Old Farts Thread

[bigjack]

Originally Posted by Maggie3and Me

jack,

Truer words have never been spoken.

After the 72 season we lost Nestereko(at the end of his career),Stapelton, and Bryan Campbell all go to the WHA.

In 73, we have Maloney traded in February for Backstrom, who at the end of the season, also goes to the WHA. Korab gets traded for Gary Smith and Dale Tallon. Smith plays parts of the next two seasons and has 24w and 15L in goal before going to St. Louis.

So, for all the wheeling and dealing done by the Hawks, who at least made it to the semi's four years in a row, we get Dale Tallon. This is part of the frustration we have had as a team and as fans.

To give you an idea of what was and what now is.

1927 to 1986 3 Championships and 41 playoff appearances.
1987 to present 12 playoff appearances.

Their last solid year was probably 1973/74 where they played great lockdown defense and then the defense began breaking down and getting old. Bill White was always hurt, Magnuson was always hurt, Doug Jarrett was hurt and getting old and as I mentioned was shot when the Rangers acquired him in 1975. Russell was a solid defenseman but never became a star. Tallon never became what a second overall pick should of been and Dick Redmond was ok but not great.
On paper this was a great backline combined but couldn't stay healthy and that was a major issue because the scoring was getting slimmer due to age to core guys like: Mikita, Hull, Pappin, Martin, and guys like Koroll and Marks were solid but not great and the youngsters like Mulvey and Rota took years to develop. Mulvey finally after about 5 years of being fair became a nice powerforward and then poof was gone by age 27 and Rota never fully developed until in Vancouver and then was injured and forced to retire.
Boldirev was a solid center also but really a number 2 or 3 and he became a 1 with Mikita's age. Bordeleau never really developed or Daigle as high picks and so the team became old and didn't bringing in new players like Montreal did.
Later they did draft some great players like Wilson, Savard, Larmer and made a great deal for Secord and had a hell of a season under Orval Tessier but couldn't sustain it. They had dealt for solid veterans like: Lysiak and Fraser and Rich Preston was a solid old WHA guy like Ruskowski had been but the defense never fully developed. They had some nice players like Murray, O'Connor, Brown, Crossman but never got back to the lockdown defense that they had played under Billy Reay in Tony Esposito's hey day and that was that!
I'm sure that you have many feelings about Pulford and the job that's he's done for 25 years in Chicago!

[bigjack]

Originally Posted by Maggie3and Me

jack,

Truer words have never been spoken.

After the 72 season we lost Nestereko(at the end of his career),Stapelton, and Bryan Campbell all go to the WHA.

In 73, we have Maloney traded in February for Backstrom, who at the end of the season, also goes to the WHA. Korab gets traded for Gary Smith and Dale Tallon. Smith plays parts of the next two seasons and has 24w and 15L in goal before going to St. Louis.

So, for all the wheeling and dealing done by the Hawks, who at least made it to the semi's four years in a row, we get Dale Tallon. This is part of the frustration we have had as a team and as fans.

To give you an idea of what was and what now is.

1927 to 1986 3 Championships and 41 playoff appearances.
1987 to present 12 playoff appearances.

By the way, I've written here many times how physical the early 1970's Black Hawks were and never get their due like the Flyers and Bruins did with Maloney, Korab, Magnuson, Russell and Jarrett being a great open ice hitter and age, injuries, and trades took this away from the team. Maloney and Korab were dealt away, Magnuson and Jarrett became injured and shells of their former self and only Russell was left. The physical backline took on a new flavor with softer players like Tallon and Redmond and to me never recovered. Remember that the old Chicago Stadium had a small neutral zone and it was a great place for guys like: Jarrett, Magnuson, Russell, and Korab to blow guys up with their heads down. They lost an intimidating presence there!
Losing the White and Stapleton presence really hurt on the backline also with injury and age and Whitey's defection to the WHA! He was never replaced!

[Maggie3and Me]

Your assessment is spot on jack. Here are part of the reasons the for the franchise becoming a joke. After the WHA came into existence, Dollar Bill Wirtz, who at one time was thought to be one of the most powerful Governors, on the old Board of Governors, vowed to break the new league. He is a major reason the new league survived. He basically told the other owners if they stood firm, did not give in to the outrages salary demands of the players, the new league would go broke.

He did not realize the new league’s owners and managers would pool money and target NHL stars to sign. The more stars they could sign the more legitimate they became. Also, it gave the league more drawing power.

The old guard of the NHL who never cooperated in this way, thought they could force the WHA out of business as they did with every other new start up league. What they did not count on was that in 1972 Bobby Hull signed with Winnipeg, then in 1973 Gordie Howe signed with the Houston Aeros, and played there with his sons, Mike and Marty. The new league did not expand to fast and were careful where they placed teams.

Meanwhile, in the NHL, they did not know how to handle this. Told not to get into a bidding war with the new league, teams saw the pull on their teams and broke ranks to keep the talent they
had. Outrageous salaries were paid to good, not great or even special players to keep them .

The old Chicago Stadium had seating capacity 16,666. It was a joke because every home game in the early and mid 70's were sell outs and with standing room packed in close to 20,000 people. Why should you overpay talent when you kept pulling attendance numbers like that.

Wirtz, still not convinced the new league would last ,let some of the better talent we had get away. Couple that with the turnover in front office personnel and GM’s , as listed below, the word around the league was that Chicago was not the place to play.

The Hawks moved to the United Center along with the Bulls. Wirtz began to realize the product he put on the ice was not selling out the new 22,000 seat venue. Many changes were made every where except where the biggest change should be made. At the top.

Ironically, it took his death to change the atmosphere of the Hawks and their perception around the league. Several attempts were made to go after good free agents with poor results. Brian Campbell said it best when he said before no major free agent wanted to come here. He then said the talk around the league now is that Chicago is the place to play.

The list below shows how fractured this club was prior to 2005. The list of coaches is worse.
General Managers

Frederic McLaughlin 1926 1942
Tommy Ivan July 8, 1954 July 6, 1977
Bob Pulford July 6, 1977 June 5, 1990
Mike Keenan June 5, 1990 November 7, 1992
Bob Pulford November 7, 1992 July 3, 1997
Bob Murray July 3, 1997 December 2, 1999
Bob Pulford (Interim) December 2, 1999 October 2, 2000
Mike Smith October 2, 2000 October 24, 2003
Bob Pulford (Interim) October 24, 2003 January 1, 2004
Bob Pulford January 1, 2004 June 21, 2005
Dale Tallon June 21, 2005

[bigjack]

Originally Posted by Maggie3and Me

Your assessment is spot on jack. Here are part of the reasons the for the franchise becoming a joke. After the WHA came into existence, Dollar Bill Wirtz, who at one time was thought to be one of the most powerful Governors, on the old Board of Governors, vowed to break the new league. He is a major reason the new league survived. He basically told the other owners if they stood firm, did not give in to the outrages salary demands of the players, the new league would go broke.

He did not realize the new league’s owners and managers would pool money and target NHL stars to sign. The more stars they could sign the more legitimate they became. Also, it gave the league more drawing power.

The old guard of the NHL who never cooperated in this way, thought they could force the WHA out of business as they did with every other new start up league. What they did not count on was that in 1972 Bobby Hull signed with Winnipeg, then in 1973 Gordie Howe signed with the Houston Aeros, and played there with his sons, Mike and Marty. The new league did not expand to fast and were careful where they placed teams.

Meanwhile, in the NHL, they did not know how to handle this. Told not to get into a bidding war with the new league, teams saw the pull on their teams and broke ranks to keep the talent they
had. Outrageous salaries were paid to good, not great or even special players to keep them .

The old Chicago Stadium had seating capacity 16,666. It was a joke because every home game in the early and mid 70's were sell outs and with standing room packed in close to 20,000 people. Why should you overpay talent when you kept pulling attendance numbers like that.

Wirtz, still not convinced the new league would last ,let some of the better talent we had get away. Couple that with the turnover in front office personnel and GM’s , as listed below, the word around the league was that Chicago was not the place to play.

The Hawks moved to the United Center along with the Bulls. Wirtz began to realize the product he put on the ice was not selling out the new 22,000 seat venue. Many changes were made every where except where the biggest change should be made. At the top.

Ironically, it took his death to change the atmosphere of the Hawks and their perception around the league. Several attempts were made to go after good free agents with poor results. Brian Campbell said it best when he said before no major free agent wanted to come here. He then said the talk around the league now is that Chicago is the place to play.

The list below shows how fractured this club was prior to 2005. The list of coaches is worse.
General Managers

Frederic McLaughlin 1926 1942
Tommy Ivan July 8, 1954 July 6, 1977
Bob Pulford July 6, 1977 June 5, 1990
Mike Keenan June 5, 1990 November 7, 1992
Bob Pulford November 7, 1992 July 3, 1997
Bob Murray July 3, 1997 December 2, 1999
Bob Pulford (Interim) December 2, 1999 October 2, 2000
Mike Smith October 2, 2000 October 24, 2003
Bob Pulford (Interim) October 24, 2003 January 1, 2004
Bob Pulford January 1, 2004 June 21, 2005
Dale Tallon June 21, 2005

Nice analysis and Wirtz was a clown and wouldn't even televise the home games. That theory that doing it would harm attendance was proven wrong 10 fold as attendance increased with increased exposure.
It sounds like his Son(I think it is) is doing a nice job of being supportive and staying out of the way!
I loved the old Chicago Stadium with the loud crowd noise, organ booming in the background, the stairs to the lockerooms and the small neutral zone! Like Boston Garden, Maple Leaf Gardens, and the Forum, something is lost with these new buildings! It would of been better if they built the new arena's looking identical to the old building and with the same dimensions. That would be cool to see a brand new Boston Garden with the same rafters and scoreboard and the penalty box next to the bench and the New Forum looking the same with those red seats etc!
Look at Tommy Ivan and Billy Reay together for 14 years or so! My Dad always said he thought that the Dark Black Hawk uniforms were the best in hockey even though he's a Rangers fan!

[Maggie3and Me]

Originally Posted by bigjack

Nice analysis and Wirtz was a clown and wouldn't even televise the home games. That theory that doing it would harm attendance was proven wrong 10 fold as attendance increased with increased exposure.
It sounds like his Son(I think it is) is doing a nice job of being supportive and staying out of the way!
I loved the old Chicago Stadium with the loud crowd noise, organ booming in the background, the stairs to the lockerooms and the small neutral zone! Like Boston Garden, Maple Leaf Gardens, and the Forum, something is lost with these new buildings! It would of been better if they built the new arena's looking identical to the old building and with the same dimensions. That would be cool to see a brand new Boston Garden with the same rafters and scoreboard and the penalty box next to the bench and the New Forum looking the same with those red seats etc!
Look at Tommy Ivan and Billy Reay together for 14 years or so! My Dad always said he thought that the Dark Black Hawk uniforms were the best in hockey even though he's a Rangers fan!

bigjack,

It is his son Rocky who took over. His older brother Peter was a senior VP, but Rocky took over and we have been on our way ever since then. I am really getting excited about this new group. They play as a team more than any club since the 70's. Also,one of the youngest teams in the league.

Never could understand the old man not televising home games. He literally drove the fan base into the ground. You could not get them on TV. They were so bad if you called the U/C and asked what time does the game start, they would ask you what time can you be there.

Back when I first went to games there, we sat across ice from the organ up in the nose bleed section. When I got my season tickets in 72, they were underneath the press box. Great seats behind the net. Those old buildings jack, seem to have a life of their own.

Been to the United Center for games several times. The crowd gets loud, but it is nothing like the old barn. Wirtz pissed me off so bad with his mismanagement I stayed away from the home games. Followed them very closely, but would not pay for what he was passing of a professional hockey.

Boy, has that changed now. try to get to as many games as I can. Thanks for the uniform mention they are nice.

M3M

[ScottRasner]

Maggie, now you cant just live in this thread only now, ha ha.

[fish7]

What a great thread!!!
I would so much rather watch the good old rough and tough, mostly non helmet hockey of my youth than the bigger stronger better conditioned and equipped hockey of today. If it was not for my two fantasy teams, I am not sure if I would follow much of today's game

Random old fart recollections of Blues hockey:
I was too young for the glory years, i first started really paying attention to hockey in the '73-74 season. I went to the game against Boston when Durbano was traded to Pittsburgh right after the game. The next night we played in Pitt and the Blues called up Bob Gassoff for his first game and luckily enough the game was on tv and he instantly became my favorite player
I was lucky enough to see most of his games. He had really improved his overall play over his career ( 24 points his last season) and his death put the Blues in a major tailspin for years. I was on the ice for his memorial game the next season with a couple hundred other youth hockey players. I still have the patch they gave us.

I saw many great Bob Plager hip checks. The best was at a clinic he was running at the Arena for youth players in 1980. He had junior players running drills and he took a turn on d on 3 on 2's and he hip checked this kid who slid on his back to where we were standing and Plager blew his whistle and said that is what happened when you skated with your head down.

the 1973-74 team had to have the toughest roster of any Blues team-Gassoff, Plager brothers, Durbano, Battleship Kelly, Bugsy Watson, Ted Harris, Phil Roberto, Unger, Ace Bailey, Floyd Thompson and Wensink

Derek Sanderson had a great season here. He was a lot of fun to watch. I can only imagine how good he could have been if he was not completely wasted every night. He was my dad's favorite player. I remember him scoring against the Rangers soon after we acquired him and he picked up the puck and tossed it to Emile Francis behind the Ranger bench.

Emile Francis came in and acquired a bunch of Ranger has beens, then built a great team and subsequently dismantled it with horrible trades. He also buried Pat Hickey in the minors to settle an old grudge over Hitch going to the WHA. One of the guys who sat in our section would point to Francis's box and scream that we would never win with that little SOB running the team before every period

Hitch was a lot of fun to watch for two years after Francis was gone and his exile to the minors was over. He was an excellent sh!t disturber.

Gerry Hart was another guy that was great at causing trouble in the two years he played here

[fansince65]

Originally Posted by fish7

What a great thread!!!
I would so much rather watch the good old rough and tough, mostly non helmet hockey of my youth than the bigger stronger better conditioned and equipped hockey of today. If it was not for my two fantasy teams, I am not sure if I would follow much of today's game

Random old fart recollections of Blues hockey:
I was too young for the glory years, i first started really paying attention to hockey in the '73-74 season. I went to the game against Boston when Durbano was traded to Pittsburgh right after the game. The next night we played in Pitt and the Blues called up Bob Gassoff for his first game and luckily enough the game was on tv and he instantly became my favorite player
I was lucky enough to see most of his games. He had really improved his overall play over his career ( 24 points his last season) and his death put the Blues in a major tailspin for years. I was on the ice for his memorial game the next season with a couple hundred other youth hockey players. I still have the patch they gave us.

I saw many great Bob Plager hip checks. The best was at a clinic he was running at the Arena for youth players in 1980. He had junior players running drills and he took a turn on d on 3 on 2's and he hip checked this kid who slid on his back to where we were standing and Plager blew his whistle and said that is what happened when you skated with your head down.

the 1973-74 team had to have the toughest roster of any Blues team-Gassoff, Plager brothers, Durbano, Battleship Kelly, Bugsy Watson, Ted Harris, Phil Roberto, Unger, Ace Bailey, Floyd Thompson and Wensink

Derek Sanderson had a great season here. He was a lot of fun to watch. I can only imagine how good he could have been if he was not completely wasted every night. He was my dad's favorite player. I remember him scoring against the Rangers soon after we acquired him and he picked up the puck and tossed it to Emile Francis behind the Ranger bench.

Emile Francis came in and acquired a bunch of Ranger has beens, then built a great team and subsequently dismantled it with horrible trades. He also buried Pat Hickey in the minors to settle an old grudge over Hitch going to the WHA. One of the guys who sat in our section would point to Francis's box and scream that we would never win with that little SOB running the team before every period

Hitch was a lot of fun to watch for two years after Francis was gone and his exile to the minors was over. He was an excellent sh!t disturber.

Gerry Hart was another guy that was great at causing trouble in the two years he played here

I noticed you mentioned Gary Unger and Derek Sanderson in your post .

The best hockey fight I ever witnessed In my life was between both of them when they both played junior "A" hockey .
I know the fight lasted for about 2-3 minutes but it seamed like it went 15 rounds .
Sanderson cross checked Unger and Unger dropped the gloves , he waited until Sanderson did the same , then they engaged , no grabbing of the jersey here they just swung away , Sanderson knocked Unger down in the first 20 seconds , he was up so fast you would never know he went down if you were not watching , they exchanged punches like I never had seen before , both landing bombs or the next two and a half minutes , Unger landed one that took Derek off his feet , he got up again ,in the meantime the Ref and linesmen were just keeping the other players from interfering , no fear of that . the players of both teams were awestruck .
Unger landed two more beauties Sanderson went down to his hands and knees , Unger stood over him telling him to get up but Sanderson had enough he just shook his head .
Now as you know I have been around for a few years , I have never seen a stand up hockey fight to compare to that one ever !!!

I always wished they taped JR A games way back , some of the best fights were between the players that we all write about on this forum ...

[bigjack]

Originally Posted by fish7

What a great thread!!!
I would so much rather watch the good old rough and tough, mostly non helmet hockey of my youth than the bigger stronger better conditioned and equipped hockey of today. If it was not for my two fantasy teams, I am not sure if I would follow much of today's game

Random old fart recollections of Blues hockey:
I was too young for the glory years, i first started really paying attention to hockey in the '73-74 season. I went to the game against Boston when Durbano was traded to Pittsburgh right after the game. The next night we played in Pitt and the Blues called up Bob Gassoff for his first game and luckily enough the game was on tv and he instantly became my favorite player
I was lucky enough to see most of his games. He had really improved his overall play over his career ( 24 points his last season) and his death put the Blues in a major tailspin for years. I was on the ice for his memorial game the next season with a couple hundred other youth hockey players. I still have the patch they gave us.

I saw many great Bob Plager hip checks. The best was at a clinic he was running at the Arena for youth players in 1980. He had junior players running drills and he took a turn on d on 3 on 2's and he hip checked this kid who slid on his back to where we were standing and Plager blew his whistle and said that is what happened when you skated with your head down.

the 1973-74 team had to have the toughest roster of any Blues team-Gassoff, Plager brothers, Durbano, Battleship Kelly, Bugsy Watson, Ted Harris, Phil Roberto, Unger, Ace Bailey, Floyd Thompson and Wensink

Derek Sanderson had a great season here. He was a lot of fun to watch. I can only imagine how good he could have been if he was not completely wasted every night. He was my dad's favorite player. I remember him scoring against the Rangers soon after we acquired him and he picked up the puck and tossed it to Emile Francis behind the Ranger bench.

Emile Francis came in and acquired a bunch of Ranger has beens, then built a great team and subsequently dismantled it with horrible trades. He also buried Pat Hickey in the minors to settle an old grudge over Hitch going to the WHA. One of the guys who sat in our section would point to Francis's box and scream that we would never win with that little SOB running the team before every period

Hitch was a lot of fun to watch for two years after Francis was gone and his exile to the minors was over. He was an excellent sh!t disturber.

Gerry Hart was another guy that was great at causing trouble in the two years he played here

About Emile Francis(I know I'm beating a dead Cat), I have to give him credit for the 1976 draft with the Blues. Now obviously he had lots of old Blue scouting help being that he was only with the club a month or so but in a very WEAK 1976 draft, Francis picked Federko, Sutter, and Liut! Not too shabby at all!
He also had money issues in St Louis with ownership that he never worried about in NY but built a very good team in 1981 that the Rangers upset. Sutter, Federko, Babych, Pettersson, Turnbull were all drafted by Francis if I remember and he was hurt by the Scott Campbell injury that he had hoped to build the blueline around. Losing first Gassoff and then Campbell really hurt!
He relied on rethreads like Hart as mentioned, Kea, Rick Lapointe, Barry Gibbs, Guy Lapointe etc! When Jack Brownschidle was your best defenseman, you knew your blueline sucked. Mike Liut saved the bacon on many nights for sure!
His problem is he canned Berenson as coach the next year and that was a big mistake in my opinion. Did he draft Joey Mullen also or was Mullen signed as a free agent? Either way, that was another astute Francis move.
The Cat knew talent for sure!

Now in the old days when he ran the Rangers, the Blues were like the Rangers west for chrissakes! Lets see:::::
Bob Plager,
Barclay Plager
Moose Dupont
Steve Durbano
JB Kelly
Mike Murphy (twice)
Wayne Connelly
Jack Egers
Teddy Irvine
Bert Wilson
Jerry Butler
Red Berenson
Tim Ecclestone
Camile Henry
Phil Goyette
Glen Sather
Turk Sanderson
Larry Sacharuk
All these guys were Rangers and were dealt by Francis to the Blues between 1967 and 1975. I know there were more but that is who I can remember and back here in NY, we'd laugh our ass off and think there goes Francis with another goddamn deal with the Blues!
If he wasn't dealing with the Blues, it was the Kings because his old assistant GM Jake Milford ran the Kings!
The one move I will never forgive Francis for was dealing in early 1971 for that jackoff Gene Carr. Boy did he ever suck and Francis was in love with the guy! Carr must of had photo's of Francis somewhere because this guy sucked and where did Francis finally deal him to?
You guessed it LA for another clown Gilles Marotte! Boy did he suck! They called him Captain Crunch but I always called him Captain Crumble because that was the defense that he played especially around teams like the Islanders, Flyers, and Flames! What an asshole with those sideburns thinking he looked cool and the slicked back hair! All this asshole did was run around looking to make a big hit or pass the puck up the middle for constant turnovers and he never cleared the front of the net or crease!
Gilles Marotte sucked!

[Maggie3and Me]

bigjack,

If it will brighten your day any, it could have been worse. You could have been the Blackhawks.

Our wonderful management sent Esposito, Hodge, and Stanfield to Boston May of 1967. There, they win Cups in 68-69 and 71-72. What remarkable talent did we bet back for the players that would go on to have outstanding careers?

Why none other than Jack Norris a goalie who played a total of 10 games in two years with about a 4.75 GAA. If that wasn't enough we also got Gilles Marrotte, a D man of massive stature. He was listed at 5'9", but was really only 5'7" and a listed 205 read 190 pounds. Surprisingly, he had 15 goals and about 60 assists in just over 2 1/2 years. I would say he blew, but would accept your definition that he sucked.

The only player worth a sh*t for us was Pit Martin. He had a stellar career for the Hawks for the next 10 years.

By the way thanks for taking Marrotte off our hands in 1973.

This is made more hideous to both the Hawks and the Rags is that we traded Boston the cup, while we were knocking each other off in the semi's.

Some where the God of Hockey is laughing is ass off.

M3M

[hockeybooks]

Originally Posted by fansince65

[From Bobby Hull"s Autobiography] My Wife Joanne made me a millionaire !! When I met her I had Three million !!

joanne hull has [had?] a beautiful home in the ritzy West Van area, and was also trevor linden's billet for his rookie year

orland kurtenbach is 2nd in command for the local junior a circuit, the BCHL , working under john grisdale, also an nhl alumni. they market themselves as a player's alternative to the WHL, with a focus on sending players to US colleges on scholarships.

YouTube - Kurtenbach vs Cashman

[bigjack]

Originally Posted by Maggie3and Me

bigjack,

If it will brighten your day any, it could have been worse. You could have been the Blackhawks.

Our wonderful management sent Esposito, Hodge, and Stanfield to Boston May of 1967. There, they win Cups in 68-69 and 71-72. What remarkable talent did we bet back for the players that would go on to have outstanding careers?

Why none other than Jack Norris a goalie who played a total of 10 games in two years with about a 4.75 GAA. If that wasn't enough we also got Gilles Marrotte, a D man of massive stature. He was listed at 5'9", but was really only 5'7" and a listed 205 read 190 pounds. Surprisingly, he had 15 goals and about 60 assists in just over 2 1/2 years. I would say he blew, but would accept your definition that he sucked.

The only player worth a sh*t for us was Pit Martin. He had a stellar career for the Hawks for the next 10 years.

By the way thanks for taking Marrotte off our hands in 1973.

This is made more hideous to both the Hawks and the Rags is that we traded Boston the cup, while we were knocking each other off in the semi's.

Some where the God of Hockey is laughing is ass off.

M3M

Gilles Marotte, wow! He goes from Boston to Chicago and then to LA and finally to NY and boy was he overrated. I'll never forget when the Rangers acquired him and it cost us a ton in Mike Murphy, Tommy Williams(no not the American Williams) and Shelly Kannegiesser. Murphy played about 10 years in LA, Williams was a right handed shooting leftwinger and had a 35 goal year and 24 and 19 in LA before injuries would end his career and Kannegiesser was as good as Marotte was on the backline! A steal for the Kings and Jim Gordon was going on and on about how good Marotte was and the SOB couldn't get past Neilson, Seiling, and Rolfe nevermind Brad Park! The guy made more poor passes for turnovers and ran around out of position and never cleared the crease! Otherwise he was great and he was so crappy that in the 1974 playoffs, he was playing about 8 minutes a night as the 5th defenseman and he cost us 3 young players!
By the way-RIP Hubert Pit Martin!
Jack Norris-what I remember about him was an early 1972/73 WHA game televised from Minnesota and he was in net for Alberta who later became Edmonton and Jack McCarten was in net for Minnesota and the rink in Minnesota had the see through boards that were cool. For some reason I remember Fred Speck zooming around for Minnesota and 5'5 Keith Christiansen playing defense for Minnesota. Wayne Connelly and John Arbour were with Minnesota also and Jimmy Harrison and Al Hamilton were with Alberta! It might have been January of 1973 and was on CBS if I remember right!
Maybe someone else remembers but that was like the only WHA game that I ever saw!

[bigjack]

Originally Posted by hockeybooks

joanne hull has [had?] a beautiful home in the ritzy West Van area, and was also trevor linden's billet for his rookie year

orland kurtenbach is 2nd in command for the local junior a circuit, the BCHL , working under john grisdale, also an nhl alumni. they market themselves as a player's alternative to the WHL, with a focus on sending players to US colleges on scholarships.

YouTube - Kurtenbach vs Cashman

Yup that was the same series in 1970. Even though Big Kurt won the fight, Cashman played it smart staying in tight. Kurtenbach was devastating standing back and using his reach and accuracy with his punches and he could really throw an uppercut!
I loved that name-Orland John Kurtenbach!

[fansince65]

Since we are on the Black Hawks this is some of "WHAT THEY SAID" about Bobby Hull ..

No one of his era has gone out of his way as much or is more gracious then Bobby Hull ..
Goalie ken Dryden ...

The first time I saw that thing , I said a prayer of thanks that i didn't have to worry about it !!
Goalie and teammate Glen Hall on Bobby's Slap-shot ..

I've played with Bobby since we were juniors together and the only thing I disagree with him on is the way he lets guys foul him . I'D bust someone over the head if they did that to me , but I am not as nice a guy as Bobby and everyone knows it .!!
Stan Mikita on Bobbys pacifist tendencies ..

It had to come . What can you say except to congratulate him ?
Maurice"Rocket"Richard "reluctantly", on Hull breaking the 50 goal barrier in 1966 ...

He never ever had to work with weights ...
Robert Hull Sr, on his sons natural physique ..

My problem was that Bobby was so good , I didn't want to embarrass him and yet I felt that was what I was doing every time I went on the ice ...
Teammate and kid brother Dennis Hull ...

He's a statue by Praxiteles come alive from the golden age of Greece, Incredibly handsome even without his front teeth. A man who inspires sighs from from every maiden and envy in the blood of every man ..
Trish Baldridge,Chicago Daily News ...

When you play against Chicago you are down 1-0 !!
Punch Imlach , referring to Bobbys scoring ability ..

He hasn't a weakness , unless you stop him in his own end of the rink , you don't have a chance , he's to big and strong ..
Andy Bathgate on Hulls rushes ..

Stopping one of Hull's shots is like being hit on your pads with a sledgehammer..
Leafs goalie Johnny Bower ...

The kid looks good in his first game !!!
Gordie Howe , after the 41 year old Hull joined Howe on the Whalers ..

The sight of Robert Marvin Hull ... Leaning into a hockey puck is one of the true spectals of sport--Like watching Mickey Mantle clear the roof , or Wilt Chamberlain flick in a basket , or Bart Starr throw that beautiful bomb ..
TIME : 1968 ...


Big jack i saved this one for you special , knowing your connection to Fergie ..

People forgot that Bobby was one of most physical players in hockey . he Wouldn't back away from anyone and he knew how to hurt you ...

Canadians Policeman "John Ferguson" ....

[Maggie3and Me]

Guys ran across this. Hope you enjoy

Few of the game's superstars could match the physical talents of Bobby Hull. The Golden Jet combined speed, a feared slapshot and a powerful physique to rise to the elite of the NHL in the 1960s. Depending on the source, his shot was timed at approximately 120 miles per hour. His powerful legs never stopped moving and his muscular upper body enabled him to handle the rough side of the game. Hull was a legend in Chicago and later enjoyed success in the World Hockey Association and on the international stage while representing Canada.

Hull grew up on a farm near Belleville, Ontario, two hours east of Toronto. From a young age it was apparent that his raw talent was exceptional. He moved rapidly through the minor hockey system and was signed by the Chicago Black Hawks organization. As a 15-year-old, he played a handful of games with the Galt Black Hawks of the OHA and didn't look out of place.

The Hawks next moved Hull up to the main junior affiliate, the OHA's St. Catharines Teepees. During his second year, in 1956-57, Hull scored 16 points in 13 playoff matches for the Garden City team. A few months later, he put two pucks past New York Rangers goalie Gump Worsley in a pre-season game to launch one of the greatest of NHL careers.

Hull's highly anticipated regular-season debut came in 1957-58. He didn't disappoint the Hawks' fans and brass and turned in a fine 47-point effort that year to finish runner-up to Toronto's Frank Mahovlich in the Calder Trophy voting at the end of the season. Hull improved by three points in his sophomore year before breaking out in 1959-60 with a league-high 39 goals and 81 points. Teamed with Bill Hay and Murray Balfour on the Million Dollar Line, Hull won the Art Ross Trophy and earned a place on the NHL First All-Star Team.

More important, the young star helped resurrect the fortunes of a struggling franchise. Prior to his arrival, Chicago had missed the playoffs 11 out of the previous 12 seasons. The atmosphere around the organization was dismal and the once proud fans stayed away in droves. Hull's arrival along with Stan Mikita helped rekindle the spark within the franchise and raised the team's profile among the sports fans of the Windy City.

Together with teammate Mikita, Hull developed the curved hockey stick, which gave the shooter more velocity and caused the puck to move differently at times. And what goalies throughout the league didn't need was the most feared shot in the NHL behaving like a curve ball.

The 1960-61 regular season was somewhat of a letdown for Hull individually, but in the post-season he scored 14 points in 12 games as Chicago won the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1938. The next year he became the third player in league history to score 50 goals in a season.

In 1964-65, despite missing nine games due to injury, the Golden Jet scored 39 goals and helped Chicago reach the Stanley Cup finals, where they lost out to Montreal. At season's end he was awarded the Hart and Lady Byng trophies. The following season he set an NHL record with 54 goals and repeated as the Hart Trophy winner.

In 1966-67, Hull's 52 goals helped Chicago win its first regular-season championship since coach Pete Muldoon cursed the team after he was fired in 1938. Their march to the Stanley Cup was cut short in the semifinals by the Toronto Maple Leafs under Punch Imlach.

Hull scored 44 goals during the first expansion season, then followed up with a record-breaking performance in 1968-69. His 58 goals set a single-season record that fans thought would last many years. As it turned out, Boston's Phil Esposito hit the back of the net 76 times two years later. In January 1970, Hull was named by the Associated Press as the top NHL player of the 1960s.

While Esposito was leading the Bruins through a magical regular season in 1970-71, the Hawks were led by Hull's 44 goals and captured the West Division crown. On February 14, 1971, he scored twice against the Vancouver Canucks to surpass Maurice Richard for second place on the NHL's all-time goal-scoring list. Hull then embarked on the most productive post-season of his career with 11 goals and 25 points in 18 games as Chicago came within one period of winning the Stanley Cup. Leading 2-1 late in the second period of game seven, the Hawks couldn't hold the lead and lost 3-2 in front of a disappointed home crowd. One of the indelible images of this final game was the Habs' lanky netminder, Ken Dryden, using his long reach to foil a sure goal by Hull.

In 1971-72, Hull hit the 50-goal mark for the fifth time in his career, playing with Pit Martin and Chico Maki. At this stage of his career, many observers noted that he was playing his most well-rounded hockey ever. Ironically, this complete version of Bobby Hull was the last NHL fans would see of him for several years.

In February 1972, an ominous event in the form of the World Hockey Association General Player Draft took place. The Winnipeg Jets selected Hull and a few months later shocked the hockey world by signing him to the first $1 million contract in hockey history.

This turn of events was the major coup needed by the WHA to legitimize itself. The NHL was bitter and exacted revenge on the Golden Jet by blocking his participation on behalf of Canada in the 1972 Summit Series versus the Soviets. When Hull left the NHL, his 604 goals ranked him second in league history to Gordie Howe.

Overall, Hull's play in the Manitoba capital helped the Jets become a major success in the new league, but the adjustment took its toll as he developed ulcers in response to the stress of playing several games on consecutive nights under conditions that were quite poor compared to the NHL.

Hull soon formed one of the top forward lines anywhere in the world with Swedes Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson. The 1974-75 season was particularly special as he finally had a chance to compete against the Soviets in the second Canada-USSR series at the start of the year. He also went on to score 77 goals for Winnipeg in the regular season to establish a new record for a professional league. Hull's play was an integral part of the Jets' Avco Cup wins in 1976, 1978 and 1979. In 1973 and 1975 he was chosen the most valuable player in the WHA.

Prior to the 1976-77 WHA season, Hull was allowed to compete for his country in the inaugural Canada Cup tournament. He was Canada's top-scoring forward and consistently dished out punishing yet clean bodychecks. If this tournament was the highlight of Bobby Orr's career, it was also unquestionably Hull's one chance to shine in a competition featuring the top players from around the globe.

Following the NHL/WHA merger in 1979, Hull remained with the Jets for 18 games in the 1979-80 season before a trade brought him to the Hartford Whalers to play alongside Gordie Howe. He retired after that season with 610 goals in 1,063 regular-season games. Hull took his place in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983 along with old teammate Stan Mikita. Following his career, he worked full-time in the cattle ranching business, a field in which he had a lifetime of experience.

This is perhaps the most telling of statistics. As you know in Chicago and around the league, he was known as the "Golden Jet". Here is why.

Quote:
His slapshot was once clocked at 118.3 mph (190.4 km/h) and he could skate 29.7 mph (47.8 km/h).[1]

Source:
^ "Hawk on the Wing". Time magazine (Time Inc.). 1968–03–01. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...1234-1,00.html. Retrieved on 2007–04–09.

I was privileged to see him from 1959 thru the first part of the 63-64 season, then again from 1970-72. What a Thrill. Instead of complaining about how Wirtz let him go, I am thankful for what we had.