This is Lude Check, one of hockey's all time great names.
Check, of Brandon, Manitoba, played in 27 NHL games, 26 with Chicago, during the late stages of World War II. When NHL regulars returned from the war, Check did not find employment in the NHL. Instead he became a star with the Ottawa Senators of the Quebec senior hockey circuit until 1951. He was a key player in the Senators Allan Cup championship in 1949.
Check died on Monday, May 11th, 2009. He was 91 years old, although there appears to be some confusion about his birth year.
His obituary does not hint at his cause of death. He spent his post-hockey career working for Hiram Walker's for three decades. He has remained in the Ottawa area all of these years.
Ludie Check's memorial service is today, May 14th, 2009. You can leave comments and condolences at his online guest book.
Roy Conacher - He may not be as famous as his brothers Charlie or Lionel, but Roy Conacher was a heck of a hockey player, too.
Adam Creighton - One of Scotty Bowman's draft busts, the gigantic Adam Creighton found success under Chicago coach Mike Keenan.
Cully Dahlstrom - One of the earliest American hockey pioneers, this fine penalty killer was the 1938 rookie of the year.
Don Dietrich - Don Dietrich's story in hockey and more importantly in life is an amazing one to tell.
Tony Esposito - Tony O was an exciting goaltender who gave his all for a Chicago team that never offered him a lot of help.
Reggie Fleming - An aggressive defensive forward with the Chicago Blackhawks, Reggie Fleming was nicknamed "Mr. Clean" but more for his resemblance to the cleaning product mascot than for his play on the ice.
Lidio "Lee" Fogolin Sr. Lee Fogolin was solid defenseman in Chicago in the 1950s. His Chicago born son with the same name went on to become a similar defenseman with the 1980s Edmonton Oilers.
Charlie Gardiner - Had his life not ended tragically and prematurely, "Bonnie Prince" Charlie Gardiner may have gone on to have the greatest career of all NHL goaltenders.
Johnny Gottselig - A star winger who was actually born in Russia, Johnny Gottselig spent his summers coaching professional women's baseball.
Michel Goulet - A standout with the Quebec Nordiques, Michel Goulet finished his career with the Hawks. He is one of the greatest left wingers in the history of the game.
Dirk Graham - Dirk Graham was the heart and soul of the Blackhawks during much of the 1990s.
"Mr Goalie" Glenn Hall - The grandfather of butterfly goaltending played a record 502 consecutive games without a mask.
Bill "Red" Hay - Red Hay pioneered the way for hockey players enrolled in colleges.
Bobby Hull - The Golden Jet might be better known now as Brett's dad, but this Chicago and Winnipeg legend is one of the most important players in hockey history
Dennis Hull - The hard-shooting and wise-cracking Dennis Hull is best known as Bobby's brother and Brett's uncle.
Mike Karakas - The inconsistent Karakas was hot during the 1938 playoffs, leading the Cinderella Hawks to the Stanley Cup title despite a broken toe.
Cliff Koroll - Keith Magnuson's best friend, Cliff Koroll was an underappreciated mainstay in Chicago during the 1970s
Steve Larmer - One of the most consistent and durable players in league history, Steve Larmer teamed with Denis Savard and Al Secord on "The Party Line."
Hugh Lehman - Arguably the greatest goalie in PCHA history, he is best remembered by NHL audiences as the first goalie in Chicago Blackhawks history.
Sam LoPresti - After setting the NHL record with 80 saves in one regular season game, LoPresti nearly lost his life in an amazing World War II story.
Tom Lysiak - Atlanta Flames and Chicago Blackhawks puck distributing pivot was an underrated player in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Mickey MacKay - One of the greatest early players out of Western Canada, "The Wee Scot" Mickey MacKay led the Chicago Blackhawks in scoring in year one.
Keith Magnuson - An imposing figure on the ice, Keith Magnuson was one of the most lovable off of the ice. The heart and soul of the 1970s Chicago Blackhawks.
Dave Manson - Dave "Charlie" Manson was one of the most feared players - and better players - of his era.
Mush March - One of the earliest stars in Chicago hockey history, Harold "Mush" March had a penchant for scoring famous goals.
John Mariucci - John Mariucci is one of the most important people in the history of American hockey.
Pit Martin - Once traded for Phil Esposito, Pit Martin was a productive if unheralded Chicago legend.
Ab McDonald - Ab McDonald was the left winger on the famed "Scooter Line" with Stan Mikita and Kenny Wharram.
Stan Mikita - While he may have been overshadowed a bit by the charismatic Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita may have been the better player of the two.
Alfie Moore - In the afternoon he was enjoying himself to much at a Toronto tavern, wishing he had tickets to the opening game of the 1938 Stanley Cup finals. By evening he was the starting goaltender.
Bill Mosienko - It is said that everyone gets 15 minutes of fame. Bill Mosienko only had 21 seconds.
Grant Mulvey - Big Grant Mulvey found great success on the RPM line with Terry Ruskowski and Rich Preston.
Troy Murray - A hard hitting and underrated center, Troy Murray was the best defensive forwards in 1986.
Eric Nesterenko - From hockey to Hollywood to the halls of academia to the slopes of Aspen, the unorthodox story of Eric Nesterenko is an interesting read.
Gary Nylund - Gary Nylund controversially joined the Hawks as a restricted free agent in the mid-1980s. It cost them Jerome Dupont, Ken Yaremchuk and a draft pick.
Ed Olczyk - Native Chicagoan Eddie Olczyk was the talk of the Windy City when he first arrived. Unfortunately the pressure proved to be too great.
Jim Pappin - Struggled to find a regular role in Toronto, but Jim Pappin found a home in Chicago along side Pit Martin and Dennis Hull.
Pierre Pilote - The best offensive defenseman in the league directly prior to the arrival of Bobby Orr, Pilote was a role model for the likes of Larry Robinson and Denis Potvin.
Rich Preston - Rich Preston was the corner-man and defensive conscious of Chicago's RPM Line.
Al Rollins - Chicago's saving grace during the lean 1950s, this superb goalie beat out Rocket Richard and Gordie Howe as league MVP in 1954.
Terry Ruskowski - This heart and soul former captain of the Hawks centered the RPM line with Rich Preston and Grant Mulvey.
Cam Russell - This popular enforcer turned into a serviceable defenseman under the guidance of coach Darryl Sutter.
Phil Russell - Though he is no relation to Cam Russell, Phil Russell is cut from the same cloth. Phil was every bit as tough and mean, but more polished as a hockey player.
Denis Savard - There are precious few hockey players who can consistently wow us on a seemingly nightly basis. Denis Savard may be at the very top of that list.
Al Secord - He was a 50 goal scoring enforcer whose career was sidelined by injuries. Had he been more healthy, he could have been the ultimate power forward.
Earl Seibert - This intimidating defenseman was considered by many to be the second best blue-liner of his era - behind only the great Eddie Shore.
Steve Smith - Although he battled many injuries, Steve Smith was a top defenseman for the Hawks in the 1990s.
Gary Suter - After teaming with Al MacInnis in Calgary, Gary Suter moved to Chicago and teamed with Chris Chelios on the Hawks blue line.
Darryl Sutter - Known now as one of the NHL's top coaches, Darryl Sutter was once a loyal Chicago Blackhawk sniper. Before that, he was a sniper in Japan.
Brent Sutter - Arguably the best player among the six brothers to play in the NHL, Brent has transformed his on ice success into a brilliant coaching career.
Steve Thomas - With his all-out energetic play, Steve Thomas was a popular player in two stints in the Windy City.
Paul Thompson - Paul Thompson was Chicago's most consistent scoring star in the 1930s, helping the Hawks win two Stanley Cup championships.
Kenny Wharram - Speedster Kenny Wharram teamed well with Stan Mikita on the famous "Scooter Line.".
Bill White - Steady and underrated, Bill White was quietly one of hockey's best kept secrets in the 1960s and 1970s.
Behn Wilson - Big Behn Wilson was one of the most feared physical players in all of hockey in the 1980s.
Doug Wilson - This hard shooting blue liner once scored 39 goals in a single season, but rarely is remembered as one of hockey's best defensemen..
It never mattered how good of a defenseman Steve Smith became. And he became a very good one.
But he will always be remembered for this:
It is one of the most famous goals in Stanley Cup playoff history, if only for all the wrong reasons. Smith accidentally puts the puck in his own net in the third period of a tied game seven, putting his team on the brink of elimination. The two time defending champion Edmonton Oilers never recovered, and are knocked out of the playoffs by their arch rivals, the Calgary Flames.
Smith was just a rookie then. Such a devastating occurrence could easily have wrecked many a young defensemen's career. While most people will remember Steve Smith for the mistake, people should remember him for his resolve and becoming one of the better defensemen of his era.
Never Came Easy
Success in hockey never came easy for Smith.
He was never drafted by a junior team. He grew up out of the scout's radar in the tiny town of Cobourg, Ontario. When his teams traveled to tournaments, scouts were unimpressed with the gangly kid who found his big body too awkward to be effective.
Smith stuck with the game, and by age 17 he grew to 6'3" and 180lbs, enough to catch the attention of his hometown London Knights. Smith, who was actually born in Glasglow, Scotland of all places, made the team, though played the first half of the season as the 4th line right winger.
By his NHL draft year he filled out to 225lbs, and played regularly on the blue line. Despite his promising skill set, he was a mid round draft pick, selected 111th overall by the Edmonton Oilers.
Smith was not even the highest selected Steve Smith of his draft class. Taken in the 1st round, 16th overall by Philadelphia, was another Steve Smith, this one of Sault Ste. Marie.
That Steve Smith was supposed to be more of a sure bet, but he only played in 18 career NHL games.
Meanwhile the Oilers Smith went on to become one of better defensemen of his era, playing in 804 games, scoring 72 goals, 303 assists, and 375 points while winning three Stanley Cups and a Canada Cup.
We would be remiss to not mention his career 2139 penalty minutes, which is amazing given that he was not a noted fighter. Smith was an intimidating monster back on the blue line, not afraid to impose his 6'4" 220lb body on any incoming forward.
Blessed with balance and agility on his skates and ridiculously long reach, Smith was tough to beat one on one. He was also very good at reading the oncoming plays and was always in good position to defend.
Smith was much more than just one dimensional shut down defenseman. He had surprising mobility, able to cover more ice and maximize his physical impact. He could rush the puck out of the zone when needed, but more often than not relied on an effective first pass out of the zone to key the transition offense.
Smith had a solid offensive game, relying mostly on slapshot from the point. His shot was not particularly overwhelming, but he had a good knack to get the shot through traffic and on net.
Smith persevered after the playoff disaster to become one of the Oilers best defenders. When the Oilers recaptured the Stanley Cup in 1988, captain Wayne Gretzky immediately handed the silver chalice to young Smith.
As the dynasty became dismantled over the next few years, Smith became the Oilers top defender. At the same time he became a bit a whipping dog for coach John Muckler. Muckler obviously recognized Smith's resolve and used that continuously prod him. He recognized Smith's unique package of skill and size, and wanted used old-school coaching techniques to see Smith reach his potential.
Like so many of the Oilers Stanley Cup stars, contract disputes forced Smith out of town. In October 1991 the Oilers moved Smith to Chicago in exchange for Dave Manson and a draft pick used to select Kirk Maltby. Smith had sat out the Oilers training camp and was prepared to sit out the beginning of the season in search of a new contract.
In the first two seasons with Chicago Smith became a steady standout along side Chris Chelios in Chicago. Injuries derailed Smith's career over the final four years in Chicago. Twice Smith broke his leg, and he constantly battled a bad back. Smith would miss more games than he would be able to play in.
The Blackhawks did not in 1998. The back injury scared all teams away except for, of all teams, the Calgary Flames.
Smith joined the Flames and put in a yeoman's effort, playing through the pain to participate in 69 games while providing a badly needed veteran presence.
Smith's back would give out though. Combined with a severe concussion suffered against Minnesota, Smith would appear in only 33 games over the next two seasons, eventually being forced into retirement and behind the Flames bench as an assistant coach.
The Chicago Blackhawks player wearing #32 in this picture is Don Dietrich.
By all standards Don Dietrich does not rank as a Legend of Hockey. He played in just 28 NHL games in a professional career spanning a decade. He never scored a single goal, and picked up seven assists.
People often ask me why I profile "lesser" players. Don Dietrich does not deserve a spot alongside Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr at a website called Greatest Hockey Legends.
They may be right. But I do it because these players also have amazing stories to tell. Don Dietrich is the perfect example.
Dietrich tells his own story in his autobiography No Guarantees.
It is an amazing story on two levels.
Firstly, it is a great hockey story. We have heard time and time again the often similar stories of the greats of the game. It is those stories that formulate the stereotypical hockey dream we all once had. But Dietrich's story is the far more common story. Most players who turn professional do not make it to the NHL. They play on in the minor leagues chasing the dream. Usually the only thing keeping them going is not the money or the glory, but the passion for the game.
This describes Dietrich to a tee. And he has some incredibly entertaining stories to tell. Like ordering a steak with Doug Wilson and breaking in Phil Russell's gloves, to contracts and trades and an unbelievably horrible Olympic experience; From the lows of minor league politics to the glories of European leagues to the troubles of life immediately after hockey, Dietrich is very open and honest, making this is a very refreshing hockey book.
"Dieter" is a great storyteller. He lacks a little polish and he could use an occasional fact check, but through it all he becomes a very lovable protagonist of the book, an underdog who the reader will find himself rooting for.
That emotion becomes quite exacerbated as the book takes on a second focus late in the book though, leaving hockey behind. Dietrich is dealt one severe blow after another. First he is diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, then two battles with cancer, the second one of the rarest and deadliest forms of cancer.
Don Dietrich was not supposed to live much longer after the second diagnosis of cancer. That was well over a decade ago now. Through excessive medical treatments, strong family support and a stubborn determination, he has amazingly extended his life with inspiring positivity and dignity.
Inspiring is definitely best term to describe this book. Must-read is another, for all hockey fans and even non hockey fans.
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This is Lude Check, one of hockey's all time great names.
