blocker

He's certainly not one of the best goalies ever, but Ron Tugnutt played some spectacular nights. Seemed as if he was at his best when peppered with shots. At one time, Cheevers was the richest athlete in the US. His wealth came from investing in racehorses. He liked race tracks and bars. Some reporter compared his lifestyle to the academic world of Ken Dryden. Cheevers said that there wasn't much likelihood of them bumping into each other off the ice.

Good one.

MMMM....Yeah, OK. But, who's a better judge of a leader than his teammates.

I've never played on a team consisting of members who didn't care about wins. And, popularity has nothing to do with the choice of Captain. Like most people I know, I've always voted for the guy I thought would give us the best chance of winning.

We've all been on teams with weak captains. To the best of my memory, those individuals have never been voted to that position. I can think of a couple duds who were given the job as a kind of carrot to improve their character. Didn't work. Takes judgement to know when to be a buffer or a ramrod for the coach. You need to be able to judge which players require pats or prods. Those duties are less complicated for a Captain who was chosen by his teammates.

He took a dive for 50 cents?

As usual, you make sense. But, the best judges of a Captain are teammates. They know who are the real leaders. Management is apt to choose a Captain from marketing considerations. Coaches choose whomever bests promotes their particular style of hockey. All in all, the sanest and fairest way to choose a Captain is by a vote of all the team members.

Also, Foster Hewitt couldn't pronounce Cournoyer. It came out corn-o-yer. Cournoyer lived in LaChine, so his teammates called him "La Chinois", (the Chinaman).

Cournoyer........... I'd like to tell you a story. Many years ago, when Irving Grundman was the GM, Canadiens used to sometimes practice at a rink in St. Laurent. Grundman had connections with the rink. Anyway, one day when my 11 year-old had a game at the same arena, I got a call from a friend. He said that some of the Canadiens were having an optional practice there. If I wanted to bring my son early, we'd be welcome to watch. So, I load my son and his buddy into the car and we travel north to Montreal. The Canadiens practiced while the kids ate their lunch. Things on the ice were winding down when one of the players asked the boys if they would like to go on the ice. It took no time to throw on skates, gear and jump on the ice. My son did three on twos with Guy Lafleur and Yvan Cournoyer as his linemates. It was total bliss for him. They couldn't have been kinder to him. One of the Montreal goalies was Richard Sevigny. He stayed on the ice well after everyone else left and let the kids take shots agasinst him. It was a great day.

I think Captains should always be chosen by the players. The most-gifted player is often not the most respected. IMHO, young players should never be Captains. That puts extra pressure on the kid. And, it sometimes causes resentment from his teammates.

I don't like Cooperalls. Hockey players should look like hockey players. They're especially bad for little kids learning how to skate. When the kid falls, he has a hard time getting back up because those damn pants are slippery.

I hadn't heard that. Are you talking about Cooperalls?

Pedophiles never change. Graham James will commit the same awful acts when given the chance. Having said that, the justice system in Canada, (and the US) have to follow the law when dealing with such deviants. That consideration protects all of us. And, I think that peter puck has correctly identified the "top scum bags of hockey". Graham James tops anybody's list.

Hello Kuato.

I've heard that. I tend to not believe such stories. I think he's a horse, who seems to get better every year.

Very interesting stuff. Love the lore.

A dishonorable mention should go to Whitey Bulger. His connection is that his girl friend is Chris Nilan's mother-in-law. Some people might not like Whitey because of a few murders, shakedowns, torture sessions and his ratting. Well, nobody's perfect. And, he values his Stanley Cup ring.

Good one. Isn't it odd that some of the biggest rats seek the spotlight while engaged in such awful things? My memory's gone south, but didn't Bobby Clarke stick up for him?

There's a day care next door. Bunch of cute 3-4 year olds. I sometimes wear a Grateful Dead tee with balloons and Teddy Bears on it. Those little kids love that shirt.

Not too sure about his ability to manage highly paid stars, but I think he knows a lot about pro hockey.

Jack---It was an attempt to ridicule the slur against you.

A Dork is what you call the offspring of a pig and a duck. In Quebec, they call them Dorques. I saw one once. They called it Raymond. Raymond Dorque.

By the time Coffey got to the Flyers, I think he wasn't much help to the team. There were lots of times that instead of making a quick pass up the ice, he would skate with the puck. He slowed the offense down. Play had to wait for him. He was frustrating to watch.

My sons had a goal made from pieces of lumber and chicken wire. They'd drag it out into the street, and like magic, the next thing you knew there'd be half a dozen kids with them. I remember JR's ""CAR!!!"". Those scenes are gone around here.

Yup. Expensive equipment and travel are IMHO, the major reasons. Sad thing is that every time we try to do something about it, the parents sabotage the effort. Try to get a ban on composite sticks and see what happens.