Minnesota North Stars Legends

Bob Whitlock

2011-12-16T22:57:00.000-08:00

Bob Whitlock is one of the "one gamers" in the NHL. Players who only played one game in the NHL. He was born in Charlottetown, P.E.I, July 16, 1949. Bob's dad, Roy "Buck" Whitlock was a former star around the Maritime Provinces of Canada

Bob enjoyed a successful junior career in the Nova Scotia junior hockey league and the New Brunswick junior hockey league. Bob was signed by Minnesota North Stars on October 2, 1969 and wound up playing for the farm team Iowa Stars in the CHL. He was called up for his only NHL game that season (1969-70) and played very well in the game, but he was sent down to Iowa again and didn't get any more opportunities in the big league.

Bob's next two seasons as a pro were split between the Cleveland Barons in the AHL and the Phoenix Roadrunners of the WHL. He had a very fine season in the WHL, winning the rookie of the year award in 1971-72 after a productive season that saw him score 79 pts (33+46).

His fine season made the Chicago Cougars of the WHA sign him after they had bought his negotiation rights from Los Angeles Sharks (also of the WHA). He had a surprisingly strong first season getting 51 pts for the Cougars. In the middle of the following season (1973-74) the Sharks got him back. Bob had a couple of more productive seasons with the Indianapolis Racers and scored a total of 179 pts (81+98) in 244 WHA games.

Bob finished his playing career in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) and Western International Hockey League (WIHL). In the NAHL he played for Mohawk Valley Comets, Erie Blades and the Johnstown Jets before playing his last season in 1977-78 for the Trail Smoke Eaters in the WIHL.

Bob's biggest asset was without a doubt his shots that were described as cannon blasts. His slapshot was according to a majority of experts as hard as legendary Bobby Hull's blasts. Nobody unloaded the cannon like Bob. In a pre game warm up during the 1972-73 season one of his powerful slapshots broke the plexiglass that surrounded the ice surface in Chicago's International Amphitheatre Arena.

Neal Broten

2011-11-21T22:46:00.002-08:00

Minnesota is known as "The State of Hockey." With notoriously frigid winters and countless frozen lakes, ponds and streams to play on, hockey was as natural to Minnesotans as it was for Canadians. For the longest time, hockey in the United States was more or less affiliated with Minnesota. The life of smaller towns revolved around the rinks and ponds. High school hockey has as much interest as the pro game. And the college rivalries are as intense as any pro rivalry.

Like many families in Roseau, Minnesota, hockey was a birthright for the Broten family. Neal and his brothers Aaron and Paul would all be state high school and college stars, and go onto the National Hockey League.

But few would argue that Neal was not the best. In fact, in a state that has produced more hockey superstars than virtually every other state in the country, most consider Neal to be the best player the state has ever produced.

Neal had been skating and playing hockey since as long as he could remember. He grew up playing shinny, mastering his puck handling and skating skills. He went on to become a high school sensation in his hometown of Roseau, just minutes away from the Canadian border. After that he embarked upon one of the most successful college careers in hockey history with the University of Minnesota. He scored 38 goals and 104 assists for 142 points in just 76 career games.

Broten started with the U of M in 1978-79 but took the 1979-80 season off to play with the US National Team. As America's up and coming superstar, Olympic coach Herb Brooks included the 20 year old the now-famous 1980 "Miracle on Ice" Olympic team. Brooks, who coached Broten at the University of Minnesota, was not concerned about his lack of experience or size. He knew that his incredible skill package was undeniably impressive. He called Broten the greatest athlete he ever coached at the University.

The fabulous "Miracle on ice" story is well known to even non-hockey fans. A bunch of upstart US college kids knocked off the might Soviet Union national team, considered by many to be the most powerful hockey team of all time. In a showdown of politics, societies and idealogies as much of sport, the Americans pulled off perhaps the biggest upset in athletic history. Broten contributed nicley with 2 goals and 3 points in 7 Olympic contests.

Neal returned to University the following season. Playing on a line with brother Aaron, Neal was considered the best player in all of college hockey, winning the Hobey Baker award.

At the completion of his school year he immediately joined the NHL's Minnesota North Stars, who drafted him 42nd overall back in 1979. Broten scored twice in three games to finish he season, and then played in 19 playoff games as the North Stars surprisingly made a Cinderella run at the Stanley Cup, only to fall short to the New York Islanders. Broten added speed and creativity to the team, as well as 1 goal and 8 points in the playoffs.

Broten started his official NHL rookie season of 1981-82 by representing the United States in the 1981 Canada Cup tournament. He played well, scoring 3 goals in 6 games. He then went on to have a great rookie season, scoring a career high 38 goals as well as 60 assists for 98 points.

Broten would enjoy 11 more productive seasons in Minnesota, including a career high 76 assists and 105 points in 1985-86. By scoring 100 points, he became the first American born player to score 100 points in National Hockey League history. But never managed to take his game to the next level of superstar point scorer like the Gretzkys, Lemieuxs, Hawerchucks and Yzermans of his day. Other than that unexpected run to the Stanley Cup finals in 1981, the North Stars never really accomplished much during Broten's long tenure either. As such the understated Broten was forever in the shadows of other stars, except in Minny where the whole state revered him.

Another highlight in Broten's storied career in Minnesota came in 1991 as the North Stars again went on a Cinderella-like run at the Stanley Cup, this time to once again fall short to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Broten played exceptionally, scoring 22 points in 23 games..

However 1993 would be a bad year for Minnesota hockey and it's favorite son. The North Stars franchise was moved to Dallas. There was much speculation that Neal, coming off of two sub-par years, would retire and remain in Minnesota. However Neal went south with the rest of his team. By this time Broten was no longer the steady point producer that he was best known for. He was a wily veteran who became more a defensive forward/penalty killer. He spent a season and a half in Dallas before being traded to New Jersey for Corey Millen. He spent a little over a season and a half in Jersey, and picked up a Stanley Cup ring in 1995, allowing him to join Ken Morrow as the only 1980 Olympians to win the Stanley Cup. Broten would briefly join the Los Angeles Kings, but 19 games later he was traded back to the Dallas Stars where he finished his career in 1997.

Broten, a super skater and playmaker, played just one game shy of 1100 in the NHL. He scored 289 times while setting up 634 others for a career total of 923 points. He added another 35 goals and 98 points in 135 playoff games. He retired as the franchise's all time record holder (since broken) for career games, points, goals, assists and playoff games. His jersey #7 retired in 1998 by the Stars. Two years later he was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

Minnesota's favorite son now lives on a horse farm with his wife Sally in River Falls, Wisconsin.

Craig Hartsburg

2011-11-21T22:46:00.001-08:00

Craig Hartsburg was an elite NHL defenseman who had his career derailed by injuries. His medical chart includes games lost due to a broken leg, multiple knee operations, herniated discs in his back, pulled groins, hernia, separated shoulder and finally an infected ankle that finally forced him to retire.

Before the injuries riddled him, Hartsburg was a wonderful rushing defenseman. He was an excellent skater, extremely mobile laterally in particular. He would often rush the puck out of the zone, sometimes recklessly and leading to injury susceptibility.

As his career progressed he reigned in his rushing game and proved to be a fantastic passing defenseman, clearing the zone with proficiency but starting the transition offense expertly as well. He also knew how to quarterback a power play. His vision and creativity allowed him to move the puck into the slimmest of passing lanes, and he naturally knew when to pinch to keep the zone.

But his low, hard shot was his real weapon. He wasn't the hardest shooting point man, but always got the puck through traffic and on the net. His shot was also always perfect for tipping and rebounds.

Despite what his penalty minutes may suggest, Hartsburg was not known as a physical defenseman. He was strong and big, and used that to his advantage to defend. He was not a big splashy hitter, instead relying more on muscles and angles to steer opponents to the boards where he would pin them.

Hartsburg was very sound defensively, playing his defensive angles well and reading the rush well back into his own zone. His active stick broke up a lot of oncoming breaks.

Despite his skills package, Hartsburg is often forgotten about in discussions revolving around the top defensemen of the 1980s. Lost time due to injury certainly have something to do with that, as does Minnesota's lack of success after 1981. If it wasn't for his extremely successful coaching career, modern fans may never have heard of this great defender from the 1980s.

In 570 games, all with the North Stars, Hartsburg scored 98 goals, 315 assists and 413 points while collecting 818 penalty minutes.

Bill Goldsworthy

2011-11-21T22:46:00.000-08:00

Bill was a hard shooting winger developed in the Boston Bruins junior and minor league system. He played with the Bruins OHA junior team in Niagara Falls and helped the Falls Flyers win the 1965 Memorial Cup.

"Goldy," as he was best known, never really got a chance to play with the Bruins however. He played parts of two injury plagued years with the Bruins but spent most of his time in the minor leagues.

Goldsworthy was the beneficiary of expansion when the NHL grew from 6 to 12 teams. 6 new teams meant approximately 120 news jobs in the NHL, and Goldy wanted to be one of those 120. That process began on June 6, 1967, when he was chosen by the Minnesota North Stars in the expansion draft.

Of all the players, chosen in the expansion draft, it was Goldy who may have had the best career. In Minnesota he developed into a fine goal scorer and became the North Stars first star attraction.

After a modest 14 goal, 33 point season in 68 games, Goldy exploded in the playoffs. In 14 games in the 1968 post season, Goldy led the entire National Hockey League in goals (8) and points (15). He also popularized the "Goldy Shuffle." The Shuffle is a now common routine for celebrating a goal, but it was Goldsworthy who really started it. Bill would lift one leg, and pump the opposite arm in
celebration of goals.

Goldy suffered a setback in 1968-69 season. Critics scoffed that he was a post season fluke and they scoffed more when he struggled through a terrible 1968-69 season. He scored only 14 goals in 68 games, just 6 more than he scored in 14 playoff games the previous spring. He only added 10 assists and was a horrendous -27.

However he silenced his critics in 1969-70 when he rediscovered his touch and scored a whopping 36 goals. And he proved it was no fluke for the next 5 years as he failed to score more than 30 goals only once. He scored a club record of 48 goals in 1973-74 season that stood for eight years before Dino Ciccarelli broke the mark in 1982. He captained the Stars from 1974-1976 and represented the team in 5 different all star games.

While Bill was more of a shooter than a playmaker, he was not a one-trick pony. He could play at both ends of the ice and was known as a solid team player. These all around qualities helped him to be selected on Team Canada's Summit Series roster that defeated the Russians in 1972. Goldy appeared in 3 of the 8 games, scoring 1 goal and 1 assist.

Bill was a very talented player who benefited from lots of playing time with the expansion North Stars. While he never got a chance to play in Boston, one would have to wonder how good Goldy would have been with a team that possessed a more talented supporting cast.

Late in his career the Stars traded their original franchise player to the New York Rangers. By this point in his career Goldy was showing his age and not contributing like he used to. His struggle with alcoholism was also starting to win the battle.

Bill played 68 games with the Rangers before finishing his career with the WHA's Indy Racers and Edmonton Oilers.

With the Stars franchise set to move from Minnesota to Dallas, the North Stars did something nice to remember their past. On February 15th, 1992 Bill's number eight was retired in a memorable ceremony in front of a sell out crowd at Met Center. It was one of the last great memories for North Star fans.

After retiring as a player, Bill moved into coaching. He was coaching the San Antonio Iguanas of the Central Hockey League when he was hospitalized on November 11, 1994. He had been feeling ill for two months, and learned during the stay that he was suffering from AIDS. Bill passed away in a Minneapolis hospital, May 24, 1996 of complications from the disease.

Pierre Jarry

2011-11-21T16:47:00.000-08:00

On November 21st, 1971 rookie left winger Pierre Jarry made quite the impression.

Jarry scored his first career NHL goal at 11:03 of the second period. Eight seconds later his scored his second career goal. In doing so, Jarry tied a New York Rangers team record for the fastest two goals scored.

Classy veteran Jean Ratelle scored 4 times that night, overshadowing Jarry in the 12-1 win over the Oakland Seals. Jarry would score only 1 more goal in 33 other games that season before disappearing from the bright lights of Broadway altogether.

Buy Jarry would resurface, playing in over 300 NHL games in the 1970s with the Leafs, Wings and North Stars. He showed the odd flash of offensive promise, scoring 19 in Toronto and 21 in Minnesota when he teamed with playmaking center Tim Young. In that season with Minny he was voted as the Stars most popular player by the fans.

He was a fairly soft forward, lacking the physical ability to win many battles in the violent 1970s. He was a dangerous one-on-one player and a streaky scorer. But he rarely passed the puck and was also suspect defensively.

Pierre Jarry retired in 1978 with 344 games played. In that time he scored 88 goals, 117 assists for 205 points.

Ulf Dahlen

2011-07-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

Ulf Dahlen was quietly one of the more intelligent players of his generation. He had a number of good skills but every bit as important he really understood the intricacies of the game.

Dahlen was not your typical Swedish important when he arrived in the mid 1980s with the New York Rangers. His game was not based on speed. In fact he was an unusual though deceptive skater. In stead he used great balance and core body strength to protect the puck with his body expertly. He was extremely effective down low and in the corners and on the boards. He would then drive to the net or find an open man with a strong pass. In a different era he would have been the perfect fit to compliment the Sedin Twins.

The Rangers drafted Dahlen 7th overall in 1985, taking him over the likes of Calle Johanson, Joe Nieuwendyk and Sean Burke. And hey why not - Dahlen was being championed as a new breed of European player, combining hockey sense, good hands and a dominating physical game. He dominated at the 1985 European junior championships, captaining Sweden to a gold medal.

After fulfilling his mandatory military training Dahlen came to North America in 1987 after helping his native Umea win the Swedish championship and earning a bronze medal at the World Championships.

After 3 seasons of challenging the 30 goal mark the Rangers moved Dahlen to Minnesota in exchange for star sniper Mike Gartner. It was in Minny that Dahlen is best associated with. He enjoyed his finest seasons there, pushing the 35 goal and 75 point mark.

Yet it was not exactly an easy time for Dahlen. Ownership problems would see the team split into two and the franchise split with half the players moving to Dallas and the other half heading to San Jose. Apparently there was a back room deal between the North Stars and San Jose a full year before the Sharks actually took to the ice. Dahlen would go to San Jose but Minnesota had the right to kill the deal at any point that season. Those close to the situation said it was hard on Dahlen who felt the pressure of auditioning for a job with his own team on a nightly basis. He played well though, and the Stars kept him as they moved to Dallas.

Interestingly, before the end of the first season in Dallas the Sharks did get their wish, and acquired Dahlen in a trade for defensemen Mike Lalor and Doug Zmolek. Dahlen played admirably in 4 seasons in San Jose, but the goals were hard to come by as the expansion Sharks were one of the worst teams in NHL history.

By the time the Sharks were getting better Dahlen was moved along and began the vagabond days that older hockey players often experience near the end of their careers. Dahlen spent half a season in Chicago, 2 seasons back home with HV71 in the Swedish Elite League, 3 seasons in Washington before one final season in Dallas.

All said, Ulf Dahlen played 966 career NHL games over 14 seasons, scoring 301 goals, 354 assists and 655 points. He was a very solid, often under-appreciated NHL player.

Mario Thyer

2011-04-07T18:30:00.000-07:00

Mario Thyer signed with the Minnesota North Stars as a free agent after playing two seasons at the University of Maine. He was a standout in his freshman year, scoring 68 points in 44 games. He went 9-7-16 in 9 games before breaking his leg in his sophomore season.

Despite the injuries and two years of college eligibility remaining, the North Stars signed the talent but diminutive center. Thyer ended up dropping out of college to turn pro immediately, as the Stars felt his development as a hockey player would improve if he took his game to the next level. Thyer joined the Stars IHL affiliate, the Kalamazoo Wings.

Mario showed flashes of brilliance in his first professional season in 1989-90. In 68 games the speedy center netted 19 goals and added 42 assists for 61 points while taking only 6 minor penalties. He also got what proved to be his only shot at the NHL as he went scoreless in 5 games with Minnesota.

Thyer had NHL speed and NHL puck skills, but lacked NHL size. He weighed only 170lbs, and a center ice its rare to find such a puny pivot. His lack of size would be his biggest obstacle to playing in the NHL..

Thyer returned to Kalamazoo for the 1990-91 season and scored 15 goals, 51 assists and 66 points. 1991-92 was an injury plagued season for Thyer, who did scored 17 goals and 45 points in 46 games with Kalamazoo before he was traded on March 10, 1992. The Stars felt they had enough small and soft centers with names like Dave Gagner, Neal Broten and Mike Modano already on the big club and were looking for a hulking centerman for their playoff run. The Stars traded Thyer to the New York Rangers in exchange for big Mark Janssens.

However Thyer's stay with the Rangers was short. He finished the 1991-92 season with the Rangers farm team before he was traded back to Minnesota on July 16, 1992. Thyer was unhappy because he knew there was little chance he could crack the big club in Minnesota. He ended up playing with the IHL's Cincinnati Cyclones that year, but struggled through a 13 goal, 49 point season in 77 games.

Thyer only played in 3 games in 1993-94 before he decided to hang up the blades. He knew he was never likely to make the NHL and decided to get on with his life.

Shawn Chambers

2011-03-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

Pretty much everybody has the same mental image of Shawn Chambers, whether they realize it or not. That's because he was the Minnesota North Stars defenseman Mario Lemieux deked to the ice back in game 2 of the 1991 Stanley Cup final. It is one of the most famous goals in all of hockey history:

Chambers should not feel too bad. Super Mario made quite a few players look silly in his career.

Chambers was actually a pretty solid defenseman over the course of his 625 NHL game career with Minnesota, Washington, Tampa Bay, New Jersey and Dallas. As he matured he learned to play within his limitations, the true sign of valuable depth defender.

He was not a top line defender, but he was pretty under-rated as a depth blue liner. After all, in his time in New Jersey he paired with the great Scott Stevens, and that pairing shouldered the load against the opposition's top lines night after night.

Chambers had a reputation as not much of a physical player, which was unfair. He was average sized for a NHL defenseman at 6'2" and 200lbs but he didn't shy away from throwing clean bodychecks. While his hits may not have rattled the glass spectacularly, he played with enthusiasm, especially when getting lots of ice time.

That said, Chambers was probably best described as intellectual defender. He had great anticipation and sense of positioning. He understood the game and could read on-coming attacks expertly. With little fanfare he would diffuse attacks with a quick stick and short breakout passes.

Offensively Chambers was best described as efficient. His skating would not dazzle anyone. He would rather safely pass the puck out of the zone than lug it. His shot was nothing special though because he could get his soft wrist shots pass shot blockers and to the front of the net, he would often eat up 2nd unit power play minutes.

Chambers played in 645 NHL games, scoring 50 goals, 185 assists for 235 points. Mario Lemieux may have ruined his Stanley Cup dreams back in 1991, but Chambers does have two Stanley Cup championship rings - with New Jersey in 1995 and Dallas in 1999.

Keith Acton

2011-03-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

From his very first NHL game right through to his 1023rd and final contest, Keith Acton played the same way - all out.

Acton was an energetic checking forward. He was hard working and honest, yet aggressive and feisty and almost always yapping his mouth at the opposition. Throughout his career he was often compared to Ken Linseman.

Acton and Linseman played very similar roles, although Acton never had the same offensive contributions as Kenny. Acton did have a great sophomore season in Montreal when he scored a career high 36 goals and 88 points but otherwise he was cast as a third line shit-disturbing center - a role he excelled at.

Acton was small at just 5'8" but he played a physical game. He was very willing to hit and be hit, and never shied away from traffic. He was also very liberal with his stick, often using it to distract opponents more than to score goals. Blessed with great straight-ahead speed, Acton was great at jumping into openings all over the ice. And you can bet that if you tried to hook him back when he did surprisingly jump ahead of you, he'd dive with the perfect touch of embellishment, thus drawing the referees attention and more often than not got his team a power play.

Besides good foot speed, Acton a nice package of finesse skills. He had good hands and was creative enough to set up his wingers, however he lacked a good shot at the NHL level. Thus most of his goals came from banging at loose pucks near the net. Acton did have good hockey sense, particularly in his defensive role. His persistent puck pursuit also made him a mainstay on the penalty killing units.

Acton was originally a late round pick of the Montreal Canadiens. Despite back to back 120+ point seasons with the strong junior organization Peterborough Petes, Acton wasn't selected until 103rd overall in 1978 as questions about his size underrated him. After a couple of years in the Habs farm system, Keith made the big jump to the NHL in 1980-81 in a limited role, playing 61 games with 15 goals and 39 points.

As mentioned earlier, Acton exploded for his 88 point season in year two, but because of the Habs strong depth at center ice he was relegated to third line duty in 1982-83.

After a strong start to the 1983-84 season (10 points in the first 9 games), Acton was traded to Minnesota as a key part of package that landed big center Bobby Smith in Montreal. Smith went on to record several strong seasons in Montreal. Acton failed to put up the offensive numbers that were hoped for, but he was a valuable member of an often weak Stars team. Acton was a strong leader on the team.

The Stars moved the speedster to Edmonton during the 1987-88 season in exchange for Moe Mantha. Acton played with a yeoman's effort as he helped the Oilers capture the 1988 Stanley Cup.

Part way through the 1988-89 season Acton was moved to Philadelphia where he would play for the following 4 years. He spent the 1993-94 season, his last in the NHL, with Washington and NY Islanders.

Keith Acton, always a popular leader in any dressing room he was part of, turned to the world of coaching after his playing days were over.

Lou Nanne

2011-03-10T18:06:00.001-08:00

Lou Nanne grew up in Sault Ste. Marie,Ont. together with the Esposito brothers. He went on to attend and play for University of Minnesota (WCHA) between 1959-63. Lou showed great leadership qualities in his early years and was the captain for the Golden Gophers in his senior year (1962-63). The same season he became the first WCHA defenseman ever to lead the league in scoring and was named the MVP of the WCHA as well as being selected as an All-American All-Star.

After graduating from University of Minnesota he served as an assistant coach for the team. Before signing a pro contract he was a salesman for a chemical firm and became a U.S. Citizen. He played two seasons for the Rochester Mustangs (USHL) between 1965-67 averaging over a point per game. Shortly thereafter he was the captain of the 1968 U.S. Olympic team.

Lou quickly got the reputation of being a good team man, adept at killing penalties. He made his NHL debut shortly after his Olympic adventure and appeared in two games for the Minnesota North Stars, an organization that he would stay in for over 20 years. During the 1968-69 seasons he had brief stints with the Memphis South Stars (CHL) and Cleveland Barons (AHL) before playing in the NHL for good.

During the 1971-72 season, North Stars coach Jack Gordon used Lou as a forward (right wing) for the first time in the NHL and Lou responded with a respectable 21 goals and 49 points. The next two seasons he scored 15 goals respectively 11 goals and developed into a fine checking forward who often was matched against the other teams top lines.

His offensive output was limited the last years until he retired in 1978. Lou played a total of 635 games and scored 225 points (68 goals and 157 assists). He also represented USA during the 1976 and 1977 World Championships.

During the 1977 tournament his play was criticized loudly by team USA coach John Mariucci, who had coached Nanne previously at the University of Minnesota. The usually mild-mannered Nanne charged his coach and the two men were soon trading punches on the bench in the middle of the game. Peace was restored by teammates but the fight erupted again right after the game, necessitating a mass intervention by players and officials.

The incident came as a shocker since both men were North Stars employees and longtime friends. Mariucci had been Nanne's coach at the U. of Minnesota and the two remained close friends when Nanne went on to play for the North Stars and Mariucci became one of the teams scouts.

When Nanne was named the coach and GM of the North Stars in February 1978, who did he name as his assistant GM? Mariucci of course. It was typical Nanne. "Sweet Lou from the Soo" held his GM position with the North Stars until 1988.

For his many contributions to hockey in the United States, Nanne was honored as a recipient of the 1989 Lester Patrick award.

In 2010 Lou Nanne released his autobiography: A Passion To Win

Kari Takko

2011-03-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

There have been a lot of trades in NHL history. My favorite? On November 22nd, 1990 the Minnesota North Stars traded him to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a defenseman named Bruce Bell. The transaction proved to be entirely insignificant, but it will live on forever in the annals of hockey lore as "the Takko-Bell Trade."

Kari Takko was a goalie from Uusikaupunki, Finland. The Quebec Nordiques originally drafted Takko in 1981, but he reentered the draft and became property of the Minnesota North Stars in 1984. He had developed a decent reputation as a prospect thanks to solid play at the World Juniors and at the 1984 Olympics.

Takko, a stand up goalie who relied on playing the angles, debuted with the North Stars in 1986, and for four seasons he split goaltending duties firstly Don Beaupre and then Jon Casey, with fellow Finn Jarmo Myllys seemingly always knocking on the door. Success was hard to come by in Minnesota at that time, however. Takko's GAA and save percentage were down right brutal, and losses mounted faster than the wins. Shingles in his ear did not help one year, but Minny's poor defense really ailed him.

The Oilers traded for Takko in 1990 after Grant Fuhr was indefinitely suspended for cocaine use. Takko backed up Bill Ranford, playing in just 11 games. The Oilers went on to win the Stanley Cup that year, but Takko was not part of that championship. When Fuhr returned, the Oilers tried assigning Takko to the minor leagues. Takko balked at that, and retired instead.

Takko did return to Europe and played in Finland and later Sweden until 2000. He would later serve as a European scout for the Dallas Stars.

Kari Takko's son, Karri Takko, would grow up to play professional hockey in Finland.

Peter Lappin

2011-02-21T20:23:00.000-08:00

Peter Lappin was a crafty collegiate player who developed from a long shot into a prospect. However he never was able to make the next step to the NHL despite some fine seasons in the International Hockey League.

Peter played college hockey at St. Lawrence University, leading the school to the 1988 NCAA Finals. His accolades during his collegiate career included being named ECAC Player of the Year and earned berths on the ECAC All-Star Team, NCAA All-American Team and NCAA All-Tournament Team.

He was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the supplemental draft but never made an appearance in a Flames jersey. Upon the end of the collegiate season in 1988 Lappin joined the Flames' IHL affiliate in Salt Lake City. He only appeared in the final 3 games of the regular season before he led Golden Eagles to a Turner Cup Championship with a playoff leading 16 goals and 28 points in 17 games. For his heroic performance he was rewarded by being named the IHL Playoff MVP.

Lappin went to the Flames training camp in 1988 but the 5'11" 180lb right wing from St. Charles, Illinois was buried int the Flames incredible depth. The Flames were already set at right wing with names like Hakan Loob, Joey Mullen, Lanny McDonald, and Tim Hunter. Over the course of the next seasons the Flames would add names like Sergei Makarov, Sergei Priahkin, Mark Hunter and Theo Fleury. This incredible list of wingers obviously meant that Lappin was well down on the priority list.

Lappin was sent back to Salt Lake in 1988-89 and lit up the league scoring 48 goals and 90 points in 81 games. The Flames traded Lappin to Minnesota for a draft pick in 1989. Although he would appear in 6 games with the North Stars, the bulk of his season was again played in the IHL, scoring 45 goals and 80 points with the Stars' affiliate in Kalamazoo.

After a poor training camp, Lappin would play the entire 1990-91 season in Kalamazoo, but sllipped to 20 goals and 67 points. The following summer Lappin became a member of the San Jose Sharks organization as the expansion team selected him from Minnesota in a Dispersal Draft. However Lappin appeared in only one game with the Sharks. He spent most of what to be proved to be his final season of hockey in the minors with the IHL's Kansas City Blades, scoring 28 goals and 58 points in 78 games.

Lappin collected no points in his 7 NHL appearances.

Wayne Connelly

2011-01-12T16:35:00.000-08:00

Even at the best of times, Wayne Connelly's NHL memories were mixed.

During the most prolific goal scoring season of his National Hockey League career, Connelly endured the pain of losing not only a teammate but an extremely close friend one night.

On January 13, 1968, Minnesota North Stars Bill Masterton became the first and only player to die as a result of injuries suffered during an NHL game. The Oakland Seals were in Minnesota that night when Masterton took a hard but clean body check from Seals defenseman Ron Harris. Masterton fell awkwardly and cracked his head on the ice at the Met Center, suffering a brain injury that cost him his life two days later.

"That expansion season brings back happy and sad memories for me," recalls Connelly. "I had a career high 35 goals with Minnesota that year and I'll never forget all our goals in a 3-2 win over Montreal at the Met Center in March.

"But I guess I'll best remember that season for the death of my pal, Bill Masterton. It was a shocking incident that put a damper on an otherwise excellent first year for the North Stars."

Connelly was the right winger on a line centered by Masterton. Dave Balon played on left wing.

Connelly constantly relives Masterton's fateful fall.

"We'd just crossed center ice when Bill fed a pass over to my wing," Connelly recalls. "Oakland's Ron Harris really belted him with a clean body check and Bill lost his balance and catapulted backwards, hitting his head on the ice with a sickening thud. They took Bill off on a stretcher and that was the last time we saw him."

"He was a super gentleman....you'd never meet a nicer guy or harder working guy. I still think of him quite often" says Connelly many years later.

Connelly began his NHL career as a 21 year old in 1960-61 when he played three games with the defending Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens.

Montreal sold his contract to Boston that summer, but in his next six seasons as a pro, he never was more than a fringe player with the Bruins. His personal bests before joining Minnesota were 64 games played and 13 goals.

Connelly, like many fringe players, benefited greatly from expansion. The Stars took him from Boston in the expansion draft on June 1967, and then turned his explosive 35 goal season.

By 1969 Connelly was moved to Detroit and scored 23 goals in 1969-70. He later played stints with St. Louis and Vancouver.

He jumped back to Minnesota in 1972-73. However it wasn't with the NHL Stars, but the WHA Fighting Saints. He enjoyed seasons of 40, 42 and 38 goals before moving on to Cleveland, Calgary and Edmonton. He retired in 1976-77.

In 10 NHL seasons Connelly scored 133 times and picked up 174 assists. He added 167 goals and 162 assists in 5 WHA seasons.

Bob Brooke

2011-01-09T17:16:00.000-08:00

Bob Brooke was an honest, hard working role player who had the versatility to play all positions, including defense, though was used primarily at center and on right wing. Nowadays he is one of the brightest minds in the business world.

An economics major from Yale (where he also played shortstop on the baseball team), Brooke joined the New York Rangers after a season with the United States national team in 1983. The Melrose, Massachusetts native would enjoy his finest statistical season in his second season with the Rangers, scoring 24 goals and 44 points. The Rangers traded Brooke to Minnesota early in 1986. Brooke would enjoy 3 and 1/2 seasons with Minny before splitting his final NHL season with the Stars and New Jersey Devils in 1989-90.

In total, the former NCAA All American and 1983 Hobey Baker finalist played in 447 NHL contests, scoring 69 goals and 97 assists for 166 points. He also added 9 goals and 9 assists in 34 playoff games, as well as representing the US National team at two World Championships and two Canada Cup tournaments.

That is an amazing career, but the highlight might have been representing USA at the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo.

Brooke was a splendid skater with lots of strength, speed and balance. At 6'1" and 205 lbs, he combined his speed and great upper body strength to ceaselessly work in the corners. A solid faceoff man, Brooke also had excellent hockey sense which he used to become a good defensive stalwart.

With such gifts as speed, strength and hockey sense, you are probably wondering why Bob Brooke never became much of a scorer. The reason for that is he had terrible hands. He didn't possess a great shot and even had trouble taking and receiving passes. Too bad, because Brooke was a splendid team player who deserved better individual statistics than he had in his 6 year NHL career.

Brooke spent many off-seasons working on Wall Street and Boston area banks. After retiring from hockey, Brooke earned his MBA from Harvard. He returned to the Boston area to work in the banking industry.

Minnesota North Stars Greatest Players

2010-09-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

Minnesota North Stars Legends
Neal Broten
Dino Ciccarelli
Craig Hartsburg
Bill Masterton
Bobby Smith
Gump Worsley
Other Notable North Stars

Warren Babe
Don Beaupre
Scott Bjugstad
Jon Casey
Ray Cullen
Jude Drouin
Gaetan Duchesne
Dave Gagner
Barry Gibbs
Danny Grant
Dennis Hextall
Al MacAdam
Cesare Maniago

Dennis Maruk
Brad Maxwell
Tom McCarthy
Basil McRae
Gilles Meloche
Wayne Muloin
Frank Musil
Danny O'Shea
Brad Palmer
Steve Payne
Alex Pirus
Gump Worsley
Tim Young

Jude Drouin

2010-09-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

Just 5'10" and 160lbs, Jude Drouin had to overcome to stereotype of being much too small to play in the National Hockey League. But with brilliant puckhandling abilities, Drouin became an effective playmaking center and power play specialist.

Like many Quebecois youngsters, Drouin dreamed of someday playing with the Montreal Canadiens. Drouin had the chance to actually live his dream. However it was very short - just 12 games. Despite lighting up the minor leagues in his first three seasons as a professional, the natural center only got two stints in Montreal.

Drouin was traded to Minnesota for Bill Collins in 1970. It was probably a bittersweet day for Drouin, who felt rejected and dejected. However at the same time, he knew if he was going to play in the NHL, it would not be with the famously deep Habs.

With his puck on a string puckhandling abilities, Drouin immediately became a star as a rookie in Minnesota. He noticed 16 goals and a then-NHL-rookie record of 52 assists for 68 points in his first year.

Many fans may best remember Drouin's rookie season for an incident with referee Bruce Hood. In a February game against Pittsburgh Drouin struck Hood on the shoulder with his hockey stick. For his assaulting of the official he received only a $150 fine and a three game suspension.

Over the next 4 years, he became an important, though sometimes streaky, cog of the Minnesota North Stars. His best year came in 1972-73 when he tallied 27 goals and 73 points, third best on the team.

The New York Islanders added Drouin to their lineup in the middle of the 1974-75 season. Looking for a bit more offense, the Isles got three good years out of Drouin, especially in the playoffs where the Islanders were renowned for their struggles. But by 1977-78 Drouin became a bit part on the squad and retired from the league in the off-season, choosing to focus on his chain of seafood restaurants on Long Island.

Drouin ended his retirement one year later when the Winnipeg Jets offered Drouin a contract. Drouin played 78 games in 1979-80, but just 7 more in 1980-81 before retiring for good.

Jon Casey

2010-09-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

I never quite knew what to make of goaltender Jon Casey. Perhaps that is because, not knowing all the intricacies of goaltending, I often don't know what to make of a lot of goalies. Perhaps it was Casey was quite an unorthodox goalie to begin with. He seemed to naturally be a scrambling, reflexive goalie who, through years of professional coaching, tried morphing into a classic, play-the-angles netminder.

However he tried stopping the puck, obviously it worked. For a period of about 5 years he was a bona fide number one goalie in the National Hockey League,. He was never a serious threat to win the Vezina Trophy, but he did get his team to a Stanley Cup finals.

Regardless of his accomplishments, most will remember Jon Casey for being on the wrong side of two of the most famous goals in Stanley Cup history.

A Grand Rapids, Minnesota native, Casey didn't travel far for his collegiate career. He played in net for the University of North Dakota from 1980-1984, and was named to the Western Collegiate Association (WCHA) First All-Star team for the 1981-82 and 1983-84 seasons. He also earned a nod on the WCHA
Second All-Star team in 1983 and the WCHA All-American team in 1984. The team took home the NCAA championship twice (1980, 1982) during his tenure.

Casey left UND in 1984, signing as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota North Stars. For the next four years he spend most of his time working on his game at the AHL and IHL levels. In 1985, Casey had a stellar season. He was named to the AHL All-Star team, won the Harry `Hap'' Holmes Memorial Award (fewest goals against), and Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award for outstanding goaltending. Finally, in 1988 Casey made his NHL debut. That season, he made 55 appearances, the first of six consecutive 50+ game seasons.

In 1990-1991, Casey helped the team make it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Penguins star Mario Lemieux split North Stars defensemen Neil Wilkinson and Shawn Chambers to beat Casey. The Stars lost the series, and that moment is the first of Casey used in the 2010 “History Will Be Made” NHL play-off commercials.

After two more seasons with the Stars and an All-Star appearance in 1993, Casey was traded to Boston as part of a deal for Andy Moog that also sent Gord Murphy to the Stars. After one season with the Bruins, he signed as a free agent with the Blues. Again, he helped his team to the Cup finals, this time against Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings. The series went to the second overtime of Game Seven, when Yzerman beat Casey with a shot rifled over his shoulder. It was a bitter moment for Casey and Blues fans, and the second moment used in the 2010 play-off ads.

After one more season with the Blues, Casey played one season with the Worchester Ice Cats and finished his career with the Kansas City Ice Blades, retiring in December 1997.

I'm not quite sure what Jon Casey is up to these days. Apparently he returned to school, completing his degree at college in St. Charles, Missouri.

Special thanks to Jennifer Conway.

Tom McCarthy

2010-09-10T17:25:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Wayne Gretzky was not the 1st player chosen in the 1977 OHA midget draft? Despite being known as a national prodigy since the age of 6, Gretzky actually was chosen third by Sault Ste. Marie.

Drafted #2 was a kid named Steve Peters, and he never amounted to much as far as the NHL was concerned, playing in just 2 games with the old Colorado Rockies. Niagara Falls selected Peters over Gretzky only because the Gretzky family had said Wayne would not play anywhere other than Peterborough. (The Petes had the 4th pick, but plans were foiled when the Soo Greyhounds took Gretzky anyways. Gretzky did eventually report.)

Going first overall to Oshawa was a big strapping winger named Tom McCarthy. McCarthy went on to a great junior career, and was considered the top underaged draft eligible player in 1979. The Minnesota North Stars selected McCarthy 10th overall.

Nicknamed "Jughead" or just "Jug" due to his resemblance to the Archie comics character, McCarthy played nine seasons, scoring 178 goals and 221 assists for 399 points in 460 games with Minny and Boston. His best years were with Minnesota. In the 1982-83 season he scored 76 points in 80 games. The following season McCarthy had 70 points in 60 regular season games playing on a line with Dino Ciccarelli and Neal Broten.

I always like McCarthy myself. For some reason I had a soft spot for left wingers when I was a kid growing up. McCarthy's size gave him presence, and it was amplified by his agility, speed and creativity as well as his willingness to go into high traffic areas (at least in the offensive zone). His goal scoring totals and creativity playing along side Ciccarelli and Broten certainly made him even more noticeable, although his coaches probably were more annoyed with his lack of a defensive game and at-times lazy work ethic.

McCarthy was a popular player in Minnesota. For a time he owned and operated a fish and chips restaurant in the area called "McCarthy's: Just for the Halibut" which was a popular eatery.

Injuries plagued McCarthy during his career. He missed nearly half of the 1984-85 regular season and part of the 1985 playoffs due to vision trouble resulting from a concussion suffered when he was punched by Tiger Williams in a Feb.14, 1985 game. At other times in his career he also injured his back in car accident, broke a bone in his back when he crashed into the goal post, and missed time with a paralyzed face as he was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy.

McCarthy also had problems off the ice. He struggled with alcoholism during his years in Minnesota and spent time at the Betty Ford Clinic. He was arrested in 1994 by the FBI and pleaded guilty to driving a truckload of marijuana from California to Minnesota. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison, in which he served time in several jails in both USA and Canada. During his time in Leavenworth, Kansas he organized a prison hockey school.

Fortunately McCarthy was able to clean his life up after getting out of prison. He returned to hockey, coaching youth in the greater Toronto area.

Wayne Muloin

2010-06-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

Wayne Muloin had a long minor league career before earning a regular spot in the NHL.

He played for the Edmonton Flyers (WHL) and Edmonton Oil Kings (CAHL) between 1960-63. During the 1963-64 season Wayne played for Detroit Red Wings farm team, the Cincinnati Wings (CHL). Wayne had 15 points and 169 Pims.

His fine aggressive play got him his first shot at the NHL. He made his NHL debut at the Chicago Stadium on January 29, 1964, where his Red Wings battled to a 2-2 tie. He only dressed for two more Red Wings games, a 9-2 loss to Montreal (Feb.1) and a 2-2 tie vs Toronto (Feb.2). Wayne registered one assist in the three games.

During the summer of 1964 he was acquired by NY Rangers. Wayne spent the entire 1964-65 season playing for the St.Paul Rangers (CHL). Wayne then continued with his minor league stint, playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the WHL (1965-66) and four seasons for the Providence Reds (AHL) between 1965-68. It looked like Wayne was destined to finish his career in the minor leagues. Then came training camp 1969.

Wayne remembered the time.

"Oakland Seals invited me to camp and I decided to play it really aggressive," Wayne recalled. " I racked up guys like Carol Vadnais and Mike Laughton woth some good hits and they had to keep me around."

The 28-year old Wayne had finally earned a regular spot on a NHL team on the basis of his hard-nosed style of play. His offensive skills were negligible though. Wayne was a hitter from the old school typified by belters like Leo Boivin. Wayne wasn't in the same class as Boivin when it came to hitting but his low built allowed him to get low when he was throwing a check which many times lifted the opponents in the air. Wayne was a capable puckhandler but had a really weak shot. Something that Wayne was very aware of.

"We were in Philadelphia one night early in the 69-70 season and for some reason, I was on the powerplay," Wayne recalled. " I wound up to take a shot from the left point and Flyers defenseman Ed Van Impe slid in front of me at the last second. I don't know what Ed was thinking, but my weak shot hit him right in the mouth and messed him up pretty badly. It was an awful sight - blood was everywhere - but Ed got patched up and came back for the third period. He was a tough old bird."

The shot by Wayne knocked out six of Van Impe's teeth, which was exactly double the number of goals Wayne managed to score in 158 NHL games (11 of them in the playoffs).

Wayne vividly remembered the 1970-71 season when the eccentric Charles O.Finley purchased Oakland and re-named it the California Golden Seals.

"Boy was he a character," Wayne said. " He made us wear those stupid white skates and everywhere we played, the fans would blow kisses at us. It was kind of humiliating. I also remember the time he bought a bunch of chimpanzees out on the ice in Oakland for a penalty shot contest early in the season. I knew we were in for a rough year when one of the chimps scored on Gary Smith."

Wayne was right. The California team ended up with the NHL's worst record (20-53-5). In March 1971 Wayne was traded to Minnesota. He only played 7 games for them during the regular season and 7 more in the playoffs.

In 1971-72 he was back in the minors again where he captained the Cleveland Barons (AHL). In August 1972 Wayne signed with the Cleveland Crusaders of the newly formed WHA. He spent four solid seasons on the Crusaders blueline, scoring his most memorable goal for the team. Wayne scored the final goal in the Cleveland Arena - the 9,500 seat rink at Euclid and 33rd St.

" It was an overtime goal in the 1974 playoffs against Toronto Toros. I leaned into a shot from outside the blue line and it went past Gilles Gratton. We went back to Toronto two nights later and lost the series. The next year, we moved into the brand new Richfield Coliseum" Wayne said.

Wayne was traded to the Edmonton Oilers (WHA) in January,1976 but only played 10 games for the Oilers. He played a total of 258 WHA games (10+43 = 53). Wayne's last active season was in 1976-77 when he played for the Rhode Island Reds (AHL).

-- Special thanks to Patrick Houda

Ray Cullen

2010-06-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

Ray was one of three Cullen brothers who played in the NHL. His older brothers Brian and Barry played a total of 570 NHL games in the 1950's and 60's.

Ray played in the Chicago Blackhawks organization early on, which included four seasons in the juniors with the St.Catharines Teepees (OHA), a club where Hall of Famers like Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull and Phil Esposito also had played.

Playing with the likes of Pat Stapleton, Vic Hadfield, Chico Maki, Dennis Hull, Doug Jarrett and Roger Crozier, Ray put up very solid career numbers with the Teepees. He had 262 points (127 goals and 135 assists) in 197 games and was OHA's top goal scorer during the 1959-60 season. That season the Teepees defeated the Edmonton Oil Kings to win the Memorial Cup as Canadian junior champions.

Throughout Ray's junior career he was told that he was a bad skater. Ray later said that it was a blow to his confidence and that it affected his play.It all changed when Ray started his senior career with the Knoxville Knights of the EHL in 1962-63. He scored a fine 66 goals and 109 points in 67 games. He made the 1st All-Star team and was named the EHL rookie of the year.

Ray admitted that he got his confidence back while playing for Knoxville.

" I never heard a thing about being a bad skater. I think the combination of playing so much and not being told about my skating did more for me than anything else. I regained confidence in myself."

Interestingly, Chicago did not want Ray to go to the EHL, but he had an offer he could not refuse.

"The most Chicago would offer was a $500 signing bonus and $3,500 to turn pro in the Central League," said Ray. "Ray Miron was running Knoxville in the Eastern League, and he offered $5,500 so I went with him."

Some people were knocking the EHL and thought that playing there would hurt Ray's future NHL career. Ray disagreed though.

"The EHL was composed of a lot of ex-pros,and while they may have lost their legs they hadn't lost their brains. They played mean hockey in that league. You learned to keep your head up, or you wound up in a hospital."

While Ray would never change anything about his days in Knoxville, one has to wonder how spurning the Hawks wishes may have set his career back in some ways. In those days you did not dare go against a team's wishes, as that quickly earned you a trouble-maker label. Teams buried many talented players in the minor leagues back in the Original Six days simply out of spite.

The next season, 1963-64, Ray played for the St. Louis Braves in the CHL and put up another very fine season which saw him score 98 points in 63 games. He was a 1st team All-Star. In 1964-65 Ray Move up to the AHL to play for the Buffalo Bisons. He was an instant hit, scoring the winning goal in his first game and then three games later scored a hat trick. He played on a line with two other rookies, Oscar Gaudet and Jack Stanfield. Ray's fine season earned him the AHL rookie of the year award.

After that season Chicago traded him to the NY Rangers in a six-player deal in June, 1965. Ray got his first taste of NHL action during the 1965-66 season when he played eight games (scoring 4 points) for the NY Rangers. He played the rest of the season in the AHL.

Ray was then claimed by Detroit in the intra-league draft in 1966 for $30,000. He was on his way to earn himself a spot on the Red Wings opening roster in 1966-67, but he suffered an injury after a freak accident during training camp where he got a fracture on his hand after it was pinned against the wood in the boards. It sidelined him for over a month. Ray eventually played 27 games (scoring 16 points) with the Red Wings and 28 games with the Pittsburgh Hornets in the AHL.

While with the Wings the team thought enough of him to move Alex Delvecchio to left wing and play Cullen at center with Gordie Howe. What a thrill that must have been.

"I remember one game I got two early goals and Gordie, who was my roommate, just told me to get in front of the net. He spent the rest of the night digging the puck out for me, but I never did get the third one. Gordie was the greatest guy in the world to play with. That was his 20th season but I remember him telling me the one fear he had was the day he would have to quit hockey."

Ray's big break came when the expansion came. He was claimed by Minnesota North Stars in the 1967 expansion draft. For the first time Ray was a regular in the NHL. He had a very fine first season with Minnesota, scoring 28 goals and 53 points in 67 games and another 8 points in 14 playoff games. The next season 1968-69, Ray increased his production to 64 points (including 26 goals) in 67 games.

He had another solid season with the North Stars before being claimed by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1970 expansion draft. Ray added some valuable experience to the Canucks lineup and was used a lot in powerplay situations. He had 12 goals and 21 assists for 33 points in 70 games for the first year Canucks.

That 1970-71 season proved to be Ray's last as he put his family before his career.

"I had children going to school and that was the first time I didn't take my family with me, and I didn't enjoy it."

Ray, like both of his brothers before him, retired from professional hockey at the age of 29. Ray played a total of 313 games and scored a 92 goals, 123 assists for 215 points in his career.

He joined brother Brian in the car dealership business in London, Ontario. To this day he remains a very successful car salesman.

Alex Pirus

2010-05-31T15:24:00.000-07:00

This is Alex Pirus. As a rookie in 1976-77 Pirus made a big bang with the Minnesota North Stars.

Pirus was one of seven rookies used regularly by the North Stars that season, with stylish Roland Eriksson and dependable Glen Sharpley also of note. But it was the 6'1" 205 winger Pirus who drew much of the praise from coach Ted Harris.

"Alex Pirus hits harder than anybody I've ever seen in a North Stars jersey," said Harris. The coach probably didn't mind Pirus' unexpected offensive contributions either. The 41st overall pick in the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft chipped in with 20 goals and 37 points, many of those in the second half of the season.

Pirus took the unusual route to the NHL. Very few NCAA players advanced to the NHL in the 1970s. But Pirus actually left the University of Notre Dame early to compete in professional hockey. The honours business student made his business crunching NHL bodies and scoring goals.

"Checking is a better part of my game," said Pirus. "Keeps me awake and more involved in the game. I don't look for an individual guy and pick him out to check. If a guy is there for a check, I hit him."

Yet Pirus was a clean player. He only picked up 47 penalty minutes in that freshman season. He had one notable fight though, wrestling Dave "The Hammer" Schultz to the ice with few punches thrown.

"I don't fight unless someone gives me a cheap shot or a spear. I don't mind taking a hard hit - that doesn't bother me. Now if I get infuriated, that's something else again."

Despite the promise, Alex Pirus soon disappeared from the NHL scene. He suffered through a terrible sophomore campaign, scoring just 9 goals and finishing the year in the minors. From that point on he was mostly a minor league player, getting call ups with the North Stars and briefly with the Detroit Red Wings. He would play in a total of 159 NHL games, scoring 30 goals and 58 points.

Pirus completed his business degree at Notre Dame in the summer of 1978. His life took a different turn altogether after hockey. He found religion, but remained active in the hockey world. He served as a minister and a leading figure with Hockey Ministries International, combining hockey and religion in summer camps. He also has served as the chaplain for Chicago Blackhawks and AHL Chicago Wolves players.

Warren Babe

2010-02-08T19:35:00.000-08:00

Warren Babe is probably best remembered for being the victim on a Patrick Roy lumberjack attack in 1987. Babe, Minnesota's 1st choice, 12th overall in the 1986 Entry Draft, was just a green rookie when he was viciously slashed in the leg by Roy on October 19th, 1987. Roy would be suspended for eight games, while Babe missed a month of action.

Babe was a pretty promising prospect, blessed with size and strength and good goal scoring ability, at least in junior. But he never got a chance to prove himself at the professional level. Soon after he returned from the Roy incident he was sent back to junior to complete the season. He would only get into two more seasons of play, mostly in the minor leagues, thanks to a series of concussions.

The most serious concussion Babe encountered was during an exhibition game prior to the 1990-91 season. Winnipeg's Shawn Cronin slashed Babe for his 14th documented concussion. On doctor's advice he sat out the entire season. He tried come back in the 1990-91 season, playing with Minnesota's farm team in Kalamazoo, but he retired at the end of the year after suffering another concussion.

The once-promising, strapping, Trevor Linden-like kid from Medicine Hat, Alberta only had a chance to play in 21 NHL games over 4 injury devastated seasons.

Barry Gibbs

2009-11-17T20:53:00.000-08:00

Barry Gibbs is the reason this website exists.

When I was 5 years old, my father took me to the local landfill to drop off some tree branches and grass clippings. While he unloaded the debris, I was awestruck with this small piece of cardboard I found in the dirt.

It was a Barry Gibbs hockey card. O-Pee-Chee card number 304 of the 1979-80 hockey card set, pictured to the right.

Before that I don't recall having any hockey memories. But from that moment on I was enthralled by the game, and the players who made it great. I picked up the card and read the teasing of information about him on the back. I had to know more.

Realizing that this was card #304, I concluded there must have been at least 303 other cards out there. I was somehow able to gather a bunch of them, though not all. I got sick on the bubble gum trying too! But I was hooked on hockey - and learning about the players that captured my imagination on these small pieces of cardboard.

Ever since, I've been trying to learn as much as I can about hockey players, most of whom I've never seen play. I've read books and listened to interviews and tv shows. I digested anything I could. And it all started with that trip to the dump!.

This website is my way of sharing what I learn with the world. It is not just a hobby, but a passion - a labor of love.

By the way, Gibbs was a hard hitting, unheralded defenseman who played 800 games with Boston, Minnesota, Atlanta, St. Louis and Los Angeles, mostly in the 1970s.

Brad Palmer

2009-11-17T10:18:00.000-08:00

Brad Palmer was a promising prospect who quickly disappeared.

Brad was a first round pick (16th overall in 1980) of the Minnesota North Stars after a fine junior career with the Victoria Cougars of the WHL. A native of nearby Duncan BC, Brad was a good skater who had a very heavy though not always accurate shot.

Brad joined the North Stars after completing the Junior season in 80-81, and played a big role in the North Stars Cinderella run to the 1981 Stanley Cup finals. After scoring 4 goals and 4 assists in 23 regular season NHL games, Brad scored 8 goals and 13 points in 19 playoff games. Things looked bright for the Stars. They had unexpectedly reach the Cup finals and boasted one of the best collection of young players in the league - Smith, Ciccarelli, Young, Hartsburg, Broten and yes, Brad Palmer.

In his first full season with Minnesota, 1981-82, he notched a respectable 22 goals and 45 points However the 1982 Entry Draft drastically affected Palmer's budding career. A young phenom named Brian Bellows was considered to be the best player available and was widely expected to go 1st overall to the Boston Bruins, who acquired the pick from the Colorado Rockies. The North Stars however drastically covetted Bellows and were prepared to do whatever it took to get him in a Minnesota uniform. The Stars first acquired the 2nd overall pick from Detroit in one trade. Then they traded Palmer along with Dave Donnelly to the Boston Bruins in exchange for "future considerations." Palmer and Donnelly were essentially given to the Bruins in exchange for Boston's promise not to select Bellows. Instead, Gord Kluzak went first overall in that Entry Draft.

Kluzak was a fine defenseman but had his career robbed by serious knee injuries. Donnelly never amounted to much, and Palmer quickly fizzled out in Boston. Bellows went on to a career spanning over 1000 games, nearly 500 goals and 1000 points. Needless to say it wasn't a great deal for the Bruins.

It wasn't a great deal for Palmer either. He had a tough time in his first year in Beantown. After tallying only 6 goals in the 82-83 season, Brad found himself in Hershey of the AHL for the 83-84 season. There was no interest in his services at the NHL level so he moved to Europe to play in the 84-85 season. He played in Switzerland that year and later played in Finland and Austria before retiring from hockey in 1990.

Danny O'Shea

2009-11-09T22:36:00.001-08:00

Life as a professional athlete is not necessarily easy. Sure, the money is ridiculously good, but the demands are high, and the security is low.

It was a lot worse back in the 1960s when salaries were puny by today's standards. Managers and coaches were better able to control players lives, especially where they played. There was no such thing as a no trade clause back then.

Take Danny O'Shea, for example. He was a 6'1" 190lb center blessed with size and skating. He was described as temperamental and moody, although history looks back at him as just another in a long line of unfulfilled destinies of greatness.

O'Shea, a junior star in Oshawa who also skated for Canada at the 1967 Worlds and 1968 Olympics, never could get comfortable playing in the NHL. He spent three seasons in Minnesota, two in Chicago, two in St. Louis and 1 in the WHA, never really finding a good fit.

O'Shea blamed the lack of security. He constantly lived under the fear of being traded or demoted.

"Every player on every team wants to know where he stands. You can't play well if you're playing out of position and if the axe is hanging over your head. You can't play well if your mind is all mixed up. I'd been traded twice in two years. I just wanted to know if I figured in the team's plans."

O'Shea never really recovered from the trade that took him from his first NHL home, Minnesota.

"I expected to remain in Minnesota. Trades are part of sports, but the traded to Chicago shocked me and before I could recover I was on my way again (to St. Louis)."

All worries of life in the big leagues were put in perspective for O'Shea in July of 1973 when the 28 year old suffered a heart attack. NHL doctors would not grant O'Shea clearance to play hockey again, fearing his heart was not healthy enough. After sitting out an entire season he ended up playing the 1974-75 season with Minnesota in the WHA.

Scott Bjugstad

2009-11-03T16:31:00.000-08:00

Hometown hero Scott Bjugstad was a promising high school prospect in a few sports. He was a great tennis player, and he was so good in soccer he was named to the US High School soccer first all star team in 1978.

But Minnesota is like Canada, and the game everyone dreams of is hockey. Scott, along side his brother Mike, was a dominant hockey star at Irondale high school in New Brighton.

After re-writing the Irondale high school record book, Bjugstad made the natural jump to the University of Minnesota in 1979. In his 4 year collegiate career he played in two NCAA final fours and was the 1982-83 WCHA scoring champion. That same year he was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the best college hockey player in the country.

After 4 years in school, majoring in Business, Scott joined the United States national team in 1983-84 and participated in the Olympics. Despite featuring burgeoning talent like Pat Lafontaine, Chris Chelios, and Ed Olczyk, the Americans finished a distant 7th place.

Following the Olympics Scott joined the Minnesota North Stars, who had drafted him 181st overall in 1981. In his welcome moment to the NHL, he broke his nose in his very first game!

For the next year and a half was a very quiet player - scoring just 11 goals in 77 contests. He had played center all his life and was often shifted to the left wing.

However Bjugstad's fortune's took a turn for the better in 1985-86. Playing on the top line with Neal Broten and Dino Ciccarelli, Bjugstad exploded for 43 goals and 76 points, including three hat tricks. Suddenly the NHL had a new scoring star in its stable.

Or did it? Many people dismissed Bjugstad's accomplishments as an overachievement. No way would he score that many goals on a line without Broten and Ciccarelli, they said.

"I don't want to sound cocky, but a lot of people have played with those two and haven't scored 43. It's given me a lot of confidence that I'm clicking with this line," Bjugstad responded.

The confidence didn't last long. With immense pressure on him to repeat his exploits, Bjugstad failed miserably in the follow up year. He went from scoring 43 goals to just 4. Often he was a healthy scratch and even spent some time in the minor leagues. A pulled abdominal muscle eventually ended his nightmare season.

"It was so weird. One year, I felt I was going to score even before I shot the puck. The next year, I knew it wasn't going to go in no matter what I did," explained Bjugstad, who struggled to find an answer to his woes.

Entering his 4th year, Bjugstad was looking to rebuild his game, reputation and psyche. Reunited with Broten and Ciccarelli, Bjugstad got off to a solid start, scoring 4 goals and 10 points in the first 11 games. However injuries limited Scott to just 22 more games that season.

On December 1988 the North Stars moved Bjugstad to Pittsburgh. The Pens had hoped that maybe Bjugstad could connect as Mario Lemieux's left wing. However the experiment didn't work, as Scott scored just 3 goals in 24 games. The following season he signed with Los Angeles. He tore up the AHL with 45 goals in 47 games in 1989-90, but played just 11 games in the NHL, scoring 1 goal. Over the next two injury plagued years, he scored 4 NHL goals in 53 games.

Scott eventually had enough of all the bruises and broken bones, and retired during the 1992-93 season. In 317 NHL games he had 76 goals, 68 assists and 144 points.

Bjugstad's 43 goal season was a career year, not something that anyone could have expected even if he had been able to remain healthy for the whole season. He had a hard, accurate shot which he released quickly. He was not overly agile on his skates, and didn't have the strongest anticipation skills, which significantly hurt his game. He also played smaller than he actually was, and was never a notable defensive player.

In retirement Bjugstad returned to his roots and became a prolific high school coach in Minnesota. In fact, in 2000 he was named Minnesota high school coach of the year. He also opened his own shooting school to better aid young scorers.

Don Beaupre

2009-09-23T16:42:00.000-07:00

Don Beaupre entered the NHL with a bang.

In his first season, Don was an All-Star, helped the North Stars win the Norris Division and advance to the Stanley Cup finals where they fell just short against the New York Islanders. It was the start of a pro career that young goalies usually only dream of.

None of the teams Don played for ever reached that lofty status again. But Don said that the first NHL season was a blessing in disguise.

"When I got drafted, before I went to training camp my parents had a party for me and a bunch of friends came over and stuff like that," Don said. "It was kind of a good luck party, and I really shouldn’t have made it that year. I wasn’t thinking I should or shouldn’t make it, it was just the next step and you go and see what happens. If I was thinking, 'Boy, I really have to go and make it,' I probably wouldn’t have. The pressure would have probably got to me. Being naive probably helped my chances then."

Don enjoyed a pretty good junior career with the Sudbury Wolves and made the First All-Star Team in 1980. His fine play prompted Minnesota North Stars to pick him 37th overall that year.

Don's rookie season in the NHL was sensational and he played like a seasoned veteran. As mentioned previously, he made the All-Star team, helped the North Stars win the Norris Division and also helped them reach the Stanley Cup finals.

"That was quite a year," Don admitted. "Just to make it to the NHL, we won a few games, I made the All-Star team out in Los Angeles and I'd never been there before, and we were in the finals. It was quite a year, no doubt, and I never had anything like that again."

Don played in two of the games in the finals (Gilles Meloche played in the other three). Don earned the lone North Stars victory when his team was facing elimination, down 3-0. They eventually lost the series in five games as Don played in the fifth and final game.

"We had a lot of young guys with energy and enthusiasm, and we had a pretty good group of guys," he said. "Perhaps the difference between winning and not was that most of the talent was in the young and inexperienced guys. We had older guys with a lot of heart, but most of the talent was in the guys 25 and under, so maybe that was the difference."

Don spent seven fairly successful seasons in Minnesota although none as good as his rookie season. He was then placed on waivers and sent to the minors early on in the 1988-89 season. It didn't sit well with Don who demanded a trade. His wish was granted and Don was traded to Washington for rights to Claudio Scremin on November 1, 1988.

At first, Don was sent down to the minors and it seemed that his situation wasn't going to improve since Clint Malarchuk and Pete Peeters were between the pipes in Washington .

"That took some of the excitement away," Don said. "I knew I had to put in my time, but it was tough, it was probably the toughest point of my career. Pete Peeters and Clint Malarchuk were there. I had to unseat them. You could play as well as you could, but if they are playing well for the Caps you aren’t going to get a shot. It was tough, because the rumor was that a couple of teams wanted to make a trade for me because they had injuries, and the Caps didn’t want to make any deals. It was pretty frustrating."

But soon Don got another chance and seized it. He not only made his way back to the NHL, but went on to make his mark in the Capitals' record book. Don held the franchise record in career wins (128) until Olaf Kolzig broke that mark.

The Capitals had a strong team defensively with a defense-first mentality, anchored by blueline stalwart Rod Langway.

"No doubt, those were some of the most fun times in my career," Don said. "I was playing all the time, we were winning in a tough division, it was real satisfying for me.

"I had five shutouts in one year [league leading in 1990-91], and I struggled to get one in every other year I think. It was fun to play with guys like Rod Langway and Mike Gartner, real good players and respected players. It was a good experience, and I really enjoyed living in Washington D.C., too."

Don's 2.64 GAA in 1990-91 was a career best and he played in his second All-Star game in 1992. Don was eventually traded to the lowly Ottawa Senators in 1995. There he played a total of 71 games between 1995 and 96 and was then traded to the NY Islanders who the same day shipped him to Toronto. Don finished his playing career by playing the majority of his games for St.John's Maple Leafs (AHL). He also saw time with Utah Grizzlies (IHL) and the Maple Leafs.

"I was fortunate to play 17 years professionally, and it went by quick," Don said. "The NHL was done with me, and I think I was pretty much done with it and could leave it behind.

Today Don lives in Minnesota, where he and a partner run a construction equipment rental business called Power Lift Inc. The company rents man-lifts, scissor-lifts, booms and other heavy gear used in construction.

"We started with about 78 machines and now we have 350 in a year and a half, and things are going OK," Don said. "It was rough early with the capital expenditure to buy the equipment, but it's going OK, we’re happy. It’s been a good learning experience to not only get involved in a business regularly, but to help run it."

Frank Musil

2009-06-24T21:51:00.001-07:00

This is Frank Musil. He split his career pretty evenly between the Minnesota North Stars and the Calgary Flames, also skating parts of a couple of seasons with Edmonton and Ottawa later on in his career. I best remember him as a Flame personally.

I remember Musil as a big, physical defender, combining strong skating and balance with a desire to play physically and unafraid. He even had a bit of a mean streak.

Musil was mostly a defensive-minded defenseman, more often than not making the correct safe play to get the puck out of the zone.

He made few contributions in the offensive zone. He had all the tools, just not the toolbox. He was a good skater with speed and mobility. He could handle the puck well under pressure. He had no great shot to brag about, but he he occassionally would slip down low for a back door goal.

Despite a promising array of talents, Musil seemed content to play ultra-safe on every play. He would always force a puck carrier wide rather than step up and take control. He would unfailingly fall back off the blue line rather than contain the point. He would carry the puck only a few strides, just enough to get to center ice and dump it in.

As one reporter put it, he was a reactive player rather than an active player.

I never really minded, because he was consistent and reliable. But I can understand being a fan of the North Stars or Flames being frustrated when they can see the talent was there and expected a little more.

Frantisek Musil was born in beautiful Paradubice. He would later play with Dukla Jihlava where he met the famous Holik family, legends in Czechoslovakia. Jaroslav and Jiri were brothers on the national team in the 1970s, and later returned home as coaches. Jaroslav had two kids - Bobby Holik, who of course you know as the long time NHLer, and Andrea Holikova, a world class tennis player. Frank would one day marry Andrea.

Drafted by the North Stars 38th overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, Musil had helped his country win gold at the 1985 World Championships. Back in 1983 he helped the national team win silver at the worlds even though he was still a junior player. At the World Junior championships he help

Musil had no real hopes of being allowed to leave Communist Czechoslovakia until maybe late in his career. So Musil took matters into his own hands. He obtained a holiday visa and travelled to Yugoslavia with a girlfriend. Musil then met with Minnesota GM Lou Nanne and player agent Ritch Winter, who had arranged for an American work visa. Winter and Nanne used the work visa to fool the border guards, who were unaware that Musil was a defecting hockey star. The North Stars had been working on this secret plan for 3 years, waiting for Musil to complete his mandatory army service so that he would not be known as a deserter. With the working visa completely legit, Musil technically never actually defected.

Frank Musil would go on to play in 797 NHL games, scoring 36 goals and 144 points. With a changed political world he was able to return home and even play for his country again, helping the Czechs win a bronze medal at the 1992 World Championships.

Last I heard Musil was back home coaching as well as scouting for the Edmonton Oilers. He had finished his career in Edmonton, albeit very painfully. He missed an entire season due to a spinal cord injury in a training camp practice. He made it back in the middle of the following season, but the nerve damage in his neck and arm ultimately forced him to retire.

On an interesting note, Musil had a penchant for taking odd jobs in the summer time when he was still playing the NHL. He sold cars in Minnesota, and later worked a slaughter house in Alberta. He may have not made millions every season, but he certainly was paid well enough to have not worked.

I guess on or off the ice, Frank Musil just did not know how to stop working hard.

Danny Grant

2009-02-06T22:33:00.001-08:00

Danny Grant never got the credit he deserved for being a good hockey player.

A rare NHL player from New Brunswick, he was a junior star in Peterborough. He would sign professionally in the Montreal Canadiens system, but was never able to crack the Hab's vaunted line up.

Always thinking of the future, in 1968 the Habs moved Grant to Minnesota as part of a package for the North Stars' first round pick four years later in 1972. Montreal would select Dave Gardner, who would play 350 NHL games, but only 36 with Montreal. Meanwhile, Grant became a star with the North Stars.

Grant immediately cracked the Minnesota line up, scoring a team-leading 34 goals and earning NHL rookie of the year honours in the 1968-69 season. The 34 goals became the modern day rookie record (since bettered).

Grant would continue to be a top marksman for the North Stars over the following five seasons, only once failing to notch at least 29 goals in a campaign. Though defined by his wrist shot, he was also noted as a clever and durable winger, once playing in 566 consecutive games.

Grant did have his critics. He was not the swiftest of skaters, and he had to rely of hard work rather than glitzy skill that other teams' stars seemed to have. The North Stars had some pretty weak teams back then, which probably contributed to Grant's labelling as a one-way, offense only forward.

Looking to shake up the roster, the North Stars traded Grant to Detroit in exchange for defensive forward and Minnesota native Henry Boucha. What a lop-sided trade that turned out to be. Boucha would last only one season with the North Stars. Grant, on the other hand, erupted for his best NHL season yet.

Playing along side Marcel Dionne, Grant exploded for 50 goals and 87 points. He also was lauded for his defensive effort, and even became a regular on the penalty kill unit.

Still the critics persisted. Grant's success was directly a result of playing with Dionne. Grant did call Dionne the best linemate he ever had, but Dionne also had a great respect for Grant, once calling him the "the best left winger I ever played with. He was always working, had a great shot and was always near the net."

In the summer of 1975 the Red Wings lost their superstar as Dionne headed west to Los Angeles. Grant, by now named captain of the Wings, was left without his set up man, but a far bigger blow came late in 1975 when he suffered a torn right thigh muscle requiring season ending surgery.

The injury would plague him for the rest of his days. He would come back in 1976-77, but never could find his game. He would score just twice in 42 games.

1977-78 saw Grant's wishes fulfilled as he was traded to Los Angeles. Grant had hope being reunited with Marcel Dionne could reignite his career, but the injuries still hampered his effectiveness. In two seasons in LA he was limited to 41 and 35 games, respectively, scoring just 10 times in each campaign.

Danny Grant's excellence was short lived, but exciting to witness. It is a pity that injuries decimated the career of this hard working, diligent sharp shooter.

Basil McRae

2008-06-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

When you think of Basil McRae you probably would quickly label him as an untalented goon who lasted as long as he did only because he was a good fighter.

Not true.

McRae was an honest hard working player who played with more effort than most every night. He was also an incredibly popular leader on and off the ice.

McRae had modest tangible hockey skills, average at best. He was an okay skater but had a good first stride which aided him in his strong forechecking game. He had decent hockey instincts, and was a more-than-willing physical presence. Thus Basil carved out a role as a decent checker.

Of course McRae's other role was as the team's tough guy. With 2457 career NHL PIM, it takes no genius to figure out that he spent a lot of time in the penalty box. Four years in a row he had well over 300 PIM. He had 352 in 1986-87, 382 in 1987-88, 365 in 1988-89 and a league leading 351 in 1989-90. McRae had a knack for fighting, a trait that may have run in the family. His brother Chris was a minor league tough guy who had a stint in the NHL. The McRaes were cousins of former Commonwealth Games flyweight boxing champion Walter Henry.

Although he rarely had an opportunity to do much with the puck, Basil had better stickhandling skills than most players with his PIM totals. Although he had a weak shot, Basil was occasionally able to create a scoring chance with the loose puck that he would fight so hard to get.

McRae was also a great leader. A charismatic guy in the dressing room, he was a coach's delite. He knew how to make rookies and newcomers feel right at home. He kept the guys loose with his jokes and antics. His enthusiastic love of the game rubbed off on his teammates, and his team was the all better for it.

McRae was the 87th overall draft selection of the Quebec Nordiques in the 1980 Entry Draft. A year later he turned pro with the Nordiques’ organization, splitting his two pro seasons between Quebec and the Fredericton Express of the AHL. Basil played in just 42 NHL games with Quebec before he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leaf for 1983-84 season.

Basil spent two uneventfull years with Toronto, again splitting his time between the Leafs and their AHL farm club (in St. Catharines). He appeared in just 4 games in two years with the Leafs before he was given his outright release.

Basil had a good last year in St. Catherines so the Detroit Red Wings signed him with the idea that he could fill in a minor league role. He played another strong season in the AHL, this time with the Adirondack Red Wings, before making the Detroit lineup full time in 1986-87.

Basil played the first 36 games in Detroit, scoring 2 goals and 4 assists with 193 PIM before he was traded back to the Quebec Nordiques. He finished the year strongly, scoring 9 goals and 14 assists in 33 games with the Nords, and adding another 149 PIM. He had a strong playoff too, scoring 3 times in 13 games and leading the whole league with 99 PIM!

It was a good time for Basil to show his stuff at the NHL level has his contract expired and he was again a free agent. The Nords let him go off to the Minnesota North Stars, where he is probably most associated with. Basil spent the next 5 seasons in Minny, where he was extremely popular with the fans and media.

McRae's best offensive season came in a Minnesota uniform in 1988-89 when he scored 12 goals, 19 assists and 31 points. However Basil's career highlite must have been the 1991 Cinderella Cup run the Stars embarked on.

"I remember that Stanley Cup drive in ’91 in Minnesota where we lost to Pittsburgh in six games in the Finals. That will always stick in my mind, especially the players that were on that team because we were definitely the underdogs every round and the only reason why we did as well as we did and advanced as well as we did is we were at that point the ultimate team. We really played as a team." said McRae.

After five seasons in Minnesota, Basil was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1992 Expansion Draft. He played in just 14 games with the Lightning before a trade to him to the St. Louis Blues.

McRae played parts of four seasons with the Blues before signing with the Chicago Blackhawks as a free agent for the 1996-97 campaign. Basil retired from pro hockey after that season with career NHL totals of 53 goals, 83 assists, 136 points and 2,457 penalty minutes in 576 regular season games while also adding 12 points and 349 penalty minutes in 78 playoff contests.

Basil McRae invested some of his NHL earnings into a junior hockey franchise, co-owning the London Knights with fellow former NHLer Dale Hunter. McRae, who attended classes at the University of St. Thomas during his off-seasons, became a financial advisor.

Dennis Hextall

2008-03-31T12:26:00.000-07:00

Dennis Hextall was the third member in a family that has produced four NHL players spanning three generations. Dennis and his brother Bryan Jr. played during in the 60's and 70's making reasonably big names for themselves. Father Bryan Sr. played with the New York Rangers for 11 seasons (1936-48) earning the Stanley Cup with the Broadway Blues in the 1939-40 season. The fourth and final member of the Hextall NHL clan is Bryan's son Ron Hextall, goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Dennis grew up in Manitoba and played his way through the youth leagues before moving on to play junior hockey for the Brandon Wheat Kings. In his final season with Brandon, Hextall fell just one point shy of winning the scoring title. In the playoffs that year he scored 19 goals in 19 games.

From junior, Hextall was offered a college scholarship from four U.S. colleges and selected the University of North Dakota partially due to it's close location to his home.

In his three year's in college, the UND team won their league one year, placed second in another and made it to the NCAA tournament yet another. Following his final college season, Hextall made a jump that only one other college player had done before him - he signed a NHL contract with the Rangers. The only player to have made it to the NHL through the U.S. college avenue prior was Red Berenson who played for the University of Michigan.

Hextall played a few years in the Rangers' system (mostly playing minor pro) before he was sent bouncing around the league. Feeling more like a human pinball than a hockey player, Dennis went from New York to Montreal to Los Angeles to Oakland and finally ended up in Minnesota where his career began to take shape.

The summer following his scoring 2 goals and 31 assists for the Golden Seals in Oakland, Hextall was sent to Minnesota in a trade that saw Walt McKechnie and Joey Johnston head west. His first year with the North Stars, Hextall tore up his knee and didn't play much. Then things started clicking.

The next year, Dennis led the team in scoring from start to finish (30G-52A) and the Stars finished in second place. Hextall remained with the Stars for over four seasons and scored 84 goals and 196 assists in 330 games played.

Just when the Stars began their downturn, Hextall was sent to the Detroit Red Wings in 1976 for Bill Hogaboam and a second round draft pick. Hextall remained with the Red Wings the 78-79. During that season, Dennis was sent to the Washington Capitals before retiring from the game the next season and moving back to the Detroit area.

The only thing in his career that Hextall regrets is not winning the Stanley Cup. Coming into the game during the expansion time, like many of the game's players of that era, Hextall was bounced around between mediocre teams and never had a real chance at winning the NHL's Holy Grail.

While he was offered several coaching and front office management positions following his retirement, Hextall decided against it. One such offer was from the Red Wings as they were in the process of firing Wayne Maxner. With the team's turmoil under owner Bruce Norris' reign, Hextall decided it wasn't in his best interest.

The following year, Fred Shero contacted Dennis about the Rangers bench boss position. The offer was a three-year contract to be GM and coach of their AHL affiliate New Haven for two years then moving up to the parent club. Hextall once again declined.

Over his 13 seasons in the NHL, Hextall played in 681 games, scoring 153 goals and adding 350 assists with 1398 penalty minutes.

Today, Hextall remains a member for the Detroit community where he continues to play charity games with the Red Wings Alumni.

Bill Masterton

2008-01-18T17:06:00.001-08:00

Since 1968, the National Hockey League hands out the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game of hockey. But very few fans know who Bill Masterton was.

Bill "Bat" Masterton only played 38 NHL games, collecting just 4 goals and 12 points with the expansion Minnesota North Stars back in the 1967-68 season. Unfortunately, BIl Masterton is a legend of hockey.

Born in Winnipeg but an American citizen, Masterton was in some ways ahead of his time. He starred in the NCAA, leading the Denver Pioneers to championships in 1960 and '61. In that final year, he scored an amazing 80 points in 32 games. Even so, a college player making the NHL was almost unheard of until the 1980s.

Masterton was one of 21 players named to the NCAA's 50th anniversary team in 1997. After graduation, Masterton played in the minor leagues for a few years and also obtained a master's degree from Denver. That led to a job in Minneapolis with Honeywell, a manufacturer of civil and military avionics and other aerospace products.

Remember this was the days of the Original Six, where the only thing scarcer than NHL jobs was good money. There were no million dollar contracts back then, so the steady income must have looked mighty appealing. Though Masterton was on the fast track in business, he still wanted to play hockey.

Masterton played for two more years with St. Paul of the USHL and spent a year on the U.S. national team. And when the NHL doubled in size in 1967 and expanded to Minneapolis, the 28 year old Masterton achieved his dream of playing in the National Hockey League. Almost a hometown hero, he even scored the first goal in franchise history.

On January 13th, 1968, the North Stars were playing the Oakland Seals. Early in the game Masterton led a solo rush into Oakland territory where he was greeted unceremoniously by Seals' defensemen Larry Cahan and Ron Harris. Both defenders nailed the smaller Masterton with very hard though clean body check. Masterton fell to the ice, hitting his helmetless head on the ice, instantly knocking him out cold.

Masterton never regained consciousness. For more than 30 hours doctors managed to keep him alive using respirators but the massive internal brain injuries were too immense. Early in the morning of January 15th, 1968, Masterton died.

Following the tragedy, the NHL governors in cooperation with the NHL Writers Association created the Bill Masterton Memorial trophy. It goes to a player who best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship and love of the game.

In the early years of this trophies existence, the silverware was given out to veteran players who got little recognition throughout their careers. In more recent years it is given out to players who have had to battle hardships due primarily to injury or illness and have successfully returned to the game of hockey.

Past winners include Mario Lemieux (cancer, back injuries), Tony Granato (emergency brain surgery, not hockey related), Tim Kerr (repeated shoulder and knee operations), Gord Kluzak (repeated knee operations) and Gary Roberts (serious spinal/neck injury).

Even Masterton's shocking death only slowly began to push forward the movement toward mandatory helmet use that finally was adopted in 1979 -- only for incoming players. The era of bareheaded players finally ended in 1997 with the retirement of the last grandfathered holdout, Craig MacTavish.

Masterton's retired uniform number 19 is among those on a banner that hangs from the ceiling at American Airlines Center, though Masterton never played for Dallas' Stars.

Dave Gagner

2007-12-13T10:24:00.000-08:00

During his prime, Dave Gagner was a skillful scorer whose game was aided by his great determination and grittiness. Standing just 5'10" and 180lbs, Dave played much bigger than his listed size. He was an aggressive and fearless little guy who was a 30+ goal threat when at his best. Twice he topped 40 goals.

An intelligent player, Gagner wasn't a great skater but knew how to shake his check to get open. A finisher more than a playmaker, Dave possessed a good shot with a quick release. An adequate-at-best defensive player, Gagner was an on-ice leader. He was an admirable NHLer, giving everything he had on every shift.

Despite being a high draft pick, Dave took a long time to justify his lofty selection. The 12th pick in the 1983 Entry Draft by the NY Ranger's, Dave played for the Canadian Olympic Team at the 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo and finished the tournament as the team's third leading scorer. He followed that up with a tough adjustment to the pro ranks, alternating between the Rangers and their AHL affiliate during the 1984-85, 1985-86, and 1986-87 seasons.

The Chatham Ontario native moved on to Minnesota in 1987-88. Despite tearing up the IHL with 16 goals and 26 points in 14 games, Dave was still unable to make any impact at the NHL level, scoring just 8 goals in 51 games.

Things changed for the better for Dave in 1988-89. Voted as the North Stars' Most Improved Player, he exploded with 35 goals and 78 points, proving to be a top 2 line center.

So why did he finally succeed after so many failures in the past? Well, opportunity is the main reason. The North Stars brought in a new coach in Pierre Page that season and he immediately liked Gagner's spunk and energy. After a strong training camp, Page called him "the hardest worker in the National Hockey League." Under Page's coaching systems, Gagner was finally in a perfect fit, and finally was given a chance to succeed.

And succeed he did.

Dave had an incredible start to the year. 22 goals and 41 points by mid season. He slowed down a bit in the second half of the year but ended up with 35 goals and 78 points in what amounted to his first full NHL season.

Page would only coach the team one more year, but Gagner's success continued for many years to come. He followed up his breakthrough season with a 40 goal, 78 point 1988-89 season. He had a career high 82 points including a second consecutive 40 goal year in 1990-91. Which saw him win team MVP honors as well as an appearance in the All Star game.

He continued to be a consistent scoring threat, scoring 31, 33, and 32 goals in the following 3 years before slowing down a notch. He scored 14 goals in the lockout shortened 1995 season.

Half way through the 1995-96 season, after 14 goals in 45 games with the Stars, the team traded Dave to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a deal that was designed to strengthened the Leafs. The Leafs already had superstar Doug Gilmour on their lineup, and Gagner's style of play was similar. Though nowhere near as good defensively, Dave was a poor man's version of Gilmour - very spirited, fearless play with good offensive output.

Dave however wasn't able to supply as much offense in Toronto as was hoped. He scored 7 goals in 28 regular season games, as well as 15 assists. However he registered only 2 assists in 6 playoff games in a disappointing spring for the Leafs.

Toronto traded the grizzled veteran to Calgary come the 1996-97 season. He had a decent year in Calgary, scoring 27 goals and 60 points in the offensive drought of the late 1990s. It was good timing for Dave too, as he was an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. As a result, Dave signed a lucrative contract with the offense hungry Florida Panthers.

Dave was never able to supply what was expected in Florida. Scoring 20 goals and 48 points for a player who signed for over 2 million dollars a year, Gagner was soon on the trading block. The trade came in the form of a blockbuster as Gagner was part of the Florida package sent to Vancouver for hold out star Pavel Bure!

Vancouver was weak at center and it was hoped that Gagner, in the last year of his contract, could step in and help out. Unfortunately Gagner, who was ultimately nothing more than a throw-in in the Bure deal in order to make financial sheets balance, Gagner was very ineffective. He scored just 2 goals in 33 games with the Canucks.

Following his awful year, no teams were interested in Gagner and he had little option but to retire.

"I'm very fortunate to have made a living playing the game I love. At this time, I would like to spend more time with my family and pursue other interests."

Dave will always be remembered as a solid NHLer, a hard worker and a great team guy.

Steve Payne

2007-06-14T22:30:00.001-07:00

Steve Payne's last name is very fitting as he ended his career prematurely and in a lot of pain.

Payne, a big left winger with the Minnesota North Stars from 1978 through 1988, blew out his knee during the 1985-86 season. The final three seasons of his solid career were filled with surgeries, re-injuries to the knee, and frustration.

Steve was big at 6'2" and 205lbs. He was a bit like John Leclair, although he was criticized for underachieving. He broke through in his sophomore season in 1979-80 with a 42 goal campaign and a strong playoff with 14 points in 15 games. But he reached his true zenith in the playoffs of 1980-81. After a setback in the regular season with "just" 30 goals, he exploded with 17 goals and 29 points in 19 playoff games as he helped lead the Stars to a Cinderella appearance against the New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup finals.

After seeing Payne play so masterfully at such a high level throughout the playoffs, great expectations were placed on his shoulders. If he could have played that way consistently over a full season, there'd be no doubt he'd be an all star and perhaps the game's best LW at that time.

But Steve failed to live up to the lofty expectations. He had a good but not great year in 1981-82 with 33 goals and 78 points. Come playoff time he again found the magic switch to turn his game up an extra notch. He scored 4 goals in 4 games, but unfortunately the North Stars came back to reality and were eliminated early in the playoffs.

Payne's production continued at the 30 goal level until his knee injury felled him.

Despite the injury, Payne tried very hard to return to the NHL. At one time he was as strong a skater as there was, though lacked agility. The knee injury all but removed what speed and agility he had. He remained strong on his skates, but checkers could knock him off the puck much easier.

Steve, who was at times lazy defensively, was never a great physical player despite his size. With the tremendous agony of the injury he became even more shy of contact, thus making him a perimeter player.

Steve also battled through a serious abdominal injury, but the worst injury of all came in a game against Washington on Nov. 14, 1987. Payne was hit from behind, suffering a neck injury that would only become more serious with time. The injury caused bone spurs to develop, and these spurs grew into his spinal cord. Doctors warned Payne That if he continued to play he would need career-ending spinal fusion surgery to repair the problem. Wisely, he retired rather than risk further damage

Payne could be compared to Claude Lemieux or a Trevor Linden. All three players found an extra gear come playoff time and were great playoff warriors. But in the regular season they generally played at a level below, thus for some leaving something to be desired.

Al MacAdam

2007-05-25T17:32:00.001-07:00

In stark contrast to its provincial neighbors, Prince Edward Island has not boasted a plethora of NHL talent over the years. As of 2007, only 24 players born in PEI made it to the NHL. Most notable are Brad Richards and Steve Ott, former Red Wings veteran Gerard Gallant, goalie Gary "Cobra" Simmons, former Leaf Errol Thompson, as well as the MacMillan brothers, Bobby and Billy.

Al MacAdam was the pride of the province from the mid-'70s to the mid-'80s, and perhaps the greatest Prince Edward Islander of all time. Affectionately known by teammates as "Big Al" or "Mac," he was an extremely talented skater and two-way player who could always be counted upon to show up to every game (he missed a mere 21 games over the course of 11 seasons) and to produce solid numbers for his teams (many of which, mind you, were not the most competitive in the league). The moustached MacAdam, who donned #25 throughout his NHL career, was adept on both right wing and left, and he could play in virtually all situations. Said former line mate Bobby Smith, "[MacAdam is] one of the people I admire most in the whole world."

A product of the Maritime Junior Hockey League and the University of PEI (where, over the course of his career, he finished his Bachelor of Arts), MacAdam was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the fourth round of the 1972 Draft. He spent two years in the Flyers' AHL affiliate Richmond Robins in order to elevate his game. In April of 1974, en route to their first-ever Stanley Cup, the Flyers called up MacAdam to play in a semifinals contest against the Rangers. MacAdam's name was never inscribed on the Cup, although he did receive a championship ring for having skated in the playoffs.

MacAdam was traded not long thereafter to the California Golden Seals in a package deal that sent future Conn Smythe winner Reggie Leach the other way. He scored his first NHL goal that October in a game at Madison Square Garden, and over time blossomed into a dependable first-line winger. As MacAdam noted in retrospect, "Going to California, I got a chance to play in all situations, so I got the confidence to play in the NHL." In 1975-76, the popular 3M Line was constructed featuring rookie Dennis Maruk at center and Bob Murdoch and MacAdam on the wings. The bulk of the Seals' offensive production ended up coming from this line. MacAdam finished the season leading the team in goals (32), points (63), and game-winning goals (5). In January of 1976, he became the first-ever California representative to score in an All-Star Game.

The 3M Line remained intact when the franchise relocated to Cleveland and became the Barons for the 1976-77 campaign. MacAdam continued to be a model of consistency and was selected as an All-Star for the second consecutive year. The following year, he was even made team captain. However, MacAdam was unhappy with the direction in which the Barons were headed, and he would not be afraid to criticize things such as low attendance at home games, poor performance in the standings, and management's inability to meet payroll. In fact, MacAdam and a teammate threatened to go on strike upon hearing that management wanted to defer player salaries. After two seasons in Cleveland, the franchise was absorbed by the Minnesota North Stars.

It was in Minnesota that MacAdam sealed his legacy as a player. In 1979-80, playing on a line with Bobby Smith and Steve Payne, he exploded offensively with 42 goals and 51 assists, and had a plus-minus of +36. A highlight came in January of that season, when the North Stars ended the historic 35-game undefeated streak of his former team Philadelphia. That postseason, MacAdam earned the reputation as being "Mr. Clutch": he scored the overtime series-clinching goal in Game 3 of their Best-of-5, Preliminary Round match up against the Maple Leafs, and he scored the series-clinching goal in Game 7 of their Quarterfinal match up against Montreal (effectively ending the Canadiens' run for a fifth-straight Cup, although Ken Dryden and Jacques Lemaire had retired and Guy Lafleur was injured for the Minnesota series). After bowing out in the semis, MacAdam was awarded for his dedication and perseverance with the 1980 Masterton Trophy. In 1981, MacAdam would help his team make a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Finals, falling short to the dynastic Islanders.

MacAdam enjoyed his time in Minnesota, especially in making life long friends in Smith and Payne.

"Smith and Payne wanted to play right away in the NHL and the coach felt I was the guy who could balance them out at both ends of the ice," MacAdam said. "I was the mature guy on the line. We had a big line. They were 6-3 and 6-4 and I was a little over 6 feet. We clicked right away. They came out of a winning environment with the Ottawa 67s. Bobby was a high draft choice and he had that to prove and wanted to prove it. He pushed himself and others rose to a higher level. Then, we got key people like Paul Shmyr and Curt Giles, people who knew how to win and came from winning teams."

MacAdam capped off his career in 1984-85 with the Vancouver Canucks (and their horrendous "V" uniforms). In all, he compiled 240 goals and 351 assists for 591 points in 864 regular season games.

Following retirement, MacAdam got involved in coaching and scouting, mostly in the collegiate, junior and minor pro scenes in the Canadian Maritimes, where his heart will always be.

Article contributed by Vikash Khanna

Gaetan Duchesne

2007-04-18T09:23:00.001-07:00

"Outstanding."

That's how coach Bryan Murray described Gaetan Duchesne in just his second season in the National Hockey League. However that label could have been applied to anyone of Duchesne's 14 NHL seasons.

His first season was 1981-82. It was a difficult one for the French speaking kid just out of junior hockey. Not only did he have to adapt to the massive differences between juniors and the NHL, but he had to learn a new language while in another country. Duchesne handled it like a professional though, and got better and better as the season went on.

By year two he was one of the top players in the league in his role - defensive forward. He often teamed Duchesne with fellow defensive stalwarts Doug Jarvis and Bobby Gould to form one of the most effective checking units in hockey.

"I like to play Gaetan against the opposition's best right winger" continued coach Murray. There sure were a lot of good right wingers in the early 1980s too - Bossy, Lafleur, Kurri, Mullen.....

"I can see an almost game-to-game improvement in his play. Experience will only help him. He has certainly yet to reach his peak." Murray continued of the Rejean Houle-clone.

Murray seemed not too concerned about "Gator's" lack of offensive contributions.

"He'll always be an adequate scorer, but never a big scorer. He is a hard working responsible defensive player. I realize there is a tendency for him not to get much credit because he doesn't score. Over the years though, as he gets more experience, he'll get the recognition he deserves."

Murray proved to be right. Duchesne ended up playing in over 1000 NHL games and was highly regarded throughout hockey circles. He was always popular with his teammates, who definitely appreciated his contributions if no one else did.

Duchesne was a long shot to make the NHL, as he wasn't selected until 152nd overall in the 1981 entry draft. However he surprised many by making the immediate jump to the NHL. He ended up playing 6 seasons in the American capital before he was a key ingredient heading to Quebec in the famous Dale Hunter trade.

Despite being highly regarded in his native Quebec because of his tireless work, his stay in Quebec was disappointingly short. After just two seasons he was moved to Minnesota for a low draft pick prior to the 1989 season. It was one of the worst trades in Nords history. Coming off of his worst offensive season since his rookie year, the Nords felt Duke was near the end of his career, and peddled him away. It was a steal for Minnesota, as Duke was a big part of the Stars magical Stanley Cup charge in 1991.

Duchesne stayed with the Stars until expansion took him to San Jose. He spent two years there before re-uniting briefly with Bryan Murray in Florida to finish his career.

After retiring Duchesne returned to Quebec City. First he tried his hand at coaching, with both the Quebec Rafales of the IHL and the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. More recently he and his brother began an architectural supply business in the provincial capital.

Dino Ciccarelli

2007-03-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

Dino Ciccarelli was hockey's version of a sanitation engineer. He scored over 600 NHL goals, seemingly all of them by parking himself in front of the net and banging away at rebounds and loose pucks. Meet Dino Ciccarelli - garbage man.

"It's just a matter of getting the puck on the net and getting traffic in front of the goalies. I don't know why more teams don't do it. I still believe 90% of the goals scored are ugly goals, 10% are pretty goals. You won't find many of mine on the highlight films," explained Ciccarelli.

While scoring more than 600 garbage goals landed him in the Hockey Hall of Fame, there was a time when it didn't look like any NHL team was willing to take a chance on the high scoring junior star. A badly broken leg in his second year of junior resulted in doctors telling Ciccarelli he'd never be able to play hockey again.

Dino worked through a year and a half of rehabilitation and was determined to prove his doctors wrong. His dream was to play in the NHL, but more disappointment greeted Ciccarelli. Despite working hard to return to the ice, he was not drafted even though he had a great last season of junior.

While he wasn't drafted, the Minnesota North Stars were still interested in the pint sized scoring machine. Lou Nanne signed Ciccarelli with the idea of playing him in the minors to see how his leg would hold up. After just 48 games with Oklahoma City of the CHL (in which Dino scored 32 goals and 57 points), Ciccarelli was called up late in the 1980-81 season.

Dino played in 32 NHL games his first year, scoring 18 goals and 30 points - very solid numbers for an NHL rookie. But the best was yet to come for Dino and the North Stars that year. The Stars went on a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Finals before eventually falling short against the New York Islanders dynasty. The Stars were powered by Dino's 14 goals (and 21 points) in 19 games, setting a record for most playoff goals scored by a freshman.

Ciccarelli would enjoy 10 seasons with the Stars, easily becoming one of the most popular players in Minnesota hockey history. Twice Dino scored 50 goals in a season. He scored more goals than any other Minnesota North Star in history except for Brian Bellows.

However Ciccarelli was also no angel in his younger days in the NHL. A notable incident happened in Ciccarelli career in 1988. Dino got into a bitter altercation with Toronto Maple Leaf's rookie defenseman Luke Richardson. The battle of words went from pushing and shoving to a fencing competition as Ciccarelli in particular went after the much bigger Richardson with the lumber, including an attempt to hit him in the head. Much controversy arose from the incident which eventually would end up in court as Ciccarelli was charged with assault. Dino's punishment however was just one day in jail - a day which turned out to be a couple of hours spent signing autographs.

While the Richardson incident was the highest profile incident of Ciccarelli's bad boy image, his immature behavior away from the rink eventually wore thin with the North Stars management. At the trading deadline of 1989, Dino and Bob Rouse were sent to Washington in exchange for Mike Gartner and Larry Murphy. Ciccarelli and Gartner were similar in that they were long time goal scorers with their now-former teams. The trade was the first trade in both players careers.

Ciccarelli scored 12 goals in his first 11 Capitals games quickly earning the respect of Caps fans who loved Gartner. Dino would play three seasons in the US capital. He had 41 and 38 goal campaigns (plus a 21 goal injury-shortened season) before being traded in the summer of 1992.

This time Ciccarelli was off to Detroit. His first season with the Red Wings was statistically the 3rd best of his career, scoring 97 points including 41 goals. However as Ciccarelli aged and with the Wings incredible depth on right wing, Dino saw less and less ice time as his days in the Motor City went on. He scored only 57 points the following year. He put up a solid 43 points in the lock-out shortened season of 1995 but equaled the same point production in the following full season.

Despite being a popular member of the Wings, Ciccarelli was traded before the Wings were able to win the Stanley Cup. The Wings traded him to the lowly Tampa Bay Lightning for future considerations. The Wings had some great prospects at right wing and they wanted to get them some playing time. Ciccarelli, who at the time was 35, was disappointed to leave a contender which would later go on to win Stanley Cups, but at the same time was pleased to go to Tampa where he would also receive more ice time.

Dino responded well to the increased ice time in his first season with the Bolts. He scored 35 goals, returning to the form of 3 seasons earlier. However in his second season, the Bolts struggled through a terrible season and ownership difficulties, Tampa Bay GM Phil Esposito, a big fan of Dino's, was forced to move him and his multi-million dollar salary. Ciccarelli and Jeff Norton were traded to cross-state rival Florida Panthers in a late season deal for Mark Fitzpatrick and Jody Hull.

In Florida Dino was plagued by injuries, most notably a badly sprained ankle and an ailing back, caused by years of punishment for standing in front of the opposition's net. In 1998-99 the back problem limited Dino to just 14 games. With his contract up at season's end, no team was willing to take a chance on the aging scoring machine with a chronic back problem.

"I would have loved to play another couple of years, but the injury that I got last year is just nagging and it's making me unable to play the way I'd like to. It wasn't worth it."

Dino the Dinosaur retired with 608 goals, 2 shy of Bobby Hull's 610. There is no doubt that Ciccarelli ranks high on the all time goal scoring list. There is also no doubt that Dino belongs among the game's all time best.

Gump Worsley 1929 - 2007

2007-01-27T19:52:00.001-08:00

Hockey fans know there's only one man known as Gump.

Lorne "Gump" Worsley was hockey's hard luck goalie for over a decade before joining the Montreal Canadiens. Nicknamed for his likeness to cartoon character Andy Gump, Worsley was one of hockey's greatest characters. A seemingly happy-go-lucky soul would bravely stand in his net, collecting over 200 stitches and claiming "my face is a mask."

Born in Montreal in 1929, Worsley grew up in extreme poverty. The great depression left his family penniless, but this did not stop Gump from dreaming of becoming a big league goalie. Worsley, who had to borrow equipment for much of his youth, did not dream of playing for Montreal Canadiens. Instead he admired Frank Brimsek of the Bruins and Davey Kerr of the Rangers.

Employing the old stand-up style of netminding, Worsley advanced from the Verdun Cyclones junior team, he would turn pro in 1948 as a New York Ranger farmhand. Despite numerous All-Star seasons with several teams in several leagues, it wasn't until 1952-53 that Worsley got a shot at the NHL. Rangers starter Chuck Rayner was injured for much of that season, and despite a last place finish Worsley impressed enough to earn the Calder trophy as the NHL's best rookie.

The short and stocky Worsley never would have expected what would happen next. The following season the NHL's best rookie never had a chance to play. Instead he was sent to Vancouver of the old Western Hockey League. While earning a league championship and top goalie and MVP awards with the WHL Canucks, Worsley watched his replacement in New York, Johnny Bower, flounder.

1954-55 saw Worsley return to the Big Apple for the next decade, though that wasn't necessarily a positive thing. The Rangers continued to be completely hapless, surrendering nightly onslaughts of 30 and 40 shots a night, leading the quotable Worsley to term his experience there as a "jailhouse." A reporter once asked Worsley which team game him the most trouble. Gump quickly answered, "The Rangers."

Gump came across as loveable and admirable on the ice and in the eyes of the public, but he actually suffered from depression and alcoholism during his tenure in Manhattan.

After ten years of being a live target with the Rangers, Gump was traded to the defense-oriented Montreal Canadiens. The trade salvaged Gump's legacy as a loveable goalie on a terrible team to a legacy of Stanley Cup championships and a Hall of Fame nod. Worsley backstopped the Habs to Stanley Cup championships in 1964-65, 1965-66, 1967-68 and 1968-69. He was selected to the NHL's First All-Star Team in 1968 and to the Second Team in 1966. Worsley and partner Charlie Hodge shared the Vezina Trophy for lowest goals-against average in 1965-66. Gump and Rogie Vachon shared the same award in 1967-68.

Early in 1969 he suffered a nervous breakdown due to his petrifying fear of flying, the new norm in NHL travel thanks to western expansion. His career seemed to be over, but the expansion Minnesota North Stars took their chances with the goaltending icon by picking up his rights. The 40 year old goalie returned in 1970, playing some of his best hockey ever. His enthusiasm helped the Stars get into the playoffs for three straight years.

Gump ended up playing in 24 seasons, allowing a 2.91 goals against average in 862 games, and recorded 43 shutouts. Elected into the Hall of Fame in 1980, Gump was not only one of the greatest players, but one of the games most likeable characters.

Bobby Smith

2006-12-28T21:50:00.002-08:00

Bobby Smith was born in North Sydney, Nova Scotia but his family had moved to Ottawa by the time he was 2 years old. Ottawa would become a special place for Smith.

After developing through the Ottawa minor hockey system, Smith graduated all the way to the OHL where he would play for the hometown 67's. At the time he was the second most talked about junior phenom of his day. Some kid named Wayne Gretzky was getting even more attention.

While Gretzky only played one season in the OHL, Smith went on to become perhaps the best player the "O" had ever seen. In three years he tallied 158 goals, 227 assists and 385 points in 187 games. In his final year of junior he scored an OHL record 192 points including 69 goals and 123 assists. That same year Wayne Gretzky, who was two years younger, scored 182 points with the Soo Greyhounds.

The stats do not tell all about Smith's junior career. With Gretzky off to the WHA, Smith became the most sought after junior prospect. At his size, 6'4" and over 200lbs, many scouts preferred Smith over the smaller Gretzky. Smith was named the Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year in 1978 and was a Memorial Cup All Star the year before. And he had great character, as he maintained straight As in high school and later at the University of Ottawa, where he studied chemistry and psychology, while playing with the 67s.

Being the most attractive prospect at the NHL draft meant the obvious - Smith was destined to be the #1 overall draft selection by the league's cellar dwellers - the Minnesota North Stars. He was selected ahead of other junior standouts like Ryan Walter and Bill Derlago.

Minnesota would have no regrets in taking Smith with their pick. Within 3 seasons the Stars went from worst in the league to Stanley Cup finalists. Smith was a big part of an exciting young team that also boasted Neal Broten, Dino Ciccarelli and Craig Hartsburg.

Smith won the Calder Trophy in his rookie season. He scored 30 goals and 74 points while playing in all 80 games. Despite his strong play the Stars missed the playoffs, but showed marked improvement over their last place finish the year before.

Bobby was a big part of the Stars return to the playoffs in 1979-80. While battling through an injury shortened 61 games, Smith scored 27 goals and 83 points to lead the Stars to the post season. And the Stars didn't just make the playoffs, but performed great in them, surprising many teams. Smith himself only scored 1 goal but added 13 assists in 15 games. While he took some heat for not scoring more himself, his tremendous playmaking and play without the puck was a huge part of the Stars quick turnaround.

While some were calling the Stars playoff run of 1980 a fluke, Smith and the Stars proved that wasn't so in 1981. The Stars not only duplicated their previous run but bettered it by reaching the Stanley Cup finals against the defending champ New York Islanders. While the upstart Stars were little match to the powerful Islanders, everyone had a new found respect for the youthful Stars, and particularly Bobby Smith who led the team with 25 points (8 goals, 17 assists) in 19 playoff contests.

Smith's best season came in 1981-82 when he notched career highs in all major offensive categories: 43 goals, 71 assists and 114 points. Despite winning the Norris division the Stars were quickly bounced from the 1982 playoffs by Chicago.

However things would take a turn for the worse for Bobby and the North Stars following that disappointing playoff result. The Stars fired their coach and hired Bill Mahoney as the new head coach. Mahoney apparently had his own agenda and wanted to make a name for himself. Smith's wife Beth explains:

"This guy (Mahoney) came in and decided he'd show everyone who was boss, starting with Bob." As a result, Bobby's ice time was cut dramatically and so too his production, though it remained at a point a game clip. However the new head coach's style did not complement Bobby's style well and it wasn't long before the two locked heads.

"I put up with it for a while" explains Bob, "but at that age I was pretty impatient and eventually I just said 'Enough. Trade me to a team that appreciates me, or I'll quit and go back to school.' "

The Stars felt Smith's threat was real and complied with his trade demand. They traded the gigantic forward to Montreal in exchange for Keith Acton, Mark Napier and a draft choice (Ken Hodge Jr.). It was a great match for Smith. Montreal was relatively close to his old stomping grounds in Ottawa. It was also a great experience from a hockey standpoint.

"For me, just to see the older guys coming around was a thrill: Dickie Moore, Jean Beliveau, Jacques Plante, occasionally the Rocket or Henri. Heck it was a thrill to be on the same ice as guys like Guy Lafleur and Larry Robinson. I loved Montreal; I mean, there I was, in the prime of my career, in the greatest hockey city in the world, with the greatest organization, close enough to home that my dad could come down for the games, all my games on TV, Beth (his wife) in her home town...."

Smith continued to play strong two way hockey for his 6 1/2 seasons in Montreal. But by far his best season would have been 1985-86. He posted 31 goals and 86 points (he posted better numbers - 93 points - in 1987-88 with Montreal) and helped the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup. It was a surprise Cup victory for Montreal and a special feeling for Bobby, as it would be his only Cup championship.

Towards the end of Bobby's days in Montreal, it appeared as though his best days were well behind him. He slumped through an injury plagued 1989-90 season. He only scored 26 points in 53 games. The Habs traded the devalued Smith back to Minnesota for a draft choice on August 7, 1990. It was a homecoming for Smith, although the Stars had never really been the same since the day they traded him.

Smith continued to play 3 more seasons in Minnesota. He struggled to post respectable numbers but was a standout as always in the playoffs. In fact in 1992 he helped power the North Stars back to the Stanley Cup finals before bowing out to might Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Smith scored 8 goals and 16 points in 23 games. It was almost like the old days a decade earlier.

Smith announced his retirement just days before his last game in April of 1993. Four months later he was refocused on his new goal - school.

Smith was an extremely intelligent person and had always been a great student and had intended to go to University all along. He took classes at the University of Minnesota during his off seasons and enrolled full-time after retirement to complete his business degree. He earned his B.S. and MBA degrees from Minnesota's Carlson School of Management between 1993 and 1996. He later went on to hockey management including being the general manager of the Phoenix Coyotes.

Tim Young

2006-12-28T21:50:00.001-08:00

The Minnesota North Stars had a lot of talent in their day, particularly at center ice where the likes of Neal Broten, Bobby Smith and Mike Modano once roamed. Another top notch center in North Stars history has to be Tim Young. Young's best years were played mostly in the late 1970s for the Stars. He was quickly overshadowed by Smith and Broten, but was always a key player.

Tim Young was an offensive wizard, particularly because of his playmaking ability. He was a swift skater and deft puck handler as well as a an accurate shooter, but playmaking was his forte. He was an excellent specialty teams player as he was a good penalty killer and was also often used on the point of the North Stars power play. In fact Tim even played a few shifts here and there on defense while at regular strength when injuries depleted the Stars lineup.

Tim was born in Scarborough Ontario and played his junior hockey with the Ottawa 67s where he is forever a legend. In his final season of junior he played in 70 games and scored 56 goals and collected an amazing 107 assists for an impressive 163 points!

Those offensive numbers made him an attractive pick in the 1975 Entry draft. The Los Angeles Kings selected the 6'1" 190lb right hander with the 16th overall selection.

Young didn't last long in the Los Angeles though. Two weeks later he was traded to Minnesota as the Kings felt they couldn't get young signed to a contract. They ended up trading him to Minnesota for a second round pick in 1976 Entry Draft.

It was a great trade for Minnesota. Tim stepped in and played respectably in his rookie season - scoring 18 goals and gathering 51 points in 63 games. But he exploded in year two, 1976-77, when he set a then-Minnesota North Stars team record for points with 95. He scored 29 goals and added a career high 66 assists to create the record.

Young would slip from that lofty level which saw him play in the all star game the following years though. He scored just 58 and then 56 points the following two years, respectively. This is due in large part to the arrival of Bobby Smith in Minnesota. The highly touted Smith (who outscored Wayne Gretzky in junior hockey) was almost given the number one center's job in Minnesota, meaning Young didn't get the ice time that he did in his record setting year. Though his scoring totals were down, he was still held in high regard by the Stars and the entire league.

In 1979-80 Young enjoyed his finest year since his record year when he scored 31 goals (then a record for goals by a center in Minnesota) and 74 points. 5 of his goals came in one game against the New York Rangers in mid January, setting a record for most goals by a Star in one game. A key reason for his resurgence was a broken ankle suffered by Smith which meant for 19 games Young was the number one guy again.

1980-81 was perhaps the greatest if not most surprising moment in North Stars history - their Cinderella run to the 1981 Stanley Cup finals. After scoring 25 goals and 66 points in the regular season, Young upped his play in the playoffs when he was teamed with super rookie Dino Ciccarelli with 3 goals and 14 assists in 12 games as the Stars fell just short of the championship. Perhaps one of the reasons the Stars fell short was that Tim hurt his knee late in the playoffs.

However the Stars quickly plummeted after their fine playoff showing. Young had a bad year to follow up his fine playoff as well. He broke his ankle in the summertime while playing softball and miss most of the first half of the season. Although he scored 10 goals and 41 points in 49 games that season, he never really got untracked and struggled like the rest of the team.

Young was mostly healthy for the 1982-83 season but his offensive stats were down. He scored 18 goals and 53 points in 70 games. The North Stars began looking to move Tim and did so in the off-season by trading him to Winnipeg for Craig Levie and Tom Ward.

Tim's career pretty much fizzled out at that point, due to injuries. He played parts of the 1983-84 season with Winnipeg before being moved to Philadelphia in 1984-85, although he finished his career in the minor leagues.

Tim was one of the better players in his prime, and its too bad he's been forgotten about by most of the fans nowadays.

"Tim Young has a world of talent," once said his former coach Glen Somnor. "He can do almost anything he puts his mind to do on a hockey rink."

It was true, and its too bad his career ended prematurely. He ended his career with 628 games played, many in a quietly spectacular form. He scored 195 career goals and 341 career assists for 536 points.

Gilles Meloche

2006-12-28T21:49:00.001-08:00

Judging a hockey player based on his stats often leads to inaccuracies, particularly when it comes to goaltenders. Gilles Meloche is the perfect example of this.

He surrendered 2756 goals against, more than anyone else in history. His 270-351-131 career record is pretty weak, and his 351 losses is only one shy of the NHL record - set by Hall of Famer Gump Worsley, who played nearly 900 games.

One would decipher from those stats that Gilles wasn't a very good puck stopper. But in actuality nothing could be further from the truth. Quick, agile and a tremendous attitude were his trademarks. Meloche was a very good goalie on some VERY bad teams. If Meloche had played in Montreal during the 70s and Ken Dryden played in Oakland and Cleveland, then we very well might be saying Meloche is one of the all time greats and Dryden would be the one with the poor numbers.

Gilles actually got his start in the NHL with Chicago. He was a happy 70th overall draft pick of the Hawks in 1970 as Gilles grew up idolizing Hawk legend Glenn Hall. Meloche played his first pro year with the IHL's Flint Generals but did appear in two NHL games when Hawks backup Gerry Desjardins broke his arm. It was a good debut for Gilles - he won his first two starts - 6-4 in Vancouver and 5-2 against the California Golden Seals.

Those were the only two games Meloche ever played for Chicago. In the summer the Hawks sent Gerry Desjardins to Oakland for Gary Smith. However Desjardins' broken arm had not healed properly and the NHL nullified the trade. The two teams agreed to new terms and this time Meloche and defenseman Paul Shmyr were sent out west.

An interesting story happened immediately after the trade. Shmyr and Meloche disappeared for the next three days. There was much speculation that two would not report to California as they never showed up for their flight. However Shmyr had wanted his car with him out west, so he convinced the young Meloche to join him as they drove 3 days across the country!

You probably wouldn't have blamed anyone for not wanting to go the Seals franchise though. Soon the WHA would raid their roster and they became the NHL's doormats. But Meloche very much enjoyed his time there and looks back on it fondly.

"Oakland didn't have a very good team for most of my time there, but those were good years for me because I was in my early twenties and playing 50 to 60 games a year. I just wanted to play the game. When you're losing three games out of four, four games out of five, its easy to lose your confidence. But I was getting great press and the fans were always with me. I just enjoyed playing the game and I was having fun so I really didn't mind my days in Oakland. I was in the NHL and that was all that mattered," remembered Meloche in Dick Irvin's great book In The Crease.

With such an awful record the Seals were having trouble making a go of it in Oakland, and the team finally moved in 1976 to Cleveland and became the Barons. Meloche accompanied the team to Cleveland, but as Gilles recalls, not much changed.

"In fact it got worse. Nobody went to the games. It didn't feel like the National Hockey League with only 5000 or 6000 fans in the stands. It wasn't run like a big league team and it was the only time I went into a team's office and asked to be traded.

The Barons wouldn't move Meloche however, as he was one of the very few bright spots.

In 1978 the Barons merged with the Minnesota North Stars. Meloche described his time in Minnesota as "the best time in my career."

"The North Stars had finished in last place overall the year before and they ended up picking Bobby Smith, Steve Payne and Craig Hartsburg in one draft. My first year there we missed the playoffs by three or four points but we made them the next six years and they were great years."

Great was right, especially in 1980 and 1981.

In 1980 the North Stars faced off with the 4 time defending Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens. The heavily favored Habs were looking for their unthinkable 5th Cup in a row! But Meloche and the Stars had a different idea. Meloche was brilliant - so brilliant that long time hockey broadcaster Dick Irvin said "Meloche's goaltending in that series rates among the best I have ever seen in the playoffs!"

Meloche, who had been criticized for not being a "big game" goaltender, shook that label with a 3-0 shutout victory in the Montreal Forum in game one. The very next night the Stars again shocked the Habs with a 4-1 win! The Habs stormed back in the next three games and took a 3-2 series lead, but the Stars continued to fight on. The Stars forced a game 7 with a 5-2 win in Minnesota in game 6. Then the exciting game 7 showdown in Montreal was played. Minnesota's Al MacAdam scored the winner on Denis Heron with around 2 minutes left to play as Meloche backstopped the Stars to one of hockey's biggest playoff upsets.

"That was the greatest thrill of my career" later admitted Meloche.

The Stars bowed out to Philadelphia in the next round of the playoffs, but the next year they made it all the way to the finals where they met the New York Islanders, who won the Cup in 1980. It was an exciting ride for the Stars and their fans, but Meloche knew they were heavy underdogs.

"You know, you get into a series where you don't think you have too much of a chance to win and that's bad because the mental edge has something to do with it. We weren't really in the series but it was still a thrill. I remember losing on the Island and seeing the Stanley Cup on the ice. You know then why its something everybody dreams about."

Meloche continued to play with the Stars until the conclusion of the 1984-85 season. After talking contract with the Edmonton Oilers, Meloche was put on the trading block. There was some serious thought that the Montreal Canadiens were interested in Meloche as Doug Soetart was apparently unhappy in Montreal. Meloche would have loved to finish his career in Montreal, but that did not materialize.

Gilles finally landed in Pittsburgh where he finished his career with 3 more seasons. Following his playing days he became a goalie consultant and scout for the Pens.

So there you have it - one of hockey's better goalies with some of hockey's worst records.

Brad Maxwell

2006-12-28T21:48:00.001-08:00

There were some extremely high expectations placed upon Brad Maxwell's shoulders as a junior hockey star with the New Westminster Bruins.

Drafted 7th overall by the Minnesota North Stars in 1977 Maxwell was a key figure in coach Punch McLean's legendary junior team in the suburb of Vancouver The team also boasted Barry Beck, Stan Smyl, Mark Lofthouse and John Ogrodnick, but, aside from power play point partner Beck, it was Brad who earned the highest praise.

One report even mentioned Maxwell in comparisons to the incredible Bobby Orr. What Orr did for the Boston Bruins Maxwell did for the New West Bears. He was able to control the flow of the game single-handedly. He was a fine rushing defenseman, but also, like the rest of coach McLean's team, a tough as nails player as well.

"We definitely had a big team," recalled Maxwell, "and we were very tough. But I don't think we were goons. Thinking back over all the hockey games I've played in, and all the game I've watched, I've never seen anybody hurt bad in a fight. We did a lot of fighting in those years, but it was because Ernie (Punch McLean) foresaw the changing scene. He knew that big tough players were the next NHLers and that's how built his great teams."

Appearances in the Memorial Cup were the norm for the Bruins of the late 1970s. Maxwell played a huge role in the 1977 Championship. He scored an exciting end to end goal against the Ottawa 67's to clinch the Bruins victory in the final game.

Aside from Maxwell's strength and aggressiveness, Brad was actually more of a skill player. He possessed and extremely hard and accurate shot from the point and was an excellent puck carrier - though he lacked the speed to dominate at the NHL level. He was particularly effective on the point of a power play where he played the role of "quarterback."

Maxwell would go on to play in 10 big league seasons, 8 with the North Stars and the last two bouncing around with Quebec, Toronto, Vancouver and New York Rangers while battling a nagging hamstring injury. The highlight of his career had to be the 1981 Cinderella run at the Stanley Cup which fell just short while still a member of the Stars.

Maxwell never really achieved expectations in the NHL. Only one season, 1983-84, did he put up great numbers when he scored 19 goals and 73 points. But injuries nagged Maxwell throughout his career. And in the era of Paul Coffey and Ray Bourque, Maxwell's fine play was often unappreciated. But he was one of the upper class defensemen in his day too.

All in all he was a standout junior player, and a pretty good NHLer. He is a strong candidate for the best defenseman in Minnesota North Stars history.

Brad scored 98 times while assisting on 270 others in his 612 NHL games. He spent 1292 minutes in the penalty box. Brad was a key player in the playoffs as well - upping his play and his stats. He scored 12 goals and 61 points (plus 178 PIM) in 79 career playoff contests. He remained in Minnesota following retirement, first working as a salesman for a brick and building supply company before becoming a cabinet maker.

Brad has some interesting family relations. He is the son of former junior star and legendary junior coach and manager Ron Maxwell, a minor leaguer best known for coaching the Brandon Wheat Kings and Victoria Cougars. However he was not related to former Minnesota North Star teammate Bryan Maxwell. His sister Rhonda married one time NHLer Rick Lapointe.

Dennis Maruk

2006-12-28T21:47:00.001-08:00

Dennis Maruk turned out alright for a guy who was supposed to be too small to play professional hockey. He played in 888 National Hockey League games, accumulating an impressive 356 goals and 522 assists for 878 points. Included in those totals are back-to-back seasons of 50 and 60 goals respectively, and a 136 point season!

So how does a 5'8" center thrive in the National Hockey League?

"I remember as a 19-year-old being worried when I went to pro camp, so I asked Dave Hutchison what it was going to take for me to make it," Maruk said. "He told me that I could score goals and make plays, but that I had to stay aggressive -- always be aggressive. I always remembered that and it helped me stay in the NHL."

Dennis was an aggressive player, almost chippy at times. But he was a clean player too, only picking up more than 100 PIM in a season just once. Ironically that was Maruk's best year. Maruk scored 60 goals and 136 points in 1981-82, and had 128 PIM.

Dennis was drafted by the California Golden Seals in 1975 after a spectacular career with the OHA's London Knights. In his final year of junior he scored 66 goals and 145 points in 65 games.

Dennis stepped right into the NHL the next year, and did not disappoint. Right from that first season he showed he had what it took to play in the National Hockey League, despite his lack of size. He scored 30 goals and 32 assists in a full 80 game schedule.

The Seals franchise relocated to Cleveland where Dennis played the next two years. He scored 28 goals and 78 points in 1976-77 and 36 goals and 71 points in 1977-78.

The Cleveland Barons entered the NHL's graveyard after 1978 and Maruk became a member of the Minnesota North Stars. But not for long. After only 2 games in a North Stars jersey, Dennis was traded to Washington in exchange for a first round pick. Minnesota used the pick to select highly regarded Tom McCarthy. Maruk went on to become a superstar.

Maruk elevated his play to 90 points in 76 games in his first season with the Caps. However his second season was forgettable. He was on pace for another 80-plus point year but injuries shortened his season to just 27 games.

Maruk came back with vengeance in 1980-81 and showed the North Stars how wrong they were to give up on him, and showed the Caps how right they were for picking him up. Maruk played in all 80 games and scored 50 goals and 97 points!

Maruk dwarfed his own numbers in 1981-82 when he turned in one of the best single season performances in National Hockey League history. He scored 60 goals and 136 points in 80 games, still team records.

Maruk failed to reproduce his incredible season a year later, and slipped back to a point a game level of production, scoring 81 points in 80 games. However for the first time in his stay in Washington, the Capitals made the Stanley Cup playoffs. Despite his incredible efforts in the past, Maruk finally got his first taste of post season action. It was short lived as the Caps lasted only 4 games.

The North Stars tried to correct past wrongs in the summer of 1983 when they traded their 2nd round pick to Washington in exchange for Maruk. The Caps felt that despite being only 28, Maruk's best days were behind him, as experienced in his 55 point decline from the year before.

Maruk's arrival meant a glut at center ice in Minnesota. Bobby Smith and Neal Broten were already there which meant that Dennis would be a third line center. The Stars ended up trading Smith to Montreal during the season but Dennis never did find his scoring niche in Minnesota.

Maruk played parts of the next 6 years in Minnesota, scoring 60 points in each of his first two years and 58 in his third. He slipped to 46 in year 4 before a severe knee injury all but ended his career. He played in only 28 more games over the next two season before his shattered knee forced him to retire in 1989.

Ten years after his retirement from hockey, the name Dennis Maruk once again appeared on professional hockey box scores. Maruk, who was living in Lake Charles, Louisiana, suited up for eight games this season with Lake Charles Pirates in the Western Professional Hockey League, a very low minor league made up of teams from Texas and Louisiana. However Maruk's story was not about an old player making a silly comeback. Maruk reasoned he was just "filling in because the team had some injuries and were short a few players." Maruk picked up two assists.

Maruk and his wife Kim opened an antiques store in Louisiana. Dennis also keeps busy with the developing hockey programs down there.

Dennis Maruk quietly was one of the most electrifying athletes in hockey during his hey-day, yet in many ways he slipped away without anyone noticing. Why is that?

"I never played for teams that were very good, or that got a lot of coverage. Those teams never seemed to be in contention. Even the Washington teams (that) I had 50 and 60 goals for, (they) weren't very good teams. One thing I did do -- played the game at 100 per cent all the time."

Maruk will likely never join the Hockey Hall of Fame, but three of his sticks reside there. They included an all-star game stick and the sticks he used to score goal 351 and his 60th in 1982.

Cesare Maniago

2006-12-28T21:45:00.000-08:00

Cesare Maniago exemplified the need for expansion in 1967-68. Maniago was a star in the minor leagues for much of the 1960s, not only a top goaltender but the CHL MVP in 1965. But back in those Original Six days Cesare couldn't crack an NHL lineup. The few times he got called up to the NHL he backed up names like Jacques Plante, Ed Giacomin and Johnny Bower.

The NHL was forced to expand because of players like Maniago. The minor leagues were becoming full of NHL quality players that really were as good as many NHLers. The farm teams could ice a team that could compete against the NHL. If they didn't expand, the minor leagues perhaps could have taken over the NHL as hockey's top league.

Maniago moved around a lot in his early days. He played in places like Sudbury, Spokane, Vancouver, Ottawa, Quebec, Buffalo, Omaha, Minneapolis and Baltimore - all in the minor leagues from 1966 through 1966. Despite short stints with Toronto and Montreal, it wasn't until 1965-66 that Cesare cracked an NHL lineup somewhat regularly. He played 34 games over the next two years with the New York Rangers, backing up the legendary Eddie Giacomin.

The Minnesota North Stars were one of 6 new teams entering the League in 1967-69. They selected the Trail British Columbia native in the expansion draft in June 6, 1967.

"When expansion came and you ended up in Minnesota, your first reaction was that you were an outcast, that nobody wanted you. But we had some guys who had been good players. Leo Boivin and Doug Mohns were two of them. I played with Gump Worsley in Minnesota when he was at the end of his career and I can't say enough good things about him."

Maniago might have felt outcasted at first, but soon he showed he was right at home in the NHL. After bouncing around in the minor leagues, Cesare stayed put in Minny for the next 9 seasons. In 1976 he was traded to Vancouver and played his final two NHL seasons in his home province.

Cesare, who now owns a sporting goods store in Vancouver, was involved in several history making headlines. He surrendered Boom Boom Geoffrion's 50th goal of the season in 1961 to make him only the second player to score 50 in a season. Bobby Hull scored his 51st of the season against Maniago in 1966, thus marking the first time a player scored more than 50 goals in a single season. Stan Mikita also scored his 500th career goal against Maniago in 1977.

One of my favorite Cesare Maniago story was when he tried to become the first goalie to score back in the 1961-62 season with Hull-Ottawa of the EPHL.

"Those were the days when the goalie could skate across the red line, and I used to join the rush on a delayed penalty. One time I took a shot and hit the goal post. But that all ended in a game against Kitchener. Jean Ratelle was with them and they had a pretty good team. I was carrying the puck at their blueline and somebody hit me with a bodycheck that KO'd me. I was out like a light and went into convulsions. Imagine how that must have looked, a goalie knocked out at the other team's blueline. Anyway, I think that was the last time I ever rushed up the ice."

That was classic Cesare. A colorful guy and not a bad goalie either.
Upon retiring from hockey in 1978, Maniago got involved with the sporting goods retail business, eventually building his own little empire. Maniago Sports Ltd marked an interesting circle of "Little Cesare's" life, as a sporting goods store in his childhood made a very big impact on his life.

The store in his native Trail BC was owned by former Canadian tennis player Walt Stohlberg.

"He was an ex-Davis Cupper for Canada" recalled Maniago, a local rink rat at his early age. "And one day I was there, he picked up a tennis racket, told me to get a good goalie stick and started hitting tennis balls at me."

Is that what made him interested in goaltending?

"Sure it did!" fondly remembers Maniago with a big smile.

That was the humble beginnings for this big league netminder. Stohlberg was also a big part of Maniago's post-hockey life. He introduced Maniago to the retail people in the sporting goods industry in British Columbia. He prepared Cesare for business life, and even taught his wife Mavis how to do the bookkeeping.

"He was pretty involved and then he had a stroke" recalls Cesare. "Then he had another couple of strokes and he was gone...."

Time passed and Maniago continued to work hard for Stohlberg's company. He eventually bought the company from Stohlberg's widow. He changed the name to Maniago Sports at the suggestion of a retailer. It was a sound business move as Maniago's name was well known in the community, but it was a tough decision for Cesare.

"I wanted to keep Walt's name. That's how much I thought of the individual."

Nowadays Maniago Sports is one of the biggest sporting good retailers in the Vancouver area.

Does Maniago miss his hockey days though?

"A lot of people ask about that. I never had a chance to reflect because I've kept constantly busy. maybe some have more time. Maybe some want to continue to think about how it was. I will admit one thing I miss. The total excitement of winning an important game. The thrill of a key victory."

His key games include his Allan Cup championship, even though it came against his hometown. Maniago backstopped Chatham Ontario to the amateur championship against the Trail Smoke Eaters.

"That really created the stepping stone to pro hockey for me, and it was in Trail against the Smoke Eaters! I had to laugh...one guy, the goal judge, was an ex goalie. He was barking out instructions to me and then when Trail scored, he was cheering!"

Another favorite memory is of course his first NHL game.

"Johnny Bower was hurt and we won 2-1 in Detroit, and I was the first star of the game. That created real excitement when they announced the stars. I actually was in tears that night.

" There have been other thrills, but nothing quite like those two."