What really happened to Brian 'Spinner' Spencer?

[Buffaloed]

A good read that keeps the memory of Brian Spencer alive.

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/sabres-nhl/article475026.ece

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. -- Helicopters whumped overhead around midnight. Their searchlights darted across the gritty neighborhoods below in pursuit of a gunman. The victim, pulled from the passenger seat of a Ford Ranger pickup truck, lay dead on the ground at a nearby fire station.

Click to read more...

 

[Killion]

Wow. Good for you Buffaloed. I know this story well. And what a story it be. I'm gonna lurk. Lets see who steps up to the plate.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Stories

The Brian Spencer story made it around obstacles and stayed in the spotlight. Other stories involving his contemporaries - Jacques Richard, Steve Durbano, equally tragic and compelling received scant attention.

 

[Killion]

So what the Hell happened with Doug Harvey?.Beyond Doug himself, who is responsible for that?. A bullet can enter the body, the victim living for years. The NHL pulled the trigger in 57 on the guy.... Kordic?. Probert?. Ramages DUI that killed Maggs?. Horton, Imlach and a Ford Pantera?. Heatley?.... where is the NHL?. Family please.

 

[mcguire4*]

CBC did a movie on him a bunch of years ago. "The Spinner Spencer Story"
he was murdered in Florida was he not?
reminds me of another NHL'er....anybody remember John Kordic?

anyways, does anybody know where i could "find" this movie?..like i said, it was many years ago, but was excellent and would love to add it to my collection of Hockey/sports movies.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Wwii

So what the Hell happened with Doug Harvey?.Beyond Doug himself, who is responsible for that?. A bullet can enter the body, the victim living for years. The NHL pulled the trigger in 57 on the guy.... Kordic?. Probert?. Ramages DUI that killed Maggs?. Horton, Imlach and a Ford Pantera?. Heatley?.... where is the NHL?. Family please.

WWII changed the lives of many including Doug Harvey. For awhile the NHL provided a form of sanctuary that the outside world could not.

http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/h/harvedo01.html

Destinies at times may be delayed but not changed.

 

[Killion]

...love to add it to my collection of Hockey/sports movies.

I mentioned John Kordic in my post; the CBC did make a movie about that one along with the earlier "Spinner Spencer Story". Both should be available on-line my friend, If you really want to be shattered though, read the book by O'Malley about Spencer. Just incredible. From wasteland Fort St.John & a wannabe Nazi Father to Maple Leaf Gardens.

WWII changed the lives of many,.

Yes, very sadly it did. To the point of inhumanity in so, so many cases C58.

 

[MS]

The Brian Spencer story made it around obstacles and stayed in the spotlight. Other stories involving his contemporaries - Jacques Richard, Steve Durbano, equally tragic and compelling received scant attention.

While Durbano and Richard had major off-ice issues and drug problems, they were neither murdered nor the prime suspect in a different murder. Or had a parent killed in a police shoot-out, for that matter.

The stuff that happened to Spencer off-ice is on a whole different level to any other player to play the sport in the modern era. The guy is probably a cold-blooded murderer. Drug smuggling is tiddly-winks by comparison.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

It's an intriguing story, but then we have seen similar stuff in the NBA and NFL. I guess due to socio-economic factors, it's just much rarer in the NHL.

 

[mikelvl]

Tom McCarthy from the North Stars did time for drug trafficking too if I recall correctly.

 

[God Bless Canada]

I mentioned John Kordic in my post; the CBC did make a movie about that one along with the earlier "Spinner Spencer Story". Both should be available on-line my friend, If you really want to be shattered though, read the book by O'Malley about Spencer. Just incredible. From wasteland Fort St.John & a wannabe Nazi Father to Maple Leaf Gardens.



Yes, very sadly it did. To the point of inhumanity in so, so many cases C58.

Just a correction: Spencer was from Fort St. James, B.C., not Fort St. John, B.C. As a former resident of Fort St. John, I hope you will get your facts right before labelling a community a "wasteland." While they're both in northern B.C., there's a huge difference between the two communities.

The Spencer story is one of the great tragedies in hockey history. From the death of his father - and the circumstances surrounding it - to his own off-ice struggles, it's one of those really troubling, unforgettable stories. I thought the movie on his life captured the story of Spencer very well.

Like a lot of tough guys, Spencer was a very popular player. Outgoing. Gregarious. Entertaining. An excellent interview who gave good quotes. Unlike most tough guys, though, Spencer couldn't stay out of trouble off the ice.

We haven't had many stories in hockey like Spencer or John Kordic. I guess we can consider ourselves fortunate in that way.

 

[Killion]

We haven't had many stories in hockey like Spencer or John Kordic. I guess we can consider ourselves fortunate in that way.

Ooops. Your right. My apologies. Fort St. James it was, and by "wasteland" Im not referring to an Inco type town like Sudbury, I refer more to its remote location. Perhaps far too strong a word, as the surroundings up there are really quite spectacular indeed... and yes, were lucky not to have seen more of that kind of a thing go down. The transition from ultra rural or inner city to the big leagues is a journey that can be rife with trouble.