremblay's jump to the World Hockey Association on one hand helped to establish the WHA as a true alternative to the National Hockey League and Tremblay as one of the highest skilled defenders around, but on the other hand, appears to have hurt his shot at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Many feel that if Tremblay would have stayed with Canadians he would have easily been voted into the Hall of Fame and would have made the Canadians defensive roster the best ever.
Tremblay, who was shy and a loner by nature left his mark despite not retiring with the Habs, that’s why many called him “J.C Superstar”.

 

[Dreakmur]

Duke Keats !!!


Awards and Achievements:
WCHL First Team All-Star (1922, 1923, 1924, 1925)
WHL First Team All-Star (1926)

Offensive Accomplishments:
Points - 1st(1922), 7th(1923), 9th(1916), 9th(1928), 10th(1924), 10th(1926), 11th(1925), 12th(1927)
Goals - 2nd(1922), 9th(1916), 9th(1925), 10th(1926), 11th(1923), 12th(1924), 13th(1927), 15th(1928)
Assists - 1st(1922), 5th(1923), 7th(1928), 9th(1916), 9th(1927), 13th(1924), 16th(1926), 17th(1925)

Big 4 Points - 1st(1920), 1st(1921)

Scoring Percentages:
Consolidated Points - 140(1922), 85(1924), 83(1923), *82(1917), *79(1920), *78(1921), 77(1925), 73(1916), 72(1927), 69(1928), 68(1926)

Best 6 Seasons: 547

​

 

[Dreakmur]

Babe Pratt !!!

Awards and Achievements:
2 x Stanley Cup Champion (1940, 1945)

Hart Trophy (1944)

First Team All-Star (1944)
Second Team All-Star (1945)

All-Star voting - 1st(1944), 3rd(1945), 5th(1943), 7th(1940), 7th(1946), 8th(1939), 9th(1942)

Offensive Accomplishments:
Points - 13th(1944), 18th(1945)
Assists - 5th(1944), 13th(1942), 13th(1946), 15th(1945), 17th(1943), 18th(1939)

Points among Defensemen - 1st(1944), 1st(1945), 1st(1946), 2nd(1943), 3rd(1942), 4th(1938), 4th(1939), 5th(1940), 5th(1941), 7th(1937)

Play-off Points - 10th(1937), 10th(1940), 10th(1945)
Play-off Goals - 3rd(1937), 4th(1940)

Play-off Points among Defensemen - 1st(1937), 1st(1940), 2nd(1939), 2nd(1943), 2nd(1944), 2nd(1945), 3rd(1942), 5th(1941)


5-Year Peak: 1941 to 1945
14th in Points, 71% of second place Toe Blake
1st in Points among Defensemen, 138% of second place Earl Seibert

13th in Play-off Points
1st in Play-off Points among Defensemen

10-Year Peak: 1937 to 1946
13th in Points, 63% of second place Toe Blake
1st in Points among Defensemen, 142% of second place Earl Seibert

12th in Play-off Points
1st in Play-off Points among Defensemen

Scoring Percentages:
Points among Defensemen - 135(1944), 114(1946), 100(1943), 100(1945), 86(1938), 85(1942), 83(1941), 81(1939), 61(1940), 60(1937)

Best 6 Seasons: 620

Wartime Adjustment....
Points among Defensemen - 109(1944), 99(1946), 92(1943), 86(1938), 85(1942), 83(1941), 81(1939), 81(1945), 61(1940), 60(1937)

Best 6 Seasons: 554

Walter "Babe" Pratt was a funny and outgoing man off the ice, keen on jokes and always good for a laugh, but he was considerably tougher with his hockey equipment on. Over a long career in leagues across North America, he proved consistently that the best defense is often a good offense. He was a defenseman who kept the puck deep in the other team's zone, sometimes deep in their net, and goalies on his squads could be sure their goals-against averages would drop when he was at his best. His leadership and ability are backed up by his remarkable winning record, from the National Hockey League to junior, as his teams won 15 championships over his 26 years in the game.

....

Ranger scout Al Ritchie called Pratt the best prospect he had ever seen.... In his rookie year, he had some veteran defenders to watch and play with, including Ching Johnson, Art Coulter and Ott Heller. In 1939-40, Pratt teamed with Heller to form the league's best defense pairing. In 48 games, they allowed only 17 goals and their play was instrumental in the Rangers' Stanley Cup win that season. Pratt had 28 points in 1941-42 as the Rangers won the regular-season championship

Walter Pratt was one of the best defensemen of his time and, for that matter, any era. He was an offensive blueliner before anyone had ever heard of Bobby Orr or Paul Coffey. He could rush the puck and score like defensemen of a more modern era.
At 6'3" and 215lbs, Pratt was a giant back in the 1940s. Likewise, he had a certain flair about him that made him larger than life - much like that of an athlete of a different sport in Babe Ruth. Thus, Pratt was eternally also known as the Babe.

....

Pratt almost single-handedly brought the Stanley Cup to Toronto in 1945. In game 7 of the thrilling finals, Pratt fired the puck past Red Wings goalie Harry Lumley late in the game, giving the Leafs a 2-1 win!

In 1936, Pratt turned professional with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League. His experience on the blueline was instrumental in the Rangers' Stanley Cup victory in 1939-40 and Pratt was known as one of the hardest-hitting and stingiest defencemen in the league.

 

[BenchBrawl]

GEORGE HAY

Research by Sturminator & BenchBrawl

special thanks to Sanf, overpass & TheDevilMadeMe for All-Star teams, and to ResilientBeast & jarek for existing material from older bios.

LW
Left-handed
158 lbs
5-10

All-Star Teams
1922: 1st (WCHL)
1923: 1st (WCHL)
1924: 1st (WCHL)
1925: 1st (WHL)
1926: 1st (WHL)
1927: 1st (consolidated NHL - coaches + managers + referees + writers) ― [Aurèle Joliat was 2nd]
1928: 1st (consolidated NHL - coaches) ― [Aurèle Joliat was 2nd]
1929: 2nd (consolidated NHL - general managers) ― [Aurèle Joliat was 1st]

Hart: 4th in 1928
Byng: 2nd in 1928, 3rd in 1929, 5th in 1930

Team captain in 1931

-----------------------------------------------------------

I've seen a lot of good ones, but none who had more stuff than George. He was in a class with Aurial Joliat, Jack Walker, Bun Cook or Harvey Jackson. He could do everything, that fellow. Besides, he was one of the easiest players to handle I ever had -- always in condition, always on the job, always willing to play any position. He never got into any trouble on the ice and was rarely sent to the penalty box. We've often said in the dressing room that when Hay kicks against a decision, the referee should be run out of the league.

He ranked with the great forwards of the game, combining speed and poise, aggressiveness and finesse, with unsurpassed mechanical ability.

------------------------------------------------------------

Pre-Professional

18 Dec 1919, 5 - The Leader-Post at Newspapers.com

George Hay, the baby of the Hay family, is a natural-born hockey player. It is no trouble for George to play.

George Hay was considered a good defensive player even before his professional career.

14 Jan 1920, 5 - The Leader-Post at Newspapers.com

George Hay - Broke up many rushes, as is his wont, last night, and counted the first two goals of the game.

13 Mar 1920, 24 - The Leader-Post at Newspapers.com

George Hay, as usual was the official stopper of rusher and instigated several of his own, getting two goals and assisting in another.

15 Feb 1921 - The Leader-Post

George Hay was the bright particular star for the locals. His offensive work in the first session, when his two passes paved the way for a pair of goals was high-class and his reputation as a rush breaker was unsullied.

--------------------------------------------------------------

1921-1922

19 Nov 1921, 14 - Saskatoon Daily Star at Newspapers.com

The same arguments that prevailed yesterday with regard to George Hay were brought forth in the conversation over the telephone. It was pointed out that without a man of his ability it was impossible for the local club to operate.

12 Dec 1921 - Edmonton Bulletin

Regina has a remarkable strong defence in Liard, Traub and Moran while George Hay is the mainspring of the offensive force

16 Dec 1921 - Edmonton Bulletin

George Hay is admittedly one of the finest hockey players in the league. The players on the other teams know it.

20 Dec 1921, 18 - Calgary Herald at Newspapers.com

Regina had a good defense with Laird, Moran and Traub, and Hay is class itself on the forward division, but the team will look much better with a couple more forwards, leaving Cook and Ernie Anderson as subs instead of working them in as regulars. When the Capitals make these changes it will be tough work beating Champ's aggregation, as there is a nucleus of a winning club right there and Hay needs some finished forward to operate with effectively.

11 Feb 1922, 20 - The Leader-Post at Newspapers.com

George Hay was perhaps the best player for Regina last night although the entire team played good hockey. He was on the ice for most of the game and in addition to being a power on attack was wonderful in breaking up rushes. His nifty backchecking took the kick out of many a Saskatoon attack and it was difficult for them to pass the center zone so effective was he in backchecking.

16 Feb 1922, 16 - The Leader-Post at Newspapers.com

George Hay was the pick of the local club. He never worked harder for victory than last evening. His offensive work was the best of the entire team, and so far as backchecking went, he was in a class by himself.

28 Feb 1922, 14 - The Leader-Post at Newspapers.com

George Hay turned in a very useful game, his forte of breaking up rushes being very much in evidence. He had one goal and an assist. His speed was apparent all the way through.

9 Mar 1922, 8 - The Vancouver Sun at Newspapers.com

Dick played wonderful, cool hockey, but the sensational performances of the night as far as the visitors were concerned were dished up by George Hay and little Ernie Anderson. The former broke up numerous dangerous rushes by the locals with a poke check that was as effective as a stone wall.

9 Mar 1922, - The Vancouver Sun

George Hay, who has been touted as the best forward in Western Canada, was a tower of strength to his team during the second period: He was equally good on the attack and the defence.

--------------------------------------------------------------

1922-1923

27 Dec 1922, 10 - The Leader-Post at Newspapers.com

George Hay has been playing great hockey. He gets better every time out, and is due for the biggest season in [his] meteoric career. Bagging seven out of the eighteen goals the Caps have scored to date is a very creditable achievement.

4 Jan 1923, 10 - Saskatoon Daily Star at Newspapers.com

George Hay brought the fans to their feet time and time again by the magic of his stick work, furious checking and speed. His shooting was rifle-like in velocity and accuracy and he looked last night like the greatest player who ever put a mark on Regina ice.

13 Jan 1923, 20 - The Leader-Post at Newspapers.com

It seemed quite natural that George Hay should score the only goal of the game. There are few more effective men playing professional hockey this winter than the young left winger of the Capitals. He has been doing yeoman service for his team all along and Regina is justly proud of him.

18 Jan 1923, 8 - The Calgary Albertan at Newspapers.com

When Archie Murray, sport critic of the Regina Leader, came to the task of selecting a left wing player for his all-star team he chose George Hay of the Regina Caps. We'll say that his selection is a wise one, for Hay is not only the best left winger, but in our estimation the greatest player in organized pro hockey, and that is taking in a lot of territory. The Regina star is a perfect picture on the steel blades. He is cool, aggressive, determined and a great goal scorer. As a stick handler, Hay is a wonder, so that he is worthy of Murray's selection.
...
Hay's work is vigorous and pleasing to the eye. He has an almost uncanny habit of prancing through the hardest game without a bump, and he never lets up all the time he is on the ice. Best of all, he never hogs the puck.

15 Feb 1923, 10 - The Leader-Post at Newspapers.com

It is admissible that Joe Simpson and George Hay are sterling hockey stars and indispensable to any team, nevertheless their organization powers is not so much in the forelight as the executive and practical ability of Duke Keats.

3 Mar 1923, 26 - Calgary Herald at Newspapers.com

His work in this play was equaled only by the effort of George Hay, a much similar one, when the great left winger sped through for the fifth and last tally of the game.

17 Mar 1923 - Edmonton Bulletin

GEORGE HAY OF REGINA PICK OF LEFT WINGERS IN GAME

First string left wing position is given to George Hay of Regina. He has speed stickhandling ability and goal-getting proclivities to fit with Frederickson and Gagne. And all three are two way players of the 60 minute brand. And it is the ability to go two ways and thus help the defensive end of the game that gives Hay the call over Jim Riley of Seattle.

--------------------------------------------------------------

1923-1924

George Hay gave the world champion Ottawa Senators the business when they played Regina in 1923. This was an Ottawa team with Nighbor, Denneny, Benedict, Broadbent, Darragh, peak Georges Boucher, young Hitchman and young Clancy. This performance raises the legitimacy of Hay's perceived "star power" at the time.

20 Nov 1923, 18 - Free Press Evening Bulletin at Newspapers.com

The real star of the game was George Hay, of the Regina team. Hay stood out on the ice as bright as a million-watt bulb before a blinking candle. His stick-handling, skating and checking were a work of art. As a hockey player, George Hay is a real master.

20 Nov 1923, Page 10 - The Winnipeg Tribune at Newspapers.com

George Hay was the best man on the ice.

20 Nov 1923, Page 10 - The Winnipeg Tribune at Newspapers.com

GEORGE HAY

Former Winnipeg boy, who turned in a beautiful game for Regina against the Ottawa Senators. He was a tireless worker and a source of worry to the Ottawa defence.

20 Nov 1923, Page 10 - The Winnipeg Tribune at Newspapers.com

George Hay burned up the ice at times,
He shot with Eagle eye;
The Senators surely found him
A tough guy to get by.

6 Mar 1924 - Ottawa Journal

Mickey Ions' selections of an all-star team
Prairie league
WCHL
G Red McCusker
D Red Dutton
D Percy Traub
C Duke Keats
F Bill Cook
F George Hay
Subs
Dick Irvin
Newsy Lalonde
Harry Oliver
Joe Simpson

In addition to Ion, WCHL referee James Gardner came up with a different All-star team of his own; but George Hay was on both teams.

The Calgary Daily Herald - Mar 8, 1924

REFEREE GARDNER PICKS ALL-STAR PRAIRIE LINEUP
Quite a difference of opinion is shown between the selections of Gardner, Prairie hockey referee, and Mickey Ion, coast arbiter in the naming of an all-star prairie lineup.
[...]
Goal = Red McCusker, Regina
Defense = Herb Gardiner, Calgary
Defense = Bob Trapp, Edmonton
Defense = Percy Traubb, Regina
Center = Duke Keats, Edmonton
Forward = Harry Oliver, Calgary
Forward = George Hay. Regina
Forward = Bill Cook, Saskatoon
Forward = Dick Irvin, Regina

--------------------------------------------------------------

1924-1925

24 Oct 1924, The Ottawa Citizen

George Hay, regarded as the greatest forward in the West, is with the Regina team.

5 Dec 1924, 22 - Free Press Evening Bulletin at Newspapers.com

George Hay is playing as well as ever, which means that he is still one of the greatest hockey players in the country. George scored his first goal of the game on a pass from Dick Irvin, while his checking and stick-handling were a treat.

5 Dec 1924 - Free Press Evening Bulletin

A GREAT PLAYER

George Hay never played on an Allan cup team. He was on that Monarch team that bowed before the 61st. But who will dispute his greatness. He was only seventeen then. Now, in his prime, he is the last word in ease of action. One of the greatest players in the country.

5 Dec 1924, Page 23 - The Winnipeg Tribune at Newspapers.com

The best man on the ice was George Hay, the fast skating and shifty left winger for Regina.

Hay was injured late in the 1924-25 season...wrenched his shoulder. This is probably the injury he re-aggravated two seasons later in 1926-27.

31 Jan 1925, 9 - The Victoria Daily Times at Newspapers.com

In fairness to Regina it must be said that they were without their great scoring ace, George Hay, who was left in Vancouver yesterday morning with a sore shoulder.
[...]
Hay was injured in the game with Calgary in Regina last Monday night. He took a bad fall and wrenched his shoulder.

...if we look at the scoring table to the right, we find Hay among the league leaders one game after the injury. Regina went into an unholy tailspin after Hay went down.

25 Feb 1925, 12 - Calgary Herald at Newspapers.com

Not since George Hay was injured on January 26, has Regina won a single game. They have dropped nine in a row.

17 Mar 1925, 10 - Times Colonist at Newspapers.com

George Hay of Regina wins the left berth and, although local fans did not get much chance to see him in action this year, he has been the main cog in the Regina machine.

--------------------------------------------------------------

1925-1926

Hay seems to have started the 1925-26 WHL season slowly...possibly due to a lingering shoulder injury.

29 Dec 1925, 12 - Calgary Herald at Newspapers.com

George Hay did not get going and was far from his old self.

...if we look at the scoring leaders, Hay is way off the pace at this point, with only 5 points to league-leader Bill Cook's 14. He would pick up the pace considerably after this point, basically keeping pace with Cook for the remainder of the season (he finished 11 points behind Cook in the final tally).

Hay clearly performed well enough in 1925-26 to have still been considered an elite player, though.

1 Feb 1926, 11 - The Ottawa Citizen at Newspapers.com

(All-Star Team voted by sports editors in Western Canada, announced by Archie Murray in the Regina Post)

The center and left wing positions were given to Duke Keats, Edmonton Eskimos, and George Hay, of Portland, by a good margin, but the editors differed considerably over the defense jobs and the berth of manager resulted in a tie between the Patrick brothers.

29 Mar 1926, 19 - The Windsor Star at Newspapers.com

Hay Brilliant - George Hay, at left wing, is about the pick of the Portland bunch, being a very smooth skater, expert stick-handler and prolific goal-getter. With Dick Irvin, the team captain, he rounds out one of the greatest scoring combinations in the west.

30 Mar 1926, 19 - The Windsor Star at Newspapers.com

George Hay, one of the really great left wings in the game today

8 Apr 1926, 17 - Calgary Herald at Newspapers.com

The Rosebuds played against New York and Boston, and they saw the Canadiens tangle with Toronto St. Pats in an exhibition series. Because of the fact that the ex-Caps didn't get a peek at the Maroons or the Senators they are leaving them out of the argument. As for the other four NHL squads, however, Irvin insists that they lack the dash and go of the average Western Hockey League player.

"I didn't see any hockey players like Bill Cook or George Hay," Dick declared, "although Morenz of the Canadiens, is mighty close. They don't skate like the westerners and the teams play a defensive game all the way - using one or two-man rushes and hiking back home the minute they shoot."

...this is obviously questionable (Irvin was Hay's teammate, among other things), but he puts Hay in a category with Cook, which we see again in the fall of 1926 when Hay and Cook moved into the consolidated NHL.

--------------------------------------------------------------

1926-1927

18 Nov 1926, 12 - The Victoria Daily Times at Newspapers.com

George Hay, former Regina and Portland player, and the best left-wing player in the Western League for two years, scored the first two goals for Chicago. There's a real hockey player. He's as good on his side of the ice as Bill Cook is on right wing.

29 Nov 1926, 14 - The Victoria Daily Times at Newspapers.com

George Hay is one of the best left-wing players in the game. He already ranks among the leading scorers in the NHL. He is crafty, fast and a great shot.

George Hay expert at avoiding bodychecks

10 Dec 1926, 25 - Chicago Tribune at Newspapers.com

Hay is a clever handler of the hockey stick, probably the best on the Chicago team and one of the best in the National league. Along with his skill with the stick, he is a fast skater and about the hardest man of them all to body check. The idea of body checking seems to be the knack of giving a fellow the shoulder as he comes down the field with the puck, thus knocking him on his pants and taking the puck away from him. But Mr. Hay has a clever way of making a quick turn and just rolling off an opponent who tries to dump him. For that reason he often is able to skid past the defenseman and shoot a goal from short range and this has kept him up with the leading goal getters of the game for many seasons.

13 Dec 1926, 22 - The Montreal Star at Newspapers.com

Women who have never handled and sporting implement more formidable than a broom shouted instructions to that streak of greased lightning, George Hay, who was probably born with skates attached to his feet. There can be no doubt about it that the boy cut his teeth on the long handle of a hockey stick.

5 Feb 1927 - Ottawa Citizen

Away like a storm at the opening of the season, the Hawks suffered a severe handicap when they lost the services of George Hay, one of the most brilliant forwards in the western territory

Upon returning from injury, still partially incapacitated, Hay is described as useful defensively.

10 Feb 1927 - The Montreal Star

George Hay's return to the game, while not decisive so far as play was concerned, gave added morale to his teammates. The old Caps star, with his shoulder in a harness, showed signs of distress, but grittily stuck it out and messed many a Senator attack.

4 Mar 1927 - Ottawa Journal

RETURN TO FORM

One big reason for the Hawks' return to form has been the reappearance of George Hay, who for some time was out of the game as a result of injury. Hay, a big, fast-skating, hard-shooting forward, is one of the real stars of a season that has seen many newcomers making good.

3 Apr 1927 - Brooklyn Daily Eagle

(Unofficial All-Star Team)

(via overpass)

First team
LW George Hay, Chicago
C Frank Fredrickson, Detroit/Boston
RW Bill Cook, Rangers
D King Clancy, Ottawa
D Duncan Munro, Maroons
G George Hainsworth, Canadiens

Second team
LW Aurel Joliat, Canadiens
C Frank Boucher, Rangers
RW Howie Morenz, Canadiens
D Ivan Johnson, Rangers
D Herb Gardiner, Canadiens
G John Ross Roach, Toronto

Third team
LW Dick Irvin, Chicago
C Bill Carson, Toronto
RW Hooley Smith, Ottawa
D Eddie Shore, Boston
D George Boucher, Ottawa
G Roy Worters, Pittsburgh

[...]

The left alley was closely contested by the Black Hawk Indians of Chicago, Capt. Dick irvin and Georgie Hay, and Auriel Joliat of Les Canadiens. Joliat is undoubtedly the best stick-handler in the circuit and Hay has the hardest left-handed shot. According to consensus, a good shooter is a greater asset than a stick-handler and Hay received the majority, with Joliat second and Irvin third.

--------------------------------------------------------------

1927-1928

26 Oct 1927 - The Windsor Star

"Cec," in his Saskatchewan days, was rated as just about as smart a wing man as George Hay, generally considered to be as good a man along the boards as anybody.

More comments on Hay's ability to avoid bodychecks + more.

Dec 26 1927 - Detroit Free Press

COUGARS BOAST HOCKEY MASTER IN GEORGE HAY

DETROIT STAR, ONE OF THE GAME'S MOST TALENTED LUMINARIES, RANKS AS GREATEST LEFT WING DESPITE HIS 158 POUNDS.

Eight years ago, a lean, rangy youngster was causing much comment in amateur hockey circles out in Winnipeg. A year later he made his professional debut with the Regina Capitals―and today he is generally recognized as the greatest left winger in hockey―George Hay of the Detroit Cougars.

Hay stands alone among flankers who grace the port side of the rinks of the National Hockey league. Born in Listowel, Ontario, 30 years ago, Hay learned most of his hockey on the prairies where he broke into the limelight, going to Chicago when the Regina club was sold, lock, stock and barrel, to Major McLaughlin and his associates two years ago.

Hay's ranking as the best in the business at his position is all the more remarkable when it is taken into consideration that he weighs only 158 pounds―not a great deal of avoirdupois with which to withstand the rigors of National league competition; but where a dozen other hockey players of his physique would fail to make the grade in the big show, Hay stands out for one very good reason―he is the hardest man to hit in the game today.

One of the most intelligent hockey players in the big tent; an artist handling a stick, and grace itself on skates, Hay is the most deceptive puck carrier turned loose since the days of Didier Pitre and Jack Laviolette. He is a master at the art of faking a shot or pass; gets more results out of the least effort, and seldom wastes a shot on goal unless he has an even chance of hitting the net.

Hockey is endowed with a George Hay about once every 10 years. The Cougars have one of the most colorful players in the game, this despite the fact that there are few players of Hay's individual ability who may be classified as "team players"; and he is a goal getter of the first order―the prize bargain of the year.

It was Hay who "made" the Cougars front line. True, Larry Aurie broke into the big tent with a bang, and although he probably is the best youngster to break in this year, he still can learn much from the retiring, popular and talented young fellow that Major McLaughlin so generously parted with for a consideration of $15,000.

6 Jan 1928, The Windsor Star

LEFT-WINGERS ON A PAR

After watching last night's exhibition in Detroit, it's still a toss-up in my mind as to which player can be rated as the best left-winger in hockey. Auriel Joliat, leading the goal-getters of his division and of the entire league, bagged the winning goal for the Canadiens. And he turned in a wonderful display from start to finish. But George Hay contributed the lone marker of the night for Detroit, and it was one of the nicest lone efforts that any hockey fan ever saw. For the rest of the battle, too, he was just as brilliant as his rival. So, as far as I'm concerned, the duel remains a draw.

Jan 26 1928 - The Leader Post

GEORGE HAY CREDITED WITH COUGARS CLIMB IN NATIONAL HOCKEY
CHICAGO, BELIEVING HIM THROUGH, SOLD GREAT WING PLAYER TO DETROIT ALONG WITH RAUB FOR $15,000

If any medals are passed out in the National Hockey league this year for managerial perspicacity, Jack Adams, pilot of the Detroit Cougars, should be the first to have one pinned on his chest.
Adams established his reputation as a judge of players, increased his club's asset by $25,000 to $30,000 and transformed the Cougars from a losing to a winning team by a single stroke―the purchase of George Hay from the Chicago Blackhawks.

[...]

The question arise: Why was Chicago willing to part with him?

The answer is that Hay experienced the worst season since he turned professional when a member of the Chicago National leaguers. A torn ligament in his left shoulder early in the winter of 1926-1927 kept him out of the game for weeks and when he did return the speed and accuracy of his shot―he handles the stick from the port side―was is impaired as to lower his effectiveness.

HAY DOPED WRONG

Hay played lots of games last season when he should have been under a doctor's care and although he made 12 points, a better than average record, Chicago decided to trade him.

In this, the Chicago management received some mighty poor advice. It was said was Hay was fragile, none too aggressive and that his best years in hockey were past. All this of course was based on his 1926-27 showing and real hockey men figured that showing was remarkably good in view of his condition.

It was here that Adams displayed his sagacity. He figured a summer's rest would put Hay in good condition, so he made Chicago an offer and obtained Hay and Traub, a defense man, for a joint price of $15,000.

[...]

A $35,000 PLAYER

On the other hand Hay's showing this year has caused him to be rated one of the most valuable players in the league and if any of the other National league clubs offered $30,000 to $35,000 for him tomorrow, Jack Adams would be justified in refusing to sell.

Why should Hay be rated as one of the game's best all around forwards?

Those who have followed professional hockey in Canada and the United States will cite the following as some of the reasons:

Because he can skate, stickhandle and shoot from any position with almost uncanny accuracy, all attributes essential to goal getting.

Because he drives in his plays close enough to the opposition net to make them dangerous always.

GOOD TEAM PLAYER

He is a player capable of "teaming" with any club and gets the best out of his mates irrespective of their abilities and temperaments.

With courage, aggressiveness and precision, he combines trickery to beat defense men who are heavier, faster and quicker.

Hay is one of the cleanest player in professional hockey, he seldom penalizes his team by a visit to the penalty box. He has never been assessed a major penalty in his entire hockey career and possesses one of the lowest records of minutes served for rule infractions known to hockey.

He is an easy player to train because he is always in condition. He has a fine, easy disposition and doesn't lose his temper under even trying conditions. He is a sportsman and a constant influence for building up a good team spirit.

In short, Hay has the character, disposition and ability of which managers dream but rarely come across in the flesh.

Added to that Hay has been trained in the old-time school of persistent back checkers. He will prevent opposition teams from scoring many a goal, because he starts to check their forwards back of their own blue line, as soon as they get possession of the puck.

Effective backchecking forwards are worth their weight in platinum, hockey managers will inform you. Hay is an effective backchecker.

Hay is not a spectacular player. When he's "in there" he forgets the crowd. Opposition players may hook him, slash and cross check, body him savagely to the boards and Hay will always emerge with a cool head and his mind strictly on the game.

20 Mar 1928, 9 - Star-Phoenix at Newspapers.com

George Hay's lofty position in the scoring parade has given the eastern sport writers something to think about this season. Hay is one of the chief reasons why the Detroit Cougars have been able to stick around the first division in the American sector throughout the season. Conversely, a negative reason why the Black Hawks have been such a dull thus all year.

24 Mar 1928 - New York Evening Post

(Unofficial All-Star team)

In the other alley you'll find George Hay, the "big point man" of the Detroit Cougars. Speedy, smart, alert, the black-haired Cougar led all the other left wingers of the year)

(via overpass)

From the New York Evening Post, Saturday, March 24, p. 15
https://fultonhistory.com/newspaper 11/New York Evening Post/New York NY Evening Post 1928 Grayscale/New York NY Evening Post 1928 Grayscale - 2255.pdf

Just the coaches voted on this one. Cecil Hart, Eddie Gerard, Dave Gill, Connie Smythe, Shorty Green, Art Ross, Lester Patrick, Jack Adams, Odie Cleghorn, and Hugh Lehman.

The second team was composed using the second place votes only, not first place votes. Full voting results were in the article.

First team
LW George Hay, Detroit
C Howie Morenz, Canadiens
RW Bill Cook, Rangers
LD Ivan Johnson, Rangers
RD Eddie Shore, Boston
G Roy Worters, Pittsburgh

Second team
LW Aurel Joliat, Canadiens
C Frank Boucher, Rangers
RW Harry Oliver, Boston
LD Herb Gardiner, Canadiens
RD King Clancy, Ottawa
G George Hainsworth, Canadiens

Full voting

LW
George Hay 4-2
Aurel Joliat 1-4
Howie Morenz 3-0
Hec Kilrea 2-2
Percy Galbraith 0-1

27 Mar 1928 - The Victoria Daily Times

I regard Morenz as the greatest forward in hockey to-day, brilliant on attack and deadly shot, and a power defensively because of tremendous back-checking speed.

Bill Cook, a powerful skater, fine stick-handler and accurate shot, is the best right wing in hockey.

Left wing is a toss-up between Joliat and Hay, two brilliant players and fine goal-getters.

--------------------------------------------------------------

1928-1929

15 Nov 1928, 21 - Edmonton Journal at Newspapers.com

Detroit, with George Hay, almost a team in himself, Sailor Herberts, Dolly Dolson and Noble, undoubtedly are stronger than last season.

On the PK:

4 Mar 1929 - The Montreal Gazette

The game was enlivened by many clashes and one real fight between Bobby Connors and Leo Bourgeault for which they drew majors. There was bad blood between the teams all the way and more scraps were imminent at the finish.
[...]
Hay, Noble and Cooper were also prominent on the short-handed Detroit roster.

20 Mar 1929, - Battle Creek Enquirer

George Hay, Detroit's "one hockey team," slipped through for the lone Cougar goal late in the last period.

22 Mar 1929 - Ottawa Citizen

(General Managers All-Star Team)

(via overpass)

"TORONTO, March 21 - Writing in the Globe, Bert Perry says: "Only one member of the Maple Leafs - Irvin Bailey - has been selected for the 1928-29 all-star N.H.L. team. The selection is made by the votes of the various managers in the circuit, no manager being able to vote for a player of his own team. The result of the polling shows Worters of the Americans in goal; Clancy, Ottawa, and Shore, Boston, defense; Bailey, Toronto, right wing; Morenz, Canadiens, center and Joliet, Canadiens, left wing. The highest possible vote a player can get is nine, and Clancy got 8, Worters and Shore seven each, and the rest five each. Other players and votes were as follows: Hainsworth, 2; Thompson, Bruins, 1; Mantha 5; Conacher 1; Bill Cook, 3; Oliver, 1; Ward, 1; Boucher, Rangers, 1; Stewart, 1; Hay, 2; Kilrea, 2. The Hart Trophy award for the Most Valuable Player in the league is likely to go to Roy Worters."

Left Wing:
1. Aurel Joliet 5
2. George Hay 2
3. Hec Kilrea 2

Note: There is 1 missing vote

--------------------------------------------------------------

1929-1930

5 Dec 1929, 24 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com

One of the Detroit veterans is George Hay, left wing of the team, who was purchased from the Chicago Black Hawks in 1926, and has been considered probably the outstanding left-wing of the American division for several years.

26 Jan 1930, Detroit Free Press

Manager Jack Adams probably will use Larry Aurie, Ebbie Goodfellow and George Hay on his front line when the Rangers are working the Cook-Boucher-Cook combination. Aurie's aggressiveness and back checking ability would appear up to warrant Adams pitting him against the dangerous Bun Cook, and Goodfellow probably is better qualified than any other member of the Detroit club to take care of the clever and hard shooting brother Bill. Hay's experience and stick-handling ability would then be pitted against the same assets boasted by Boucher and both are fine play makers.

2 Mar 1930, Detroit Free Press

HAY AT HIS BEST

For the past three weeks Hay as been playing better hockey than he ever has played in a Detroit uniform and he has played many a sparkling game for the Cougars. Hay's splendid play making and his clever finishing around goal has been the outstanding feature of the Cougars' play for the past few weeks.

--------------------------------------------------------------

1930-1931

18 Oct 1930, Detroit Free Press

There were few better left wingers in the National league late last season than Hay, and certainly there was not a more finished skater and stickhandler; a better finisher around goal and he is the ideal play-maker

1st Dec 1930 - Maclean's Hockey Hopes

rT'HE Detroit Cougars have been slipping of late, though still clawing fiercely enough as they slide. Their two most notable players, the clever winger, George Hay, and the strong skating defense man, Reg Noble, aged a good deal all at once, and without the brilliant play of those veterans to pull them along the rest of the Cats sagged visibly. They are still dangerous opponents, especially in their own
lair, but lack that certain something that carries a team to a title.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Post-1931

8 Dec 1933 - The Leader Post

The passing of Hay from Detroit hockey marks the passing of not only one of the best players that ever ragged a puck in Olympia, but also one of the finest characters - a clean player and one immensely popular with opposing players as well as with his teammates.

22 Dec 1933, 12 - The Vancouver Sun at Newspapers.com

Bailey is the quiet, hard-playing, unobtrusive type not unlike George Hay, Dick Irvin, or Jack Walker.

 

[ImporterExporter]

Newsy Lalonde!

Les Habitants

Statistical Figures:


Top 20 Scorers, 1909-1926:

From the Hockey Compendium:

1 Newsey Lalonde ('10-26') 296 gp-362 G*-81 A-443 PTS
2 Joe Malone ('09-24') 273 gp-343 G-58 A- 401 PTS
3 Cy Denneny ('15-26') 259 gp-258 G-82 A- 340 PTS
4 Frank Nighbor ('13-26') 287 gp-238 G-96 A- 334 PTS
5 Frank Foyston ('13-26'>) 297 gp-223 G-72 A- 295 PTS
6 Cyclone Taylor ('09-23') 169 gp-189 G-104* A- 293 PTS
7 Mickey MacKay ('15-26') 247 gp-198 G-92 A- 290 PTS

*Newsy Lalonde has a 10% lead on Malone, 30% on Denneny. Denneny only added 29 points after 1926. Nighbor added 32, and MacKay added 63 to also remain on the 1940 leader board.

**His 362 goals wasn't passed until Richard did it in 54-55.


Lalonde won 5 scoring titles in 3 different leagues:

OPHL: '08
PCHA: '12
NHA/NHL: '10, '19, '21


Lalonde led his league in goals 6 times:

OPHL: '08
PCHA: '12
NHA: '10, '16
NHL: '19
WCHL: '23

*Note his longevity: Lalonde led the OPHL in goals at age 20, and the WCHL in goals at age 35.

Lalonde led the NHL in assists in '19 and was 2nd in '21. In '19, Lalonde became the 1st NHLer to lead the league in goals, assists and points:


Total assists in NHL (regular season), '18-'22:

Nighbor: 52
Cameron: 44
Noble: 43
Lalonde: 41


Assists per game in NHL (regular season), '18-'22:

Nighbor: .547
Darragh: .467
Reise: .47 ------------ played only 30 games
Shore: .444 ------------ played only 18 games
Lalonde: .418
Cameron: .415


Trail of the Stanley Cup Scoring Leaders Pre-Consolidation:

1. Frank McGee - 63
2. Frank Foyston – 37
3. Alf Smith – 36
4. ***** ******* - 31
5. Newsy Lalonde – 27
6. ***** ******** - 26
7. ***** ***** - 25
8. Ernie Johnson - 23
8. Joe Malone - 23
8. ***** ***** - 23
11. Tom Phillips – 22

A couple of players at the top of the list padded their stats against some terrible challengers such as Queens University, Brandon, Smiths Falls, Ottawa Vics and Dawson City. Remove those games from the record, leaving only serious games in which there was doubt about the outcome, and you’re left with:

1. Frank Foyston - 27
1. Newsy Lalonde - 27
3. Tom Phillips - 22
4. Frank McGee – 21
5. **** ******* - 18
6. Alf Smith – 15
7. Joe Malone - 14
8. ***** ***** - 13
9. Ernie Johnson - 11
10. ****** ******** - 9
11. ***** ***** - 4


To provide a sense of Lalonde's importance to the team, and to Malone in particular during the 1917-18 season they shared together:

Malone with Lalonde: 13 games, 32 goals (2.46 gpg)

Malone without Lalonde: 7 games, 12 goals (1.71 gpg)

*Lalonde missed 6 of the 20 games and still scored 30 points in the 14 games he did appear in and as we get further along in the bio, you'll see that Lalonde was most surely a better 2 way and well rounded player


Lalonde VS Nighbor:


1915-16:

Montreal dominates season series 5-1 vs Ottawa, outscoring them 21-12, wins league title and eventually SC.

Lalonde = 10 goals in 6 games

Nighbor = 4 goals in 6 games

Lalonde scores 48% of his teams goals vs 33% for Nighbor.


1916-17: (Nighbor had 41 in 19, was his MVP year)

Ottawa sweeps season series regular season 5-0. Ottawa outscored Montreal 19-6 in those 5 games

Lalonde = 4 goals in 5 games

Nighbor = 12 goals in 5 games (2 came at LW in game #4)

Lalonde scores 67% of his teams goals vs 63% for Nighbor.


1916-17 NHA Playoffs: (Montreal won 1st half/Ottawa won 2nd half)

Game 1 - Lalonde scores 1+1 in 5-2 Montreal win in Montreal, butt ends Nighbor late in 3rd getting himself suspended for game 2. Nighbor had 1 goal.

Game 2 - Lalonde out, Nighbor plays but held scoreless in Ottawa's 4-2 win in Ottawa.

Montreal wins the NHA title on aggregate 7-6 despite losing all 5 games to Ottawa in regular season. Nighbor held to just 1 goal in 2 games after blitzing league w/41 in 19 games during reg. season.


1917-18:

Very strange year as these 2 missed numerous games and never overlapped and the 1 game they did play together in (last meeting), Lalonde played LW w/Malone at C. I checked both Gazette and Citizen and both listed same way.

Lalonde in 4 games without Nighbor = 8 goals (went against Gerard or Boucher at C for Ottawa)

Nighbor in 2 games without Lalonde = 2 goals

3 games featured neither player

1 game featured both, Nighbor at C and Lalonde at LW. Nighbor scored 2 and Lalonde 1.


1918-19:

Ottawa wins season series 5-4 outscoring Montreal 37-30

Lalonde = 9 goals in 9 games (played 1st meeting at D)

Nighbor = 9 goals in 9 games

Lalonde scored 30% of his teams goals vs 24% for Nighbor.


1918-19 NHA Playoffs:

Game 1- Lalonde scores hat trick in 8-4 Montreal win. Nighbor misses game due to sisters death

Game 2- Lalonde scoreless in 5-3 Montreal win. Nighbor again misses game due to sister

Game 3 - Lalonde goes nuclear for 5 goals in 6-3 Montreal win. Nighbor out once again. To date Darragh has been primary C for Ottawa

Game 4 - Lalonde scores 2 goals in 6-3 Ottawa win. Nighbor returns and held scorless.

Game 5 - Lalonde scores 1 goal in 4-2 Montreal win. Nighbor held scoreless.

For series, Montreal wins 4-1, Lalonde scores 11 goals in 5 games (8 in 3 games without Nighbor) while Nighbor held scoreless in 2 games he played in (games 4/5).


1919-20 :

Ottawa dominates season series 7-1 outscoring the Habs 36-20 in those 8 games. Lalonde played D in 4 of the 8 games, scoring 4 goals in those matchups.

Lalonde = 7 goals in 8 games (4 games played at D, shutout in 2 games)
Nighbor = 8 goals in 8 games (shutout in 3 games)

Lalonde scored 35% of his teams goals vs 22% for Nighbor.


1920-21:

Montreal wins seasons series 5-3 outscoring Ottawa 26-21.

Lalonde 8 goals in 8 games (shutout in 2)
Nighbor 5 goals in 8 games (shutout in 4)

Lalonde scored 31% of his teams goals vs 24% for Nighbor.


At the end of Vol. 1 of The Trail of the Stanley Cup the author, Charles L. Coleman, selected his all-star team for the period of 1893-1926. In parenthesis are the other nominations for the team.

Goaltender- Clint Benedict (Hap Holmes, Georges Vezina, Hugh Lehman)

Defense- Sprague Cleghorn, Moose Johnson (Harry Cameron, Eddie Gerard)

Rover- Newsy Lalonde (Mickey MacKay, Cyclone Taylor)

Forwards- Russell Bowie, Frank Nighbor, Joe Malone (Punch Broadbent, Jack Darragh, Cy Denneny, Frank Foyston, Harry Hyland, Didier Pitre, Gordon Roberts, Ernie Russell



2 Way Hockey and Defensive Chronicles:


Montreal Gazette 11 Mar 1909:

Canadian forward line, including Lalonde, noted to give lively hustling checking back vs the Wanderers.

Montreal Gazette, 20 Jan 1910:

Lalonde noted to captain team in absence of Laviolette, and was a star, his speed and checking proving very effective.

The Province 27 Jan 1910:

Lalonde noted to be playing cover-point for Montreal.

Lalonde, vs Renfrew and Lester Patrick’s crew, starred scoring 3 of the 4 goals and was the choice of the visiting team.

Lalonde at one point was cut over the head by Patrick swinging of the stick and Lalonde got him back with “wicked cross check that sent the famous rover into the air as though shot from a cannon.”

Ottawa Citizen, 28 Jan 1911:

Lalonde (and Poulin) “ability to get back with every rush, neutralized any superiority Renfrew showed in that department.”

Lalonde scored 2 goals and had the primary assist on the game winning marker that led Montreal to a 6-5 win.

Ottawa Citizen 3 Mar 1911:

Even in losing effort Lalonde still noted as “easily best player for losing septet, always being in the thick of every attack and followed back after every rush.”

The Province, 10 Feb 1912:

Lalonde was easily most important factor in game.

Worked incessantly and was responsible for a lot of the scores.

Same game, report from Vancouver Daily World:

Lalonde’s brilliancy led to his Vancouver goal.

Noted to play sterling game throughout, particularly clever skating, fine checking and skill in handling the puck.

Vancouver Daily Word, 6 Mar 1912:

Lalonde’s all around play noted.

No stage of the game in which Lalonde was not working for all there was in him.

He worked quietly and effectively all on the line and scored 4 goals and was responsible for plays which made other of the goals possible, living up to to his rep as a finished hockeyist.

Same game from Vancouver Sun:

Lalonde and Frank Patrick worked extremely well together (this was noted many times throughout season) leading to 3 scores.

In additions, Lalonde checked back well and was always on hand when local goal was threatened.

Vancouver Daily Word 16 Mar 1912:

Lalonde a revelation.

Lalonde made possible at least 2 goals and scored once himself.

Was all over the ice through the game, working hard and effectively at every period.

Vancouver Sun 3 Apr 1912:

Lalonde (and rest of forwards) noted to work like Trojans, back checked liked fiends, and shot like demons.

Montreal Gazette, 16 Jan 1913:

Quebec's Marks and Smith put Montreal's nets in danger but Lalonde relieved and transitioned puck up the ice, leading to him being taken out of the game briefly by stick across knees.

Montreal Gazette 13 Feb 1913:

With Montreal leading by just one, Lalonde checked Cleghorn, taking the puck and passing to teammate Berlanquette, who scored on a rush to finish the scoring and seal the 6-4 win for Montreal.

Ottawa Citizen, 6 Jan 1914:

Away city paper (Ottawa) highlights Lalonde’s ability to defend.

“Lalonde is as good as a third defence man as he follows back with tireless energy and is death to dodgers.”

Ottawa Citizen 14 Feb 1916:

"Lalonde kept breaking up the Ottawa rushes and pumping in wicked shots at Benedict."

Montreal Gazette 17 Feb, 1916:

Pitre scores GW goal that was started by Lalonde breaking up a rush of Ritchie of Quebec.

Also with 30 seconds left Lalonde wins crucial faceoff that enabled the Habs to kill off rest of time.

Montreal Gazette 16 Mar 1916:

Lalonde bests Nighbor head to head.

Noted to be all over ice, as usual, breaking up rush after rush.

Ottawa Citizen 13 Jan 1919:

Lalonde outstanding player of game, scoring 4 goals, and responsible for several others.

Lalonde played cover (D) with Odie Cleghorn at C and Lalonade noted to play a superb game on the defence while scoring 4 goals on cyclonic rushes.

Ottawa Citizen, 5 Feb 1919:

More evidence of Lalonde's defense, intercepting a pass and dumping Ken Randall before he could score what seemed to be a sure goal.

Ottawa Journal, 28 Feb 1919:

Lalonde mentioned to play more D against Ottawa.

Multiple mentions of Lalonde being in position on D and counter attacking.

Winnipeg Tribune, 24 Mar 1919:

Lalonde plays dominant 2 way game, named star of both teams.

"Scoring all four of the visitors points and playing well on both defense and offense. The leader of the visitors was a fiend on defense and impossible to stop when he gained possession of the rubber."

Noted to play, "rough aggressive hockey".

Same game via Vancouver Daily World:

Edmonton Journal, 27 Mar 1919:

Stanley Cup final game that went to OT and ended in 0-0 tie.

Lalonde and Rickey noted fast work up and down ice. Lalonde skating and playing at his best.

Ottawa Citizen, 8 Jan 1920:

Another game where Lalonde was used on D, this time at cover point.

Noted to play flashy D and scored 2 goals in 4-3 loss to title holders from Ottawa.

Ottawa Journal, 13 Jan 1920:

Lalonde again playing back on D, noted that he and Corbeau formed a stronger D than Quebec.

Rushed with better judgement, never on any occasion leaving the defence open to attacks.

Ottawa Citizen, 22 Jan 1920:

Lalonde breaks up rush of Prodgers and Babe Dye, transferring play to opposing end.

Ottawa Citizen, 17 Jan 1921:

Lalonde noted to closely check Joe Malone.

Montreal Gazette, 27 Jan 1921:

Lalonde stops Nighbor from getting shot off.

Montreal Gazette, 7 Feb 1921:

Lalonde pick in losing effort and his brief absence due to injury was immediately felt in the negative for Montreal though Montreal carried play when he returned.

Upon his return, Lalonde's presence immediately felt by breaking up several plays.

Montreal Gazette, 17 Feb 1921:

Lalonde played C and D, scoring 5 goals, working frequently in combination with others.

Hamilton Tigers attacks were offset on each occasion by the tricks of Lalonde and Canadian players.

Lalonde noted to clear a Hamilton attack, leading directly to his scoring a goal from distance.

Ottawa Journal, 1 Mar 1921:

Lalonde made special effort to bottle up Babe Dye and held him in check greater part of the game.

Star Phoenix (Saskatoon), 15 Dec 1924:

Well past his prime Lalonde noted to have particularly effective poke check at center ice.

Many times he sneaked the puck from Frank Frederickson.

Victoria Daily Times, 10 Feb 1925:

Even in twilight years, Lalonde, along with Bun Cook noted to lead Sheiks in clever back checking department.

Greatness/Leadership/Style/Intimidation/Crossing the Line:


Trail of the Stanley Cup said:

A born leader, he was almost always the captain or playing manager of his team. There were no desultory performances without incurring the whiplash of his tongue.

From Game 5 of the 1919 SCF:

Captain Lalonde led charge from down 3-0 in SCF game, being a tower of strength defensively, as well as scoring the 2nd and tying marker.

Montreal Gazette: 31 March 1919 said:

To Captain Lalonde and his players credit is due for staging one of the greatest comebacks in hockey history. Many a hockey team with a 3 to 0 score staring them in the face has been known to curl up and call it a bad night. But not the Frenchmen last night.

Cleghorn was the man who scored the first Canadien goal, but it was the great Lalonde who was more responsible for the Montreal win. Urging his team on, Lalonde was not only a tower of strength on defense, but he scored the second and tying goals himself. His second effort, a brilliant shot of a rebound, and a well-placed shot over Holmes' shoulder, was a beautiful piece of strategy.

Ottawa Citizen: 20 March 1954 said:

In 1954, Lalonde compared himself to Ted Kennedy, but with much better goal scoring ability.

"Honestly," he mused, "I never see myself as a Richard, a Howe or a Lindsay. My forte was playmaking and my stride deceptively fast. Every time I see Toronto play I see myself in Teeder Kennedy, but with a helluva lot more goals!"

Brantford Daily Expositor, 4 Feb 1908:

Details of savage attack on Lalonde by Cap McDonald.

Lalonde apparently fortunate not to have been killed as a player had died the winter before in Cornwall from the same time of hit to the head.

Pittsburgh Press 22 Oct 1908:

Lalonde already noted as famous, most talked about hockey player in game today. Ranks alongside Art Ross in this category.

Highlights the prestige that Pittsburgh hockey had in the first decade of the 1900’s as Lalonde signaled interest in playing there.

Lalonde was declared better than any player wearing the Wanderer colors in Toronto’s winning the championship the year prior.

Montreal Star, 8 Dec 1908:

Lalonde "considered an extremely good forward man."

The Province 6 Dec 1911:

Another city paper stating Lalonde is “probably the most talked about athlete in the Dominion.”

Vancouver Daily World 10 Jan 1912:

Lalonde best/most consistent player in the PCHA.

Noted for intimate knowledge of the game, capacity for hard work, which makes him most valuable member of any team.

Has physical endurance, fast skating, skill with stick and tricky play.

Montreal Gazette, 24 Feb 1913:

Lalonde and Joe Hall back and forth. Both ended up ejected due to various vicious fouling, Lalonde's absence hurt Montreal more in a 1 goal loss.

Edmonton Journal, 8 July 1916:

Great piece describing the reputation has not only as a hockey player but an all around athlete in Canada.

Reached photo limit.....



The Province, 21 Mar 1910:

Lalonde makes NHA All Star team in 1910.

"Lalonde on All-Star Team.

An Eastern hockey critic gives Newsy Lalonde, Vancouver's star lacrosse player, a position on a Canadian all-star hockey team. Here is the selection:


Goal - Lesuer, Ottawa

Point-Lake, Otttawa

Cover-Johnston, Wanderers

Rover-Stuart, Ottawa

Centre-Lalonde, Renfrew

Right Wing, Hyland, Wanderers

Left Wing, Clarke, Cobalt

Montreal Gazette, 8 Feb 1911:

Lalonde KO's Jimmy Gardner in scrap.

Bad feeling between the teams was apparent in the early stages, but the players kept their tempers in check until the second period was under way. As the battle progressed the play became rougher. In the later part the sluggers were satisfied with nothing less than knockouts, but only one was scored, and Lalonde, Canadiens’ captain, scored that when he put Gardner down and out by clubbing him on the temple. Blood had stained the ice several times previously, but in this case Gardner had to be assisted from the ice and was not able to resume. Lalonde received a ten minute penalty for the knockout and was off the ice when the game ended.

The Province, 12 Feb 1912:

PCHA All Star Team.

Here is the Province Choice:

Goal - Hugh Lehman, Westminster

Point - Frank Patrick, Vancouver

Cover Point - Ernie Johnston, Westminster

Rover - Lester Patrick, Victoria

Center - Eddie Lalonde, Vancouver

Right Wing - Harry Hyland, Westminster

Left Wing - Jimmy Gardner, Westminster

The Brantford Daily Expositor, 2 Dec, 1912:

Ontario paper already calling Lalonde in the winter of 1912, "the greatest of all hockey players".

His presence will strengthen Montreal to great extent.

"Lalonde To Stay East"

Newsy Lalonde, the greatest of all hockey players, will remain in the east this season. From his own lips it was announced last night he had signed up with the Canadiens, and that he would be with them this season in preference to the long trip west.

Lalonde will replace Didier Pitre, who goes to Quebec, and his presence on the Canadien line-up will strengthen them to a great extent. At the same time it was intimated that Alf Smith would probably handle the Canadiens again this season, as coach.

With Lalonde back, the Canadiens will have a good team again this winter, and with Alf Smith at the helm, they should be right in the running for the championship"

Ottawa Citizen, 24 Dec 1912:

Infamous Cleghorn assault on Lalonde, reported in the Citizen but quoting a piece from the Toronto World.

"The second fact is granted gingerly for although it gets the crowd. I have seen amateurs awaken more interest by brilliant combination, very seldom does one see such a gross piece of work as S. Cleghorn pulled off.

Still this can be said in favor of the other players that up till the last two minutes the only two who tried to pull of roughhouse tactics were the Cleghorn Bros. Both Odie and Sprague reportedly made jabs at Lalonde's head but luckily were unable to land him.

When Newsy checked Russell it was nothing more than a stiff body check and the force the two men were traveling at, put both of them flat on the ice, but a man who will deliberately skate up and smash another with a stick over the head when he is lying on the ice is a contemptible individual and should be put where he belongs."

Victoria Daily Times, 26 Dec 1912:

More commentary from same incident above.

"Private advice state that Sammy Lichtenhein and Geo Kennedy went into convulsions when Sprague Cleghorn skated the length of the ice and smote Newsy Lalonde over his orbs to the extent of ten stitches. After all the boasting that they ha given the NHA, it was shameful that Cleghorn should so far forget himself as to be arrested for assault.

Dispatches from the East also state that Newsy Lalonde may be called to answer for his cross-check of Odie Cleghorn, the incident that started the fireworks.

Only last summer several lacrosse players narrowly escaped a prison sentence only because of the fact that no spectators would take the witness stand against the men.

This case is different, however, and the police will not find it difficult to secure a dozen witnesses against Sprague Cleghorn. The papers in the Queen City that have been boasting for amateur hockey will now have a glorious opportunity to rap the pro sport, and with the Cleghorn-Lalonde incident to write editorials about, it will make things harder than ever for the NHA."

Montreal Gazette, 30 Dec 1912:

Full details of court case and transcribed testimony/hearing. Comments from judge and detective describing the incident in detail.

Cleghorn fined $50 for actions after pleading guilty. Suspended.

Lalonde asked for leniency and considered matter closed.

"We must keep sport reputable and decent and not have it the stamping grounds of hoodlums and ruffians. In the excitement of a game some roughness may be excusable, but brutality is not at all necessary. Had this case been one where a player to prevent a score, or disable a brilliant player of the other side, had been guilty of unprovoked assault, the punishment would have been a term of imprisonment.

This case, I am glad to see, is somewhat different. It appears that the assault you committed was not for the purpose of affecting the game, but it was the result of impulse, when you saw your brother attacked. You skated across and in a moment of undue excitement and irritation did what you ought not to have done, took the law into your own hands.

Your association has already punished you severely. You will pay a fine of $50."

So said Judge Morgan this morning when Sprague Cleghorn, star defence player of the famous Wanderer hockey team pleaded guilty to assaulting Newsy Lalonde, of the Canadian team, in a game played at the arena on December 21.

A number of sporting notables were present in the court room, including President James Thompson of the Toronto's, Lol Solman, and Tommy Church. H Hartley Dewart, K.C., appeared for the prisoner.

Detective Guthrie described the assault

"Lalonde had checked Odie Cleghorn, Spragues Cleghorn's brother, and both fell to the ice. The prisoner then skated across and struck him (Lalonde) over the left eye with his stick."

"Was the game rough up to that time? Asked Crown Attorney Greer.

"It was a nice game up till then."

"Odie Cleghorn was checked pretty hard?" Asked Mr. Dewart.

"He did hit the boards pretty hard."

Dr AB Wright, who attended Lalonde, said that he was cut over the left eye two inches long, which required seven stiches.

"Lalonde is all right now, though, he added. He played here Wednesday, and played again tonight."

"Hockey is played in the Arena practically every night, said Crown Attorney Greer, and the police must be backed up in repressing rough play, or the game will degenerate into brutality."

"The police are perfectly right, said Judge Morgan, and I will always punish severely brutality in sport unless there are mitigating circumstances. Sportsmen thought to act like reasonable people, and not like brutes or lunatics."

I have a letter from Lalonde, put in Mr Dewart, giving me his views of the assault. That letter reads as follows.

"Sprague saw his brother fall and saw the he was bleeding and apparently lost control of himself when he saw his brother was injured. As far as I am concerned I do not hold any hard feelings against Sprague for having struck me, and I do not desire him to be punished further", said Newsy Lalonde.

It is evident said Mr. Dewart, that this was a sudden impulse. Cleghorn is of good reputation and the governing body of the league he plays in has already suspended and fined him.

Judge Moran accepted this view of the case and did not impose a jail sentence.

"I am glad to see that amity has been restored between you and Lalonde he told Cleghorn. I am pleased that the chief actors in the this affair acted as good sports should. It appears that there is no malice between you. But can’t let your offense pass. People have got to understand that these things can’t be done without punishment.

You are fined $50"

Montreal Star, 15 Jan 1914:

Details of Joe Hall boarding which nearly fractured Lalonde's skull.

President Quinn on Near Tragedy.

“According to the report of the Referees, Hall charged Lalonde deliberately from behind. While a body check in front is allowed, Hall’s action constituted a serious foul.

I think that a change in the Arena fence would aid in preventing at least such accidents as last night. The place where Lalonde struck is a very dangerous corner.”

The Referee’s Report.

“Referee John Brennan and Judge of Play Riley Hern, sated in their report of last night’s match to President T Emmett Quinn, that, in their opinion, Joe Hall deliberately charged Lalonde and knocked him down,so that his head came in contact with the fence at the end of the rink, bringing about an injury to Lalonde. The officials show in their report that Hall was given a match foul, the severest penalty that can be imposed by them.”

The Opinion of the Physicians.

“We hope that there will be no complications,” said Dr. A. H. Desloges, of the Hotel Dieu, who with Dr. Daniel Plouffe, attended Newsy Lalonde last night.

“We dressed the wounds so carefully that we do not think bloodpoisoning or erysipelas will follow. But still, one can never tell in these cases.”

The Doctor admitted that with very little more force behind the check with caused Lalonde to collide with the fence. Newsy would probably have fractured his skull, and that would have meant death.

Ottawa Journal, 11 Jan 1915:

Lalonde's presence in first game noted to inspire his teammates with more ambition.

"Newsy Lalonde played with the Canadiens for the first time this season. Lalonde played a strong game and his presence seemed to fill his teammates with more ambition than they had shown in any of their previous matches"

Montreal Star, 15 Jan 1915:

Testimonies and highlights of Joe Hall vicious boarding on Lalonde.

President Quinn on Near Tragedy

"According to the report of Referees, Hall charged Lalonde deliberately from behind. While a body check in front is allowed, Hall's action constituted a serious foul.

I think a change in the Arena fence would aid in at least preventing such accidents as last night. The place where Lalonde struck is a very dangerous place"

Referee John Brennan and Judge of Play Riley Hern, stated in their report of last night's match to President T Emmett Quinn, that, in their opinion, Joe Hall deliberately charged Lalonde and knocked him down, so that his head came in contact with the fence at the end of the rink, bringing about an injury to Lalonde. The officials show in their report that Hall was given a match foul, the severest penalty that can be imposed by them.

The Doctor admitted that with very little more force behind the check which caused Lalonde to collide with the fene, Newsy would probably have fractured his skull, and that would have meant death."

Ottawa Journal, 13 Mar 1916:

Lalonde's hockey IQ noted by Ottawa papers.

"Brainy Lalonde"

"Headed by Lalonde, who is the brains of the team, Canadiens have a line that can skate, and check witht he best of them."

Winnipeg Tribune, 31 Mar 1916:

Lalonde's brainy play/assists leads to Cup winning goal in 3rd period, of Stanley Cup Final against Portland Rosebuds.

"Lalonde Engineers Play in Closing Period That Gave Eastern Hockeyists Victory."

A heady piece of work by Newsy Lalonde in the closing minutes of play enabled Prodgers to get a big start on a rush which he wound up by scoring the winning goal.

....

"Lalonde's Strategy"

"Following a hard attack on Canadiens' net by the Roseburds, Lalonde took the puck from Vezina and skated around the goal, yelling to Prodgers as he turned away with the puck. Prodgers, starting from his wing position, skated towards his corner, took the rubber from Lalonde, and was off, Lalonde meanwhile, for a moment dribbling an imaginary puck.

Prodgers beat Harris in a rush to center ice by swinging sharply off at an angle, and a moment later with a body check toppeled Irvine over. Ernie Johnson he easily skated around. Then drawing Murray out while dribbling the puck, Prodgers skated around him and lobbed the rubber into the net for the winning score.

The whole Canadien team for the remaining four minutes confined themselves to defensive play."

Vancouver Daily World, 17 Jun 1916:

Great piece highlighting Lalonde's all around athletic reputation in Canada.

Called "the John D. Rockefeller of Canada's pastime, and is a Ty Cobb and Hans Wagner in one."

"There have been Turnbulls, Springs, Hoobins and others who have been acclaimed the Ty Cobbs and Hans Wagners of lacrosse - Canadad's national pastimte, but there is only one Edward C. Newsy Lalonde.

This individual, starring in two of the most thrilling of sports, lacrosse and hockey, is a Ty Cobb and Hans Wager in one, a top notcher in the field and the leading money getter in professional sport in this vast Dominion.

Newsy is the John D. Rockefeller of our national pastime, commanding a fancy salary for each and every appearance before the paid attendance, while in hockey the Ontario lad has long drawn down the big end of the receipts for chasing the elusive puck, before the admiring gaze of followers of this fascinating and exciting sport.

Lalonde is probably the best all around professional athlete in the Dominion today. He can play lacrosse, hockey, basketball and as a baseball player ranks among the best in the country.

He was probably worth every cent that was paid him in lacrosse. In lacrosse he was undoubtedly the most effective man in the game in the past decade.

Fitzgerald, another high salaried player a couple of years ago, was spectacular and made many thrilling dashes down the field, but for all around work Lalonde was far superior. He has been a leading goal-getter in both lacrosse and hockey and it could never be said that he was handled gently by opposing defensemen

Lalonde has suffered some severe jolts in his athletic career but it could never be said that he dogged it."

The Vancouver Sun, 20 Feb 1917:

He certainly got under the skin of a lot of opposing players.

"They call Newsy Lalonde foxy because he plays with other people's heads."

Vancouver Daily World, 21 Mar 1917:

During a fight with Cully Wilson, Lalonde struck referee Goerge Irvin below the waist with his stick.

A little later Cully Wilson and Lalonde tangled. Referee George Irvine, working with Mickey Ion, tried to separate the men and was hit below the belt by Lalonde with his stick. The game was called while Irvin was revived. Each player was benched for 10 minutes.

Calgary Herald, 15 Mar 1919:

Lalonde and the Candiens played against Calgary all star team.

"Most talked about player the game has ever produced, including Tommy Phillips, Frank McGee, Alf Smith, Cyclone Taylor, Russell Bowie, and the Patricks".

Lalonde The Peerless

They saw Lalonde, the peerless in action and he lived squarely up to the reputation that had come ahead of him. His bursts of speed, his superb stick handling and his cool, calculated attacks, frequently fatal in respect to bulging the nets, awakened in the spectators a sincere admiration. There were no false motions and no wasted energy.

Lalonde Scintillates

It was then that Lalonde, who had rested from the start of the last period, dropped on the ice, sent Corbeau to the dressing rooms and proceeded to give an exposition of the hockey that has made him the most talked-of player the game has ever produced, and this includes Tommy Phillips, Frank McGee, Alf Smith, Cyclone Taylor, Russell Bowie, the Patricks and all the lights of other days.

Crowd is Infected

A minute or so later he repeated but this time he scored himself and the crowd become infected with the Lalonde fever. To use that well known hackneyed expression, Newsy became the cynosure of all eyes. His black-rimmed, near tonsured head was in the thick of the fray and ever it appeared that it was at the point where its owner could do the most damage. He was either the scorer or the mainspring behind the scoring of the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth goals.

The Leader Post, 20 Dec 1919:

Caption that went along with a photo.

"Newsy Lalonde, the greatest drawing card in the game of hockey, the shrewdest general, and one of the best players"

The Tacoma Daily Ledger, 10 Dec 1920:

Lalonde called "Babe Ruth of Canada" and critics generally rate him as Canada's all around pro athlete.

Said to have made 4 dollar a minute playing hockey!

"Newsy Lalonde is Busy Athlete"

"Newsy Lalonde, who has been called "the Babe Ruth of Canada," recently completed his summer lacross season season here and left for the East to play in Montreal's team of "Flying Frechman" in the National Hockey Association race.

For fifteen years Lalonde has been before the Canadian sport public, playing ice hockey in the east in the winter and lacross in the west in the summer.

Critics generally regard him as Canada's all around professional athletic star. Although a veteran he is as fast as he was years ago.

Big money has been made by Lalonde in his athletic work. In the recent three game hockey series here it was estimated Lalonde received $4 a minute for the 180 minutes of play."

Montreal Gazette, 25 Jan 1921:

Lalonde viciously butt ends Joe Malone in the face, causing a bad cut and tear duct injury.

"Newsy Lalonde, star of the Flying Frenchmen, was guilty of the meanest attack ever seen on a Hamilton rink.

He skated up behind Joe Malone and butt-ended him in the face. The result of the vicious attack is that Malone is sewn up and and a tearduct of one of his eyes in injured. Manager Thompson announced today that he would have to call in a specialist."

Montreal Gazette, 31 Jan 1921:

Cleghorn and Lalonde dust up occurred after Sprague checked Pitre, Lalonde cross checked Sprague thus leading to a fight, with the result being Cleghorn injured his back and was forced to leave remainder of game, hurting his team in the process.

"The first penalty came shortly after the commencement of play, when Lalonde and Sprague Cleghorn participated in a fistic encounter.

After checking Pitre, Cleghorn made a rush up the ice. In trying to stop Cleghorn, Lalonde cross checked the Toronto player, and in retaliation Cleghorn struck Lalonde with his fist. The pair clinched and went to the ice, with Cleghorn pounding Lalonde about the face and body. Referee Jimmy Gardner and the other players separated the pair and both were sent to the penalty bench for a major foul.

The encounter with Lalonde was an expensive one for Cleghorn, for in the mixup he injured the muscles of his back and was forced to retire shortly after serving his penalty. Cleghorn's action deprived St. Patrick's team of his services for the remainder of the game and perhaps in the next fixture."

Saskatoon Daily Star, 18 Jan 1923:

Lalonde makes Frank Patrick's PCHA AS Team.

Patrick Names All-Star Team Of Prairie League:

After visiting all cities on the Western Canada hockey circuit with the Maroons, Frank Patrick, president of the PCHA, has selected an all-star prairie team which he figures could give any club in the hockey firmament a real battle. His choice is based entirely on form displayed in the games played against Vancouver on the trip:

Goal – Bill Binney, Calgary

Defense – Amby Moran, Regina; Joe Simpson, Edmonton.

Forwards – George Hay, Regina; Duke Keats, Edmonton; Newsy Lalonde, Saskatoon.

Reserves – Joe Matte, Saskatoon; Barney Stanley, Regina; Foley Martin, Calgary.

The Calgary Albertan, 30 Jan 1923:

Lalonde gets a gold watch in Vancouver.

"Vancouver Fans Show Appreciation of Newsy Lalonde"

"As an indication that Vancouver fans remember Newsy Lalonde very kindly, the skipper of the Saskatoon Crescent last night received a gold watch at the hands of ex-Mayor Harry Gale and the veteran Archie MacNaughton, before the face-off in last night's game between Vancouver and Saskatoon.

Lalonde was struck dumb by the flood of applause which followed the presentation and hastened to get his stick and called the boys together for the game."

The Leader Post, 23 Mar 1923:

Lalonde picked by Skinner Poulin, official referee of the WCHL, for the All-Star manager's position.

Poulin's prairie team consists of four Eskimos, three Caps, two Tigers, and one Crescent, with Newsy Lalonde as manager.

Manager - Newsy Lalonde, Saskatoon

The Sault Star, 16 Nov 1925:

Brilliant piece describing Lalonde's work in building up the Saskatoon Sheiks and his sterling reputation in the sport.

Noted that " Throughout Canada, wherever hockey is played, the name Newsy Lalonde has become a household word."

"Thoroughly satisfied with the showing of Lalonde, who took hold of a hopeless tailender and converted it into a strong championship contender, the local owners expressed the desire to give Newsy a chance to lead a pennant winner this winter when early season assertions predict the Sheiks as one of the strongest possibilities for the 1925-26 flag.

When Lalonde took hold of the Sheiks-or Crescents as they were known in those days, he had to build from the ground up. Newsy came here in the fall of 1922 to take charge of a galaxy of talent as yet untried and unproven.

...

Lalonde took hold of a super-human task in evolving a team out of nothing. The material on hand was for the most part untried. What he found wanting was speedily sent on its way and other players signed to take their places. In this manner, Lalonde developed a championship contender in the short space of two seasons that today is ranked as one of the most powerful hockey combinations on the continent. As witness to this fact the Sheiks were just nosed out in the playoff race for Western Canada championship last spring by Victoria Cougars, eventual winners and present holders of the Stanley Cup.

Lalonde's career has been most picturesque. He was nationally famous as a lacrosse star long before he become known in the hockey world. It was in the latter field, however, that he attained his greatest fame. Throughout Canada wherever hockey is played, the name Newsy Lalonde has become a household word.

The Sault Star, 28 Nov 1929:

Incredible piece describing Lalonde's superstar reputation, impact he had on western hockey, and star talents he found and developed as a coach even if his managerial record was lukewarm.

There never was a smarter puckchaser than Newsy Lalonde – a marvelous general, cunning as a fox, swift as greased lightning, and a great goal getter.

His name noted as byword in Western Hockey. Fans flocked from miles to every rink in the prairies.

Discovered both Bill and Bun Cook in minor pro ranks. Signed George Hainsworth when people in East said he wouldn't make it as a pro hockey player.

NEWSY LALONDE A FORMER SAULT PLAYER IS ONE OF THE COLORFUL FIGURES IN SPOT

Discovered Bill and Bun Cook for Professional Hockey:

No figure in the story of professional hockey has drawn as much attention from the standpoint of publicity than Edward “Newsy” Lalonde, the former Woodstock printer, who is making his second appearance in the National League this winter, as a manager.

He is guiding Ottawa Senators this season and it is the fourth professional puckchasing unit that Newsy has been associated with in a managerial capacity.

His work is bound to be followed keen interest for there is no name in hockey more familiar to the fans than that of the Cornwall product.

Newsy played his first pro hockey in the Sault in the last year the old International League was running. He came to the city a green lad of 17 summers in the days of seven man hockey. On the first night he was here Marty Walsh had his leg broken. Taylor was sent from rover to centre and Lalonde made his debut to before Sault fans on a strange pair of skates and he was an unqualified success.

He skated like a fool and showed plenty of trick stuff. Old fans can never forget the colorful rad who used to burn up the frozen aqua and who flashed down the ice tie and time again.

……

The case of Newsy Lalonde in his managerial endeavors revives the old argument as to whether star athletes ever make good managers or good coaches.

There never was a smarter puckchaser than Newsy Lalonde – a marvelous general, cunning as a fox, swift as greased lightning, and a great goal getter.

He was educated in the school of hard knocks and he could “lay on the hickory” with the best of them. Perhaps Newsy will be able to prove to his critics this winter that he can carry on as a manger just as successfully as he carried on his playing days.

…..

The Saskatoon owners in the meantime had learned the Canadiens were willing to dispose of Newsy Lalonde, provided a French Canadian recruit of promise was sent to Montreal in the deal.

It was Saskatoon’s opportunity, and Canadiens, knowing something of Joliat’s ability as an amateur welcome the offer from the westerners.

So Joliat packed his bags and headed for Montreal while Newsy Lalonde invaded the prairies, heralded by a mad burst of publicity.

…..

Joliat’s ankle mended rapidly and he developed into the puckchasing star that the Canadiens figured he would.

Still Saskatoon was satisfied for Lalonde’s presence certainly added color to the Western Canada League, as the prairie professional circuit was called in those pioneer days.

Lalonde’s name was a byword, even in western puck circles and packed rinks greeted the Cornwall athlete in every city on the circuit. Fans flocked to Regina, Moose Jaw, Calgary, and Edmonton from miles around – just for a peek at an athlete who had carved his name deep in the halls of eastern hockey and lacrosse fame.

Newsy Lalonde and Duke Keats, in the order mentioned, were the two greatest drawing cards prairie professional hockey ever knew-and both were cordially hated, hissed and booed around the circuit. The anvil chorus that used to great “Rocky” Rockburn here last winter reminded us of the reception that were in store for Lalonde and Keats when they appeared on the ice.

Still Newsy discovered Bill and Bunny Cook formerly of the Sault Greyhounds, signed Georges Hainsworth, although friends in the east told him the Kitchener electrician would never make the grade in professional hockey;

Rescued Leo Reise an Corbett Dennenay from out of the back ground after other managers said both were thru; gave Harry Cameron, ex Toronto St. Pats defenceman a chance to take a new lease on life; haled Phil Stevens ex-Grand Mere amateur star and later with Quebec Bulldogs out of retirement; coaxed Leo Bourgeault, now with Rangers and Laurie Scott, now with Duluth out of amateur ranks; and moulded together one of the most powerful clubs in the west.

Newsy Lalonde may never be a great manager or a great coach – but he made hockey on the plains and he brought along five real contributors for the National League.

Calgary Herald, 6 Jul 1950:

Vern DeGeer describes nearly 3 decades later the astronomical reputation Lalonde had throughout Canada as a hockey player and athlete.

"Off-hand, I can't think of another lacrosse or hockey luminary who showed up so many places between 1905 and 1926,"

"Greatest box office attraction the prariers ever cheered or booed."

Folks back East here possibly don’t realize just how Newsy Lalonde caught the fancy, or raised the ire of lacrosse and hockey customers, depending upon what field or in what rink he was operating in the Western country,” writes Vern DeGeer.

“He’s one of the few of Canada’s great athletic figures that spread his campaigning the length and breadth of the Dominion.

Off-hand, I can’t think of another lacrosse or hockey luminary who showed up so many places between 1905 and 1926 as an active workman.

As a puck chaser he was not only a headliner with the old Renfrew Millionaires and Montreal Canadiens, but he stopped off at Cornwall, the Michigan Soo, Kitchener (formerly Berlin) and commuted between Vancouver and the East several hockey seasons. He was a goal scoring wizard in the old NHA, a pacemaker among snipers like Cyclone Taylor, Gordie Roberts, Frank Foyston, Frank Walker, and others on the coast.

Newsy was 40 when the Canadiens traded him to Saskatoon Sheiks of the old Western Canada League in the fall of 1922 for an untried Saskatoon rookie, Auriel Joliat. Yet at this ripe hockey age he had three brilliant seasons and with Gordon Blanchford, Duke Keats of Edmonton Eskimos, was the greatest box office attraction the prairies ever cheered or booed. The old under-pinning was giving out under the pace of up and coming stars like Bill Cook, Eddie Shore, Red Dutton, Harry Oliver, Joe Simpson, Goerge Hay, Bunny Cook, Frank Boucher, Dick Irvin and a host of others. But for two of those three winters he was marching with the top scorers.

Star Phoenix, 3 Nov 1964:

Cam McKenzie remembers the Lalonde-Joliat trade 4 decades later.

Calls Lalonde an all time hockey great.

It is 42 years ago today, Tuesday, Nov 3, 1922, that Newsy Lalonde was traded to Saskatoon Sheiks of the old Western Canada Hockey League for a little guy, named Aurel Joliat.

Younger hockey fans won’t recall old Newsy. Many of them perhaps never heard of him, but in his heyday he was an all time hockey great with Montreal Canadiens, and a star lacrosse player in the off-season.

Star Phoenix, 17 Mar 1984:

Aurele Joliat speaks on the trade that sent him from Saskatoon to Montreal for Lalonde.

Lalonde and Cleghorn fought in practices and apparently didn't get along at this point.

Joliat calls Lalonde "the toughest plaeyr I've ever known."

Thibeault: Why did the Canadiens want to get rid of the great Newsy Lalonde?

Joliat: “Well, he was about 40 at the time and he had become a problem. He and Sprague Cleghorn used to fight during practices. There was a lot of animosity among the players and Dandurand thought that getting rid of Lalonde would solve things.

I guess it did because the second year I was with Candiens, 1923-24 we won the Stanley Cup. The first year, 1922-23 we trained in the fall in Grimsby because they had artificial ice and we still didn’t in Montreal. And we played exhibitions against other teams and one against Saskatoon and Lalonde.

He was on defence and the toughtest player I’ve ever known.

In the second period, after two or three rushes from my left wing, I started another one.

Well, he was the big rooster at everything he played in those days and I was the 21 year old kid who had taken his place with the Canadiens. He was waiting for me. One second I was on the left wing, the next I was on the right wing. He crushed me, split my mouth in two.”

Whitehorse Daily Star, 24 Nov 1999:

Sports Editor Michael Onesi's top 10 ballot for Canadian Athletes of the Century. He was one of 145 sportswriters/broadcasters polled for the project.

He listed Gretzky, Terry Fox, and Lionel Conacher above Lalonde.

No Gordie Howe in his top 10, which is...odd though he mentions Fox wasn't even on a list supplied for potential ranking by the Canadian Press so I'm guessing the lists varied quite a bit.

Lalonde ended up 28th in the overall rankings. Gretzky 1st, Howe 2nd, Orr 3rd. Though again, I'm convinced at least some of the voters had no clue what they were talking about considering the final list showed Lalonde as "boxing/hockey".

4. Newsy Lalonde

Newsy Lalonde is another player that sports fans may not remember because his glory days were around 1920.

Lalonde was a superstar in two sports – hockey and lacrosse

The Hockey Hall of Famer finished with 124 goals and 42 assists (NHL totals only) in 99 games, leading the league in scoring in 1919 and 1921.

He was voted Canada’s best lacrosse player of the half century in 1950 and once scored 60 goals in 12 games for the Montreal Nationals.

Face Off Ability:


Ottawa Citizen, 16 Mar 1908:

“Patrick dropped the puck between the sticks of Stuart and Lalonde, and Lalonde drew, rushing as far as center. There was no one between Lalonde and the net, and seeing his opportunity, with the alertness characteristic of his work on the lacrosse field, Lalonde shot the rubber from center. A shout of warning went up from the Wanderer crowd, and Ross and Hern made frantic rushes to block the shot. The puck went fifteen feet high, seeming to hang in the air. It looked high, but dropped as if bewitched at the Wanderer net, landing in the center of the twine, with Hern and Ross, batting at it unsuccessfully.”

The Province, 21 Feb 1912:

Lalonde scored from a face off all by himself.

Montreal Gazette, 16 Jan 1913:

"Lalonde got the best of a face off near Quebec’s end and scored the locals second goal. After a series of attacks he repeated this and made it look like a sure thing Canadiens."

Montreal Gazette, 23 Jan 1913:

"From the face off, Lalonde carried play to the Wanderers end and landed one past Boyes on a clear shot."

Montreal Gazette, 27 Feb 1913:

"From the face off, Lalonde carried the play to the Wanderers' end, and, after boring well in, evened matters up. This concluded the scoring for the first period.

The Canadiens showed a flash of speed at the commencement of the second session by securing the first two goals in less than two minutes.

From the face, Lalonde rushed matters and through a combined effort with Donald Smith carried the play to the other end, putting one past Cadotte.

This he followed with another after securing the puck from a face, following an offside near the Wanderers' nets."

Montreal Gazette, 29 Jan 1914:

"When Lalonde got the best of the face off and went in past Marshall and Cameron, scoring in fifteen seconds.

This inspired the necessary confidence in the winners, and they played with more snap than at any time during the first period.
....

From the face, Lalonde got possession of the disc and carried it up the ice, shooting from far out. Holmes stopped well enough but before he could clear, Lalonde was in on top of him, and scored the winning goal from the rebound."

Montreal Gazette, 11 Jan 1915:

From the face off Lalonde went straight to the Wanderers' defence. He feinted to go between the players and then swung around to get a shot from the side, scoring the goal that tied the score for the first time.

Montreal Gazette, 25 Jan 1915:

From the face off Lalonde passed out to Pitre, who worked his way past Cleghorn and Prodgers and beat McCarthy from close in, tying the score.

Following this penalty, Lalonde scored the Canadiens’ seventh goal from a face off in front of the Wanderers’ net.

Montreal Gazette, 27 Jan 1916:

"From the face off following the score, Lalonde got the better of the draw and passed out to Pitre, who again worked his way inside the Wanderer defense to score giving the Canadiens the lead."

Montreal Gazette, 17 Feb 1916:

"Pitre had no time to try and work his way inside the Quebec defence, and shot from far out. The puck was straight on the nets, but going high. Moran jumped up in the air to stop it and as the puck hit him it dropped into the net and the game was won.

For a few seconds the crowd were spellbound, they hardly realizing the shot had scored, as the majority of them saw it hit Morna.

With thirty seconds remaining, play was resumed and Lalonde getting the best of the draw, carried the play to Quebec's end just as the gong sounded the conclusion of time."

Montreal Gazette, 1 Jan 1917:

Lalonde scored their only goal from a face off.

Montreal Gazette, 30 Dec 1918:

From the face-off, Lalonde took a forward pass from Cleghorn, and tallied making the score three to one, which assured the victory for Torontos were never again within challenging distance.

Montreal Gazette, 5 Feb 1920:

Wilson crosschecked Corbeau and was ruled off. Lalonde went down from the face-off and tallied Canadiens fourth goal.

Montreal Gazette, 27 Jan 1921:

"Lalonde secured the puck from a face off for an offside. He skated over to the left side of the rink while Mmery followed in, apparently to check Benedict should Lalonde decide to shoot.

Taking advantage of an opportunity, Lalonde shot and Mummery, who was standing close on the goal, batter the puck into the nets. Ottawa players rushed to Referee Smeaton claiming that the goal was offside. As the official in charge skated to the scorer's box to record the goal, the players of teams surrounded him, the result being a demonstration.

Smeaton allowed the goal and the Ottawa players permitted him to restart the play.

Lalonde outdrew Nighbor and Ottawa made no effort to stop him going in on Benedict to shoot. He tallied giving the Canadiens the lead and thirty seconds later Ottawa repeated their previous action and allowed Arbour to go in and score another goal, after which the Ottawa players left the ice, refusing to continue under Smeaton."

Montreal Gazette, 31 Jan 1921:

Shortly after the face off Lalonde and Cleghorn returned to the ice.

Lalonde outdrew Noble in a face off after an offside and engineered a play which resulted in another goal being scored. Lalonde went straight for St. Patrick's goal. As Cameron and Cleghorn came out to meet him he swung over to the side to shoot, and Forbes was scored on for the second time.

Montreal Gazette, 9 Feb 1922:

"From the commencement of play Canadiens forced the pace, Lalonde scoring the first goal in thirty seconds. He outdrew his opponent at centre and went in close on Roach before shooting. The shot was well place and gave the local team the first advantage."

 

[Hawkey Town 18]

*This bio was almost entirely taken from @Dreakmur, I've only added a couple minor details.

Anze Kopitar !!!


Anze Kopitar said:

The phase we use is playing the right way. Obviously, playing the right way means not cheating, and just being in good spots all over the ice.​

Awards and Achievements:
2 x Stanley Cup Champion (2012, 2014)

Hart voting - 3rd(2018), 8th(2014), 8th(2016)

Selke voting - 1st(2016), 1st(2018), 2nd(2014), 3rd(2015), 4th(2013), 7th (2020), 9th(2011), 9th(2012), 12th (2021)

Lady Byng voting: 1st(2016), 3rd(2015), 4th(2010), 4th (2018), 8th(2008), 8th(2021), 10th(2011), 10th(2014),14th(2013)

All-Star voting - 3rd(2016), 3rd(2018), 6th(2010), 6th(2014)

NHLPA Player Polls - conducted 2017-18 to present (2021-22)
2021-22: Most Complete Player - 5th
2020-21: Most Complete Player - 6th
2019-20: Did not place for Most Complete Player, but results only showed top 4
2018-19: Most Difficult to Play Against - 5th
2017-18: Most Difficult to Play Against - 5th

Offensive Accomplishments:
Point - 7th(2018), 12th(2016), 15th(2011), 15th(2012), 16th(2014), 17th(2010)
Goals - 12th(2010), 15th(2018), 20th(2008)
Assists - 8th(2012), 9th(2015), 9th(2016), 13th(2018), 14th(2011), 14th(2013), 20th(2010)

Play-off Points - 1st(2012), 1st(2014)
Play-off Goals - 1st(2012)
Play-off Assists - 1st(2012), 1st(2014)

World Cup Points - 5th(2017)
World Cup Assists - 2nd(2017)

World Championship Points - 5th(2006)
World Championship Assists - 7th(2006)

7yr Vs.X: 79.2

7yr ES Vs.X: 55.4 (normalized to 70)

5-Year Peak: 2014 to 2018
15th in Points, 87% of 2nd place Patrick Kane
10th in Assists, 85% of 2nd place Sidney Crosby

10-Year Peak: 2009 t0 2018
9th in Points, 85% of 2nd place Alex Ovechkin
8th in Points, 84% of 2nd place Nicklas Backstrom


Scoring Percentages:
Points - 90(2018), 83(2016), 80(2014), 78(2012), 74(2010), 74(2011), 74(2013), 74(2015), 73(2008), 60(2009), 58(2017), 54(2007)

Best 6 Seasons: 479


Team Scoring:
Points - 1st(2008), 1st(2009), 1st(2010), 1st(2011), 1st(2012), 1st(2013), 1st(2014), 1st(2015), 1st(2016), 1st(2018), 1st(2019)

Point Percentages - 151(2018), 140(2014), 137(2010), 129(2012), 128(2011), 127(2013), 119(2016), 117(2019), 114(2008), 112(2009), 103)2015)

Team Ice Time:
TOI - 1st(007), 1st(2008), 1st(2009), 1st(2010), 1st(2011) 1st(2012), 1st(2013), 1st(2014), 1st(2015), 1st(2016), 1st(2017), 1st(2018), 1st(2019)

ES TOI - 1st(0208), 1st(2009), 1st(2010), 1st(2011), 1st(2012), 1st(2013), 1st(2014), 1st(015), 1st(2016), 1st(2017), 1st(2018), 1st(2019), 2nd(2007)

PK TOI - 1st(2012), 1st(2014), 1st(2015), 1st(2016), 1st(2017), 1st(2018), 1st(2019), 2nd(2011), 3rd(2007), 3rd(2010), 3rd(20213), 5th(2008), 6th(2009)

Team Defensive Statistics:
Team PK - 1st(2018), 4th(2011), 4th(2012), 5th(2017), 7th(2009), 10th(2013), 11th(2014), 15th(2016), 16th(2015), 20th(2010), 29th(2019), 30th(2007), 30th(2008)

Team GA - 1st(2014), 1st(2018), 2nd(2012), 3rd(2016), 4th(2015), 6th(2011), 6th(2017), 7th(2013), 9th(2010), 11th(2009), 20th(2019), 27th(2007), 28th(2008)


NHL.com said:

Kopitar has become the complete package. He has Evgeni Malkin's size, but also Toews' defensive game.​

​

The Hockey News: The NHL's Top 50 as voted by the players said:

30: The big pivot was a key scorer for Los Angeles from the start, but his defensive play and penalty killing put his value over the top. Vision is another strength of Kopitar, who played junior in Sweden because he was destroying local competition.​

​

The Hockey News Yearbook 2011 said:

21: Kopitar made huge strides as an all-round player last season, as evidenced by the fact he scored 81 points and had a plus rating for the first time in his career, albeit on a much better team. But the Kings were better in part because Kopitar has become a more responsible player. The Slovenian has the size and skill to be a dominant center in the NHL.​

​

The Hockey News Yearbook 2014 said:

22: He's the player every team is seeking - a big, mobile center who can score and play well in his own end of the ice. Kopitar is creative, sneaky and a great skater for a big man.​

​

The Hockey News Yearbook 2015 said:

5: None other than Wayne Gretzky himself said during the playoffs that Kopitar is the third best player in the world. We don't completely agree, but he's certainly not far off. Kopitar epitomizes the big center ice man who has become synonymous with success in the Western Conference.​

​

The Hockey News Yearbook 2016 said:

13: Like many of his teammates, Kopitar had something of a down season in 2014-15. Still, no forward had better possession numbers in the NHL than Kopitar's. No surprise if he moves back into the top five next year.​

​

The Hockey News Yearbook 2019 said:

11: Big, powerful, and responsible, Kopitar is showing no signs of aging. In fact, he just established career highs for goals, assists, and point with a 35-57-92 line.​

​

NHL.com June 5, 2012

Kopitar is getting every defence's attention, but he has contributed splendidly throughout the post-season. The Kings' leading scorer in the regular season is even more motivated after missing last year's first-round playoff series loss to San Jose when he broke his ankle with seven games left in the regular season.

"Me and Anze have been pretty close since the day we got here," Brown said. "We've been friends, and we've played together for our whole careers. ... It was about a year or two ago you saw something different in him, both from a defensive standpoint and physically. The first couple of years, he'd go in the corner and get knocked around a little bit. Now he goes into the corner and comes out with the puck."

Kopitar's physical maturation in the past two seasons has been impressive. The former finesse forward now handles the puck along the boards with a command that recalls fellow California NHL stars Joe Thornton and Ryan Getzlaf, fighting off defences with his size and agility.

Drew Doughty said:

He's methodical. He doesn't look like he's going fast, but he is. He's able to make plays under pressure. He's able to use his big frame to just "Heisman" guys. When I get that guy the puck, I know something good's gonna come out of it. When me and him are on the ice together, you know, we make magic together.​

​

Jeff Carter said:

He's mister everything. The situations that he plays trough the game, you know, he play in all of them. I know when I'm out there with him, the puck is better in his hands than in mine.​

​

Luc Robitaille said:

If you're down 3-2, and you need to make a big play, you want him on the ice. You know he's going to create something out of nothing to help you win.​

​

Matt Greene said:

He's a dominant force. I think a lot of his peers really respect him. As a player, I think that's what means the most.​

The things that he does on the ice - the things that he makes look routine - are very, very difficult things to do. That was always a big thing playing with him - knowing that you gave him a horrible pass and he catches it in stride and just goes up ice.​

​

Luc Robitaille said:

He plays hard minutes every night, and when you play that many hard minutes, I think everybody in the NHL realizes how hard that is to do for a player.​

​

Rob Blake said:

If you go around and talk to people in other organizations, it's Kopitar's team.​

​

Luca Sbisa said:

He's just really slick. Never seems to take a hard stride, but then he's blowing by you. He always makes a couple plays you don't expect.​

​

​

 

[Hawkey Town 18]

*Part of this taken from @Voight 's bio

Rod Gilbert


Awards and Achievements:
Named to the NHL Second All-Star Team (1967–68)
Named to the NHL First All-Star Team (1971–72)
Won Bill Masterton Trophy (1976)
Won Lester Patrick Trophy (1991)
Played in NHL All-Star Game (1964, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1977)
Inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982
New York Rangers team record for career goals (406)
New York Rangers team record for career points (1021)
New York Rangers team record for games played by a forward (1065)

Hart voting - 7th(1967), 10th(1972)

All-Star voting - 1st(1972),2nd(1968), 3rd(1975), 6th(1977)

7yr Vs.X: 83.1

7yr ES Vs.X: 58

Offensive Accomplishments:
Points - 5th(1968), 5th(1972), 7th(1965), 8th(1975), 9th(1964)
Goals - 4th(1967), 7th(1972), 8th(1965), 9th(1964), 10th(1974)
Assists - 2nd(1968), 6th(1964), 6th(1972), 6th(1973), 7th(1965), 9th(1964), 9th(1975)

Playoffs - 79 GP 34 G 33 A

5-Year Peak: 1968-1973
9th in Points, 87% of 3rd place John Bucyk
18th in Goals, 71% of 2nd place Frank Mahovlich
7th in Assists, 65% of 2nd place Phil Esposito

10-Year Peak: 1967-1977
4th in Points, 90% of 2nd place Bobby Orr
7th in Goals, 87% of 2nd place Yvan Cournoyer
4th in Assists, 75% of 1st place Phil Esposito

Legends of Hockey said:

Rod Gilbert was a consistent scorer during an excellent NHL career with the New York Rangers that lasted 18 seasons. He blossomed as the right winger on the famous G-A-G Line (Goal-A-Game) with Jean Ratelle and Vic Hadfield, and although he never played on a Cup champion, he was often at his best in the post-season.
An amateur scoring star with the OHA's Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters, Gilbert was part of a Memorial Cup triumph in 1959-60. In 1960-61, when the team was renamed the Royals, Gilbert led the OHA with 54 goals and 103 points. He came close to winning consecutive scoring titles but lost the scoring crown to Chico Maki on the last day of the 1959-60 schedule. Gilbert had just received word that he was an emergency call-up to the Rangers when disaster struck. In the last junior game of the year, he skated over some debris thrown on the ice that caused him to fall awkwardly into the boards. The impact resulted in a broken fifth vertebra in his back. To repair the damage, doctors removed bone from his left leg and used it to bind the fourth, fifth and sixth vertebrae together.

After recovering from his injury, Gilbert gained some professional seasoning with the Kitchener-Waterloo Beavers of the EPHL. On November 27, 1960, he made the most of a one-game call-up to the big leagues by assisting on Dean Prentice's third-period goal that gave New York a 3-3 tie with Chicago. Following an injury to Ken Schinkel, Gilbert was an emergency recall during the 1962 semifinal series against Toronto. He didn't look out of place and contributed five points in the four games he played with linemates Dave Balon and Johnny Wilson.

Gilbert finally made the team outright at training camp in 1962. He scored 31 points as a rookie, then registered his first of 12, 20-goal seasons in his sophomore year. Gilbert was a deceptively fast skater with an ability to elude many of the league's wiliest checkers. He was blessed with a hard shot that often dipped and he didn't shy away from battling hard in the corners or in front of the opposition net.

Meanwhile, the surgery Gilbert underwent wasn't totally successful. The bone graft loosened over time and eventually disintegrated as a result of the bodily contact so common in hockey. Prior to his third season, it was discovered that the surgically repaired vertebrae were damaged and required further attention.

He tried to play the 1965-66 schedule by wearing a special custom-fitted brace, but the extra equipment affected his breathing and, to some extent, his stamina. In January 1966 he was forced to abandon the season and undergo an operation to save his career. Gilbert came through the surgery and rehabilitation well and scored 28 goals the next year when he led the Rangers into the playoffs for the first time in five years.

It was in 1970-71 that he began playing with Ratelle and Hadfield. The line clicked and helped the Rangers set a franchise record of 107 points. The following season Gilbert set personal bests of 43 goals and 97 points and helped the team reach the Stanley Cup finals. The line made history by becoming the first on which all three members reached the 40-goal mark. Additionally, all three finished in the top five of the NHL's scoring race. Flying down the ice with elan and purpose, Gilbert caught the imagination of Manhattan's sporting public. His movie-star looks and love of the nightlife made Gilbert a natural fit in the Big Apple.

During the Fall of 1972, Gilbert represented Canada in the Summit Series against the USSR. His desire to play for Canada was so great that he ignored the many overtures that were sent his way by teams in the newly founded World Hockey Association. Between 1972 and 1977, he scored at least 75 points five straight years, but the Rangers never made it past the semifinals. On March 24, 1974, his goal against Dave Dryden of the Buffalo Sabres made him the first 300-goal scorer in the history of the New York Rangers. In 1976 Gilbert was presented the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy as a tribute to his dedication on and off the ice.

On December 12, 1976, he celebrated his 1,000th game by setting up three New York goals in a 5-2 home-ice win over the Stanley Cup champion Canadiens. Gilbert was also on hand when professionals were allowed to take part in the 1977 World Championship. He and linemates Walt McKechnie and Guy Charron helped Canada finish fourth in the historic competition. Before the start of the 1977-78 season, Gilbert was engaged in difficult contract negotiations with Rangers general manager John Ferguson. Following a 15-day holdout, Gilbert never really got going and only lasted 19 games before retiring. His output totaled 406 goals and 1,021 points along with a host of New York scoring records.

The classy winger was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982.

Joe Pelletier said:

But soon the franchise began to make some pro-active moves. Andy Bathgate and Don McKenney were traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1964-65, bringing Rod Seiling, Arnie Brown, Bob Nevin and Dickie Duff to Broadway. Later, Emile Francis secured Eddie Giacomin for goal. The team drafted Brad Park, too. Then, Gilbert and Ratelle found the winger they needed to form one of the most explosive forward lines in NHL history - the GAG Line (Goal A Game).

"Jean and I needed somebody to go to the front of the net and hold his ground. Emile Francis decided that Vic Hadfield was the guy. Vic had a very short fuse. He was a tough guy; very robust. He established himself well in front (of the net) and could shake himself loose from the defense. The two of us (Ratelle and Gilbert) got him the puck and he scored fifty goals one year (1971-72). By being in front and yelling for the puck, Vic developed really good scoring skills."

...

Gilbert was also member of Team Canada during the legendary September 1972 Summit Series versus the former Soviet Union. He helped his country win one of the greatest hockey series of the century.

"The biggest moment was when we won Game Eight. I made the play to Bill White to tie the score at three-all. And then we got the win and that was exhilarating, emotional and very satisfying."

 

[Hawkey Town 18]

Erik Karlsson

Position: D
Shot: Right
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 190 lbs

Regular Season: 821 GP – 151 G – 500 A – 651 Pts
Playoffs: 67 GP – 8 G – 45 A – 53 Pts

Hart Trophy Voting: 5th(2017)

Norris Trophy Voting: 1st(2012), 1st(2015), 2nd(2016), 2nd(2017), 7th(2014)

Vs.X (among all players, not just Dmen)
7yr: 74.3
For context, Karlsson's seven year score puts him roughly on par with Ray Bourque (75.5), Denis Potvin (74.9) and Brian Leetch (73.7)
But the 7yr score underrates Karlsson some, as due to injuries he hasn't had 7 full seasons in his prime (see below year by year breakdown for further details).
6yr: 79.2
5yr: 82.8


Best on Best Tournaments
Overall numbers: 10 gp, 5 g, 7 a, 12 pts
Knockout stage numbers: 4 gp, 2 g, 2 a, 4 pts

Knockout stage numbers broken down by tournament
Olympics 2014: 3 gp, 1 g, 2 a, 3 pts
World Cup 2016: 1 gp, 1 g, 0 a, 1 pts

2014 Winter Olympics: Best Defenseman + All Star Team


Points Finishes Among Defensemen:
2009-10 – Out of Top 50 - 25 pts
2010-11 - 17th
2011-12 - 1st (47% over 2nd place – Byfuglien/Campbell)
2012-13 - Injured (He had 14 points in 17 games, 3rd in Pts/GP)
2013-14 - 1st (21% over 2nd place – Keith / 32% over 3rd place - Weber)
2014-15 - 1st (10% over 2nd place – Burns/Subban)
2015-16 – 1st (9% over 2nd place – Burns / 22% over 3rd place - Letang)
2016-17 – 3rd (5 points behind 1st place – Burns)
2017-18 – 6th (6 points behind 1st place – Carlson, but 1st in Pts/GP, played 71 games)
2018-19 – 19th (Injured and only played 53 games, 6th in Pts/GP)
2019-20 – 19th (Injured and only played 56 games, 12th in Pts/GP)
2020-21 – 47th

Points Finishes on Own Team (Including Forwards)
2009-10* – T-9th
2010-11 – 2nd (27% behind 1st place – Spezza)
2011-12* – 2nd (8% behind 1st place – Spezza)
2012-13* – Injured (only played 17 games, T-9th)
2013-14 – 1st (12% over 2nd place – Spezza)
2014-15* – 1st (3% over 2nd place – Turris)
2015-16 – 1st (34% over 2nd place – Stone)
2016-17* – 1st (16% over 2nd place – Hoffman)
2017-18 – T-1st - Stone
2018-19* – 9th (Injured and only played 53 games, T-3rd in Pts/GP)
2019-20 – 4th (Injured and only played 56 games, T-4th in Pts/GP)
2020-21 – 7th
*Team made playoffs


Notable Playoff Runs
2017
- 1st among Dmen in Pts (6th among all skaters)
- 1st among Dmen in +/- (2nd among all skaters)
- Lost Conference Finals

2019
- T-3rd among Dmen in Pts (10th among all skaters)
- Lost Conference Finals


Articles - Courtesy of @ImporterExporter

Bobby Orr a big Karlsson booster | Toronto Sun

BOBBY ORR LIKES KARLSSON. A LOT. ARTICLE FROM 2012

When the greatest NHL defenceman of all-time watches Erik Karlsson, he is reminded of the best of the best ... guys like Larry Robinson, Serge Savard, Guy Lapointe, Denis Potvin, Paul Coffey and Ray Bourque.

Former Boston Bruins great Bobby Orr, No. 4, told the Ottawa Sun in an exclusive interview the sky is the limit for the 21-year-old Karlsson.

“I watch the Senators often,†said Orr, who turns 64 Tuesday and is president of the Orr Hockey Group that represents Jason Spezza. “I see a lot (in Karlsson). (Just) the way this kid skates. There’s nothing like a powerful skater. You can go back over the years: Coffey, (Bourque), Potvin ... these guys could motor. They had great speed.

“This kid has wonderful speed. Great, great hockey sense. He’s not big at all. Two games ago I looked at him and I thought, ‘Holy crap, he looks like a teenager,’ or maybe it’s me getting old. He’s not a huge kid, but he’s very intelligent and very smart on the ice.

“He positions himself well. He’s unbelievable and uncanny with the stick. He pokechecks, he’s got great reach and even just shooting from the point, he gets the puck on the net. “All the good teams that have won, they’ve all had that guy on the point: (Nicklas) Lidstrom, (Zdeno) Chara. In the old days with Robinson, Savard, Lapointe, Potvin and Coffey. He’s that kind of player. He is that important to the Senators.â€

Orr doesn’t believe Karlsson would be having this kind of success if Ottawa coach Paul MacLean didn’t take off the leash and let the youngster play to his strengths.

“I want to say one thing about the coach and whoever is allowing him to do this and I’ve been saying this forever: You get a guy who can skate like that, let him go, for gawd’s sakes,†said Orr.

“He’ll get caught. I got caught. The players understand how he plays. They accept it. He’s fast enough to get back a lot of times. You have kids coming along where (the coach says) shoot the puck up the glass and shoot it in.

“The coach is letting (Karlsson) do it and since they’ve allowed him to do it, this kid has been unbelievable. But, let him do it. That’s how he is most effective. Is he gonna make mistakes? Yup. Is he gonna get caught? Yup. But the pluses are going to outweigh the minuses.

“There are probably some coaches who wouldn’t let him go like he does. They let me go. They let Coffey go. I couldn’t imagine playing any other way and I can’t imagine young Erik playing any other way, either.â€

The biggest difference Orr has seen in Karlsson’s game is maturity.

“His whole game has changed. He’s probably more conscious of his own end than he’s ever been,†said Orr. “He gets to the puck, he gets the puck on his stick and there are no worries. That is the kind of player he is.

“The best defence is to get the puck and he gets it. He moves it as well as anybody. The forwards on Ottawa have to say, ‘Whew, that’s great, we know we’re going to get it. We know it’s coming.’ He was aware of his minus last year and he really made great strides in the defensive zone.â€


http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on...most-game-changing-defenseman-since-bobby-orr

There is another player skating in the NHL right now that should be in that group, but doesn't get anywhere near the recognition or respect for just how rare his talents and how well he compares to the best that have ever played. That player: Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson.

He has the awards, but he doesn't have the respect

On the surface, it would seem that Karlsson's accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. He is already a two-time Norris Trophy winner, something that only 12 other defensemen in the history of the league can claim. He is also one of three players in NHL history to win two Norris Trophies before his age-25 season, joining a club that includes Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey. If you have done something that only those two guys have done, you're probably pretty special. With the way he is playing so far this season, he not only looks to be one of the front-runners to win the award again, he might even have a shot at the MVP award if the Senators keep winning and return to the playoffs.

You don't win major awards without having your play noticed. But even with all of the production and the hardware, Karlsson seems to be one of the most scrutinized top players in the NHL. His Norris Trophies have been met with more derision than praise because he doesn't fit the traditional mold of what an elite defenseman should be. He is not particularly great defensively, he isn't one of his team's top penalty killers, and when he makes a mistake or gets beat because of his aggressive style of play with the puck, it can sometimes look bad. And we love to point that stuff out.

So how can a player like that keep winning an award that is supposed to go to the NHL's best all-around defenseman?

It's actually very simple: It's because he might be the most productive, game-changing defenseman with the puck on his stick to play in the NHL since Orr was winning scoring titles for the Boston Bruins. And that is not intended to be a hyperbolic statement (and it's also not intended to be a direct comparison to Orr, the greatest defenseman in NHL history) because there is a pretty convincing objective argument to be made for it.

And he is only getting better.

His production is nearly unmatched, both now and in the past

There have been players between Orr and Karlsson that put up bigger point totals, but they mostly did so during the pond-hockey 1980s when goal scoring was at an all-time high and every game was ending with a 6-5 score.

Karlsson is doing it in one of the worst eras for offense in league history where the game is more defensive, better coached, has better goalies, and power play opportunities are at an all-time low. And he is still playing at a level compared to his peers that is nearly unmatched in league history.

Entering their game on Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Karlsson is not only leading the Senators in scoring for the third year in a row, but he is in the top-five in the entire NHL in scoring. With 32 points in the Senators' first 28 games, he is on a pace for 94 points this season. As a defenseman. Only one player — at any position — has topped 90 points over the past two years.

Only eight different defensemen in league history (Orr, Paul Coffey, Ray Bourque, Denis Potvin, Al MacInnis, Phil Housley, Brian Leetch and Gary Suter) have ever topped 90 points in a single season, and nobody has done it since the 1993-94 season when Bourque tallied 91 points for the Bruins. If he maintains that pace, it will be an historic season.

For his career, Karlsson's 0.79 point-per-game average is 11th all-time among defensemen that have appeared in at least 200 NHL games. That is impressive enough on its own. But when comparing players across different generations you have to account for the era each player played in. They didn't compete against each other, so you have to see how they compared to their peers during their careers and the style of player in the league. When you consider that Karlsson is one of just three players in the top-30 that started their career after 1990 (Sergei Zubov and Nicklas Lidstrom are the other two), and that the overwhelming majority of the players at the top of the list played the bulk of their careers in the high-scoring pond hockey era of the 1980s, it stands out even more.

Especially when there is nobody else from his era that is really even close to him in terms of scoring.

The next closest player to Karlsson from a production standpoint (career numbers) is Montreal's P.K. Subban at 0.63. Still excellent, but not quite at Karlsson's level. The difference between Karlsson's production over 82 games and Subban's is 14 points. That is a huge difference between the best and second most productive player at a position. That's probably worth a couple of wins per season.

The only defenseman over the past 30 or 40 years that really had that kind of dominance over the rest of his peers was Paul Coffey in the early 1980s when he was putting up some mind-blowing numbers as a part of the Edmonton Oilers dynasty. During his first seven years in the league he averaged more than 102 points per season. The next closest player during that stretch was Ray Bourque, averaging a little more than 90 points. Denis Potvin, Paul Reinhart, Phil Housley and Al MacInnins were all in the 80-point range during that same stretch. So while Coffey's raw numbers were better than Karlsson's, that reflects more on the era and style of play during that time. Everybody was scoring more then, and there were at least a couple of defensemen that scored at a similar level.


No defenseman drives their team's offense like Karlsson does

And it's really not even close.

The Senators have a pretty talented team with Kyle Turris, Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone and Bobby Ryan up front and since the start of the 2013-14 season are the sixth highest scoring team in the league. But none of those forwards make an impact on the team's offense like Karlsson does.

We mentioned earlier that he is in the process of leading the team in scoring for the third year in a row (almost unheard of for a defenseman) and during that stretch he has had a hand in more than 31 percent of the Senators' goals, either scoring or assisting on them. That, too, is completely ridiculous production for a defenseman.

To put that into perspective, the only other defenseman in the NHL over that stretch that has had a hand in more even than 25 percent of his team's goals is Subban (contributing to 25.9 percent of the Canadiens' goals).

To go back to a different era and compare that to a couple of legends, during Paul Coffey's best three-year run in Edmonton he contributed to 30 percent of the Oilers' goals only once, which is also true for Ray Bourque in Boston. And neither player had a three-year run that was better than Karlsson's current stretch in terms of contributing to their team's offense.

Karlsson's impact on the Senators' offense is the type of impact that is usually reserved for the best forwards. Crosby, for example, has had a hand in 39 percent of the Penguins' goals over that stretch. Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, perhaps the two best offensive players in the NHL, have been around 34 percent. Ovechkin has been at 33 percent for the Capitals. Patrick Kane has contributed to 31 percent of the Blackhawks' goals.

And it's not just the point totals. It's the fact that Karlsson can serve as a one-man breakout from the defensive zone. His ability to handle the puck and skate away from opposing forecheckers is a necessary skill in today's NHL and helps limit the amount of time he has to spend playing in his own zone where he is not at his best. In an era of play-it-safe, get the puck deep, and chip it off the glass hockey Karlsson is a renegade defender that has the confidence to make plays with the puck and use his skill.

The Senators, in theory, could try to change him and get him to be a more defensively responsible player, make safer plays and take fewer chances. But why in the world would they want do to that? It could save a couple of goals against, but it also might take away even more for them. He might get caught up the ice on occasion or get beat trying to make a play offensively, but it's that type of aggressive play that makes him such a devastating player for opposing teams to deal with.

When Karlsson is on the ice during 5-on-5 play the Senators are outscoring their opponents 32-27 and attempting more than 52 percent of the shot attempts. When he's not on the ice the score is 18-18 while they're attempting just 42 percent of the shot attempts. In other words: With Karlsson, they play like a playoff team. Without him, they play like the Edmonton Oilers.

He may not be the best defenseman in the league in the traditional sense. He may not always look the part of a No. 1 defensemen. But every time he touches the ice and has the puck on his stick you're watching a player that can impact the game unlike few others in league history.

It's time we started paying attention to that.​

Orr is a huge fan of youthful innocence and exuberance. He views Karlsson as somebody who is only going to get better.

“He’s 21 ... hello! He’s going to get bigger, stronger, faster and smarter, which will make him a better player,†said Orr. “He’s loving the game right now. You just watch him and you know he’s loving the game.

“You just let him play. It’s like my friend (Spezza), he has a love and passion for this game. We have to keep that in our players. Making (Karlsson) sit back isn’t going to make him happy. When I was playing, if they told me I couldn’t skate over centre ice, I wouldn’t have been happy. I didn’t want to play like that. Can you imagine Coffey being told not to cross centre ice or shoot it off the glass? Are you kidding me?â€​

Erik Karlsson: Breaking down a once-in-a-generation player - Sportsnet.ca

Erik Karlsson is amazing.

He is the reigning Norris Trophy winner, something he won twice before the age of 26. He’s currently on track to be the first defenceman to finish in the top three in NHL scoring since Paul Coffey in 1985-86, but he still isn’t being recognized for what he is: a generational talent.

Recall in 1985-86 that Coffey was playing alongside Wayne Gretzky, who scored an NHL record 215 points, as well as a list of Hall of Famers including Mark Messier, Jari Kurri and Glenn Anderson. Coffey is also the last defender to finish top 10 in league scoring, which he did in 1994-95 – again alongside a superstar roster of Red Wings including Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Viacheslav Fetisov and more. And when he was posting better than a point per game in Pittsburgh, he was playing with Mario Lemieux, Bryan Trottier, Ron Francis and more.

All this during the highest-scoring era in NHL history.

The only defender in NHL history who produced more prolific offensive totals than Coffey was Bobby Orr, who twice led the NHL in scoring and posted six consecutive 100-point seasons.

Though Orr was unquestionably the pre-eminent player on those Bruins teams, he also played with Hall of Famers such as Phil Esposito and Johnny Bucyk.

So why are we discussing Paul Coffey and Bobby Orr in an article about Erik Karlsson? Context. Is. Everything. When we adjust for era scoring levels, season length, and roster size, Orr and Coffey are the only two defenders in NHL history who have displayed a greater ability to produce offence than Karlsson. And Karlsson hasn’t had the benefit of playing alongside the kind of talent those two did.

The most awe inspiring aspect of Karlsson’s insane generational level of production is the fact that he is doing it as a veritable One Man Army. There is no comparable generational talent alongside him on the Senators. Most of the other defenders beside him on this list had elite offensive talent to play with.

Karlsson? He’s been producing his generational numbers on a team that briefly featured Daniel Alfredsson at the tail end of his career, and most recently boasts top line talent such as Bobby Ryan, Kyle Turris, Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman. They’re all decent players, but based on their current performance, none are Hall of Famers.

If we explore how much offensive contribution the individual defenders made (or in the case of Karlsson, are making) in their peak offensive season, it paints a startling picture of how important Karlsson is to his team. It also illustrates how lonely an island he is on in comparison to this group.

Karlsson contributes more to his team’s offence than any of these elite defencemen did in the best seasons of their career, largely because their offensive productivity is less than stellar in comparison to the teams. The 2015-16 Senators rank second-worst on this list, with only Housley’s Winnipeg Jets being less impressive offensively relative to the rest of the NHL.

Since Karlsson isn’t surrounded with any comparable offensive talent, we are left to wonder how much more he could produce if he were. It stands to reason that if he had similarly skilled players around him, his results would be even more astounding.

THE LESSON
There are likely many years left in Karlsson’s career, but he is already producing offence from the blueline at a level that has not been seen in the NHL in almost 30 years. His defence is also vastly underrated, largely due to the inferior talent that surrounds him.

Underappreciated generational talents tend to take a while to gain the recognition they deserve and Karlsson is no different. Like Alex Ovechkin and his all-time goal scoring results in Washington, Karlsson should be a player you make an effort to watch whenever you get the chance. Based on what we are seeing out of him this year, it might take another 30 years for a comparable talent to come along.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Red Dutton, D

Smart, extra-tough two-way right handed shot.
​

Awards recognition:

• 1922: 1st Team All-Star WCHL - the fledgling WCHL was the weakest of the 3 professional leagues
• 1924: 1st Team All-Star WCHL - the WCHL dominated the PCHA in their interlocking schedule this year
• 1925: Mickey Ion's 1st Team All-Star WCHL (the guy who picked all the PCHA all-stars picked his own WCHL all-star team in addition to the official one, after the PCHA was absorbed by the WCHL)
• 1931: 7th in NHL Hart voting, "3rd Team" NHL All-Star (5th in voting)
• 1932: 5th in NHL Hart voting, "3rd Team" NHL All-Star (6th in voting)
• 1934: 8th in NHL All-Star voting
• 1936: 5th in NHL Hart voting as a rare player/coach (zero votes for the NHL All-Star team)
• HHOF induction in 1958

”He was a strong-skating defenseman with all-around ability. Although his roughness was a perfect fit on the rugged Maroons, he was by no means a cheap-shot artist. He was a stay-at-home defender, although his 13 assists in 43 games in 1929-30 suggests he was capable of leading a rush.” – Hockey-Notes.com

”He, forever known as Red thanks to his flaming hair, was a mean, no nonsense defender in the days between the two World Wars. Though long forgotten, he still ranks among the all the best.” – Joe Pelletier

”Naturally, the Montreal Maroons were the cross-city arch rivals of the Montreal Canadiens, and he certainly was front and center in the rivalry over his time there, clashing with the infamous Sprague Cleghorn on a few occasions. One night famed reporter Trent Frayne said that in the battle between the two of them "blood flowed like wine”.” – Joe Pelletier

“In another contest the opening face off was delayed because the referee could not find a puck to play with. The truculent man clearly had other things than scoring goals on his mind, as he supposedly became frustrated and shouted "Never mind the damn puck! Let's start the game!”" – Joe Pelletier

”"Get that man!" and "Keep punching!" were two of his favorite expressions” – Hockey-Notes.com
"He bashed all comers with fine disregard for reputations. He loved nothing better than to leave an opponent lying on the ice gasping for breath." – Montreal Star

Dutton joined the Calgary Canadians of Alberta's Big-4 League for the 1920–21 season,[9] then moved onto the Calgary Tigers of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) in 1921–22 where he scored 16 goals and 21 points in 22 games.[11] Two seasons later, in 1923–24, Dutton and the Tigers won the WCHL championship. He assisted on the championship winning goal in a 2–0 victory over the Regina Capitals by carrying the puck the length of the ice before passing to Cully Wilson who scored.[12] The team then defeated the Pacific Coast Hockey Association's Vancouver Maroons before losing to the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 1924 Stanley Cup Final.[10]
Named a WCHL first team all-star on defence in 1922 and 1923,[13] Dutton played five seasons for the Tigers. Known for his aggressive, physical style, he led the team in penalty minutes in each of those five years,[10] and the league in 1921–22 and 1923–24.[13] Financial pressures forced the Western League to sell its interests to the NHL following the 1925–26 season,[14] and having suffered a serious knee injury during the season, Dutton was left unsure of his future.[4]
Nonetheless, his rights were sold to the Montreal Maroons,[11] and he made his NHL debut on November 20, 1926 against the Canadiens.[15] Dutton played four seasons with the Maroons, scoring 15 goals and 41 points.[11] He played in the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in his career in 1927–28, but the Maroons lost the best-of-five final three games to two.[16] He led the league in penalty minutes the following season.[17]
Dutton was the subject of trade talks between the Maroons and the Chicago Black Hawks following the 1928–29 NHL season. The teams had been negotiating to send Cyclone Wentworth to Montreal in exchange for Dutton and Babe Siebert before the Black Hawks purchased the contract of Taffy Abel, which ended the Hawks pursuit of Dutton.[18] The Maroons continued to make him available, with the Toronto Maple Leafs showing interest following the 1929–30 season.[19] Finally, he was sold to the New York Americans along with Mike Neville, Hap Emms and Frank Carson for $35,000.[11]
At first distraught at leaving Montreal, Dutton quickly adapted to playing in New York.[5] He maintained his aggressive style of play with the Americans, again leading the league in penalties in 1931–32.[20] Despite his fiery temper, Dutton became one of the most popular players in New York amongst both the fans and his fellow players.[21] He was not able to turn the Americans' fortunes on the ice around, however, as the team failed to qualify for the playoffs in his first five seasons with the team.[11]
Dutton was named the coach of the Americans for the 1935–36 NHL season, and in doing so became the second player-coach in NHL history.[22] Under his leadership, the Americans finished third in the Canadian Division with a 16–25–7 record and qualified for the postseason.[23] The Americans then went on to defeat the Black Hawks 7–5 in a two-game, total-goal series to face the Maple Leafs in the league semi-final series.[24] Dutton was unable to play parts of the series against Toronto due to a hip injury,[25] and the Americans lost the best-of-three series two games to one.[26] Dutton retired as a player following the season and turned his focus to coaching full-time.[4]

Newspaper articles (copied from ImporterExporter's 2014 profile)

"while Dutton's performance as a regular defence player is vouched for by the fact that in five games the Americans have been scored on once."

-Montreal Gazette, 1930
The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search


"Dutton may have thought back to the days when he was dealing out some of the most magnificent butt ends, the finest body checks noted in hockey"

Dutton used to operate as a defence partner of Herb Gardiner back in Calgary. They were the wildest checking defenceman of their time."
-Toronto Daily Star, 1945
Toronto Daily Star - Google News Archive Search

"At 2:53 Red Dutton raced through everybody and, fooling ******, gave ***** a perfect pass, which was rammed home to its fullest advantage."
-Montreal Gazette, 1931
The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search

"Red Dutton is vastly improved and is playing the type of hockey that made him a leader in the west 2 years ago"
-Ottawa Citizen, 1927
Ottawa Citizen - Google News Archive Search

"Red Dutton, the most improved defence player in hockey, and the durable Siebert help to form a flashy and hard checking defence."
-Ottawa Citizen, 1928
Ottawa Citizen - Google News Archive Search

"Dutton was also prominent in breaking up the Maroons attack."
-Montreal Gazette, 1935
The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search

"As at Ottawa, **** and Dutton HAD TO DO SIXTY MINTUES ON THE ICE. They held up well under the conditions."
-Montreal Gazette, 1927
The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search

"But there were few occasions when the front rank could pass the poke checking of Hooley Smith or the sturdy blocking of Red Dutton"
-Montreal Gazette, 1929
The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search

"But it was the defence trio of Babe Siebert, Red Dutton, and ***** who were sound from start to finish.......as a block, Dutton was IMPASSABLE."
-Montreal Gazette, 1928
The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search

Wounds Don't Bother:
"Red Dutton, the big defense man of the New York Americans hockey team does heavy blocking depite the fact that he still has sphrapnel in his side received during the World War."
-The Spokesman-Review, 1931
The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search

"Brydge and Dutton AS USUAL provided sturdy protection for Worters who showed no signs of his recent illness in turning in his custumary standout game."
-Montreal Gazette, 1933
The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search

"Red Dutton is a first class defenceman, one of the best, and he is also credited with being possessed with managerial ability"
-Ottawa Citizen, 1935
Ottawa Citizen - Google News Archive Search

"Oatman, Montreal spare missed the net when he took a pass out in front of ****, another spare, Dutton foiled Boucher's effort"
-Pittsburgh Press, 1928
The Pittsburgh Press - Google News Archive Search

"Stewart took a pass from Seibert, but shot wide. Boucher got away, but Dutton stopped him".
-Pittsburgh Press, 1928
The Pittsburgh Press - Google News Archive Search

"Morenz took Jouliats pass, but was SMOTHERED BY DUTTON WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO SHOOT".
-Ottawa Citizen, 1928

"Red Horner, Toronto's defenceman, probably had no pleasant thoughts of Red Dutton, the New York American's manager who body checked him last night in such a manner that Horner bounced into the air and landed on the back of his head. He received a concussion and lacerations. After five stitches had been taken in the wound, he was removed to the hospital for x-ray examination."
-The Telegraph, 1936
The Telegraph - Google News Archive Search

"Dutton is a stiff checker regardless of the recipient. It seemed as though the manager put a little added zest into last nights block when he realized he was about to clash with a player famous for his leaning towards winding sticks around a players ears and other cute little tricks"
The Telegraph, 1936
The Telegraph - Google News Archive Search

"Too see Herb Gardiner, of Canadiens, and Red Dutton, of Maroons, handing it to one another in games between these two it is hard to realize that off the ice they are the closest of friends. Smart hockey players and willing workers are both of these brainy defenceman, who used to partner as the guards for the old Calgary Tigers"
-The Montreal Gazette, 1928
The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search

"Flat Walsh has a habit of goaltending in the most unorthodox fashion and getting away with it. Once in the final session, he skated up nearly to the blue line to fling himself in front of Martin Barry who was racing for the puck. On two other occasions Red Dutton had to dash into the goal to hold the fort until Flat returned and each time the Bruins failed to score"
-The Montreal Gazette, 1930
http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...XAtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=M4wFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4245,4018765

"Red Dutton, twice led the NHL in penalty minutes, and once, in tandem with his pal Herb Gardiner, put speed king Howie Morenz in hospital with some crunching body work as the cagey Canadiens legend tried to split the defence."
-The Calgary Herald, 1986
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=g3dkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Ln8NAAAAIBAJ&dq=red-dutton&pg=5615,2729543

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Mark Giordano, D

​

Norris record:

13-14: 10th
14-15: 6th*
16-17: 8th
18-19: 1st

*Giordano was the favorite to win the Norris in 2014-15 until his injury caused him to miss 21 games:

Giordano has been the Norris Trophy favorite before. Back in the 2014-15 season, entering Feb. 25, he was tied for the lead among all NHL defensemen in points with 47 points in 60 games. Giordano was helping a Flames team nobody expected to make the postseason find a way to overachieve. And, eventually, they did make the postseason.

However, the Flames captain got injured that evening against the New Jersey Devils and didn’t play in another game all season. Giordano finished sixth in the Norris Trophy voting. To this day, that’s the highest he’s ever finished.
Justice could finally be served this season, as Giordano is indisputably among the top contenders.

Calgary Flames: Mark Giordano deserves Norris Torphy consideration

Mark Giordano nearly won the Norris this season.

If not for a bizarre injury three-quarters through the season in New Jersey, which saw his bicep torn off the bone, Giordano would’ve probably been crowned the NHL’s top defender. Instead, he remains uncrowned despite two stellar partial seasons.

2014-15 By The Numbers: #5 Mark Giordano

-Giordano won the 2019-20 Mark Messier award for best leader in the NHL

Even strength dominance:

Despite being a late bloomer, as of 2020 (the last year on overpass's spreadsheet), Giordano had a career on-ice goals-for/goals against ratio of 1.15 vs only 0.88 for his team when he was off the ice.

He plays the toughest minutes on the team. He scores a ton, particularly when you remind yourself that he’s a defenseman. His 48 points were a career high, with 33 of them coming at even-strength. And literally every single player that spent time on the ice with Giordano saw the puck go towards the offensive end a whole lot more with him than without him. He carried everybody – the possession savvy (Backlund) and the struggling guys (Granlund) alike.
And look at how he’s been deployed and marvel at how he’s been absolutely buried in terms of zone starts and played against top dogs on every team, yet still has strong possession numbers.

2014-15 By The Numbers: #5 Mark Giordano

... And in spite of that, Giordano and Brodie are excellent.

The travails of this pairing are at least partially well-documented because of Giordano's Norris consideration both last season and this. They log the most minutes by far — about 25 per night apiece across these two campaigns — and play basically the toughest competition in the Western Conference. And by dint of the fact that they're the only actually good defensemen on the team (with all apologies to the stunningly overrated Kris Russell) they're starting so many shifts in their own zone as to be borderline unbelievable. We're talking 57 percent or so, and that's despite being the team's best offensive defensemen as well.

How screwed are the Flames without Mark Giordano? (Trending Topics)

Giordano's positive impact on Seattle in 2021-22: Analytics with Alison: The Giordano-Oleksiak Impact

 

[Hawkey Town 18]

This bio building off @Dreakmur's bio

Vladimir Krutov

International Awards and Accomplishments:
2 x Olympic Gold Medal (1984, 1988)
Canada Cup Gold Medal (1981)
5 x World Championship Gold Medals (1881, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989)
2 x World Junior Champion (1979, 1980)
Olympic Silver Medal (1980)
Canada Cup Silver Medal (1987)
World Championship Silver Medal (1987)
Canada Cup Bronze Medal (1984)
World Championship Bronze Medal (1985)

2 x World Championship Leading Scorer (1987, 1988)
World Championship Leading Goal Scorer (1987)
Izvesta Leading Scorer (1985)
2 x World Junior Leading Scorer (1979, 1980)
2 x World Junior Leading Goal Scorer (1979, 1980)

2 x World Championship Best Forward (1986, 1987)
3 x Izvesta Best Forward (1983, 1988, 1989)
2 x World Junior Best Forward (1979, 1980)

6 x IIHF All-Star (1979*, 1980*, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987)
Canada Cup All-Star (1987)

International Scoring Accomplishments:
123 International Game Played - 88 Goals, 74 Assists, and 162 Points

Olympics
Points – 1st(1988), 5th(1980)
Goals – 1st(1988), 6th(1980)
Assists – 1st(1988)

Canada Cup
Points – 4th(1987), 8th(1984)
Goals – 2nd(1987), 7th(1984)
Assists – 3rd(1987), 6th(1984)

World Championship
Points – 1st(1987), 2nd(1984), 2nd(1986), 9th(1981)
Goals – 1st(1987), 2nd(1986), 3rd(1984), 5th(1981)
Assists – 3rd(1986), 4th(1984), 4th(1985)

Euro Cup Scoring(sort of a play-off tournament):
Points - 2nd(1982), 2nd(1986), 3rd(1988), 4th(1987), 5th(1985)
Goals - 1st(1982), 2nd(1985), 3rd(1987), 3rd(1988), 5th(1986)

Izvestia Tournament(similar to World Championship):
3 x Best Forward (1983, 1988, 1989)
Leading Scorer (1985)

RendezVous ‘87:
Points - 2nd(1987)
Goals - 1st(1987)

World Junior Championship
Points – 1st(1979), 1st(1980)
Goals – 1st(1979), 1st(1980)
Assists – 1st(1979), 3rd(1980)


Performance in Best on Best Tournaments
Overall numbers in Best-on-Best tournaments: 22 gp, 14 g, 16 a, 30 pts
Knockout stage numbers in Best-on-Best tournaments: 7 gp, 4 g, 7 a, 11 pts

Knockout stage numbers broken down by tournament
Canada Cup 1981: 2 gp, 1 g, 1 a, 2 pts
Canada Cup 1984: 1 gp, 0 g, 1 a, 1 pts
Canada Cup 1987: 4 gp, 3 g, 5 a, 8 pts


Krutov vs. Makarov in the Canada Cups
1981 Canada Cup:
Makarov 3 goals, 6 assists, 9 points in 7 games
Krutov 4 goals, 4 assists, 8 points in 7 games

1984 Canada Cup:
Makarov 6 goals, 1 assist, 7 points in 6 games
Krutov 3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points in 6 games

1987 Canada Cup:
Makarov 7 goals, 8 assists, 15 points in 9 games
Krutov 7 goals, 7 assists, 14 points in 9 games

Overall:
Makarov 16 goals, 15 assists, 31 points in 22 games
Krutov 14 goals, 16 assists, 30 points in 22 games


Stats against North American Teams
Krutov: 27 GP - 18G - 16A - 34P - 1.26 PPG
Makarov: 31 GP - 15G - 20A - 35P - 1.13 PPG

Soviet League Awards and Acheivements:
12 x Soviet League Champion (1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989)
12 x European Cup Champion (1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989)

Soviet League Most Outstanding Player (1987)
Most Outstanding Player Voting: 1st(1987), 2nd(1980), 2nd(1983), 3rd(1986), 3rd(1988), 5th(1989)
7 x Soviet League All-Star (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988)
3 x Soviet League Leading Goal Scorer (1984, 1986, 1987)

Krutov has the highest single season Soviet player of the year voting share of all time. Here is a list of the highest single season voting shares among forwards.

1. Krutov 86/87: 0.985
2. Firsov 67/68: 0.895
3. Makarov 84/85: 0.871
4. Makarov 79/80: 0.754
5. Balderis 76/77: 0.728
6. Maltsev and Kharlamov 71/72: 0.722

And when it comes to 3-year averages Krutov measures up very well too.
1. Makarov 0.747
2. Firsov 0.650
3. Krutov 0.630
4. Kharlamov 0.628
(credit @Batis)

Soviet League Scoring Accomplishments:
439 Soviet League Games Played – 288 Goals, 215 Assists, and 503 Points

Points – 2nd(1984), 2nd(1985), 2nd(1987), 2nd(1989), 3rd(1982), 3rd(1986), 4th(1983), 8th(1988)
Goals – 1st(1984), 1st(1986), 1st(1987), 2nd(1982), 3rd(1980), 3rd(1983), 3rd(1989), 4th(1985), 7th(1981)
Assists – 2nd(1985), 3rd(1989), 4th(1982), 5th(1987), 7th(1986), 7th(1988), 9th(1983), 9th(1984)


Defensive Game and Penalty Killing

Ron Reusch -1987 Canada Cup Broadcast

"There is Krutov. Most valuable player in the Soviet Union last year. Most think now he is probably their best forward, he's gone by Makarov. And the thing they like to talk about Krutov, the thing they keep mentioning is not only is he a great offensive player with great speed, great balance and all of those things, but he is also a terrific defensive player, great backchecker, plays a total game."

From @Batis's Study of the penalty killing of Soviet forwards during the 1960-1990 time frame
(He ranks Krutov as the second best Soviet PK forward in the 1980-1990 time frame, after Makaraov)

Forward PK Ice time finishes:
1st at the 1984 WOG,
1st at the 1987 Rendezvous,
1st at the 1987 Canada Cup,
1st at the 1989 WHC,
2nd at the 1984 Canada Cup,
2nd at the 1985 WHC,
2nd at the 1988 WOG,
Tied for 4th at the 82/83 Super Series,
5th at the 1986 WHC,
5th at the 1987 WHC,
5th at the 88/89 Super Series,
Tied for 7th at the 1981 Canada Cup,
7th at the 1983 WHC

Overall stats: 7 goals for and 12 goals against over 101 min, 1 sec

As mentioned earlier Krutov had a very impressive level of penalty killing over the 1984-1989 time frame and that stretch from Krutov measures up very well against any stretch of similar length from the other top Soviet penalty killers of all time.

Krutov, just like his linemate Makarov, mainly built his penalty killing on a combination of great puck possession, forechecking and backchecking. Krutov also showed time and time again that he could excell at penalty killing even when up against powerplay units with multiple of the greatest players of all time. In fact when up against powerplay units of the calibre of for example Gretzky, Lemeux, Messier, Bourque, Coffey or Gretzky, Trottier, Bossy, Lafleur, Potvin I can't think of many forward pairings in hockey history that I personally would like to have on the ice ahead of Krutov-Makarov since they consistently throughout the 80's showed that they were able to frustrate even such units with their puck possession, forechecking, backchecking and ability to score shorthanded goals on lightning quick counterattacks.

I really feel like many of Krutovs abilities as a hockey player often seems to get severely underrated. Like his skating, stickhandling and passing for example. These qualities were along with his strength what made him such a great puck possession player. But Krutov was also very good at defending in his own zone as he for example was great on the 3 on 5.

Truly great shorthanded shift from Krutov and Makarov against Canada at the 1987 Canada Cup. They show some very impressive puck possession on two different occasions during this shift and just look at the way Krutov skates the puck out of his zone against Lemieux and then makes a great move on Coffey on the second puck possession occasion.


Really great 3 on 5 shift from Krutov against Canada at the 1989 WHC.


Some outstanding puck possession from Krutov and Makarov (plus Fetisov and Kasatonov) against the NHL-All Stars at the 1987 Rendezvous.

Krutov's Longevity

@Batis

Krutov does actually have pretty good elite longevity and consistency for a Soviet player as evident by him being one of only 9 players to receive Soviet player of the year voting support in 10 seasons or more.

14 seasons: Vladislav Tretiak, Alexander Maltsev
12 seasons: Sergei Makarov, Valeri Kharlamov
10 seasons: Boris Mikhailov, Valeri Vasiliev, Vladimir Petrov, Vladimir Krutov, Alexei Kasatonov

While it is true that Krutov was done as a elite player at a rather young age he somewhat makes up for that by finishing in second place behind Makarov in the Soviet player of the year voting already at age 19 and then consistently getting votes during 10 straight seasons. If we talk about longevity as a serviceable player then Krutov does not do well but he has above average elite longevity for a Soviet player.

@Batis

I really don't see how peak is firmly in Bure's corner. Krutov has the highest single season voting share of all time in the Soviet player of the year voting with 0.985 and if we look at his 3-year average this is how he compares to the other top Soviet forwards when it comes to voting shares.

1. Sergei Makarov 0.747
2. Anatoli Firsov 0.650
3. Vladimir Krutov 0.630
4. Valeri Kharlamov 0.628
5. Alexander Maltsev 0.592
6. Boris Mikhailov 0.434

Even if Krutov edges out Kharlamov in SPOTY voting shares over their best 3 seasons I would probably rank Kharlamov ahead of him when it comes to peak performance though. But Krutov does in my opinion have one of the top-4 most impressive peaks among Soviet forwards.

If we assume that the top Soviet forwards of the time frame from the start of Firsov's prime in the mid 60's until the end of the Soviet era were roughly on the same level as the top Russian forwards from the early 90's up until today it could be interesting to look at where Bure ranks among modern Russian forwards when it comes to peak performance as a comparison. Behind Ovechkin, Malkin, Fedorov and Datsyuk at least right? I would personally probably rank the last 3-4 years from Kucherov ahead of Bure for peak as well. So in my opinion Bure probably ranks 6th among modern Russian forwards when it comes to peak performance. To be fair to Bure he is competing against peak performances from a slightly longer time frame in this comparison so let us exclude Kucherov's peak and say that Bure had the 5th most impressive peak among Russian forwards from the early 90's until the mid 10's.

I think that Krutov and Bure are very closely matched when it comes to peak performance but I would personally give the edge to Krutov. He may not have been quite as fast and skilled as Bure was at his peak but Krutov had plenty of those abilities as well and combined them with being a absolute monster down low in the offensive zone. In the clip here below is an example of Ray Bourque trying to handle peak Krutov in that kind of situation.

Season by Season Breakdown by @DN28
SUMMARY:

1980 - Top 5 player in Europe; 1st or 2nd best Euro LW.
1981 - Filler season, maybe a top 30 player in Europe?
1982 - Better than previous one, probably a top 20 player in Europe.
1983 - Top 3 player in Europe; 1st best Euro LW.
1984 - Top 10 player in Europe. 2nd or 3rd best Euro LW.
1985 - Top 10 player in Europe; 1st best Euro LW.
1986 - Top 3 player in Europe; 1st best Euro LW.
1987 - The best player in Europe.
1988 - Top 3 player in Europe; 1st best Euro LW.
1989 - Top 10 player in Europe; 1st best Euro LW.

DETAILS:

Age 19, Krutov has strong entrance onto the international scene. Despite infamous loss of the USSR at the Olympics 1980, Krutov is 2nd in his team's scoring and 7th overall. He was not in the top 10 league scoring yet though. Overall, Krutov's rookie season created enough of a buzz for Soviet voters to vote him 2nd best Soviet player just behind Makarov. Also voted as 7th best Euro player, right ahead of age 23 Peter Šťastný who then went to NHL. Given the votings and stats, Krutov is probably below Makarov and Mikhailov, otherwise on a similar level with Mats Näslund who had a terrific season in Sweden (Golden Puck award for best SWE player). I can't see anyone better than these four in '80 Europe.

Krutov's regresses for the next 2 seasons, he barely receives votes in SPOTY and has no votes in Izvestia. Just in terms of Soviet LWs, Sergei Kapustin appears to be better in 1981 and 1982. Nothing special overall, although Krutov had amazing Canada Cup 1981 and cracked the top 10 league scoring by finishing 3rd in 1982.

Krutov establishes himself as one of the top Euro players by the 1983 season. He is 2nd in SPOTY (behind Tretiak) and 2nd in Izvestia voting (also behind Tretiak). Leads CSKA Moscow in scoring due to Makarov's injury. He's WHC all-star and is 2nd to Makarov in WHC '83 scoring. Tretiak, Krutov and Makarov stand out as clear top 3 players in Europe; Krutov the best LW.

Krutov's 1984 is below average. His league performance was good as he was 2nd to Makarov and won the goal-scoring but his international scoring was subpar. He was 8th in SPOTY behind five of his teammates and 5th in Izvestia. Amongst Krutov's LW competition, Alexander Kozhevnikov had similar voting record and scored at higher rate domestically and internationally; Czechoslovakian Igor Liba had probably his career year winning the Golden Stick; Swedish Peter Gradin led 'Tre Kronor' in Olympic scoring and finished 7th in Izvestia voting... Overall, Krutov is a top 10 player in Europe still for the '84 season but a good amount of Fs, Ds and Gs are ahead of him and Kozhevnikov would be my personal choice for the top Euro LW here.

Krutov is undoubtedly the best Euro LW for the next 4 seasons. Krutov is WHC '85 all-star, 2nd in league scoring, also leads the USSR in Canada Cup '84 scoring. He's 7th in SPOTY, 5th in Izvestia.

Krutov is 3rd in 1986 SPOTY and 2nd in Izvestia voting. He's WHC '86 all-star and 3rd in league scoring. Krutov, Makarov and Fetisov is a clear top 3 of Euros in this season.

Krutov's 1987 peak season is one of the all-time best seasons of any European player - pre Cold war or post Cold war - ever. As @Batis wrote earlier, Krutov's Soviet Player of the Year win is historically the most dominant - out of 89 ballots, Krutov was the #1 on 85 of them. National team coaches who voted on Izvestia award for the best European player also put Krutov on #1. Not only that Krutov won the WHC '87 all-star voting but he also won the tournament' scoring. One thing Krutov didn't reach even this season was the position of leading scorer in the USSR league, but this time Makarov edged out Krutov by only 3 points while the "Tank" won the goal-scoring. Here, I'd have Krutov as the 2nd best player in the world after Gretzky.

Krutov is 3rd in 1988 SPOTY (after Larionov and Fetisov) and 2nd in 1988 Izvestia (after Fetisov). Krutov is Canada Cup all-star next to Lemieux and Gretzky and then leads the OG in scoring. Although Krutov missed approximately a quarter of league games this year, thus he finishes only 8th in domestic scoring. Overall, I guess Fetisov was the best '88 Euro player while either Krutov or Larionov were the two best forwards with Makarov right behind them.

Last season of Krutov's extended prime was still good - 5th in SPOTY, 2nd in league scoring - but far away from his 86-88 run. For the first time since 1983 he didn't get any Izvestia votes. He was not an WHC 1989 all-star too, unlike his teammates Makarov, Bykov and Fetisov. Best LW in Europe yes, but barely a top 10 Euro player overall.

General Quotes/Info

The Red Machine

Vladimir Krutov, a cannonball forward, with a double chin at age 19, caromed in a shot by the former big boozer from Leningrad, Alexei Kasatonov.

….

Tikhonov lost his sense of the game. The veterans wanted off. Petrov looked to the bench with an expression that asked for rest, but Tikhanov motioned with his hand for him and Mikhailov and Kharlamov to stay out there. Krutov, Baldaris – that speed, that power – sat wasted, so did tat of the sixth attacker.

….

To replace the formidable Mikhailov, there appeared Central Army’s calorie king, Vladimir Krutov. No Soviet player matched the crafty, hard, competitive edge of Mikhaiov, the Russian master of unsightly goals. But the Tank, as they called him, had strength to endure in the corners and in front of the net. He owned a piercing wrist shot and, in defiance of his chubbiness, was capable of astonishing power bursts, reminiscent of their virtuosity of a steroid-pumped sprinter surging from the blocks.

….

The series was dominated by four players – Gretzky, Lemieux, Makarov, and Krutov.

Greatest Hockey Legends

Krutov was a cannonball of a forward, nicknamed Tank because of his stout nature and robust play. With a double chin at the age of the 19, he didn't look like a typical Soviet athlete. His crafty play was matched by a hard competitive edge, resembling the great Boris Mikhailov. With his speed and strength he was one Soviet forward who was very effective along the walls and in the corners. I can't decide which was more impressive - Krutov's astonishing rocket bursts from a stand still or his piercing wrist shot.

….

Krutov also played well against NHL competition in various exhibition games. Take for example Rendez-Vous '87, the 2 game exhibition series between the Red Army and the NHL all stars. Krutov scored once for the Soviets, but was a standout in both games.

The Canada Cup tournaments were also opportunities for Krutov to prove he truly is one of the game's greats. The 1981 tournament marked the Red Army's only Canada Cup victory. Krutov led the squad in goals with 4, and finished third in points with 8 in 7 games. In 1984, Canada regained the Canada Cup, but Krutov established himself as perhaps the best Soviet forward. After going undefeated in the round robin, the Soviets were upset by the Sweden. Krutov led the team in scoring with 3 goals, 5 assists and 8 points in 6 games.

However it was the 1987 Canada Cup when the man they call "The Tank" achieved his prime. In a tournament often compared to that of the 1972 Summit Series, Krutov kept pace with the torrid scoring pace set by Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Krutov scored 7 goals and 15 points in 9 games, compared to Gretzky's 21 points and Lemieux's 18. Krutov, along with Gretzky and Lemieux were named to the three forward positions on the tournament's all star team.

Legends of Hockey

During his career he played in one European Junior Championship, two World Junior Championships, seven World European Championships, three Canada Cups, and three Olympic Games. He led the USSR to a gold medal at the World Junior Championships in 1979 and in both the 1979 and 1980 tournaments was the top scorer and the best forward. From 1981 to 1989, he played in the World European Championships and was named to the All-Star team in 1983, 1985, and 1987. He was also named best forward in 1986-1987.

In 1986, he was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks 11th choice (238th overall); however, he didn't sign with the team until September 1989. Playing for the Soviet team in the Canada Cup in 1987, he was named Soviet player of the game four times and named to the tournament All-Star team. Being pegged as the best forward in Soviet hockey during the 1980's…

IIHF

Vladimir Krutov is without any doubt one of the best forwards ever to play the game. Anatoli Tarasov, the dean of Russian hockey coaches, once concluded that a forward had to keep an eye on every move his partners made while not losing sight of the beautiful women sitting in the 10th row of the stands. According to Tarasov, there were only two players who could accomplish as much – Valeri Kharlamov and Vladimir Krutov.

Together with centre Igor Larionov and winger Sergei Makarov, Krutov formed arguably the best and most elegant forward line ever to perform on the international scene. His resume says it all: Two-time Olympic champion (1984 and 1988), one Olympic silver medal (1980) and five IIHF World Championship gold medals where he was named Best Forward on two occasions. He was selected to the World Championship All-Star Team every year between 1983 and 1987.

He totaled an amazing 139 points in 114 major international competition.

Krutov amassed a truly unbelievable 503 points in 438 games with his club team CSKA Moscow, the national champion eleven times during Krutov’s career.

Russianrocket

His nickname “The Tank†says a lot about his style of playing hockey. He was a hard worker in front of the goal and his ability to score was well known in the hockey world.

Wayne Gretzky

I'm a little biased on Krutov - I've always felt he was their best player. I've always said that. When they play here, he dominates.

Paul Coffey

Krutov was an incredible player, especially internationally when the hockey was at its best, and his one year in the NHL shouldn’t have tarnished his image. That whole line with Larionov and Makarov was incredible and, with Fetisov and Kasatonov on the points, I mean, forget it. They played a puck-possession game that I loved to play and Krutov was a huge part of it. He was built low to the ground, he was speedy and tough to knock off the puck.

Viktor Tikhonov

Vladimir Krutov is the master in front of the goal. He's the one who seeks challenges and battles and on most occasions comes out on top.

Vladislav Tretiak

Volodya was such a dependable and steadfast man that I would have gone anywhere with him — to war, to espionage, into peril. There are fewer and fewer guys like him in every generation of hockey players.

Paul Reinhart

I think Kruts was the proverbial fish out of water. He just never really got adjusted or acclimatized to the North American world and, therefore, he was never able to produce. But he was as good a player all through the 1980s as anybody in the world. I think the shame for Kruts is that he was not suited to leave Russia. And that’s unfortunate.

I’d say I probably played against Kruts maybe 10 times, including the 1981 Canada Cup and a number of world championships. He was an absolute bull of a player. He was a plug in terms of how strong he was. With his combination of skill and strength on his feet, he was exceptional. When he was here with the Canucks, we never saw him at his best, or anywhere near it.

We tend to forget how hard it was for the Russians coming over. They were not only leaving their own system and culture, they were coming to a culture that wasn’t necessarily welcoming. What I mean by that is the fact Kruts and Larionov were among the first Russians, the pioneers, to come over here. There were some reservations by Canadians, Canadian hockey players and media in terms of ‘hey, what are these Russians doing here, stealing our jobs and taking our money?

I’m not suggesting that was a main factor in Kruts not adjusting, but it certainly was an underlying one. He left a very rigid environment that he was very controlled in. He just had a very tough time adjusting to the freedoms.
He was an unbelievable player, as good as those other two guys on that line.

Tony Tanti

His hands were incredible. The problem was he just couldn’t get there on a consistent basis and he would get tired over the course of the game. But he did things only the great players could do.

When I played against him in ’86 and ’87, at the world championships, he was probably the best of the three.

Pat Quinn

Larionov was a very urbane, worldly educated sort of guy and was excellent in English while Krutov not so much. He didn’t have any English and was a peasant in terms of his upbringing. He was certainly a good hockey player but, unlike Larionov who was able to make the transition quite easily and welcomed it, Krutov was homesick right away.

It was a terrible experience for him. He really wasn’t enjoying it all and he didn’t want to be here. You could see flashes of his hockey ability from time to time but not enough. He couldn’t sustain it. He wasn’t conditioned well. His passing is sad. We never got to know him really well.

Patrick Houda

Vladimir Krutov a stocky and strong left wing was discovered by the great Valeri Kharlamov. Krutov was a home grown CSKA product which was pretty rare back then for the Army club.

Vladimir Krutov was the guy with the temperament. He was called "The Tank" partly for his 5'9", 195 lbs frame but also for his style of play. He was a very dangerous player in front of the net.