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Murray Balfour was a clutch scorer and Stanley Cup champion. He was also a tragic figure, dying while still playing the game. He was just 28 years old.
Hockey is a family game, and there have been a number of great families in hockey history. The Patricks, The Sutters, The Richards, The Hulls, The Hextalls......and The Conachers.
The Conacher legend started way back in the 1920s and 1930s when three brothers - Lionel, Charlie and Roy - embarked upon great careers that would be capped with inductions into the Hockey Hall of Fame. That wasn't the end of the Conacher legend though as Lionel's son Brian and Charlie's son Pete also made it to the NHL.
Born in Johnstone, Scotland but raised in Canada, Adam Brown was dubbed in hockey circles as "The Flying Scotsman." But hard hitting Hall of Fame defenseman Bill Gadsby always remembered Brown for the night he sent a Frenchman flying.
Here's the story, as told in Stan Fischler's Hockey Encyclopedia:
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.
Clem Loughlin never had probably never planned on playing in the NHL, so his arrival in the league must have surprised him.
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.
"In this corner, standing at 5 foot 9 inches tall weighing in at 180 pounds, from the Winnipeg Jets, the veteran of many fights Doug Lecuyer!"
"And now entering the ring, in his first professional bout, standing at 6 feet tall and weighing 175lbs if he has all of his hockey equipment on, Wayne Gretzky."
Wait a minute. Wayne Gretzky in a fight?
Yep. It is true. The Wayner actually received three 5 minute major penalties for pugilism. Mind you he wasn't very good at it.
In an interview with the CBC's Peter Gzowski Wayne talked freely about his fight with Minnesota's Neal Broten at Christmas time in 1982. Wayne insisted he won that fight of Ghandi-impersonators. However Gzowski reminded Wayne about a fight a couple of years later with Chicago's Bob Murray. Wayne didn't want to talk too much about that one. Obviously he didn't fare as well against big Bob. Mind you I'm sure Bob had Dave Semenko among others gunning for him for a number of games afterwards.
Doug Zmolek was close to achieving every hockey playing Minnesotan kid's dream. Then a funny thing happened.
Born in Rochester, Minnesota in 1970, Zmolek grew up playing the game as long as he can remember. He first became a star at John Marshall high school, leading to a scholarship to the University of Minnesota.
According to some, the term hat trick originates with Alex "Killer" Kaleta in the 1946-47 season.
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.
Wayne Presley played hard. He skated hard. He hit hard. He worked hard.
On January 7th, 1987, Kingston Canadians goaltender Chris "Cliffy" Clifford made OHL history when he became the first Ontarioi junior goalie to score a goal.
Nowadays every goalie is expected to be a good puckhandler. Clifford was one of the earlier goalies to conquer the skill. He also recorded 14 assists in his OHL career.
Clifford was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks 111th overall in 1984. Ultimately Clifford was destined to a minor league career spent in the IHL and ECHL, but he did get into two NHL games.
The first, in 1985, came in a third period relief appearance. Starter Murray Bannerman had fallen behind 7-2 against Buffalo. Clifford played the third, stopping all 8 shots he faced.
He later played all of 4 minutes in a game in 1988-89, again in Buffalo.
Born in Toronto on January 11th, 1917, Robert "Red" Hamill was about as tough as they come. He was sort of an early day Wendel Clark-type of hockey player.
The 5'11" 180lb left winger broke into professional hockey with the Boston Bruins organization in the late 1930s. Although he had a splendid reputation in the minor leagues, he just could not seem to make the permanent jump to the NHL. He played sporadically for the Bruins, impressing them with his willingness to play physically but disappointing them in his continued inability to score with any consistency. He did help the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 1939, although he went scoreless in 12 post-season games.
The story of Gordon "Bucky" Hollingworth is a heartbreaking one.
Hollingworth was a solid and rugged defenseman out of Montreal. A year after turning pro, in 1954-55, he was in the National Hockey League playing with the Chicago Black Hawks.
He was traded to Detroit in the off-season as part of the Tony Leswick-Goose McCormack transaction. He would play good parts of the next three years with the Red Wings, but would be buried in the minor leagues from 1958 forward.
Hollingworth was a very serviceable AHL rearguard as the 1960s began. Hollingworth had found a nice home as the team captain of the Hershey Bears, too.
That is when tragedy struck. A simple visit to the doctor's office would change his life forever.
Feeling too ill to play hockey one night, doctor's quickly diagnosed Hollingworth with chronic leukemia.
Hollingworth's hockey days were immediately over. Doctor's felt a change in lifestyle would increase the length of his life, but that meant toning down the physical activity.
Hollingworth retired to Hampton Beach, New Jersey where he operated a hotel and became involved with the chamber of commerce. After a few years he even returned to hockey, doing some scouting for the St. Louis Blues while reffing amateur and high school games in the area.
Bucky Hollingworth did not last long. In 1974 Hollingworth died, 12 years after he was forced off of the ice. He was just 40 years old.
Bulgy Helge Bostrom was a clerk by trade, but masqueraded as a long time hockey player, including with the Chicago Black Hawks from 1929 through 1930.
Bostrom was already 35 years old when he finally debuted in the NHL in 1929. He had spent the previous decade bouncing around the minor leagues in western Canada and Minnesota following his discharge from his service in World War I with the Canadian army. He served in France, along side hockey legends like Bullet Joe Simpson and Rabbit McVeigh, as a cook. Simpson arranged for a fake honor for Bostrom, claiming Helge "eliminate or wounded more Canadians with your skillet than the whole German Army."
Described as "a colorful player" with "the reputation of being the most stitched player in the ame." He was a likeable sort, equally at home on the ice or the baseball diamond.
On January 6th, 1933 Kenneth Fry of the United Press recalled a horrific injury to Bostrom. Earl Siebert stepped on Bostrom, severing four tendons above an ankle. 142 stitches where needed to close the gash. Doctors wondered if he would ever walk properly again, let alone skate, but he did return to action.
The crossword puzzle loving Bostrom was let go by the Blackhawks in 1933, but he continued on. He played until 1936 when he turned 42 years old.
Bostrom later served as a minor league coach and as a scout.
Pistol Pete Horeck played in 426 NHL games with Detroit, Boston and Chicago in the 1940s and 1950s.
Pete was born in Massey, Ontario on June 15th, 1923. He was the son of shoemaker, and was one of 8 boys in the family. Obviously that was a perfect set up for a very competitive household, especially when it came to their favorite game - hockey. Brothers John and Danny were quite the players, but it was Pete who was destined for hockey greatness.
Horeck would leave home for Parry Sound. Armed with his first pair of new skates courtesy of the local train conductor, he joined the Parry Sound Shamrocks and played with another promising youngster named Doug Orr. You probably have heard of his son Bobby.
Both were recruited by the Boston Bruins, although Orr did not sign as he opted for service in World War II instead. Horeck did turn pro, and after a few seasons in the minor leagues, he became a NHL regular for 10 years of Original Six hockey.
Horeck got his first shot at the big leagues with Chicago, who acquired him from the AHL's Cleveland Barons to replace departed star Doug Bentley. Horeck would put up back to back 20 goal seasons (in 50 game schedules) before being traded to Detroit late in 1946. He played three seasons with the Wings, two more with the Bruins and a final season back in Chicago, but never saw the 20 goal mark again. He did score 106 goals and 224 points in his NHL career.
He would play senior hockey for almost another decade after leaving the NHL, eventually settling in the Sudbury area.
Horeck died in the summer of 2009 after a long and courageous battle with prostate cancer.
Stu Grimson was a skating contradiction in many ways. The son of a RCMP police officer and devoutly religious Christian made his living in one of the most violent occupations known to North Americans - NHL tough guy.
"I've always felt, why can't a born-again Christian play an aggressive role in a physical sport?" the man nicknamed "The Grim Reaper said. "Christ stuck up for people who were weak or lame in the Bible. (Fighting) takes place within the context of the game. This is just a game."
Further adding to his list of contradictions was his interest in education, not something normally associated with hockey players, and especially not with the goons.
He left the ice world of violence and joined the halls of academia, earning his degree in economics from the University of Manitoba and later a law degree at the University of Memphis.
Grimson actually began his degree at Manitoba before going to the NHL. Coming off of three seasons in the tough Canadian junior leagues, the 6'5" giant was twice drafted by the NHL (Detroit in 1983 and Calgary in 1985) but he was struggling to accept a life of hockey violence.
"I think it was the whole prospect of playing professional hockey, and specifically playing the role I was playing. That was pretty intimidating to me, and I really wrestled with that a lot. I was just never comfortable in that role at that stage in my life, and I was prepared to walk away from the game altogether."
He opted to attend university while continuing to play hockey for the Bisons and head coach Wayne Fleming. He would credit this time away from big league hockey as a chance to grow up emotionally and be better prepared for professional hockey. He accepted his role as tough guy and defended his teammates with great pride.
In 1987 Grimson would turn pro, and play in the Calgary Flames minor league system. Over the next two seasons he accumulated 665 penalty minutes in just 109 games.
Those staggering penalty minute totals earn him a trail with the NHL Flames, who of course battled their provincial rivals from Edmonton with both pucks and fists. Grimson was called up, quickly solidifying his reputation as a feared NHL tough guy in a couple of showdowns with Edmonton's hulk Dave Brown. It wasn't easy though, as Brown fractured Grimson's cheek and orbital bones.
Grimson was ultimately returned to the minor leagues, but other teams took notice. The Chicago Blackhawks acquired the Reaper and he became a NHL regular.
Life with Chicago was never easy. The Hawks were in the old Norris Division, nicknamed the Chuck Norris Division with good reason. Grimson would become very well acquainted with Detroit's Bob Probert and Joey Kocur, Toronto's Wendel Clark and Ken Baumgartner, Minnesota's Shane Churla and Basil McRae and St. Louis' Tony Twist.
Grimson would play two seasons in Chicago before moving on to the expansion Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He would bounce around the league a lot over the years, with stops in Hartford/Carolina, another stop in Anaheim, as well as games with Los Angeles and Nashville. Over the years he was probably involved in 100s of fights. His last came against Edmonton's Georges Laraque, who ended The Reaper's career by dealing him a severe concussion.
Stu Grimson played in 729 wars, scoring just 17 goals and 39 points. He was not much of a player with or without the puck, often stapled to the bench as his hulking size made him a clumsy and slow player. But he earned everyone's respect, both on and off the ice. He became very involved with the Players' Association as he used this outlet to satisfy his interests in business.
Grimson on Bob Probert - "A very good fighter. Great with both hands. A very busy fighter, I have a lot of respect for him."
Grmson on Tony Twist - "Heavier hitter than Bob. A very good fighter. He's a real threat, very effective at setting you up and getting his right hand free. I respected him very much."
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