Frank Martin

Frank Martin was a great junior hockey player in his native St. Catharines, Ontario. He starred with the junior TeePees for 3 years, excelling at both the forward and defense positions. He played defense exclusively as a professional.

Martin also excelled on the baseball field. In fact, he had the unusual choice of attempting a career in eithe rpro hockey or pro baseball, as the Brookly Dodgers invited him to thier training camp. Since it was so rare for a Canadian to break in to the major leagues of baseball, Frank opted to stay with hockey.

Martin was introduced to the NHL by the Boston Bruins in 1952-53, though it wouldn't be until the following year that he'd make the Bruins blueline full time. Frank was having a tremendous first full NHL season but halfway though the year "things went kind of flat for me" he explained. During the summer, Martin was traded to Chicago.

Frank can only speculate how good he could have become if he stayed in Boston however.

"If I had've stayed there (Boston), as I got a little more seniority, who knows what could've happened?" he couldn't help but wonder.

Martin put in three full seasons in Chicago before "things started to really fall apart."

"I really couldn't put my finger on what was going on," Martin said of his diminishing playing ability.

The Hawks sent Martin down to the minors in 1957.

"I knew when I went there (the minors), I wouldn't be coming back," he said.

And he was right. He'd spend the next 8 years in the American Hockey League, first with Buffalo and later with Quebec before one final season in Cleveland. He retired in 1965.

Martin became a skilled carpenter after retirement and got into the home improvement business. He was later hired as a maintenance man for the city of St. Catharines.

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Hank Ciesla

From 1955 through 1959, Ciesla toiled with the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers. A big man who Chicago had hoped would develop into a first class banger, Ciesla was more of a skater and scorer who was not overly interested in the physical game. As a result he was traded to New York. His stay in New York was short as he had a falling out with coach Phil Watson. The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Ciesla after the fallout, and he initially reported to their farm team in order to get back in shape. However Ciesla got injured and Pat Hannigan got called up instead of him. Ciesla never played in the NHL again, spending the next 6 years bouncing around the AHL.

In the minors Ciesla rediscovered his scoring prowess he demonstrated in junior. In his last year of junior (1954-55) he scored 47 goals in 45 junior games. In the NHL he only scored 26 goals in 269 NHL games, but then became a steady 25+ goal threat in the minors until his last year or two. In 1962-63 he led the entire AHL with 42 goals.

After his hockey days were over with, Hank returned to St. Catherines, his hometown and home of his junior hockey glory days. He helped the St. Catherines TeePees with the Memorial Cup in 1954, after all.

Ciesla was focused on other things than hockey upon his return to Ontario city. He co-owned a Massey-Ferguson dealership, but he soon fell ill and was eventually diagnosed with stomach cancer. He died at age 39 in 1976, leaving behind a wife and daughter.

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Larry Wilson

Larry Wilson was born in a small Ontario city named Kincardine, on the Eastern shore of Lake Huron.. Larry grew up playing hockey with his brother Johnny, who once held the "Iron man" record in the NHL for most consecutive games played (580). They both played high school and juvenile hockey together although Johnny was a year and a half older. They both played for Windsor Spitfires in the OHA and Detroit Hettche in the IHL.

Scouts from both Detroit and Toronto were interested in them. Both teams placed Larry and Johnny on their lists and sent telegrams to the NHL offices. NHL solved the problem by putting Larry on Detroit's list and Johnny on Toronto's. Johnny eventually ended up in Detroit and the brothers wound up as pros for the same team. They both went on to play for the Omaha Knights in the AHL before they got called up to the Red Wings on the same night during the 1949-50 season.

Ted Lindsay had been sent to Hot Springs, Ark., for a rest, and Sid Abel was given the night off before a game vs Chicago. This left two spots open on Gordie Howe's line. Larry centered the line with Gordie and brother Johnny on his flanks. This was the Wilson's only appearance in the NHL that year, and although the line was held scoreless it was the brother's biggest thrill ever.

Larry continued to play in the minors in 1950-51 before Detroit boss Jack Adams told Larry to put on 15-20 pounds before reporting to training camp at the start of the 1951-52 season. So instead of his usual 160 Ibs, Larry came in at 178. Jack Adams was happy with that number but the extra weight gave Larry problems as he slowed considerably. It took Larry about ten games to lose that extra weight, but by that time he was sent down to the minors for the rest of the season.

Larry had several opportunities to play alongside Howe and Lindsay but never impressed enough to convince the management enough to stay around. He was eventually shipped to the Chicago Blackhawks where he saw regular duty on the team. Larry played two full seasons in the Windy City between 1953-55. He was the leading scorer for Chicago in 1953-54 with 42 points, one point ahead of teammate Bill Gadsby. Chicago only won 12 out of 70 games that year.

At the start of the 1955-56 season Larry hurt his knee when the great Doug Harvey hit him. He twisted his left knee and tore his knee ligaments. Amazingly enough Larry continued to play that game despite the injury. That game proved to be his last NHL game ever. Larry went on to play for the Buffalo Bisons in the AHL for many years. He stayed in Buffalo until 1968, scoring almost 800 pts in the AHL.

Larry retired after the 1969-70 season. His professional career saw him play over 1000 games as well as scoring over 1000 points.

Larry passed away at the young age of 48 in 1979. His son Ron Wilson became a NHL player and successful  NHL coach.

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Wayne Presley

Wayne Presley played hard. He skated hard. He hit hard. He worked hard.

Born in Dearborn, Michigan, Presley took the unconventional route for an American to the NHL - via the Canadian junior league. He played in three seasons with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League. The 5'11" 195lb right wing was carving out a fine reputation as a goal scorer. He scored 63 goals and 139 points in his second season with the Rangers. He'd score 132 goals and 236 points before his junior career of 182 games was over. Presley was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks 39th overall in the 1983 Entry Draft.

In 1986-87, his first full season in the NHL, he scored 32 goals and 61 points. All was going well for Wayne until next season. A horrible knee injury cause Presley to miss half of the 1987-88 season and was never able to recover to the level that he had achieved in his first season.

While he was unable to regain his scoring touch, Presley reinvented himself and lengthened his NHL career where most players would have struggled with frustration. Presley became a valuable player as a no-nonsense winger who would break up the opposition with his in-your-face tenacity. He became a good penalty killer in addition to his regular havoc-creating shift.

In 1991 the Hawks traded the fiesty winger to San Jose for a draft choice, but his stay in the Bay was short as he was moved to Buffalo in exchange for Dave Snuggerud after just 47 games with the Sharks. Presley played three strong seasons in Buffalo, always bringing his lunch bucket to the rink. Few worked harder than Presley. He earned everything he ever got from the game of hockey.

Presley played one last season in the NHL in 1995-96 split between the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs. But his long list of injuries were starting to catch up with him and he was losing his effectiveness. Presley would continue his pro career by playing the minor leagues after leaving the NHL.

Presley scored 155 goals and 147 assists for 302 points in 684 career games. A true playoff warrior, Presley added 26 goals and 17 assists in 83 playoff games, but never won a Cup.

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Ed Litzenberger

Ed Litzenberger has passed away at the age of 78.

Litzenberger was a National Hockey League player of significant repute in the 1950s and 1960s. Litzenberger was a rangy center who also played some right wing, known for his consistency and leadership abilities, much like Trevor Linden as a modern day comparable. At 6'3" and 195lbs, Litzenberger was a giant player in his era. He never played with a lot of snarl though. Litzenberger was known throughout the league as a gentlemanly figure on and off the ice who had everyone's great respect.

Litzenberger was a junior standout with the Regina Pats (twice helping the WHL team reach the Memorial Cup tournament). He was invited to the Montreal Canadiens training camp in 1952, although he certainly did not plan on a NHL career.

"I was supposed to be an engineer," he told Frank Pagnucco in the book Heroes: Stars of Hockey's Golden Era. "I went down to the University of Colorado and registered. Then I went to the Montreal training camp and they offered me a contract and I kind of forsook my college degree."

Litzenberger would play a couple of seasons with the senior league Montreal Royals while making a couple of call ups to the Canadiens. It was a big adjustment for the kid from Nedorf, Saskatchewan.

"It was a matter of growing up," Litzenberger continued. "When you're a big fish in a little pond and all of a sudden you're a little fish and there's an awful lot of big fish, you become confused. I found out in a week that I had grown up and that I was not only good but better than most of the guys."

Despite his promise, the Canadiens mysteriously "sold" Litzenberger's playing rights to the floundering Chicago Black Hawks. It was the "Help The Hawks Plan" as Litzenberger described it, a deliberate attempt by the NHL to stock the Chicago team with good players to rescue them from their terrible struggles.

"I cried real tears," said Litzenberger of the trade to Chicago. The night before he had scored the game winning goal for Montreal, and then his world was turned upside down. "You become a little bit of an instrument but I look back with affection. It gave me a chance to learn what (life) was all about."

Litzenberger was a significant factor in the Black Hawks resurgence, leading the way with class and distinction, not to mention goals.

Despite the mid-season trade Litzenberger would earn the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year, scoring 40 points in the final 40 games. Gangly but deceptive, he would go on to become a regular linemate of Bobby Hull (with Lorne Ferguson), a 6 time All Star Game participant and score 32 or more goals in three consecutive seasons.

Perhaps most importantly, he was the leader of the Hawks, named team captain, and he led by example with hard work and pure class. Though his scoring had dried up, he helped complete the Black Hawks return to glory by leading the team to the Stanley Cup championship in 1961!

Litzenberger had to overcome personal tragedy to enjoy that championship. A year earlier he and his wife were in a serious car accident, hitting a viaduct on icy roads. His wife, who was driving, died while he suffered cracked ribs, contusions of the liver, and a bad concussion.

After the Cup win, Litzenberger remarried but he was never the same player on the ice. The Hawks traded off their team captain after that Stanley Cup championship. Litzenberger briefly went to Detroit (playing in 32 games) before find a home in Toronto. It could not have been better timing for Litzenberger. His veteran presence helped secure the rise of the Toronto Maple Leafs dynasty. Litzenberger and the Leafs won the next three Stanley Cups - in 1962, 1963 and 1964!

By the third championship Litzenberger had become a bit player with the Leafs. He continued to play in a mentoring role with the Leafs farm teams in Rochester, where he would win two Calder Trophy championships in 1965 and 1966. Imagine that - Litzenberger is the only player who won a league championship title in six consecutive seasons!

Litzenberger sensed it was time to leave the ice in 1966. He retired with 178 goals and had 238 assists in 618 regular season games. In the playoffs he scored 5 goals and had 13 assists in 40 games.

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