More great photos in hockey history you've just seen for the first time!

[Voight]

Seen this many times, including for the first time years ago at Gretzky's restaurant in Toronto. Always liked it, just so much pure talent in one picture.

Anyone know the story behind it? Gretz or Lemieux just have a couple pals over for some outdoor puck one Christmas?

 

[The Panther]

Despite his Haliburton, tiny-town Ontario background, Bernie Nicholls was a bit 'flash' and fit in well in 1980s' L.A.:

(Bernie, center, with Luc Robitaille and Steve Duchesne @ Venice Beach, California, January 1989)

 

[The Panther]

Seen this many times, including for the first time years ago at Gretzky's restaurant in Toronto. Always liked it, just so much pure talent in one picture.

Anyone know the story behind it? Gretz or Lemieux just have a couple pals over for some outdoor puck one Christmas?

I always thought it was an NHL-organized photo op, but I could be wrong.

Rocket Richard was nearing the end at this time, but I've always wondered why Bobby Orr wasn't there.

 

[Voight]

I always thought it was an NHL-organized photo op, but I could be wrong.

Rocket Richard was nearing the end at this time, but I've always wondered why Bobby Orr wasn't there.

To me it seems like it was just friends hanging out. Seems weird the NHL would do this photo op and not include some of the other stars of the day like Selanne, Sakic, Forsberg, Bourque etc. I feel like this was taken at Lemieux's mega mansion in the MTL area.

& RE Orr me as well, which is why I am not sure its a photo op

 

[The Panther]

To me it seems like it was just friends hanging out.

You think these guys all had each other on speed-dial?

 

[James Laverance]

The Victoria Hockey team in 1913.

 

[James Laverance]

I couldn't find anything on these other images.
Perhaps someone could fill me in.

 

[Voight]

You think these guys all had each other on speed-dial?

It wouldn't shock me if they were friends. Only wild card is Bure, who never played with any of them internationally or in the NHL. (He played with Lindros on the Rangers, but that was after this picture was taken)

 

[DannyGallivan]

... the title could be "How the Seal Hunt Happened", judging by the illustration.

 

[Vujtek]

Anyone know the story behind it? Gretz or Lemieux just have a couple pals over for some outdoor puck one Christmas?

The picture is from an NHL orchestrated promo shot before the 2000 All-Star Game:

It was seven years ago that "Pond of Dreams," the Emmy-nominated short hockey film, was shown before the 2000 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto. Viewers of the national television broadcast and fans in the Air Canada Centre watched as young NHL stars Jaromir Jagr, Pavel Bure, Eric Lindros and Paul Kariya paid tribute to three retired greats – Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux – while playing pick-up hockey on a small Ontario pond.

Seven years have passed, and all seven players look back with great satisfaction and pride that they were asked to participate in that moment.
“It was just a fun day for us," Gretzky said recently of himself, Lemieux and Howe. "The other guys, they were playing; so it was a little more of a hassle for them in some ways, but I think they enjoyed themselves at the end of the day.

Ken Rosen, Group Vice President, Executive Producer/NHL Productions, wrote the script and produced "Pond of Dreams" with Director Jon Hock and Director of Photography Rob Newman.
"We did it at a small, nameless pond on private property in Uxbridge, about an hour north of Toronto," Rosen said. "The owner had a small lodge with a fireplace and we used that to stage the production. We might have asked a few more current players to participate but there was a logistical problem because some of them had played in games Thursday night and were en route to Toronto while we were shooting.

'Pond of Dreams' Warmed Hockey Hearts

Here's the full promo video:

 

[James Laverance]

Mount Holyoke(Massachusetts) Women's Hockey inside the the Rockefeller Skating Rink from 1896.

 

[The Panther]

The picture is from an NHL orchestrated promo shot before the 2000 All-Star Game:







'Pond of Dreams' Warmed Hockey Hearts

Here's the full promo video:

That was... interesting.

Wayne's acting is surprisingly passable, 18 years after The Young and The Restless, and 11 after SNL. Mario needs some work, though.

What's bizarre is that Mario is in with the Gordie Howe 'retired' group, but in fact he could have stepped on the ice and wiped the floor (ice) with all of them!

 

[c9777666]

 

[FerrisRox]

Seen this many times, including for the first time years ago at Gretzky's restaurant in Toronto. Always liked it, just so much pure talent in one picture.

Anyone know the story behind it? Gretz or Lemieux just have a couple pals over for some outdoor puck one Christmas?

It's from a shoot for a commercial, really a short film to promo the All-Star game. It was called "Pond of Dreams." The actual piece is (shockingly) poorly made. For some reason the NHL hired a really amateur director to shoot the segment, but the idea is Wayne, Mario and Gordie are walking in the snow, talking about their careers, then they arrive at the pond where Jaromir, Pavel, Kariya and Lindros are playing and they give the old veterans a stick tap salute.

 

[Robert Gordon Orr]

1951-53 ca – Gerry McNeil making a save on Gordie Howe

1970 – Toronto’s hardrock defenseman Bobby Baun reading Love Story on team’s commercial flight

February 3, 1971 – Bobby Orr (# 4) on a breakaway against Jack Norris (# 1), while being chased by Al McDonough (# 22). Orr had 2+1 in the game to go along with a +5 rating

1970s - Bernie Parent in action

April 4, 1976 - Final game for the California Golden Seals – Bob Berry (# 18) and Rick Hampton (# 2)

1976 - Gary “Cobra” Simmons – Canadian cowboy

April 20, 1984 – Battle of Québec - The game that was billed as the ”Good Friday Massacre”. Jean Hamel is being treated in the corner (He sustained a serious eye injury)

November 16, 1984 - Michael Jackson was invited to drop the puck for a Canucks-Pens game as his Victory tour happened to be in Vancouver. Jackson declined, citing his schedule, but arranged to send an impersonator in his place. Stan Smyl and Mario Lemieux are the players

March 6, 1997 – Sean O’Donnell (# 6) – Byron Dafoe (# 34) - Mark Messier (# 11)

2001/02 - Travis Green (# 39) in pain as he slides into Corey Schwab (# 35) and the goalpost

 

[The Panther]

November 16, 1984 - Michael Jackson was invited to drop the puck for a Canucks-Pens game as his Thriller tour happened to be in Vancouver. Jackson declined, citing his schedule, but arranged to send an impersonator in his place. Stan Smyl and Mario Lemieux are the players.

Weird.

Not to get all pedantic on you, but technically this was actually The Jacksons' Victory tour, not the Thriller tour, not that anybody was coming to see Tito!

The size difference between Steamer and Mario is rather funny.

 

[Robert Gordon Orr]

Weird.

Not to get all pedantic on you, but technically this was actually The Jacksons' Victory tour, not the Thriller tour, not that anybody was coming to see Tito!

The size difference between Steamer and Mario is rather funny.

Thanks for the correction. Yes, you are right, it seems to have been the Victory tour, not the Thriller tour.
On wikipedia it says that the Victory tour was between July and December 1984, so that correlates well with the photo. But wikipedia also says: "Many consider it to be his Thriller tour, with most of the songs on the set list coming from his Off the Wall and Thriller albums." In any case, I changed the text to Victory tour.

 

[Staniowski]

Downtown Toronto, 1959, looking north. You can see the familiar shape of Maple Leaf Gardens at the corner of Church & Carlton near the top-right of the photo. That's Bay Street extending from roughly the top-left corner to the bottom-right corner, and Yonge Street the next major street to the right, parallel to Bay Street.

 

[James Laverance]

Harvard Hockey Photo's from 1898, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1905, 1905, and 1916.

 

[The Panther]

puckstruck.com is a great site for photos of the old days, especially of Montreal players.

I didn't know that early in the 1947-48 season, both Elmer Lach (29) and Rocket Richard (26) experimented with wearing helmets... for 2 games (in fact, Lach seems to have taken his off by the third period of the second game vs. Toronto):

Lach:

Rocket Richard in the penalty box:

Richard jostles with Toronto's defenceman Gus Mortson:

Lach was frequently injured, and had suffered a brutal fall on his head the previous season, so that may be why he wanted to try this. It didn't last. However, Lach went on to win the scoring title this season, so it seems he was fine... He also died only four years ago, aged 97, so he had a good, long run.

 

[The Panther]

 

[The Panther]

In 1980-81, the Oilers published a cookbook (yes, a cookbook) to raise funds for a "Language & Learning" School, with the team's players contributing recipes. Evidently, Gretzky cooked beef with tomatoes... and was an Apocalypse Now fan:

And who among us didn't figure Mark Messier for a Carrot Cake kind of guy?:

1981 -- Peter Gzowski spent a year on-and-off with the young Edmonton Oilers, eventually resulting in the acclaimed book The Game of Our Lives:

1984:

 

[The Panther]

In 1933-34 (his last season with the Habs before being traded), Howie Morenz suffered a broken hand vs. The Black Hawks, but at least he had the attention of some hottie nurses in the hospital:

And then a few years later, of course, the brutal 1937 leg injury in Montreal. Here are radiographs of Howie Morenz's fractured leg. Damn, that must have hurt...

Morenz died, age 34, on March 8th, 1937.

 

[tarheelhockey]

View attachment 255787
Downtown Toronto, 1959, looking north. You can see the familiar shape of Maple Leaf Gardens at the corner of Church & Carlton near the top-right of the photo. That's Bay Street extending from roughly the top-left corner to the bottom-right corner, and Yonge Street the next major street to the right, parallel to Bay Street.

FWIW the location of the old Mutual Street Arena, where the Leafs franchise played its first decade, is just a smidge off the edge of this photo -- about a block to the middle-right.

 

[Staniowski]

FWIW the location of the old Mutual Street Arena, where the Leafs franchise played its first decade, is just a smidge off the edge of this photo -- about a block to the middle-right.

Yes, Mutual St. is just east of Church (between Church and Jarvis), and the arena was a bit south of Dundas, on Mutual. A very short walk from the Eaton Centre and Yonge-Dundas Square.