Old Farts Thread

[fansince65]

This is just a bit of trivia that this thread is all about , how he game has evolved over the years ..

THE TRAP !!!!
Most fans think the trap originated in Europe (Russia) but that's the farthest from the truth that anything about the game can be .
The trap used to be called defence first hockey , the Montreal Canadians had a coach back in the early forties (Dick Irvin) that lost so many players to the war effort his team was devastated , he devised a method of play that had never been used before , every thing started from the defence out .
Over the years he perfected this into a system that he taught to every player that ever played for his team , Hector "Toe" Blake played for Irvin and learned this system from him as a player , when he took over as coach he improved on it further , he used what he called the "left wing trap" , every thing went up one side of the ice , it worked so well that every team started to use it .
What was a scape goat measure for loosing the best players on his team back in the forties to slow skating inferior talent has evolved into the game we have today , dump and chase hockey , not that slick fast passing take the puck away if you can game of of the old days ....

[Webby1517]

"Go shave your balls you dusty old far"

Talladega Nights

Much Respect for my elders. Cheers!

[fansince65]

Big Jack should remember this one ..

The trade of Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais to the New York Rangers for Brad Park/Jean Ratelle/Joe Zanuzzi ..

The trade almost didn't happen !! When Cherry told Vadnais he had been traded he started to cry , My wife has been sick in and out of hospital , now this , is what Cherry said Vad said !!
Then he jumped up and told Cherry "they cant trade me I have a no trade contract" , Cherry said "not likely " Sinden doesn't give no trade contracts and proceeded to phone Harry , when he told Sinden what Vadnais had said Harry looked up the contract and shore enough Vad had a no trade contract .
Well according to Cherry Sinden went nuts , he wanted the three players from the rangers Park in particular as Orr was injured and their was a good chance he would miss the rest of the season .
The trade got worked out , it was reported that Vadnais asked for and got $100,000 dollars to make it happen .

Carol Vadnais became a fan favorite in new York !!!!

[Maggie3and Me]

Hockey Lines

Since the early days of the National Hockey League, sportswriters, fans, and even players themselves have been fascinated by names for their big scoring or checking lines. Some make perfect sense and some are a little bit of a stretch. I thought it would be fun to list some of the line names and have you readers try and think of some more. I have a pretty good list of names, but, it wouldn’t be as much fun if I just gave them all to you.

Some of you old farts will remember these line names and you young farts also, but, there are a lot more. For some of the newer or younger members of the site, or of hockey itself, it will give you an idea of the pride the fans had for its teams players and “top”lines.

The S line" — Montreal Maroons (1920s) — Nels Stewart, Babe Siebert, Hooley Smith; after the common initial "S" of the players' su rnames, was one of the earliest lines to get a nickname.
Some lines were named for the temperament of its players. Here is an example "The Brat line" — Toronto Maple Leafs (late 1970s) — Dave "Tiger" Williams, Jack Valiquette, and Pat Boutette. I don’t think a lot of explanation is needed for this nickname. One of my favorite nicknames gives you and idea how some of these names were concocted. The Bread line" — New York Rangers (1920s) — Frank Boucher, Bill & Bun Cook; a reference to "Bun" Cook's nicknameThe Bread line" — New York Rangers (1920s) — Frank Boucher, Bill & Bun Cook; a reference to "Bun" Cook's nickname.

Here are some of the more famous names. "The Clydesdale Line" — Chicago Blackhawks (1984-1987) — Curt Fraser, Troy Murray, and Ed Olczyk; each player weighed in at or around 200 pounds. NHL players weighing in excess of 200 pounds was rare in those days. "The GAG line" (Goal-A-Game Line) — New York Rangers (1964-75) — Jean Ratelle, Vic Hadfield and Rod Gilbert – later dubbed the "TAG (Two-A-Game) Line". The Production line" — Detroit Red Wings (1947-52) — Sid Abel, Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, later with Alex Delvecchio references the booming automotive industry in the Detroit area. It also stood for the point production of these line mates’. The Punch line" — Montreal Canadiens (1943-48) — Hector "Toe" Blake, Elmer Lach and Maurice "Rocket" Richard

The Century line" — Pittsburgh Penguins (1972-76) — Syl Apps Jr., Lowell MacDonald, and Jean Pronovost; also known as "The Bicentennial Line"; scored 100+ goals and 200+ points for 4 straight seasons. The Mattress line" — Vancouver Canucks (2003-04) — Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin and Jason King; after mattress sizes, "Two twins and a king." The French Connection" — Buffalo Sabres (1972-1979) — Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin and Rene Robert; made up of three French-Canadian players


The last line I’ll give you is one of my favorites, as I was privileged enough to see it in person several times. The MPH line" — Chicago Black Hawks (1970s) — Pit Martin, Jim Pappin, and Dennis Hull; after the initials of the players' surnames; it also stands for "miles per hour", a unit of speed. It was fast efficient and fun to watch.

The names I’ve given were just a tease of the great line names and combination of players who made those lines up. What I would like to see you posters do is think of your favorite line names, give the line members, and a short description of how the line got its name.
There are some very strange line names and even stranger reasons of how they got their name.

[bigjack]

Originally Posted by fansince65

This is just a bit of trivia that this thread is all about , how he game has evolved over the years ..

THE TRAP !!!!
Most fans think the trap originated in Europe (Russia) but that's the farthest from the truth that anything about the game can be .
The trap used to be called defence first hockey , the Montreal Canadians had a coach back in the early forties (Dick Irvin) that lost so many players to the war effort his team was devastated , he devised a method of play that had never been used before , every thing started from the defence out .
Over the years he perfected this into a system that he taught to every player that ever played for his team , Hector "Toe" Blake played for Irvin and learned this system from him as a player , when he took over as coach he improved on it further , he used what he called the "left wing trap" , every thing went up one side of the ice , it worked so well that every team started to use it .
What was a scape goat measure for loosing the best players on his team back in the forties to slow skating inferior talent has evolved into the game we have today , dump and chase hockey , not that slick fast passing take the puck away if you can game of of the old days ....

Exactly! As I wrote the other day, Scotty Bowman used this defensive stategy for years but had such skillful teams in Montreal that noone wrote about it! Bowman and Ruel had serious career ending injuries as youngsters and went into coaching and were schooled in the Montreal system!

[Orr4]

Originally Posted by fansince65

Big Jack should remember this one ..

The trade of Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais to the New York Rangers for Brad Park/Jean Ratelle/Joe Zanuzzi ..

The trade almost didn't happen !! When Cherry told Vadnais he had been traded he started to cry , My wife has been sick in and out of hospital , now this , is what Cherry said Vad said !!
Then he jumped up and told Cherry "they cant trade me I have a no trade contract" , Cherry said "not likely " Sinden doesn't give no trade contracts and proceeded to phone Harry , when he told Sinden what Vadnais had said Harry looked up the contract and shore enough Vad had a no trade contract .
Well according to Cherry Sinden went nuts , he wanted the three players from the rangers Park in particular as Orr was injured and their was a good chance he would miss the rest of the season .
The trade got worked out , it was reported that Vadnais asked for and got $100,000 dollars to make it happen .

Carol Vadnais became a fan favorite in new York !!!!

I remember reading something about how Espo reacted when he was told he had been traded...

Espo - Traded? Traded! I can't believe it, just tell me it's not to the Rangers! Anyone but the Rangers cause I'll thow myself out the window if it's the Rangers!"

[Maggie3and Me]

Originally Posted by Orr4

I remember reading something about how Espo reacted when he was told he had been traded...

Espo - Traded? Traded! I can't believe it, just tell me it's not to the Rangers! Anyone but the Rangers cause I'll thow myself out the window if it's the Rangers!"

Orr4,

Can you imagine how I felt. I was out of the country from the 64 season to the start of the 70 season. I came home in time to see your Bruins win the Cup in 70.

I was talking with the friend who got me interested in hockey to begin with. I commented on the play of Orr and especially three other guys. I did not believe him when he said yeah, they used to be Hawks.

I'm talking about P. Esposito, Ken Hodge, and Fred Stanfield. When he showed me that we traded them to Boston in 1967 for Pit Martin, Jack Norris, and Gilles Marrotte. Of course Martin had an extremely good career for the Hawks, Marrotte played about 50 games and Norris about 10.

In the mean time what did those three guys we sent to Boston due. Not only a Cup in 70, but also in 72.

I can't help thinking about how those three guys would have helped against Montreal in the Finals of 71.

I loved Tommy Ivan and Dollar Bill Wirtz. Not.

[bigjack]

Originally Posted by fansince65

Big Jack should remember this one ..

The trade of Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais to the New York Rangers for Brad Park/Jean Ratelle/Joe Zanuzzi ..

The trade almost didn't happen !! When Cherry told Vadnais he had been traded he started to cry , My wife has been sick in and out of hospital , now this , is what Cherry said Vad said !!
Then he jumped up and told Cherry "they cant trade me I have a no trade contract" , Cherry said "not likely " Sinden doesn't give no trade contracts and proceeded to phone Harry , when he told Sinden what Vadnais had said Harry looked up the contract and shore enough Vad had a no trade contract .
Well according to Cherry Sinden went nuts , he wanted the three players from the rangers Park in particular as Orr was injured and their was a good chance he would miss the rest of the season .
The trade got worked out , it was reported that Vadnais asked for and got $100,000 dollars to make it happen .

Carol Vadnais became a fan favorite in new York !!!!

Yeah November 7,1975 is a date that I will never forget. I know exactly where I was when I found out about it. It was in the afternoon and I was in my backyard throwing the football around with a buddy and my Mom started banging on the kitchen window to get my attention. I thought,"what the hell does she want because we didn't hit the house with the ball."
Anyway, I walked over and she opened the window and said,"grab the phone, your father is on the line and just spoke with Richie and has something to tell you." Richie was my cousin who worked for the Rangers! I grab the phone and the old man bellowed that Park and Ratelle was traded to Boston for that SOB Esposito and that as*hole Vadnais!
Now we knew from Richie a few weeks prior that Francis was livid with the Rangers and how they had responded coming out of the gate after losing that heartbreaking 3rd game the previous playoff to the Islanders.
Park, the team captain, was fat and overweight at around 220 lbs and the team was really in a major funk! Sanderson was out of control and really being a bad influence on the younger players like Middleton and Greschner and guys like Tkaczuk and Stemkowski were also out of shape!
Giacomin and Villemure were also old and the team was breaking in Davidson to the Big Apple! The team also lost what little grit it had with the Davidson deal when Irvine, Butler, and Wilson went to St Louis! Wayne Dillon showed early on that he was soft and lazy and Pat Hickey was learning the league and with injuries forcing veterans like Dale Rolfe and Bobby Rousseau to retire, the team was totally mixed up and void of leadership and a veteran defense. Gillies Marotte and Nick Beverley were suppossed to supply veteran backline play but they stunk and Park was fat and Greschner was brutal in his second year and Larry Sacharuk and John Bednarski were AHL players trying to be NHL defenseman!
Greg Polis was overrated and Steve Vickers wasn't a leader at left wing with the youngster Hickey and Billy Fairbairn had a bad back and was playing hurt all the time at right wing with party boy Middleton and another non-leader in Rod Gilbert.
Ratelle was playing ok with Gilbert offensively but not defensively and as mentioned Tkaczuk, Stemkowski, and Sanderson were all playing lazy uninspired hockey up the middle!
This 1975/76 team was brutal and needed a major explosion and that is what happened. Park was off to a brutal start and the published reports was his knee but the reality was his gut and the Rangers played Vancouver at home and won 8-1 with Park playing his first good game and declared we are fine and just watch us!
Well I watched all right and was pissed right up there with Francis and all Ranger fans! What happened?
After the 8-1 win, the Rangers played Buffalo, the Islanders, and the Flyers and lost 9-1, 7-1, and 7-2. The first two games were on the road and the Flyer game was at home and we saw Richie after the game and he told my Dad and I that Francis was fed up and major changes would be coming. That game was on 10/26 and I still have my stub.
Anyway, on 10/28, Villemure went to Chicago for an over the hill Doug Jarrett. On 10/30-bye bye Sanderson to the Blues, the next night was the waiving of Giacomin, and the parting shot was the Park/Ratelle deal to Boston.
Over the course of 10 days, Villemure, Sanderson, Giacomin, Park, and Ratelle were sent packing and the only reason that Tkaczuk, Polis, and Stemkowski weren't was they were making BIG BUCKS!
Now before the Park deal, what sealed his fate? The Rangers ironically played Giacomin and Detroit two days after his being waived and the Rangers came out playing the most ***** gutless hockey one could ever endure and fell behind Detroit 4-0 in the first period as the crown chanted "Eddie, Eddie and lost the game 6-4 with a late rally as Giacomin was exhausted from all the emotion and folded late in the game! I wasn't there and listened to it on radio and was so disgusted with the Rangers.
Evidently so was Francis and he saw that Park was a poor Captain and Gilbert was no Captain and felt making a big splash would inject life into team.
What he failed to gauge was that Esposito hated NY initially and was miserable and that he still had Gilbert who had his cronies in the old Rangers left and Espo had the ear of the young Rangers and the team was split into factions.
Espo also was shocked at the Rangers lack of fire and passion as he met the team in California and they were joking before the game and acting like who gives a sh*t. Espo and Boston were in Vancouver when the deal was made so he went to meet the Rangers in Oakland and Ratelle and Park went to meet Boston. Vadnais was holding out as F since 65 indicated.
Espo scored 2 goals and 4 points that night against the Seals but Gary Sabourin scored 4 goals that night against Davidson for a 7-5 loss and the team was laughing afterward like no big deal! The next night in LA, Espo hurt his ankle that would bother him the rest of the year and this fractured team of misfits would cost Francis his job on January 6, 1976 replaced by one John Bowie Ferguson who almost choked on his cigar as he read the contracts and all the money being paid out for sh*t and his hated former opposing winger in Rod Gilbert being a jackoff splitting the team with no leadership!
Fergie would go about drafting and building a young defense with Farrish, McEwen, Marois joining youngsters Maloney and Greschner with the veteran Vadnais and drafting young forwards in Murdoch, DeBlois, Duguay, and signing free agents like: Nick Fotiu, Ulf Nilsson, and Anders Hedberg and Fergie was building a young team with some talent. In 1978 after the team made the playoffs, what was Fergie's reward? He was canned for one Fred FOG Shero who took Fergie's players and brought the team to the 1979 finals!

[bigjack]

Originally Posted by Orr4

I remember reading something about how Espo reacted when he was told he had been traded...

Espo - Traded? Traded! I can't believe it, just tell me it's not to the Rangers! Anyone but the Rangers cause I'll thow myself out the window if it's the Rangers!"

I just added some flavor to the deal!

[fansince65]

Originally Posted by Orr4

I remember reading something about how Espo reacted when he was told he had been traded...

Espo - Traded? Traded! I can't believe it, just tell me it's not to the Rangers! Anyone but the Rangers cause I'll thow myself out the window if it's the Rangers!"

Cherry has told that storey many times , when Espo said "if its the Rangers I will Throw myself out the window " Cherry told Bobby Orr to open the window..

[BENNETTWOLF]

Originally Posted by bigjack

Yeah November 7,1975 is a date that I will never forget. I know exactly where I was when I found out about it. It was in the afternoon and I was in my backyard throwing the football around with a buddy and my Mom started banging on the kitchen window to get my attention. I thought,"what the hell does she want because we didn't hit the house with the ball."
Anyway, I walked over and she opened the window and said,"grab the phone, your father is on the line and just spoke with Richie and has something to tell you." Richie was my cousin who worked for the Rangers! I grab the phone and the old man bellowed that Park and Ratelle was traded to Boston for that SOB Esposito and that as*hole Vadnais!
Now we knew from Richie a few weeks prior that Francis was livid with the Rangers and how they had responded coming out of the gate after losing that heartbreaking 3rd game the previous playoff to the Islanders.
Park, the team captain, was fat and overweight at around 220 lbs and the team was really in a major funk! Sanderson was out of control and really being a bad influence on the younger players like Middleton and Greschner and guys like Tkaczuk and Stemkowski were also out of shape!
Giacomin and Villemure were also old and the team was breaking in Davidson to the Big Apple! The team also lost what little grit it had with the Davidson deal when Irvine, Butler, and Wilson went to St Louis! Wayne Dillon showed early on that he was soft and lazy and Pat Hickey was learning the league and with injuries forcing veterans like Dale Rolfe and Bobby Rousseau to retire, the team was totally mixed up and void of leadership and a veteran defense. Gillies Marotte and Nick Beverley were suppossed to supply veteran backline play but they stunk and Park was fat and Greschner was brutal in his second year and Larry Sacharuk and John Bednarski were AHL players trying to be NHL defenseman!
Greg Polis was overrated and Steve Vickers wasn't a leader at left wing with the youngster Hickey and Billy Fairbairn had a bad back and was playing hurt all the time at right wing with party boy Middleton and another non-leader in Rod Gilbert.
Ratelle was playing ok with Gilbert offensively but not defensively and as mentioned Tkaczuk, Stemkowski, and Sanderson were all playing lazy uninspired hockey up the middle!
This 1975/76 team was brutal and needed a major explosion and that is what happened. Park was off to a brutal start and the published reports was his knee but the reality was his gut and the Rangers played Vancouver at home and won 8-1 with Park playing his first good game and declared we are fine and just watch us!
Well I watched all right and was pissed right up there with Francis and all Ranger fans! What happened?
After the 8-1 win, the Rangers played Buffalo, the Islanders, and the Flyers and lost 9-1, 7-1, and 7-2. The first two games were on the road and the Flyer game was at home and we saw Richie after the game and he told my Dad and I that Francis was fed up and major changes would be coming. That game was on 10/26 and I still have my stub.
Anyway, on 10/28, Villemure went to Chicago for an over the hill Doug Jarrett. On 10/30-bye bye Sanderson to the Blues, the next night was the waiving of Giacomin, and the parting shot was the Park/Ratelle deal to Boston.
Over the course of 10 days, Villemure, Sanderson, Giacomin, Park, and Ratelle were sent packing and the only reason that Tkaczuk, Polis, and Stemkowski weren't was they were making BIG BUCKS!
Now before the Park deal, what sealed his fate? The Rangers ironically played Giacomin and Detroit two days after his being waived and the Rangers came out playing the most ***** gutless hockey one could ever endure and fell behind Detroit 4-0 in the first period as the crown chanted "Eddie, Eddie and lost the game 6-4 with a late rally as Giacomin was exhausted from all the emotion and folded late in the game! I wasn't there and listened to it on radio and was so disgusted with the Rangers.
Evidently so was Francis and he saw that Park was a poor Captain and Gilbert was no Captain and felt making a big splash would inject life into team.
What he failed to gauge was that Esposito hated NY initially and was miserable and that he still had Gilbert who had his cronies in the old Rangers left and Espo had the ear of the young Rangers and the team was split into factions.
Espo also was shocked at the Rangers lack of fire and passion as he met the team in California and they were joking before the game and acting like who gives a sh*t. Espo and Boston were in Vancouver when the deal was made so he went to meet the Rangers in Oakland and Ratelle and Park went to meet Boston. Vadnais was holding out as F since 65 indicated.
Espo scored 2 goals and 4 points that night against the Seals but Gary Sabourin scored 4 goals that night against Davidson for a 7-5 loss and the team was laughing afterward like no big deal! The next night in LA, Espo hurt his ankle that would bother him the rest of the year and this fractured team of misfits would cost Francis his job on January 6, 1976 replaced by one John Bowie Ferguson who almost choked on his cigar as he read the contracts and all the money being paid out for sh*t and his hated former opposing winger in Rod Gilbert being a jackoff splitting the team with no leadership!
Fergie would go about drafting and building a young defense with Farrish, McEwen, Marois joining youngsters Maloney and Greschner with the veteran Vadnais and drafting young forwards in Murdoch, DeBlois, Duguay, and signing free agents like: Nick Fotiu, Ulf Nilsson, and Anders Hedberg and Fergie was building a young team with some talent. In 1978 after the team made the playoffs, what was Fergie's reward? He was canned for one Fred FOG Shero who took Fergie's players and brought the team to the 1979 finals!

Now that's an educational post. Nice job BJ. Did you miss a single player on that team?

[Maggie3and Me]

bigjack,

My compliments on a post that contained a lot of great information, was very educational and was fun to read. You teed it up and hit it out of the park.

M3M

[battleship25]

Originally Posted by Maggie3and Me

Hockey Lines

Since the early days of the National Hockey League, sportswriters, fans, and even players themselves have been fascinated by names for their big scoring or checking lines. Some make perfect sense and some are a little bit of a stretch. I thought it would be fun to list some of the line names and have you readers try and think of some more. I have a pretty good list of names, but, it wouldn’t be as much fun if I just gave them all to you.

Some of you old farts will remember these line names and you young farts also, but, there are a lot more. For some of the newer or younger members of the site, or of hockey itself, it will give you an idea of the pride the fans had for its teams players and “top”lines.

The S line" — Montreal Maroons (1920s) — Nels Stewart, Babe Siebert, Hooley Smith; after the common initial "S" of the players' su rnames, was one of the earliest lines to get a nickname.
Some lines were named for the temperament of its players. Here is an example "The Brat line" — Toronto Maple Leafs (late 1970s) — Dave "Tiger" Williams, Jack Valiquette, and Pat Boutette. I don’t think a lot of explanation is needed for this nickname. One of my favorite nicknames gives you and idea how some of these names were concocted. The Bread line" — New York Rangers (1920s) — Frank Boucher, Bill & Bun Cook; a reference to "Bun" Cook's nicknameThe Bread line" — New York Rangers (1920s) — Frank Boucher, Bill & Bun Cook; a reference to "Bun" Cook's nickname.

Here are some of the more famous names. "The Clydesdale Line" — Chicago Blackhawks (1984-1987) — Curt Fraser, Troy Murray, and Ed Olczyk; each player weighed in at or around 200 pounds. NHL players weighing in excess of 200 pounds was rare in those days. "The GAG line" (Goal-A-Game Line) — New York Rangers (1964-75) — Jean Ratelle, Vic Hadfield and Rod Gilbert – later dubbed the "TAG (Two-A-Game) Line". The Production line" — Detroit Red Wings (1947-52) — Sid Abel, Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, later with Alex Delvecchio references the booming automotive industry in the Detroit area. It also stood for the point production of these line mates’. The Punch line" — Montreal Canadiens (1943-48) — Hector "Toe" Blake, Elmer Lach and Maurice "Rocket" Richard

The Century line" — Pittsburgh Penguins (1972-76) — Syl Apps Jr., Lowell MacDonald, and Jean Pronovost; also known as "The Bicentennial Line"; scored 100+ goals and 200+ points for 4 straight seasons. The Mattress line" — Vancouver Canucks (2003-04) — Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin and Jason King; after mattress sizes, "Two twins and a king." The French Connection" — Buffalo Sabres (1972-1979) — Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin and Rene Robert; made up of three French-Canadian players


The last line I’ll give you is one of my favorites, as I was privileged enough to see it in person several times. The MPH line" — Chicago Black Hawks (1970s) — Pit Martin, Jim Pappin, and Dennis Hull; after the initials of the players' surnames; it also stands for "miles per hour", a unit of speed. It was fast efficient and fun to watch.

The names I’ve given were just a tease of the great line names and combination of players who made those lines up. What I would like to see you posters do is think of your favorite line names, give the line members, and a short description of how the line got its name.
There are some very strange line names and even stranger reasons of how they got their name.

As a Blackhawks fan there was the RPM line: Terry Ruskowski (c) Rich Preston (LW) Grant Mulvey (RW).

Of course we all remember the French Connection in BUF Gil Perreault (C) Rick Martin (LW) and Rene Robert (RW)

Another name I liked was the Triple Crown line in LA Marcel Dionne (C) Charlie Simmer (LW) Dave Taylor (RW)

Maggie, wasn't the Secord Savard Larmer called the Party line? Or something similar???

I'm sure I'll think of some others lines 2,5,10 in TOR they had a great name for Brubaker, McGill, and ??? line something like the Bam Bam line????

[bigjack]

Originally Posted by BENNETTWOLF

Now that's an educational post. Nice job BJ. Did you miss a single player on that team?

Thanks! Yeah I didn't mention Billy Collins or the injured Ron Harris! Jerry Holland played some at left wing and Fergie got Dave Maloney's feet wet at the end of that season. Unfortunately Maloney gave Curt Bennett a cheapshot and Bennett knocked Maloney out cold. Not one Ranger responded and an outraged Ferguson called agent Larry Rauch after the game and bellowed "get me Fotiu."
These were still the days of rolling 3 lines with a penalty killer like a Terry Crisp or a tough guy like a Pierre Bouchard and 4 defenseman with a 5th spare.
I remember in the 1974 playoffs when Francis used Rolfe and Park and Neilson and Seiling and Marotte would play like every 4th shift to give someone a breather or Ron Harris would play defense or wing to inject some muscle. It was 3 lines and 4 defenseman most of the time! An Orr or Park would play 35 minutes all the time!
I should of also pointed out that to start the 1975 season, Francis again gave up the coaching reigns and gave the job to Ron Stewart who was a soft coach and tolerated alot of crap! The team was woefully out of shape when Ferguson canned Stewart in January and coached the team himself.
We all wondered why Stewart would get the job because he was involved in the unfortunately drunken fight with his roommate Terry Sawchuk shortly after the end of the 1970 playoffs. Sawchuk fell over the barbucue pit in the backyard and injured his spleen and never recovered. He died a month later!
Francis gave up the reigns 3 times as coach and all 3 times it failed. In 1968, he made the Boomer the coach and the Rangers started out ok but the pressure got to Geoffrion and he was forced to resign in 1969 after 43 games.
Larry Popein was made the coach in 1973 and was canned after 41 games. My cousin told us that he was a very tough demanding coach and the fatcat Rangers rebelled forcing Francis to go back behind the bench. The 3rd time was Stewart being named the coach in 1975 and he was canned after 39 games.

[McLovin]

is this the novel thread or the old farts thread, holy paragraphs. Joshin' keep it real fogeys