International Hockey Legends

2012-01-29T21:03:00.000-08:00

Austria
Dr. Blake Watson

Canada
Hank Akervall
Roger Bourbonnais
Connie Broden
Sean Burke
Jack Cameron
Billy Colvin
Frank Frederickson
Chris Fridfinnson
Randy Gregg
Wayne Gretzky
Paul Henderson
Fabian Joseph
Mario Lemieux
Eric Lindros
Barry MacKenzie
Seth Martin
Mark Messier
Morris Mott
Dunc Munro
Hugh Plaxton
Beattie Ramsay
Darryl Sly
Harry Watson

Czech Republic
Jiri Bubla
Jaroslav Drobny
Jiri Dudacek
Miroslav Dvorak
Dominik Hasek
Milos Holan
Jiri Holecek
Jaroslav Holik
Jiri Holik
Martin Hostak
Jiri Hrdina
Jaroslav Jirik
Stanislav Konopasek
Oldrich Machac
Vladimir Martinec
Bohumil Modry

Eduard Novak
Jiri Novak
Milan Novy
Jan Peka
Frantisek Popisil
Robert Reichel
Bohuslav Stastny
Jan Suchy
Frantisek Tikal
Vladimir Zabrodsky

Finland
Tony Arima
Matti Hagman
Raimo Helminen
Aarne Honkavaara
Arto Javananian
Erkki Laine
Pekka Rautakallio
Simo Saarinen

France
Pierre Allard
Philippe Bozon

Germany
Rudi Ball
Karl Friesen
Gustav Jaenecke
Udo Kiessling
Erich Kuhnhackl
Robert Mueller

Great Britain
Jimmy Foster
Tony Hand
Chick Zimick

Hungary
Attila Ambrus

Israel
Max Birbraer

Italy
Rino Alberton

Italy
Mike Rosati

Latvia
Helmut Balderis
Elmars Bauris
Viktor Khatulev
Harry Mellups

Norway
Espen Knutsen
Anders Myrvold
Bjorne Skaare
Petter Thoresen

Poland
Ralf Adamowski
Wieslaw Jobczyk

Russia
Venjamin Alexandrov
Alexander Almetov
Vyacheslav Anisin
Yevgeny Babich
Evgeny Belosheikin
Yuri Blinov
Vsevolod Bobrov
Alexander Bodunov
Vyacheslav Bykov
Nikolai Drozdetsky
Viacheslav Fetisov
Anatoli Firsov
Edward Ivanov
Alexander Galimov
Alexei Guryshev
Alexei Kasatonov
Valeri Kharlamov
Nikolai Khlystov
Vladimir Krutov
Viktor Kuzkin
Igor Larionov
Konstantin Loktev
Sergei Makarov
Alexander Maltsev
Boris Mikhailov
Grigori Mkrtychan
Victor Nechaev
Vladimir Petrov
Stanislav Petukhov
Sergei Priakhin
Alexander Ragulin
Anatoli Semenov
Sergei Shepelev
Viktor Shuvalov
Alexander Sidelnikov
Genrikh Sidorenkov
Nikolai Sologubov
Vladislav Tretiak
Alexander Uvarov
Valeri Vasiliev

Slovenia
Janez Albreht
Ernest Aljancic
Rudi Hiti

Slovakia
Jiri Bicek
Vladimir Dzurilla
Jozef Golonka
Vaclav Nedomansky
Ladislav Trojak

Sweden
Monte Afzelius
Lasse Bjorn
Anders Eldebrink
Leif Holmqvist
Tumba Johansson
Jorgen Jonsson
Kenny Jonsson
Eje Lindstrom
Mats Naslund
Carl-Goran Oberg
Borje Salming
Ulf Sterner
Lennart Svedberg
Einar Svensson
Hakan Wickberg

Switzerland
Paul Dipietro
Pauli Jaks
Richard "Bibi" Torriani

USA
Tony Amonte
Dave Christian

Roger Christian
Bill Cleary
Bob Cleary
Jim Craig
Herb Drury
Mike Eruzione
Moose Goheen
Willard Ikola
Steve Janaszak
Mark Johnson
Ray Leblanc
Joe Linder
John Mayasich
Jack McCartan
Winthrop "Ding" Palmer
David Quinn
Mike Richter
Andy Roach
Jim Sedin
Coddy Winters
Scott Young
Ken Yackel

Willard Ikola

2012-01-29T21:02:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time there was a little town called Eveleth, Minnesota. The people in this snowy town produced two things. Iron ore, and hockey players. Especially goalies.

In the 1930s 99% of the jobs in the National Hockey League were held by Canadians. Among the six goaltending jobs in the league at that time 2 were held by Eveleth High School graduates - Frank Brimsek in Boston and Mike Karakas in Chicago. And when Karakas left Chicago another Eveleth grad took his job - Sam LoPresti.

There was another all time great goalie to come out of Eveleth, albeit a few years later. He never played in the NHL, but he was a USA national team stalwart and Olympic star in 1956. His name was Willard Ikola, but everyone knew him as Ike.

Ikola was born and raised in Eveleth. He donned the pads because his brother Roy was also a goalie (representing USA at the 1948 Olympics). But Willard patterned his game very purposefully after Sam LoPresti.

Ikola led Eveleth to state titles in 1948, 1949 and 1950. He then moved on to the University of Michigan where he won two national titles and played in a third championship game.

He backstopped the 1956 U.S. Olympic team to a silver medal in Cortina, Italy, and was named the tournament’s outstanding goalie.

After the Olympics Ikola turned down offers to turn professional. Instead he became the head coach at Edina. He guided the Hornets for 33 seasons, winning eight state championships and 616 games.

After retiring as the high school head coach he served as a scout for the New York Islanders.

Herb Drury

2012-01-29T16:39:00.000-08:00

There was a time when the United States Hockey Hall of Fame would induct just about any American who knew how to skate and knew what a hockey puck was.

So it has always surprised me that they never inducted 1924 American Olympic star Herb Drury.

The reason may be because Drury was born in Midland, Ontario, Canada. Yep, he was born in Canada and a lot historians consider him to be a Canadian. But he was more like Brett Hull in that yes he was born and trained in Canada, but embraced his adopted country of the United States.

At age of 21 Drury relocated south to play with the Pittsburgh Yellowjackets in the USAHA. His hockey career was put on hold as he served in the American military during World War I. But he would return to Pittsburgh to play with the Yellowjackets and later the NHL's Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Quakers.

Though he played over 200 games in the NHL it was as an Olympian that Herb Drury is best remembered. He played in both the 1920 and 1924 Olympics, representing USA both times. He was the driving force behind the Americans' silver medal in 1924, thanks to 22 goals in 5 games!

Herb's brother Morley Drury was an outsanding college football player for the University of Southern California, who appeared in the Rose Bowl and has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Frank "Coddy" Winters

2012-01-29T11:47:00.000-08:00

This is Frank "Coddy" Winters, a speedy forward and defenseman who starred in the Cleveland area from 1908 through 1925. He later also served as a coach and referee.

Born on January 29th, 1884, Winters started out as an ice polo player in his home town of Duluth in the late 1800s. He later took up up hockey, serving as a rover because of his great skating ability. He later moved to Cleveland where he starred in a 17 year career, winning three league championships.

He later coached in the Cleveland area while also making trips to Philadelphia to coach at the University of Pennsylvania.

Winters remained in Cleveland until his death in 1944. He worked in the sporting goods business.

Joe Linder

2012-01-29T11:33:00.000-08:00

This is Joe Linder, who was often described as "the first great American hockey player."

Born in 1886 in Hancock, Michigan, Linder played from 1904 through 1920 in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, widely considered America's top hockey league at the time. When he was still in high school he was often recruited to play whenever there was a shortage of professional players.

Not a whole lot is known about Linder. He and Minnesota's Moose Goheen were two early stars in American hockey history. The bigger Goheen is better known and even landed in the Hockey Hall of Fame. But a number of sources (albeit probably with some regional biases) proclaim Linder to be the better of the two.

In February 1941 Esquire Magazine said "any list of the 30 best hockey players the whole world has had would have to include the American born Linder.

In 1914 a Winnipeg reporter was full of praise for Linder in a game played against the Winnipeg Victorias: “Capt. Joe Linder played like a veritable demon. On offense and defense Linder stood out as one of the greatest men I have ever seen on ice.”

The United States Hockey Hall of Fame inducted Linder in 1975, claiming Linder was "a powerful raw-boned, virtually irresistible skater, playmaker, and team leader."

Roger Christian

2011-11-14T13:35:00.001-08:00

Last week I was out hiking in the Vancouver area. I did not get a chance to celebrate the life of Roger Christian. Christian, a true American hockey legend, passed away last week at the age of 75.

Richard Goldstein of the New York Times has a great piece on Christian:

Roger Christian, whose four-goal game propelled the United States to its first gold medal in Olympic ice hockey, an improbable championship at the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Games, died Wednesday in Grand Forks, N.D. He was 75.

Here's the full story.

Roger and brother Billy Christian were linemates on the U.S. team in the Squaw Valley Games. The key decision was a 3-2 victory against the Soviet Union, when Roger assisted on two of Billy’s goals. Roger also scored four goals in a 9-4 victory over Czechoslovakia for the gold medal.

Roger Christian played on five U.S. national teams and is enshrined in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. For 20 years Roger starred with his hometown Warroad Lakers. The brothers later partnered to form Christian Brothers, a hockey stick maker in Warroad, Minn.

The Christian family of Warroad are American hockey royalty. Roger's nephew (Billy's son) Dave went on to play a big role in the United States "Miracle On Ice" gold medal win at the 1980 Olympics as well as a lengthy NHL career.

Frank Rankin

2011-06-30T10:33:00.000-07:00

In 1961 the Hockey Hall of Fame inducted a fellow named Frank Rankin into it's hallowed halls. Then, and even more so now, Rankin is one of the least known players in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

That's because Rankin never played pro hockey. He starred in his hometown of Stratford, Ontario and later in Toronto from 1904 through 1914. The NHL wasn't even officially formed until 1917.

Rankin, who was from a family full of hockey stars, was a junior hockey sensation in Stratford. A brilliant skater and stickhandler, Rankin, one of the best rovers of all time, moved on to Toronto where he led the Eatons to back to back provincial senior titles in 1911 and 1912. He later moved to St. Michael's, falling in the finals in 1913 and 1914.

In a region that also boasted Frank Foyston, Harry Meeking and Alf Skinner, Rankin was an all star rover each of those seasons, always challenging for the goal scoring championship. He led in 1911 and 1913 (when he scored 22 goals in just 5 contests). In total he scored 63 goals in 21 games over those 4 seasons, plus another 15 in 13 playoff games.

His greatness was renowned, and the pro teams wanted him. He reportedly turned down $2,500 for one season, which was a significant amount of money at the time. Teams from Ottawa and Toronto both offered big money, but he steadfastly refused to give up his amateur status, mostly because he did not want to give up his regular job (his occupation remains a mystery to me at this time).

Rankin's career was cut short by World War I as he joined the Canadian Armed Forces.

Though he never returned to the ice as a competitive player, he did step behind the bench. He coached the Toronto Granites to the gold medal at the very first Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France in 1924.

Rankin died in 1932, making his inclusion in the Hall of Fame in 1961 a posthumous affair. Even if he had still been alive he would have been greatly overshadowed on his induction night. His induction class included Rocket Richard, Syl Apps, Milt Schmidt, Charlie Conacher and George Hainsworth.

Tony Arima

2011-04-16T21:22:00.000-07:00

This is Tony Arima. He was a popular but troubled player in his native Finland. Affectionately known as Tony the Tiger, he was far from the most talented player on the ice. He made up for that with heart and desire that warmed him to Finnish fans.

Dedication and desire could have taken Arima far. He was a member of Finland's world junior teams in 1980 and 1981, winning a silver medal each time. He was even drafted by the NHL in 1981, 150th overall by the Colorado Rockies (who later became the New Jersey Devils).

The often outspoken Arima's career stopped ascending just prior to the 1984 Olympics. Arima was slated to represent Suomi in Sarajevo, but he lost his spot due to an injury.

Arima was never really heard from again on any high level of hockey. He continued to play in Finland through to 1996, with HIFK and Jokerit but increasingly often in the second division as his career progressed.

Sadly, Arima took his own life in 2005. The 44 year old reportedly battled a lot of demons and to cope he drank too heavily.

Nikolai Khlystov

2011-04-16T16:21:00.000-07:00

Another of the earliest Soviet hockey greats was Nikolai Khlystov. Khlystov played in the shadows of the likes of Vsevolod Bobrov, Yevgeny Babich and Soviet Wings and national team linemate Alexei Guryshev.

Khlystov's bread and butter was his skating ability. The great book Kings of the Ice says "he had a unique skating technique that was natural and effortless." He had great first step quickness and was agile as a deer. He was not much bigger than a deer either, standing 5'5" and weighing 140lbs.

Not only was Khlystov fast, but he could handle the puck at high speeds. He was an early stickhandling wizard, using his stick quickly to feint moves left and right, fooling more than a few defensemen.

Statistics of early era of Soviet hockey are always sketchy at best. He played in 81 games (scoring 18 goals) with the national team, including when the Soviets won their first World Championship in 1954 and first Olympic gold medal in 1956. He played 250 USSR league games, joining Krylja Sovetov (Moscow) as an 18 year old in 1950. Khlystov, who is credited with 150 league goals, helped the team also know as the Soviet Wings win the league title in 1957.

Assists were not properly recorded back then. Too bad for Khylstov, as he likely would now be recognized as perhaps the best set up man of his time. He had an uncanny ability to play with Guryshev, sensing his every move for some beautiful passing plays. Guryshev was the finisher, but many credit Khylstov for his success. When Khlystov left the ice in 1961, Guryshev's goal scoring exploits became rarer and rarer.

Genrikh Sidorenkov

2011-04-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

Check out this great video footage of early era Soviet hockey, specifically in 1956 when the Soviets won their first Olympic gold in hockey:

One of the players featured in the video is Genrikh Sidorenkov. He is hardly the most renowned Russian player of all time, but nonetheless an early star. He was best known as a reliable, steady defense partner of Nikolai Sologubov, who is generally recognized as the first great Russian defenseman.

Sidorenkov was a 5'10" 185lb blueliner described as "low key," "dependable," with a "common sense style" and "a relaxed confidence." The excellent book Kings of the Ice suggests "he was a pragmatic and cautious player, exerting the minimum effort required in bodychecking while maximizing his excellent physical attributes of height and weight. Sidorenkov was respected for his well-organized game and nearly flawless performance."

Nine times Sidorenkov played on the Soviet national team, for a total of 107 games. The defenseman scored 15 goals.

He also played in 310 league games with Krylya Sovetov Moscow (1948-1951), CSKA Moscow (1951-1962, 1964-1966) and SKA Leningrad (1962-1964). A three time Soviet All Star, Sidorenkov scored a career total of 42 goals.

In addition to the 1956 gold medal, Sidorenkov added an Olympic silver medal in 1960. At the World Championships, Sidorenkov won a gold medal in 1954, silver in 1957, 1958 and 1959 and a bronze in 1961.

Espen Knutsen

2011-04-16T15:27:00.001-07:00

He should have been remembered as a neatly named, hockey pioneer from an unusual hockey land.

Instead he is forever - and unfairly - linked to one of the greatest tragedies in NHL history.

Espen Knutsen, ESPN's favorite hockey player, was a rare hockey player from Norway to make it to the National Hockey League. Though Norway is one of the world's greatest winter sports nations, hockey is not high on the interest list.

Yet somehow the diminutive Norseman nicknamed Shampoo who grew up wearing hand-me-down clothing from his sisters made it to the top of the hockey world, even though he never really dreamed about it.

Espen grew up starring in soccer and hockey. Around the age of 15 he had to choose one or the other, and he chose hockey 'because it was more fun." His ultimate goal - to play professionally in Sweden or Finland. The NHL was so far away from Norway he never really let it enter his thought process.

Starring in Sweden with Djurgarden, as well as a strong 1994 Olympics held 110 miles north of his hometown, he caught the eyes of the NHL. The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim brought him over, making him just the third Norwegian born player in NHL history.

He would return to Sweden soon thereafter, but he gave the NHL another shot in 2000, signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He proved to be a strong offensive player on a weak expansion team.

Knutsen was doing nicely but his career spun into mediocrity as he was devastated by a tragedy in Columbus. Espen's slap shot was deflected into the stands, striking 13 year old Brittanie Cecil, who was attending her first hockey game. She died two days later.

The death led to the NHL's decision to erect safety netting at all its arenas.

The accident was just that - an accident, and a freak one at that. But Knutsen took the death hard, and, thanks largely to injuries, Knutsen soon disappeared from the top level of hockey.

Pierre Allard

2011-04-11T22:09:00.000-07:00

This is Pierre Allard. Born in Montreal, he dreamed of playing for Les Canadiens. After playing in the QMJHL with St. Hyachinthe and Shawinigan, Allard was invited as a free agent to Montreal's training camp in 1992, though he was quickly cut.

Allard jumped the pond and enjoyed a lengthy career in Europe, starring France for two years before moving to Manchester until 2003. At the same time he acquired French citizenship and represent France at the World Championship level 5 times, as well as at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano.

Allard returned to Montreal after that, playing some senior hockey while earning a degree in Kinesiology from the University of Montreal in 2005. He opened his strength and conditioning business, focusing on hockey players including the likes of Kris Letang and Max Talbot.

Allard's success saw him finally make the Montreal Canadiens in 2010, as the team hired him as a strength and conditioning coach.

Janez Albreht

2011-04-11T21:50:00.000-07:00

Slovenian goaltender Janez Albreht (not to be confused with the Slovenian theatre actor by the same name) played regularly for the Yugoslavian national team in the 1970s, at the World Championships (B Pool) and the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck.

That aside, it was Albreht's personal tragedy that is the most notable aspect of his life. On March 11th, 2004 a heavily inebriated Albreht shot his wife 4 times before turning the gun on himself, shooting himself in the head. Somehow, both he and his wife survived. Albreht, who spent nearly 2 months in a coma, was later charged with attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm. He would be sentenced to just shy of 6 years in prison.

Rino Alberton

2011-04-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

This is Rino Alberton. He scored 1 goal in 5 games for host Italians at the 1956 Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

History has all but forgotten virtually every player who played for Italy, who finished in 7th place. But Alberton may have been their best player.

Born in Milan, Rino moved to Canada when he was just 5 years old. Growing up in Niagara Falls, he was like most other Canadian boys, playing hockey at every chance. He was pretty good, too. He would play for the Galt Black Hawks at the Jr. B level.

Alberton moved back to Italy after he turned 18, joining HC Torino.The statistical trail only hints at him playing hockey in the 1955-56 season.

Ralf Adamowski

2011-04-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

This is the Polish hockey legend Tadeusz "Ralf" Adamowski. His story is not the usual hockey story. Not even close.

The son of Polish musicians Jozef and Antonina Adamowski, Ralf was born in Switzerland but grew up in USA. He studied at Harvard University, earning a degree in economics. He excelled in many sports, including football, tennis and basketball. At Harvard he starred on the hockey and fencing teams.

While working for General Motors, a trip home to Poland in 1925 forever changed his life. He was asked to play professional hockey in Warsaw. Though he could have played hockey at a high level in the United States, Adamowski returned to Poland (while continuing to work for GM) in 1927 and became a playing coach with AZS Warsawa, winning 5 consecutive Polish league titles. Playing alongside Aleksander Tupalski he also represented Poland internationally in 40 games, scoring 16 goals. The duo were amongst the most highly regarded hockey players in Europe in the late 1920s.

Adamowski fought in World War II and became a prisoner of war in Germany. He survived, and eventually returned to New York City where he worked for UNICEF. Interestingly, Adamowski's sister Helenka Adamowska Pantaleoni, a silent film star in Hollywood, was an instrumental figure in the founding of UNICEF.

Ralf, who died in New York in 1994, was also a cousin of Ignacy Paderewski, a pianist turned prime minister of Poland.

Morris Mott

2011-04-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

At the end of the 20th century, many media outlets were debating the greatest athletes of all time.

The Vancouver Province newspaper however took a different angle however - they ranked the 50 worst athletes of all time. By writing this silly story, they embarrassed a proud Canadian hockey player.

For the record, British ski jumper and Calgary fan favorite Eddie the Eagle was named the worst athlete of the century. The list was made up primarily of basketball and baseball players, but named two hockey players - Morris Mott and Kerry Ketter.

Neither deserved to be there. Ketter was just another nameless, faceless skater, who was probably as good or as bad as hundreds of others who had a cup of coffee at the NHL. Mott was more than just a nameless, faceless skater however, the newspaper's lack of research is a slap in the face of a very proud Canadian.

A terrific skater and penalty killer, the diminutive Mott represented Canada in 3 World Championships (winning 2 bronze medals) and 1 Olympics (1968, winning a bronze medal) before playing a minor role with the NHL's California Golden Seals.

Before joining the Seals Morris attended two years at Queen's University where he was studying history.
Perhaps his only greater love than hockey was Canadian history

Mott played 3 years in California. Because of his lack of size he wasn't given much of a chance to show any of his offensive gifts, but he proudly excelled as a defensive specialist and penalty killer. His breakaway speed was his best hockey attribute. As he played with the Seals continued working on his doctorate in history. A professional athlete excelling at scholastics while still playing his sport was a rarity back then (and today for that matter). The Sporting News editors were so impressed that they ran a full page article on him in the 1973-74 season.

Mott left the Seals in the summer of 1975 and returned to a venue he really loved - international hockey. He signed with Vastra Frolunda of the Swedish Elite League and did quite well for himself, scoring 16 goals in 36 games. Following the completion of the Swedish season, Mott finished the year by playing 2 games for the WHA Winnipeg Jets before hanging up the blades for good.

Since his hockey days Mott has evolved into a University professor (in Brandon, Manitoba) specializing in Canadian history. He is also an accessible member of the Society For International Hockey Research.

Viktor Shuvalov

2011-04-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

Playing in the shadows of Vsevolod Bobrov and Alexei Guryshev, center Viktor Shuvalov is a forgotten early great of Soviet hockey.

The 5-time Soviet all star and USSR league champion often played with Bobrov and Evgeny Babich. Shuvalov, who scored 222 goals in 150 Russian league games, was described as "equally outstanding" as his more famous linemates. Shuvalov was "the driving force behind Bobrov's troika."

Internationally he added 40 goals in 51 contests, winning Olympic gold in 1956 and world championship gold in 1954. He also won a silver in the 1955 Worlds.

Shuvalov sacrificed his own offensive desires to allow his less-than-defensive-conscious linemates to exploit napping defenses. Shuvalov, like all classic Russian centermen, always came back deep in the defensive zone, helping out the dmen. He then would spring his wingmen with breakout passes, trailing behind them almost like a defenseman jumping into the rush nowadays. He would often stay high for defensive purposes, but at other times he would park himself in the slot.

Being the line's defensive conscious meant that he was underrated not only historians but by opponents at the time. They would focus primarily on Bobrov and also Babich, often leaving the trailing Shuvalov unguarded. This allowed Babich to score often.

Shuvalov, one of the earliest Soviet proponents of the slap shot, was a great athlete. He actually played 2 years of soccer at the highest Russian level.

Eje Lindstrom

2011-03-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

This photo is of an ol' time Swedish player named Erling "Eje" Lindstrom. I had never heard of him before, but once I saw this photo, I simply had to know all about him.

I turned to the Society for International Hockey Research where on the internet discussion mailing list I was introduced to a fellow named Krister Ericsson. He kindly sent me a a lot of translated information on Eje Lindstrom. This profile would not be possible if it were not for Krister.

Eje Lindstrom was born in Sunsvall on August 9th, 1937. He was always tiny - so tiny that as a kid his jersey was too big and interfered with his gloves, and he had trouble holding a hockey stick. He started on defense but soon settled up front on left wing, where he would become a star as pro. He also starred in soccer as a youth, admitting he may have been even better on the pitch than on the ice. He eventually had to choose between the two sports, opting to play for the Swedish national hockey team rather than the national junior soccer team.

Lindstrom's met his lifelong best friend as a kid - long time teammate Bert Ola Nordlander. They grew up on the same street, and went to star with the Swedish national team together.

Eje's idol growing up in was Ingvar "Tjotta" Naslund, the father of Montreal Canadiens great Mats Naslund. "Tjotta" one day gave Lindstrom his first job after he dropped out of high school.

But Lindstrom's future was not in the Naslund workshop, but rather on the ice. From 1953 through 1960 he starred with Wifsta/Ostrand IF in the top Swedish league. By the age of 22 he was a playing coach. That would serve him well in coming years.

Three times Lindstrom played in the World Championships. His career highlight came in 1957 when Sweden won gold in Moscow.

Playing on a line with Garvis Maatta and the great Sven Tumba, Eje scored 2 of 8 goals in the gold medal clinching game against the Russians.

"I scored two goals and assisted on one in the 4-4 tied against the Russians and that was enough for a gold medal. If it had been today you would be a national hero, but back then only a couple of reporters from the press were there," he said.

Strangely, Lindstrom was dropped from the national team in 1960 prior to the Olympics, in favor of a player named Einar Granath.

Krister Ericsson describes Lindstrom as "small and very speedy skater. Not a physical player. The best description may be small and weak but very well conditioned and technical.

After being cut from the national team Lindstrom became more and more focused on coaching. In the 1960s he coached both Grums and AIK as well as the junior national team. In 1970 he was even offered the job as national team head coach, but he walked away from the dream offer in a dispute with Helge Berglund, chairman of the Swedish Hockey Federation. They wanted Eje to coach, but they wanted full control on who was named to the team, not the coach.

Some of Lindstrom's prized pupils include Lennart "Lill-Strimma" Svedberg, Inge Hammarstrom, Lars-Erik Sjoberg, Christer and Tommy Abrahamsson, Willy Lindstrom and Dan Labraaten.

Lindstrom coached until he was 39 years old. It was then that he turned to working in the school system. He also worked as a salesman for an electrical installation company later in life.

Special thanks to Krister Ericsson.

Vaclav Nedomansky

2011-03-06T20:41:00.000-08:00

When Vaclav Nedomansky defected to Canada in 1974 to play for the Toronto Toros in the WHA, not many people in North America realized what a great star he was back in Europe. Vaclav was 30-years old at the time and had a marvellous career behind him in the European rinks.

Young hockey players around Europe cherished his number 14 in the same way as North American kids cherished Gordie Howe's No.9, Guy Lafleur's No.10 or Bobby Orr's No.4.Vaclav was the ultimate hero for thousands of fans who loved the way he dominated games. Vaclav was born in Hodonin, in what would now be the Czech Republic, but his parents were Slovaks.

Vaclav's talent was obvious very early on and he soon came to the Slovak club Slovan Bratislava where he played from 1962 until he left for North America 1974. During the 12 seasons in the Czechoslovakian league he scored a stunning 369 goals in 419 games. He led the league in scoring four times (1967, 71, 72 and 74).

He wasn't just a dominant force in the Czechoslovakian league but he was also super when he played for the Czechoslovakian national team. He scored 163 goals in 220 games and played in 10 World Championship tournaments between 1965-74 as well as two Olympic tournaments in 1968 and 1972.

In 1972 he was the offensive catalyst who led Czechoslovakia to a gold medal, breaking the Soviet dominance. He scored 15 points, including 9 goals, in the 10 games. The same year as he defected he led all goal scorers during the 1974 world championship tournament and was selected as the best forward of the tournament. He had also been a first All-Star three times (1969, 70 and 74) on the right wing.

Scouts and managers in the NHL were drooling over the 6'2" and 210 Ibs Slovak. He had all the tools necessary to become a star in the NHL. He not only had the size but he also possessed the best wrist shot in the world at that time. On a couple of occasions his wristshot was clocked at 90+ MPH, which was harder than most players slap shots at that time.

When Vaclav came to the Toros he was teamed up with future Hall of Famer Frank Mahovlich. Even though Vaclav didn't set the league on fire upon his arrival, he nevertheless scored a very respectable 81 points (41 goals) in 78 games. The next season (1975-76) he had adapted a little more to the smaller rinks and showed his marvellous skills. He scored 56 goals and 98 points for the Toros. He won the Paul Deneau Trophy that season awarded to WHA's most gentlemanly player.

As the Toros moved to Birmingham in 1976 Vaclav continued to score goals, even though his production fell to "only" 36 goals during the 1976-77 season. He was then signed as a free agent by Detroit Red Wings on November 18, 1977. He was finally playing in the NHL, almost 10 years after NY Rangers GM Emile Francis had tried to lure him over to New York.

His first season in Detroit wasn't all that great and he scored only 28 points (11 goals) in 64 games, not exactly the numbers one would expect from a World class player. But as soon as Vaclav settled down in the Motor City, he came back and showed flashes of his brilliance. Although clearly past his prime he scored 38 and 35 goals the following two seasons (78-79 and 79-80). His 73 and 74 points was a really good result considering the fact that he was 35-36 years old playing for one of the worst teams in the league. Although not as fast as he used to be he still had that deadly wristshot as well as great touch around the net. As his speed deteriorated he became more and more of a power forward who thrived in the slot. He was hard to move away from the slot in the same fashion as Phil Esposito was and became something of a powerplay specialist.

He played a couple of more seasons in Detroit before he was signed by NY Rangers as a free agent on September 30, 1982. He scored a goal in his first game with the Rangers before getting claimed off waivers by St.Louis on October 6, 1982.

Ironically enough it was Emile Francis who was behind the deal, the former Rangers' GM who had his eyes on Vaclav back in the 1960's was now a St. Louis GM. He finally got Vaclav on his team, ok so "Big Ned" was almost 39, but it didn't matter to Francis.

The New York management weren't happy about losing Vaclav. They never figured that anybody would be interested in a 38-year old player with a million dollar contract, but they had forgot about Francis. They were determined to get "Nedo" back and traded young prospect Andre Dore to St. Louis in exchange for Vaclav and Glen Hanlon on January 4, 1983. "Big Ned's" stint with St. Louis only lasted for 22 games before he came back to the "Big Apple". Upon his return to NY Rangers he scored 11 goals in 34 games, 8 of them coming on the powerplay. He finished that 1982-83 season with 31 points (14 goals) in 57 games before calling it quits, almost 40-years old.

A marvelous career that had spanned for over three decades came to an end which saw "Big Ned" score close to 800 goals. Had he been able to play in North America during his prime then he could very well have challenged Esposito's then record 76 goals in a season.

Vaclav later went on to scout for the Los Angeles Kings.

Special thanks to Patrick Houda

Ken Yackel

2011-03-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

Minnesota has produced a lot of top quality hockey players. Despite getting into only 6 NHL games (all with the Boston Bruins in 1958-59), Ken Yackel is one of them.

Yackel attended the University of Minnesota from 1951 through 1956, achieving stardom as both a defenseman and forward. Minnesota reached the final four of the NCAA Tournament in both 1953 and 1954 with Yackel playing a major role. He was named to the All Tournament Team in 1954 while at the same time being selected to the All American Team.

He also was an Olympian after participating in the 1952 Olympics, scoring 6 goals in 8 games for Team USA. Yackel was a big part of that team which had a surprisingly great tournament. They won the Silver medal, only losing one game to Czechoslovakia. The highlight of that tournament for the Americans might have been the tied game against Canada however.

After graduating from college, Yackel opted to stay in Minnesota and coach high school hockey rather than leave. That only lasted for the 1956-57 season, as he then joined the WHL where he played one season with Saskatoon and St. Paul. A mid season trade returned him to his native Minnesota, but also swapped his NHL rights from the New York Rangers to the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins moved Yackel up to their top farm team in Providence Rhode Island for the next two years, where he played in the AHL, plus his 6 game appearance in the NHL.

In the early '60's Yackel returned to Minnesota and coached and played in what was technically an amateur International League. As a member of the Minneapolis Millers, Yackel achieved great things. In 1960-61 the Millers won the regular season championship as Yackel captured the league scoring championship and first all star team selection at left wing and coach. The following year he had a career high 50 goals and was named to the league first all star team at left wing. In 1962-63 Yackel coached the Millers to the finals before losing to Fort Wayne, but his 100 point season earned him second team all star honors at both left wing and coach.

For nearly 3 decades Yackel ran a very successful summer hockey school in Minnesota, and was active in kids hockey until his death in July, 1991.

Alexei Kasatonov

2011-02-28T19:39:00.000-08:00

Many hockey fans watched Alexei Kasatonov during his 7 year NHL career. What many of them might not have realized is that they were watching one of the all time greats.

Alexei joined the New Jersey Devils at the age of 30, after a storied international career. However his best days were behind him at that point. While he had a couple of good seasons with the Devils, his play deteriorated and soon he bounced around the league with Anaheim, St. Louis and Boston.

Alexei's hockey resume is stacked. Three Olympic tournaments (1980, 1984, 1988), winning 2 golds and 1 silver. Five times he was a member of the World Champion squad (1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989). He was even named the best defenseman in 1983 World Championships and was a 5 time tournament all star. He was also a standout in 4 Canada Cup tournaments. In the Russian leagues he was a star by the age of 16 when he joined SKA Leningrad before joining the famous Red Army team two years later. While with the Red Army, he helped the team win 11 national titles.

Kasatonov joined the New Jersey Devils half way through the 1989-90 season where he was reunited with Slava Fetisov. Throughout the 1980s with Red Army and the Soviet national team Kastanov almost always played beside defensive partner Fetisov. The pair was considered to be the best defensive tandem outside of the NHL, and better than most in the NHL.

So you'd think they'd be happy to be together again right? Wrong. The two despised one another to the point where they refused to talk to one another. They kept as far away from each other as they could. The dispute started back when the two were still playing for the Red Army. The players were demanding to be treated better, to have more freedom, to be allowed to play outside of Russia. Of course this was during the days of communism and such outbreak was not tolerated. Fetisov and Igor Larionov led the rebellion, but Kasatonov didn't support their stance. He was even accused of spying on his teammates and reporting back to the hockey and government authorities.

Despite their passionate indifferences, the pair played exceptional hockey together, both internationally and later in the NHL.

Kasatonov finished his first NHL "half season" with 6 goals and 21 points in 39 games. He was also a +15 and seemed to adapt quickly to the NHL and the North American style of play. Some even said he was doing better than Fetisov, which was a bit of a surprise as it was always Fetisov who got a lot of publicity during the 1980s, at least here in North America.

Kasatonov had two strong seasons following his rookie NHL year. He scored 10 goals and 41 points and had a team high +23 in 1990-91. He followed that up with a 12 goal, 40 point effort in 1991-92.

Things started going downhill for Alexei as he registered the lowest totals of his NHL career in 1992-93. It was becoming obvious that age had caught up to the legendary skater, and his best days were behind him.

Despite his poor season, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks claimed Kasatonov in their Expansion Draft. He appeared in 55 games with Anaheim and was even invited to the NHL All Star game as the Ducks representative. However Kasatonov was traded later in the year, to St. Louis where he played in 8 games plus 4 playoff contests, scoring twice.

The Boston Bruins signed the veteran in 1994. They had hoped the veteran could help out another great defenseman - Ray Bourque - in leading the Bruins to the next level. He was solid defensively in the 1995 lockout shortened season and appeared to be back on track, but he appeared in only 19 games with the Bruins in 1995-96 before finishing the year in the minor leagues.

Alexei left North America to play one more season back in his native Russia in 1996-97. He is now a part of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation and was the general manager of the silver medal winning 1998 Olympic squad.

Eriks Koneckis

2011-02-06T14:45:00.000-08:00

This is Eriks Koneckis, a Latvian hockey star prior to World War II. He may also be known as Erich Konecki, as he was known in Germany where he starred after the War. Either way, he was known as one of the best hockey players in Europe in this frame.

I honestly do not know much about Koeckis. Born in Riga, he played with ASK Riga from 1936 through 1943. He represented Latvia at the World Hockey Championships in 1938.

After Latvia was taken over the Soviet Union, Koneckis fled to Germany. He played in Germany from 1945 through 1961, starring with Augsburg, Krefeld, Mannheimer and Dortmund. He is best known in Krefeld, where he also spent 3 seasons as a playing coach.

Born in 1920, Koneckis died in 2006 in Dortmund at the age of 85. The year prior he was inducted into the German Hockey Hall of Fame.

Elmars Bauris

2011-02-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

Check out this great uniform:

That is Elmar Buaris in a Latvian jersey of US Riga, circa 1944. US stands for Universitates Sports. The owl is a symbol of wisdom.

The next question of course is who was this Elmar Bauris. As I understand it Bauris, born in 1913, was bandy star who converted to Canadian hockey. The game was played in Latvia several years before the Russians adopted it in earnest. The Russians recruited Bauris and other Latvians to Moscow to teach them how to play. After 10 years playing for Dynamo Riga, Bauris would play one season with Moscow Spartak as a 38 year old, but shoulder and rib injuries kept him quiet.

Bauris was apparently also quite the accordion player! He also took up tennis competitively after his hockey career ended.

Special thanks to @DidzisRudmanis

Harry Mellups

2011-02-04T21:54:00.000-08:00

From a young age Latvian Harijis "Harry" Mellups showed athletic promise. He would grow up to play football (soccer), basketball, boxing and hockey. As an adult he focussed on two sports: football in the summer and hockey in the winter, winning Latvian championships in both sports for the team Dynamo Riga.

On the ice Mellups was a celebrated goaltender. In the 1946 season he reportedly gave up only 3 goals all season long. Not surprisingly Dynamo Riga won the Latvian championship that season.

The Soviet Union made it's historic entrance into international hockey in 1948. For the very first game (a 6-3 win over Czechoslovakia) Mellups was in goal. By 1949 he had fully transferred to Moscow to play both football and hockey, and was instantly recognized as one of the earliest stars in Soviet hockey.

That all came to a crashing halt in 1950. An airplane carrying Mellups, fellow Latvian Roberts Sulmanis and several other members of the Soviet Air Force hockey team crashed near Yekaterinburg (which at the time was known as Sverdlovsk). There were 19 people on board, including 11 hockey players and 2 team medical staff. There were no survivors.

Even more heart-breaking: Mellups' son was born 6 days earlier. He never had a chance to hold his own son.

The other hockey players on board were: Ivan Novikov, Zdenek Zigmund, Yuri Tarasov, Yuri Zhiburtovich, Victor Isaev (another goaltender), Alexander Moiseev and coach Boris Bocharnikov. Coach Bocharnikov wanted his team to fly rather than to take the train, as was originally planned, so that the team had 3 extra days of practice. For whatever reason Vsevolod Bobrov, the first great Russian hockey star, was permitted to take the train.

The team was run by Vasiliy Stalin, son of Russian leader Josef Stalin. Vasiliy feared repercussion from the incident, and kept it secret. A replacement team was formed in quick order, as if nothing had ever happened.

Special thank to @DidzisRudmanis

Grigory Mkrtychan

2011-02-04T10:45:00.000-08:00

Note the goalie in this picture. That is Grigory Mkrtychan, the first goaltender of note in Soviet hockey history.

Mkrtychan, Russian born to Armenian parents, was the first goalie for CSKA Moscow. He helped CSKA win the first three Soviet hockey league titles in 1948, 1948 and 1950.

Vasily Stalin, son of Josef Stalin, rose to power with a team called VVS. He simply could pluck the best players around the country and stock his team to an almost unfair advantage. When a Latvian goalie named Harry Mellups died in a plane crash, Stalin simply transferred Mkrtychan to VVS to become the new goalie there. Mkrtychan would lead VVS to Soviet league titles in 1951, 1952 and 1953.

VVS dissolved after 1953, allowing Mkrtychan to return to CSKA. He would win three more league titles - in 1955, 1956 and 1958.

Mkrtychan also represented the Soviet national team for 22 games, winning 20. In that time he won an Olympic gold medal in 1956, World Championship gold in 1954 and 1956 and silver in 1955.

By the way, the others in the photo above are (from left to right): Vladimir Nikanorov, Mkrtychan, Mihail Orehova , Yevgeney Babich, Anatoly Tarasov, Vsevolod Bobrov and Vladimir Venevcev.

Arto Javanainen

2011-01-28T20:33:00.000-08:00

Arto Javanainen, the second highest scoring player in Finnish hockey league history, died on January 25th, 2011 after a long illness. He was just 51 years old.

Javanainen scored 462 goals for a total of 792 points in 17 seasons with Ässät Pori and TPS Turku. He also represented Finland in three World U20 Championships, two World Championships, the 1984 Olympics and the 1981 Canada Cup, totalling 82 national team games.

Javanainen was drafted twice by NHL teams - Montreal in 1983 and Pittsburgh in 1984. He would play 14 games with the Penguins in 1984-85, Mario Lemieux's rookie season. Arto scored 4 goals and 5 points.

Javanainen's number 4 is retired by Pori and inducted into the Finnish hockey hall of fame in 2000. After retirement he became a car salesman.

Jiri Bicek

2011-01-06T19:55:00.000-08:00

Jiri Bicek is hardly the best player to come out of Slovakia. But he was the first to bring the Stanley Cup to the country.

Bicek was part of the New Jersey Devils team that won the Stanley Cup in 2003. Part of his celebration rights was to bring hockey's crown jewel to his hometown, the historic city of Kosice.

Seven thousand of people gathered to get a glimpse of the famous chalice. Only one problem. The airlines lost the Cup!

Cup keeper Mike Bolt arrived safely, only to find out the Stanley Cup did not make it. Somehow the Cup was still back in Toronto, much to everyone's disappointment. Somehow it never did get on the plane.

"There was a time when Stanley would travel with me in the plane," explained Bolt. "But after 9/11, the Cup now has to travel locked away in it's case in the regular cargo hold. Poor Stanley."

Fortunately, the Cup was sent to Kosice, arriving in the next day. All schedule plans needed to be rescheduled or cancelled, but, eventually, Bicek and all of Slovakia celebrated their first Stanley Cup championship. Bicek was certain to make sure the party in the town square reconvened and that he took the Cup to the hospital.

"It's a great honour to be the first player to bring the Stanley Cup to Slovakia," Jiri Bicek said. "With NHL stars like Ziggy Palffy, Peter Bondra and Miro Satan all from my country, it is hard for me to believe that I'm the first to bring it home. But I can tell you, I am very, very proud."

The 131st overall draft pick in 1997, Bicek's career never really amounted to much as far as NHL standards go. He came to North America and embraced the game, playing parts of seven seasons in the American Hockey League. Many European players would have retreated back to Europe rather than accept minor league life here. But Bicek wouldn't let his NHL dream die. And he was rewarded with the Stanley Cup!

The speedy winger played in 62 career NHL games, scoring 6 goals and 7 assists. He returned to Europe in 2004.

Andy Roach

2010-12-28T20:34:00.000-08:00

Andy Roach was an undersized, skilled defenseman. His game was far better suited for the big ice of international hockey rather than the standard rink and more physical play of the National Hockey League.

Undrafted and 32 years of age, it was highly unlikely Roach was ever going to get a shot at the NHL. The Ferris State graduate seemed quite content to star in German leagues and represent USA internationally.

Then a funny thing happened - he became the talk of the hockey world.

At the 2004 IIHF World Championships in Prague Roach scored two pretty shootout goals.

The first jawdropper lifted the United States to a stunning quarter-final upset over Jaromir Jagr and the home favourites. The second against Slovakia won the Americans a surprise bronze medal.

"Against the Czechs, it was Tomas Vokoun in net, I came in at pretty good speed and almost put the brakes on at the hash marks," recalled Roach. "I'm a right-hand shot and came in with the puck on my forehand, and made a hard move to my left, and he slid across, and once I went across hard I came back to my forehand and had pretty much an open net to slide it in. There were 18,000 fans at that game and you could hear a pin drop," Roach said. "It was amazing. Their whole country was just devastated."

Against Slovakia, Roach skated in with the puck on his forehand, went to his right but shifted the puck to his backhand and shot it, amazingly, across his body to the top left corner.

So amazingly that when the NHL opted to end tied games with a shootout contest themselves, the St. Louis Blues sought out Roach as their shootout specialist.

Roach signed a $450,000 contract with the Blues coming out of lost locked-out season. The NHL made a commitment to opening up the game by eliminating obstruction, allowing skilled players like Roach to flourish. But it was evident early that he was too small. He took three minor penalties in his first NHL game. After just 5 games his NHL career was over. He was sent to the minors and later released and returned to Europe.

After all that time waiting, Roach appreciated every fleeting moment in the NHL.

"It's great, just great, it's everything I thought it would be and even more," Roach said. "Playing at this level, you dream about it. When I went to Europe at 24 I actually told myself: 'That's it, you're giving up on the dream by coming over here.:

Frantisek Pospisil

2010-12-09T11:26:00.000-08:00

In the 1970s Team Czechoslovakia was a serious challenge to the powerful Soviets for international hockey supremacy. They were led by their great defenseman, Frantisek Pospisil.

Pospisil, along with regular partner Oldrich Machac, was the anchor of the team's defense from 1967 through 1977. In that time he aided CSSR to three World Championship gold medals, two strong showings at the Olympics (bronze in 1972, silver in 1976) and second place at the 1976 Canada Cup. Twice he was named top defenseman at the World Championships.

Domestically Pospisil starred with Poldi Kladno, pairing with Frantisek Kaberle Sr., from 1961 through 1978. Twice he won the Golden Stick award as the best player in all of Czechoslovakia, a rare accomplishment for a defenseman. He scored 134 career goals in 622 league games. Kladno won four league championships during Pospisil's reign.

Pospisil was blessed good size and great strength. He was a feared physical player in international hockey player, though he always played cleanly. He relied primarily on hockey smarts and positional defense. He contributed nicely to the offensive, primarily as a playmaker, as was the norm in those days.

"I was never a great skater. I never had the right speed. Therefore I tried to think quickly. I adhered to the principle that a pass is quicker than a player," he was quoted as saying in the excellent book, The Kings of the Ice.

Controversy swirled around Pospisil at the 1976 Olympics when drug testing found him guilty of using the banned substance codeine. Pospisil admitted he was taking codeine in order to fight off a flu that had spread through the Olympic village. As a result of the failed test, Czechoslovakia had to forfeit their game against Poland, rescinding the 7-1 victory they achieved earlier in the night. The forfeit cost the Czechoslovaks any hope of the gold medal. Pospisil was allowed to continue playing.

Inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1999, Pospisil also enjoyed a lengthy career as a coach.

Did You Know? A couple of days after Canada famously defeated the Soviets in game 8 of the 1972 Summit Series, Canada travelled to Czechoslovakia to play a "friendly" game against their national team.

Somebody forgot to tell Bobby Clarke it was a friendly game. He infamously butt-ended Frantisek Pospisil in the face. The video is now widely available, thanks to YouTube:

Oldrich Machac

2010-12-09T10:31:00.001-08:00

At the conclusion of the1976 Canada Cup, members of Team Canada and Team Czechoslovakia engaged in an impromptu jersey exchange.

Sometime ago someone asked me who did Bobby Orr exchange jerseys with. At the time I do not know, but I have the answer now. The problem is I can not for the life of me remember who asked in the first place. So for whoever asked, here is your answer.

This issue of Weekend Magazine clearly shows that Orr swapped jerseys with his fellow number four, Oldrich Machac.

So who is this Machac fellow? Quite the hockey player himself, it turns out.

"Olin" Machac is a IIHF Hall of Fame defenseman from the late 1960s and 1970s. He was blue line mainstay on a very strong Czechoslovakian team that seriously challenged the Soviets and Canada for hockey surpemacy in the 1970s. He played somewhat in the shadows of his regular national team defense partner, Frantisek Popisil. This despite the fact that Machac, noted for his wicked slap shot, was considered to be the more offensive of the two.

Machac was a member of three World Championship teams (he also won 4 silver and 3 bronze medals there). In addition, he was a tournament all start in 1972.

Machac also won three Olympic medals - 2 silver and a bronze. He was also a smart and steady player at the 1976 Canada Cup, helping Team CSSR, not the Soviets, get to the finals against Canada.

Machac played a total of 293 international games for Team CSSR. Only Jiri Holik played in more contests.

He was a star in the Czechoslovakian leagues, most notably with Brno. Six times Machac helped Brno celebrate league championships. The defenseman scored 108 goals in 490 career league games.

In 1978 an aging Machac was allowed to go to the west to finish his hockey career. He played 4 seasons with Rosenheim in Germany. Later in life he worked in the grocery industry.

Here's a great tribute video to the 1976 Canada Cup:

Stanislav Petukhov

2010-12-07T21:11:00.000-08:00

Stanislav Petukhov first debuted with Dynamo Moscow in the mid 1950s. He was an elegant player, tall and well builty, but a beautiful skater at the same time. He was an exceptionally strong chap, noted for having one of the most powerful shots in all of Russia.

Based on descriptions of his play, he seemed to take a similar approach to hockey as Phil Esposito. He would go to the front of the net and score in the slot. He did not necessarily dominate the slot physically, as that was a pretty foreign concept in Russian hockey in the 1950s, but he was exceptional at rebounds and deflections. He also, much like the latter day Sedin twins, liked to make beautiful plays from the crease area.

In fact, the more you learn about Petukhov, the more you think he'd be a perfect fit with the Sedins. He distinguished himself in early Russian hockey by playing in the corners and along the boards. Again, he did not crash and bang on the wall like a John Tonelli, but rather used the boards as "a conscious strategy aimed at further developing plays." As they say nowadays, cycling the puck.

It worked well for Petukhov, who played 13 years for Dynamo Moscow. He scored 170 goals in 368 career games in the Soviet top league. He added 19 goals in 46 games with the national team. He was part of the Soviet's gold medal in the 1964 Olympics and a silver medal in the 1960 Games. He also won a gold with the national team at the 1963 World Championships.

Late in his career the right winger actually switched to the blue line to play defense, at the coach's discretion. Petukhov is said have selflessly accept the new position and quickly mastered the new position.

Stanislav Petukhov is an honoured member of the Russian and Soviet Hockey Hall of Fame.

Billy Colvin

2010-11-10T19:48:00.001-08:00

Bill Colvin died on November 3rd, 2010.

You can be forgiven if you don't know immediately know who Bill Colvin was. He never played in the NHL. But he did play for Canada in the Olympics.

He was a solid player with the St. Michael's Majors in the 1950s. He joined the Kitchener Waterloo-Dutchmen in 1955-56. They won the Allan Cup championship as Canada's top amateur team in 1955, meaning they were automatically selected to represent Canada at the Olympic Games in Cortina, Italy. Canada, quite infamously, won the bronze medal that year.

Colvin, pictured above third from the left in the back row, briefly played some semi-pro with the Toledo Mercurys of the IHL in 1956-57, but returned to Kingston to play some senior hockey while continuing his education. He would enjoy a 30 year career as a lawyer.

Bill, who also was at one time a teacher, was married for 48 years and had three sons and four grandchildren.

Eduard Novak

2010-10-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

It is sorrowful heart that I pass along the news from the IIHF's website that Czech national team and Kladno hockey legend Eduard Novak passed away on October 21st, 2010. Novak, who died of a heart attack, was about a month shy of his 64th birthday.

Born in Bustehrad, near Kladno, the left winger Novak represented Czechoslovakia in the 1970s. Those were magical times in Czech hockey history, as they challenged Soviet supremacy in international hockey. Novak was part of the 1976 and 1977 gold medal World Championship teams (also winning silver in 1971 and 1975). He also won two Olympic medals, bronze in 1972 and silver in 1976.

All told, Novak played. in 113 international games, scoring 48 goals.

At the club team level Novak was a Czech Hockey Hall of Fame player most notably playing with Kladno in their own golden era. Kladno won five Czechoslovak championships in the 1970s, as well as the 1977 European Cup. Novak, who also briefly played with Kosice and Zlin, played 562 Czech games and scored 306 goals.

Later in his career he was allowed to travel freely to pursue a career in Austria, Japan and Germany, where he also began his coaching career.

Novak returned to the Czech Republic and coach many teams at several levels, including his old Kladno team. He, along with close friend Frantisek Kaberle Sr also taught at a legendary hockey school they operated. A young Jaromir Jagr is amongst the alumni from that school.

Although I do not believe Eduard Novak can be seen in the following video, here's a look at a Kladno-Toronto Maple Leafs exhibition match at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1978.

Simo Saarinen

2010-03-05T13:17:00.000-08:00

Simo Saarinen may have only played 8 NHL games in his career, but he is an interesting story nonetheless.

Saarinen was a late round 1982 draft pick of the New York Rangers. Their scouting staff thought they had a steel as the undersized defenseman from Helsinki flew under the radar of most NHL scouts. The Rangers brought Saarinen overseas at the age of 20 after the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics.

Saarinen, who's name apparently translates to "islander" in English, a bad omen for a Rangers prospect, started off strong, earning a roster spot on Broadway right out of training camp. He would play in eight games before disaster struck.

While retrieving a loose puck in a game against Los Angeles, Saarinen lost his footing and crashed into the net. These were the days before the break-away nets with the Marsh Pegs that made the game safe for players. The nets were very much unmovable, a scary thought for any wayward player.

Saarinen's worst nightmare became reality at this moment. He terribly damaged his left knee, missing the rest of the season after surgery. He attempted a comeback the following year, but he was able to play in just 13 minor league games. His knee swelled up so badly he was forced off the ice for a second consecutive season.

Saarinen's hockey career appeared to be over before it began. He received a $175,000 disability pay-out and returned home to Finland. But he was still determined to play. After undergoing another surgery in Finland and persevering through many more weeks of rehab, he found he was able to return to the ice, rejoining his old team HIFK Helsinki.

By doing so Saarinen made the tough decision to return the $175,000 disability payment, but he would not regret it. He would play with his home club until 1996, earning legendary status and the retirement of his number 7. He was also able to take part in two more Olympics (1988 and 1992) and in two world championships.

Saarinen began a new career as a referee, although he disappeared from the public limelight after being arrested for driving under the influence.

Special thanks to Risto Pakarinen

Claude Vilgrain

2010-01-19T19:29:00.000-08:00

Claude Vilgrain was the first and likely the last player to be born in Haiti of all places and make it to the National Hockey League.

Vilgrain actually grew up near Quebec City where he moved to when he was six months old. His father was an economist and consultant wih Haiti's Department of Agriculture. His grandfather was a notable judge while his uncle was a famous doctor and even has a street in Port-au-Prince named after him.

Vilgrain grew up with the great Canadian game, and was better than most at it. He would play in Laval with the Titan where he was a prolific scorer. In fact in his last season he had 126 points in 69 games. Vilgrain was noticed by the Detroit Red Wings scouting staff, who made the big right winger their 6th choice (107th overall) in the 1982 Entry Draft.

Claude was never offered a contract with the Wings, and didn't want to report to some minor league in an American city. Vilgrain instead stayed close to home and attended the University of Moncton (in New Brunswick). Claude played 3 full seasons in the AUAA, scoring 63 goals and 131 points in 73 games.

Upon the completion of the 1985-86 season with Moncton, Vilgrain played one game with the Canadian National team. At this point of his career he felt more prepared for a run at a career in the NHL. But after turning on the Wings and playing 3 season in Canadian University hockey where few players graduate on to pro careers, his options were non-existent.

Claude had heard lots of good things about the Canadian National Team program and its legendary coach Dave King, and enjoyed playing the one game with the Nats. Dave King also felt Vilgrain could help out his team and convinced Claude that the Nats would be his best shot at future employment in the NHL.

King would be right too. After a successful 1986-87 season, Vilgrain signed a contract with the Vancouver Canucks. After being an early cut in the Canucks 1987 training camp, Vilgrain and the Canucks agreed that Claude would play the 1987-88 season with the national team. Normally the Canucks would have preferred to see their prospect make the jump to the next level, the minor leagues, but with the Olympics coming later on that season, the Canucks complied with Claude's wishes to go back to the National Team.

Vilgrain returned but didn't show the same offensive numbers, dipping nearly 30 points. Vilgrain's game had become well rounded under the defensive minded King. Until his tenure under King, Vilgrain needed a map to find the defensive zone. After two seasons with King he became a sound defensive forechecker.

Vilgrain and the Nats played their hearts out in front of the hometown Calgary fans in the 1988 Olympics. Vilgrain failed to score a point in 6 Olympic contests as Canada finished just out of the medals with a 4th place finish.

Claude joined the Canucks immediately after the Olympics. The Canucks were already eliminated from playoff contention and were giving players like Vilgrain an opportunity to show their stuff. Claude played well in limited playing time. He showed some good speed and some aggressiveness in recording 1 goal and 1 assist in 6 games.

Vilgrain was a late cut in the 1988 Canucks training camp and reported to the minors where he played well before the Canucks traded him to New Jersey in exchange for BC born Tim Lenardon. Vilgrain would play the next three years in the Devils farm system, surfacing for only 6 games in 1989-90.

But in 1991-92 Vilgrain made the Devils as if from out of nowhere. Not only did he make the Devils, but he had a good season, scoring 19 goals and 46 points in 71 games. He was also an impressive +27 while playing on a line with Stephane Richer and Kevin Todd.

With the exception of 4 games, Vilgrain failed to make the Devils the following season. Perhaps he took his spot on an NHL roster for granted as Vilgrain wasn't happy with the demotion. The Devils however had beefed up their depth chart on left wing during the off season and weren't willing to put up with Vilgrain's unhappiness for long. By Christmas time he was loaned to the IHL's Cincinatti Cyclones as opposed to staying with the Devils farm team. The Devils failed to offer Claude a contract at seasons end, thus making him an unrestricted free agent.

Claude resurfaced with the Philadelphia Flyers, signing a one year contract for the 1993-94 season. However Vilgrain failed to make the team. He did have a really good year in the minors and appeared in what proved to be his final two NHL games with the Flyers part way through the season.

Tired of playing in the minors, Claude returned to Calgary where the National Team skated. Vilgrain was sort of retired at this time, but skated for the Nats for 10 games. He got his final shake at the game he loved in 1995-96 when he signed with a Swiss team.

Vilgrain retired in Calgary where he works for Play Works.

Hakan Wickberg

2009-12-29T18:45:00.000-08:00

Hakan Wickberg, a Swedish Olympic hockey player in 1968 and 1972, died on December 9th, 2009. He was 66.

Wickberg was a star player in Sweden from 1960 through 1975, competing in 355 SEL matches, all with Byrnas where his father Thure also starred. He scored in 255 goals and 488 points in that time, and was a part of six league championships. In 1970-71 he won the "Golden Puck" award as best player in the Swedish Elite League.

Wickberg was also a regular on the national team, playing in a total of 158 international games, including at 2 Olympics (1968 and 1972) and 7 world championships. He won 2 silver and 4 bronze medals at the WCs.

Monte Afzelius

2009-12-27T22:59:00.000-08:00

Even the most ardent Swedish hockey fans do not know the name Monte Afzelius. But there is some evidence he may have been the first Swedish player in NHL history.

Until further proof, Gus Forslund retains the title as the first Swedish born player in National Hockey League history, Afzelius is believed to the be the first to play hockey in North America at the very least.

Afze Afzelius, known as Monte to everybody, was born way back in 1889. He grew up in Gavle, Sweden, starring in bandy and soccer for IFK Gavle until 1909. He then moved to Stockholm to play for AIK until 1912.

In 1912 Monte and his brother Arvid moved to North America, specifically Detroit where they sought an old friend named Robert Blom. The brothers would find work in "the Motor City," with Monte (possibly Arvid, too) working at the Ford plant.

Monte wrote a letter back to Sweden in 1915 in which he claims to have founded "The Swedish Hockey Club" in Detroit. It is believed to have been the first Swedish hockey team ever, as Canadian hockey did not migrate to Sweden until 1920.

He would write another letter years later where he curiously proclaimed to be playing hockey for the Montreal Canadiens sometime between 1916 and 1918.

He wrote he had "been enrolled by a Canadian hockey team, the Montreal Canadians...that have been playing hockey since 1885."

Detroit city directories lose track of Afzelius after 1916, so it is possible he moved to Montreal. But in all the extensive research of hockey history in Montreal and especially with the Canadiens (who came into existence only in 1909), there was never any mention of anyone named Monte or Afzelius playing with Les Habitants.

While it is possible Afzelius was living in Montreal at the time, it seems highly unlikely he played for the Canadiens. Perhaps he played under an assumed name? Or perhaps he was embellishing his stories headed back home?

Letters written by Monte traced his return to Sweden in 1920 where he wanted to form a Swedish hockey league. His stay in his home country was short though as he returned to the United States in 1921, apparently setting up shop as a carpenter in Akron, Iowa where he lived with his wife Olga.

Afzelius' curious story all but ends at that stage. He may have resettled in Detroit at some point, while government records list his date of death as January 13, 1962, in Los Angeles.

Jim Sedin

2009-12-19T18:19:00.000-08:00

While twin brothers Daniel and Henrik Sedin look to cement their Olympics Legend status at Vancouver 2010, it should be noted that they were not the first Sedin to compete in hockey at the Winter Olympics.

That honour goes to Jim Sedin, a Californian born forward who played with Team USA at both the 1952 and 1956 Olympics.

Sedin was particularly notable in the 1952 games in Oslo, Norway where at age 21 he helped USA capture the silver medal as the youngest player on the team.

The Minnesota Golden Gopher star forward scored the tying goal against gold medalist Canada with just three minutes to play. By poking the puck past goalie Ralph Hansch late in the game, Sedin cinched a 3-3 tie against Canada, blemishing the Edmonton Mercuries otherwise flawless Olympics.

That game against Canada was an unlikely result. Canada launched 58 shots on American goalie Dick Desmond, while Hansch faced only 13.

Sedin would return with Team USA at the 1956 Olympics in Italy, but would go home without a medal.

Helmut Balderis

2009-11-25T22:33:00.000-08:00

A fantastic skater and dazzling puck handler, one of the most interesting great players ever to come out of the Soviet Union was a mustachioed showman named Helmut Balderis. He was a fun loving, entertaining player back when Soviet players' were very accurately portrayed by North Americans as "robots."

A proud Latvian, Balderis was one of the few non-Russians on the national team. Not that he necessarily wanted to be there.

There was great political divide between the two societies under communist rule, with the Latvians none too happy with Russia. So when the Soviet hockey authorities transferred Balderis (and a coach named Viktor Tikhonov) from Dynamo Riga, where he quickly became a living legend, to CSKA Moscow "in the interests of the national team," there was no shortage of outrage.

Balderis had no choice in the matter, but he played for the national team in a curious fashion. He would put on amazing displays of individualistic skills and rushes, almost toying with opposition, but would rarely score.

As the great book Kings of the Ice suggests, "it was his way of saying to the authorities, 'You forced me to be here, so you get what you deserve."

"I can get away with it on CSKA. If I don't score, Mikhailov, Petrov or Kharlamov will," Balderis added.

The Balderis experiment with the Red Army team lasted only three years, from 1977 through 1980 before he was returned to Riga, and for all intents and purposes dropped from the national team.

Despite his short tenure in Moscow he earned quite the resume. He was part of three consecutive world championship teams, winning the best forward award in 1977. He won the Olympic silver medal in 1980, and was part of the Soviet team that hammered the NHL all stars at the 1979 Challenge Cup tournament.

After the Russians failed 1980 Olympics Balderis was returned to Riga where he starred until 1985. He saved his best for games against CSKA, of course. Balderis was one rare shooter who seemed to have solved the great Vladislav Tretiak, shooting from further out than most shooters, and with good success.

In 1985 Balderis moved to Japan to coach, but he would return to the ice as a player. Balderis, who didn't start playing hockey until he was 11 because he trained as a figure skater for the seven previous seasons, made his comeback to the ice as a 37 year old rookie in the NHL. The Iron Curtain had just fallen in 1989, and veteran Soviet hockey players were being allowed to leave for NHL jobs for the first time. Balderis joined the Minnesota North Stars, playing in just 26 games and scoring just 3 goals and 9 points, but wowing audiences with his skating skills.

Balderis returned to his beloved Latvia and served in several managerial roles, but also came out of retirement to play in parts of 4 seasons with Latvian teams between 1991 and 1996.

Ernest Aljancic Sr.

2009-11-25T21:22:00.000-08:00

Ernest Aljancic Sr. is generally regarded as the father of hockey in Slovenia/Yugoslavia.

Aljancic, who was born in 1916, introduced the game to his home town of Ljubljana in 1929. For the next 25 years he played the game, representing his country until 1957. He was also instrumental in building Ljubljana's first artificial ice rink.

The IIHF honoured Ernest Aljancic Sr. in 2002 by inducting him into their Hockey Hall of Fame.

Aljancic died on November 19th, 2006.

Rudi Hiti

2009-11-25T20:45:00.001-08:00

The fact that a player from Slovenia, Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings, is challenging for NHL scoring titles is pretty amazing. Until Kopitar's arrival in the NHL, how many of us knew Slovenia was a country, let alone a hockey playing nation.

Well, technically Slovenia wasn't a country until the 1990s, after the collapse of Yugoslavia. They did play hockey in Yugoslavia, with Ivan Boldirev being the most famous Yugoslavian born player, although he grew up in Canada.

Kopitar is the first great NHL player to be both born and trained in the area, although he is not the first great Slovenian hockey player. That title goes to Rudi Hiti.

Rudi Hiti, pictured to the right, represented Yugoslavia in 17 World Championships (mostly in the B-pool, however) and two Olympics - 1968 and 1972.

He was so good that the Chicago Blackhawks invited him to their training camp in 1970, a good three years before Borje Salming came to North America and paved the way for Europeans to come to the NHL.

Unfortunately Hiti never finished his only NHL exhibition game. He was struck with a puck in the face, breaking his jaw. He went home soon after.

Two years later he very nearly signed with the WHA's Los Angeles Sharks, but he opted to return home to play with his brother, Gorazd.

The four time Yugoslavian champion ended his playing career in Italy, winning their league championship three times.

Upon the official birth of his country Hiti would become the Slovenian national team head coach, serving from 1991 through 2000.

In 2009 Hiti was inducted into the IIHF Hockey Hall of Fame.

Lasse Bjorn

2009-11-25T14:28:00.000-08:00

Lars Bjorn was a hulking Swedish defenseman in the 1950s and 1960s. He was nicknamed "Lasse," Swedish for "menace," because he was never afraid to impose his physicality upon his opponent. He was fearless of any opponent, including the aggressive Canadians

Bjorn and defensive partner Roland Stotlz dominated the Swedish Elite League with Djurgarden for the better part of both decades, leading the team to 9 Swedish championships. The duo also formed the foundation of the national team 217 games from 1952 through 1961, winning world championship titles in 1953 and 1957. Additionally, Bjorn was acknowledged as the best defenseman at the 1954 worlds.

But for all his hard work to be known as a gladiator on the ice, he undid it all in a charming display at the 1957 world championships.

Bjorn had just captained the Swedes (the regular captain was unable to play on this night) to an upset victory over the host Russians in front of a record outdoor crowd of 55,000 people. For the gold medal ceremony Bjorn was surprised to be asked to lead the Swedish contingent in singing their national anthem. Under pressure, Bjorn blanked on the words so he began singing the popular Swedish drinking song "Heland Ger," Let's Drink It All!

Bjorn is better known nowadays as NHL defenseman Douglas Murray's grandfather.

Alexander Uvarov

2009-11-25T13:06:00.000-08:00

This is Alexander Uvarov, one of the earliest hockey stars in Russia.

Like most athletes new to hockey in the Soviet Union in the late 1940s, the 5'7" 160lbs Uvarov was a bandy star. Bandy was a similar game played on ice and skates, with a ball instead of a puck. Uvarov was a noted skating wonder in bandy, so once he mastered the art of handling the puck he became a top hockey player.

Though the game was only introduced when Uvarov was already in his 20s, he was noted as an exceptional player because "he had an outstanding ability to think on the ice. He controlled the game and orchestrated play by speeding up or slowing down the pace of the game when needed. In short, he was the pace-setter."

Uvarov may have been the very first dominant center in Russia, thus setting the standard for the classic Soviet pivot - masterminding the offense with playmaking rather than goal scoring. He would brilliantly set his Moscow Dynamo linemates Valentin Kuzin and Yuri Krylov free to score goals. Uvarov did not get much credit, but he often was the key reason for the goal.

On the national team, Uvarov's advanced understanding of the game was utilized in another fashion. He was the defensive expert used to shutdown the top lines of the Czechs, Swedes and Canadians. Because of his unselfish play he allowed the Russians to stay in games earlier in their involvement in hockey, and later helped them win. All again without necessarily scoring the big goal himself.

The hat-wearing Uvarov and his linemates often confused the opposition with many short passes rather than rushing the puck individually, and with criss-crossing positions. Neither tactic was common back then, and would become the foundation of Soviet hockey theory.

All thanks to the early example set by Alexander Uvarov. He was the ultimate team player, and was acknowledge as such by serving as team captain for Moscow Dynamo for 11 years.

Uvarov scored 202 goals in 259 Soviet league games, although Dynamo only won one USSR Championship (1954). He participated in 27 games with the national team, most famously with the 1956 Olympic team that shocked the world to win gold.

Stanislav Konopasek

2009-11-25T12:17:00.000-08:00

This is Stanislav Konopasek, the best left winger in all of Europe in the 1940s.

The undersized Czech (5'10" 175lbs) likely made it big in hockey because of his uncanny chemistry with Vladimir Zabrodsky, the Czech's big star back then. The two grew up together and played complimentary styles together from the age of 10, when Zabrodsky's father coached the youths.

Zabrodsky was the goal scoring machine, with Konopasek more than just riding shotgun. Neither showed much interest in the physical or defensive side of the game, leaving that to the variety of right wingers they had, most famously Ladislav Trojak.

Powered by the dynamic duo, the Czechs won the 1947 and 1949 European Championship. There was no championship in 1948 as the Olympic games filled that role. The Czechs finished with the silver medal, despite an equal record with first place Canada.

Konopasek was named top forward in 1947, despite being outscored 29-14 by Zabrodsky. By 1949 he had assumed the scoring championship over Zabrodsky, including scoring the game winning goal in the Czechs' first ever victory over Canada.

As the decade turned into the 1950s, Konopasek, just 26 years old, was set to become possibly the best player in Europe. But political unrest landed him off the ice and into the slammer.

The government was facing civic upheaval and decided to crack down on anyone who was disloyal to the communist ideology. Sports stars, including many of the hockey greats, were targeted, even if they were quiet politically, to be made examples of. Konopasek and many of his teammates were jailed with fabricated charges of attempts to defect.

Declared a state traitor, Konopasek was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment, but was set free by 1955, one of the longest internments by a hockey player. He and several old teammates found employment at an automobile factory in Prague, but were kept off the ice except for an intercity league.

Konopasek was slowly allowed to return to elite levels of hockey, but his age and the years off dulled his game. He retired as an active player in 1963 and became a coach in Prague and Poland.

Konopasek died on March 6th, 2008. He was 84.

Fabian Joseph

2009-11-22T16:44:00.000-08:00

Back in the 1980s and 1990s I cheered on many of the underdogs on the Canadian national team. I cheered for them not just because they represented Canada, but because they represented each and every one of us. True, most of them were hoping to springboard their international experience into a NHL career, but in the moment they were not playing for fame and fortune, but rather for the love of the game and the love of the country.

Perhaps no one better represents that era of player than Fabian Joseph, two time Olympic silver medalist including in 1994 when he was the team captain.

At 5'8" and 165lbs, it was little wonder why he got not much of a chance at a NHL career. He was speedy but easy for hulking NHL defensemen to knock him off the of the puck. Despite an incredible junior career with the WHL Victoria Cougars, he slipped all the way to 6th round of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, where the Toronto Maple Leafs took him 109th overall.

Joseph switched to the Ontario League after being drafted, playing for the Toronto Marlies right in the Leafs backyard where they could keep a close eye on him. The adjustment to the new league was a bit of a tough one for the undersized Joseph, and the Leafs soon lost interest in their prospect.

Instead of going to the minor leagues the Leafs arranged for Joseph to join the Canadian national team 1985-86 season, starting an international relationship Joseph would relish in. In parts of 5 seasons with the Nats, Joseph would play in 298 games for his country (all stats incomplete), scoring 69 goals and 99 assist for 168 points.

The highlights were of course the two silver medals (1992 and 1994), as well as scoring the overtime championship winning goal at the 1992 Spengler Cup.

Joseph's tenure with the national team was broken up with stints in Italy and Switzerland, as well as a three year stint in the Edmonton Oilers organization. Though he never got a chance to play with Gretzky and the boys, he jumped at the opportunity to play with the Oilers farm team near his home in Nova Scotia.

Joseph was the first Nova Scotian to represent Canada in Olympic hockey. Al MacInnis and Sidney Crosby (in 2010) have since joined these sparse ranks.

Joseph ended his career with three seasons as an independent farm league player with the Milwaukee Admirals. He would later be introduced to coaching in Milwaukee. He would soon return to his beloved Canadian maritimes to continue coaching with the junior Moncton Wildcats and collegiate St. Marie's Huskies and Dalhousie Tigers.

Fabian Joseph was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1984 after registering a 57 goal – 127 point season with the Victoria Cougars in the WHL. The native of Sydney , Nova Scotia also played for Cape Breton and Halifax in the American Hockey League where he averaged 30 plus goals each season and accumulated over 200 points. He won Silver Medals with Team Canada at the 1992 and 1994 Olympic Games where he was Team captain.

Raimo Helminen

2009-11-20T11:16:00.000-08:00

Did you know that Finland's Raimo Helminen has played in more Olympics than any other hockey player?

In 2002 at the Salt Lake games Helminen became the first hockey player - and just the sixth Olympian overall - to compete in six different Olympic games.

Helminen first competed in the Olympics in 1984 in Sarajevo. He also represented Finland at the 1988 games in Calgary, 1992 games in Albertville, 1994 games in Lillehammer, and 1998 games in Nagano.

He won a silver medal in Calgary and back-to-back bronze medals in Lillehammer and Nagano.

Helminen was 38 years old when he played in Salt Lake. He continued to play hockey until the age of 43, retiring in 2008. He did not make the Finnish Olympic team that won silver in 2006.

Helminen played 16 years of pro hockey in Finland, with another 6 in Sweden and parts of 3 in the NHL. But it was his international career that people will remember best.

Helminen played in 330 IIHF sanctioned matches over 19 years, the most of any player from any nation. In addition to the three Olympic medals, he won six at the World Championships - gold in 1995, silver in 1994, 1998, 1999 and 2001 and bronze in 2000. He also participated in two Canada Cups/World Cups.

A great playmaker who briefly played with the New York Rangers, Minnesota North Stars and New York Islanders, many in Finland mention Helminen's name alongside the likes of Jari Kurri and Teemu Selanne when debating the greatest Finnish hockey player of all time.

A Big Thank You

2009-11-20T10:25:00.001-08:00

It's official! In October GreatestHockeyLegends.com, now entering it's 4th season, had the third busiest month in site history!

When you combine sister site HockeyBookReviews.com I blew away my previous best for readership.

A big thank you goes out to my loyal readers.

Bob Cleary

2009-11-17T13:15:00.000-08:00

The Cleary Brothers - Bob and Bill

While older brother Bill is considered to be one of America's great hockey pioneers, Bob Cleary too was a hockey star in his own right.

Bob was one of the great college players to come out of the East in the post World War II era.

First he played three varsity seasons at Belmont Hill prep school, he led his team to three consecutive Massachusetts private school titles. At the same time he played with Cusick, winning the American national junior championship in 1952, 1953 and 1954.

Upon graduation from high school Bob joined his brother Bill at Harvard. Bob enjoyed three memorable seasons at Harvard, scoring 202 points including 100 goals, twice leading the nation in scoring. Bob, who was coached at Harvard by none other than Boston Bruins Hall of Famer Ralph "Cooney" Weiland, also captained the baseball team.

The Clearys became key members of American international efforts in hockey, too. They were key members of the 1959 United States National Team which finished fourth in the World Tournament at Prague. In 1960 they were late addition to the 1960 Olympic Team, joining former Harvard linemate Bob McVey to form one of the upstart Americans most effective lines. Bill led the Americans in scoring while Bob finished third, with five goals and three assists. The Americans shocked the world by winning Olympic gold on home ice in Squaw Valley, California.

Bob Cleary was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1981, 5 years after his brother received the same honor.

Darryl Sly

2009-11-17T12:35:00.000-08:00

Though he never really made it to the National Hockey League, one of hockey's greatest champions was Darryl "Slip" Sly.

Sly was born in the shipbuilding town of Collingwood, Ontario. No matter where in the world hockey took him, he never forgot home.

He quickly rose through the ranks of the Collingwood Minor Hockey system, as a center. When he joined the famed St. Mike's team in Toronto, a team that boasted future NHL Hall-of-Famer Frank Mahovolich, he switched to defense.

He graduated in 1958, and the Toronto Maple Leafs offered him a $3,500-a-year contract with a $1,500 signing bonus. Instead, Sly pursued his education joined the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchman of the OHA Sr. 'A' League. Soon enough he was teaching in Elmira, Ontario for $2900 a year, and was still able to play on the Dutchman team that played in the 1960 Winter Olympics, earning a silver medal.

Sly did not particularly endear himself to Swedish fans in those Olympics. In an exhibition game Sly, who was not wearing any shoulder pads, broke Swedish star Nils Nilsson's jaw with a body check. In a rematch he beat up legend Tumba Johansson in a fight.

He joined the Sr. 'A' Galt Terriers afterward, when he was invited to play with the Trail Smoke Eaters in the 1961 world championships. At the worlds, the Smokies stymied the Soviet team 5-1. Sly scored four goals in seven games, and was named to the all-star team on defence.

He returned to Galt and helped the team to an Allan Cup, scoring two goals in the final versus Winnipeg. Leaf coach Punch Imlach and chief scout Bob Davidson watched that final game, and were finally able to sign Sly to a pro contract.

He was assigned to play, sometimes as a forward, for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League, but little did he know he would be playing there for most of the decade. The Leafs were a veteran team winning Stanley Cups, so there was no room for developing prospects, especially on the blue line. Sly would play just two games with the Leafs in 1965-66, and another 17 games in 1967-68.

He wouldn't score his first NHL goal until he was with the Minnesota North Stars during the 1969-70 season. He later played 31 games with the expansion Vancouver Canucks.

He returned to Simcoe County and played for the Barrie Flyers Sr. A team from 1971 to 1978 and was a player-coach during the 1972-73 season. In all, with his forays in the AHL, and the OHA senior league, the Olympics and the world championships, both as a player and a coach, Sly was part of 14 championship teams.

His legacy also includes returning home to become a successful businessman, operating a Chrysler dealership, developing real estate and serving as a teacher.

Sly died on August 28th, 2007 after a long bout with cancer.

Teiji Honma

2009-11-12T09:46:00.001-08:00

Teiji Honma's photograph is more famous than his hockey ability.

Born April 14, 1911 in Manchuria, Honma was Japan's goaltender at the the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

As you can see the 25 year old is wearing a protective face mask. This baseball catcher-like mask is only the third documented usage of a facial protection by a hockey goaltender.

The first such occurrence was when Elizabeth Graham donned a mask in 1927 for her game in Montreal. In 1930 NHL goaltender Clint Benedict briefly wore a primitive mask following facial injuries incurred during a game.

Honma's claim to fame is he was the first Olympic goalie to wear a mask, some 23 years before Jacques Plante popularized the use of facial protection. He wore the mask likely to protect his glasses.

Very little else is known about Mr. Honma. He played two games in those 1936 Olympics, losing 3-0 to Great Britain and 2-0 to Sweden.

Aside from the Olympic team Mr. Honma played with the Manchurian Medical University hockey team.

Jim Craig

2009-11-04T16:49:00.001-08:00

It remains one of the most striking images in Olympic history: goalie Jim Craig, draped in the American flag, frantically scanning the stands, searching through the ecstatic hometown crowd. They were cheering euphorically because Team USA had just knocked off Finland to clinch the 1980 Olympic gold medal in hockey.

At the time no one knew what Craig was looking for. But the triumphant pose screamed "America standing proud."

It was a significant statement made in troubled times, as the American people badly needed a lift. Four months earlier Iranian militants had taken over the US embassy in Tehran and held the Americans hostage and an international political stare down with the Russians ensued. On the home front it was a winter of discontent as inflation and unemployment reached staggering levels.

Yes, the Americans needed some heroes in the worst way. They found them in the United States Olympic hockey team.

The masked Craig was in many ways the face of the team, but never more so than when the goaltender desperately was seeking his father's face in the audience. He wanted to celebrate this glorious moment with his dad.

The 4-2 win over Finland gave the Americans the gold medal, but the actual "Miracle on Ice" happened two days earlier when this band of college students shocked the Soviet Union, the best hockey team in the world and a symbolic figure of the Russian might.

The Soviets and Americans were still at odds politically, although the threat of nuclear war subsided a bit. Times were tough for the American people though, as jobs were scarce and prices were high.

On the ice the Soviets had improved incredibly in 20 years, becoming the unquestioned best team in the world. They regularly defeated the best professionals the National Hockey League could throw at them.

Meanwhile the Americans were heavy underdogs, as suggested when they lost 10-3 to the Soviets just 4 days before the Lake Placid Olympics began.

The Americans found their confidence with a squeaker of a victory over Sweden before rolling over Czechoslovakia, Norway, Romania and West Germany.

But the game against the Soviets was the defining moment of the Olympics. The Americans finished the first period tied with the Soviets at 2-2, a minor miracle in itself, especially considering Mark Johnson's last second goal. The Soviet coaches were not pleased, and responded by curiously pulling star goalie Vladislav Tretiak from the game, replacing him with young Vladimir Myshkin.

The Russians seemed to have righted themselves in the second, taking a 3-2 lead into the intermission. The Americans were still happy, to be down only 1 goal after 2 periods was still a major accomplishment.

Something funny happened in the third period. Johnson scored his second of the game to knot the score at 3. Just 90 seconds late Mike Eruzione fired a screened shot past Myshkin to give the Americans a 4-3 lead.

Thanks to Craig's fine goaltending, the Americans hung on, and unthinkably defeated the Russians. Cue ABC's play by play man Al Michaels:

"Do you believe in miracles?" The nation became euphoric, celebrating an Olympic victory in a sport that in many parts of the country was still quite foreign.

Team USA still had to win one more time to capture the gold medal. Like in 1960, the opposition, this time Finland, jumped out to a 2-1 lead after two periods, again setting the stage for an American rally. Phil Verchota, Rob McClanahan and Mark Johnson all scored to secure the gold medal.

Bedlam ensued. Players raced from the bench onto the ice to embrace one another. Fans tumbled onto the ice to wave flags and high five anyone they could find.

And there, in the middle of it all, stood the flag-draped Craig, searching for his father in the stands.It remains one of the most striking images in Olympic history: goalie Jim Craig, draped in the American flag, frantically scanning the stands, searching through the ecstatic hometown crowd. They were cheering euphorically because Team USA had just knocked off Finland to clinch the 1980 Olympic gold medal in hockey.

At the time no one knew what Craig was looking for. But the triumphant pose screamed "America standing proud."

Jack McCartan

2009-11-04T15:07:00.000-08:00

Most Americans think of the "Miracle on Ice" as their greatest hockey achievement. In 1980 Team USA upset the Soviet Red Army squad en route to only their second gold medal in Olympic hockey competition.

Notice how I said second gold medal. That's because 20 years earlier the Americans had an earlier miracle on ice.

The first American gold medal in Olympic Hockey also came on home soil, but instead on the other side of the country, Squaw Valley California. Goaltender Jack McCartan was the hero on back then.

McCartan, born in St. Paul Minnesota, and the United States were given little chance to win in 1960, not with the Soviet squad quickly emerging as the international force and Canada not far removed from past Olympic glories.

After winning four games in the preliminary round, the upbeat American squad backed by the hometown fans passed their biggest test of the tournament by edging Canada, 2-1. McCartan was the difference, posting 39 saves.

Up next was the heavily favored Russians, yet the U.S. rallied from behind to stun the Red Army squad 3-2, thus advancing the United States into the gold medal game against Czechoslovakia. It was a close game for the first two periods. The Czechoslovakians held a 4-3 lead at the second intermission. But again the Americans rallied, this time exploding for six goals in the final frame to take the win 9-4 and the gold medal.

"We knew with a couple of breaks we could upset the odds." recalled goalie Jack McCartan. McCartan provided the team with those breaks, and inspired the American's to their first Olympic gold medal in hockey.

McCartan went on to a brief stint with the New York Rangers but was a minor leaguer for the most part at the pro level.

Leif Holmqvist

2009-09-23T15:38:00.000-07:00

This is Leif Holmqvist, universally hailed as "Honken." With 202 games played with the national team he is one of the greatest goaltenders in Swedish hockey history.

He did not always wear that mask. He either went maskless, as indicated here to the right, or wore a regular player's helmet. He suffered 200 stitches to his face before donning the mask.

Twice the theatrical Holmqvist was named as the Swedish Player of the Year, one of only three players to ever win that prestigious award more than once (Anders Andersson and Peter Forsberg were the others). In 1969 he was named as the best goaltender in the world at that year's World Championships. In 1999 he was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame.

He may have seemed born to play in net, but he did not start stopping pucks until the age of 11, when his youth club's goalie fell ill. Holmqvist strapped on the pads, never to take them off.

Just five years later, in 1964, Holmqvist was promoted to the Swedish Elite League. Just 16 years old, he was considered to be that good. He joined AIK, but not without some controversy. Stromsbro, his former team, cried foul, and forced AIK to compensate them with 17,000 Krona, a huge sum of money back then. Over the next decade and Holmqvist would lead AIK to become a power, although they could never knock off Brynas from Gavle.

Although he was beloved at home, on the international stage Holmqvist became a star. His battles against the Soviets in the 1964 Olympics and against the Czechoslovakians in the 1969 World Championships held in Stockholm remain legendary all these years later.

Holmqvist tried coming to North American late in his career. In 1973-74 he started out in the Detroit Red Wings organization, although he remained in Europe playing with the London Lions. He is pictured to the right in the Lions jersey.

Two years later he crossed the Atlantic Ocean, playing 19 games with the WHA's Indianapolis Racers, even once fighting New England Whalers' Swedish goaltender Christer Abrahamsson.

World renowned, Holmqvist never won a major tournament, no World Championship or Olympic gold. He did win three World Championship silver medals and four bronze medals. Just as importantly he won over the hearts of hockey fans everywhere, especially in Sweden.

Erkki Laine

2009-08-25T21:38:00.001-07:00

Two time Finnish Olympic hockey player Erkki Laine, 51, was found drowned in a lake near Lahti, Finland on Wednesday. He went missing on Saturday night after a boat accident near his cottage.

Laine represented Finland at the 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo and the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, where Finland captured the silver medal. In all, he represented the Finnish national team in 64 games.

Laine also played 324 games with the Finnish League team Kiekko-Reipas Lahti. He also starred with Leksand and Farjestad in Sweden, twice leading the SEL in scoring. He also played with the Berlin Capitals in Germany and HC Davos in Switzerland before returning to Lahti.

Amongst Laine's survivors are his daughters, Essi and Emma, both have been top Finnish tennis players. Emma has even cracked the top-50 of the women’s professional tennis ranking in the world.

Jozef Golonka

2009-08-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

The following piece was contributed by Silvester Filkorn & Sebastian Brauneis, two film and philosophy students at the University of Vienna who are working on a documentary of the old hockey rivalry between the Soviet Union (USSR) and Czechoslovakia (CSSR), with Jozef Golonka as the center figure.

"If he had the chance to play the NHL, he had been a Star as Wayne Gretzky was" said the baron of sports journalism George Gross a decade ago about Jozef Golonka.

Golonka is the Slovak Ice Hockey Legend of the late 1950s and the 1960s. He's to be credited for the emotional highlights of CSSR hockey, be it national or international. In the early 1960s he was valued as Europe's most gifted player and his 298 scored goals in 330 confrontations in the CSSR national league and 82 goals accumulated during 134 games in the national team bear record to his prowess as hockey crack.

He won bronze and silver at the Olympic games in Innsbruck, Austria 1964 and Grenoble, France 1968, respectively, as well as two bronze and two silver medals during the world championship. Despite his outstanding capacity on the ice, the gold medal as well as the national first league championship title would tragically remain out of his reach. Never before did a player that able fail the title so close and so often.

He was born on the 6th of January 1938 in Bratislava, Slovakia. His mother did work as a trainer for figure skating and as the caretaker of the local ice stadium. Thanks to her world famous figure skater Ondrej Nepela learned to skate. "Jozko" was naturally taken along to the skating grounds from early childhood on. His mother followed the dream of pairing him up with his older sister, a figure skater, to perform as a pair. But young "Jozko", growing into an sports all-rounder and becoming a nimble power pack shattered these dreams as he found himself drawn to another sport carried out in the ice stadium - Hockey.

Due to lack of equipment and money he and other children from around the neighborhood began repairing the broken sticks of the local hockey team and competing against each other on the streets. During one of their wild and unforgiving matches on the streets of Bratislavas suburbia he and a few others were approached by Viliam Cech, a local factory worker who spent his leisure time headhunting talents for the Bratislava based team Slovan. Jozef entered the youth cadre of Slovan and received his first training from the to be Hall of Famer Misko Polloni. It was to the sedulous effort of Polloni and Cech that hockey legends like Štetina, Šulca, Stana, Zabojnik, Valach, Ducaja and Golonka began to play at all.

During the season of 1955/56 Golonka saw his first action in the A cadre of Slovan. It was on his birthday as he, Capla and Gregor where summoned to the locker room during the last third of a desperate defence that Slovan fought against a strong team from Brno. The count being 2:4. The three boys thought they had done something wrong and where to be expelled from the team. No one thought that this should be their premiere on the ice in a league match. It turned out to become the youngsters day. Gregor scored his first goal immediately after the whistle and shortly after him Golonka set the score to a straight 4:4, doing so in a legendary maneuver of outstanding finesse that the whole stadium suddenly went wild. It was this January of 1956 that the youngsters of Slovan Bratislava manifested themselves as future world class players.

Golonka earned his most famous nickname during a match against the powerful CSKA Moscow in 1957. Golonka's line was set up against legendary Russian crack Vsevolod Bobrov. Golonka sporting 60 kilograms that time, as often a victim of his own pure temper, bodychecked the 90 kilogram Bobrov so fierce and delicate that the Russian star nearly left the ice over the boards. After the action he hurried back to his teammates. They welcomed him with the statement that he did not just bodycheck Bobrov but rather gave him a close shave, sharp and clean as a Gillette razor. Hence he was to be called "Ziletka" (Gillettka).

Golonka did play tennis these times of his life as well, he even won the CSSR youth championship in 1956. By becoming the number one player the national rules of the championship demanded that he was to compete for the CSSR in the junior tournament in Wimbledon. That was quite the sensation, a Slovak should represent the CSSR at Wimbledon. But the leadership of the tennis organization decided to send the Czech born player Jelinek to England. Golonka felt so frustrated he decided to quit tennis. The following season his old trainer Jano Pramnik approached him and said; "Jozko! This years tournament is to be held in Pradubice. You shouldn't miss out!" Golonka did hesitate at first, the unfair ruling of the last year did still bother him. But finally he took part. He beat Jelinek, the very same player who was sent to Britain as his replacement with a striking 6:0 and 6:2 and did prove again that he was the best junior player. The tennis confederation and the trainers wanted him to continue, but this was his last match. He only took the racket to take revenge.

It was this very same heated passion he showed on the ice. And quite often this passion led straight into a hefty fistfight followed by suspensions. As he was not accepted on the sports university in Bratislava he decided to join the military. He played at the Club Dukla Jihlava, a military team out of Prague during his service time. In 1959 Golonka saw his first world championship. The CSSR gained bronze with Golonka being the most prolific player in the national team. He finished the tournament with a total of 7 goals and 4 vital assists.

After his demobilization he was sought after by many clubs all over the country. But Slovan trainer Horsky convinced him to come back to Bratislava. The following years Slovan Bratislava managed to enter the cup finals on a regular basis. Players like Starsi, Dzurilla, Capla, Cernicky, Nedomansky and Golonka formed a strong Slovan team after years of insignificance. Golonka became best scorer of the league in 1960/61. He was the darling of the crowd. As he had to pause for a longer term due to an injury and the team performance started to drop, the fans demanded Golonka. He was their favorite. The little dynamo with the number 9. He was considered a showman, for some time he had the habit of getting on the ice before the rest of the team and circling the ice one full round. Only after this ritual the match was to start. Once he stepped on the ice as the last player, immediately the crowd started to get unease, they thought he was injured. But then the whole team cleared the field. He got on as the first player and circled his round laughing and cheering up the audience.

Golonka was very balanced all-round talent, he was apt in all facets of the game. He was creative, fast, technically able and strong. And he had a great tactical understanding of what was going on, or had to go on during the game. Anytime needed it was him setting the tone for the course in the game. The fans loved his self confident and provocative style and he was often called Muhammed Ali on skates.

During the 1965 world championship at Tampere Golonka again was voted best player of the tournament by a majority of European media and hockey representatives. He scored a total of six goals and gave eight assists. The CSSR team finally failed against the CCCP 1:3 and secured the second place.

The Swedish press found the following words for Golonkas performance: "There's a player amongst the CSSR team, his name is Golonka. One can only talk in words of superlatives about him. He is the Pele on ice, the Caruso on the puck, the Boticelli with the hockey stick, he is the only player in the tournament able to play the puck full speed skating backwards in unmatched precision. He's slogging without end, wrestles the puck from his opponents, he attacks, he defends, he directs the course of play, he assists and he scores by himself..."

Russian national trainer Tarasov needled the CSSR coaching staff before the contest by announcing: "If I had a player like Golonka, I'd take the WM title one hundred percent..."

Three years later, at the Olympic games at Grenoble, France 1968 a sensation became reality. After Alexander Dubcek, a politician representing a more liberal fraction of the communist party in the CSSR gained control of the state the whole CSSR found itself in an atmosphere of departure. A short period of time, to be known as the "Prague Spring" took the whole country. After years of Stalinistic repression, comparable to the former DDR (German Democratic Republic, or East Germany) the Slovak and Czech people found themselves in the midst of the very promising project of a society still communist but with a very human and liberal face. Fueled by these social turnarounds and a new found national confidence the hockey team of the CSSR was the first in a communist country to elect the captain in a secret and free vote instead of having this vital position nominated by the party. Golonak was elected with great majority. A Slovak was to head the national team in the upcoming event, a perfect sensation if one is a bit familiar with the traditional rivalries between Czechs and Slovaks in the former CSSR.

In one of the best and most explosive matches in international hockey the CSSR team beat the CCCP sbornaja 5:4. It was the first defeat for the Soviet steamroller after six years. The sports press, the fans and historians agreed that it was Golonka who lead the game. His duels with Russian defense heavyweight Ragulin were memorable and defining moments of hockey in these days. In one these duels Ragulin tried to bodycheck Golonka, but Golonka escaped with a smart move, Ragulin lost balance and fell down on the ice. His teammates had to help him with finding his helmet. He circled him in a sleek turn showing his tightened biceps. Golonka looked down on his posed arm, then shook his head signing no. And then he tipped on his brow, signaling that it’s not muscles, but cleverness that wins the game.

After the Russians caught up in the second period 3:2 Golonka answered with a decisive 4:2 goal, scoring the most important goal of the match. After the final whistle Golonka threw his hands in the air, fell on his knees and put his ear to the ice. This was to become an iconic photograph. In the background the Russian ice hockey giant Ragulin left the field, beat. This picture was front page of the sports press the world around the next day. The headline above it; "Golonka listens if the Russian Oil is still running!" The match became the sensation at home. It was a vital sign of a new way of thinking and feeling and a metaphor for the situation of the CSSR. The small nation on the edge of the iron curtain was set up against the all ruling might of the CCCP and for a short period of time it seemed possible, that the course of reform was to succeed.

The last match of the tournament did put the CSSR up against Sweden. The final score 2:2 secured the Russian triumph at the world championship once again. Golonka failed a vital chance in the last seconds of the game. And by this result the hockey metaphor for the state and fate of the CSSR continued. Six months after a triumphant return of the national team to Prague, with 70.000 people welcoming the team at the border and seaming the way all to the city center celebrating the brave match they fought against the Soviets, Russian Tanks invaded the country and crushed the reform course with brute force. Golonka was put on a list of wanted persons amongst other people of public or political interest. He had to hide in the countryside for several months. In the end, the Soviets won, again.

But "Zilletka" was to return once more. At the world championship of 1969, to be held in Prague, CSSR in origin, but moved to take place in Stockholm, Sweden because the Soviet occupants feared public unrest as thousands would commiserate in the tournament. Again Golonka headed the national team. But this time the mission was slightly different. With all resistance in the CSSR relentlessly quelled by the occupying CCCP tanks all eyes where on the hockey team again. Upon their arrival in Stockholm the CSSR team already had received more than 5000 private telegrams from fans at home. The dominating yield of the correspondence: "Beat the Russians. You don't have to win! Just beat the Russians." And beating the Russians they did, in both games! 2:0 and 4:3

It was the first time that the Russian national team was beaten by the same team twice in one championship.

Out of protest Golonka and five other members of the team crossed the star that symbolized the membership of the CSSR in the Warsaw Pact with hockey tape. They also turned their backs on the traditional handshake after the national anthem. Upon the teams return to Prague and despite a strict assembly ban 30,000 people gathered at the airport to welcome the team. The plane had to pass over the runway several times until the people where cleared off the landing strip.

Golonka had suffered from a severe knee injury just before the championship, he had to play the the last game against the Russians under constant medical treatment. After every period he received several injections into his leg. It was Glonka's last championship as a player. After the tournament he decided to go and play in Germany. There were various attempts to draft him to the NHL, but a permission to play in North America was improbable so he went to Germany. Also concerned about his knee, he figured that he would be treated softer in Europe than in North America. That turned out wrong, but Golonka stayed, paying legacy to his headstrong temper once again. As defensemen he scored 44 goals in 104 games.

In 1975 Golonka ended his career as player and started coaching the SC Riesersee and became German Champion in 1978. He came back to Czechoslovakia then to coach the CSSR Junior national team and Zetor Brno but returned to Germany and became Champion again 1984, this time with the Kölner Haie. Further Golonka coached HC Davos and after the breakup of the Iron Curtain he became coach of the ECD Iserlohn till1992 and the EHC 80 Nürnberg until 1995. After that Golonka became coach of the Slovak national team, but retired after that.

Jozef "Gillettka" Golonka is offical member of the Slovak, the German and the IIHF Hall of Fame.

Philippe Bozon

2009-07-27T23:07:00.000-07:00

This is Philippe Bozon. He is a pretty rare NHL player - he was both born and raised in France. I think goalie Cristobal Huet is the only other who can make that claim. Three others - Paul MacLean, Pat Daley and Andre Peloffy - were born there but not raised in France.

Interest in hockey in France is pretty weak, but not for the Bozon family. Father Alain Bozon was a former captain of the French national team. So it should come as no surprise that young Philippe took to the ice naturally.

He also took to hockey naturally. Under the guidance of father Alain and former NHLer Paulin Bordeleau, who relocated to France to coach after his career was over, Bozon went on to become the best player in French history. He was so good that by the age of 16 he was competing with the French senior national team.

Bozon's impossible dream of playing in the National Hockey League became a lot more promising in 1984. He was able to come to North America to further develop his game, playing junior hockey with the QMJHL St. Jean Beavers. Offensively, he was very strong, scoring 111 goals and 234 points in 157 games over three seasons.

Despite the impressive totals, the petit Frenchman was not drafted by any NHL team. The St. Louis Blues did invite him to their training camp in 1985 and signed him after the pre-season.

Bozon had come a long way, but NHL glory was still far, far away. In 1987-88 he struggled with the Blues farm team in Peoria (IHL). He would return to France, presumably never to be heard from again.

He would play in France for the next five seasons with several club teams, but also with the French national team at every opportunity. Between 1988 and 1992 he participated in 4 world championships, elevating France to the A pool, a rare occurrence. He also participated in the 1988 and, most specially, the 1992 Olympics held in Albertville, France, with the hockey tournament held in Meribel, not far from his birthplace. Bozon scored 3 goals and 5 points in 7 games in those Olympics, unlikely powering the host French to the playoff round where they met their match with the Americans.

Bozon's performance convinced both the Blues and Bozon to give the NHL another try. He returned and became a NHL regular from 1993 through 1994, even spending some time centering the great Brett Hull. Bozon's point totals may have been far from spectacular (16 goals and 41 points in 144 career NHL games), but Bozon was satisfied he could play in the National Hockey League.

The NHL lockout of 1994-95 saw Bozon return home to France to seek a place to play. Aside from 1 game with the Blues, he would remain in Europe for the rest of his career, earning nice pay checks playing for club teams in Switzerland and Germany.

Of course Bozon continued to represent France at the international level, returning to the Olympics in 1998 and 2002, and participating in 7 more world championships.

The tiny Frenchman was inducted into the IIHF Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008.

Carl-Goran Öberg

2009-07-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

This is Carl-Goran Öberg, or "Lill-Stöveln" as he was known to some. He was a member of Sweden's silver medal winning Olympic hockey team in 1964.

Öberg scored 1 goal and 4 points in 6 games during those games in Innsbruck, Austria. But he is best remembered for a dangerous incident in the game against Canada.

Frustrated that his stick had broken part way through his shift, Öberg threw the shattered stick into the Canadian bench as he skated to his own bench. The stick caught an unsuspecting Canadian coach Father David Bauer in the forehead, opening a bloody gash.

As you can imagine the Canadian players were furious with Öberg and also with the Swiss referee, who never called a penalty on the play. The players were ready to take justice into their own hands and defend their honor by pummelling Mr. Öberg, but somehow the bloody Bauer restrained his players and kept the peace. Öberg would be suspended for the next game for deliberately attempting to injure Father Bauer, and the referee also faced disciplinary action.

Father Bauer made an amazing jesture of peace the next day. He invited Öberg to be his guest at the Czechoslovakia-USSR game, earning Bauer international recognition for his act of sportsmanship and forgiveness. Bauer would be given a special gold medal for his handling of the whole situation.

For Öberg it was a black eye on an otherwise nice career. Keeping in mind that European stat records in the 1960s are a bit sketchy at best, Öberg was a sharpshooter, scoring 252 career goals and 426 career points in 324 games in the Swedish Elite League. He played most famously for Gävle and Djurgardens, and also skated for Tranas and Södertälje. He was a fantastic junior talent in Gävle, but it seems his on-ice temper may have held him back.

Internationally he represented Sweden at 6 World Championships scoring 25 goals in 43 games, winning 3 silver medals and 2 bronze medals. He also represented Sweden at the 1960 Olympics. Combined with 1964 he played in 13 Olympic matches, scoring 6 goals and 13 points.

Jiri Holik

2009-06-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

Jiri Holik starred the old Czechoslovakia on a line with brother Jaroslav, father of NHL star Bobby.

Though the brothers were a formidable force on the world stage, almost always with Jan Klapac on right wing, the two could not have been more different.

On the ice Jaroslav was a lot like his son Bobby - a big center with laboured skating, he would do whatever it would take to win. He was a brooding and hot blooded, hell bent on winning. He selflessly ate, drank and slept hockey for the betterment of the team.

On the other hand Jiri was an artistic scorer and an elegant skater, the more eye-catching of the two Holiks. Off the ice he was said to be care-free lover of nature and the arts, a day dreamer and a philospher.

Jiri grew up playing hockey idolizing older brother Jaroslav and local legend Vaclav Chytracek. He grew up to play for his hometown team Dukla Jihlava. In 15 seasons he won seven national titles, particpated in 12 world championships (winning gold in 1972, 1976 and 1977), four Winter Olympics and the 1976 Canada Cup.

Holik and national team teammate Jan Suchy were once contacted by the Detroit Red Wings in the early 1970s, with the possibility of defecting. Another Czech named Vaclav Nedomansky already had jumped shipped, but ultimately they could not leave their families behind.

Late in his career Holik was able to leave for the west to play hockey. In 1978 he moved to Rosenheim, Germany, and later Stadlau, Austria. He later coached in Vienna before leaving the game for business pursuits. He would return to hockey from time to time, managing his old Dukla Jihlava team and coaching in Germany.

Jiri Hrdina

2009-06-23T23:16:00.000-07:00

Jiri Hrdina was one of the most accomplished players in Czechoslovakia's deep hockey history. Not every NHL fan realizes how good Hrdina really was, as by the time he was cleared to play in the NHL, he had already spent most of his prime behind the Iron Curtain of Eastern Europe.

In his career, Hrdina played in two Olympic games, two Canada Cups, and six World Championships. In 1985 he was a world champion gold medalist, earning silver in 1982 and 1983, and a bronze in 1987 and 1990. He was part of the Olympic silver medalist Czech team in 1984 at Sarajevo.

Drafted 159th overall by the Calgary Flames in 1984, Hrdina played in 389 games in the Czechoslovakian League from 1977 to 1987. After the 1988 Olympic games in Calgary, Hrdina would sign with the Flames after getting approval from the Czech hockey powers.

A masterful puckhandler and great skater, Hrdina never produced huge numbers in the NHL. In fact he didn't in the Czech leagues either. He was a solid two way competitor who would serve as a great depth player on two strong NHL teams - the Calgary Flames and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Hrdina's best NHL season was in 1988-89 as he scored 22 goals and 32 assists for 54 points. He however was used in only 4 post season games as the Flames went on to capture their first Stanley Cup championship.

An underrated defensive player, Hrdina's offense became a bonus as his true value to the Flames was to be a friend and father-figure for a young Czechoslovakian star in the Flames organization - Robert Reichal.

On December 13, 1990, Hrdina was traded to Pittsburgh in exchange for tough guy defenseman Jim Kyte. Pittsburgh acquired the veteran for depth purposes at center, but more importantly to fill that same father-figure role with their own Czech superstar in the making - Jaromir Jagr. Like with Reichal in Calgary, Hrdina helped Jaromir adjust to life in North America, and to learn English.

Though used somewhat sparingly on the ice, Hrdina was a big part of back to back Stanley Cup championships in The Steel City in 1991 and 1992.

Hrdina retired in 1992, but his effects on the NHL were being felt long after his departure. Jagr had gone on to become one of the game's greatest players ever. Reichal was a solid goal scorer for many years in the NHL. And you can bet that the 1998 Gold Medal Olympic champion Czech Republic squad all owe a thanks to one of the most unheralded figures in Czech hockey history - Jiri Hrdina.

Bill Cleary

2009-06-23T23:12:00.000-07:00

Bill Cleary was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, not far from world famous Harvard University where he would become famous. After graduating from Belmont Hill prep school, he would go on to become one of Harvard's most famous athletes, students and later coaches.

A brilliant scorer, Cleary set all the scoring records at Harvard, seven of which still stand, including goals (42) and points (89) in a 21 game season.

Cleary was so good that both the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins tried to sign him while he was at Harvard, but he declined and had no regrets about the decisions.

"I'd have missed two Olympics. Best thing that ever happened to me was I turned down pro hockey."

Cleary represented USA at both the 1956 and 1960 Olympics, winning a silver and gold medal respectively.

The 1956 games in Cortina, Italy made a lasting impression on him.

"I was 21 and lucky to have crossed the Charles River, never mind the Atlantic Ocean," he recalls in a Sports Illustrated interview. "It was during the cold war, and the Russians marched in. Then the Koreans, and this was right after the Korean War. I looked down at the USA on my jersey, and I'll never forget the feeling. I could have won 100 Stanley Cups, and they wouldn't have equaled it."

Four years later shocked the hockey world by winning gold, knocking off the powerful Soviets in the process. It was the 25-year-old Cleary who led the 1960 team in scoring with six goals and six assists in five games.

Cleary starred on a line with Bob McVey and brother Bob Cleary. They proved to be a potent offensive combination, powering the United States to upset victories over the Canadians (2-1) and the Soviet Union (3-2).

Cleary quietly returned to Boston to sell insurance. But he soon got back into the game by becoming a college referee, much like his father.

By 1968 Cleary turned to coaching, and by 1971 he assumed the Crimson coaching reigns from the legendary Cooney Weiland until 1990. With a career record of 342-201-22, Cleary led Harvard to 11 Ivy League titles and seven Final Four appearances in the NCAA, including in 1989 when he finally captured the national title.

Cleary coached some of the all time greats at Harvard, including Lane McDonald, Scott Fusco, Mark Fusco, Ted Donato, Neil Sheehy and Don Sweeney.

After stepping down as coach in 1990, Cleary continued on at Harvard as athletic director.

Jaroslav Holik

2009-06-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

Chances are you know Jaroslav Holik's son. Yes, he is best known as the father of Bobby Holik.

I remember when Bobby Holik was just breaking into the NHL there was a Sports Illustrated article profiling the Holik family. Back in 1991 Jay Greenberg wrote:

"Holik's dedication to hard work is, like his sleek, hard, 6'3", 210-pound body, the product of a controlled experiment. For the first 18 years of Bobby's life, his father, Jaroslav, one of the best players Czechoslovakia has ever produced, dedicated himself to making Bobby good enough to play in the NHL. The result—an Ivan Draso on skates—has been unleashed on the league"

That's quite the picture painted of both son and father. Jaroslav was being portrayed as this Iron Curtain mad scientist who created a hockey Frankenstein. He was not quite like that, though he was determined to give his children the best life possible.

Jaroslav Holik was a titan of Czech hockey, playing 19 bruising seasons in the Czechoslovakian Elite League in a hulking style very similar to Bobby. Jaroslav was a big brute of a center, with laboured skating thanks to serious leg injuries early in his career, who most often skated with brother Jiri, an elegant sniper, and Jan Klapac. They represented his country at the 1972 Olympics and several World Championships, and in 1999 Jaroslav was an obvious selection to the International Ice Hockey Federaion Hall of Fame.

Having a chance to travel the world with the Czechoslovakian national team, Jaroslav got to see much of the western world, something not most of people behind the Iron Curtain got to experience. He was determined his own kids would have what the West had.

He raised son Bobby and daughter Andrea - a pro tennis player who defected in 1986 and later married Frank Musil - educating them about the west, even installing a satellite dish so they could learn English and experience American and British culture.

While they were afforded that unique opportunity, they were also driven hard by their father.

As John Dellapana wrote back in 2002:

"Bobby soaked it all up, willingly enduring his father's iron-fisted approach and his abusive style as coach of his son's local Czech League team. It has been said that he was bred to play in the NHL, and legend has it that he was even fed raw meat by his dad in an effort to make him bigger and stronger."

Jaroslav could have defected himself, and probably even been a NHL trailblazer, but he chose to stay home with his family. He publicly battled the Communist party and devoting everything he had to giving his children a chance for something better.

"Looking back, yeah, my father tried," Bobby says. "He had two children and said, 'I'm going to give my children the best.' He wanted his children to excel at whatever they did. Obviously he wanted me to play hockey.

"And he said, 'I'm going to make him. I'm going to give him an opportunity to play in the NHL, which I missed out on.' For me, it was the ticket out. He knew there was a better world out there for his children. That was the world he knew the best — hockey. So he passed on his knowledge onto me."

Kenny Jonsson

2009-06-20T15:51:00.001-07:00

Kenny Jonsson (pictured wearing the "C" above) was a player I never really appreciated probably as much as I should have.

He was a highly regarded prospect out of Sweden when he came to Toronto. He was drafted 12th overall in 1993. Much was expected out of him, but he did live up to unrealistic expectations right away in Toronto. The impatient Leafs traded him after just 89 games. The Leafs traded him to the New York Islanders, in exchange they brought their popular adopted son Wendel Clark back home Toronto.

In Canada you can watch the Leafs every Saturday night and then some, so I had a good chance to watch Jonsson early on. His mobility was impressive, but he seemed timid and uncertain of the more physical North American game. He wore down as the season progressed.

Once he moved to the Islanders, I never got great chances to watch him perform outside of the odd game here and there, even though he played 11 years in Long Island. In Western Canada it is far easier to watch Manchester United than the New York Islanders.

The best chance to catch them is during the Stanley Cup playoffs. But the Islanders only made the playoffs three times in Jonsson's time their. He participated in just 15 post-season games, 19 in total counting one short playoff with Toronto.

By all accounts Jonsson grew more comfortable in the NHL as he settled in with big minutes of ice time in Long Island. He played a sound, unspectacular game, competent in every aspect but not overly flashy in anyway. He was a workhorse defenseman on a bad team, which is never a good mixture for those seeking recognition.

Local Islanders reporters considered Jonsson a top-ten defenseman in the league. One even went as far as to suggest he was the near-equivalent of New York Rangers superstar Brian Leetch. Had he played for a better team, he would likely have garnered Norris Trophy votes, he said.

One place where Jonsson's game was very well appreciated was back home in Sweden. He was a huge part of Team Sweden's numerous successes in his career.

Jonsson won Olympic gold in 1994 and again in 2006, both times with his brother. In the latter tournament Kenny was named as the best defenseman in the whole tournament. He also captained the gold medal winning 2006 World Championships team.

Jonsson left the NHL back in 2004 during the lock-out. He never returned, but he continued playing hockey for the rest of decade. He retired in the summer of 2009 after playing five seasons with his old team in the Swedish Elite League, Rogle.

Jorgen Jonsson

2009-06-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

Home is where the heart is. For Sweden's Jorgen Jonsson, that old saying proved very true. He resisted the National Hockey League until the age of 28. And even after a successful rookie season in the NHL, Jonsson packed his bags and went back home.

Citing personal reasons such as his family being unhappy away from Sweden, Jonsson somewhat reluctantly signed a 1 year contract with the New York Islanders in 1999-2000. Originally a draft pick of the Calgary Flames, the Swedish Elite League veteran made it clear he had no intentions of going to North America. But that did not stop the Isles from trading for his rights. The Isles had a key drawing card in convincing Jorgen to jump the Atlantic - star defenseman Kenny Jonsson. Kenny, the Isles captain during that season, is Jorgen's younger brother.

Jorgen agreed to come over in order to play with his brother, but only signed the 1 year contract as he seemed to have his mind made up before he came over that this would be a short term thing.

Jorgen was touted as a solid player who could help almost any team immediately because of his skating and defensive expertise. He was a great penalty killer and worked well on a checking line. And though his numbers did not necessarily suggest it, he had some good offensive tools too. He was a shifty skater with a good burst of speed. He was an intelligent passer and protected the puck well.

Very quietly Jorgen was one of the more effective first year players in 1999-00. In 68 games with New York he scored 11 goals and 17 assists. However the only attention he garnered was that of rumors that he would not be back the following year. Those rumors proved to be very true.

The Isles traded Jorgen by the March trading deadline to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in exchange for diminutive Swedish center Johan Davidsson. The Ducks were looking for some depth at center ice as they were making a late season push for a playoff spot. Perhaps dejected by being traded away from his brother, Jorgen's play in Anaheim was less than great - scoring just 1 goal and 2 assists in 11 games. It was as if he just wanted to get the season over with and get his family back to Sweden.

It's too bad. Had he desired to play in North America, he would have become a good player. With his defensive awareness and puck moving skills, he possibly could have been centering the Ducks number 1 line with Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne.

Upon returning to Sweden, Jorgen signed a 4 year deal with Farjestad, the Swedish Elite League club that he starred with for 4 years prior to his stint in the National Hockey League. He retired in 2009 as quite the legend back in Sweden. He won 2 Olympic gold medals, two world championship gold medals, and five Swedish league titles. He was so highly respected that as a veteran he was normally named captain of Team Sweden if Mats Sundin was not available for tournaments.

Anders Myrvold

2009-06-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

Norway may be the top winter sports country in the world, but hockey has never really caught on.

"The Polar Bears" have been part of the International Ice Hockey Federation since 1935, but they have generally been a 2nd tier nation at best. At the end of the 2009 season they were ranked 12th in the world. With a population of 4.6 million people, only about 6400 of them play hockey, with 2/3rds of that number being youth. There are about 400 female players in the country that has 37 indoor rinks.

So you can imagine most hockey players in Norway don't dream of the National Hockey League when they are growing up. But Anders Myrvold did.

Anders Myrvold's stint in the NHL was short. He only played in a total of 13 big league games. But by doing so he became the second Norwegian to play in the NHL after the Norwegian legend Bjorn Skaare.

Anders came over to play in Sweden as a 15-year old where he spend two seasons. In Sweden his trainers thought that he was overly aggressive and that he was yapping too much with his opponents. Yet his aggressiveness earned him the attention of NHL scouts. The Quebec Nordiques drafted Myrvold with the 127th overall draft pick in 1993.

After his two year stint in Sweden Myrvold decided to test his game at a higher level. He decided to play Canadian Junior Hockey. He played the 1994-95 season for the Laval Titans in the QMJHL. He was one of Laval's steadiest defensemen and had a fine 14 goals, 50 assists and 64 points in 64 games while also picking up a hard earned 173 PIMs. It was his toughness that caught the attention of the scouts. His agent Pat Brisson arranged that Anders would keep in shape during the summer of 1995. Anders was working out in LA together with players like Wayne Gretzky, Chris Chelios, Ed Belfour, Mathieu Schneider and Bob Probert.

Anders had a very fine rookie camp for the relocated Colorado Avalanche and immediately made the team. In his first NHL game against Detroit he was tested by several players, most notably Martin Lapointe. Anders did well in his NHL debut and his coach Marc Crawford liked what he saw from the young Norwegian. Crawford saw him as a potential powerplay specialist.

But his NHL odyssey didn't last long. After only four games Anders was sent down to the Cornwall Aces (AHL) where he played for the rest of the season, where he would learn the professional game. Colorado went on to win the Stanley Cup that season without Anders. By the way, in his short time in Colorado, he was the only player other than Patrick Roy to wear sweater number 33 in franchise history.

Early in the 1996-97 season Anders was traded to the Boston Bruins. He got the chance in nine more NHL games but didn't impress the Bruins staff enough to earn a regular spot on the blueline. He spend almost the entire season with the Providence Bruins in the AHL.

The 97-98 season didn't start all that well for Anders. He was cut from the Bruins roster during training camp and went on to play yet another season for a dreadful Providence team.

Anders' patience was finished and he requested to be released by Boston. They obliged and he quickly signed a contract with AIK, a team in the Swedish Elite league for the 98-99 season. Anders was back on square one, where his quest for the NHL had started...Sweden.

After two seasons in SEL, Myrvold would return to North American, lured back by his dream of playing in the NHL. He signed with the New York Islanders late in the summer of 2000. Yet the dream would not be realized again, as he spent all but 12 games in the minor leagues.

In 2001-02 he once again fled the AHL for Europe, this time signing in Switzerland. In the summer of 2002 he signed with the Florida Panthers, but never played with them. In 2003 he signed with the Detroit Red Wings, but only got into 8 games with the Wings, the last 8 games of his NHL career.

During the NHL lockout season of 2004-05 Myrvold returned to Norway where he signed with Valerengen in Oslo, and concentrated on representing Norway at the world championships. Unfortunately for Myrvold, his life became an unmitigated disaster at this time. In 2005 he was arrested on charges of possession of cocaine. He later admitted to his drug use and went into rehab. Then two days before Christmas 2006, a drunken Myrvold was attacked outside an Oslo bar. In the fight he fell, hitting his head on the pavement. He badly fractured his skull, needed 60 stitches to his scalp, and suffered from head injuries for much of the next year.

Myrvold was able to make a full recovery from the fractured skull, and even returned to the ice. He finished off his hockey career representing Norway at the 2008 World Hockey Championships. He failed to register a point in 7 games, but in classic Myrvold fashion he played his physical style, earning 22 minutes in penalties.

Jan Peka

2009-06-14T22:24:00.000-07:00

There have been a lot of very good goalies out of the Czech Republic and Slovakia areas over the years. Before there was Tomas Vokoun or Dominik Hasek or even Jiri Holecek or Vladimir Dzurilla, there was Jan Peka.

In fact, Jan Peka was around before Czechoslovakia was around!

When Peka was born in Rataje nad Sázavou, Bohemia in 1894. Bohemia formed the core of the newly formed country of Czechoslovakia following World War I.

One of Europe's true pioneers of hockey, goaltender Peka began his career at Studentsky Hockey Cercle Karlin in 1910. By 1913 he was tending nets for the Bohemia national team at the European Championships, a pre-cursor to the World Championships. In that tournament Bohemia and Belgium tied for first place, with Belgium getting the gold because of the goals scored advantage. Germany and Austria participated.

His budding hockey career was put on hold after that season. He moved to Prague where he concentrated on football (soccer). It is believed he played no hockey at all in the 1913-14 season.

But all of his sporting interests were put on hold as he put in five long years of military service fighting in the first World War.

Upon the War's conclusion Peka once again donned the pads, and became a true hockey legend in his newly named homeland. He would play until the conclusion of the 1936 Olympics, retiring at the age of 42.

What a career he had. In 1920 he backstopped Czechoslovakia to the bronze medal at the very first Olympic hockey event in Antwerp, Belgium. He would also participate at the Olympics in 1928 and 1936. He participated in six European Championships (winning gold in 1925, 1929 and 1933) and eight World Championships (winning bronze in 1920 and 1933).

In club league play Peka played with AC Sparta Praha and the famous LTC Praha.

I know very little about Jan Peka off of the ice, other than he died on January 21, 1985 at the age of 80.

John Mayasich

2009-06-11T00:05:00.000-07:00

John Mayasich is regarded as one of the best amateur hockey players in the history of the United States.

His amateur career goes back to his high school days where he led Eveleth High School to four consecutive championships with nary a loss.

He moved on to the University of Minnesota, where he was guided by another American amateur legend, John Mariucci. Mayasich was an annual All American, and won two WCHA scoring titles. In 1954 an overtime goal by R.P.I. cost Mayasich the NCAA championship.

His lengthy international career started in 1956 as part of the United States Olympic team. That team won a silver medal, thanks largely to a Mayasich hat trick in a 4-1 upset victory over Team Canada.

In 1960, Mayasich returned to the Olympic games for his most memorable moment of his career. Mayasich, who had by this time been shifted to defense, played brilliantly. His slap shot at Canada's goalie Don Head was quickly converted for a goal which proved to be the winner in the critical 2-1 victory. The upset victory created a wave of momentum for Team USA which saw them upset the Soviets and the Czechs en route to the unexpected gold medal on home ice at Squaw Valley.

Mayasich returned to international competition in five World Championships - 1958, 1961, 1962, 1966 and 1969. His best tournament was in 1962 when he was named to the All Star team and earned a bronze medal.

Mayasich declined many professional hockey opportunities to remain amateur with the Green Bay Bobcats as a player, coach, and general manager. He also worked as a high school teacher, an encyclopedia salesman and a radio employee.

Konstantin Loktev

2009-06-10T23:39:00.000-07:00

Perhaps better remembered as a coach, Konstantin Loktev was a great hockey player, too.

Konstantin Loktev joined the national team in 1954, but it wasn't until 1957 when he found regular linemates in Alexander Almetov and Venjamin Alexandrov. Together the three became one of the greatest troikas in Soviet hockey history.

Loktev, as coach Anatoli Tarasov puts it, was an original hockey player. He raced up his wing with puck well ahead of him. This must have caused the opposing defenseman to smack his lips in anticipation of a big body check or a turnover. However this was part of Loktev's arsenal. He lured in unsuspecting defenders this way, and then miraculously and almost without fail, he'd put on a beautiful deke to leave the bewildered defenseman up ice as he danced in on the lonely goal keeper.

Loktev, who trained by himself in spare time, was a rough player as well, despite his tiny fram of 5'7" and 165 pounds. He never shied away from the boards and would fight for the puck until the whistle had blown. He was punished several times for rough play in his younger days by the Russian hockey federation. That punishment seemed to do him a ton of good, as he calmed down some. He remained aggressive but controlled, and became one of the all time greats.

In his first world championships, held in Moscow in 1957, Loktev tallied up a staggering 11 goals and 18 points in 7 games. He would not win a World Championship gold medal until 1965 and again 1966 when he was voted as the top forward.

Loktev would also win Olympic gold in 1964, as well as 10 USSR championships. He scored 213 goals in 340 games in Russia, and 50 goals in 57 Olympic and World Championship games.

Not bad at all for a player who almost switched to bandy before his hockey career took off. It was the great Vsevolod Bobrov who talked him out of the change, starting a great friendship that would grow as the two men became influential coaches.

Loktev would replace the legendary Taraso as coach of the famed Central Red Army club in 1974, recapturing the national championship title that Tarasov's team had lost.

It was as a coach that Loktev really became known to NHL fans in North America. His most famous moment came in the 1976 Super Series as the CSKA team toured the NHL in a series of exhibition matches. Against the Philadelphia Flyers Loktev pulled his players off the ice after the Flyers, the noted NHL bad boys, roughed up the Soviet players early. He also coached the Red Army team that famously played the Montreal Canadiens on New Year's Eve, 1975.

Loktev's coaching career would ultimately be short. For two years he was Boris Kulagin's assistant coach with the national team, although the Soviet teams of 1976 and 1977 had stumbled. He was dismissed from his posts with both the national team and Central Red Army, replaced by Viktor Tikhonov.

Loktev moved on to briefly coach in Poland before leaving the coaching game altogether.

Konstantin Loktev died in 1996.

Chick Zamick

2009-06-10T22:57:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest European players during the post-war years was Britain's Victor 'Chick' Zamick of the Nottingham Panthers.

Between 1947 and 1958, the 5'7", 140lb centerman accumulated a staggering 1,423 points, including 778 goals and 645 assists in 624 games.

Born August 16th, 1926 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Victor Zamick was one of twelve children of parents who previously had emigrated from Ukraine. His nickname "Chick" is a shortened form of "Chicklet" the famous chewing gum, something all of his 10 surviving siblings were know by.

Although he grew up in Manitoba, apparently he did not take up the game until the age of 15. He mastered the game quickly, even getting a tryout with the AHL Cleveland Barons. He did not consider himself good enough and so chose to return the Ontario Hockey Association to work on his game. He played with the St. Catherine's TeePees, where his coach was future Chicago Blackhawks coach Rudy Pilous.

Zamick enlisted in the Canadian Army during World War II, playing hockey with military teams. He may have also started boxing.

In the summer of 1947 British Olympic legend Sandy Archer, who had grown up in Winnipeg, convinced Zamick to jump across the Atlantic ocean and join the Nottingham Panthers.

With his laser-like shot Zamick was an instant success. He won over the fans with his brainy play and his gentlemanly demeanor. He found instant chemistry with another Winnipeg recruit in Nottingham - Les Strongman.

Over the next 11 years he would own the British record book, along with the 1951 and 1954 British championship. He would also begin coaching the team in 1955.

Zamick surprised everyone by leaving for Switzerland in 1958. He signed a three year contract to coach Servette Geneva, capturing the Swiss championship in 1959.

He would return to Britain at the conclusion of that contract, first playing with the newly formed Altrincham Aces and later the reformed Wembley Lions. The Nottingham Panthers, like much of the glory day teams of the post-war BNL, had folded in Zamick's time away.

After retiring from hockey Zamick remained in Nottingham where he ran a number business franchises ranging from a dry cleaners to a sauna and squash club to a hair dresser's salon to an Italian eatery.

Chick Zamick died on October 8, 2007. He was 81 years old.

Bohumil Modry

2009-06-10T22:48:00.000-07:00

This handsome man is Bohumil Modry, an early Czech goaltending star who set the stage for future puck stopping legends such as Jiri Holecek, Vladimir Dzurilla and Dominik Hasek.

Bohumil Modry played mostly with LTC Prague from 1936 through 1950. Described as a natural born leader, he is two time world champion (1947 and 1949), and six time Czechoslovakia champ.

Modry became known to astute observers in Canada after the 1948 Olympics when he shutout Canada in a scoreless tie. He also helped to build the game, serving as role model for future goalies and publishing his goaltending philosophies in Czech magazines.

During his playing days he was known as the best
goalie in Europe, and a legend in Czechoslovakia - so much so that when the communists took over they were looking to make examples of people of higher social classes to intimidate the general population and as a result Modry was imprisoned for 15 years based on fabricated charges. He would be released in 1956 at age 39.

Dr. Blake Watson

2009-06-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

In researching early European hockey stars like Rudi Ball, Gustav Jaenecke and Herbert Brück, an interesting name caught my attention. They all seemed to idolize and respect a fellow by the name of Blake Watson.

Now Blake Watson certainly is not your typical European name, so I became curious. After a bit of digging it turns out Blake Watson was born and raised in Canada, growing up with the game of hockey. In fact he was so good he is inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

The left winger from Carman, Manitoba was a star with the University of Manitoba from 1922 through 1925, winning the Memorial Cup in 1923 with a teammate of Murray Murdoch and Art Chapman. He captained the 1927-28 University of Manitoba Grads hockey club that won the Allan Cup as amateur champions of Canada. In 1931 the same Varsity squad represented Canada at the World Championships in Poland, bringing home the gold medal to Manitoba.

Obviously he was a pretty good hockey player. Undoubtedly he would have drawn interest from professional clubs in Canada, although I am unsure if any of the NHL teams ever had any interest.

But Watson may have had little interest in pursuing the game professionally. You see he was a very studious fellow who at some point became a doctor, apparently a dentist.

His studies in medicine led him to Vienna, where he also played and coach the local club Wiener EV. He played in Austria from 1925 through 1927 and then again for the 1929-30 season. He also played in Zurich, Davos, Prague (where he may have practiced medicine as a podiatrist) and Germany, and was regularly asked to represent European all star teams to play against travelling Canadian squads.

Watson was one of the strongest players in Europe during this time, serving as an inspiration to many younger home-grown talents.

Watson returned to Canada in 1933, working as an assistant clinical professor at the University of Manitoba while also serving on staff at Winnipeg General Hospital.

In 1936 Watson relocated permanently to California, where he established himself as a noted obstetrician for over 50 years. He even had celebrity patients such as Greta Garbo, Carol Burnett, Judy Garland and Elizabeth Taylor. He may have also continued as a dentist, serving Gary Cooper, Fred Astair and Oliver Hardy.

At the age of 94 Blake Haverson Watson died in California on May 19, 1998.

I really do not know any more about Mr. Watson. If you have any more information about his life in hockey and after hockey, please email me. But it does seem Dr. Blake Watson was absolutely vital to the development of hockey in Austria in particular, and in Europe on a larger scale as well. I am really surprised he is not already inducted into the IIHF Hockey Hall of Fame.

Alexei Guryshev

2009-06-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

Although often forgotten by modern generations, Alexei Guryshev is a legend of Russian hockey, particularly with the Soviet Wings team (Krylja Sovetov).

Described as the "Phil Esposito of the early decades Russian hockey," Guryshev is the third highest scorer in Soviet hockey history with 379 career goals, trailing only Boris Mikhailov and Vyacheslav Starshinov. He was a scoring machine, adding 35 goals in 41 Olympic/World championship games. Like Esposito, Guryshev often scored on rebounds and in the slot. His shot was reportedly extremely heavy, despite next to no wind up.

He teamed expertly on a line with Pyotr Kotov and Sergi Mitin, and later with Nikolai Khlystov and Mikhail Bychkov. Wings coach Vladimir Yegorov wisely built his lines around Guryshev's sharpshooter abilities. He made sure Guryshev's wingers were speed demons who could draw defenses to them, and then place a perfect pass to the lurking Guryshev. He would elegantly slide undetected into position and in a split second fire the puck on net.

Guryshev was a member of the Olympic gold medal team in 1956 and WC gold medal in 1954. He also totaled impressive stats at the 1955 and 1957 worlds. Including his time at the 1958 and 1958 Worlds, Guryshev played in 41 international matches, scoring 35 times.

After retiring as a player he served as an international referee.

Guryshev is a legend in Russia, but would be even bigger had he played with other Moscow teams.

Gustav Jaenecke

2009-06-10T20:46:00.000-07:00

While modern fans will know the name of Erich Kuhnhackl, many hockey historians will tell you Gustav Jaenecke is the greatest German hockey player of all time.

That is Gustav Jaenecke above. He's talking to Norway's Sonja Henie, the three time Olympic champion figure skater and arguably the greatest skater of all time.

Jaenecke was a pretty good skater in his own right. He enjoyed a lengthy career from 1924 through 1951. In that time he played for Berliner SC (Germany) and SC Riessersee. He established himself as a good all-round player who played both as a forward and, in later years, as a defenseman.

Jaenecke, along with sidekick Rudi Ball, carried the German National team from 1927 through 1939. He participated in three Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal in 1932, and at eight World championships, winning silver in 1930 and bronze in 1932 and 1934. He also won gold at the European Championships in 1930 and 1934, and bronze in 1927, 1933, 1936, a1938 and 1939. He scored 43 goals in 82 international games, which represented one quarter of his team's output.

Also an excellent tennis player, represented Germany in the Davis Cup five times and won the German tennis title in 1932.

Rudi Ball

2009-06-10T12:43:00.001-07:00

It is safe to say controversy reigned supreme in the 1936 Olympics, hosted by Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

This is Rudy Ball, the 25 year old was the captain of the 1936 Olympic team, his second time at the Olympics. When his career ended he would be one of the most decorated German players of all time, with 8 German championships, a 1932 Olympic bronze medal and participation infour time world championships under his belt. In 1930 the French Sports Magazine labelled him the best hockey player in Europe. Ball and his brothers Gerhard and Heinz where hockey heroes in Germany.

There was one big problem in 1936 though. Adolf Hitler's Germany was hosting the Olympics, and his hatred Jewish people and other minorities was becoming world-renowned. Ball, a legend of hockey in Germany and the team captain, was of Jewish descent.

The Germans initially refused to include Ball, no doubt an order from a government official much higher up than the hockey officials. That's when Gustav Jaenecke, Ball's good friend and teammate not to mention a real hockey star, stepped in. He refused to play unless Ball was included.

Without Ball and Jaenecke the Germans knew there was no chance they could repeat as Olympic medalists on home ice. They wanted to win as many medals as possible, to display their superiority. They allowed Ball to play, and allowed his family to leave Germany and flee the coming horrors of the Nazis. Ball had already moved St. Moritz, Switzerland in 1933.

The Germans finished in 5th place, thanks largely to an injury suffered by Ball which ended his tournament prematurely.

Ball was one of only two Jewish athletes to represent Germany at the 1936 games. Helene Mayer, a fencer, also represented Germany despite her Jewish heritage and despite living in the United States since 1933. She won a silver medal.

Ball was just a tiny guy, listed at 5'4" and 140lbs. Amazingly he did not even start playing hockey until he was 15 years old. He fell in love with the game after watching Berliner SC play against Wiener EV. He instantly admired a Canadian fellow named Blake Watson, a player coach with the Austrian team Wiener EV. Watson, a Memorial Cup and Allan Cup champion back in Canada, was an inspiration for many early European stars.

Ball's father purchased an expensive pair of Canadian hockey skates for his son, and by the age of 18 he was playing with Berliner SC in the top German league. He instantly found chemistry on a line with Austrian Herbert Brück and the French speedster Albert Hassler, regulars on their respective national teams.

Also beginning at age 18 he was regularly included in European all star matches against travelling Canadian clubs. Ball found himself playing on the same team as European legends like Bibi Torriani (Switzerland), Josef Malecek (Czechoslovakia) and fellow countryman Gustav Jaenecke, whom he would quickly form a great partnership with.

The right winger was described as "quick and elegant" and "a dynamic skaterwith incredible speed and uncanny stick handling." Though very small he was clever and spirited, and never had any problems excelling on the ice.

Ball participated in his first World Championship in 1930 held in Chamonix. He picked up 1 goal (against Canada, nonetheless) and added 4 assists in the 5 games, helping Germany capture the Silver medal.

In 1932 he first played in the Olympic games. Rudi was the best German player and scored 3 goals and added 2 assists in 6 games as Germany captured the bronze medal.

In 1933 the three Ball brothers moved to nearby St. Moritz, Switzerland, though they continued to represent Germany internationally. After a season in St. Moritz Rudi moved to Italy to play for Diavoli Rosso Neri in Milan.

After leading Diavoli to the Spengler Cup in early 1936, Ball returned to Germany to take part in the controversial 1936 Olympic Games. Following the Olympics he stayed in Germany, returning to Berliner SC until 1944.

He and his brothers moved South Africa in 1948, continuing to play hockey until 1952. That would put Rudi still playing hockey at the age of 44.

Rudi Ball died in Johannesburg in 1975.

Hugh Plaxton

2009-06-09T15:45:00.000-07:00

Who is Hugh Plaxton? Pictured third from the right on the bottom row, he is one of Canada's greatest Olympians.

After graduating from the University of Toronto with a law degree, Hugh played Ontario Senior hockey with the University of Toronto Grads, a collection of former stars at the college. In 1928 the Grads earned the right to represent Canada as the official Olympic hockey team. The Grads went on to easily win the Gold medal. Canada went undefeated with a 3-0 record with 38 goals for and none against. Runners-up Sweden were 2-1 with 7 goals for and 12 against. Hugh and future Montreal Maroons star Dave Trottier led the Canadian attack, each scoring 12 goals. 6 of Plaxton's goals came in one game against Great Britain.

However Hugh also spear-headed one of the most controversial disputes in Canadian Olympic history as well. Hugh - and goaltender Joe Sullivan - threatened to boycott the Olympics unless their brothers were added to the team. A young Conn Smythe was in charge of that team in refused to comply with what he thought were ridiculous demands. Smythe wanted to add Wes Kirkpatrick and Dick Richards to the team instead. In the end though Hugh's status on the U of T team helped his brothers Bert and Roger and Frank Sullivan make the team while Kirkpatrick, Richards and Smythe all were dropped from the team and left in Canada.

Following the Olympics Hugh quit his hockey career in order to concentrate on his law career. He practiced law in Ontario until 1932 when the Montreal Maroons convinced him to turn professional. Reunited with Olympic star Dave Trottier, Hugh's long layoff didn't help him achieve what he had hoped. Hugh played in 15 games, scoring 1 goal and 2 assists. He also played in IAHL with Windsor and the WCHL with Vancouver that season.

Hugh retired after that one season of bouncing around. He returned to his law practice in the summer of 1933.

Beattie Ramsay

2009-06-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

Beattie Ramsay starred in the OHA Sr league from 1919-1924 as opposed to playing in the newly formed National Hockey League. His first three seasons in the OHA was spent with the University of Toronto and his final two years were with the Toronto Granites.

The Granites are a special team in hockey history. Formed by ex-servicemen from World War I, the Granites represent Canada in the first Winter Olympics games in 1924. Hockey was first played as a demonstration sport in the 1920 Olympics, but at the Summer games. The Winter Games were not created until 1924. That Granites team boasted superstars like Hooley Smith, Harry Watson and captain Dunc Munro - Beattie Ramsay's defense partner. The team was managed by William Hewitt.

The Olympic team consisted of just 7 skaters plus two goalies. Ramsay and Munro were the only two defensemen on the team, thus they must have played most of the game. The games back then were all 45 minutes long except for the gold medal game.

It was a cake walk for the Granites team, as they captured the first winter Olympics gold medal in history. In 5 games the Granites scored 110 goals while giving up only 3! Harry Watson led the way with 36 goals, an Olympic record. He included a 13 goal game against the Swiss and 11 against the Czechs.

Ramsay scored 10 goals. He was considered to be the more defensive of the pairing as Dunc Munro was more likely to jump into the offensive attack. He scored 16 goals.

Interestingly, in the early Olympics, players served as referees for matches they didn't play in. Beattie Ramsay, a great skater and student of the game, refereed the France-Great Britain and France-USA contests.

The Granites team disbanded soon after their Olympic triumph. Ramsay opted to end his playing career and turn to the world of coaching. He accepted an Ivy league offer from Princeton University where he coached for the next three years.

In 1927-28 Ramsay accepted the Toronto Maple Leafs offer to come play for them. Perhaps a bit homesick, it was a great opportunity for Ramsay to come back to Ontario and to further his career in hockey. Though he hadn't played in any competitive games for 3 years, he quickly established himself as a steady and reliable defensive blueliner. He played in 43 games, recording 2 assists and 10 PIM.

That proved to be Ramsay's only NHL season. Following that year he went back to Saskatchewan where he coached the Yorkton Terriers of the Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League. He later coached in Prince Albert and Regina.

Dunc Munro

2009-06-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

This is Dunc Munro, courtesy of the rare 1924-25 Dominion Chocolate hockey card set. His card would have been pretty popular back then. After all, he had just led Canada to the gold medal in the 1924 Olympic Games at Chamonix, France.

Munro was one of hockey's great leaders. He captained the Toronto Granites senior team that had earned the right to represent Canada at the Olympics. The Granites, made up largely of ex-servicemen form the first World War, were virtually impossible to beat, winning back to back Allan Cups as the amateur champions of Canada in 1922 and 1923.

In 1924 they were off to the Olympics where they faced no real challenge. They beat Sweden 22-0, Britain 19-0, Czechoslovakia 30-0, Switzerland 33-0 and the United States 6-1.

Munro was the captain of the Olympic team as well. He scored 16 goals in those 5 games. He and Beattie Ramsay were the only two defensemen Canada iced in that tournament. It is likely both players played every minute of every game. Plus, he refereed the Belgium-United States contest!

Upon his return to Canada his services became quite sought after by the professional ranks. The Montreal Maroons, a new team marketed to English speaking Montreal, targeted the 23 year old Scottish-born Munro immediately. There is some speculation that the deep-pocketed Maroons made Munro the richest man in pro-hockey at the time. Despite being one of the younger players on the first year Maroons team, Munro was named captain again.

It was not long before the Maroons challenged for hockey supremacy. In just the team's second year, 1925-36, Munro helped to lead them to the NHL championship and then to the Stanley Cup championship, defeating the west's Victoria Cougars.

The Maroons returned to the Stanley Cup finals in 1928, only to lose famously to Lester Patrick and the New York Rangers. Patrick of course was the silver haired 44 year old coach who played in net in game 2 of the series because Lorne Chabot became injured.

Munro was described as "beefy" who had some legendary battles with the Canadiens pint-sized Aurel Joliat. In one incident fought like "enraged bulldogs," both on the ice and in the penalty box.

Munro's health became a serious concern in the 1928-29 season. He would play in only one game after suffering a heart attack. He turned to coaching, and in 1929-30 he returned for a full season in 1929-30 as both coach and player. He left the ice again after just 4 games in 1930-31.

Hoping to resurrect his hockey career Munro signed on with the cross-city rival Montreal Canadiens for the 1931-32 season, playing a full schedule and by most accounts playing well. It would be his last season on the ice, as he turned his full attention to coaching.

Munro would suffer several heart attacks over the years, causing his health and style of life to deteriorate. He died in 1958, just shy of his 57th birthday.

Scott Young

2009-06-07T22:06:00.001-07:00

When looking back at Scott Young's statistics, the one thing that surprised me is how often he moved around the NHL. I thought he was a fantastic support player, which is probably what made him so desirable by other teams. They were willing to pay a nice price in hoping Young would breakout with his new team.

I best remember Young with the Hartford Whalers, who drafted him 11th overall in 1986, and with St. Louis, where he played in 5 seasons, the most of his many tenures. He also played with Pittsburgh, Quebec/Colorado, Anaheim and Dallas.

I also remember Young as a very important member of Team USA in the late 1980s and through the 1990s as well as the 2002 Olympics. Born in Clinton, Massachusetts, he always answered the bell when his country needed him, playing in three world juniors, three Olympics, three world championships, the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and two stints with the US national team regular season.

I remember being intrigued by Young at the 1986 draft. He was an all star defenseman at Boston University, but also utilized as a swing man who would play forward, most notably at the World Juniors. He played right wing for most of his NHL career, probably because of his average size, but I always have considered the rare players who could excel both at forward and on defense to be the most intelligent and valuable players in hockey.

I remember someone on Hockey Night In Canada once referred to Scott Young as a "hockey machine." It was a pretty good quote. He excelled in so many facets of the game.

Young had a very heavy slap shot, which caught more than a few goalies by surprise. He liked to tee up one timers near the top of the right face off circle, and was often used on the right point on the power play.

He definitely had a shooter's mentality, firing away whenever possible, and darted in front of the net for rebounds and loose pucks. But what he wasn't was a finisher. He had a career year in St. Louis in 2000-01 with 40 goals, otherwise he was a 20 goal, 50 point threat.

Raised as a defenseman, it comes as no surprise that Young was a diligent defensive forward. He read plays well, had good anticipation and an active stick, as well as the speed and quickness to get to pucks first. He was a regular on the PK unit as well as the PP unit. He was not a physical player by any stretch, which limited him a bit in the true checker's role.

He was a reliable performer game in and game out, and in the playoffs. With his speed, shot and ability to read plays he played a long time, 1181 games in total plus 141 more in the playoffs. He scored 342 goals and 756 points in the regular season, plus 44 goals and 87 points in the Stanley Cup post-season.

Moose Goheen

2009-05-29T20:15:00.000-07:00

Around the time of the first World War, there were two great American hockey players - Hobey Baker and Frank "Moose" Goheen. Though neither ever played in the National Hockey League, by most accounts they were every bit as good as the Canadian pros.

As great as they were on the ice, Baker and Goheen could not have been more different people.

Baker was the son of a socialite, blessed with movie star good looks and natural talent in many arenas, especially hockey and football. He would become a sporting legend while at Princeton University, resisting all offers to turn pro. To watch Baker perform was truly an event on to itself. He would not return from the War where he was a fighter pilot. His plane mysteriously crashed during one final flight of Europe on the day of his discharge.

Despite growing up in poverty Goheen became the undisputed best player in all of Minnesota, hockey's American homeland. He, too, was a superb athlete, excelling as well at hockey and football. A natural talent he was not, instead relying on amazing desire and work ethic. His undeniable intensity helped earn him the nickname Moose despite his small size. He was quiet and kept to himself, and on the ice he was all business.

Goheen remains a high school hockey legend in Minnesota, playing at White Bear High School while also playing against men in the city leagues. He starred for the St. Paul Athletic Club when that team won the McNaughton Trophy in 1915-16 and 1916-17 as United States Amateur Hockey champions.

Goheen sat out the 1917-18 and 1918-19 seasons as he served with the US Army in the World War I, laying telephone wire in recaptured areas of Belgium and Germany.

Following his discharge he returned to his beloved game, skating for USA at the first ever Olympic hockey event at the Olympic Games in 1920 in Belgium. This trip to Belgium was much better than his visit during the War. He scored 7 goals in 4 games in leading the Americans to the silver medal.

Goheen returned to St. Paul where, aside from one season in Buffalo, he played until 1932. He resisted offers to go to the NHL or PCHA, as well as declining to play in the 1924 Olympics because of he was reluctant to leave his family and his steady employment in St. Paul with the Northern States Power Company. All along he played for the Saints, first as an amateur and later as a professional.

The NHL was definitely interested in Goheen. None other than the great Lester Patrick proclaimed Goheen to be the greatest American hockey player of all time. Boston, Toronto, the Montreal Maroons and New York reported to have table contract offers. The Montreal Wanderers beat everyone to the punch way back in 1917. The Bruins were the most persistent, trying to legal bind Goheen's professional hockey career to the Bruins in 1928.

Moose Goheen was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1952. He was elected to Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame in 1958 and to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973.

Jack Cameron

2009-05-27T21:48:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of Canada's 1924 gold medal Olympic gold medal winning hockey team. That was the very first year of the Winter Olympics were held, although Olympic hockey dated back to the 1920 Summer games.

Canada was represented in 1924 by the Toronto Granites, a nearly unbeatable team of ex-World War I servicemen. They beat virtually every amateur team in Canada, as evidenced by back to back Allan Cup championships in 1922 and 1923, so it comes as no surprise that they dominated the best the world could offer.

When discussing the Toronto Granites success in 1924 most of the talk centers around their unmatchable goal scoring exploits. After all, they outscored the opposition by a combined total of 110-3, in just 5 games, including defeats over Czechoslovakia 30-0, Sweden 22-0 and Switzerland 33-0.

When the play is that lopsided, the goaltenders do not usually grab a lot of headlines. The Granites were one of the rare early teams to use two goaltenders, using both Jack Cameron and Ernie Collett between the pipes.

I believe Mr. Cameron is pictured above and to the right. Cameron played in 3 of the 5 games, and he saw little action. Legend has it he did find ways to keep busy during the game though.

Due to the lengthy stretches of action in the opposition's zone, Cameron was said to have made the most of his time by frequently skating to the side boards of the outside arena to chat with young ladies watching the game!

In Andrew Podnieks' excellent book "Canada's Olympic Hockey Teams" Cameron denied the stories of his flirtatious wanderings, but he did mention one young lady.

"The only girl I remember was a little blonde 11 year old figure skater on the Norwegian team," Cameron told Podnieks. "When she wasn't competing, she sat on our bench. Her name was Sonja Henie and she was a great booster of the Granites."

Henie may have helped the Granites win gold in 1924, but she came in dead last in figure skating that year. Of course, she did go on to a dazzling gold medal win in 1928 and followed that fame up as a both a professional skater and a popular star in motion pictures.

Robert Mueller

2009-05-22T15:13:00.000-07:00

Sad news today. Robert Meuller has passed away. He was just 28 years old.

Back in 2006 he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. He had an operation to remove it, and returned to the ice with Cologne of the German league. The two time Olympian even returned to the national team, competing at the 2008 World Championships in Quebec City. It was his eighth world tourney.

In August 2008 further operations discovered rapidly spreading cancer. He was diagnosed as terminally ill with the incurable glioblastoma multiforme brain tumor. The doctors told him there was nothing they could do for him.

This past season the former Washington Capitals draft pick returned for Cologne for a stretch as the back up goaltender. It was his way of saying goodbye to hockey. He practiced with the team and was even able to get into a couple of games before his health deteriorated to the point that he could no longer participate.

Needless to say, Robert Mueller was an inspiration to many.

“With his strong will, Müller inspired many people in their battle against the terrible disease. He showed us all what it means to never give up," said Franz Reindl, the general secretary of the German Ice Hockey Association.

Sergei Shepelev

2009-05-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

The Sergei Shepelev experiment was a short lived one. But it worked at the perfect time for the old Soviet hockey team.

Shepelev stole all the headlines in the final game showdown of the 1981 Canada Cup. The world was watching Canada's 21 year old superstar Wayne Gretzky on a line with Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne, and the newly formed Russian top line of Vladimir Krutov, Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov. But it was the anonymous Shepelev who was the game's hero, scoring three goals en route to Russia's humiliating 8-1 defeat of Team Canada.

It was Shepelev's second hat trick of the tournament. He also scored three times against Czechoslovakia, giving him a team best six tallies for the tourney. Only Canada's Mike Bossy had more.

The 26 year old Shepelev seemingly had come out of nowhere. As a younger player he was a winger with Avtomobilist Sverdlovsk who was criticized by the Russian hockey theorists who felt Shepelev was too aggressive and "too arrogant."

In 1980 he had joined Spartak Moscow where famed coach Boris Kulagin almost immediately turned him into a center. It was a seemingly odd move, given that Shepelev's lack of training as a center often troubled his defensive game and his passing, two must-have traits of centers in the Soviet system. Shepelev was a winger at heart, wanting to rush the puck and cheat offensively looking for quick breaks instead of playing high and springing the wingers.

Despite the unlikeliness of success, Kulagin captured lightning in a bottle. For a couple of years in the early 1980s Shepelev's line with Sergei Kapustin and Viktor Shalimov was as good as any line in the world. In the 1981 Canada Cup that line with unmatchable speed out-performed the KLM Line, the Gretzky-Lafleur-Dionne line and the Trottier-Bossy-Gillies line.

Ultimately Shepelev's moment in the sun was short lived. He was an important member of the Soviets 1981, 1982, and 1983 gold medal teams at the world championships. But when the older Kapustin and Shalimov slowed down and were removed from the national team, Shepelev was unable to find the same success with new linemates.

Shepelev's last year with the national team was 1984, without Kapustin and Shalimov. He participated with the 1984 gold medal winning team at the Sarajevo Olympics. His last appearance with the national team came back at the Canada Cup. This time he failed to score, picking up 3 assists in 4 games, as the Soviets failed to make the finals.

All told Sergei Shepelev played in 46 games with the Soviet national team at the Olympics, Worlds and Canada Cup. He scored 22 goals and 38 points. In 453 Russian league games he added 188 goals.

Here's a YouTube highlight video of the goals of the 1981 Canada Cup:

Vyacheslav Bykov

2009-05-20T21:12:00.000-07:00

I grew up in secret admiration of the Soviet hockey players. It was bordering on treason. I always cheered on my beloved Team Canada, but I loved to watch those Soviet teams play, with their blinding speed and intricate passing plays.

In the 1980s all the talk was about Green Unit, a.k.a. the KLM Line - Krutov, Larionov and Makarov. Together with Viacheslav Fetisov and Alexei Kasatonov on defense, they were the best line in the world, bar none. Everyone raved about them, and with good reason.

But I always took a special liking to the Soviet's second troika - Valery Kamensky and Andrei Khomutov between my favorite, Vyacheslav Bykov.

Bykov never really intended to have a career in hockey. As a young man he loved to spend time on the ice, constantly perfecting his puck tricks and skating skills, never receiving much formal coaching. He languished with unknown teams in Chelyabinsk as he focussed on his studies. He was never even persued for the Soviet youth or junior programs simply because he was undiscovered.

But Cheyabinsk Traktor, the local entry in the top Russian league, invited him to play in 1980. Soon Red Army and national team coach Viktor Tikhonov discovered him and moved him to the Red Army team by 1982. Later that season he played his first games with the national team, winning gold at the 1983 World Championships.

Not bad for a kid who almost went undiscovered. Fortunately for Bykov, the right man discovered him. The traditional Soviet centerman is big and strong, focussing on defensive first, always remaining high and with an offensive mandate to headman the puck to his breaking wingers. Tikhonov had great success employing the tiny Larionov as the engine on the top line, he did not fear to put the even smaller Bykov in control of line two.

Even then Bykov was nearly exiled to Siberia after just one season with the national team. While at the 1983 World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden. He made international headlines when he was caught shoplifting clothing for his child. Bykov was banned from the national team for over a year, costing him at shot at the 1984 Olympic games in Sarajevo.

Bykov's talent allowed him to return to national team scene and go onto a career highlighted with 5 world championships, 2 Olympic Golds, and 7 Russian league titles. Two of the WCs and the last Olympic gold came with Bykov as team captain, putting him in a group of esteemed Soviet hockey captains such as Mikhailov and Fetisov.

Bykov and Khomutov in particular had incredible chemistry together. They played a smooth, uninterrupted style of game. Their hockey truly was beautiful hockey, an absolute joy to watch. Their criss-crossing skating with dazzling passing displays dizzied the best of defenses and wore down the opponents. The only thing more nimble than their feet was their hands.

When the bigger and more physical Kamensky joined the two tiny puck wizards in about 1986, the Bykov line was considered by many to be the equal of the KLM Line.

That was part of the reason why the Soviet Union began allowing veterans to freely play in the NHL. Remember, before the gates were kicked wide open by politics, the first wave of Soviet greats needed permission to come. The authorities allowed the likes of Fetisov, Larionov, Makarov and Krutov to come because a) they were the most vocal and b) they had the Bykov troika ready in line to keep the national team running smoothly while waiting for their young trio of Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Mogilny and Pavel Bure to emerge.

I truly believe that was the intention of the Soviet authorities at that time. But all too soon the political process opened the gates wide open to everybody. By the 1990-91 season, one year after the first wave of Soviet greats headed west, so did Bykov and Khomutov. Only they never went to the NHL.

Their NHL rights were held by the sad-sack Quebec Nordiques. The Nords had brought over goaltender Sergei Mylnikov in 1989-90, but he had a terrible time, both on the ice and off of it. He fled from North America as soon as he could, returning to Russia with no kind words about the Nordiques or the NHL. The story has it Bykov and Khomutov listened to Mylnikov's horror stories and opted instead to play in the Alps Mountains of Switzerland. They were in the West, the money was good, the lifestyle and the country were amazing.

The hockey was good, too. Bykov and Khomutov dominated the Swiss league, playing with Fribourg until late in the century. Bykov continued to play until 2000 with Lausanne before becoming a very successful coach.

Erich Kuhnhackl

2009-05-20T17:14:00.000-07:00

Name the greatest German hockey player ever.

Okay, so its tough to name more than couple. Uwe Krupp would probably get the most votes since he has been an established and accomplished defensman in the National Hockey League for quite some time. But how about the German scoring machine Erich Kühnhackl.

Traditionally Canada, USA, Russia, Sweden, and Finland are the hockey powers. Slovakia and the Czech Republic are now once again powers after their country split. Switzerland and Germany are also developing into a possible future hockey power.

Much of Germany's historic hockey success comes from one man: Erich Kühnhackl.

Kühnhackl was born on October 17, 1950 in Citice Czechoslovakia. The son of German parents, he didn't move to Germany until his family moved in 1968.

Kühnhackl (a West German, as he played when the country was still split between East and West) scored 724 goals in 774 games in Germany. He played primarily with EV Landshut (1968-76, 79-85, 88-89) and Kolner EC (1976-79). He briefly played for Olten in Switzerland in 1985-86).

Kühnhackl first started playing professionally in 1968 and excelled until his retirement in 1989. He led his teams to the German championship in 1970, 1977, 1979 and 1983. He also holds the record in Germany for goals and points, and recorded 53 hat tricks, 3 more than Wayne Gretzky had. Granted, the German leagues are of little comparison to the NHL or even other European leagues at that time, Kühnhackl proved himself on the international stage as well.

Kühnhackl scored a mind boggling 723 goals and 705 assists 1428 points in only 771 games, all German records. The 7 time scoring leader had 83 goals and 155 points in 1979-80 for career and country highs. Oh, and that came in just 48 games.

Kühnhackl almost single-handedly kept Germany in the Olympic "A" pool. In International hockey the worst team is often dropped to the "B" pool, thus giving another country a chance. While Germany was never an international power, Kühnhackl was. In 75 World Championship games, Kühnhackl scored 40 goals and 35 assists for 75 points. He led the 1978 World Championship tournament in scoring with 16 points in 10 games. The 6'5" 220lb giant also added 126 career penalty minutes, showing his willingness to play a physical game.

As with all International stars who never had a chance to excel in the National Hockey League, the true test comes in the Olympic Games, a test in which Kühnhackl excelled. He participated in three Olympic games. The first Games was in 1976 and Kühnhackl's 5 goals and 10 points helped Germany to surprisingly capture the Bronze Medal. It was the last Olympic medal Germany achieved in hockey. The only other medal the country received was a Bronze in 1932. Kühnhackl was the highest scoring non-Soviet player in a tournament easily won by the Red Army. Lorenz Funk and Ernst Kopf helped Kühnhackl to their last Olympic triumph.

In the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, West Germany finished a respectable 5th place, ahead of both Finland and the USA. Kühnhackl led the entire tournament in scoring, with 8 goals and 6 assists in 6 games.

Despite all of his dominance, Kuhnhackl was never seriously considered for European hockey's biggest individual award - the Golden Stick. Given to the player who garnered the most votes as the best player in Europe, only once did Kuhnhackl finish in the top ten. Critics suggest the German league was quite inferior to other European leagues, and that Kuhnhackl's WC and Olympic totals were padded by scoring points against weak nationis.

Its debatable if Kühnhackl could have played in the NHL. He most likely wouldn't have dominated like he did in Germany, but he had the size and skill to be a good NHL forward. In fact he was offered a contract by the NY Rangers in the 1970's, but turned it down to stay in Germany where he made considerably more money.

Kuhnhackl's only opportunity to play against NHLers did not materialize. In 1984 West Germany was invited to play in the Canada Cup tournament. A broken leg kept Kuhnhackl out of the tournament.

Kuhnhackl's obsession with hockey continued beyond his retirement as a player in 1989. He went on to become a long time coach in Germany.

Kuhnhackl was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997.

Valeri Vasiliev

2009-05-20T17:10:00.001-07:00

Considered by many to be the toughest and most physical defenseman in Russian hockey history, Valeri Vasiliev was a punishing hitter who loved the physical play. Valeri reminded people of Hall of Famer Tim Horton.

He didn't have the offensive flair like Alexei Kasatonov or Vyacheslav Fetisov but was better defensively. Opponents hated to play against him because it could be painful. As a surprise to many opponents Valeri was only 6'0" and 190 Ibs but played like a much bigger player. He put several opponents on the injury list during his career.

Valeri was born on August 3, 1949 in Bora, just outside of Moscow. He began playing organized hockey as a 12 year old for Torpedo Gorky. He then went on to play league hockey his entire career for Dynamo Moscow between 1967-84. In one year he was actually demoted to the third division for disciplinary reasons following an incident on the national team.

Long time Soviet observers talk about a young and over rambunctious Vasiliev who enjoyed the physical game far too much for the Soviet theory of hockey. It was veteran defenseman Vitaly Davydov who took the short-tempered Vasiliev under his wing and turned him into not just a refined tactician, but one of the greatest defensemen in the world.

Valeri was a born leader and was a longtime captain of the national team. He was a two time Olympic Gold medalist (1972 and 1976). He was a eight time World Champion, being voted the best defenseman three times (1973, 1977 and 19 79) and being named to 5 WC All-Star teams. Valeri represented his country 284 times and scored 44 goals. He was a member of the "super five" together with his partner on the blue line Vladimir Lutchenko and behind the troika of Kharlamov-Petrov-Mikhailov, the predecessors of the Makarov-Larionov-Krutov unit with Kasatonov and Fetisov.

Yet he never experienced a Russian league championship. He was one of very few players on the Soviet national team who never played for the Red Army team CSKA. The Red Army team dominated the home league because it was essentially comprised of the national team. Only a few players like Vasiliev were brought in to join those players for the national team. Valeri played a total of 617 games and scored 71 goals. His 617 games is still a league record.

Because of his physical style he loved to play against NHL opposition. He thrived in that environment, and because of that the Russian Strongman was one early Russian player who likely would have excelled in the NHL.

He played in the 1972 Summit Series as well as the 1979 Challenge Cup. Valeri had a big part in neutralizing Wayne Gretzky, Guy Lafleur, Marcel Dionne and the other Canadian superstars in the 1981 Canada Cup final. That was the only year the Soviets won the Canada Cup. Vasliev, as team captain, accepted the famous trophy.

Vasiliev was also a very efficient and speedy skater, despite looking quite awkward. He had an unusual way of propelling himself down the ice. He did not lift his skates off the ice while rapidly accelerating. This allowed him incredible stability. He was almost impossible to knock him off his feet.

After his playing career was over Valeri coached the juniors of Dynamo Moscow (1984-89). He then went over to Germany where he coached EC Ratingen (1990) and Bad Reichenhall (1991). In 1996-97 he was the assistant coach for Spartak Moscow. In 1998 he was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame.

Valeri has never been replaced on the national team by someone who could match his physical play and toughness. It's an element that has been sorely missed on the Russian national team over the years.

Alexander Maltsev

2009-05-17T22:36:00.000-07:00

It is often said that if you were some how able to rank the top players in the history of hockey, a number of the members of the Soviet Red Army would be included near the top. Some would say Alexander Maltsev would top that list.

While it is virtually impossible to compare hockey players from different eras, it is also almost as hard to compare international legends to National Hockey Leaguers. However there is little doubt that Maltsev ranks among the most talented hockey players ever.

Having never had the chance to play in the NHL, he is mostly long forgotten in North America nowadays. Except maybe in Washington, where his name piques some interests now and again. That is largely because Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin identifies Maltsev as his idol growing up.

Maltsev was a bit of a rarity in Soviet hockey. While he was a leading player on the National Team, he played with Dynamo Moscow in the Soviet League as opposed to the Red Army team. The Red Army always served as the Russian's national team and most national team members also would skate with the Big Red Machine during the Soviet League schedule. Maltsev was one of the few players who was able to play elsewhere during the season.

In Soviet League play Alexander played in 530 games from 1967 to 1984. In that time he scored 329 goals while leading Dynamo Moscow to 6 silver medals and 7 bronze medals. The Red Army, stacked with all the best players, almost annually won the gold medal. Dynamo Moscow is generally considered to be Russia's second most successful team.

Alexander became a legend on the International side of the game. He participated in three Olympic games, helping the Soviet Union win gold in 1972 and 1976, as well as a silver medal in 1980. Maltsev also played in 12 World Championships, winning gold in 9 of those tournaments. Three times he was named the World Championship's best forward and was a tournament all star 5 times.

Maltsev is of course best known to North Americans for his starring role in the 1972 Summit Series where he teamed with CCCP's most dangerous individual player, Valeri Kharlamov. He was a set up man for Kharlamov who was the trigger man. His five assists tied him for second on the Series' assist list. When Kharlamov scored his two goals in game one to shock the Canadians and take a demanding lead, Maltsev, was the guy who set him up.

Alexander Maltsev also starred in the 1976 Canada Cup. He scored 3 goals and 7 assists in 5 games and was the only Russian named to the tournament All Star team.

Like Ovechkin, Maltsev was a creative player who was not afraid to try unique plays in practice or in games. In a game against Dynamo Berlin he was once reported to have scored a goal by flipping the puck over net while he darted out in front to knock the puck passed the goalie baseball style. Valeri Kharlamov, Pavel Bure and Pavel Datsyuk, amongst other Russian stars, have tried to emulate the famous goal, but with no success.

Maltsev was "born to be a hockey player," and it showed. He loved to be on the ice, even if it was just practice. He was said to be "out of sorts" when away from the rink, anxious to get back to it. He seemed to crave the attention he could generate with his game. Retirement from the game was said to be extremely tough for him.

Mike Eruzione

2009-05-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

To say that Mike Eruzione is the United States greatest hockey legend sounds a little funny. He was not exactly a great player. In fact he never made it to the NHL. Of all the great names in American hockey history, Eruzione would probably rank near the bottom in terms of hockey talent.

Yet Eruzione's lone significant accomplishment ranks highest of all American hockey achievements.

Mike Eruzione scored the game winning goal in the legendary "Miracle on Ice" game against the Soviets in the 1980 Olympics. Like Paul Henderson for Canada in 1972, Eruzione will forever be remember for scoring that goal and little else.

The 1980 Olympic Games were of course held in Lake Placid New York. The American squad was led by head coach Herb Brooks and were heavy underdogs. In an exhibition game just prior to the Olympics, the Soviets dismantled a U.S. squad with an average age of 20, 11 goals to 3.

After an opening game tie against Sweden, the Americans would go on to win their next 4 games, only to find themselves against the Goliath known as the Soviet Union. Coach Brooks told his team "You were born to be hockey players. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours."

In a classic confrontation the teams remained tied with ten minutes to go. Enter Eruzione the American team captain.

The confident youngster from Boston University snapped a shot to give the U.S. a stunning 4-3 lead which they managed to hang on to despite immense pressure. With a win over Finland a couple of days later, the USA clinched the gold medal. The Soviets were forced to settle for silver.

Mike Eruzione was at the right place at the right time. Now he is forever etched into hockey history, and will forever go down as one the greatest hockey legends.

Despite his instant notoriety, Eruzione chose not to pursue the many NHL contract offers that were coming in, most notably from the New York Rangers. Instead the 25 year old chose to retire soon after the Olympics saying nothing he could do in hockey could ever equal his Olympic experience and that he wanted to go out on top.

Eruzione went on to become a popular and well paid public speaker as well as covering Olympic hockey games for major American television networks as well as some NHL games. He also returned to Boston University where he coached and was director of development for BU Athletics.

Frantisek Tikal

2009-05-16T20:59:00.001-07:00

In 2002 we saw a pretty rare occurrence. Two brothers faced off against each other in Olympic competition, playing for different countries.

Robert Reichal, the NHL star was of course playing for his birth country, the Czech Republic, where he is a huge star. His younger brother Martin, who was also born in the Czech Republic, was skating for Germany. Martin never made it to the NHL, but he found the professional leagues and the lifestyle of Germany to his liking. He even became a German citizen, allowing him to compete in the 2002 games.

Believe it or not, that was not the first time two brothers competed on the same ice but for different countries. In 1960 the Tikal twins, Frantisek and Zdenek, also found themselves on opposite sides of the ice.

Frantisek, pictured, was a stalwart defenseman for the Czechs in a career that spanned 17 years. He was especially dominant in the early 1960s, helps Czechoslovakia capture the bronze medal in 1964. He was a regular player on the national team from 1957 through 1966. He was even named the best defenseman at both the 1964 and 1965 World Championships, and was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2004. Father David Bauer, the legendary Canadian national team coach of the 1960s, considered Tikal the best defensman in Europe in the 1960s.

His brother Zdenek was nowhere near as good. In fact, while Frantisek is somewhat legendary in the Czech hockey scene, Zdenek was once considered a great traitor by everyone in his country. In 1948 he opted to defect from the new communist-controlled Czechoslovakia, a definite no-no.

Not a whole lot is known about Zdenek, other than he did wind up in Australia, had been playing for a club team in Melbourne, and, believe it or not, was a star player for them as they entered for the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley, USA. He also started going by the name Steve Tikal.

It would be a short Olympics for Zdenek, however. The first Australian game came against Czechoslovakia, and they lost 18-1. But the Czechoslovaks seemed to have another goal in mind - exacting revenge on Zdenek for his defection. As if under direct orders the Czechoslovaks went head hunting for Zdenek because he was a traitor. Eye witness accounts suggest on his very first shift he was speared in the neck by a Czech player.

Obviously you would have to think that would put Frantisek in a pretty odd spot. After all, he had not seen his brother in 12 years, and secret service police were most certainly keeping the two of them apart so that they could not speak to each other. On top of it all, Frantisek had to watch his teammates go after his long lost twin brother.

According to Seamus O'Coughlin's book Squaw Valley Gold, it was actually Frantisek who ended Zdenek's night. "They collided and the brother from Australia separated his shoulder," he wrote. It ended his Olympic tournament, as he never played another game.

For what it is worth Frantisek was never assessed a penalty in the game, so if the story is true it may have been a clean hit.

What I am unclear of is if the two twin brothers were ever reunited. Frantisek appears to have stayed in the Czech Republic until his death in 2008, which would mean he would not have gained travelling freedoms until the fall of communism around 1990. Zdenek's story beyond the 1960 Olympics is a complete mystery. Did he live long enough to return home and reunite with his brother and family?

Richard "Bibi" Torriani

2009-05-16T20:14:00.001-07:00

This is Richard "Bibi" Torriani, one of the great sporting and hockey pioneers of Switzerland.

Torriani twice won Olympic bronze medals in hockey, both times on home ice. In 1928 he helped Switzerland finish third in St. Moritz. Twenty years later the games returned to the same beautiful Swiss city, and once again Torriani helped his team capture another bronze medal.

The 1948 games were very special for Torriani. He was the toast of the country as he carried the Swiss flag at the opening ceremonies and, as pictured, took the Olympic oath on behalf of 919 competitors that year.

Those two bronze medals remain the only Olympic medals ever won by Switzerland in hockey. It also marks the longest period of time between Olympic medal podium appearances by an athlete at the Winter Olympics.

Torriani also competed in the 1936 Olympics and in 11 World Championships, winning silver in 1935 and bronze five times. He also led Switzerland in 11 European Championships, twice winning gold, in 1935 and again in 1939. All told Torriani played in 111 games for the Swiss national team and scored 86 goals.

In the Swiss league "Bibi" starred from 1927 through 1951, most famously with HC Davos. Along side legendary "ni sturm" (ni line) linemates Pic and Hans Cattini, Torriani captured 18 Swiss league titles.

He later coached club teams in Germany and Switzerland as well as the Swiss and Italian national teams in the 1950s At the same time competing in the sport of luge. He even won a silver medal at an event in the 1957 World Luge Championships. Fittingly, the championships were held in Switzerland (Davos).

Statistical records are sketchy but Torriani may have scored nearly 800 goals in about 500 club team games. He was the Gordie Howe of Swiss hockey, and one of the top in all of Europe pre-1950. There was even some rumoured interest from the NHL.

Richard "Bibi" Torriani was inducted into the IIHF Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997.

In March 2009 there was an interesting article about Torriani's family in the Montreal Gazette. Torriani's son, Marco, was also a professional hockey player, including for HC Davos. Grandson Andrew has his own interesting hockey career. He was born in Holland and raised in South Africa, which is why he never became much of a hockey player himself. He went on to become a big wig with the Ritz-Carlton hotel chain, and is stationed in Montreal where he has immersed himself with his family's game and coaches youth hockey.

Jimmy Foster: Controversial Star Of The 1936 Olympics

2009-05-14T15:51:00.000-07:00

This is Jimmy Foster. He was Canada's first nemesis in international hockey, despite being Canadian.

Foster was born in Glasgow, Scotland in September 1905. At the age of six he and his family moved to Canada. Jimmy grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, falling in love with the great Canadian game.

As the new kid on the block he had to play goal when he first started out. Which was fine by Jimmy, as he loved stopping pucks. He would go on to become one of the best goaltenders outside of the National Hockey League, despite badly breaking his leg in two places early in his career.

Foster played with the University of Manitoba before moving to New Brunswick and becoming a star with the Moncton Hawks senior team. He led the Hawks to the 1932 Allan Cup finals, posting an amazing 417 minute shutout streak including back to back shutouts. Although the Hawks would not win the amateur championship of Canada that year, Foster led Moncton to the Allan Cup in both 1933 and 1934.

In 1935 "Jimmy the Parson," so named because he nearly devoted his life to the priesthood, was lured back across the Atlantic where he would play in net with the Richmond Hawks of the English National League. Percy Nicklin coached Moncton and was lured to England to coach not only Richmond but the British Olympic team. He badly wanted Foster to come with him to play in goal.

Foster jumped at the opportunity to see his native homeland. But he was also motivated financially. Foster had seen many senior league teammates and foes turn professional, only to be buried in the minor leagues not making a lot of money. Foster was said to have made a good wage working in Britain while maintaining his amateur hockey status.

Foster became a big star over in Britain. He backstopped the Hawks to second place in the league and was named as an all star. The following year he moved to Harringay where he would backstop the Greyhounds for three seasons, including a league championship in 1939.

His biggest moment came not in the British leagues, but rather the 1936 Olympics. Britain, masterminded by Bunny Ahearne, recruited a team full of Canadian players who were originally born in Britain, and iced a powerful team. The key recruit was the ace puckstopper Foster, who would allow just three goals in the Olympics, and had four shutouts in seven games en route to an unexpected gold medal.

One of the wins unthinkably came against Canada. At this time Canada's dominance on the international stage was unquestioned. For Great Britain to defeat was a huge upset in hockey history. That being said, Great Britain had essentially iced a second team Canada to defeat hockey's top dog.

Controversy swirled around Great Britain's team. Canada had suspended 16 players, including Foster, who left Canada to play in Britain without first gaining the consent of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. When named to the Britain Olympic team, the IIHF upheld the suspensions on Foster and Alex Archer on the eve of the Olympics. Suddenly Britain was without their star goalie.

Three days into the Olympic games Canada lifted their Olympic protest and granted Britain permission to use Foster and Archer, but only for the Olympic games. As Andrew Podnicks wrote in his book Canada's Olympic Hockey Teams, Canada only did so "in the spirit of Olympic warmth," and with the agreement a new rule would prohibit such country jumping in future international events.

With the gum-chomping Foster in net, Great Britain knocked of Canada's Olympic team, represented by the Port Arthur Bearcats, 2-1 on February 10th, 1936. Soon after more controversy erupted. An obscure and, according to the Canadians, unfair rule interpretation made it impossible for Canada to win the gold medal despite clearly being the best team. It was decided that Great Britain's victory over Canada would carry forward into the semi-final and final rounds of the tournament. Because Britain had defeated Canada once, they would not have to face them again. Inexplicably, the two points between any possible game between the two countries would automatically go to Britain and no game would be played. Under those auspicious circumstances, Canada lost their first international hockey title.

Despite the deceiving behaviour by Britain and the IIHF, Foster's performance should not be discounted. He very well may have been the best goaltender outside of the NHL at this time. He would post 16 shutouts in 31 World Championship and Olympic games for Britain. He also led Britain to the 1937 and 1938 European Championships. Until 2002 he was the only Scot to have won a gold medal in the winter Olympics.

Foster returned to Canada in 1940 and continued his outstanding ice hockey career in Glace Bay and Quebec City.

Jimmy Foster, Great Britain's greatest goaltender, died in Winnipeg, Manitoba on 4th January, 1969, aged 63.

Jiri Novak

2008-10-10T10:58:00.000-07:00

Wingers Vladimir Martinec and Bohuslav Stastny formed one of the greatest duos in Czechoslovakian hockey history. Often centering the tandem was Jiri Novak, a tiny pivot at just 5'7" and 165lbs.

A native of Jaromer, Czech Republic, Novak was the least heralded of the trio. They practiced their intricate passing plays and love of beautiful goals with HC Pardubice and with the national team.

In the domestic leagues Novak scored 214 goals, although games played stats are incomplete.

Because he was a little bit younger than his two linemates, Novak missed out on the 1972 world championships and Olympic games. He can count the 1976 Olympic silver medal and world championship gold medal and 1976 Canada Cup on his resume. He also participated in the 1980 Olympics 4 other world championships.

Novak barely survived the 1976 Canada Cup, his first real encounter with NHL professionals. He was blindsided by Steve Shutt with a thunderous hit, leaving Novak crumpled on the ice and gone for the tournament. Novak, who did not have the puck, suffered a concussion and damaged seven vertebrae in his neck.

In the early 1980s many Czechoslovakian veterans got their chance to play in the West. While Martinec and Stastny headed to Germany, Novak took the opportunity to travel Europe. He ended up playing with Switzlerand, France and Italy.

Novak now owns a hotel in Pardubice.

Bohuslav Stastny

2008-10-10T10:31:00.001-07:00

Bohuslav Stastny, no relation to the famous Stastny brothers Peter, Anton and Marian who fled Czechoslovakia for the Quebec Nordiques, was a top forward in Czechoslovakian hockey in the 1970s.

A two way industrious forward who formed a special chemistry with the great scorer Vladimir Martinec, Stastny was part of the CSSR teams that won gold at the 1972 and 1976 world championships, silver at the 1976 Olympics, bronze at the 1972 Olympics, and finished second in the inaugural Canada Cup in 1976. Stastny also added three world championship silver medals.

Born near the foothills of the Iron Mountains in Chotebor, Stastny played in 188 international contests with the national team, scoring 73 goals.

He also played in 15 seasons with Tesla Pardubice, from 1967 through 1981. In that time he scored 241 times in 504 games.

In the early 1980s he was granted permission to pursue a hockey career in the West. Both he and Martinec ended up playing 4 seasons with Kaufbeuren ESV in Germany. Both retired in 1985.

Vladimir Martinec

2008-10-10T10:00:00.001-07:00

Vladimir Martinec was one of the smartest and most technically skilled European player ever. It is doubtful if there has ever been any player in Europe as eager to improvise as Martinec. He was extremely creative with the puck and drove his opponents crazy.

Few players were treated more brutally than Martinec. This small (5'9" and 178 Ibs) right wing somehow always seemed to bounce back totally undisturbed and more often than not with a smile on his face. His constant smile was a sort of a trademark and frustrated his opponents even more. A lot of reporters used to ask him why he always was smiling, even after a vicious crosscheck in the back. He said that he did it because he enjoyed the game so much and always had fun.

It was evident that he loved the game as he always did something extra with the puck that left the fans absolutely stunned. Martinec was known as "The Fox" for his cleverness around the net as he simply outsmarted his opponents. He was extremely popular among his teammates who knew him as "Marcello".

Martinec was born on December 22, 1949 in Lomnice nad Popelkou where he learned to play hockey on the local ponds. He played there for a local team between 1961-65. He then went on to play his entire career in Tesla Pardubice between 1965-81, with a half year interruption in 1978-79 when he played for the Army club Dukla Jihlava.

In Pardubice he formed one of the most dangerous lines in Europe during the 1970's together with Jiri Novák and Bohuslav Stastný. They scored over 800 goals together in Pardubice. During his 14 years in the Czechoslovakian league he scored 343 goals in 539 games. He was the league's top scorer in 1979 (42 goals) and won the league title in 1973. After his domestic career was over he played in Germany for ESV Kaufbeuren between 1981-85.

Internationally Martinec played 289 times for Czechoslovakia and scored 155 goals. He led the team to three World Championship titles (1972,76 and 77) and was selected as the best forward in the 1976 World Championships where he won the scoring title. Martinec was also named to the All-Star team four years in a row (1974-77). All in all Martinec scored 110 points (52+58) in 102 World Championship games.

His childhood idol growing up was Vlastimil Bubnik, a Czechoslovakian hockey star in the 1950's and 60's. Martinec has said that the best player he ever played against was Phil Esposito. Martinec never played in the NHL but he was drafted by Hartford Whalers in a special Czech draft in 1981. His dazzling moves would certainly have caught a lot of NHL defensemen off guard, but unfortunately he never got the opportunity to showcase his artistry.

After his playing career was over he became a coach. He was the assistant coach when the Czech Republic won the Olympic gold in 1998 and became the World Champions in 1999.

Special thanks to Patrick Houda.

In the following YouTube footage you can watch highlights of a 1976 game between Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. Martinec is #10.

Martin Hostak

2008-08-11T18:24:00.000-07:00

Up until the very late 1990s, the stereotypical European player in the NHL was a small player with little physical game what-so-ever. They were on the team for the immense skill and skating abilities.

Martin Hostak was the exception to this rule.

Martin Hostak was a big man from Hradac Kralove, Czechoslovakia. At 6'3" and 200lbs, Martin used his size well when in position of the puck. Like Sweden's Ulf Dahlen, it was tremendously difficult to dislodge the puck from Hostak because he was so strong on his feet. However without the puck Hostak was as gentle as a pussy cat despite his imposing size.

Hostak was also a terrible skater - a very rare trait of a European NHLer. Simply put, he was slow. A plodding, knock-kneed skater, he didn't have the speed to get to a loose puck or to pressure a puck carrier.

Although he was a big European who couldn't skate, Hostak was very stereotypical of Europeans when it came to his hand skills. A great stickhandler in a crowd, he also possessed a great wrist and snap shots. However, because of his lack of speed, he was never able to really use those gifts.

A third round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1987, Hostak joined the Flyers in 1990 at the age of 23. Hostak showed up out of shape, not realizing just how dedicated NHL athletes really are. Hostak struggled in his rookie season with 3 goals and 10 assists in 50 games.

The following season Hostak failed to get into good enough shape to please the Flyers. That combined with his lack of speed saw him play the whole year in the minors except for a 5 game stint in which he pick up one assist.

Unhappy with life and his career in North America, Hostak returned to Europe after two seasons in the Flyers organization. Hostak would join the famous Modo AIK of the Swedish Elite League where he was a solid performer in the SEL until 2001 when he retired from hockey.

During his 4 seasons in Sweden, Hostak always performed with the Czech. Republic national team in the World Championships as well as 1994 Olympics where he helped his team finish 5th overall.

Hank Akervall

2008-08-03T12:44:00.001-07:00

Born on August 24th, 1937 in Port Arthur, Ontario, Henry Akervall, known to everyone since as Hank, grew up as a sporting star.

He excelled in football, baseball, track and field, and curling but like most boys in northern Ontario and all of Canada for that matter, it was hockey that was his true love.

Akervall was talented defenseman with a reputation of playing a more rugged game than his 5'10" frame would suggest. He was quite the star at all levels of hockey growing up.

But Akervall did not go the conventional route of junior hockey in the NHL sponsorship days. He also had aspirations of going to University. In 1959, he did just that, crossing Lake Superior to go to Houghton, Michigan. For the next three seasons he starred with the Michigan Tech Huskies. He was a WCHA All Star each season. He was also the alternate captain of the famed 1961-62 squad that won the NCAA Division I national championships.

Though the Detroit Red Wings attempted to sign Akervall, he had other plans once again. He would captain Father David Bauer's Canadian National Team and played in the 1964 Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria.

Those games were controversial to say the least. The international powers that be, namely IIHF president Bunny Ahearne, were all aligned with the Eastern European nations of those days, namely the Soviets. They had a long history of screwing over Canada, and they would strike again at the Innsbruck games.

Canada finished in a three way tie for third place, and according to the normal tie breaking rules in place, they should have won the bronze medal. However Ahearne and his men got busy behind the scenes, and chose to invoke some alternative tie breaking scheme, seeing Canada out of the medals in 4th place.

Despite a move 41 years later to remedy the situation, Canada still officially is listed as 4th place finishers and never did get the medals they deserved.

Akervall's days with the Nats would come to a close after the Olympics. He would play one more year of hockey, playing with the Warroad Lakers senior team in Minneapolis.

In 1966 Akervall returned to the Thunder Bay, Ontario region to become an educator and coach. He taught in the Forestry department at Lakehead University while also serving as the Director of Athletics. He was instrumental in the University's creation of the Physical Education Program and the Outdoor Recreation Program.

Not surprisingly, Akervall also coached the University hockey team for a total of 7 seasons.

Sadly, on February 18, 2000, Hank passed away from a heart attack while playing a game of pick-up hockey, the game he loved. In his memory each year Lakehead University now honours his memory with the Hank Akervall Award, given to the senior varsity student-athlete who best exemplifies great dedication, commitment, community involvement, and leadership.

Yevgeny Babich

2008-07-12T16:55:00.000-07:00

In the early days of Soviet hockey, Vsevolod Bobrov was quick to get much of the attention and credit as the first Russian hockey star. Like a Pavel Bure, he was an exciting scorer, not paying much attention to team defense or even passing the puck. He was an electrifying skater, a deadly marksman and an entertainer whose obvious skill level was much better than anyone else.

Bobrov often played on a line Yevgeny Babich and Viktor Shuvalov. Preceding Shuvalov was a young Anatoli Tarasov, who of course would go on to become the legendary "father of Soviet hockey." He was a brilliant coach who masterminded the quick rise of Soviet dominance in the world hockey scene.

Tarasov admired Bobrov's skill level, but he felt Babich was the better player. Babich was a complete player who sacrificed the spotlight for the good of the team. Babich, who could probably be compared to a Sergei Fedorov, and Shuvalov did the "hard labour" while Bobrov finished plays off with a scoring chance. The trio worked as a team, with the purpose being to get the puck to Bobrov.

This early thought process would stick with Tarasov. As a coach he tried his best to instill the same collectivism on his lines.

However Tarasov had thought of other tactics as well. One of them, as illustrated in his book Road to Olympus, indicates how he felt Babich was a better player than Bobrov, even though he wasn't as good a scorer.

"If we rejected the 1+2 principle (one scorer and two assistants)," he wrote, "then how were we to build our forward line? Perhaps, we should include three aces, three Bobrovs, all the more so since with the passing of time more high-calibre players appeared. However, was it possible for three Bobrovs' to play on the same line - three outstanding but quite similar attacking players? I do not think so. But three men like Babich could have made a winning combination. In fact, I feel sure that even the best defensemen in the world could not stop a line of three Babichs. Because Babich could do everything. He would wind up a beautiful attack, he could feed his partners sizzling passes and if need be, he could play defense!"

The great international hockey book Kings of the Ice describes Babich as "a real spark plug" who "constantly revved up the pace of the game by rushing forward and raising the intensity of every play." He was small and slight, but he could absolutely jet down the wings. Then he would stop on a dime and feed a beautiful pass to a trailing attacker, all the while opening up a large avenue directly to the net.

Babich, like most early hockey players in Soviet Russia, honed his impressive skating skills playing bandy, a sport similar to hockey but on a much larger sheet of ice. He was said to oppose the new game of hockey, far preferring bandy. But it was Bobrov who convinced him to get into hockey.

Babich and Bobrov were the ultimate duo. They were in many ways vastly different players but put together they formed an unstoppable combination.

Yevgeny Babich died in 1972. His body was found hanging in his bathroom. He committed suicide at the age of 60. According to all English reports I can find, his family has never had any idea what would have caused him to take such terrible steps.

Alexander Almetov

2008-07-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

Another early Soviet hockey star that is long forgotten is Alexander Almetov.

One of the reasons he is long forgotten is very few North Americans knew much of him when he actually played. Some Europeans may remember better, but his contributions in Russia will always be remembered.

Almetov, like most Russians, was a well trained forward when it came to skating, puckhandling and passing, though he was never an elite scoring threat. Part of that was because Almetov was a superior defensive forward. In fact he was a mainstay on the Russian penalty killing units perhaps the best PK man of his generation.

Anatoli Tarasov wrote the following in his book Road to Olympus:

"Perhaps sports fans who have seen our national team in action have noticed that whenever we have one man short, Alexander Almetov is sure to appear on the ice. When it comes to individual play, a question of holding on to the puck and beating off a superior force, Almetov is in a class by himself! He is not a solist, he is a star in the good sense of the word."

Tarasov had identified Almetov as a top hockey prospect when Almetov was 14 years old and a student at Central Red Army hockey school. He was an effortless skater but more impressively he was incredibly efficient and intelligent on the ice, a true master of the game.

Almetov was a regular linemate of Konstantin Loktev and Venjamin Alexandrov. Those three formed the second great troika in Soviet hockey history as they followed the threesome of Babich, Shuvalov and Bobrov. All three are Merited Masters of Sport in Russia (the equivalent of a Hall of Fame). Almetov and Loktev meshed together especially well, with the brooding Alexandrov playing the role of trigger man.Together the three earned their country a neck-full of World and European championship gold medals.

Almetov was the center of the unit. When first paired with his two mates, Loktev and Alexandrov were said to have pleaded with their coach for a different center, as they were weary of his level of play. While Almetov's skill level may not have been on par with the other two, he complimented the line very well with his positioning and passing.

Almetov's strong point, according to coach Tarasov, was much like that of Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky wasn't even born when Almetov joined the Russian national team mind you, but the two shared an uncanny knack of always being at the right place at the right time. Tarasov actually compared him to a chess player, who plans out an attack before the play even begins. This is why Almetov almost always led an attack.

Despite his penalty killing forte and the fact that he occasionally played defense when there was injury to a blueliner in the middle of the game, many critics suggested Almetov was a poor defensive forward 5 on 5. He was slow to comeback and help out defensively, even lazy they said. Tarasov seemed unconcerned however.

"Is this a drawback? Relatively speaking - yes. But if we take into consideration the peculiarities of this master's game, the tactics of the whole line - no. That is the Almetov style of playing hockey, that is his manner and if he changed it, Soviet hockey would doubtlessly lose of one of its best forwards."

On the national team Almetov played second fiddle to the great Vyacheslav Starshinov, the team's #1 center. But Starshinov had the ultimate compliment for him:

"In my opinion, he played practically flawless hockey all the time."

Interestingly, Almetov ended his career prematurely at the age of 27. In Soviet sports in those days the age of 33 years represented the maximum age an athlete would reach, and it was strictly enforced by Tarasov in the world of hockey. When Konstantin Loktev turned 33 and retired, so did Almetov even though he was 6 years his junior. It was said that Almetov left the ice believing that without Loktev the game could never be the same for him.

Venjamin Alexandrov

2008-07-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

Playing on the second great troika with Alexander Almetev and Konstantin Loktev, Venjamin Alexandrov was considered the greatest Soviet player of his time.

Alexandrov drew some incredible comparisons. He was dubbed "Bobrov 2" in Russia, after the first great Soviet star, Vsevolod Bobrov. The great Russian coach Anatoli Tarasov had another comparison though - Montreal Canadiens star Maurice "Rocket" Richard.

Tarasov once had a conversation with the Rocket, where Richard said his secret to success was to not worry about the two or three burly defensemen that are about to crush him as he shoots on goal. He concentrates only on finding the open spot in the net, and takes whatever punishment the other team can dish out. After all, as long as Richard scored, he would be handing out the ultimate punishment. Tarasov instantly thought of his own Alexandrov when Richard had said this.

"I think that our Alexandrov, by his style of game, by his ability to keep a level head even in the most explosive situations, looks something like Maurice Richard, the great master of attack," said Tarasov in his book Road to Olympus.

Alexandrov was the left wing on his troika. He was destined for hockey stardom as he was groomed from an early age. He was brought up and trained as a youngster through the Central Army hockey school. When he was in his prime he was an electrifying star that had crowds cheering for him not only in Russia, but in Czechoslovakia, Sweden and Finland. Even in Canada and the US, he was the closest thing to a household Soviet name in the 1960s.

Alexandrov's first appearance with the Soviet national team came at Bobrov's absence. With Bobrov injured in 1955, it was 18 year old Alexandrov who assumed the top left wing sot on the line with Viktor Shuvalov and Yevgeny Babich. He was said to have slid into the line with great maturity, and, according to the book Kings Of The Ice, had "an elegant style that closely resembled that of the player he had replaced."

Upon Bobrov's return Alexandrov struggled to find regular linemates, but eventually settled in with Konstantin Loktev on right wing and later Alexander Almetov at center. The trio would dominate international hockey in the 1960s.

In 1966 both Loktev and Almetov retired, leaving Alexandrov to struggle with new line combinations for three seasons. "The Lone Ranger" as he was nicknamed was said to have become increasingly more disillusioned with hockey as he continued on his own. He seemed impatient with the following generation of players, such as Boris Mikhailov and Vladimir Petrov, who he teamed with late in his career. Unfortunately, the great hockey master Alexandrov was lost without the genuine partnership and trust he had shared with Loktev and Almetov.

Alexandrov won six world championship titles. In 11 world championships, where he also won 3 silver and 2 bronze, he totalled 104 points. He also captured Olympic gold in 1964 and 1968, as well as a bronze in 1960.

Venjamin Alexandrov died on Nov 12, 1991.

Alexander Sidelnikov

2008-07-08T19:19:00.001-07:00

In the 1972 Summit Series Alexander Sidelnikov had the loneliest job of all Soviet players. He, along with Viktor Zinger, was the backup netminder and never had a chance to play in the series as he played behind the great Vladislav Tretiak.

"Although I didn't play in the series, it helped me a great deal. I played center in junior and when I became a goaltender, I used to move out of the net a lot, trying to intercept passes. Our coaches wanted me to stay within the crease. After the series they let me play my own style. We had seen the best goaltenders in the world and each one of them had his own style," he said on the back of a 1991 hockey card put out by Future Trends Enterprises.

Throughout much of his career Alexander Sidelnikov rarely was able to play for the national team in international competition. He may have been the second best goalie in Russia during the 1970s, but he was nowhere near as good as the number one guy - Tretiak. Then again, there were very few goalies in North America who had Tretiak's abilities.

Sidelnikov, who played for Krylia Sovetov when not backing up on the national team, would only get "gimme games" in such tournaments like the World Championships. In other words, the mighty Soviets would give Tretiak a break only if they were playing a truly weak opponent - second class hockey nations such as Poland or East and West Germany.

One of the most famous games in which Sidelnikov played as during the World Championship in 1976. Team USSR lost its opening game to Poland 6-4, with Sidelnikov on the losing end of the match. Just a couple years back the Soviets destroyed Poland 20-0, but this defeat created quite the stir among hockey fans and the Soviet powers-that-be.

Of course, everybody blamed Sidelnikov. However he was the easy scapegoat in this case.

Perhaps the great Valery Kharlamov said it best when he said: "Sidelnikov? What the hell does he have to do with that? We should win games like this even if we have a snow shovel for a goalie"

Valeri Kharlamov

2008-07-07T23:34:00.000-07:00

Russia and the former Soviet Union have an incredibly rich hockey history only bettered by that of Canada. But who is the greatest Russian ever?

It's a question that is hard to answer because of the Cold War and the communists Iron Curtain politics. While many of today's fans will claim Sergei Fedorov or Pavel Bure or maybe Alexander Ovechkin is the greatest ever, it is almost impossible to determine Russia's greatest player from a Canadian's vantage point.

While the top Russian and eastern European stars are now allowed to come to North America and pursue a career in the NHL, this was not always so. Not until the late 1980's were the top older players given permission to leave. Prior to that point the only time we saw the Russians was in major tournaments such as the Canada Cup and the Olympics. What we did get to see of them left us in awe of the immense skill and team work.

While we have had a chance to watch such as Soviet superstars like Igor Larionov, Sergei Makarov and Viacheslav Fetisov, their best years were all behind the Iron Curtain. Those three get much consideration when discussing the topic of the greatest Russian players. Vladislav Tretiak of course also gets high rankings. However very arguably the greatest Russian player was Valeri Kharlamov, and we were almost completely robbed of enjoying his immense package of skills.

Valeri Kharlamov played during the 1970's prior to the arrival of Larionov and Makarov and co. His skating was unequaled and his passing and shooting was simply uncanny. He perhaps had the greatest arsenal of skill of any player ever, maybe even more so than Gretzky or Lemieux, but we never had the chance to really determine that. One European hockey expert described Kharlamov as a combination of Mike Bossy and Pavel Bure.

How good are his credentials? He won 2 Olympic Gold Medals, 8 World Championships with the USSR National team and numerous USSR league championships with Moscow Central Red Army. Whenever an NHL team would have an exhibition game against the Red Army, Kharlamov was a target of cheap and dirty play. They would brutally dominate the small Russian because they feared his ability. Stop Kharlamov from scoring was half the battle against the Soviets, the other half of course was trying to score against Tretiak.

Of course, North American fans were introduced to Kharlamov in the 1972 Summit Series. Simply put, Valeri Kharlamov awed Canadian audiences. His slick foot and stick work and amazing speed and shot accuracy places him as perhaps the single most talented player in the entire tournament. Kharlamov was also feisty, leading the Soviets in penalty minutes with 16.

Kharlamov's effectiveness was limited in games 8 due to a fractured ankle courtesy of Bobby Clarke. Had he been healthy....who knows?

"I am convinced that Bobby Clarke was given the job of taking me out of the game," said Kharlamov. "Sometimes, I thought it was his only goal. I looked into his angry eyes, saw his stick which he wielded like a sword, and didn't understand what he was doing. It had nothing to do with hockey."

Aside from the goaltender Tretiak, it was Kharlamov who impressed the Canadians the most.

"He was fast, so hard to defend against out there," remembered Don Awrey, who was burned several times by #17. "I admired the way he used to come from behind and how he kept everyone on their toes. he was simply outstanding!"

Canadians rarely got to see Valeri Kharlamov after that. He missed the 1976 Canada Cup due to injuries, and was taken from us far too soon. On August 27, 1981 he died from injuries that occurred as a result of a terrible car crash as he and his wife were returning from a summer's vacation.

Kharlamov is survived by his son Alexander. Alexander was a first round draft pick (1994) of the Washington Capitals. Alexander was once considered a decent prospect but more of a defensive minded winger than a skilled player. He has spent most of his career playing the lower North American pro leagues, returning to Russia in 2000.

Alexander Bodunov

2008-07-07T23:26:00.001-07:00

Alexander Bodunov left quite an impression on fans in Winnipeg during the 1972 Summit Series.

Bodunov was one of the members of the Soviet's "Kid Line," also dubbed the "Headache Line" by Canadian broadcaster Brian Conacher. Bodunov was the left winger who was introduced along with fellow linemates Viacheslav Anisin and Yuri Lebedev in game three of the series.

This trio re-energized the Soviets when the debuted in Winnipeg. The Soviets handily won game one, and even though they claim they felt like they played better in game 2, lost convincingly to a recharged Team Canada.

Game three was in many ways a very pivotal match. It ended in a tie but was a moral loss for Canada.

The key for the Soviets early success was the element of surprise they could utilize, as Canada knew almost nothing about their opponent. After two games Canada had learned much about them.

Then the kid line entered the scene.

Canada didn't pay much attention to these three unknowns prior to the game. Why would they? These three youngsters surely couldn't be better than any three players they replaced - if they were they would have been playing since game one. And the Soviets had publicly said that these three were being inserted so that they could "learn" and make themselves better players for the future.

But the Kid Line, as dubbed by the Canadian media, played a pivotal role in the game. Canada held a 4-2 lead half way through the second period when these kids took over. First at 14:59, Lebedev brought the Soviets back to within one goal. Then, with about 1 and 1/2 minutes left in the second stanza, Alexander Bodunov snapped home a shot from the crease to beat Tony Esposito and knot the game at 4.

Bodunov's goal proved to be the final goal of the game, as goalies Esposito and, in particular, Vladislav Tretiak shut the door.

After making quite a name for themselves in game 3 in Winnipeg, the Kid Line was not often heard from again, at least not as far as Canadians knew. The big names like Kharlamov, Petrov, Mikhailov and Tretiak would continue to be great players, but the three heroes of game 3 did not join them as Soviet stars.

The trio did leave CSKA Moscow to join Boris Kulagin to join Krylja Sovetov. The trio led the Moscow based team to an upset victory over CSKA in 1974 to claim the USSR league championship.

But they were not always used on the national team, or would be used separately, as the 1970s progressed.

Bodunov was an inconsistent player. On one night he could be the best player on the ice, but the next he would be nowhere to be found. He had a great arsenal of hockey talent, featuring his heavy shot and creative play making, but his defensive play left much to be desired.