Tuesday, April 26, 2016
REMEMBERING GERRY McNEIL
On the 65th anniversary of Bill Barilko's Stanley Cup winning goal scored on April 21, 1951, Mike Wilson hosted a gathering to remember that eventful night.
One of the special guests was David McNeil. His dad, Gerry McNeil, was between the pipes for the Montreal Canadiens when Barilkno scored at the 2:53 mark of overtime in game five.
David McNeil has written a book - In the Pressure of the Moment - Remembering Gerry McNeil - about his dad's life and career in hockey.
Gerry McNeil was born on April 17, 1926, in Quebec City. He played for a brief time in 1943-44 with the junior Montreal Royals and in that same year graduated to the senior Royals. While with the Royals in 1947-48, he got his first taste of NHL action when the Montreal Canadiens called him up for two games. McNeil lost one game and tied the other.
Late in 1949-50, Montreal once again summoned McNeil, who was playing for the Canadiens farm team in Cincinnati. In six games, McNeil sparkled, posting a 3-1-2 record with a 1.50 goals against average. His performance helped Montreal's starter, Bill Durnan, win the Vezina Trophy.
The following year, McNeil became the Canadiens number one goalie and was in the net for all their games over the next two seasons. In 1953, he became a Stanley Cup champion. He left the Canadiens after the 1953-54 campaign and the reason for his departure is one of the many wonderful stories in the book.
Other than a brief return to the Habs in 1956-57, McNeil spent the rest of his playing time in the minors.
Before David addressed the crowd, I chatted with him about writing the book and his dad.
On what motivated him to write this book: Well, I sat down with my dad in the 1990s and knew he wasn't going to be around forever and I wanted to get the stories. We started watching games together and we noticed there was a big difference between our experience of the NHL even 20 years ago and what fans experienced in the early 50s. My book became not just the story about my father, but a history about sports media. I had a lot more material than I could get into one article, so I always knew I would be working on a book. I had a few false starts and it took time, but I persevered and didn't quit. I had a contract to publish it as my father was dying. After he died, I finished the manuscript and sent it to the publisher. The publisher called me and asked, 'you know the guy that signed you to that contract?' I said, yes, 'well we fired him, he was totally incompetent and he signed a whole pile of guys to contacts that could never produce the material we want. I've looked at your manuscript and we have strict criteria for our sports biographies series and your manuscript will never fit in.' That was the end of that. Then, Ken Dryden's book, The Game, was reissued on its 30th anniversary and then, Todd Denault's book on Jacques Plante came out. So the timing wasn't just right. I had to sit and be patient. With any writing or creative project, it's not over until you say it is over. I held on and along came Louis Anctil a Vancouver publisher. He thought this would be a great project. We teamed up and made it happen. I'm really happy that I hung in there. My father would have said to me, 'you only have one choice, you can try and make it better.' I've spent 20 years trying to make it better. I'm pretty proud now of the final product.
On things he learnt about his dad that surprised him: I couldn't believe the positive press he got. I teased him once that he must have witnessed Elmer Ferguson and Dink Carroll murder somebody because I can't believe the things they said about you. It is kind of unqualified praise and admiration. If he had a bad game they ignored it. That was one thing that surprised me. The one thing that didn't surprise me so much was that he was a really team player. He'd do anything for his teammates. He once covered up for Dollard St. Laurent. It was a story that didn't get into the book. Dollard coughed-up the puck once in front of the net and it led to a goal. Dick Irvin didn't get the number of the player and the sports reporters wouldn't help him out with who it was. So he asked my father. He told Irvin that he wasn't going to tell him. Irvin said, 'Gerry you think about it, we got a practice at nine o'clock tomorrow morning and I'm going to ask you again and you better tell me.' He slept on it and the next morning there's practice, but nothing is said. My father and Dollard exchanged glances and they think Irvin's forgotten about it. Irvin blows his whistle after forty minutes and everybody goes off the ice except for Gerry. Then, Irvin asks, 'okay Gerry who was it that coughed-up the puck?' My father said, 'I slept on it Dick and you know what, I don't think I want to tell you.' Irvin replied, 'okay Gerry you start skating.' Twenty minutes later my father is ready to collapse. Dollard comes out of the dressing room and my father waves to him to get out of there as he's going to blow it. Then, Dick blows his whistle and says, 'okay Gerry give me the name.' My father looked at him and said, 'I'll never give you the name.' That was the end of it. Dick knew my father had to play the next night, so he couldn't kill the guy. My father and Dollard shared this story on the golf course around the year 2000 and I was there. You could tell Dollard still appreciated the fact my father sucked it up for him. My father said he was the beneficiary because the next game Dollard St. Laurent was all over the place getting every rebound and taking everybody out. That was one thing that distinguished him from his successor, Jacques Plante. He was a great student of the game, but he would also be critical of a defenceman who wasn't in position. He was probably right, but it didn't endure him to his teammates. My father throughout his life knew he had the respect of his teammates and I think that really was all that mattered to him. He didn't want public accolades or the trophies. He was quite happy winning the last Vezina for Bill Durnan when he came in at the end of the 1950 season and improved Bill's goals against average. His own average for those six games was 1.50. That was perfectly in keeping with his character of trying to do something for somebody else.
On what was the hardest part about writing the book: Some of it was emotional right from the beginning. We weren't going to write a whitewash. This had to be about my father's flaws. My father wasn't a perfect individual. He overcame challenges later in life. He overcame problems with alcohol and homophobia. We were more proud of him for that actually than we were for his winning the Stanley Cup. It really made for a great family dynamic. That was a little difficult (to write about) because you know if my dad was alive I'm not sure if the book would have gotten written the same way. In the end it was a good positive story about Gerry, but not one he would have wanted to see.
On how his dad dealt with pressure: Not well, the Leswick goal in 1954 is an example (Detroit's Tony Leswick scored in the overtime of game seven in the Stanley Cup Final. The goal was scored when Doug Harvey stuck out his glove in an attempt to knock the puck out of the air. Instead, he redirected the puck and it found the back of the net). The quick version about the pressure and how he dealt with it is that he didn't sleep that summer. He kept thinking if I was standing an inch further back that the puck would have hit me here and who knows we could have won the seventh game in overtime. That is tough one. Especially, with Doug Harvey, he was the one guy my father said as soon as he came out onto the ice he would breathe a little easier. Harvey played professional baseball, so if anyone is going to knock the puck out of the air it's going to be Doug Harvey. They never discussed it afterwards. My father had trouble sleeping and when he did fall asleep around four o'clock he would dream about that goal. He had decided he was going to quit earlier in that playoff run because of a fight with Dick Irvin. He promised himself he would never play another game under Dick Irvin and although he missed out on those five Stanley Cups (Montreal won between 1956 & 1960) he took personal pride in the fact he kept his promise to himself. He never did play another game for Dick Irvin. But he didn't let the team down as he finished the series.
On having a dad who played in the NHL: What I remember is that he got stopped by strangers and they would ask, 'coma sava Gerry?' We would lose 15 to 20 minutes. He would indulge people he hardly knew. He would fake his way through the conversation. I figured it out. He would ask about their children and the other person would be moved that my father would remember. But he wasn't really remembering, he was faking his way through it. He had a lot of time for people. He carried his celebrity well. I was too young to ever see him play in the NHL. I knew my father as a sales representative and a good father.
In the Pressure of the Moment - Remembering Gerry McNeil is full of rich stories and chapter four - The Goalie in the Barilko Picture - will be of particular interest for Maple Leaf fans. The entire book will be an interesting, informative and fun read for all hockey fans
The above picture shows David McNeil sitting between Dan Donohue (L) and Kevin Shea. This picture was taken during the Q&A session after the presentations. Dan Donohue spoke about his family and how they came into possession of the puck Bill Barilko used to score against Montreal in the overtime on April 21, 1951. Author and hockey historian, Kevin Shea, who wrote an outstanding book on Barilko (BARILKO without a trace) talked about Bill Barilko's amazing hockey career and his very sad passing in August 1951.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
BEFORE THE BIG GOAL
On April 21, 1951, Bill Barilko's overtime goal in game five was the Cup winner, as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated Montreal 3-2. In August '51 Barilko died in a plane crash.
Below, are the program cover and line-ups from game two of the Stanley Cup final played on April 14, 1951.
These come from the program that Sid Smith, a teammate of Barilko's on the Leafs from the time they both broke into the National Hockey League, kept from game two.
The action photo (above) of Barilko from game two appeared in the Toronto Telegram. The Montreal Canadiens won game two by a score of 3-2, with "Rocket" Richard scoring the winner in overtime. All five games in the Cup Final were decided in extra-time.
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
MATT PAVELICH: THEN & NOW
When watching footage from the Original Six era, this gentleman's face always seemed to appear on the screen. His name was seldom mentioned, but he was one of the best at his job.
Matt Pavelich joined the National Hockey League in 1956 as a linesman and went on to work 1727 regular season games. As former NHL forward, Lou Angotti, said of Pavelich, "(Matt) was one of the best at what he did."
Matt Pavelich joined the National Hockey League in 1956 as a linesman and went on to work 1727 regular season games. As former NHL forward, Lou Angotti, said of Pavelich, "(Matt) was one of the best at what he did."
Sunday, April 17, 2016
CHARLIE HODGE: 1933-2016
Another loss for hockey with the sad news that Charlie Hodge has passed away. He began his NHL career between the pipes for the Montreal Canadiens in 1954-55. The newspaper photo below shows Jacques Plante replacing Hodge in goal during game two of Montreal's semi-final series against Boston in '55. Habs coach, Dick Irvin, kept the Bruins on their toes by using both his goalies
Charlie Hodge was born on July 28, 1933, in Lachine, Quebec. He won four Stanley Cups with Montreal. In 1964, he won the Vezina Trophy and shared the award with Gump Worsley in 1966. Hodge was named to the Second All-Star Team in 1964 and 1965. He also played with Oakland and Vancouver.
Saturday, April 16, 2016
IN MEMORY OF RON WICKS
In memory of Ron Wicks, I'm once again posting a story I wrote on Referee's Night hosted by Mike Wilson back in 2015.
For a change of pace, Inside the Room featured the other guys who shared the ice with some of hockey's biggest stars, the referee's.
"We were the best money could buy," joked Bruce Hood to start off the evening.
When you get a group of on-ice officials together in one room, there is a question that always tops the list - How and why did you become a referee?
"I started in Georgetown doing kids hockey and it ended up being better than delivering newspapers," said Bryan Lewis of his first venture wearing the stripes. "The worst thing then, as it is now, was parental abuse, but once you got through that it was nothing."
"I started in Sudbury and played in the midget league," Ron Wicks informed the audience. "When I stopped playing, I offered to referee in the league. I was scouted by Bob Davidson, who was the chief scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He sent my name to Carl Voss, who was the NHL referee-in-chief. I took two weeks off as a tax assessor for the city of Sudbury. I came down here (Toronto) to do a few exhibition games and low and behold I got hired for $40 a game. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. And I stuck around for 26 years."
"I was playing intermediate hockey in Milton and I also worked at the rink," began Bruce Hood when talking about how he got his start. One night during a junior game, the referee couldn't make it, so they asked me if I would do it. I drove out to the guys house and got his sweater and whistle. I enjoyed being the referee and that is how I got started."
During the Q&A period, this question was asked of all three members of the panel - Can you remember a favourite game you worked?
"My one-thousand game, it was the only time my mother saw me work live and the game was played in Montreal," advised Bryan Lewis.
"My first game, I was just turning 20 years-old and my knees were banging together," noted Ron Wicks. "I was pinching myself and asking 'what in the hell 'am I doing here?' I remember Clarence Campbell, the president of he league, coming in and saying I missed an off-side by 20-feet. I must have improved because I lasted 26 years."
"My first game, which was played in Toronto," replied Bruce Hood. "I remember going out on that ice and I couldn't feel anything below my waist."
For a change of pace, Inside the Room featured the other guys who shared the ice with some of hockey's biggest stars, the referee's.
Left to Right: Bryan Lewis, Ron Wicks and Bruce Hood |
"We were the best money could buy," joked Bruce Hood to start off the evening.
When you get a group of on-ice officials together in one room, there is a question that always tops the list - How and why did you become a referee?
"I started in Georgetown doing kids hockey and it ended up being better than delivering newspapers," said Bryan Lewis of his first venture wearing the stripes. "The worst thing then, as it is now, was parental abuse, but once you got through that it was nothing."
"I started in Sudbury and played in the midget league," Ron Wicks informed the audience. "When I stopped playing, I offered to referee in the league. I was scouted by Bob Davidson, who was the chief scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He sent my name to Carl Voss, who was the NHL referee-in-chief. I took two weeks off as a tax assessor for the city of Sudbury. I came down here (Toronto) to do a few exhibition games and low and behold I got hired for $40 a game. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. And I stuck around for 26 years."
"I was playing intermediate hockey in Milton and I also worked at the rink," began Bruce Hood when talking about how he got his start. One night during a junior game, the referee couldn't make it, so they asked me if I would do it. I drove out to the guys house and got his sweater and whistle. I enjoyed being the referee and that is how I got started."
During the Q&A period, this question was asked of all three members of the panel - Can you remember a favourite game you worked?
"My one-thousand game, it was the only time my mother saw me work live and the game was played in Montreal," advised Bryan Lewis.
"My first game, I was just turning 20 years-old and my knees were banging together," noted Ron Wicks. "I was pinching myself and asking 'what in the hell 'am I doing here?' I remember Clarence Campbell, the president of he league, coming in and saying I missed an off-side by 20-feet. I must have improved because I lasted 26 years."
"My first game, which was played in Toronto," replied Bruce Hood. "I remember going out on that ice and I couldn't feel anything below my waist."
Friday, April 15, 2016
A CELEBRATION OF RON WICKS' LIFE
This afternoon (April 15, 2016), family and friends gathered at the Brampton Golf Club to remember former National Hockey League official Ron Wicks, who passed away earlier this month.
Ron's daughter, Lisa, gave a wonderful tribute to her dad |
Left to Right: Terry Gregson, Greg Kimmerly & Ron Hogarth |
Brian Wicks, Ron's son, set the tone for the afternoon by pointing out the gathering was a celebration of his dad's life
|
Former NHL linesman, Will Norris, spoke about travelling with Ron |
Joe Bowen, the voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs |
Terry Gregson |
Matt Pavlich |
Will Norris with Bryan Lewis (right) |
Saturday, April 9, 2016
THE PAST & FUTURE
On April 9, 1932, in their new home at Maple Leaf Gardens, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the New York Rangers 6-4 to capture their first Stanley Cup.
Tonight, the current Leafs close out their regular season schedule in New Jersey against the Devils. Unlike the '32 club, these Maple Leafs will not participate in the post-season action.
But there is hope for the future. The Leafs dismal season will place them high up in the Draft this summer and through trades and free agent signings, they should be in a position to ice a much improved team next autumn.
One thing is certain, with Toronto embarking on their centennial year, 2016-17 will be loaded with celebrations and stories on the rich history of this franchise.
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
EDMONTON'S DYNASTY GOALIE
Behind every championship team there is a great goalie
that stands tall and during the Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup dynasty era, Grant
Fuhr loomed large in the crease.
In his final year with the Victoria Cougars in 1980-81,
Grant Fuhr was considered to be the top ranked goalie in junior hockey.
Johnny Bower, who backstopped the Toronto Maple Leafs
to four Stanley Cups in the 1960s, recognized Grant Fuhr’s potential while
scouting for his former club.
“I have seen him four times,” Bower told Toronto Star
columnist Milt Dunnell in February 1981. “He’s probably the best in the country
– certainly the best in the west. Any club that is looking for a goalie will
have to regard him as a first-round choice.”
A leak of the rankings prepared by Central Scouting in
March 1981, revealed that Grant Fuhr headed the list of goalies for the NHL
Entry Draft.
An NHL Draft preview in The Globe and Mail highlighted
the Edmonton Oilers interest in selecting Grant Fuhr, who hailed from near-by
Spruce Grove, Alberta.
“General manager Glen Sather hopes to get Grant Fuhr,
Victoria Cougars’ fine young goaltender,” the newspaper noted of Edmonton
setting their sights on drafting Grant Fuhr.
Choosing 8th in the first round at the 1981 Entry
Draft, the Edmonton Oilers were elated to announce Grant Fuhr’s name as their
selection.
“For me it was a great thrill because I’m from
Edmonton,” Fuhr told me in an interview. “It’s home and any chance you get to
go home and play pro makes it an easier transition. I was excited about that.”
The next step for Fuhr was to attend his first pro
training camp and show the Oilers brass what he could do in the National Hockey
League. For most prospects, this came with a degree of pressure, but for Grant
Fuhr that wasn’t the case.
“I went to camp thinking we have four or five goalies
of NHL caliber, so I didn’t think there was any pressure at all. I figured I
would be going back to junior to play some more.”
Grant Fuhr’s return to junior didn’t materialize and
he played 48 games in his rookie campaign with Edmonton. Only 19-years-old, his
regular season stats – 28-5-14 – showed he could hold his own against the games
best. His effort earned him a spot on the Second All-Star Team.
“I guess I didn’t know any better,” Fuhr said as he
began to comment on how he went about taking care of business between the pipes
for Edmonton.
“I just played and was having fun. There wasn’t a lot
of thought that went into it. I got dressed everyday and went out and played.
Looking at it that way made it easier for me. I didn’t get caught up with everything
else.”
The Oilers finished second overall in the 1981-82
regular season standings, but hit a brick wall that prevented them from
advancing beyond the first round of the playoffs. The Los Angeles Kings
eliminated Grant Fuhr and his teammates from post-season action by taking the
fifth and deciding contest.
“Part of it was a growing process and part of it was I
just wasn’t any good,” stated Furh of his initial taste of hockey’s second
season. “My first playoff game I lost 10-8. I didn’t play very good and I
thought it would be a short run after that.”
Like many in the game, Grant Fuhr struggled in his
sophomore year and posted a 13-12-5 record. Several factors came into play when
examining the cause for his dip in production.
“I had a shoulder rebuilt and I got off to slow start
that year and I lost my confidence a little bit.”
To help Grant Fuhr regain in his form, Glen Sather
sent him to the American Hockey League to play 10 games for the Moncton
Alpines.
“Going down there helped me find my game and find
myself again.”
How one responds to adversity can have a lasting
effect on the future and after participating in just one playoff game in 1983,
Grant Fuhr was eager to bounce back.
In 1983-84, it was time for Grant Fuhr and the Edmonton
Oilers to put together a banner regular season followed by success in the
playoffs.
At the conclusion of the NHL schedule, Grant Fuhr had
regained his winning ways by putting up solid numbers, which included 30
victories in 45 encounters.
The Oilers were a determined bunch when the playoffs
rolled around and reached the Stanley Cup Final where they faced the New York
Islanders.
To lift Lord Stanley’s mug, the Oilers had to dethrone
the NHLs reigning dynasty, as the Islanders had won four consecutive Cups
starting in 1980.
For Grant Fuhr, his maiden voyage into the Final meant
he would have to outduel Billy Smith at the other end of the ice. And right off
the bat, Fuhr proved he was up to the challenge.
“Everything that Billy Smith usually does to rival
teams was done to the Isles by 21 year old Grant Fuhr,” observed one scribe
after Fuhr shutout the Islanders 1-0 in game one.
“For me it was fun,” recalled Grant Fuhr of his
competition with Billy Smith. “I looked up to Billy as he was the best
money-goalie in the game. That’s what you tried to attain in your career. We
became friends over the couple of series’ we played against each other. To be
put in the same category as Billy was awesome.”
Grant Fuhr suffered a shoulder injury in game three, which
forced him out of the Final.
“I was out handling the puck when I shouldn’t have
been. Pat Hughes was taking Pat LaFontaine out of the play and I happened to be
in the way.”
Glen Sather, in a gesture to acknowledge Grant Fuhr’s
contributions, instructed him to dress for the remaining contests and take a
seat at the end of the bench. The official back-up goalie to starter Andy Moog
was Mike Zanier.
Still, the inability to play frustrated Fuhr, but
being seated at ice level was a plus.
“It was frustrating because everything had gone pretty
well to that point,” Fuhr told me over the phone.
“It also gave me the chance to witness everything,”
said Grant Fuhr of his time on the bench. “I got to see the play first-hand.”
Edmonton captured the Stanley Cup by downing the New
York Islanders 4 games-to-one.
“It was awesome,” proclaimed Grant Fuhr of his first
Cup win. “As a kid that’s what you strive for and to actually be able to do it
was a lot of fun.”
While Fuhr enjoyed the celebrations associated with a
championship, he used the fact he missed two games as a motivational tool.
“There was nothing I could do about the injury, but it
gave me a little bit of fire for the next year.”
In the 1984-85 Stanley Cup playoffs, Grant Fuhr had one
focus and that was to help his team duplicate the success they had the previous
spring.
His sparkling
playoff numbers, 18-15-3, contributed to the Oilers second Stanley Cup run,
which concluded with a 4 games-to-one triumph over Philadelphia in the Final.
“To be able to have the opportunity to do it again was
even more fun,”
I was curious if Grant Fuhr and the other Oilers
thought they were becoming a dynasty after two straight titles.
“No because we never really looked at it that way. We
just wanted to be as good as could be everyday and we went out and performed
that way. We just wanted to win every year.”
And part of the winning philosophy for Grant Fuhr was
nourished in how he performed in practices.
“We didn’t want to be scored against in practice,”
said Fuhr without any hesitation. “And the guys wanted to score, so that’s what
made it fun. We pushed ourselves to be better – the forwards pushed us and we
pushed them. By having fun in practice and being competitive it made us
better.”
Aiming for a three-peat in the 1986 playoffs, the
Oilers were derailed by their provincial rivals, the Calgary Flames, in game
seven of the Smythe Division Final. The game-winning goal occurred when
Edmonton defenceman, Steve Smith, banked a misguided pass from behind the goal
off Grant Fuhr.
“It was just one of those things that happened.
Obviously, no one wants it to happen. If anything it made us focus on being
better the next year because we wanted to be on top again.”
The manner in which they lost to Calgary made the
Oilers aware of another important fact.
“It wasn’t that we got beat, we beat ourselves,”
stated Fuhr in reference to the own-goal. “It made us realize we could be
beaten more so by ourselves than an opponent. So, we just had to concentrate a
little harder and we were pretty determined the next year.”
The job of getting the Oilers ready to return to
championship form in 1986-87 belonged to Glen Sather.
“Glen always set the bar high for us,” stated Fuhr of
his former coach. “He wanted us to be the best. He gave us the tools and
opportunity to do that. It was just that we had to figure it out.”
It didn’t come as a surprise when the Edmonton Oilers
met the Philadelphia Flyers in the ‘87 Cup Final.
During the grueling grind of the playoffs, Grant Fuhr
had a unique way of getting away from it all and charging his batteries. When
possible, he hit the links to play golf.
“It was relaxing playing golf,” said Fuhr of the other
sport he excelled in. “People don’t realize that during the playoffs, if you
sit and think and worry about it all the time, you’re going to burn yourself
out. I could spend two or three hours and just get away from the game and give
my mind a rest. It made me fresher for what I had to do during games.”
This time around in the Final, Grant Fuhr had to
battle Ron Hextall in the Flyers net.
“Hextall was fabulous that year. I think that was the
sole reason it went seven games because Hextall was that good. In game six we
had a lead, but we let it get away.”
Although Hextall was frustrating Edmonton’s big guns,
Wayne Gretzky knew the Oilers had an ace-in-the-hole.
“We kept saying Grant’s going to out play him and
Grant’s going to win it for us,” stated Gretzky after his team won game seven
in Edmonton at Northlands Coliseum.
Grant Fuhr offered an interesting slant to teammates
depending on one another and the confidence that can be cultivated from the
process.
“You better be good if your teammates have confidence
in you, then obviously, it does wonders for your own confidence.”
On the topic of playing behind such explosive weapons
like Gretzky and company, I wondered if Grant Fuhr ever experienced times where
he had trouble staying motivated or keeping his head in the game.
“We were never shy about giving up shots and there was
always enough work. That is one thing our system did during the years. We
played an offensive style of hockey, so the goalies were always going to get
their work. We were more run-and-gun than most teams were. You were going to
get your work as a goalie, but at the same time, you knew you were going to get
a three or four goal cushion to work with.”
The fourth Stanley Cup in the dynasty era came the
following season when Edmonton swept the Boston Bruins in the 1988 Final.
Boston coach, Terry O’Reily, knew Grant Fuhr was an
obstacle to the Bruins having any luck against Edmonton.
“Our goalie would have to play better than Edmonton’s
and that is a lot to ask of your goalie to play better than Grant Fuhr,” noted
O’Reily.
This comment by O’Reily demonstrates how vital Grant Fuhr
was on team mostly recognized for filling the opponents net with pucks.
“It was fun because we were a big happy team and it
was like a family,” stated Fuhr of the dynasty Oilers. “You wanted to do your
part so you weren’t the weak link. And that’s what we were always taught.”
In addition to adding another Stanley Cup to his
trophy case, Grant Fuhr took home the Vezina Trophy and finished second to
Wayne Gretzky for the Hart Trophy. Also, he was named to the First All-Star
Team. He registered 40 wins in 75 games.
A blip on the radar screen occurred in 1988-89 when
the Los Angeles Kings ousted the Oilers in the opening round.
When hiccups like this happened there was no joy in
Oilers Nation.
“We were our biggest critics,” said Fuhr. “We wanted
to win more than anybody. If fans were hard on us, we were harder. We had high
expectations and we thought we should win every year.”
They returned to the winner’s circle in 1989-90 by
upending the Boston Bruins for their fifth Stanley Cup since 1984.
However, for Grant Fuhr the last hooray in the
Edmonton Oilers dynasty era included another injury for him to deal with.
During the regular season he only played in 21 contests and didn’t appear in
any playoff games.
“Yeah, more shoulder issues,” said Grant Fuhr
referring to his downtime. “I had the shoulder rebuilt, again. Another year of
getting glued back together. Billy (Ranford) happened to get on a great run and
I got to watch as we got into the playoffs and found a way to get it done.”
I asked Grant Fuhr if there was one ingredient in the
dynasty era that made the Oilers unique from the competition?
As though on cue, he answered, “the chemistry.” He
went on to explain what this entailed. “I think the fact we all treated each
other like family resulted in us being different from everybody else. And if
Glen said someone didn’t fit in, they were moved right away. It was all about
making sure you could fit in as a teammate. When you were a general manager,
coach and president, you get a feel for all that stuff. Glen knew what was
going on in the room.”
A dressing room that was home to Grant Fuhr and his teammates during the Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup dynasty era.
Monday, April 4, 2016
A TRIBUTE TO TOD SLOAN
Much of the legwork to get this tribute off the ground was done by Al Shaw and Jim Anderson on behalf of the alumni and Joanne Sloan (Tod Sloan’s daughter). Local politician, Peter Vanloan, read into the record a proclamation honouring Sloan. Video archivist, Paul Patskou, put together a DVD of Sloan’s career highlights and it was shown during the course of the festivities and Jim Anderson presented Sloan with an album of photographs.
Two special guests,
George Armstrong and Dick Duff, were on hand to make it a memorable afternoon
for Tod Sloan. They were his linemates in 1955-56, when Sloan had his best year in the National Hockey League.
The Leafs top line in 1955-56, Tod Sloan flanked by George Armstrong (L) and Dick Duff |
“I had the good fortune
that in my first year Tod was my centreman,” Duff told me after the official ceremony. “He got 37 goals, I got
18 and “The Chief” got 16 goals. “It was a solid line
with three guys from northern Ontario and we understood each other. Tod was a
highly skilled player and he could play tough.” The Sloan-Armstrong-Duff trio were the main reason the Leafs even made the playoffs in 1956. "We made the playoffs in the last game of the year," Duff explained. "I scored one goal and "The Chief" scored the other and Tod assisted on both goals, as we beat Detroit 2-1."
“There are two things
Tod did well in his life, he could play hockey and he liked to argue,”
Armstrong recalled. “He was on the wrong side with Smythe. Tod always use to
argue against Smythe and Smythe didn’t push him for All-Star selections or for
the best player in the league. Tod didn’t become well known. He was a better
hockey player than me and I’m well known and he’s not.”
Tod Sloan first descended on the Toronto hockey scene when he was a 16 year-old youngster. His team, the midget Copper Cliff Redmen, travelled from northern Ontario to play the Young Leafs in a semi-final match-up at Maple Leaf Gardens on April 7, 1944. The Redmen lost 5-4, but Tod held a hot-stick as he scored all 4 goals for the Redmen.
Tod Sloan (L) at the tribute with Dick Duff (Standing) and George Armstrong |
Tod Sloan first descended on the Toronto hockey scene when he was a 16 year-old youngster. His team, the midget Copper Cliff Redmen, travelled from northern Ontario to play the Young Leafs in a semi-final match-up at Maple Leaf Gardens on April 7, 1944. The Redmen lost 5-4, but Tod held a hot-stick as he scored all 4 goals for the Redmen.
Next up for the future
Toronto Maple Leaf was a two-year stint with the OHA Jr. “A” St. Michael’s
Majors. His first season with the Majors was in 1944-45.
And like his time in
midget, Tod continued to deposit the puck into the net. During the regular
season, he scored 21 goals and produced 37 points in 19 games. In the playoffs, he
helped St. Mike’s advance to the Memorial Cup and Tod Sloan the scoring machine
went into overdrive. He led all scorers with
17 goals and also led in penalty minutes with 32.
On April 23, 1945, Tod
became a Memorial Cup champion when St. Mike’s downed the Moose Jaw Canucks 7-2
at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Tod continued to burn
up the OHA in his second and final term with St. Mike’s. Listen to these
numbers. In 25 league games he led the OHA in scoring with 43 tallies and 75
points. For the second year
in-a-row St. Mike’s played for the Memorial Cup, this time against the Winnipeg
Monarchs. Tod led all scorers in
Memorial Cup play, scoring 23 goals in 12 games.
Although he wasn’t able
to win another Canadian junior championship, Tod did add another piece of
silverware to his trophy cabinet. St. Mike’s lost the seventh and deciding game to the Monarchs 4-2, but earlier in the Memorial Cup Final,
Tod was named the winner of the “Red” Tilson Memorial Trophy. A standout junior player with the Oshawa
Generals, Tilson appeared to be a can’t miss future star with the Toronto Maple
Leafs. But he never made it to the National Hockey League as he lost his life
in World War Two.
To honour the memory of
“Red” Tilson, The Globe and Mail created a trophy in his name. As the newspaper noted,
“the trophy is awarded annually to the Ontario Junior “A” player who, in the
estimation of the coaches, combines sportsmanship and outstanding ability. ”Tod became only the
second individual to win the Tilson Trophy. Also, Tod nabbed the
Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as the OHA’s scoring champion.
Tod’s brother, Joe
Sloan, was also a Leaf prospect, but during World War Two he was shot in the
leg and the injury ended his time on the ice.
With his junior career
in the books, Tod signed his first professional contract with the Toronto Maple
Leafs on April 30, 1946. At the press conference
to announce the signing, Leaf coach, Hap Day, compared his budding star to two
NHL sharpshooters, Carson “Old Shovel Shot” Cooper and New York sniper Bill
Cook. “Coop
and Bill could pick their spots any time and never be a fraction off their
target, especially in laying in those scoring shots an eighth-of-an-inch within
the goalpost and Sloan is the nearest thing to them I’ve seen.”
Tod’s first couple of
years in pro hockey was spent in the American Hockey League with the Pittsburgh
Hornets, where he gained the necessary seasoning prior to jumping to the NHL.
In 1947-48, Tod was
called up by the Leafs for one game and he played in his first NHL contest on
Christmas Night 1947. An injury to Don Metz provided Tod the chance to make his
NHL debut against the Canadiens at the Montreal Forum. Then, the following
year in 1948-49, Tod was once again summoned by the Leafs when Howie Meeker
fractured his right collarbone. In 29 games with the parent club, Tod scored 3
goals and 4 helpers.
Tod closed out his
minor-league career in 1949-50 with the Cleveland Barons. Twice during his time
in the AHL, he played in the Calder Cup Final, but didn’t win the championship.
From 1950-51 to
1960-61, Tod played 7 seasons with the Maple Leafs and 3 with the Chicago Black
Hawks. In his first full year
with the Maple Leafs, Tod scored 31 goals in a era when the benchmark for elite
scorers was 20.
In the 1951
Stanley Cup Final, Tod scored perhaps the biggest goal in his National Hockey
League career. In game 5 against
Montreal, the Leafs trailed the Habs 2-1 late in the third period. With time
running out, Ted Kennedy, Max Bentley, Sid Smith and Tod Sloan went to work. Kennedy won the faceoff
in Montreal’s zone and pulled the puck back to Bentley at the point.
An article in the Globe
and Mail noted that Bentley, and I quote, “Worked his way goal ward firing
through a maze of players. The puck bounced out, Smith smacked at it and hit a
goalpost, the disc landing at Sloan’s feet. Tod did the rest.” The time of the goal
was 19:28 and it was Tod’s second of the game.
Another account offered
that Tod’s goal “took the heart out of the Habs, cost them a victory they had
locked up. It was like having a man steal home on you in the ninth to tie the
score.”
In the overtime, Bill
Barilko scored the Cup winning goal for the Leafs and in August ’51 was killed
in a plane crash. Without Tod’s tying
goal, Barilko may not have been able to leave his very special mark in Toronto
Maple Leafs history.
Tod’s best year in the
NHL was in 1955-56. In 70 games, he scored
37 goals, tying a club record for most goals in a regular season. He equaled
the mark set by Gaye Stewart in 1945-46. He finished second in
the voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy to Jean Beliveau, who was named the
NHL’s MVP. However, Tod was named the Leafs MVP by the
Gardens board of directors when they awarded him the J.P. Bickel Trophy. On April 17, came the
news that Tod was voted to the Second All-Star Team at centre. He also played
in the 1951 and 1952 All-Star games.
In June of 1958, Tod
was traded to Chicago and in the spring of 1961 helped them win their first
Stanley Cup since 1937-38. Tod ended his NHL
career in the winner’s circle as he retired after the Hawks won the Cup.
In late December 1962,
Tod was reinstated as an amateur and joined the OHA Senior “A” Galt Terriers. The Terriers
represented Canada at the 1962 world championships in Denver, Colorado. In a
losing cause, Tod recorded 16 points in 6 games.
Tod Sloan went on to
play for the NHL Oldtimers and helped raise a lot of money for various
charities.
Saturday, April 2, 2016
REMEMBERING RON WICKS
On October 5, 2015, I had the privilege of giving a talk at the Original Six Alumni lunch on the career of former NHL official Ron Wicks. The date of the talk just happened to land on the 55th anniversary of Ron working his first National Hockey League game in 1955.
Then, before Christmas, I came across a photo (below) and emailed it to Ron to confirm that it was him in the picture. "Yes, it is me and I love it, (I) never saw it before. Carl Brewer is mixing it up with Boom Boom (Geoffrion)."
Sadly, the next email I received from Ron was gut-wrenching. He sent it out to several individuals and it was so kind of him to include me. It read in part: "Hi there friends, My disease has caught up with me and I hope to stick around to watch the Masters, and then soon my journey here maybe ending but continuing from up above the clouds. I'll be keeping an eye on you. Thanks for joining me on my skate around the rink - Ron Wicks."
Ron Wicks past away last night (April 1, 2016) of liver cancer.
Below, is the text from my talk on October 5, 2015:
As a young fan during the latter part of the Original Six Era, it was easy to identify and have some knowledge about the players on each of the teams.
Sadly, the next email I received from Ron was gut-wrenching. He sent it out to several individuals and it was so kind of him to include me. It read in part: "Hi there friends, My disease has caught up with me and I hope to stick around to watch the Masters, and then soon my journey here maybe ending but continuing from up above the clouds. I'll be keeping an eye on you. Thanks for joining me on my skate around the rink - Ron Wicks."
Ron Wicks past away last night (April 1, 2016) of liver cancer.
Below, is the text from my talk on October 5, 2015:
As a young fan during the latter part of the Original Six Era, it was easy to identify and have some knowledge about the players on each of the teams.
And although they
shared the ice with the biggest stars in hockey’s Golden Era, I knew very
little about the on-ice officials.
Well, I’m happy to say
with the passage of time this has all changed. The publication of books
authored by Red Storey, Bill Chadwick and Bruce Hood provided me with a new
perspective on those who wore the striped sweater.
Then, earlier this year, I had the fun experience of witnessing 3 referee’s talking about their time in the game. Included in the panel discussion were Bryan Lewis, Bruce Hood and the gentleman I’m going to talk about today – Ron Wicks.
Then, earlier this year, I had the fun experience of witnessing 3 referee’s talking about their time in the game. Included in the panel discussion were Bryan Lewis, Bruce Hood and the gentleman I’m going to talk about today – Ron Wicks.
Ron’s 2009 book – A
Referee’s Life – served as wonderful and informative companion to his in-person
talk. Due to time restrictions, my scope is limited, thus, I highly recommend
Ron’s book for greater detail and many more fascinating stories.
On the subject of stories
about Ron, I was talking with Ray Scapinello about 10 days ago, and he couldn’t
resist telling me this one. Apparently,
Ron wasn’t one of Al Arbour’s favourites. One night Ray was part of a crew
working with a rookie referee and Al was constantly badgering the poor guy. During
a stoppage, Ray was positioned in front of the Islanders bench when Al began
one of his tirades. He told the new guy he was awful and the worst referee he
had ever seen. At this point, Ray turned to Al and said to him, “I thought Ron
Wicks was the worst referee you ever saw”.
Thinking it over, Al Arbour yelled out, “Hey rookie, you’re the second
worst referee I’ve ever seen.”
To begin, here is
some background on Ron Wicks, the young hockey fan.
Like most hockey mad
kids growing up in the 1940s, Ron got his fix by listening to Foster Hewitt on
the radio and playing road and ice hockey.
Now, by tuning in
Hewitt’s broadcast one would think the Toronto Maple Leafs were Ron’s favourite
NHL club. Think again. The Detroit Red Wings not the Leafs were his team. Ron’s
heroes were Terry Sawchuck and Gordie Howe.
When Detroit captured
the Stanley Cup in 1950, Ron couldn’t hide his jubilation and wore his Red
Wings sweater to school. As he pointed out in his book, “for my audacity that
got all 60 pounds of me stuffed into a garbage can.”
In 1952, Ron, then 12 years
old, moved with his family from Timmins to Sudbury.
At 14, he joined the
Sudbury Minor Hockey League and played in the newly built Sudbury Arena, home
of the Senior “A” Sudbury Wolves.
His participation in
the Sudbury Minor Hockey League eventually led Ron to his career as an
official.
“I started in Sudbury
and played in the midget league until I was 16 years-old,” Ron told those
gathered for the panel discussion.
“When I graduated as a
player, I volunteered to become a referee. They said, ‘go buy yourself a
sweater and a whistle,’ and I became a referee.”
For the next three
years Ron refereed games in Sudbury.
Then, came his big
break.
‘I got scouted by Bob
Davidson, who was the chief scout of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was scouting
the North Country and found Frank Mahovlich and Dave Keon. He sent my name into
Carl Voss the NHL referee-in-chief.”
The National Hockey
League responded by sending Ron an invitation to their referee’s training camp
in the fall of 1960.
“I took 2 weeks off
from my job as a tax assessor with the City of Sudbury. I came down to Toronto
and did a few exhibition games. And low-and-behold, I got hired for $40-bucks
and I stuck around for 26 years.”
Ron began his life in
the NHL as a linesman.
In one of those
exhibition games, Ron had an interesting encounter with Chicago’s huge
defenceman, Elmer “Moose” Vasko.
“I remember sitting in
the lobby of the Empress Hotel in Peterborough and talking with Elmer Vasko,”
Ron stated as he began the story.
He explained to Vasko
that he was trying to earn a job in the NHL as an on-ice official. Their
conversation ended with Vasko wishing Ron good luck.
Ron picked-up the story
about how their paths crossed during the game.
“That night a big brawl
broke-out and I came up to Elmer, who was 100 pounds heavier than me. I asked
him if he would kindly go to the penalty box. He said, ‘you know kid, you’re
right.’ He skated to the penalty box and my boss came in at the end of the
period and said, ‘way to break-up that fight with Mr. Vasko.’ The next time I
saw Mr. Vasko, I bought him a cold beer.”
On the final day of
camp, Voss told Ron he had earned an NHL job and he signed his first pro
contract.
At 20 years of age, Ron
began his journey by working the lines in a contest on October 5, 1960, and
today is the 55th anniversary of his maiden voyage – congratulations
Ron!
One playoff contest Ron
worked in ’61 would ultimately become an example of why the officials had to
unite as a group.
He spoke in a serious
tone when he recalled an incident that occurred.
“I was working the game
in Chicago when Toe Blake (coach of the Canadiens) ran across the ice after a
three-period overtime game in the Stanley Cup semi-finals and punched referee
Dalton McArthur.”
Digging deeper, I
discovered that McArthur called a penalty against Montreal’s Dickie Moore and
Chicago scored the game-winning goal on the power play. This sent Blake over
the deep end.
Continuing the story,
Ron commented that, “Toe got fined $2-thousand dollars and Dalton got fired.
Then, we started our union a few years later.”
In fact, The Referee
and Linesmen’s Association was formed in 1969.
As the 1963-64 hockey
season progressed, Ron, now in his fourth term as a linesman, made an
important decision relating to his future. He decided, with the leagues
blessing, to become a referee. As Ron put it, “when I started as a linesman
they gave me a bag of marbles and when I lost all my marbles I became a
referee.”
This shift in direction
resulted in Ron going to the minors for seasoning. He developed his skills by
calling games in the Central Pro League, Western Hockey League and the American
Hockey League.
In the last year of the
Original Six Era, Ron wore the referee’s armband in 2 NHL games.
When the NHL expanded
to 12 teams in 1967, Ron returned to the big-show after a 3-year absence and
began his long run as the new sheriff in town.
And what a career he
had as the guy wearing the white hat and taking on the difficult job of maintaining
law and order in various NHL cities. Here are some of the highlights.
Ron is the youngest
person at age 20 to hit the ice as an NHL official when he worked his first
game as a linesman in 1960.
On March 3, 1985, he
worked game number 1,000 as a referee when the Pittsburgh Penguins took on the
Rangers at MSG.
On December 14, 1985,
Ron established a new record for most NHL games worked by a referee – 1034 –
surpassing the previous mark held by Bruce Hood.
In the 1962 All-Star
Game, Ron was a linesman and in 1986 he refereed the All-Star Game.
In addition to his NHL
duties, Ron worked in the 1984 Canada Cup.
Ron retired following
the 1985-86 season and had worked 1,067 games as an NHL referee. When adding in
his games as a linesman, the figure is closer to 2,000 games.
He participated in 175
playoff contests and 5 Stanley Cup Finals.
Ron is a member of the
Sudbury and Brampton Hall of Fames.
And above all, Ron’s
efforts right from the outset with the Referee’s and Linesmen’s Association
helped create better working conditions and financial stability for future
generations. Similar to the players of the Original Six era, Ron and his
contemporaries, like Bruce Hood, helped build our grand game.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Wicks.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Wicks.
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