[canuckfan]

Great stuff in here guys - I always appreciate and enjoy reading what other older posters have to say, and some of the best hockey discussions on this site take place right in this forum. In the past guys like bigjack have helped me out immensely with questions regarding hockey from the 70s - there are some things you just can't find in a book, and depending on the knowledge of smart, reliable, and experienced hockey fans like you can find here can be just as good a source as any!

Anyhow - while I'm not by any means an "old fart" (just turned 30) I've been a fan for over 20 years and love to contribute where I can.

But my future father-in-law, however, is well into his 70s and has a wealth of hockey knowledge and terrific memories. He has a story that I love to retell to others that I enjoy so much. When he was a kid growing up in Calgary, one of the tougher neighborhood kids who could be a bit of a bully was Bill Gadsby, future HHOF defenseman for the Redwings, Hawks and Rangers - played over 20 years in the NHL from '46 to '66. Mean and tough, Gadsby ruled and terrorized a local outdoor rink in the winters and had a habit of throwing other kids off when he wanted to play. One winter my father-in-law was tossed unceremoniously off the ice in one such occassion by Gadsby and was told to get lost - before he left, he threw a hard packed snowball at Gadsby and nailed him right in the ear. He has told me before that Gadsby shouted and roared so loudly that he knew he was in big trouble, and Gadsby chased him all the way home, pacing around his house for the better part of an hour waiting for my father-in-law to come out, before giving up and going back to the rink.

Safe to say, my father-in-law was looking over his shoulder for the rest of that winter and was very careful going to that rink to play hockey. Years later, my father-in-law travelled to Chicago to see a Hawks/Wings game and caught up with Gadsby after the game while getting into his car - both had a laugh when recalling the snowball incident - Gadsby said "That was you? You little SOB..."

Anyhow - I love this story and I love hearing him tell it over and over. I thought it would be appreciated in this thread with some guys who might remember something about Gadsby - a true original 6 tough guy. He was just as mean growing up in Calgary as he was playing in the NHL.