JIM CONACHER - 1921-2020 - A LONG LIFE

The oldest living former National Hockey League player passed away on April 9, 2020. Jim Conacher was born in Motherwell, Scotland on May 5, 1921, and died just shy of his 99th birthday.

His family moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada when Conacher was an infant.

"I was six years old when I first started to skate," Conacher told Ken McKenzie of The Hockey News in a 1948 interview. "It wasn't long after that I started to hold a hockey stick in my hands while skating. And do you know that if I skate today without holding my stick, I feel off balance."

Conacher played his junior hockey with the Toronto Young Rangers and Oshawa Generals. It was during this time, he learnt how to play the game.

"It is my opinion hockey players are made between the ages of 15 and 19," said Conacher in the feature story. "Those are the formative years and it's the things you learn during that time that will stick with you throughout out the rest of your hockey career."

Like most young men from his generation, Conacher's hockey career was interrupted when he joined the Army during World War Two. This came on the heels of his first pro season in the United States Hockey League with the Omaha Knights.

When he returned to civilian life, Conacher, whose rights belonged to the Detroit Red Wings, split his time between the Wings' farm team in Indianapolis and the parent club during the 1945-46 season.

The same division of playing time applied the following year in 1946-47.

This was a pattern shared by many with the ambition of sticking with a big league club. It was felt in many circles that seasoning was a necessary part of becoming a National Hockey League player. They were taught, as in the case of Conacher, how to become a Red Wing, and what was expected of them.

In his second spell - 1946-47 - with the Indianapolis Capitals, Conacher got off to a solid start and produced 33 points in 24 contests. This earned him another chance to show if he was ready to become a regular member of the Red Wings.

He was summoned by Detroit to play against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Christmas Day 1946. A newspaper report mentioned Conacher's involvement in the Red Wings lone goal of the game: Although he was not credited with an assist, Jim Conacher, playing his first game after being recalled from Indianapolis, [the] Red Wings' minor league farm club, set up the Detroit score. Syd [Sid] Abel finished the play. Conacher, no relation to Roy, was one of the best men for Detroit.

Conacher didn't squander the opportunity to show his game had matured to the point where he could make a solid contribution at the NHL level. In only 33 games, he scored 16 goals and 13 assists. The benchmark for elite scorers was 20, so Conacher was well within reach of accomplishing that feat.

His contributions to the Red Wings didn't go unnoticed around the league. In the voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy, the prize for the top NHL rookie, Conacher was the runner-up to Howie Meeker of the Leafs.

Of interest, another rookie on Detroit's roster, only managed to score 7 goals in the 58 games he appeared in. His name is Gordie Howe.

The Red Wings had seen enough to give Conacher a permanent roster spot in the 1947-48 season. Although his goals only increased by one to 17, Conacher's assists jumped to 23, and he recorded 40 points in 60 games.

Eager to further develop his strengths and skills, Conacher scored one goal in Detroit's first four games on the 1948-49 schedule. Just as Conacher was getting back into the groove, he was notified of the October 25, 1948, trade that sent him to the Chicago Black Hawks.

He discussed the deal with Ken McKenzie when the Hawks visited Montreal for a date with the Canadiens on December 11, 1948.

"I think the deal that brought Bep Guidolin, Doug McCaig and myself from Detroit to the Hawks for George Gee and Bud Poile is one that will work out satisfactorily for everyone concerned," said Conacher. I know it's sure worked out great for me. I've never been so contented playing professional hockey before. The fellows on the Hawks are a swell bunch and we all get together so well."

One of the highlights of Jim Conacher's career came early in his time with the Hawks.

Chicago was home at Chicago Stadium when they hosted the New York Rangers for an encounter on November 25, 1948. In this contest, Conacher unleashed his scoring prowess by connecting for four goals against New York netminder Chuck Rayner. He scored one goal in the opening period, two in the second period, and one in the final twenty minutes of play.

"I've scored two goals in a game on three occasions with Detroit, but the game on November 25 against the Rangers was the first time I'd wrung up the hat trick in the NHL," said Conacher of his big night. "I was as happy as a little kid at Christmas that night."

The change of scenery, from Detroit to Chicago, did a world of good when it came to Conacher's performance. The ledger shows he scored 25 goals (plus one for Detroit) and 23 helpers for 48 points in 55 games as a Black Hawk.

In author Kevin Shea's book on Toronto Maple Leaf defenceman, Bill Barilko, he included a quote by Barilko from an interview late in the '48-'49 season on CFRB radio. The interview was conducted by Wes McKnight. Barilko and McKnight talked about the forwards that gave Barilko the most difficulty  when it came to toughness.

"Why, I'd have to say Maurice Richard, Doug Bentley and Jimmy Conacher, who I haven't caught yet," said Barilko in response to the question. Barilko, known for his thunderous bodychecks, that ended many opposition rushes, placed Conacher in some lofty company. It can be drawn from the statement that Conacher was elusive and was crafty enough not to fall prey to rugged defenders like Bill Barilko.

McKenzie in his piece, described Conacher's game as "weaving and bobbing," which certainly coincides with Barilko being unable to physically contain Conacher.

The next year, Conacher's numbers dropped (66-13-20-33) and the Black Hawks inability to climb up the standings continued. They were perennial cellar dwellers along with the New York Rangers.

In 1950-51, the relationship between Conacher and the Black Hawks turned sour. He started the year with the farm team in Milwaukee, but on November 2, 1950, Conacher was suspended indefinitely by Chicago. Johnny Gottselig, the GM of the Hawks, explained that Conacher, who refused to take a pay cut, "Didn't show much" with the Sea Gulls.

By late November, Conacher was back with Chicago and finished the season with 10 goals and 27 assists in 52 games.

There was more turmoil for Conacher when the 1951-52 season got underway. Any hope of a future in the Windy City flew out the window as he was claimed on waivers by the New York Rangers on October 26, 1951.

Conacher's misery continued in New York and hit a low point on November 3, when the Blueshirts tangled with the Leafs at Maple Leaf Gardens. After a colliding with Leafs' forward Tod Sloan, Conacher left the game and it was later discovered he suffered a fractured knee cap.

His combined numbers with Chicago and New York, 21-0-2-3, reflected a player whose time ran out with the Hawks, and injury prohibited his time with the Rangers.

The end of Conacher's career came after dividing the 1952-53 season between the Rangers and Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League. His production was minimal and at the age of 32, the playing curve on his career was on a quick descent from the peak.