Dick Redmond

This poorly lighted photograph was turned

Dick Redmond was a confident, almost cocky, defenseman blessed with all the tools - great skater, good vision, and a blistering shot which made him a good power play quarterback. He was not exactly noted for his defensive game, which may have only been average at best, but that was not why he was in the lineup..

Redmond was born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. The son of former minor league player Ed Redmond, Dick and older brother Mickey would play hockey for hours on end after school and on the weekends. It paid off as both made it to the National Hockey Leagues and were both upper-echelon players of the 1970s. They were as competitive against each other on NHL ice as they were on the frozen ponds back home.

His 771 game career over parts of 14 NHL seasons were well travelled, but he was best known as a Chicago Blackhawk. He helped the Hawks reach the Stanley Cup finals in 1973. He had his best season personally in '73-74 with 17 goals and 59 points. Three years later he lit the lamp 22 times and accumulated 47 points.

Drafted by Minnesota, Redmond got his first real chance to play while with the California Golden Seals for a couple of seasons. A trade to Chicago proved beneficial for both player and team. For the next 5 seasons Redmond put in yeoman's work with Chicago. He would move on to play with St. Louis, Atlanta and Boston, too.

Though he was a top 10 scorer amongst defensemen in the 1970s, Redmond was never considered to be on the top level with the likes of Larry Robinson, Brad Park, Denis Potvin or of course Bobby Orr. Instead, Redmond was one of those players who had a real nice skill set but something prevented him from taking that next step. What that something was exactly frustrated fans and coaches alike. Instead he was a level or two below the best - a serviceable offensive blue liner who seemed to wear out his welcome eventually.

In 771 NHL games Dick Redmond scored a respectable 133 goals, 312 assists and 445 points.

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Steve Ludzik

Steve Ludzik and Steve Larmer's careers will always be intertwined. The good buddies still share a laugh about it all.

In the late 1970s Larmer and Ludzik were partners in scoring prowess with the Niagara Falls Flyers of the OHA. The two formed a lethal and explosive scoring combination, and though Larmer would continue to score in the NHL whereas Ludzik became an stellar defensive player, it was Ludzik who was the more prolific of the two in junior hockey.

The Chicago Blackhawks drafted the dynamic duo in 1980, Ludzik was drafted 28th overall and Larmer, surprisingly, slipped to 120th. The two spent a year apprenticing together in the minor leagues with AHL New Brunswick, leading the Hawks to the Calder Cup championship, before making the jump to the NHL in 1982-83.

During that rookie season, one of the most famous hockey card mistakes of all time occurred. O-Pee-Chee issued each player's rookie card, but mixed up the photos. Ludzik's rookie hockey card depicted Larmer, while Larmer's depicted Ludzik.

The constant mixing up of the two Steve's ended fairly quickly. Larmer would star on the top line with Denis Savard, constantly scoring 40 goals a year. Ludzik would come to embrace a checking role during his nine years in the NHL. Playing with the likes of Tim Higgins, he transformed himself into a grinder with good speed and good anticipation. His scoring game never did materialize. His best year was 1984-85 when he scored a paltry 11 tallies.

Following a trade to the Buffalo Sabres in September 1989, Ludzik played in just eleven more NHL games before he was relegated to the minors with the AHL Rochester Americans.

Upon retirement he became quite interested in coaching, and quickly went from Colonial League coach of the year to IHL Turner Cup champion to Tampa Bay Lightning head coach. He also established himself as a television personality.

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