off-beat hockey players and personalities

[wingoilerfan]

Hey all ...

I'm basing this thread on an article from THN. In December of 1999, THN had an article about the 100 most off-beat hockey players and personalities of the last century, and I will paraphrase their stories, as well as post other stories of my favorite memories of off-beat hockey players and personalites. I will begin from #1 on their list and progress all the way to #100.

This is one of my favorite topics, as the history of the great game is something I have a great appreciation for.

So, without further adieu ... let's begin!

#1. EDDIE "The Entertainer" SHACK
This colorful player, who played many seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs, is known for his trademark cowboy hat and handlebar moustache, among other things. One, during a game between his Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings, Wing coach and GM Jack Adams was taunting Shack because Shack was illiterate and cannot read. Shack ended up scoring a goal vs the Wings and as he skated by the Wing bench, he said to Adams and the Wings, "S-C-O-R-E! That spells score!". Shack was so popular that a song was named after him, "Clear the Track, here comes Shack".

#2. THE CARLSON BROTHERS (A.K.A. the "Hanson Brothers")
These terrors, Jack, Jeff, and Steve, were known for hacking and slashing their way up from the minor leagues into the NHL. Steve Carlson said it all, "Going into the stands in Utica, NY and getting arrested, that's a fact. Jumping a team in the warm-up, that's a fact". The Carlsons got the name "Hanson Brothers" from the movie "Slap Shot". A screenwriter saw Dave "The Killer" Hanson play in the WHA and beieve he was perfect for a part in the Slap Shot movie. Jack Carlson wasn't in the move because he was playing another season in the WHA, so the "Hanson Brothers" in the move Slap Shot consisted of Jeff Carlson, Steve Carlson, and Dave Hanson -- thus the nickname "Hanson Brothers". "Slap Shot" remains the movie of choice for NHL players such as Chris Chelios, Keith Tkachuk, and Theo Fleury, among others.

Enjoy these story, folks, and I will post more later ...

[wingoilerfan]

More stories coming up ...

#3. EDDIE "Edmonton Express" SHORE
The "Edmonton Express" would assume his defense position at the beginning of a game by skating out to the tune of "Hail to the Chief" wearing a matador's cape. A valet would then remove the cape and fold it neatly. In 1933, Shore nearly killed Ace Bailey by slewfooting him. Bailey hit his head on the ice. Shore ended up with nearly 1,000 stitches over his career and broke his nose 14 times. Once, his ear was nearly severed by a skate. As a doctor was trying to reattach Shore's ear, Shore demanded a mirror, saying that "I want to make sure you sew it on right". They say hockey players are crazy, but Shore pretty much confirmed it by saying, "Most hockey players are crazy. Some of us admit it.".

#4. GILES "Grattoony the Looney" GRATTON
This well-traveled goalie played in the WHA and NHL, believed that he was a 12th century sailor, a 14th century Indian hobo, a 17th century Spanish nobleman, an 18th century Spanish priest, and a 19th century British surgeon. Well travelled, indeed! This goalie, who believed in astrology and reincarnation, had a large lion head painted on his goalie mask because Leo was his astrological sign. Once, Gratton refused to start a game for the Rangers, who were struggling at that time, because he claimed that his stars weren't aligned properly.

#5. DAVE "Tiger" WILLIAMS
Williams was known for speaking his mind. He gave his typically blunt prediction on his Maple Leafs' playoff series with the Pittsburgh Penguins (in Williams' first full season) -- "Stick a fork in them. Them Penguins is done like dinner.". One of Williams' most memorable goals was scored at Maple Leaf Gardens, as Williams returned to face his former team after being traded to the Vancouver Canucks. After he scored the winning goal in that game, Williams rode his stick like a broom down the length of the ice. He must've looked like a cowboy in the Calgary Stampedes at that moment! Williams was often at odds with the NHL front office. Once, he arrived late due to a flight delay, and explained to chief referee Scotty Morrison that "we would have been here sooner, but we couldn't find a kangaroo at the airport to bring us to this court.".

Enjoy these stories, folks!

[wingoilerfan]

#6. GARY "Suitcase" SMITH
This well-travelled goalie played for 13 teams in his 15-year career. Smith, in his 2nd NHL game with the Toronto Maple Leafs, wandered with the puck from his net all the way past center ice to the opponents' blueline. Because of Smith's penchant for wandering well out of the crease, a rule was ammended to limit the goalie to his own side of center ice.

#7. DON "Grapes" CHERRY
This opinionated analyst and former coach is known for his opinions on fighting and European players. Once when he was coaching, he ordered Swedish goalie Hardy Astrom back into his crease after Astrom tried to remove himself from a game after giving up 4 goals vs the Blackhawks. Cherry told him to finish the job he started. I noticed that in a recent THN issue, Don Cherry's name was misspelled -- they spelled it "Don Cheery". I'm still wondering if that was REALLY a typo. Cherry often gets into spirited debates on his Coach's Corner segment with CBC analyst Ron MacLean, and in my perspective, it looks like Don Cherry's face turns the color of a cherry during those debates.

#8 FRANCIS "King" CLANCY
Clancy did almost everything in his hockey career. He played all 6 positions, coached, refereed, and worked in the front office. Once, Boston's Eddie Shore challenged Clancy to a fight. Clancy proceeded to grab Shore's hand, shake it, and say, "Good evening, Eddie. How are you tonight?". Shore ended up laughing rather than fighting after that exchange.

[lmanchur.]

i get eddie shore and shack mixed up , but either one is at the top of my list

[wingoilerfan]

#9. HOWIE YOUNG
Young was known as well for his off-ice shenanigans as much as for what he did on the ice. He once had a cameo role in the movie "None but the Brave", which starred Frank Sinatra. Young's movie career didn't last too long -- reportedly threw Sinatra off his own yacht.

#10. FREDERIC "Cyclone" TAYLOR
The nickname "Cyclone" was given to Taylor by Earl Grey, the Canadian governor who donated the fabled Grey Cup. Grey watched Taylor play and said that he "was a Cyclone if I ever saw one". Ottawa fans became bitter after Taylor signed with another team, and Taylor vowed that he would score a goal against the Senators by skating backwards in order to get even. Taylor indeed DID score a goal against Ottawa while skating backwards during a 17-2 rout. WOW! 17-2?? That score is lopsided in baseball, and it's completely off the keel in hockey!

#11. MAURICE "Rocket" RICHARD
This legend earned his nickname "Rocket" due to his goal-scoring prowess, and earned Sid Abel the nickname "Bootnose" for punching Abel in the face and breaking his nose. A decision by NHL president Clarence Campbell to suspend Richard for the end of the 1954-55 season and the 1955 playoffs started a riot in Montreal that rivals and probably exceeds any of the riots in Detroit after the Tigers' and Pistons' championships in 1984 and 1990 (2nd championship), respectively. Glenn Hall was amazed at Rocket, and described the sight of Rocket closing in on the net to score a goal "terrifying". Hall said that Rocket's eyes were "all lit up, like a pinball machine".

#12. JIM McKENNY
One day, Leaf coach Red Kelly said hello to McKenny's 5-year-old son, who responded with, "My mom thinks you're a (blankity blank)". McKenny calmly stated, "You know, Red, that Christine (McKenny's wife) and I don't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things". I have no idea whether that cover-up actually worked or not, but it was a nice try.

#13. MARCEL BONIN
Former heavyweight champion Joe Louis, the Detroit boxing legend who the Joe Louis Arena is named after, was willing to offer $1000 to anyone who was willing to wrestle a circus bear. Bonin accepted Louis' dare, and wrestled the bear in towns all over Quebec.

Well, that's it for right now ...
(To be continued ...)

[lmanchur.]

where's Hull on this list???

...I like his quote on November's SI article on how the Leafs are the most hated team: "They publish one hocky article a year: what do they know?"

[wingoilerfan]

#14. VALERI KHARLAMOV
Harold Ballard was so impressed by this Soviet winger during the 1972 Summit Series that he offered $1 million to the Soviets to release Kharlamov. One million would probably be a bargain compared to the salaries these days. If I'm right, Kharlamov was also famous for serving as the Flyers' punching bag when the Soviet team played the Flyers, taking a nasty slash from Bobby Clarke.

#15. HAROLD BALLARD
Lo and behold ... Ballard happens to be the next subject. Described in THN as a "mean-spirited Leafs' owner", he made then-Leafs coach Roger Nielson coach with a paper bag over his head. The Ballard era (error?) was a forgettable one for Maple Leaf fans.

#16. BOBBY "Golden Jet" HULL
Hull was mostly known for a slapshot that could break the sound barrier. He had signed a then-record $1 million contract with the WHA, which gave that league credibility. He and Stan Mikita, when they were playing for the Blackhawks, made a habit out of tormenting opposing goalies with their shots.

#17. DENNIS HULL
What would a review on the 100 most colorful and off-beat hockey players and personalities be without Dennis Hull? Dennis was Bobby's kid brother, known for his practical jokes. He once took a rosin bag and when a teammate walked by in a brand new suitcoat or tux, he whacked his teammate with the rosin bag so chalky rosin spilled all over the suit! He'd tell jokes at the expense of brotehr Bobby. An example ... "My wife made me a millionaire. Of course, I used to have $3 million.". Other practical jokes including ripping the last page out of novels.

#18. DEREK SANDERSON
Sanderson was known for his wild lifestyle. He once signed with the WHA for 5 years for $2.5 million, which at that time was ground-breaking. I don't have too many details about his life ... but perhaps THN believes that we're better off not knowing?

#19. LORNE "Gump" WORSLEY
Worsley, when he toiled for the Newe York Rangers, was asked which team gave him the most trouble. His answer? "New York".

#20. "One-Eyed" FRANK McGEE
McGee was one of the Ottawa "Silver Seven", and scored 14 goals in a Stabley Cup game. If his scoring touch was sharp, his humor was even sharper. Once, he and his teammates were invited to dinner with the governor general and gave his teammates this advice ... "Just do what I do. Don't worry about your forks. Just use your fingers.".

#21. AL "Planet" IAFRATE
Having ended his playing career in 1998, Iafrate has to be the most recent off-beat hockey player IMO. Besides that killer slapshot, he was also known for his biker image ... he had body tattoos and a Harley Davidson. During intermissions, he would light a cigar using the blowtorch that was used for working on stick blades. He once turned down a chance at an empty-net goal, saying that empty net goals were for wimps.

#22. MIKE "Shakey" WALTON
This 1967 Leafs bad boy once wore a Beatles wig to practice even though then-Leaf coach Punch Imlach banned long hair and mustaches. He also played in the WHA and ended his career in the WHA by walking from the arena to a nearby pub while still in full uniform. He watched the final minutes of the game with his uniform on in that bar, chugging a brew.

#23. RED STOREY
Storey was a famed referee who had the inside edge on the players in the game. He always advised players on who was gmae for a fight and which players should not be messed with.

#24. HARRY NEALE
As a coach, Neale had one of the best quotes, "We can't win at home and we can't win on the road. My only failing as a coach is finding some place to play.". I only wonder if he said that when he coached the Wings during the 1985-86 season, which was a total disaster in which the Wings won only 17 games that season. Neale is also known as a CBC broadcaster with alledged pro-Leafs sentiments.

#25. "Terrible" TED LINDSAY
Lindsay played on two Wings Cup-winning teams and also played for the Blackhawks, who had a fierce rivalry with the Wings back then. Lindsay was one mean player ... during a "friendly" old-timers game, he and Dickie Moore got into a stick-swinging match, and as a Blackhawk, Lindsay even swung his stick at former teammate Gordie Howe.

(To be continued later ...)

[wingoilerfan]

Hey Lee ...

If you're asking about Brett Hull, I think he's near the middle of the list ... .

[wingoilerfan]

More stories, folks!!

#26. FRED "The Fog" SHERO
Shero was the coach of the famed Philadelhpia Flyers "Broad Street Bullies" teams of the mid 1970s. When he coached his first-ever NHL game, an exhibition game, he locked himself out of the arena when he snuck outside to smoke a cigarette. Because of that, he was unable to address the media after the game.

#27. ED LEBEC
A Boston Bruins goalie in fiction who married Carla the barkeep from Cheers. He masqueraded in an ice show as a mascot and was mowed down by a Zamboni. I hope, though, that the Zamboni mowdown didn't really happen, seeing as how ebec was described as "fictional".

#28. RON CARON
Caron was the fiery-tempered former St. Louis Blues GM who was known for throwing chairs around in the press box whenever refs called penalties against the Blues. He was banned from press boxes because of this. Hmm ... if he and Robbiw Ftorek ever teamed up behind a bench, might we be seeing entire table sets tossed onto the ice ... ? I couldn't resist ...

#29. JACQUES PLANTE
His name is Jacques Plante ... but you can call him "The Wanderer". He patented the technique of wandering out of the goal crease to play the puck, which Patrick Roy has adapted. He had also invented the first goalie mask. Off the ice, Plante would knit sweaters ... reminds me of Weezer's "Sweater Song"!

#30. "Cowboy" BILL FLETT
Flett wasn't just nicknamed "Cowboy" for nothing ... he actually looked like a cowboy, complete with a full beard and hat. Flett wanted to implement the cowboy look for hockey, as he would wear a pair of cowboy boots with skate blades fastened onto them for old-timer hockey games (e.g. The Heroes of Hockey games on the evening of the All Star skills competitions, which I always enjoy watching). Also known for his practical jokes, he put the joke on teammate Ed Mio when he put a snake in his goalie mitt and a mouse in one o his skates.

#31. JIM RALPH
Known as a goalie, but even better known as a storyteller. In a minor league hockey game, it took 8 goals against him before Ralph was upset enough to take his net off its moorings and push it against the endboard, with the net pointing outwards. He then dared the opponents to score a 9th goal ... COME ON, JUST TRY TO SCORE ANOTHER ONE!

#32. MAJOR FREDERIC McLAUGHLIN
Before Bill Wirtz as Chicago Blackhawk owner, there was Major Fred. During the 1936-37 hockey season, near the end of it, he had tried to pull a Don Cherry, USA style when he attempted to ice an all-American lineup. His plan did not work.

[wingoilerfan]

#33. "Sweet" LOU NANNE
Nanne was a wheeler-dealer and wouldn't think twice about trading all of his draft picks to get a single player. He somehow got Frank Beaton from the New York Islanders to play for his team in exchange for ... dinner at the Palm restaurant in new York.

#34. WILLIAM DWYER
This ex-Sing Sing convict once purchased the Hamilton Tigers, the first team to walk a picket line, and relocated them to New York in 1925. Dwyer was known for being a bootlegger ... but a whole team?

#35. ROGER NEILSON
Neilson is known for some of those loud ties he wears, and was one of the league's most innovative coaches. One of his innovations was using a defenseman to stop a penalty shot, rather than a goalie. He once earned the nickname "Captain Video" because he'd regularly show his players game tapes on practice days.

#36. SNOOPY
The lovable beagle of Charles Schultz's "Peanuts" fame was known to play pick-up hockey with his pal Woodstock on Woodstock's frozen bird bath.

#37. "Wild" BILL HUNTER
Hunter owned the Edmonton (Alberta) Oilers when they began in the WHA. During an Oiler road trip, he tried to fire up the team with a 20-minute pep talk, which he gave using a speaker phone. The problem was, no one showed up, and Hunter was left giving his pep talk to an empty room.

[wingoilerfan]

#38. GUY LAFLEUR
Whether it was Montreal's own Forum or other hockey rinks, cheers of "Guy! Guy! Guy!" could be heard. Lafleur was best known for his skating expertise, but THN described him as the "chain-smoking, car-loving Habs icon of the 1970s".

#39. PHIL WATSON
Watson never needed to toss sticks (or a bench ... ) onto the ice to be seen or heard ... his vocabulary was sharper than any stick blade. In 1959, when Watson was coaching the Rangers, he called Gump Worsley a "beer belly". One of the funnier Watson quotes came when Punch Imlach, the coach of the rival Toronto Maple Leafs, boldly proclaimed that his Leafs would make the playoffs ahead of the Rangers, Watson said, "The only crystal ball he's got is on his shoulders." ... .

#40. HOWIE "The Stratford Streak" MORENZ
Before his unfortunate death when he was only 34 years old, Morenz was one of the better skaters of the first half of the 20th century, and according to THN could instantly accelerate on his skates.

#41. PHIL ESPOSITO
Espo was the one who gave his motivational speech during the 1972 Summit Series. He was described by THN as a "cauldron of emotion", although I remember him best when he proclaimed in 1999 that the Mighty Ducks would beat the Wings in the first round of the playoffs so that there would be an upset in the first round (He predicted the other top-seeded teams (Dallas, Colorado, St. Louis) to go on to the 2nd round) ... his prediction hit the ground with a thud. In other words ... it did not come true.

#42. CHARLIE CONACHER
Conacher once dangled teammate Harold "Buddy" Cotton outside a hotel room window until Cotton apologized for making a bad pass during a game.

#43. NICK FOTIU
Fotiu was, according to THN, a Ranger fan favorite. Before games, he would routinely toss pucks out to the fans. A practical joker, Fotiu surprised Bill Goldsworthy, who was asleep, by putting a live lobster in his bed.

#44. MANON RHEAUME
Rheaume was the first woman goalie to play in an NHL game ... granted, it was an exhibition game. It might have been a preview of things to come, as Rheaume became the goalie for Canada in international womens' hockey competitions and helped them to some World Championships.

#45. JOHN FERGUSON
Ferguson loved to fight, whether it be on the ice against an opposing team's tough guy or against a heavyweight boxer. Ferguson was planning in going toe-to-toe with George Chuvalo, a heavyweight boxing champ, before his GM, Habs GM Sean Pollock, called the fight off.

#46. IVAN "Ching" JOHNSON
To describe Johnson, Ching's New York Ranger teammate Frank Boucher said, "He always wore a grin, even after heaving some poor soul six feet in the air.". Although Johnson was feared for his checking abilities, his biggest check came when he was not playing, but refereeing a game ... he hit a player on a breakaway and knocked him out.

#47. BOB PLAGER
Plager loved to joke and tell stories. His best joke concerned former Blackhawks coach and GM Bob Pulford. The joke went like this: "A bartended asked Pully to leave his establishment today. He (the bartender) wanted to start Happy Hour.".

[wingoilerfan]

#48. PATRICK ROY
Roy is known for breaking Terry Sawchuk's record for most career wins ... and for talking to his goalposts a la Mark "The Bird" Fidrych and wandering well out of his net. In one game, he looked to be rushing the puck up past the Avs' blueline and it looked like Roy was one of the defensemen ...

#49. HARVEY "Busher" JACKSON
The legend about Jackson, which was started by Frank Selke, was that if he shot a puck from center ice, he would already be skating past the neutral zone before the puck hit the blueline. He ended up with the nickname "Busher" when he became an NHLer at 18 years of age and his team (Leafs) trainer suggested he be the stickboy.

#50. "Wild" BILL EZINICKI
My best guess is that he was named "Wild Bill" because his checks would leave opposing players looking like they had been thrown off a bronco or a brahma bull. To Ezinicki, checking was not just part of the game ... it was an artistic skill. He also had insurance in which he got paid $5 for every stitch he had.

#51. BOBBY SHEEHAN
Sheehan was said to have the uncanny (and frustrating) knack of missing on breakaways, despite his great speed down the ice. Once, he got tired of rush hour traffic in Edmonton and abandoned his rented car on a street in downtown Edmonton.

#52. CONN SMYTHE
Smythe was the one who gave the Toronto Maple Leafs their name ... before then, they were known as the St. Pats. He had the famous quote that "if you can't beat them in the alley, you can't beat them on the ice.".

#53. PETER MAHOVLICH
Peter is "The Big M's" brother ... and like many mischievous little brothers, found a way to stir up a little trouble. When he was with Montreal, Canadiens coach Scotty Bowman fined him for missing curfew. Mahovlich knew he'd miss curfew again ... so he paid Bowman an extra $100 in addition to the $100 he owed in advance for his next curfew infringement ...

#54. "Nefarious" DARIUS KASPARAITIS
I'm not sure what the "nefarious" moniker was for unless it was meant to make Kasparaitis' name sound like more of a disease than it already does ... . In his early days with the New York Islanders, he didn't understand what "No Parking" meant and hence, kept having his cars towed away.

#55. JOHN BROPHY
Brophy was a profane coach who, when asked how he dealt with minor league pugilist Bill Goldthorpe, whacked a player over the head with a stick.

#56. BRETT "The Golden Brett" HULL
Hull is known for socring goals during games and scoring points with the media, in the form of clever quips, before and after games. When he asked a repoter "How's it going?" and the reporter answered, "No complaints.", Hull said: "Want to hear some?".

More stories to come later ...

[wingoilerfan]

#57. BERNIE "Boom Boom" GEOFFRION
Geoffrion's nickname, Boom Boom, spoke for his slapshot. He used that slapper to score 50 goals in 50 games ... . In one game, goalie Al Rollins nearly broke his toes trying to stop a Geoffrion slapshot ... oooooooooouuuuuuuuch! Rollins thought his toes were paralyzed after blocking that shot ...

#58. SPRAGUE CLEGHORN
Jack Adams called Cleghorn an "unwashed surgeon" because of his stickwork. Cleghorn can be thought of as the "Bryan Marchment of the 1920s", and had once abandoned the Stanley Cup by Rideau Canal in Ottawa.

#59. GERRY CHEEVERS
Cheevers succeeded Jacques Plante in the campaign for goalies to wear masks. He painted black lines and marks on his mask to represent where he would have stitches had he not worn a mask.

#60. JIM COLEMAN
Coleman was known for publicizing the Legend of Pete Muldoon. As the legend goes, Muldoon was removed as coach of the Chicago Blackhawks and to show his disdain, put an "Irish curse" on the team. As Coleman wrote, Muldoon said the curse "would last forever".

#61. JOHN GARRETT
Today, Garrett is known as a CBC broadcaster. Before then, he was known as a backup goalie who was called in to replace Dan Bouchard ... at that time, Garrett went into the net with a hot dog tucked inside one of his goalie pads ... he must not have finished it when he was called to replace Bouchard.

[wingoilerfan]

#62. BABE PRATT
Pratt bet money on games and was suspended for it. His coach, Hap Day, had to become his roommate just to keep him in check ...

#63. FRANCOIS DUPUY
Ah, the hard-luck Habs goalie from the Nike commercials from the mid to late 1990s ... . Dupuy was forced into fictionary retirement by Mats Sundin, his nemesis in those commercials. Thanks to Sundin, Dupuy worked odd jobs as a gardener and a New York City cab driver.

#64. RED DUTTON
Dutton was the 2nd President of the NHL, and was also a defenseman known for penalties, and lots of them. In a game featuring his Montreal Maroons, he was mad that play was delayed due to a severe shortage of pucks (In fact, there were none to be found ... ) and said something along the lines of "To heck with the pucks, just start the darn game!".

#65. LAURIE SCOTT
Scott was an extremely superstitious player. he always insisted that he be the last to leave the team dressing room, and always had to have his hockey sticks facing upwards on the stick rack. To what extent was he superstitious? He immediately retired after a teammate had turned some of his sticks upside down ...

#66. "Leapin' " LOU FONTINATO
Fontinato was a fan favorite with the New York Rangers. One game, when his coach refused to play him, Fontinato insisted that he listen to the fans, who were chanting "We want Louie! We want Louie!", but it didn't deter the coach, who said "If they want you so bad, take off your skates and go join 'em.". Fontinato was also Gordie Howe's nemesis way back during the Wing dynasty of the 1950s. In one fight, Howe broke Fontinato's nose to the point where it was unrecognizable. Today, Howe and Fontinato are good friends ... and I can bet they conjure up these old war stories when they get together for coffee.

[Leafs2089]

How can you be both an Oilers fan and a Wings fan... sounds like a front runner to me after this year you'll be a Leafs fan when they take the cup where it belongs CANADA