Ty Jones

Tyler Jones left a pretty unnoticeable footprint on the history of the National Hockey League. He played in 14 games, split between Chicago and Florida.

A member of the 1998 Stokane Chiefs Memorial Cup winning team, there was a time when he was considered to be a pretty good prospect. Chicago drafted him in the 1st round, selected 16th overall, in 1997.

But he never really caught on. Then in 2002 he missed much of the season with a terrible shoulder injury, thanks a hockey fight. He missed 6 months after doctors put six screws into his shoulder.

That is when his story becomes really interesting. Norfolk coach Trent Yawney suggested he may be entitled to workers' compensation. He applied, was denied and challenged the system through the court system.

The Virginia Court of Appeals upheld a Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission finding that ''fighting is an integral part of the game of hockey'' and that American Ty Jones' injury arose in the course of his employment as an ''enforcer.''

Neither the court system nor the compensation board ever released how much money he was entitled to.

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Al Dewsbury

The Chicago Blackhawks were not a very good team in the 1950s. They were so bad that the NHL invoked a couple of reinforcement plans, having teams send players to Chicago to prop them up.

Al "Dews" Dewsbury, pictured to the right, was part of such a plan. On July 13th, 1950 Detroit traded Dewsbury along with Harry Lumley, Jack Stewart, Don Morrison and Pete Babando for Jim Henry, Bob Goldham, Gaye Stewart and Metro Prystai. Dewsbury was still basically just a farmhand in Detroit at the time, though he did play 4 playoff games in the spring of 1950, helping the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup.

The move to Chicago was a good one for Dewsbury, as he gained regular NHL employment in Chicago over the next 4 and a half seasons. The big, 6'2" 200lb blueliner totalled 357 NHL games, scoring 30 goals, 78 assists and 108 points. He was a notable physical and intimidating defender. He had 365 PIMs in his career.

Al Dewsbury will go down in history as a forgotten NHLer from hockey's glory days. Hopefully GreatestHockeyLegends.com has played a small role in preserving his memory.

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Ray Powell

This is Ray Powell, a lanky offensive minded center. He only played 31 NHL games, all with Chicago in the 1950-51 season. But he was a long time hockey player blessed with speed and passing ability. Tall and wiry at 6'0" and 160lbs, he probably was a bit of 1950s version of Wayne Gretzky.

Born in Timmins, Ontario in 1925, Powell moved around the minor leagues quite a bit, but put up impressive numbers everywhere. He starred with Kansas City of the USHL in the final years of the 1940s. In his last two seasons in KC he put together remarkable campaigns of  48 goals, 58 assists and 106 points in 61 games, and 27 goals, 84 assists and 111 points in 61 games.

The Blackhawks gave Powell his NHL chance the following season. He chipped in with 7 goals and 22 points in 31 games, but was dispatched there after.

Powell went on to lead the American Hockey League in scoring (with 97 points) in the 1952 season. He also beat out popular goaltender Johnny Bower for the league's most valuable player award, the Les Cunningham trophy.

Powell would play one more season in the AHL before moving on to several seasons of senior hockey in Quebec and British Columbia. His career came to an end after breaking his leg in a game with the Kelowna Packers.

Powell would remain in Kelowna after his hockey career was over, coaching the Packers until 1960 when he resigned in a pay dispute. He died in the Okanagan city in 1998.

He starred everywhere he went. So why did Ray Powell not stick in the NHL longer than he did? His lack of size was likely a determining factor, as old school hockey men dismissed the slight star before he even hit the ice. One has to wonder if that was a mistake. We will never know.

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Matt Ravlich

It took a while, but after several seasons in the minor leagues Matt Ravlich became a regular if unheralded defenseman in the last few years of the Original Six. Ravlich graduated from the St. Catherines Teepees, then a Chicago junior affiliate, in 1958. But he did not make the Blackhawks roster until 1964-65.

Ravlich, a close friend of Phil Esposito, was an ornery defender known to make life difficult for oncoming attackers. Though his penalty minute totals were not outrageous. He was also known to drop the gloves on more than a few occasions. Even for his era he was somewhat small at 5'10" and 180lbs, but even the big tough guys respected Ravlich and his damaging upper cut. He goes down in history as all but forgotten, but those who dropped the gloves with him always remembered.

By 1969 Ravlich was off to Detroit, then Los Angeles for a season and a half and Boston for a handful of games. He continued playing in the minor leagues with the Bruins farm team until 1974. He served as coach as well.

In 410 NHL games Matt Ravlich scored 12 goals, 78 assists and 90 points to go along with 364 well earned minutes in the penalty box. He added another goal and six points in 24 playoff contests.

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