In Memoriam Former pro hockey players/management/others deaths

[Howie Hodge]

Dick Gamble, 89 -- March 22
View attachment 107049

Hm. Former Buffalo Bison. Traded to Rochester for Dave Creighton in 1961. Creighton only played one season in Buffalo, had a few decent seasons after the trade, mostly with Baltimore and then Providence of The AHL.

Gamble on the other hand was very productive for another 7 or 8 years in Rochester.

(Dave Creighton's son Adam had a decent, but not great NHL career ....)

 

[ES]

Clare Drake, legendary and beloved U of A hockey coach, dies at age 89 | CBC News

HHOF coach Clare Drake, 89

Good thing that he was elected to the HHOF while still living, unlike Pat Burns and Pat Quinn who were elected shortly after their deaths.

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Clare Drake, legendary and beloved U of A hockey coach, dies at age 89 | CBC News

HHOF coach Clare Drake, 89

Film from 1960. Hockey Hints With Clare Drake

 

[Robert Gordon Orr]

R.I.P.

Larry Leach [1936-2018] and Jim Hay [1931-2018]

Leach played for Boston 1958-60 and 61/62, while Hay played for Detroit 1952-55

Larry Leach

Jim Hay

 

[Robert Gordon Orr]

R.I.P.

Michel Archambault [1950-2018] who played three games for Chicago in 1976/77

Bob Sullivan [1957-2018] who played 62 games for Hartford in 1982/83

Michel Archambault

Bob Sullivan

 

[SabbathBloodySabbath]

Ray Podloski - heart attack at 52.

Played eight games with Boston in 1988-89, then a bunch of European leagues.

Winterhawks Mourn the Passing of Franchise Legend Ray Podloski – Portland Winterhawks
Ray Podloski Stats | Hockey-Reference.com
Ray Podloski at eliteprospects.com

 

[Fenway]

Johnny “Pie” McKenzie, the diminutive pest and right winger who was a true team leader and fan favorite on the Big, Bad Bruins of the 1970s, died last night after a long illness. He was 80.

He had been confined to a bed in his Wakefield home for some time.

Bruins great McKenzie dead

 

[Tarantula]

With all the talent the Bruins had it seemed like he hardly got mentioned but was always a favourite of mine.

Johhny Buyck wrote about him in his book as they were linemates for quite a while.

RIP

 

[Killion]

... indeed so @Tarantula... highly entertaining & colorful player to watch. total sparkplug. gutsy as all Hell.

 

[Fenway]

 

[Howie Hodge]

Farewell Johnny "Pie" McKenzie.
Happy Trails our friend...

John McKenzie, nicknamed "Pie," was born Dec. 12, 1937 in High River, Alberta, about 40 miles south of Calgary. He was a rodeo competitor early in his life, earning the nicknames "Cowboy" and "Bronco." Those came before "Pie Face," for his apparent resemblance to a Canadian candy bar's cartoon illustration, which would be shortened to "Pie" for the shape of his face (or his posterior, according to old friend and Bruins teammate Phil Esposito).

 

[Fenway]

Farewell Johnny "Pie" McKenzie.
Happy Trails our friend...

John McKenzie, nicknamed "Pie," was born Dec. 12, 1937 in High River, Alberta, about 40 miles south of Calgary. He was a rodeo competitor early in his life, earning the nicknames "Cowboy" and "Bronco." Those came before "Pie Face," for his apparent resemblance to a Canadian candy bar's cartoon illustration, which would be shortened to "Pie" for the shape of his face (or his posterior, according to old friend and Bruins teammate Phil Esposito).

View attachment 124605

 

[Killion]

Yeah I can totally see that.

 

[Fenway]

@Killion

Johnny ‘Pie’ McKenzie, 80, Big, Bad Bruins’ spark plug - The Boston Globe

In 1971, Mr. McKenzie was limited to two goals in seven games when the Bruins were upset by the Canadiens in the first round, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. An X-ray revealed that he had played with a fractured skull, which he suffered in the first game.

Mr. McKenzie shrugged off the injury. “It really wasn’t much as skull fractures go,” he said, according to NHL.com. “Just a little bone where the nose is hooked onto the forehead. It was unhooked.’’

The 1972 Stanley Cup finals between the Bruins and Rangers was an emotional time for Mr. McKenzie. With a 3-1 lead going into Game 5, Boston was poised to end the series at Boston Garden, but lost, 3-2.

“My dad was quite ill and in a wheelchair, but he made it to Boston from Calgary and I was hoping that we’d win it here. I told him that if we did, I’d throw him in the shower” Mr. McKenzie recalled in a 1987 Globe interview.

His father arrived wearing a Bruins jacket and old pants so he wouldn’t ruin any good clothes if they got soaked. “I’m sorry we didn’t win it in Boston for two reasons — our fans and my dad,” said Mr. McKenzie, who added that his father “drank from the Cup a few days later” when the Bruins won Game 6 in Madison Square Garden. His father, he said, “died the following year.”

 

[Robert Gordon Orr]

R.I.P.

Jack Borotsik [1949-2018]
He played on game in the NHL for St. Louis Blues.
Borotsik saw limited ice time in a 3-10 loss to Chicago on October 27, 1974

 

[Robert Gordon Orr]

R.I.P.

Leo Thiffault [1944-2018]
He appeared in five playoff games for Minnesota in 1968.
In the mid 60s as a junior in Peterborough, he formed a high scoring line with André Lacroix and Danny Grant.

 

[iamjs]

RIP former goalie Ray Emery

 

[Fenway]

Former NHL goalie, 35 years old, drowns

Former NHL goaltender Ray Emery has drowned in his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario. He was 35.

Hamilton Police said Emery was identified as the victim of a swimming accident Sunday morning. Staff Sgt. Paul Evans said police received a call just after 6 a.m. that an adult swimmer did not surface and that the Niagara Police assisted in the recovery effort.

Emery's body was recovered just before 3 p.m. Sunday. Hamilton Police said the cause of death would be confirmed after a postmortem.

Nicknamed "Razor" for his aggressive style, Emery played parts of 11 seasons with the Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks from 2003-2015. He helped the Senators reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2007 and won it as a backup with the Blackhawks in 2013.

 

[FerrisRox]

Former NHL goalie, 35 years old, drowns

I knew Razor a little bit and this was an absolute gut punch today when a friend texted with the news.

Truly at a loss for words. He will be missed.

 

[Robert Gordon Orr]

R.I.P. Václav Burda [1973-2018] who fell asleep behind the wheel and died in a head on collision with a truck early monday morning.

Not an NHL'er, but he was the Director of European Scouting for Edmonton.
He is also credited as being one of the men responsible for drafting Erik Karlsson
when he was a scout for Ottawa. As a player Burda represented the Czech Republic
at the 1998 World Championships. He played for Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic and Lulea in Sweden.

 

[Fenway]

Blackhawks Legend Stan Mikita Dies at 78

 

[Robert Gordon Orr]

R.I.P. John Schella [1947-2018]

Played 115 games with Vancouver Canucks. Also played six seasons with Houston (WHA).

 

[ucanthanzalthetruth]

Kurt Walker, 64

Former Leafs enforcer and advocate for retired NHLers, Kurt Walker, dead at 64

 

[DowntownBooster]

Sad to hear that original Winnipeg Jets captain Ab McDonald has passed away at age 82.

Winnipeg hockey legend Ab McDonald dead at 82 | CBC News

 

[iamjs]

Ab was also the first captain with the Penguins and also scored the first goal for the WHA Jets.