In Memoriam Former pro hockey players/management/others deaths (Kristian Antila)

[MXD]

RDS just announced that former Capital and Nordique Réginald Savage passed away from cancer. No formal link yet.

34 NHL games. One of the very few player whose first NHL goal was on a penalty shot.

EDIT : Here is a French link.

L’ancien joueur des Nordiques Réginald Savage n’est plus

L’ancien joueur des Nordiques et des Capitals Réginald Savage est mort à l’âge de 53 ans, selon des publications sur les réseaux sociaux.

www.lapresse.ca

 

[Bear of Bad News]

RDS just announced that former Capital and Nordique Réginald Savage passed away from cancer. No formal link yet.

34 NHL games. One of the very few player whose first NHL goal was on a penalty shot.

Man, 53 is young.

 

[Staniowski]

I can't remember Reggie Savage playing in the NHL, but remember his name from junior, then getting drafted in the 1st round, and then playing in the World Juniors (that was the very memorable Alaska World Juniors - aka the Bure - Fedorov - Mogilny tournament....and Roenick - Modano too).

 

[Habsfan18]

RDS just announced that former Capital and Nordique Réginald Savage passed away from cancer. No formal link yet.

34 NHL games. One of the very few player whose first NHL goal was on a penalty shot.

EDIT : Here is a French link.

L’ancien joueur des Nordiques Réginald Savage n’est plus

L’ancien joueur des Nordiques et des Capitals Réginald Savage est mort à l’âge de 53 ans, selon des publications sur les réseaux sociaux.

www.lapresse.ca

Damn. Reggie Savage was one of my first hockey heroes. My dad and I used to watch him play for the Cornwall Aces. 53, way too young.

 

[Rennlist]

Connie "Mad Dog" Madigan...oldest rookie in the NHL and minor league legend. And in Slapshot!

Connie Madigan death, Former ice hockey player passed away suddenly

The Canadian sports fraternity is grieving the loss of a pivotal figure, Connie Madigan, who was named as one of oldest rookies in NHL. His profoun

medicotopics.com

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Oh man.

Also a pivotal figure in the Portland/Seattle WHL rivalry.

 

[SealsFan]

Gene Carr could indeed fly but unfortunately with the Rangers he was saddled with the famous line by broadcaster Bill "The Big Whistle" Chadwick -- "Gene Carr couldn't put the puck in the ocean if he was standing on the pier..."

 

[FerrisRox]

Gene Carr passes at 72



Gene and his golden flow was a fan favorite at the Forum, RIP.

Interesting that Monahan and Carr died so close together. They were once traded for each other.

 

[greyraven8]

Going to try attaching a couple pdf files of articles from one of my local (Thunder Bay, ON Canada) papers (Port Arthur News Chronicle) of the time. Article from Feb 17, 1951 on Connie Madigan winning skating races at a Winter Carnival at age 16, and one from Mar 8,1955 on his suspensions during junior hockey.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Flyers Family Remembers Glen Cochrane | Philadelphia Flyers

Rugged 1980s Flyers alum Glen Cochrane defenseman, who battled cancer as fiercely as he took on any rival on the ice, has passed away at the age of 65.

www.nhl.com

Rugged 1980s Flyers alum Glen Cochrane defenseman, who battled cancer as fiercely as he took on any rival on the ice, has passed away at the age of 65.​

​

Drafted by the Flyers in the third round (49th overall) of the 1978 NHL Draft, Cochrane rose through the ranks with the AHL’s Maine Mariners and spent parts of six seasons with the Flyers. “Cocher” was a regular or semi-regular starter for the team from 1981-82 to 1983-84. He is survived by his wife, Joan, and two daughters, Tegan and Shelby.​

​

Philadelphia Flyers official statement below:​

​

"The Philadelphia Flyers are saddened to learn of the passing of Glen Cochrane. Glen was drafted by the Flyers and played over half of his NHL games, which included six seasons, in Orange & Black"​

​

A formidable and tough defenseman for the Flyers in the early 1980s, Cochrane was a key part of the Flyers blue line and ranks 10th all-time in team history in penalty minutes. He also helped the Flyers' American Hockey League affiliate, the Maine Mariners, win the Calder Cup Championship in 1979. He will forever be a member of the Flyers family. Our condolences go out to his wife, Joan, daughters, Tegan and Shelby, and entire family during this difficult time."​

 

[Doctor No]

Blaine Lacher passed away on Monday. Sad to see - loved watching him in college and he was a shooting star in the pros.

Obituary: Blaine Lacher Obituary Medicine Hat Alberta, In Loving Memory Of Blaine Lacher – Death

 

[Doctor No]

Looking at Lacher's charts here:

1994-1995 Boston Bruins Goaltender Game-by-Game Performance

1995-1996 Boston Bruins Goaltender Game-by-Game Performance

I bet he's close to the NHL mark for "games played divided by games dressed" (for a reasonable minimum sample size). Bruins rode him hard and he didn't see the bench much.

 

[Doctor No]

Currently some good dialogue on the SIHR distribution list about this report, noting that the link I shared above appears to be AI generated and no one can find a first-hand source.

Hopefully it's false.

UPDATE: SIHR member Tom Frost has unfortunately confirmed Lacher's death with family and friends. Kudos to those on the chain (some of whom are here but I won't out them) for questioning the initial source appropriately.

 

[McGarnagle]

Are there any legit sources out there on Lacher because all I see are a couple obituary sites that anyone could write and nothing on a major news network.

 

[Doctor No]

This is from Cook Southland, a Medicine Hat funeral home:

Lacher - Cook Southland Funeral Chapel | Medicine Hat, AB

cooksouthland.com

Super unfortunate to see. A lot of details in here that I was unaware of.

 

[Crosby2010]

Blaine Lacher, yeah. I remember him as that guy the Bruins pinned their future on. Had a flash in the pan type of season in 1995, looks like he never really toiled in the minors after being sent down in 1996 either. On the surface his numbers look lousy in the minors during that time too. So I don't know what happened with him for that one season in Boston. Did everything just line up for him that year? Because he sort of came out of nowhere and was able to make a mark and my guess is teams starting figuring him out. I guess he isn't the only goalie to have this happen to him, 1 season in the NHL with a playoff round against the eventual Cup champs is still more than most do.

 

[McGarnagle]

Blaine Lacher, yeah. I remember him as that guy the Bruins pinned their future on. Had a flash in the pan type of season in 1995, looks like he never really toiled in the minors after being sent down in 1996 either. On the surface his numbers look lousy in the minors during that time too. So I don't know what happened with him for that one season in Boston. Did everything just line up for him that year? Because he sort of came out of nowhere and was able to make a mark and my guess is teams starting figuring him out. I guess he isn't the only goalie to have this happen to him, 1 season in the NHL with a playoff round against the eventual Cup champs is still more than most do.

Three reasons I'd suggest for the lack of success after 1995:

1. The defense in front of him changed. They lost solid vets in Dave Shaw and Jaime Huscroft that off-season and Kasatonov suffered a career ending shoulder injury partway through the year. They were replaced by Rick Zombo, an 18-year old Kyle McLaren, and a combination of Dean Chenowyth and Phil von Stefenelli. So a downgrade in that respect.

2. Coaching: Brian Sutter gone, Steve Kasper in - Kasper was horrendous and it can't be surprising that the physical defensive system they had under Sutter collapsed.

3. Most importantly IMO, if you watch games from 95 or 96, Lacher stands out (no pun intended) as one of the last pure stand-up goalies to break into the league. Stylistically he was already a relic post-94 lockout. If he'd entered the league 5 years earlier maybe he'd have had a longer career, but the systems going into effect around the league needed mobile butterfly goalies rather than stand-up ones.

I started getting into hockey in 1995 when Fox got the contract to show them, and I remember the Lach Ness Monster as a rookie sensation, so this really sucks.

 

[Hobnobs]

This is from Cook Southland, a Medicine Hat funeral home:

Lacher - Cook Southland Funeral Chapel | Medicine Hat, AB

cooksouthland.com

Super unfortunate to see. A lot of details in here that I was unaware of.

And here's an news article just in case someone somehow doubted the information Former Bruins goaltender Blaine Lacher dies at 53 - The Boston Globe

RIP Blaine. Good goalie who became a victim of the Jacobs/Sinden/Kasper madness.

 

[Doctor No]

Three reasons I'd suggest for the lack of success after 1995:

1. The defense in front of him changed. They lost solid vets in Dave Shaw and Jaime Huscroft that off-season and Kasatonov suffered a career ending shoulder injury partway through the year. They were replaced by Rick Zombo, an 18-year old Kyle McLaren, and a combination of Dean Chenowyth and Phil von Stefenelli. So a downgrade in that respect.

2. Coaching: Brian Sutter gone, Steve Kasper in - Kasper was horrendous and it can't be surprising that the physical defensive system they had under Sutter collapsed.

3. Most importantly IMO, if you watch games from 95 or 96, Lacher stands out (no pun intended) as one of the last pure stand-up goalies to break into the league. Stylistically he was already a relic post-94 lockout. If he'd entered the league 5 years earlier maybe he'd have had a longer career, but the systems going into effect around the league needed mobile butterfly goalies rather than stand-up ones.

I started getting into hockey in 1995 when Fox got the contract to show them, and I remember the Lach Ness Monster as a rookie sensation, so this really sucks.

I agree particularly on #3 - watching him now is like unearthing a time capsule. I also think that Lacher was run into the ground early in his Boston career (in that grand Bruins tradition following Mike Moffat). He played a lot in a compressed schedule.

Found this nice "where are they now" article from 2017 yesterday when I was looking for a legit obit:

Catching Up With ... Blaine Lacher

Former Lake Superior goalie Blaine Lacher has the all-time shutout streak record, but few have heard from him since.

www.collegehockeynews.com

Fascinating guy.

 

[MXD]

Jean Guy Talbot, one of the last member of the fifties Habs dynasty, and member of the 1000+ NHL games, passed away at 91.

Jean-Guy Talbot, 1932-2024 | Un « grand joueur d’équipe » disparaît

Jean-Guy Talbot n’a pas laissé derrière lui l’empreinte indélébile des Richard, Plante ou Béliveau, grandes vedettes avec lesquelles il a évolué dans les années 1950 et 1960. Il demeure toutefois l’un des plus grands joueurs de la riche histoire du Canadien de Montréal.

www.lapresse.ca

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Jean-Guy Talbot passes away at age 91 | Montréal Canadiens

The former defenseman won seven Stanley Cups with the Canadiens

www.nhl.com

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Matheson: Don Poile, NHL alumnus and uncle of former Predators GM David Poile, dead at 91

Don (Beaver) Poile, brother of Hall of Famer Bud and the uncle to longtime Nashville general manager David Poile, passed away Friday at 91.

edmontonjournal.com

 

[archangel2]

Everytime I see this thread I get depressed. See death notices of players I saw play does that to me

 

[joestevens29]

Matheson: Don Poile, NHL alumnus and uncle of former Predators GM David Poile, dead at 91

Don (Beaver) Poile, brother of Hall of Famer Bud and the uncle to longtime Nashville general manager David Poile, passed away Friday at 91.

edmontonjournal.com

Might be the first obituary I came across by in the local news wondering if this guy was an actual NHLer by just looking at their obit picture.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

RIP Tim Ecclestone.

Ecclestone, original Blues forward, dies at 76, played in 3 Stanley Cup Finals | NHL.com

Was 1971 NHL All-Star, had 359 points in 692 regular-season games for 4 teams

www.nhl.com