Los Angeles Kings Legends

Bob Berry

2011-12-16T22:31:00.000-08:00

Bob Berry got his first taste in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens, but will always be best known as a player as a member of the Los Angeles Kings. To another generation he will best be remembered as a long time coach.

A 20 year old Berry spent the 1963-64 season between the QJHL's Verdun Maple Leafs and the OHA's Peterborough Petes. As opposed to taking a shot at the pros, Berry, an intelligent student, opted to attend George Williams College where he also starred on the hockey team for 3 seasons. Upon graduation, he turned to the Quebec Senior League where he starred with the Hull Nationals.

The Montreal Canadiens secured his NHL rights a while back finallly Berry turned pro. He spent his first two seasons playing in the American Hockey League. He did see action in two games with the Habs in the 1968-69 season.

Well Berry will always cherish his two games wearing the CH, his best memories came in a LA Kings jersey. The Habs sold him to Los Angeles in 1970.

Berry went on to play 7 full seasons with the Kings. His most successful seasons came when he was paired with center Juha Widing and right winger Mike Corrigan. The trio, dubbed the Hot Line by LA media, were an essential cog in the Kings attack in the early 1970s. Berry recollected on his days on the Hot Line:

"All three of us provided some balanced scoring and with the other two centers, Bob Nevin and Butch Goring, contributing as well we were a tough opponent almost every night."

Berry was the best known of the three. He twice represented the LA Kings as their selection to play in the All Star game - in 1973 when he scored a career high 36 goals and 64 points, and in 1974 when he scored 56 points. In all, Berry scored 159 goals and 350 points in a purple and gold Kings jersey.

Berry enjoyed his time on the west coast:

"My NHL career was with the Los Angeles Kings and I'll always look back on those days with fondness. During my seven seasons we accomplished a lot of positives and in particular the 1974-75 season stands out. That season we had a great bunch of guys...a lot of guys from other organizations...Rogie Vachon, Terry Harper, Bob Murdoch, Dan Maloney, Bob Nevin and Mike Murphy. These were character players and with the coaching of Bob Pulford we put together a 105 point season (still a club record)."

One guy Berry had much respect for was Pulford.

"Playing for Bob Pulford was a great experience. He taught everyone the value of hard work and team work. We had nine players that season who played in every game, we were well balanced and all three lines were dangerous with the puck and had responsibilities from a defensive standpoint."

Following his playing days Berry turned to coaching. Berry has been a fixture behind the bench for many years, either as a head coach or an assistant.

Glenn Goldup

2011-12-03T21:33:00.000-08:00

This is Glenn Goldup, the son of former NHL forward Hank Goldup.

Born in St. Catharines, Ont., he grew up in suburbs of Toronto. In fact, he grew up playing his youth hockey in the same Humber Valley minor hockey program that produced future NHL teammate Ken Dryden.

Glenn went on to play his junior hockey starring for the Toronto Marlboros and had 42 goals and 53 assists in 54 games in his final season.

"We won the Memorial Cup that year and that was the highlight of my career," he recalled "I think we lost only six or eight games all season. In the past the Marlies always had one strong line and played it to death, but George Armstrong was our coach, and he used all three lines on the power plays and to kill penalties, and it didn't matter if we were down three or four goals going into the final period, we were always confident that we could pull it out."

Goldup played on a line with Wayne Dillon and Mark Howe, which surpassed all the team scoring records previously set by the line of Steve Shutt, Billy Harris and Dave Gardner.

Goldup was a second-round draft pick of the Canadiens in 1973 and spent parts of three seasons with the team while also playing in the minors at Nova Scotia and Fort Worth. He helped Nova Scotia win the Calder Cup as AHL champions in 1976 - one of his proudest moments in his hockey career.

He played 291 games in the 1970s, mostly with the Los Angeles Kings even though he was originally a Montreal Canadiens prospect. Those 70s Montreal teams were very deep and Goldup could not get into the line up regularly. So the Habs traded Goldup and 1978 third-round pick (later traded) to Los Angeles for 1977 third-round pick (Moe Robinson) and 1978 first-round pick (Danny Geoffrion) in 1976.

"Playing in Los Angeles was a distraction at first," he said. "But once I got over all the hype I found it was a great situation because I didn't have to wear an overcoat and I didn't have to start my car 10 minutes early because of the cold."

Goldup retired from pro hockey in 1983. In 291 NHL games he scored 52 goals and 67 assists for 119 points. He retired and moved back to Toronto. He sold cars initially but later found success as an account executive for sports radio station Fan 590.

Luc Robitaille

2011-11-21T23:02:00.001-08:00

"Cool Hand Luc" Robitaille is one of the most popular athletes on the Hollywood sports scene ever. However when the Los Angeles Kings made Robitaille their ninth round pick (171st pick overall) of the 1984 NHL Entry draft, they didn't expect much from the left winger. The Kings got a bit "lucky" themselves when "Lucky Luc" Robitaille's career blossomed following his draft year.

Robitaille would be returned to junior hockey for the following two seasons where he dominated with the Quebec league's Hull Olympiques. In his magnificent junior career, Luc played in 197 games recording 155 goals, 270 assists for 425 points! 191 of those points came in his final season with Hull, a season in which he was named the Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year.

Doubts of his skating ability still plagued him but he managed to shake that reputation in 1987 as he won the Calder trophy as the National Hockey League's best rookie, outdistancing Flyers rookie goalie Ron Hextall in voting. He also was named to the NHL Second All Star Team in just his first year, scoring 45 times and totaling 84 points.

Robitaille made up for any skating deficiencies with one of the most accurate shots in NHL history. He was a regular leader in shooting percentage, thanks to a number of reasons. He worked himself into high percentage scoring areas, often down low and in tight. Though a defender might have been draped all over him, he always kept his stick unchecked. He would release his shot in the blink of an eye, usually just burying passes and rebounds with no backswing at all.

There was no sophomore jinx for Lucky Luc, either, as he improved his performance in year 2 to 53 goals and 111 points and was named to the NHL's First All Star Team for the first of 4 times.

Robitaille's best season came in 1992-92 when he established NHL records for goals (63) and points (125) by a left winger and was named the Kings MVP as he elevated his game to the highest level as Wayne Gretzky missed half the season with a back injury. Robitaille also served as team captain during Gretzky's absence.

Robitaille, an under-noticed physical player, continued to be almost unquestioningly the league's best left winger for 8 seasons, consistently scoring goals. He scored at least 44 goals in 8 consecutive seasons (only Gretzky and Mike Bossy had better streaks), and also managed to shake his playoff jinx as he became a genuine playoff threat in 1992 with 12 goals in 12 games and in 1993 when he was a major part of the Kings "Cinderella" Cup run.

Just one year after coming so close to winning Lord Stanley's Grail, the Kings missed the playoffs. Robitaille played for Canada's national team at the 1994 World Championship in Italy. It was Robitaille who scored the gold medal winning goal in a shootout, giving Canada its first world championship in 33 years.

Back in Los Angeles changes were afoot following the disappointing playoff no-show. In the biggest trade of all, perhaps the most popular King of all time to Pittsburgh where he would join Mario Lemieux and the league's best collection of sharpshooters. However it wasn't meant to be in Pittsburgh. First Mario announced he wouldn't play that season to rest his ailing back, and then the NHL lock-out resulted in just a 48 game schedule. Luc managed 23 goals and 42 points, and despite scoring 7 times in 12 playoff games, he was dealt to the NY Rangers.

Robitaille's performance in the Big Apple dipped to average only 24 goals in his two seasons. Despite briefly being reunited with Wayne Gretzky, Robitaille wasn't used regularly because his style never really fit in with the Rangers. His lack of quickness was again becoming an issue as he got older.

At the beginning of the 1997 season, Luc was returned to the Los Angeles Kings where he is now a veteran counted on for leadership. With another injury riddled year, he scored only 16 times and many had written off Robitaille, which only proved to be a mistake.

Robitaille found his scoring touch again in 1998-99, lighting the lamp 39 times. He followed that up with seasons of 37 and 36 goals.

One of these goals stood out more than the others. He reached the 500-goal milestone in a game against the Buffalo Sabres on January 9, 1999. Only the sixth left winger in league history to reach the plateau, Robitaille scored the goal in his 928th NHL game, making him the 12th fastest ever to accomplish the feat.

In a surprise move, Robitaille became a un-restricted free agent and opted to sign with Detroit Red Wings in 2001. In his first season with the Wings, Robitaille registered 30 goals surpassing the 600-goal club and captured his first Stanley Cup and the Wings third cup in six years. Interestingly, with his day with the Stanley Cup, Robitaille brought the Cup back to Los Angeles, taking the trophy up into the hills by the famous "Hollywood" sign.

After two seasons and one Stanley Cup in Detroit, Robitaille was returned once again to the Los Angeles Kings for his third stint with the club in the summer of 2003. Luc Robitaille played his last game on April 17, 2006 with the Los Angeles Kings after 19 seasons of NHL competition.

With 557 of his 668 career NHL goals coming in a Los Angeles uniform he retired as the Kings all time leading goal scorer. He later became the fifth King to have his jersey #20 retired, joining Gretzky, Rogie Vachon, Marcel Dionne and Dave Taylor.

Kings Hockey Tickets

Charlie Simmer

2011-11-21T23:02:00.000-08:00

It took him a few seasons, but by 1979-80 Charlie Simmer had established himself as one of the most prolific scorers of his time.

Then tragedy struck.

Despite scoring 45 goals and 99 points in his only season of major junior hockey with the Soo Greyhounds, "Chaz" wasn't drafted until 39th overall in 1974. The California Golden Seals selected him in the 4th round.

Simmer never got untracked in California or Cleveland (the Seals moved to Ohio in 1976). He was released and signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings, the team where he would become famous.

It wasn't an instant hit though. Simmer spent a year and a half in the minors. In fact he almost quit hockey altogether before finally catching on with the Kings full time in 1978-79. He finished the year with a very impressive 21 goals and 48 points in 38 games.

Moved to the left wing, Simmer was a perfect match on a line with Marcel Dionne and Dave Taylor. The trio were quickly dubbed the Triple Crown line - one of the most famous units in hockey history.

For those who didn't notice Simmer's late season exploits, Simmer continued his excellence in the following season, leading the league in goal scoring with 56 goals. He added 45 assists for 101 points in just 64 games. He set the modern day NHL record with goals in 13 consecutive games.

In 1980-81, Simmer and New York Islanders superstar Mike Bossy both chased down Maurice "Rocket" Richard's legendary mark of 50 goals in 50 games. Bossy equaled the record, but Simmer fell just short. Simmer scored a hat trick in the 50th game of the year, but fell one shy with 49 goals in 50 games. He ended up with just 7 more goals, as he was limited to just 65 games.

A terrible injury ended Simmer's dream season on March 2, 1981. During a game in Toronto, Simmer's right leg was shattered. He didn't skate again until late November. His damaged leg was held together by a metal plate and nine screws.

Simmer's 1981-82 season was a tough one. He spent most of the year learning to play with his bad leg. He got into 50 games, scoring 15 times. Much of his ice time was limited to spot duty and power play shifts. By the playoffs he was regaining his old form, scoring 4 goals and 11 points in 10 games.

"I had to start out early with spot duty and power play shifts. And the biggest thing was to develop confidence that I could depend on the leg. You've got to be able to play without even thinking about it."

Simmer did learn to trust his leg, and also regained his speed. He wasn't a speedy player by any means, but for a man of his size, he had a surprising, powerful burst in his stride.

Simmer returned to a point a game form in 1982-83, scoring 80 points in a full 80 games. However only 29 of those points were goals. While he played his first full healthy season, the goal scoring machine seemed to be missing some of its potent cogs.

Simmer was able to return to his goal scoring form in 1983-84. He scored 44 times in 79 games, while adding 48 assists for 92 points. Most of his goals, as always, were garbage goals. He had a powerful wrist shot and fired the puck from anywhere, but like Tim Kerr he learned he was immovable in front of the net and a scoring machine in the slot.

Following an ugly contract dispute, the Kings traded Charlie to Boston after just 5 games in 1984-85. In Boston Charlie put together some nice seasons. He scored 34 goals his first year. In 1985-86 he was having one of his best seasons ever, but as usual he saw it ended by injury. Simmer got into only 55 games, but scored 36 goals.

Simmer appeared in all 80 games in '86-87, scoring 29 goals and 69 points. He spent one more year in the NHL, with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He bowed out quietly, scoring just 11 goals in 50 games with Mario Lemieux and company.

Simmer spent the 1988-89 season getting hockey out of his system by playing in Germany. He later returned to North America, playing in parts of two seasons with the IHL's San Diego Gulls.

Simmer was a two time NHL All Star, and was also given the Bill Masterton trophy in 1986 for his dedication to the game. Despite so many injuries, Charlie always battled back.

Marcel Dionne

2011-11-21T23:01:00.000-08:00

Many of today's superstars of the professional sports world complain about a lack of privacy. The demands on their time because they are famous and worshipped by millions is probably the worst aspect of the life of a pro athlete.

Rarely does a superstar slip through the cracks of prestige and recognition as inconspicuously as Marcel Dionne.

Dionne finished his career ranked as the third highest scorer of all time with 731 goals, 1040 assists and 1771 points in 1348 games. Only Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe amassed more impressive totals at the time.

In fact, of all the greats to grace the ice, Dionne ranks as the highest scoring French Canadian of all time. Not Guy Lafleur or Rocket Richard or Jean Beliveau or Mario Lemieux. Marcel Dionne outscored them all.

Yet when fans endlessly debate who is the greatest player of all time, Marcel's name hardly ever gets as much as a whisper. In the recent "Top 50 NHL Players of All Time" issue of the Hockey News, the third highest scorer in NHL history was ranked only 38th.

Why is Dionne under-appreciated? For one, he spent most of his career in Los Angeles when hockey was little more than an a passing thought in the sunbelt of the United States.

Another reason is despite all of his spectacular scoring displays, he has very little in terms of trophies in his display case. He was overshadowed first by the powerful Montreal Canadiens in the 1970s, and then by Wayne Gretzky in the 1980s.

Probably the biggest reason why Dionne gets very little acknowledgment as one of the game's greatest is because his own team never really achieved much in terms of team success. Dionne appeared in the Stanley Cup playoffs in only 9 of his 18 years, never once getting close to appearing in the Stanley Cup finals. He appeared in 49 games and managed 45 points. This lack of Stanley Cup success often equates to a diminished status when discussing the greatest ever.

Marcel Dionne was perhaps the first great French Canadian not to play for Montreal. Back then it was considered destiny for a high scoring French Canadian to play for the Habs. However the fates never allowed Dionne to fulfill his destiny. The 1971 draft was quite the mini-drama in itself as Montreal acquired the 1st overall pick, and were faced with the tough decision of selecting two French Canadian scoring stars - Dionne or Guy Lafleur.

The Habs selected Lafleur, who initially struggled. Meanwhile Dionne went #2 to Detroit where he set the league on fire. Dionne, who was immediately dubbed "Little Beaver" because of his uncanny resemblance to a midget wrestler who used the stage name, set NHL rookie scoring records (since broken) and in fact scored 366 points in his first four seasons, more points in a four year period than any other player in history to that point.

Unfortunately he and the Wings had their differences, and after refusing to sign a contract he found the Los Angeles Kings were willing to pay $300,000 a season. That was the richest deal in hockey history to that point. A trade was worked out, and Dionne headed west.

Dionne instantly became the Kings shining jewel. Soon he would center one of the greatest lines in hockey history: the Triple Crown line with Dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer. His play on the ice was regal, winning the Art Ross and Lady Byng trophies.

Though Dionne's scoring prowess continued to impress on the California coast, he played in seemingly uninterrupted obscurity. Meanwhile Lafleur found his game, and was leading the Montreal Canadiens to multiple Stanley Cups.

Dionne would continue to play in Los Angeles until late 1987, when he accepted a trade to the New York Rangers. Dionne left, and continues to be, the Los Angeles Kings all time leading scorer. The Kings also retired his #16.

Dionne finished his career with the New York Rangers. Though he enjoyed his time on Broadway, his career came to a surprising end in the minor leagues. After being a healthy scratch many times in 1989, Dionne pushed for a minor league re-assignment, just wanting to play the game he loved. He would return to New York state and make it is home, opening up a dry cleaning business as well as promoting his own line of memorabilia.

Despite being one of the most prolific scorers in history, Dionne doesn't seem to get his due. Perhaps that's because he played in Los Angeles and never got the media attention he deserved. He never really played with a good team, as he was never part of a good playoff run or a Stanley Cup victory.

He is however, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the greatest hockey players of all time.

Mike Byers

2011-09-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

Mike Byers was one of thousands of journeymen players in NHL history. Not too many of his 170 NHL or 291 WHA games were spectacular by any definition, but he did his job as well as anybody else.

Mike had a five year junior career for the Toronto Marlboros between 1962-67, where he won the Memorial Cup in 1967. He wasn't a big scorer but more of a streaky scorer. He had three four goal games and showed flashes of great hockey.

Mike was an effortless skater with a good burst of speed. He also had a very hard shot but for some reason didn't shoot enough. He played parts of two seasons for Toronto but mostly played in the minors. In 1969 he was traded to Philadelphia but only played 5 games for them late in the season. Mike didn't crack the Flyers lineup the following season (1969-70) and spent the entire season with the Quebec Aces (AHL).

Philadelphia lost their patience with Byers and shipped him to Los Angeles on May 21, 1970. He immediately caught on in LA and scored a fine 27 goals, leading the team, and 45 points, figures that he would never match again on this level. He played on the "Bee Line" together with Bob Berry and Juha Widing. They combined for 173 points and played very solidly. Mike himself had six two goal games and scored against every NHL team. During that season many observers ranked Mike as having one of the best backhanded shots in the league.

The next season Mike came struggling out of the gate and only scored 9 points in the first 28 games for Los Angeles. He was promptly traded to Buffalo. He finished the season in Buffalo and scored 16 points in 46 games and actually played on a line together with Rick Martin and Gilbert Perreault for a brief period. Unfortunately Mike and Sabres coach Joe Crozier didn't get along very well.

"I loved Punch Imlach, both as a coach and general manager," said Mike, "But I didn't have a lot of respect for Joe Crozier, who was coaching the Sabres at the time (1972). I never saw eye-to-eye with Joe. And what I was looking to in Buffalo was a full year with Joe as coach. I just didn't see a lot of positive things by staying in Buffalo. So I jumped."

Mike jumped to the newly started rival league WHA. He had been selected by the Los Angeles Sharks in the 1972 WHA general player draft on February 12, 1972. Unfortunately for Mike there wasn't much to cheer about in LA.

"I wasn't really impressed with their management (LA Sharks) right from the beginning," recalled Mike. " I found out later that many of the people who ran the Sharks had never been involved with hockey before. I found out very quickly, their practice session times were scheduled very poorly. So were their travel schedules. And their philosophy was to put out a team on the ice that would be like the Broad Street Bullies in Philadelphia. The best thing that ever happened to me as a member of the Sharks was the day they traded me to the Whalers. It was like going from rags to riches."

After 56 games in Los Angeles (19 goals, 36 points) Mike was traded to the New England Whalers for Mike Hyndman. He scored another 6 goals for New England that season, finishing with a respectable 25 goals. The following two seasons Mike scored 29 goals, 50 points and 22 goals, 48 points for New England.

Mike was then signed as a free agent by Cincinnati early in 1976. He played there briefly before playing his last season in 1976-77 for the Rochester Americans (AHL).

Mike retired and moved to Los Angeles where he became a senior vice-president for a bank and investment company.

In 166 NHL games, he had 42 goals and 34 assists. In 263 WHA games, he had 83 goals and 74 assists.

Darryl Sydor

2011-09-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

I always had high hopes for Darryl Sydor. He was a great junior player in Kamloops (where he patrolled the blue line with Scott Niedermayer). He showed a lot of offensive promise, and when he joined Wayne Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings to start his career in 1991 I kept a close eye on him.

And he went on to a great career. The two-time Stanley Cup champion (Dallas 1999 and Tampa Bay 2004) and had 507 points (98+409) in 1,291 career NHL games.He added another 9 goals and 56 points in 155 Stanley Cup playoff games.

He was such a great skater, blessed with balance and agility and amazing lateral movement. He accelerated well and jumped into the attack smartly. He made strong outlet passes and could rush the puck out of the zone, though usually just to the center line to dump it in.

I guess with his skating ability and junior numbers I had hoped for more offense from Sydor. He did emerge into a very solid two way defender, especially in Dallas, but in Los Angeles, like most young defensemen, he needed some sheltering as he needed time to mature physical and defensively.

Though he challenged the 50 point mark a few times in Dallas, Sydor will not be remembered as a top offensive defenseman but as a really solid, all around blue liner who offered a little of everything to his team.

Sydor, who also had stints in Columbus, Tampa, Pittsburgh and St. Louis, is quick to credit his mentors for his longevity in the NHL.

“I have been able to learn under players like Charlie Huddy, Craig Ludwig, Guy Carbonneau and Mike Keane,” he said. “I learned from Charlie in LA and these other guys in Dallas where I took a lot of learning experiences from and then I’ve been thrown into some situations where I have been able to take my game to the next level. Now, being an experienced defenseman, you’re relied on a lot more in important situations.”

Jay Wells

2011-08-18T12:16:00.000-07:00

Jay Wells was a junior standout with the Kingston Canadiens from 1976 through 1979. It wasn't flashy skill or scoring exploits that made him the 16th overall draft pick in the NHL's deepest amateur draft (1979) but rather his reputation as a mean and aggressive defenseman. Jay was able to work on that reputation throughout almost 1100 NHL games.

Jay was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings, and he would apply his trade for 9 seasons in the warm California sunshine. During the 1980s the Kings weren't exactly setting the league on fire, and often solid players like Wells weren't given much attention. But he became a coveted defenseman by all teams in the NHL. Often other teams would inquire about Well's availability, but the Kings were smart to hang on to their leader.

Every team in the NHL wanted Jay because he was one of the best in the entire circuit at clearing the front of the net. He was an excellent body checker, and a willing fighter. Jay was also recognized as one of the better shot blocking defensemen. It was said the only things stronger than his arms and legs were his work ethic and character. While he didn't possess great offensive skills, he had decent agility and usually made an intelligent clearing pass to get the Kings out of trouble in their own zone. He was at his best when he played within his limits and didn't over extend himself.

After 9 years in Los Angeles, Jay was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1988. That trade happened only a month or so after the Kings had acquired Wayne Gretzky. While it was disappointing for Jay not to get a chance to play with Wayne, he brought his hard working style to the more physical east coast and settled in nicely.

Jay would spend 2 seasons in Philly before a late trade in March 1990 took him to Buffalo. The veteran experience Jay brought to the Sabres was his biggest asset at this stage of his career. He continued to play his rock-hard style of hockey, but struggled with injuries. He played in just 85 games over parts of three seasons in Buffalo. Lat in the 1991-92 season was traded to the New York Rangers for a similar defenseman in Randy Moller.

Jay enjoyed his time in New York. He spent 4 seasons there, none more memorable than the 1993-94 season. Jay played in 79 games games that season, his first fully healthy season in 7 seasons. He also participated in 23 playoff games as the New York Rangers battled the Vancouver Canucks in a memorable battle for the Stanley Cup. The Rangers ultimately won the championship. For Jay, like all hockey players, it was the highlight of his career. All the years of blood, sweat and injuries finally were rewarded for Jay and his Rangers teammates. When Jay had his opportunity to lift the Cup above his head, he said "I had no idea what to do with it."

Jay continued to play in the NHL until 1997, with stops in St. Louis and Tampa Bay, before he opted to step off the ice and behind the bench.

He played in 1098 NHL games, scoring 47 goals and 263 points, while earning 2359 minutes in the penalty box. He is one of hockey's true warriors, and deserves to be remembered as such.

Robb Stauber

2011-04-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

Robb "Rusty" Stauber was born in Duluth, Minnesota. It was in Minnesota where Robb emerged as an NHL prospect. After he graduated from high school he went on to the University of Minnesota where he set school records for career games played, minutes played and wins by a goaltender. His highlight of his amateur career came in 1987-88. Based on a 34-100 season with 5 shutouts and a 2.72 goals against average, Robb became the first goaltender to win the Hobey Baker award as the top player in United States college hockey!
Robb, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings 107th overall back in 1986, turned professional in 1989. He would appear in 2 games with the Kings in 1989-90. Otherwise Robb was buried in the minor leagues until 1992-93.

In that season Robb emerged as an NHL story. The rookie went undefeated in his first 10 starts that season (9-0-1), including a 7 game consecutive winning streak. Robb, who was Kelly Hrudey's back up that season, ended with a 15-8-4 record, and posted another 3 big wins in 4 playoff games as he helped Wayne Gretzky and the Kings go all the way to the Stanley Cup finals. Robb calls that moment his greatest in his hockey career.

Robb's fortunes went downhill quickly the following season, as did the Kings'. Robb struggled through a 4-11-5 season. He did pick up his first and only NHL shutout in a rare 0-0 tie against Dallas.

The Buffalo Sabres were hoping to resurrect Robb's career when they acquired him during the lockout shortened season of 1994-95. Robb was involved in the huge trade which saw Robb, Alexei Zhitnik, Charlie Huddy and a draft pick come to Buffalo in exchange for Phillippe Boucher, Denis Tsygurov and Grant Fuhr. Robb played in 6 games for the Sabres in the 48 game condensed schedule. However because of the emergence of Dominik Hasek, Robb rarely got a chance to play.

That proved to be Robb's final season in the NHL. He played the 1995-96 season with the Sabres farm team in Rochester, where the highlight of his season was when he scored a goal on October 9, 1995. He would sign with the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers over the following 2 seasons, but spent the entire seasons in the minor leagues. He rounded out his career with a short stint with the independant Manitoba Moose.

Upon retirement, Robb returned to Minnesota where he is a goaltending consultant at his old stomping grounds at the University of Minnesota. He also invented the Staubar Trainer which is a device goalies wear in practice which restricts the goalies ability to rely on reflexes or athleticism with the idea being forces the goalie to learn the fundamentals of playing angles and using the bulk of his body to get in the way of the puck.

Randy Holt

2011-04-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

Randy Holt was a mad man of the ice. He still holds the record for most penalty minutes (67) assessed in a single game. Angered by a cheap shot by Philadelphia's Ken Linseman, Randy set off on a rampage that ignited a bench clearing brawl.

Thanks to YouTube, here's the footage of that record breaking night:

In total that game (actually, it was all just in the first period!) Holt was assessed a record 9 penalties - one minor, three majors, two 10-minute misconducts and three game misconducts. That all totaled to 67 PIMs - the only player to be assessed more PIMs than there are actually minutes in a game!

Not surprisngly, Holt was also suspended for three games.

In 395 NHL games, Holt scored just 4 goals and 37 assists, and amassed 1,438 penalty minutes. The 1970s was hockey's goon era, and Randy's reputation kept him in the league.

After leaving the ice Holt went into the car sales business. He also had a couple of unfortunate car accidents, including being hit by a truck while walking at an intersection. That injury resulted in severe head trauma.

Rick Knickle

2011-04-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

Patience, patience, patience....It took Rick 14-years of minor league hockey before he saw his first NHL action. He had played for 12 different pro teams before finally being called up by the Los Angeles Kings late during the 1992-93 season.

Why did it take such a long time for Rick before he finally got his chance to play in the NHL? Probably because of bad timing. Rick had a stellar career in the juniors while playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL). During his three years there (1977-80) Rick was 71-22-16 with a 3.83 GAA and was a 1st team All-Star in 1979. Compared to his successor in Brandon, Ron Hextall who had a 54-54-2 record and a 5.16 GAA one would think that it was Rick who would have the advantage. But it was Hextall who got the lucky break, not Rick.

Rick made a career of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was drafted 116th overall in 1979 by Buffalo and was sent down to Rochester (AHL). There he shared the goaltending duties with veteran Phil Myre, who got the callup when there were injuries. The other one who used to get called up was Jacques Cloutier, drafted the same year as Rick (55th overall). Buffalo at that time had Don Edwards, Tom Barrasso and Bob Sauve. On top of that Barrasso won the Vezina trophy in 1984-85, so their goalkeeping was stellar.

In the meantime Ron Hextall who had a much worse junior career was playing in Philadelphia He got the chance mainly due to Pelle Lindbergh's tragic death. Reducing the depth chart on the Flyers team considerably and giving him the break he needed.

Rick admitted that he was pretty bitter about his situation at one time.

"I felt I wasn't getting a fair shake, but as I was getting older I went to the rink in a better frame of mind."

Rick didn't blame anybody for failing to make the Sabres team.

"I didn't play the way I was capable of playing. In junior I was playing 50 games, I was always the No 1 goalie. It's a whole different situation, when you're a young kid, to deal with not playing as much. If I could go back there and have the same frame of mind as I do right now, it'd be a lot different." Rick said.

After Rick's contract with Buffalo expired he signed with Montreal (February 8,1985). Once again Rick came to a team stacked with good goaltenders. Montreal had a certain Patrick Roy. As well as Steve Penney. When Penney was traded for Brian Hayward, it was time for Rick to move again.

"I never got the chance to show that I could play in Montreal. I never got a chance to play in the odd game, to get someone to say, 'Hey, he can play, let's re-evaluate things.' Every year with Montreal when I went to training camp, they sent me right down. I'm not a training-camp goalie. I never have been. You know, that shouldn't hold a lot of water. Sometimes it takes you a while to get into a groove. I think I'm the type of goalie (who), the more you see me, the more I play, the better I get," Rick said.

Rick was a typical stand-up goalie with good reflexes. His biggest weakness was probably that he didn't challenge the shooters enough. Rick didn't just play in the AHL but spend most of the time in the IHL (15 seasons). He was a four time All-Star in the IHL (two 1st and two 2nd team selections). Rick also won the James Norris memorial trophy (fewest goals against in the IHL) in 1989 & 93.

Patience however pays off. As a property of Los Angeles Kings,Rick got the callup to the NHL for the first time as a 33-year old in 1993 as some of the Los Angeles goalies went down with injuries. Rick played 10 games for LA,doing pretty well as he won 6 games, posting a 3.95 GAA. The following season (1993-94) Rick played 4 games for LA with a 3.10 GAA.

That was it for him in terms of NHL action,but at least he got there after so many years. Had he gotpicked by another team then he might very well have had a pretty good NHL career. After Rick's final NHL appearance in 1994, he played another couple of seasons in the IHL before retiring as a 37-year old in 1997.

Dennis Abgrall

2011-03-26T17:56:00.000-07:00

Dennis Abgrall of Moosomin, Saskatchewan was a star right winger with the Saskatoon Blades in the early 1970s. That helped him get drafted by both the Los Angeles Kings (70th overall in 1973) and the Los Angeles Blades of the WHA (1972 general player draft). But a Hollywood career was not in the cards for young Abgrall.

Abgrall initially followed his dream and was devoted to making the National Hockey League. He signed with Kings and reported to their farm team for two years. He even got called up for 13 games during the 1975-76 seasons, picking up 2 assists.

Sensing his future with the Kings was perhaps not what he had hoped for, Abgrall jumped at the chance to sign with the WHA's Cincinnati Stingers, the team that absorbed his WHA rights after the LA Sharks went belly up. He enjoyed two years of big league hockey in the WHA, and he also enjoyed the sizeable pay increase.

When the WHA folded Abgrall headed overseas, playing for teams in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Skip Krake

2011-03-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

A sensational junior star with the Estevan Bruins, North Battleford, Saskatchewan's Skip Krake (he was born at tiny Rabbit Lake) was a solid utility player for three NHL teams between 1963-64 and 1970-71, and with 2 WHA teams until 1976. The diminutive Krake was too small to be an offensive star in the NHL, but made a good career for himself by specializing as a strong defensive center.

Having grown up in the Boston Bruins system, Krake was disappointed to leave Estevan and head to the minor leagues. But he gained valuable experience by playing with Minneapolis and Oklahoma City in the CHL. He also participated in 19 games over 4 seasons with the Bruins.

By 1967-68 Krake finally made the Bruins, thanks largely to NHL expansion. The NHL doubled in size from six to twelve teams. Krake was not selected by an expansion team, but was able to move up and fill a hole on the Bruins roster created by players who did depart. Krake played in 68 games, scoring 5 goals and 12 points in limited ice time..

On May 20, 1968, the Bruins traded Krake to the L.A. for a first round draft choice that was used to claim a high-scoring junior winger named Reggie Leach. Krake split the 1968-69 season between the Kings and Springfield of the AHL, but was a full time NHLer by the 1969-70 season.

Krake's time in the Californian sunshine came to an end when he was claimed by the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL Expansion Draft of 1970. Krake played admirably in 74 games in their inaugural season, scoring 4 goals and 9 points.

The Sabres were looking to free up roster space for younger players the following year, so Krake searched for work in the professional WHL with Salt Lake in 1971-72. He then moved to Cleveland for 3 seasons, playing with the WHA crusaders before one final season with the WHA Edmonton Oilers.

After scoring 51 points in 53 games as the captain of the Salt Lake Golden Eagles, Krake was selected by the Cleveland Crusaders in the WHA General Player Draft. He played three seasons in Cleveland and one with the Edmonton Oilers before retiring in 1976.

After retiring Krake moved to Lloydminister, Saskatchewan where he has been involved in several retail operations, including a sporting goods store and Fountain Tire franchise.

Denis Tsygurov

2011-03-12T13:52:00.000-08:00

Denis Tsygurov, born in Chelyabinsk, Russia on February 26th, 1971, was once a highly praised prospect in the Buffalo Sabres organization. Unfortunately he was never able to fulfill that promise.

Denis, the son of Russian hockey coach Genady Tsygurov, was the Buffalo Sabres first selection in the 1993 NHL entry draft, however the pick came in the second round, 38th overall. Regardless, Denis was much touted by the Sabres. They raved about his size - 6'3" and 200 pounds - plus his mobility. He was regarded as more of a defensive defenseman, but had good enough puck skills to start a rush.

Injuries would wreak havoc on the promising career of this Russian defenseman however. In his first year in North American he got into only 32 games total - and only 8 in the NHL. He would make the Sabres straight out of training camp during the lockout shortened 1994-95 season, but only 4 games into the season he found himself traded to the Los Angeles Kings in a huge trade. Denis accompanied Phillippe Boucher and Grant Fuhr to California in exchange for Alexei Zhitnik, Charlie Huddy, Robb Stauber and a draft pick. Denis would finish the season with the Kings, but only got into 21 games thanks to nagging injuries. Denis failed to register a point in that time.

Injuries continued to plague Denis in 1995-96. He only played in 18 games with the Kings (scoring his only NHL goal plus 5 assists) but spent as much time in the minor leagues. By the end of the year he returned to his native Russia.

Denis spent the 1996-97 season in Europe, splitting the season between Russia and the Czech Republic. He attempted a comeback to North American hockey in 1997-98 with 15 games with the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the fledgling International Hockey League. However that venture proved to be unfruitful. He spent the rest of the season in Finland.

Although his NHL days were well behind him, Denis continued to play in Russia until the next century.

Denis played a total of 51 games in the NHL, scoring 1 goal and 5 assists.

Victor Netchaev

2011-03-09T15:44:00.000-08:00

"Victor who?" you are probably ask yourself right about now. But he is the answer to the popular trivia question "who was the first Soviet trained player to play in the National Hockey League?" Nice job if you thought it was Sergei Priakhin, who was the first Soviet trained player who was given permission to play in the NHL, but Mr. Netchaev actually him beat by 7 years.

Netchaev, a center, only played in 3 NHL games during his career, so it is easy to see how he is barely a footnote in history. These three games went to the history books though, because Victor was the first Soviet trained player to appear in the NHL, as well as the first to score a goal.

European hockey history expert Patrick Houda tells us more.

"Victor made his North American debut as a 27-year old in 1982 for New Haven in the AHL. He was off to a fast start in New Haven and scored 1 goal and 5 points in his first 4 games there. It was his 1 goal and 2 assist performance in a game vs. Adirondack that gave him the call up to Los Angeles Kings.

The historic date for his NHL debut was October 16, 1982 when he appeared in a Los Angeles Kings uniform. The game was vs. the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum.

"Netchaev was put on a line together with Darryl Evans and Steve Bozek. Kings lost the game 1-4 and Victor was held pointless in the game, but his performance was solid."

"The next night at Madison Square Garden, Victor beat Rangers goalie Steve Weeks 17:15 into the 1st period to make it 3-0 Los Angeles. His goal came on an assist by Darryl Evans and was the first ever goal in the NHL by a Russian trained player. Los Angeles went on to win 4-2 and Victor was one of the best players on the ice, having 5 shots on goal and being +1," says Houda.

"He only played sparingly in his third and last NHL game and was then sent down back to New Haven for conditioning purposes, as GM George Maguire put it."

Victor's son Greg offers more input on his father's career:

"My father was actually offered a contract by the Kings for 2 years plus one option. But he did not want to stay with the Kings for 2 years for fear of being moved down to the minor league. He actually just wanted a shorter term of time which would eliminate the probability of going down to the minor because of age (27). The third "game" at Forum, in Los Angeles against the New Jersey Devils, was the beginning of "North American" negotiations for a contract. During these negotiations he was stripped of his gear, forbidden to see, play, or practice with his team, and was almost metaphorically "jailed" for almost a month. "

"Being from the USSR, he was totally shocked by the lack of care or respect or even understanding of the needs of the player himself in the pro sports here. It seemed to him that money was first and this whole dilemma had nothing to do with the sport anymore. He also said that "It was very hard to work with the manager (George Maguire) who had busy hands, one hand with whiskey and one with a cigarette."

Although Netchaev had NHL offers from other teams (New York Rangers, Hartford Whalers), he opted to briefly play in West Germany with Dusseldorf.

But how did Netchaev escape the Soviet Union and come to play in the NHL? Houda gives us a look into Netchaev's background.

"He was born in Kuibyshevka-Vostochnaya in Siberia, Russia on January 28, 1955. He made his debut in the Russian elite league as a 17-year old for Spartak and had 16 pts (8 goals + 8 assists) in 20 games.
"The next season (1974-75) he played in the 2nd division for his home team Siberia where he had a fine season with 20 goals (32 pts) in 56 games. After that he got picked by SKA Leningrad in the Russian elite league where he played between 1975-80. During the 1980-81 season he split his time in two 2nd division clubs, Binokor and Izhstal where he scored 40 points (26 goals and 14 assists) in 40 games.

"That was Victor's last season in Russia. He met an American woman who he married and moved to USA, which made him miss the entire 1981-82 season."

The American woman with whom he fell in love with was Cheryl Haigler, a Yale graduate student studying abroad in Leningrad. They actually met in Switzerland in 1977, when Netchaev was playing in the Spengler Cup. They married in 1980 but she was forced to return to the United States because her visa expired shortly after the wedding. She took a job in Boston with an accounting firm, and began the two year legal process of freeing Netchaev to come to America.

The Kings got word of his arrival in America, and even though he was far from a top Soviet player they were immediately interested. He got drafted in 1982 by Los Angeles in the 7th round, 132nd overall.

What has Netchaev been up to since hanging up the blades. Son Greg fills us in on that:

" Since he left the ice, he was doing numerous things involving entertainment, managing, local television programs (russian), radioing (russian). Then, starting from 1991, he began working as a manager and director of development of players with his partner Serge Levin in ARTV Sports Management. From '92-94 he was also the assistant coach and international scout of the Milwaukee Admirals. He still works in ARTV Sports Management as his main business."

Victor scored 137 goals 234 points in 328 Russian league games and 4 goals and 11 points in 28 AHL games.

His NHL stats were nothing too impressive with 1 goal in 3 games, with a +1 rating and 7 shots on goal. But it was that first game and first goal that today is the trivia question. Who was the first Soviet trained player to score a goal in the NHL ? Not Fetisov, not Makarov, not Mogilny, not Bure, but a guy from Siberia named Victor Netchaev.

Brian Smith

2011-02-13T18:16:00.000-08:00

The hockey world was shocked by the violent death of former Kings and North Stars left wing Brian Smith on August 2, 1996.

A popular television sportscaster for CJOH-TV in Ottawa, Smith was shot in the head in the parking lot outside his station following his sportscast July 31st, 1996. Police said that a 38-year old man was responsible for the shooting and that apparently the suspect was angry at members of the media and wished to cause harm to a media personality.

After 90 minute surgery Smith died on August 2 at Ottawa Civic Hospital. Brian was just 54 years old.

Brian's NHL career began with the Kings during the club's inaugural season, 1967-68. During the 67-68 campaign he played 58 games for the Kings recording 10 goals and 9 assists for 19 points. The following year he was dealt to Montreal and then Minnesota, where he played 9 more NHL games. He played a total of 10 years as a pro with nine teams, mostly in the minor leagues.

Brian had been employed at CJOH since 1973, the year after he retired from hockey. He was highly respected for his straight-talking, low-key style.

Brian came from a prominent local hockey family. His father, Des, was a member of the 1940-41 Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins and his brother, Gary, was an NHL goaltender for 14 seasons with eight different teams earning him the nickname, "Suitcase Smith."

Brandy Semchuk

2011-02-13T17:59:00.000-08:00

Brandy Semchuk enjoyed a lengthy career in the minor leagues because he could skate effortlessly. Too bad that's about all he could do. Semchuk never showed much offensive promise until he reached the lowly WPHL and WCHL some seven years after turning professional. Semchuk was a blazing skater used primarily in defensive and penalty killing situations through out most of his career.

Semchuk was drafted high, 28th overall by Los Angeles in 1990. This was due largely to his breakaway speed and the fact that he trained for two seasons with the Canadian National team as opposed to junior hockey. With the Nats he trained under Dave King, one of the top defensive teachers in all of hockey. However he left the program with lower back and groin injuries that nagged him for years.

The Kings gambled on him by taking him so early. He was an interesting prospect at the time - a young player who was very solid defensively and with great speed are two things often lacking in players that age. But Semchuk lacked an offensive element. As a result, he only played in 1 NHL game, against the Calgary Flames. While he scored no points, he did get on the stats sheet by taking a minor penalty.

After his minor league season was over in 1993, he was one of the Kings' minor league players asked to skate and practice with the Kings during their magical run to the 1993 Stanley Cup finals. Semchuk recalls having dinner with Wayne Gretzky as amongst his career highlights.

Semchuk opted to play out the final year of his contract in 1993-94, and that proved to be a mistake. Back in the minor leagues, Semchuk suffered a serious eye injury that ended his season. No team, not even the Kings, were interested in Semchuk after the scary injury. He continued on, catching on with minor league contracts in a variety of minor league cities until he finally hung up the blades in 1999. His eye never fully recovered full vision.

Last I heard Semchuk was living in Fresno, California, coaching hockey a youth hockey team named the Jr. Falcons. His daughter Emma was a promising player on the Jr. Falcons. He also was helping to coach a new junior hockey team, the Fresno Monsters.

Vladimir Tsyplakov

2011-02-11T16:49:00.000-08:00

Vladimir Tsyplakov was a lanky Belorussian who had his National Hockey League career cut short due to a serious knee injury.

A scoring star with Dynamo Minsk, Tsyplakov took the bold step of bolting to North America without a NHL contract. In fact the left winger was only drafted after playing in 3 North American minor professional seasons. The Los Angeles Kings drafted the IHL scoring start 59th overall in 1995.

If the Kings were looking for immediate help, they found it. By 1996-97 Tsyplakov was a regular in the Kings lineup and on the penalty kill. He earned a reputation as a solid playmaker as well.

1997-98 was his best NHL season. He scored career highs with 18 goals, 34 assists and 52 points. That was also the first year the NHL shutdown its' hectic schedule to allow players to go to the Olympics. Tsyplakov played for Belarus, describing the Nagano opportunity as a dream come true.

In January 2000, he joined the Buffalo Sabres. The coaching staff was very happy with Tsyplakov's addition as he proved to be a versatile forward who could play in a number of key situations when called upon. He finished the year with 19 points and a plus 17 rating in just 34 games with the Sabres.

Just when all seemed well for the utility forward, a disastrous knee injury took away nearly half a season from Tsyplakov in 2000-01. He returned after Christmas and found his game. He scored 14 points in 36 games and added a goal in 9 playoff contests.

The following season Tsyplakov opted to return home and play for Ak Bars Kazan of the Russian High League. One major draw to returning home was the opportunity to return to the Olympics. Because the NHL only shut down their schedule for only a set number of games, nations like Belarus could not necessarily count on their few NHL players being eligible during the Olympic qualifying rounds. Tsyplakov wanted to not just return to the Olympics, but help his nation qualify to compete for a medal. Not only did Belarus qualify, but this time Tsyplakov's team pulled off one of the biggest upsets in international hockey history as Belarus knocked off heavily favoured Sweden.

Tsyplakov remained active in Russia through the end of the 2004 season.

Dean Kennedy

2011-02-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

"Average" defensemen don't often get the respect they deserve. Case in point is Dean Kennedy.

In a cover story on the Feb. 3, 1989 issue of The Hockey News, Kennedy earned the dubious honor of being the NHL's "most average defenseman" as a result of a NHL average statistics analysis. Unfortunately, The Hockey News goofed in picking Kennedy's photo for the cover, accidentally choosing a photo of Ken Hammond.

If Rodney Dangerfield was a hockey player, he'd be Dean Kennedy. Talk about a lack of respect!

Though he had a rather anonymous career, Dean Kennedy was a solid positional defenseman who could play physically in his own end. He was a hard hitter who always finished his check. In his prime he was a good fit as a number 4 defenseman.

A native of Redvers, Saskatchewan, Kennedy grew up idolizing Tiger Williams - hockey's ultimate bad boy. Kennedy would switch from right wing to defense around the age of 14, and joined the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL in 1980. By 1981 he was scouted as a promising rearguard. The Los Angeles Kings drafted Kennedy 39th overall

Kennedy began the 1982-83 season in Brandon but quickly made the jump to the NHL, playing 55 games as a rookie.

He made a name for himself somewhat infamously although Tiger Williams would have been proud. He was suspended four games for fighting Edmonton's Ken Linseman under the stands and in the corridors of the Great Western Forum. Though he played with heart, his positional play, like so many young defensemen, was in need of improvement. He spent most of the next two years learning the pro game in the AHL with the New Haven Nighthawks.

Kennedy became a regular with the Kings from 1985-86, getting a chance to play with his idol Williams. He would remain with the Kings until he was traded to the New York Rangers in December 1988. He would only play in 16 games in the Big Apple as he was traded back to L.A. where he worked well with the offensive minded Steve Duchesne.

In the summer of 1989 Kennedy was traded to the Buffalo Sabres for a draft choice. He would enjoy a strong season in his first year in Buffalo. The team registered 98 points in the standings. Kennedy himself scored 14 points, and played a full 80 game schedule.

Kennedy played in one more season with Buffalo before joining the Winnipeg Jets prior to the 1991-92 season. Though most of his first season with Winnipeg was lost to injuries, the next two years he played an important role in stabilizing the Winnipeg defensive corps. He also acted as team captain for parts of two seasons.

The Edmonton Oilers claimed the grizzled veteran on waivers after the owners' lockout of 1994-95 ended. Kennedy would play in 40 games before retiring.

Kennedy retired with 717 hard fought NHL contests on his resume. He scored just 26 goals and 134 points while amassing 1118 penalty minutes.

Kevin Dallman

2011-02-05T22:03:00.000-08:00

Boy the world has changed a lot since I was a kid.

Kevin Dallman never grew up dreaming of playing in Russia, but he has become one of the best players in Russian elite league history.

Canadian pros who find NHL jobs hard to come by have often headed to Europe for big pay checks rather than travelling the "iron lung" to minor league cities in the southern US. But with the creation of Russia's oil-rich Kontinental Hockey League Canadians are striking it rich in Russia now, too.

Kevin Dallman was an undersized defenseman. He was a bit of a late bloomer with the OHL's Guelph Storm, as a result he was never drafted. The Bruins signed him as a free agent and let him apprentice in the minor leagues for three years. He got into 21 games with the B's, before moving on to St. Louis and later Los Angeles. In total he played over 154 NHL games, quite the accomplishment for an undrafted player.

He moved on to Astana, Kazakhstan, where he played with the local KHL team, Barys Astana. He may have headed there with only short term plans, but he now has no intention on leaving. He is team captain and has rewritten the Russian record book.

"I was only going to come over for one year and then go back and show I could play there," Dallman said. "But everything worked out well. I had a really good year and I had a lot of fun here."

Dallman led the league in scoring for defencemen in 2008-09 with 58 points and 28 goals in 53 games, besting the legendary Viacheslav Fetisov's record for most points by a defenseman in the Russian league.

Although he got offers from a few NHL teams after his first year, he opted to stay in Astana and signed a three-year deal with the team.

Time will tell what is in Dallman's future. Maybe he will even one day return to the NHL. But one thing is for sure - this Canadian kid will go down as a hockey legend - in Kazakhstan.

Wayne Gretzky

2011-01-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

Brantford, Ontario used to be best known as the place where inventor Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. However that began to change on January 26, 1961 as Wayne Douglas Gretzky was born. Brantford would soon become known as the birthplace of hockey's greatest player.

Two years after birth, Wayne took his first steps to hockey stardom. Walter Gretzky, Canada's most famous hockey dad, took the youngster down to the local rink and began teaching him how to skate. It wasn't much longer after that before novice league coaches realized that the kid was a Good One, although they had no idea he was the Great One in the making. Soon enough a young Gretzky was playing in leagues with kids 3 or 4 years older than he was.

The first major article about Gretzky found its way into the Toronto Telegram on October 28, 1971, when reporter John Iaboni was sent to cover the Nadrofsky Steelers' blossoming star.

At the end of the game an eight-year old spectator approached Iaboni and asked, "'Are you going to write a book on Wayne Gretzky? He's good you know.'"

While the book idea was a little farther off, his greatness was already shining through. Gretzky finished that season with 378 goals in 68 games.

By the age of 17, he was tearing up the Ontario Hockey League, scoring 182 points in 64 regular season games for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhouds.

For most of his childhood, Gretzky had worn Howe's No. 9, in honor of his hero, Gordie Howe, then the NHL's all time scoring leader. It was Greyhounds GM "Muzz" McPherson who convinced Wayne Gretzky to wear the unconventional number 99 on his jersey, since No. 9 was unavailable.

A year before he would have been eligible for the NHL draft, 17-year-old Wayne Gretzky signed up with the Indianapolis Racers of the WHA in 1978 for an unprecedented $825,000. After just 8 games, however, the hotshot prospect found himself traded to Edmonton, along with Peter Driscoll and Eddie Mio, in exchange for cash. The Racers were in deep financial trouble, and the move had to be made.

In the WHA's last season Gretzky led the Oilers to the championship finals, where they lost to the Winnipeg Jets. Gretzky finished third in league scoring with 110 points. Remember, most kids his age are in high school, and this guy was challenging for the scoring race!

Edmonton was one of four WHA franchises that were absorbed into the NHL in 1979. And in his first season in the National Hockey League, Gretzky became the youngest player ever to crack the 50-goal barrier. He equaled Marcel Dionne's 137 points. While he was deemed ineligible for the Calder trophy because of his affiliation with the WHA, Gretzky locked up the Hart trophy for the most valuable player.

In the 1981-82 campaign, Gretzky obliterated the record for goals in a season with an unthinkable 92 and points in a season with 212. No one else had ever broken the 200-point barrier, or even come close, but Gretzky would do it three more times. Even more impressive was his breach of hockey's mythical 50-goals-in-50-games barrier. Only two other players had ever achieved that milestone — Rocket Richard and Mike Bossy — and it took both the full 50 games to do it; Gretzky scored number 50 in the 39th game of the season.

Teaming up Gretzky with the Finnish finisher, Jari Kurri, on the first line and Mark Messier and Glenn Anderson on the second, combined with offensively-gifted defenseman Paul Coffey, coach Glen Sather could send waves of offense at opposing teams the likes of which the NHL had never seen. Propelled by four 100-point scorers, Edmonton tallied an unprecedented 424 goals in the 1982-83 season.

The high flying Oilers made it all the way to the 1983 Stanley Cup finals where they faced the 3 time defending Cup champs, the New York Islanders. The Oilers were about to be taught a lesson - losing in 4 straight games as the Isles made it 4 straight Cup victories.

In the next year's rematch, however, the Oilers defeated the Islanders in five games, ending one dynasty and starting one of their own. The momentum spilled over into the 1984-85 season when they demolished Philadelphia in just five games to take their second Stanley Cup.

It seemed like no one in the league could defeat Gretzky's Oilers of the mid-80s, except themselves. A wayward pass by Edmonton defenseman Steve Smith into his own net sent the team home early during the 1986 playoffs, interrupting what should have been a five-year championship dynasty, as the Oilers would redeem themselves with the 1987 and 1988 championships.

And throughout the Oilers' glory years, Gretzky kept re-writing the record books. During the 1985-86 season, Gretzky set the current mark with 215 points, including a record-shattering 163 assists. In fact, Gretzky won the Art Ross trophy as scoring leader every year between 1981 and 1987 and two more times after that.

Gretzky of course was no stranger to international hockey competition either. Representing Canada in 4 Canada Cup tournaments, the 1978 World Junior championships, the 1996 World Cup and the 1998 Olympics, but his greatest performance on any stage came in the 1987 Canada Cup.

Gretzky captained Team Canada against the mighty Soviet Union - led by the vaunted KLM line — featuring Igor Larionov, Sergei Makarov and Vladimir Krutov. Gretzky led all scorers with 18 points while playing what he himself admitted was the best hockey of his career.

August 9, 1988 is considered by many Canadians to be the lowest day in the country's history. On that date, the Oilers traded Wayne Gretzky, along with Mike Krushelnyski and Marty McSorley to the Los Angeles Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three first round picks and cash.

The major reason for the trade was the cash. Struggling financially, Oilers' owner Peter Pocklington jumped at the $15 million that Kings owner Bruce McNall showed him.

As Canada mourned, Los Angeles partied. Gretzky - and Hockey -had gone Hollywood. By the end of Gretzky's 7 1/2 season tenure with the Kings, the Great One had brought enough popularity to hockey in Southern California to blaze the trail for two more teams, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. In reality Gretzky brought the game to such a high level in the American sunbelt that the NHL also saw teams in Dallas, Miami, Tampa Bay and countless minor league teams throughout the USA.

Gretzky's greatest moment as a King came in 1993 when he carried the Kings to the 1993 Finals. That playoffs also saw Gretzky play what he called his greatest game in NHL competition. In Game 7 of the conference finals, Gretzky scored a hat trick, including the game winner, in a 5-4 victory over the heavily favored Toronto Maple Leafs. However, the Kings couldn't continue their magic in the Finals, falling to the Montreal Canadiens.

While Gretzky never got his named etched on the Cup as a member of the Kings, he did continue to rewrite the record book. On October 15, 1989, Gretzky surpassed Gordie Howe's NHL-record 1,851 points. It took Howe 26 years to accomplish that. It took Gretzky less than 11. Fittingly the record was surpassed in Edmonton. Even Howe's record 801 goals weren't safe: Gretzky scored number 802 against the Canucks on March 23, 1994.

By the middle of the 1995-96 season, it was obvious that the Kings didn't have the talent to make the playoffs, let alone contend. Gretzky asked to be traded and received his wish. He found himself playing alongside good friend Brett Hull, on the St. Louis Blues.

Gretzky was also initially happy to be reunited with Mike Keenan, with whom he had great success in the Canada Cup tournaments. However by this time the tyrannical Keenan had gone over the edge in his drive more power, and soon turned Gretzky, like Hull and many more, against him. During one playoff game, Keenan embarrassed Gretzky in front of his teammates in between periods. Gretzky went on to tally five assists the next game, but the Blues were still eliminated from the playoffs.

Gretzky left St. Louis, largely because of Mike Keenan, as a free agent. He took his greatness to the New York Rangers, where he was reunited with his old buddy Mark Messier.

The much celebrated reunion was short lived. After just one season, Messier left for bigger bucks in Vancouver. Gretzky however stayed in New York, quietly signing an extension with the team for less than market value.

Although it wasn't a storybook script, Gretzky fulfilled a lifelong dream in 1998 when he represented Canada in the 1998 Olympics. However Gretzky was not the Gretzky of old by this point. In fact Gretzky wasn't even named as team captain. Canada ran into the best goalie in the world, the Czech Republic's Dominik Hasek, in the semifinal game. Canada finished without a medal; Gretzky finished without a goal.

During these otherwise unspectacular Ranger seasons, Gretzky hit two more major milestones. On October 26, 1997, Gretzky recorded two assists in Anaheim to raise his career total 1,851, more than Gordie Howe — the second highest total in NHL history — had points. Then in March of 1999 he scored his 1,072nd goal as a pro, surpassing yet another Gordie Howe record. Suddenly there weren't any records left to shoot for.

The man who once scored 92 goals during the 1981-82 season, however, could only manage nine during the 1998-89 campaign. And when Gretzky was sidelined by a painful neck injury, the Rangers went 6-3-3 and temporarily moved back into the playoff race. Fans bombarded call-in shows suggesting that the Great One should retire. For the first time in a career built on proving naysayers wrong, Gretzky started to listen to his detractors.

Gretzky was clearly but a shadow of his former self, yet he was still better than most. He showed moments of greatness that no one else could. In the 1999 All Star game Gretzky recorded a goal and two assists and was named as the game's MVP. In his first and only game in Nashville he showed a rare sellout crowd the wonders of Gretzky by scoring 5 assists.

No. 99 left the game after 20 seasons, taking 61 NHL records with him. Among them: 92 goals in a single season, 163 assists in a single season, 215 points in a single season, a 51-game points streak that's every bit as impressive as Joe DiMaggio's 56-game mark in baseball, 2857 career points, and 1, 072 professional goals. He won every Hart Trophy from 1980 to 1987 (and another in 1989) as the league's MVP and took home ten Art Ross Trophies as the league's scoring leader. While captaining the Oilers to four Stanley Cups, Gretzky also took home two Conn Smythe trophies as the most valuable player in the playoffs.

Until Wayne came along, we didn't know how great great could be. #99 redefined greatness. But is Wayne Gretzky the greatest athlete of the 20th century?

Needless to say, hockey fans think so! No athlete in any sport has dominated the way Gretzky has. Need proof? Then consider this:

Gretzky's 92 goals in 1981-82 topped Phil Esposito's previous record by 16, and his 212 points that season eclipsed Esposito's old mark by 60. Gretzky's 163 assists in 1985-86 surpassed Bobby Orr's standard by 61.

The Elias Sports Bureau has determined his 212 points in 1981-82 are the equivalent of 85 home runs -- 24 more than Roger Maris hit in 1961 or 14 more than Mark McGuire in 1998; a 2,941-yard NFL rushing season (Eric Dickerson holds the record with 2,105 in 1984) or 67 touchdown passes by a quarterback (Dan Marino holds the standard at 48, also in '84). Wilt Chamberlain dwarfed previous NBA scoring leaders, but arguments raged during his day as to whether he or Bill Russell was the more dominant player.

A case can be made that no one ever has done in any sport what Gretzky has accomplished in hockey. And when you consider the wider impact of one player's career upon a sport, only Babe Ruth and Michael Jordan rank with Gretzky.

In hitting 59 home runs with a livelier ball in 1921 and raising the record by a staggering 25, Ruth also drastically elevated standards of excellence and excitement. The Babe, too, was the object of a blockbuster transaction: The Red Sox sold him to the Yankees for $100,000 and a $300,000 loan. His magnetism helped baseball recover from a betting scandal and inspired the building of a stadium twice the size of others in that era. He was the dominant player on baseball's dominant team, winning four World Series and seven American League pennants.

Michael Jordan is universally hailed as the greatest athlete of the 20th century, but realistically he doesn't deserve to be on the same level as Wayne. Yes, Michael was perhaps the most gifted and talented athlete of our time, but you could easily say he wasn't the greatest basketball player let alone athlete. Wilt Chamberlain's hoop exploits dwarf that of Jordan's.

Picture Hank Aaron as not only baseball's all-time home run leader, but its single-season homer king and all-time hits leader as well. That's Gretzky's place in hockey.

When it comes to debating who is the best hockey player of all time, it generally boils down to one of three players: Gretzky, Bobby Orr and Gordie Howe.

Orr revolutionized the way defense could be played and established significantly higher statistical standards for excellence at that position. It can be argued that Orr carried the puck more than Gretzky and broke up a lot of rushes, making him a more effective all-around player than The Great One. But Orr's career, cut drastically short by knee injuries, produced just 915 points.

Unquestionably, Howe played the majority of his career in a much tighter checking era. But the fact that jobs were more competitive in the six-team league doesn't necessarily mean the level of play was, too. Bigger, faster, and better athletes, and the influx of European- and American-born players, and equipment advances make today's NHL just as competitive -- but higher scoring -- than the pre-expansion league.

Mike Corrigan

2011-01-04T18:12:00.000-08:00

This is OPC card #37 from the 1974-75 season. It is of Mike Corrigan, a rough and tumble player best known with the Los Angeles Kings. Though most sources list him as a left winger, he played all three forward spots with proficiency. In fact, one newspaper report suggested Corrigan was the first player in NHL history to score 20 goals at each of the three positions.

The Toronto Marlies grad spent several seasons apprenticing in the minor leagues. Turning pro in 1966, Corrigan never stuck in the NHL until he left the Kings organization and joined the Vancouver Canucks in 1970.

Corrigan responded with a 20 goal rookie season. But part way through the following campaign the Canucks traded Corrigan back to the Kings.

That turned out to be a very astute move by the Kings. Corrigan found a home on the "Hot Line" with Bob Berry and Juha Widing. In 1972-73 he would have his best season, scoring 37 goals and 146 penalty minutes.

Corrigan's numbers never reached that level again, although his exuberance remained. He led the Kings in penalty minutes in three consecutive seasons. He played on with L.A. until joining the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1976, originally as an injury replacement for Lowell MacDonald. He played two more years with the Pens before his career all but officially ended with a badly broken leg.

In total Mike Corrigan played in 594 career NHL games, scoring 152 goals, 195 assists and 347 points. He added another 2 goals and 5 points in 17 post season contests. One of those playoff goals was particularly memorable for Kings fans. In game six of the 1976 quarterfinals vs Boston Corrigan scored a goal while lying flat on the ice. The goal forced over time in a game eventually won by the Kings.

Corrigan stepped behind the bench as an assistant coach in Pittsburgh for several seasons.

Juha Widing

2011-01-03T21:18:00.000-08:00

Juha Widing was born in Oulu, Finland to Swedish parents. He grew up in Grums (Värmland), where players like Thomas Steen and Willy Lindstrom came from.

He played in Grums in the late 1950's and then moved to Gothenburg and a team named GAIS. There he played until 1964. Then as a 17-year old he made a bold and brave decision that would change his life forever - packed his bags and moved to Canada.

How would a Swedish kid fare in Canada in the 1960s? He wasn't a big physical player by any stretch, but he didn't shy away from that aspect of the game either. Juha was a very fast skater who was clocked as the fastest skater in several Kings training camps. He was technically skilled and smart.

Juha joined the Brandon Wheat Kings, a New York Rangers junior club, in 1964. He had a solid rookie year with the Wheat Kings - in 45 games he recorded 23 goals, 15 assists for 38 total points. The 1965/66 season was even better for Widing. In 50 games he recorded a league leading 62 goals, 52 assists for 114 points!

Once Widing turned 20, the New York Rangers assigned him to their minor pro farm club, the Omaha Knights of the Central Hockey League. He led the Knights in scoring with 27 goals and 60 points and tied for the lead in assists, with Bill Fairbairn, with 33 assists.

The 1968/69 season was another good year for Widing. He again led the entire CHL with 41 goals, and added 39 assists for 80 points, which placed him 2nd among all point getters. He was a CHL second team all star. Yet despite his two fine years of professional hockey, Juha still hadn't had a shot at the NHL.

Perhaps it was because he was labelled as the stereotypical European of the day because of his name, but Juha was determined to make it to the NHL. He had an impressive 1969 training camp with the Rangers and the Rangers had little choice but to keep the youngster at the NHL level. By playing for the Rangers in game one of the 1969-70 season. However they didn't give the rookie a lot of opportunity to do some real damage, appearing in 44 games of limited ice time, scoring 7 goals and 7 assists. He just didn't check enough to suit the defensive minded Rangers. - I've been concentrating on checking ever since and it's made me a more complete player, he said later on in his career.

By late in the season the Rangers traded Juha and Real Lemieux to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Teddy Irvine. It turned out be a great move for Widing, who would go on to be a top player in Los Angeles for years to come. Years later Widing chuckled when he thought about the trade.

"I was traded from New York at the airport. I didn't even have time to pack my things because Los Angeles had a game the following night."

He broke his wrist after only four games in LA, but Widing then went on to lead the Los Angeles Kings in scoring for the next three seasons. Teaming up with Mike Byers and Bob Berry to form the "Bee Line". Later on with Mike Corrigan and Bob Berry he formed the "Hot Line." He also played with other lines featuring Butch Goring and Bob Nevin, the Kings were pretty respectable leading up to the days when Marcel Dionne reigned as King of Kings. Juha played 7 full seasons in Los Angeles, the first five of which were very productive years.

In 1976 Juha was invited to represent Sweden in the 1976 Canada Cup. An invitation that he proudly accepted. When Juha landed in Sweden to prepare for the tournament he got a question from a Swedish reporter if he thought it would be difficult with the transition to European hockey after so many years in North America.

"It's going to be North American hockey over there and that's the kind of hockey that I can play" Juha said. He then added: "I gladly admit that I've dreamed about playing for the national team since I was a kid."

Juha also felt that it was a perfect opportunity to redeem himself after a weak 75-76 season in which he only scored 7 goals.

"I had a lot of bad luck in 75-76.I got hit by a "heat-stroke" during the training camp. When I returned I was in bad shape and was hurt on and off."

Juha made his international debut against the Soviet Union and Finland prior to the Canada Cup. Fittingly enough Juha scored in both of the games against Finland. He then had a decent Canada Cup tournament for Sweden.

From there it went downhill with Juha's hockey career. As the 1976-77 season started Juha failed to score in the 10 pre season games as well as the first 20 games of the regular season. The writing was on the wall. Juha and his $100,000 contract became expendable. He was traded to the Cleveland Barons on January 22, 1977, it was his last season in the NHL.

In 1977-78, Widing jumped to the W.H.A. Edmonton Oilers and played one last season of professional hockey before retiring. In Widing's 8 year N.H.L. career he appeared in 575 games, scoring 144 goals, along with 226 assists.

After his hockey career was over he worked as a consultant for the Vancouver Canucks. Sadly enough his heart gave up on December 30, 1984. Only 38-years old Widing died of a heart attack at a hospital in Vancouver. The likeable Scandinavian who was tagged "Whitey" for his blond hair eventually lost the battle, but he also won one when he became the first European born and trained player to have a pretty successful career in the NHL.

Craig Redmond

2011-01-01T11:35:00.000-08:00

Dawson Creek, BC, born Craig Redmond (cousin to 1970s NHL standouts Dick or Mickey) was a very promising offensive defenseman in the the 1984 Entry Draft. So much so that the Los Angeles Kings snapped up the the 5'11" 190lb defenseman with the 6th overall pick, selecting him ahead of the likes of Shayne Corson, Gary Roberts, Doug Bodger and Kevin Hatcher.

Craig resisted jumping to major junior hockey in order to get a chance to earn an all expense paid scholarship from a major US hockey college. After two strong seasons with the BCJHL Abbortsford Flyers, the scholarship offers came pouring in for the 1982-83 season. Redmond finally decided to head to the University of Denver of the WCHA.

Redmond had an incredible rookie season in Denver, turning many heads - especially those of National Hockey League scouts. He had a 16 goals, 38 assists and 54 points in 34 collegiate showdowns. He showed great offensive ability, suggesting to some that he could become one of the elite offensive rearguards down the road.

After the Kings drafted Redmond so high, he decided to put school on the backburner and give a professional hockey career a full shot. He dropped out of school in order to skate with Dave King's Canadian national team. Not only was it a great opportunity because it was an Olympic year, but it was a great chance to improve his game. King was notorious for his defensive hockey, something Redmond was not known for. Redmond and the Kings felt it would best if he apprenticed under King's watchful eye for the year.

Redmond had a decent year and made the Olympic team. He scored twice in 7 games in Sarajevo, but the Canadians failed to medal.

Redmond made the jump to the NHL in 1984-85. He had a nice rookie season, scoring 6 goals and 39 points. He was by no means dominant but for a NHL rookie defenseman he was a serviceable player, particularly on a bad Kings team.

However Redmond's career would turn downwards in his sophomore season in 1985-86. Craig had a real tough year that year, collecting just 24 points but also struggling defensively, finishing with a bad -34. The LA Kings failed to make the playoffs, and Craig used the opportunity to return to the international game, playing 10 games for Canada in the World Championships.

1986-87 was even worse for Craig. Because of a serious knee injury, Craig only appeared in 16 contests. He looked better in those games than he had in the previous year, scoring 1 goal and 8 points and improving his +/- to -1. However the knee injury took a lot out of Redmond.

1987-88 was a weird year for Craig. Obviously relations between Craig and the Kings had soured. Craig had recovered from his knee injury and started his comeback. But after just two games, the Kings wanted to demote Craig to the minor leagues, which was a move Redmond was not prepared to do. The Monarchs were forced to suspend Redmond when he refused to report to New Haven. Redmond instead demanded a trade.

The trade never came all season long. Teams were weary of Craig's knee, as well as his on-ice shortcomings. He had failed to establish himself as an offensive presence at the elite level. His defensive play was poor, and like many young defensemen, he was prone to making costly errors in his own zone. He also lacked any physical game, and had trouble with NHL power forwards. Add that to the fact that he missed basically two years of development due to the knee injury and his subsequent hold out, it was a very long 1987-88 season for Craig.

Craig's trade came in the summer of 1988. He was traded from Los Angeles to Edmonton just two days after the two teams got together to make the biggest trade in NHL history - sending the great Wayne Gretzky to Hollywood. Essentially Redmond was part of the package that came to Edmonton in exchange for Gretzky, even though it took a couple of days later for the two to come to terms. The Oilers agreed to send John Miner, a minor league defensemen, to LA on August 10 1988.

Redmond did play in Edmonton for 21 games in the 1988-89 season, but it was a round about arrival to the Alberta capital. After training camp, the Oilers had to expose Redmond in the pre-season waiver draft, and the New York Rangers quickly grabbed the smooth skater. He was immediately sent to the minor leagues, and he did report. He spent the month of October playing 10 games back in Denver, with the IHL Rangers, and picked up 13 points, all assists.

After the quick start, the Rangers recalled Redmond at the end of the month as an emergency injury replacement, except he never did get into a game. Once the injury situation eased up the Rangers had to put Redmond on waivers again in order for him to go back to Denver. The Oilers took the opportunity to grab him back.

The Oilers, looking for a true offensive defenseman ever since the departure of Paul Coffey, gave Redmond a good look. In 21 games Redmond was given some good powerplay time, scoring 3 times and adding 10 points. However he was, as always, an adventure at even strength as his -10 attests. The Oilers demoted Redmond to their farm team in Cape Breton for the second half of the year, where Craig played well.

Frustrated with the way his career had been going and the way NHL teams had dismissed him, Craig walked away from the game before the 1989-90 season started. Perhaps looking for some closure, Craig made a comeback 5 years later, spending the 1995-96 season split between the AHL Cape Breton Oilers and the IHL Atlanta Knights.

All said, Craig was a first round draft bust who played in 191 games, scoring 16 goals, 68 assists and 84 points. He got into only 3 playoff games, scoring 1 goal.

Los Angeles Kings Greatest Players

2010-04-07T00:05:00.000-07:00

Gene Carr
Jimmy Carson
Marcel Dionne
Steve Duchesne
Todd Elik
Daryl Evans
Mark Fitzpatrick
Jim Fox
Butch Goring
Wayne Gretzky
Peter Helander
Kelly Hrudey
Howie Hughes
Dave Hutchison
Ted Irvine
Sheldon Kannegiesser
Brian Kilrea
Chris Kontos
Markus Mattsson
Marty McSorley
Bob Nevin
Bernie Nicholls
Petr Prajsler
Luc Robitaille
Charlie Simmer
Doug Smith
Chris Snell
Dave Taylor
Rogie Vachon
Bert Wilson
Vitali Yachmenev

Peter Helander

2010-04-03T15:48:00.000-07:00

Peter Helander arrived in the NHL with great fanfare, but he did not last very long.

Helander was 30 when he came to Los Angeles. The Kings drafted him in the 8th round, 153rd overall, in the 1982 draft after Helander really impressed at the 1982 World Championships, as well as the 1981 Canada Cup where he was playing as Borje Salming's defense partner.

Helander was already established as a star with his home club in Skelleftea, where he also earned an engineering degree and worked for a steel company. He was a strong skater who could move the puck. A self-described defensive defenseman, Helander had good size for the NHL game.

George Maguire, general manager of the Los Angeles Kings, was drooling over his late round find, bringing countryman Ulf Isaksson over with him.

It was certainly an eye opening experience for the duo.

"There are so many fights. We have very few fights in Sweden. Over there, you get in a fight and you can't play for maybe a week. It costs you four or five games," said Helander.

Neither Helander or Isaksson seemed intimidated by the aggressiveness, though, said coach Don Perry.

"The thing I like is that teams were testing them right off the bat and they weren't intimidated at all. They were throwing elbows right back. They've needed time to adjust to the different style of play and they've done very well," said Perry.

Helander found the coaching in the NHL quite a bit different.

"I think Don Perry is a very good coach, but it seems like we skate a lot more here (in practice) than we ever did in Sweden. It's a lot of hard work, but it's gotten us ready for the season."

GM Maguire expected Helander in particular to make an immediate impact. So much so that he bought out the contract of Ian Turnbull, Borje Salming's old defense partner from Toronto.

That turned out to be a bad move. The Kings blue line was thin enough already, and it got thinner before Helander really had a chance. In his seventh NHL game, a contest against Hartford on October 23rd, 1982, Helander broke his wrist.

The injury would cost Helander his career. Aside from a short minor league stint to test out his surgically repaired wrist, he never played again. He had three surgeries, but when it was obvious he could not play in the Kings 1983 training camp, Peter Helander retired.

It was a blunt end to a good career. Unfortunately North American fans never got a chance to see just how good Peter Helander could be.

Chris Snell

2010-01-07T17:06:00.000-08:00

After being introduced to him at the 1991 World Junior Hockey Championships, I became a big fan of Chris Snell. He struck me as a brilliant offensive defenseman, controlling the play with his uncanny passing ability and superior understanding of the offensive game. I always enjoy a defenseman who relies on intelligence more so than physicality or slap shots, and Snell's smarts were immediately noticeable.

Snell was an amazing passer, both in terms of breaking the transition offense and quarterbacking a power play. While he could lead a rush, he was at his best springing it. He could marshall the offense, knowing exactly where every player on the ice was and how to knife the puck through the heart of the defenders.

Everywhere he went he was an offensive force and amongst the best defenseman. From novice to midget all the way to the Ottawa 67's of the OHL he was honored as the best blue liner. He was a gold medal champion with Team Canada at the '91 WJC, and a fantastic minor league player. He actually set the AHL record for most points by a defenseman when he scored 96 points for St. John's in 1993-94.

Yet he never stuck in the NHL.

Drafted by Buffalo, he was released after two years in the minors. He signed for one year with the Toronto Maple Leafs, enjoying the big 96 point season with their farm team while getting his first cup of NHL coffee, playing two games with the Leafs. His big break came in 1994-95 when he signed on with Wayne Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings. With the Kings' blueline decimated by injury, Snell played much of the lockout-shortened season with the Kings, appearing in 32 games and scoring 2 goals and 7 assists. He often played with none other than Marty McSorley.

So why did this fantastic defenseman struggle at the NHL level? At 5'11" and generously listed at 200lbs, he was below average size of NHL defensemen in the 1990s. Back then especially the NHL definitely favored big, physical defenders, and undersized d-men were rare. Snell, with little upper body strength, tried to play a positional game of defense, relying on an active stick. He avoided the corners and slot, leaving these duties to better suited partners like McSorley. And as gifted as he was at reading the play offensively, he struggled with defensive reads, and often ended up running around the defensive zone.

At every level below the NHL Chris Snell was one of the best defensemen on the ice. After his season in Los Angeles he signed on with Chicago, playing one season strictly with their farm team. He would then move on to Germany for several seasons, retiring in 2003 after blowing out a knee.

Nowadays Snell teaches elite youth hockey players at Beyond The Pond Hockey.

Todd Elik

2010-01-06T19:22:00.000-08:00

This is Todd Elik. He was a late bloomer, never drafted after an uninspiring OHL junior career. But his blazing speed got him a shot at the pros and eventually into the NHL.

Elik actually gave up on his NHL dream after junior, heading to Regina to enroll in university classes. But after one season he signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers, and immediately placed with their IHL farm team in Colorado. He exploded for 100 points, catching the eyes of scouts everywhere.

The Kings were looking for an injection of youth when they traded veteran defenseman Dean Kennedy to the Rangers. Included in the package was Elik, who would spend the first year and a half in the Kings' organization with their AHL farm team.

Elik got the call up to the NHL in 1989-90 season, impressing many. I vividly remember Don Cherry raving about the Brampton, Ontario underdog. With most eyes on new Kings' star Wayne Gretzky, the unknown Elik was an eye catching player, too. He was an exciting skater with blistering speed. He provided some timely offense while shoehorned into the role as the team's second line center.

That kind of sums up Elik's career. He would move from team to team to team, often as a short term solution at center. His speed created offense, but his hands were not quite up to speed. At times he looked off balance, unable to handle the puck at his breakneck pace. He was often unable to muster much of a shot from the high speed either. But every once in a while he would have a dazzling game, attracting a new team.

As a result he would bounce around the NHL. From Los Angeles he went to Minnesota, Edmonton, San Jose, St. Louis and Boston, never spending more than a couple of seasons with any team.

Bottom line? He was not a great offensive player, relying on his speed to create it, even though ironically his speed hindered him, too. He could not effectively play any role outside of second line center. He was willing to play physically, but he was too lean and weak to win many battles in traffic or along the boards.

Todd Elik played in 448 NHL games, scoring 110 goals, 219 assists and 329 points, respectable numbers all around. He would parlay his NHL career into a lengthy stay in Europe, playing in Switzerland and Austria for well over a decade beyond his last NHL game. In addition to supplying offense over in Europe, he has found the nasty side of his game, putting up some surprisingly high penalty minute totals, leading his entire league in PIMs 5 times.

Markus Mattsson

2009-11-04T20:29:00.000-08:00

Trivia Time - Who surrendered Wayne Gretzky's first goal as an Edmonton Oiler? Here's a hint - it happened in the WHA. Here's another hint, his name is in big bold lettering at the top of this page.

Winnipeg's Finnish goalie Markus Mattsson yielded the first goal to Wayne as a Oiler. Gretzky scored 14 seconds into the 2nd period on November 2, 1978, his first game as an Oiler. Gretzky had just been acquired from the Indianapolis Racers who had to sell the junior phenom due to financial problems occured by owner Nelson Skalbania.

Mattsson got his revenge on Wayne in the NHL more then five years later when he was a goalie for the Los Angeles Kings. Mattson was in the nets for the game on January 28, 1984. That was the night that Gretzky's incredible record 51 point scoring streak came to an end.

Other than those two moments involving The Great One, Mattsson is all but forgotten about other than being the answer to a couple of good trivia questions.

Mattsson was a solid goalie in his native Finland. He represented his country between the pipes at such glorious events as the European Junior Championships, World Junior Championships and even the 1976 Canada Cup.

A draft pick of the New York Islander in 1977, he was also drafted by Houston of the WHA though his WHA rights were traded to Quebec days later. Mattsson took the unconventional route to join the North American pro circuit with the Nordiques in 1977. European goalies struggled for years to establish themselves in the North American game. The stereotypical European goalie wasn't used to being peppered with so many hard and frequent shots and struggled as a result of this. Mattsson fell into this stereotype.

After just 6 games with the Nords (1-3 record, 6.77 GAA) he was traded to the Winnipeg Jets. The 1978-79 season would prove to be his best statistically as he backstopped the Jets in their final WHA season. In 52 games he won 25, lost 21 and tied 3 with a GAA of 3.63.

Upon the merger of the remaining WHA teams into the NHL, the Jets managed to select Mattsson's NHL rights away from the Islanders. Mattsson was then named as a priority selection, thus protecting him from being dispersed to another team upon the Jets merger.

Mattsson struggled in his first NHL season, and spent as much time in the minors as he did in Winnipege. He won only 5 of the 21 games he appeared in, but had a respectable 3.25 GAA with an awful Jets team. Two of his five wins were shutouts.

Unfortunately for Mattsson, the Jets only got worse the next year. Mattsson was a lame duck goalie on perhaps the worst team in NHL history. He finished the year with just 3 wins in 31 games. One of his wins was by a shutout.

The Minnesota North Stars signed Mattsson for the 1982-83 season. After representing Finland in his second Canada Cup tournament, Mattsson spent all but two games in the minors. He was 1-1 as a North Star, including a shutout. Mattsson then was moved to Los Angeles where he finished the year with a 5-5-4 record in 19 games.

Mattsson would play another 19 games in what proved to be his final season in North American hockey in 1983-84. However he spent most his final season in the minors.

Mattsson returned to Finland in the summer of 1984 and continued to play pro hockey over there until 1986.

Gene Carr

2009-10-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

Gene Carr's most obvious hockey skill was his superior skating ability. He was one of the flashiest skaters around in the 1970s.

Gene is the son of Red Carr, who was a minor league player for many years and also played briefly with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Red was also a hockey coach in Nanaimo. One would think Gene got his skating abilities from his father. But Gene, always the witty joker, insisted he got it from his mother.

Gene will forever be known as a high draft pick who never panned out. Picked 4th overall by the St. Louis Blues in 1971, Gene only played in 15 games with the Blues before being part of a big package heading to Broadway. The Rangers acquired Gene along with Jim Lorentz and Wayne Connelly for Jack Egers, Andre Dupont and Mike Murphy. For the next two seasons he was rarely used on the Rangers, although he gained a measure of fame in 1972 when he shadowed and shut down Montreal's Yvan Cournoyer during a playoff series.

The Rangers moved Gene to Los Angeles for a 1st round draft pick halfway through the 1973-74 season. That draft pick turned out to be Ron Duguay. Gene however continued to be cast in a minor role, mostly penalty killing, for the following 4 years in Los Angeles. He was better known as a friend of Eagles Glenn Frey than for his on ice accomplishments. Frey sometimes wore Carr's #12 jersey while on stage.

Just 5 games into the 1977-78 season Gene was moved with Dave Schultz and a draft pick to Pittsburgh in exchange for Syl Apps and Hartland Monahan. Gene welcomed the move.

"All I want is some ice time and a fair shake" he said.

Gene finally got the break he wanted in Pittsburgh. He finished the year as a regular player, and chipped in with 17 goals (plus 2 more previously with LA) and 56 points.

Gene became a free agent at the conclusion of that season and signed on with the Atlanta Flames. He probably should have stayed in Pittsburgh, as he really struggled in Atlanta. He had just 3 goals and 11 points in 30 games, and spent half of the season in the minor leagues. That proved to be his final professional season.

Carr may be remembered as a draft bust, but his career really was derailed by injuries. In 1973 he suffered serious injuries in a taxi cab accident. He also missed much of the 1975-76 season due to surgery to remove fluid build up on his spine. The back pain would ultimately claim his career.

Sheldon Kannegiesser

2009-08-20T21:19:00.000-07:00

This is Sheldon Kannegeisser. He was a journeyman defenseman in the 1970s, playing with Pittsburgh, New York Rangers, most notably Los Angeles and then in Vancouver. He was a serviceable defender, eating up minutes reliably and clearing the zone with heady passes and clean play.

Best known for his alphabet soup surname, Kannegeisser was a bit of a different bird, at least in NHL circles. He was a very devoted Christian. The only thing he read on road trips as much as the bible might have been the Wall Street Journal. He studied economics, but also studied dehydrated foods. He even experimented with hypnotism, claiming the practice increased his peripheral vision.

Kannegeisser retired back in 1978, and has spent the past 30 years or so living in California as an entrepreneur and businnessman, and raising his two sons Brett and Jameson. He also has been working on the motivational speaking circuit.

It was during his guest speaker appearances that Kannegiesser realized just how much people loved to hear stories of hockey in the 1970s. He got the idea of compiling the stories and putting them into a book.

His book is now a reality. Warriors of Winter is a great title, but it is the subtitle that hints at the book's uniqueness: Rhymes of a Blueliner Balladeer. Kannegeisser took the time to take his stories and write them as poems.

Hockey stories are perennial," Kannegiesser said in a recent interview with the North Bay Nugget. And every hockey player you talk to has 10 or 20 hilarious stories. I found I could take those and put them to rhyme and rhythm. The key thing about the majority of these stories is they're all true. And I just made them fun."

Kannegiesser writes about many topics, from hockey fights to life on the road, to his personal relationships with the likes of Bobby Orr, Tim Horton, Gordie Howe and Dave 'Tiger' Williams. He event revisits the 1972 Summit Series with 8 poems, one devoted to each game.

The book has just been published but is not available in bookstores. It can be purchased online at warriorsofwinter.com, as well as at book signings and speaking engagements. A sample chapter about Tim Horton, titled Donuts, is available at the North Bay Nugget website.

Update: Kannegiesser also completed the following interview with HockeyBookReviews.com.

Steve Duchesne

2009-07-30T18:17:00.000-07:00

This is Steve Duchesne, pictured in his 1988-89 OPC rookie hockey card.

Steve Duchesne was an excellent offensive catalyst from the blue line. He was an excellent power play quarterback, with his hard, low shot which he somehow usually got through traffic; and his crisp and sudden passes combined his ability to read the breakdowns in the defensive coverage.

Duchesne's best years were with Wayne Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was the Kings' version of Paul Coffey, Gretzky's old running mate in Edmonton. He was an exceptionally mobile skater who never shied away from joining the attack or cheating into the slot.

He put up some great numbers in LA, averaging 22 goals and 66 points in Gretzky's first three years. Even in Duchesne's first two seasons prior to 99's arrival he was starting to push 20 goals and 60 points. It was quite surprising that Edmonton did not insist on Duchesne coming north as part of the Wayne Gretzky trade.

Not bad for a defenseman no one wanted back at the NHL draft table. A bit of a late bloomer, Duchesne was passed over by every team in two NHL drafts, signing with the Kings organization as a free agent filler for the farm team. Two years later he was running the Kings power play and named to the NHL All-Rookie team.

Like most offensive defensemen, Duchesne's defensive game was never as good as his offensive game. He did not use his skating as well defensively, likely because he did not dissect the oncoming attack as quickly as he could when his team was on the offense. He was at times guilty of making bad gambles and looking bad in doing so.

He did not make breakout passes as well as Coffey (then again, very few ever have), preferring to rush the puck out of the zone. He was of average size, yet he was never likely to engage in physical battles. Opposing teams knew to dump the puck into his corner and hit him early and often, and he likely would be less effective in that game.

Regardless, he was an exciting defenseman who provided the necessary offensive presence any Wayne Gretzky-led team needed. Despite his popularity in Los Angeles though, he was traded to Philadelphia in 1991. The impatient Kings moved Duchesne and Steve Kasper to the Flyers for bruising defenseman Jeff Chychrun and a fellow named Jari Kurri. In giving up Duchesne the Kings paid dearly for Gretzky's old side kick. The hope was the two would come together like in their old glory days back with the Oilers, but it was never really rekindled.

Duchesne went on to play a strong season in Philadelphia (18 goals, 56 points) before he was moved again for another superstar. Duchesne was sent back to his home province as a key part of Philadelphia's monster package to acquired teen phenom Eric Lindros. The package also included Peter Forsberg, Kerry Huffman, Mike Ricci, Ron Hextall, Philadelphia's 1st round choice (Jocelyn Thibault) in 1993 Entry Draft, $15,000,000 and future considerations which turned into Chris Simon and another draft choice.

Despite being back home in Quebec Duchesne would find himself on the move again rather quickly, this time as the result of a contract dispute. After just one season he was on his way to St. Louis.

Duchesne definitely got a reputation as a vagabond player. Perhaps teams only realized how good Duchesne was after they let him go. After all, after two seasons in St. Louis he was off to Ottawa for two years (really sparking the lowly Sens), only to go back to the Blues for1 year, before splitting another season back in LA and back in Philadelphia.

He finished his career with three seasons in Detroit, providing a veteran presence although his offense had all but dried up. Duchesne retired after the Wings won the Stanley Cup in 2002.

In 1113 NHL games Steve Duchesne scored 227 goals, 525 assists and 752 points. He was an upper-echelon offensive defenseman, though never an all star or Norris trophy contender. He was a fun defenseman to watch, especially on the power play.

Not bad for a player who was never drafted.

Howie Hughes

2009-06-09T15:59:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Howie Hughes scored the first Los Angeles Kings goal in the Fabulous Forum at 7:30 of the 1st period on January 11, 1968 vs. St.Louis?

Howie was one of those guys who had to fight for every minute of his ice time in the NHL. At only 5´9" he was considered to be too small for the NHL and it wasn't until the expansion in 1967-68 that he got his chance to prove himself in the NHL.

"Size shouldn't matter" Howie once said "only what you do or don't do. I know I did pretty well. Most of my career, it didn't get me anywhere. Why didn't I get more of a chance ? was it because of my size ? I don't know. I didn't make the decisions and I never complained. I just did the best I could."

Howie played his junior hockey for his hometown team, St.Boniface Canadians between 1955-59. He was picked up by the Winnipeg Braves for the 1959 playoffs and won the Memorial Cup with them. In his first pro season 1959-60 Howie scored 79 points (35+44) in 68 games for St.Paul (IHL) and won the championship with them.

Howie was clearly too good for the IHL and went on to play in the much stronger WHL. There he played for Winnipeg Warriors, Seattle Totems and Vancouver Canucks between 1960-63. During the 1963-64 season he played for St. Paul Rangers of the CHL, collecting 64 points in 66 games. He then racked up another three strong seasons in the WHL for the Vancouver Canucks (50 and 72 points) under tough coach Bert Olmstead who he called the most influential person in his life and Seattle Totems (71 points).

During that last season with Seattle (66-67) Howie made the 2nd WHL All-Star team and led the Totems to the championship. He also was the leading scorer in the playoffs where he had most goals (6) and points (11)

Los Angeles Kings liked what they saw in Howie and GM Larry Regan chose him in the 9th round of the expansion draft. Regan's own scouting report said: "Howie is an excellent two-way player, and is outstanding as a penalty killer."

Finally at the age of 28 Howie got his chance in the NHL. Although Howie played in every game, he was used sparingly by the coach Red Kelly and played mainly as a spare or penalty killer. In his first season with the Kings he scored 23 points (9+14) in 74 games and scored two more goals in the playoffs.

Howie at that time had a simple explanation. " I don't know any other way to play than full out. That's what I'm getting paid to do. Even when you're playing regularly, you're only on the ice a minute or two at a time, so why not give it all you've got? And when you're only getting a few minutes a game, you have to make the most of them. If being versatile and being able to produce in short shifts helps me keep a job up here, that's fine, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to play regularly and didn't think I was good enough. I love hockey and have few regrets, but I've had a frustrating career." Howie said.

The 1968-69 season proved to be Howie's finest in the NHL. He got 30 points (16+14) in 73 games and saw more ice time. Then in 1969-70 he only played 21 games for LA.

Vitali Yachmenev

2009-06-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

A lot of people got really excited about Vitali Yachmenev back in the 1995-96 season. The 59th overall draft pick by the LA Kings in 1994, Yachmenev spent much of his rookie season playing on Wayne Gretzky's right wing, and looking good in doing so.

It was probably the best and the worst thing that could happen to the young Russian from Chelyabinsk. He played well along side The Great One, and picked up 19 goals and 53 points that season.

But that raised expectations for the youngster, who would not be able to put up good numbers once Gretzky was traded to St. Louis towards the end of that season, and in the following two campaigns.

Though his stock plummeted, Yachmenev landed on his skates with the expansion Nashville Predators in 1998-99.

Yachmenev played 4 years in Nashville. For a sniper, he did not put up any memorable numbers, never scoring more than 16 goals in those seasons. In fact, in his last NHL season he scored just five times.

But he was an intelligent hockey player with good hockey sense. He was trusted on the penalty kill and he was a reliable defensive winger, willing to take hits on the wall to get the puck out of the zone.

He was a bit of a cult hero in Nashville. He was a quick player, not a speedy player, and brought energy to each game that fans and teammates appreciated.

In the summer of 2003 Yachmenev returned to Russia where he continued to play hockey for many years.

Petr Prajsler

2009-05-22T23:14:00.000-07:00

Petr Prajsler risked his own life and the life of his wife and parents in order to live out his dream.

"I wanted to play in the National Hockey League" explained Prajsler, pronounced Prays-ler.

In order to do that, Prajsler had to defect from his native Czechoslovakia, which was still under strict communist control in 1987.

Prajsler said he simply drove to Yugoslavia for a brief vacation and then with help for the Los Angeles Kings, his agent and two immigration lawyers he acquired the proper documents to drive across the Austrian border, and into the freedom of the Western World.

"I was nervous" remembered Prajsler. "I was afraid maybe the Yugoslavians wouldn't let us go. If we would have been returned to Czechoslovakia with an Austrian transit stamp in our passport, that would have meant we wanted to leave illegally."

That of course would have led to strict punishment for Petr and his wife Eva, as well as his parents Jaroslav and Jana.

"We just showed our documents (to the Yugoslavian body guards) and they let us go." he said. "To go to a Western country, you need a visa. Normally they won't give a visa to an average citizen, but if you through a travel agency for vacation tickts, you might get it.

One in Austria Prajsler laid low and sent a letter to the Los Angeles Kings, who had drafted him 93rd overall in 1985. The Kings were surprised and quick to act.

"He really didn't want to talk when we first made contact" said Kings GM Rogie Vachon. "Finally we convinced him who we really were, that we were willing to sponsor him."

"We moved him to another place, to a tiny little town near Vienna. We tried to keep it as quiet as possible for security reasons. We didn't want someone to grab him in the middle of the night."

With the help of immigration lawyers Ron Bonaparte and Milton Glenian, Prajsler finally got his tickets out of Europe and to Los Angeles in time for training camp.

The Kings were excited to have him in camp.

"Our scouts saw him in the junior world championships in 1984. They said he was one of the best players in the tournament." continued Vachon. "He played for Czechoslovakia's best team (Pardubice) the past two seasons. They are the Edmonton Oilers of Czechoslovakia."

"He claims he's a stay at home defenseman, but he can handle the puck and he can skate. We're keeping our fingers crossed he can play."

In that quote is where Prajsler NHL dream started to die. The Kings were trying to make Prajsler something he wasn't - an offensive defenseman. Their unrealistic expectations ruined his career.

Initially the Kings sent Prajsler to the AHL's New Haven Nighthawks. Still learning english, the Kings felt Prajsler would be best off learning North American life in the minor leagues. Injuries hampered him to just two 1/2 seasons over his first three years. His third year was spent with the Kings where he scored 3 goals and 10 points in 34 games and appeared in 3 playoff games. The following year Prajsler played his first full North American season - but with IHL Phoenix not the NHL. He played well, notching 13 goals and 47 points.

The Boston Bruins signed Prajsler as a free agent in 1991-92 but again he spent all but 3 games in the minors. Prajsler quit North American hockey after that season despite a good year in the minors.

Prajsler's story has a good ending though. With the political freedom achieved in the now former Czechoslovakia, Petr was allowed to return hom to his family and friends without fear of punishment. He resumed his hockey career, and probably enjoyed himself a whole lot more.

Brian Kilrea

2009-03-05T15:31:00.000-08:00

Brian Kilrea is a legend in the hockey world. He is a veteran of just 26 NHL games but is best known as the winningest coach in junior hockey history. As the long time coach of the Ottawa 67's, Kilrea has earned over 1200 career wins in the Ontario Hockey League as well as producing countless NHL and minor pro players - names like Bobby Smith, Gary Roberts, Jim Fox and Doug Smith.

Asked if he ever considered moving on to coach in the NHL or at least in professionally, Kilrea quickly responded, "I couldn't think of a more perfect situation. I'm in my home town and I love it. There's no other place I'd rather be. Why would I ever want to leave here? I couldn't even begin to think of a better place," said Kilrea once. "You know I had a call the other day from an NHL team asking me if I'd even give it a thought to coach there. I told the guy: 'No thanks.' I'm happy right where I am.

"I'm not only proud of the players I've had who made it to the NHL, I'm proud when I look around the community and I see some of the players who we had here that have become good people. That's what's important. You try to teach the kids to be good to the people around them."

That, and over 1200 career wins, sums up Kilrea the junior coach pretty nicely. But let's take a look at the rest of Kilrea's life in hockey.

From Giggles To Killer

A look into Kilrea's hockey resume reveals a tremendously interesting hockey journey.

Brian was born to play hockey. His father was a legendary player in the Ottawa area in his day, but he had to quit the game to begin working. But Brian's uncles Hector, Wally and Ken all played professional hockey including in the National Hockey League.

After two years of junior hockey with the Hamilton Tiger Cubs, the 5'11" 175lb center turned pro with the IHL's Troy Bruins. He played 4 seasons in the "I" as a solid skater and great playmaker. He even appeared in one NHL game in the 1957-58 season with the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings had some injuries and invited the small Kilrea to participate in the game, but he received very little ice time.

The next year he started what turned out to be an 11-year stay in Springfield, Mass. under the ruthless regime of the legendary Eddie Shore. Kilrea, whose maternal nickname Giggles became shortened to Gig, learned a lot of what would make him a successful coach in his long tenure with Shore in the AHL.

"Eddie would do anything to make sure that our life was hell. That was just his style. We always played Christmas Day. Why give us a day off? I liked him, but I didn't like the way he humiliated people," says Kilrea.

After 11 seasons, Kilrea finally got another shot to play in the NHL when the expansion Los Angeles Kings purchased the Springfield Indians from Shore. Kilrea along with all the Springfield players instantly became property of the NHL Kings.

Kilrea would appear in 25 games with the Kings and became the answer to an interesting trivia question when on Oct. 14, 1967 Kilrea scored the first goal in Los Angeles Kings' history in a 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Great Western Forum.

Send Me Back To The Minors, Please!

Kilrea's NHL tenure lasted only 25 games because he couldn't stand the weather.

"I just couldn't stand it there. I thought it was too hot," says Kilrea. "So I went to them and I told them that if they didn't mind, I'd like to be sent back to Springfield. They thought I was nuts to ask for it. I remember sitting in GM Larry Regan's office and he was trying to talk me out of it. Nobody had ever heard of anything like this before. I couldn't stand the hot weather. I hated it. I wanted to be closer to Ottawa."

Kilrea, who is probably the only person to ask to be demoted from the NHL due to his dislike of sunny weather also took a paycut from $16,500 US to $9,500 to play in Springfield.

Kilrea would finish the season in Springfield but spent the following two seasons on a road trip across North America. He appeared in Vancouver, Rochester, Tulsa and Denver before retiring in 1970.

Back To The Bigs

Kilrea would return to the NHL for two seasons as an assistant under hall-of-fame coach Al Arbour with the New York Islanders in the mid-1980s. He became very popular with his players, which eventually cost him his job.

"The Islanders thought I was too close to the players," says Kilrea. "That was fine. Al and I were different people. We did things in our own way. I tried to look at it as a learning experience and I learned a lot from him."

These are some of the interesting stories I have unearthed on Brian Kilrea. When you become the winningest coach in junior hockey history, you know there has to be a great past prior to his becoming a coach with the Ottawa 67s. As I have learned, Kilrea is one of hockey's most interesting personalities long before he became famous for his junior coaching days.

In 2008 Brian Kilrea was rightfully inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Kevin Shea had an excellent interview with Kilrea. You should definitely check it out.

Dave Hutchison

2008-12-11T22:48:00.000-08:00

Dave Hutchison was a rugged and reliable defenceman throughout his 12-year professional hockey career. In 584 regular season games, he totaled 116 points and 1,550 penalty minutes. He was a role player, an aggressive stay-at-home defenceman who was often paired with an offensive minded defenceman. In fact he was the defensive conscience of two of the top defensemen of his time: Borje Salming and Doug Wilson.

Hutchison's hockey career began in his hometown of London, Ontario, where he played his junior hockey with the London Knights of the OHA. He was then was drafted 36th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 1972 but spent time in the Eastern Hockey League and the World Hockey Association before joining the Kings in 1974-75.

Hutchison played for the Kings for four seasons. "Hutchy" loved life as a bachelor on the warm beaches of California. But it was also in Los Angeles that he learned to become an effective NHL defenseman. He would thank coach Bob Pulford for making him into an NHL caliber rearguard, teaching him how to maximize his abilities by realizing and playing within his limits.

But those who did not follow Hutchinson closely knew him strictly as a tough guy defenseman. He dropped his gloves frequently, and with devastating results. Unlike a lot of tough guys, he thoroughly enjoyed fighting, taking great pride in his battles.

Of course, fighting meant a lot of bumps and bruises, too. That only served to further enhance his quickly earned his tough as nails reputation. For example, he once played 6 weeks of the 1975-76 season with his jaw wired shut.

As an Ontario-raised boy, the summer of 1978 was a dream come true for Dave. Dave was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs after a contract squabble with the Kings. However Hutchison's stay with the white and blue was short-lived. After a season and a half with the Leafs, Hutchison was traded to Chicago for Pat Ribble.

With the Hawks, Hutchison recorded a personal-best 23 points in 1981-82, the same year that Doug Wilson captured the Norris Trophy. Dave played a large role in Wilson's success. There was no way Wilson could have scored 39 goals that year had he not had a steady partner to cover his defensive position, thus giving Wilson the green light to run and gun.

After three seasons with the Hawks, Hutchison moved on to play with the New Jersey Devils for the 1982-83. He only played in 32 games that year and announced his retirement following the season.

The retirement was short-lived however. The Toronto Maple Leafs came calling and gave him one last chance to play. He accepted and played 47 solid more games to close out his career.

Hutch settled back in the London, Ontario area after retiring. He would find success as a real estate agent.

Dave Taylor

2008-10-09T17:01:00.000-07:00

No player in the long history of the Los Angeles Kings has worn the uniform with most class than Dave Taylor. For 17 seasons Taylor gave his all on and off the ice and is regarded as one of Hollywood's greatest, albeit quietest, sporting heroes.

Taylor turned out to be the steal of the 1975 entry draft as he was drafted in the 15th round. He was relatively unknown as he played with little known Clarkson University (he still holds all the scoring records there) in a time when it was very rare for university players to make the NHL. Oh, and he successfully earned his bachelor of science in industrial management in 1977, by the way.

Through hard work and gritty effort, Taylor never needed to fall back on his education as he managed to make the Kings and became the ultimate compliment to the greatest King ever, Marcel Dionne. With Dionne's incredibly wizardry, Taylor's career blossomed from a regular player to a first line star. Combined with left winger Charlie Simmer, the trio was known as the Triple Crown line.

A fearsome body checker, Taylor became an almost as fearsome scorer, though highly underrated. Most people tend to pass off Taylor's offensive record as by-product of playing with Marcel Dionne, but in reality Taylor was a gift offensive player in his own right.

He was an excellent skater, agile for a big man and making up whatever he lacked in breakout speed with his incredible balance that made him almost impossible to knock down. He had great anticipation and opportunistic hands, able to work with Dionne as if the two were born to play with one another. In fact, Taylor was as much of an influence on Dionne's success as Dionne was on his.

The heart of his game was grinding up and down the right wall and in the corners. He would do the dirty work for his linemates, and often also act as their defensive conscience. He patrolled his wing with great strength and tenacity. Though big and strong, he was not much of a fighter. Though he dropped the gloves when he had to, he is probably best remembered for flattening Wayne Gretzky when he was still with the Oilers.

No hard feelings would linger from that incident. Of course Gretzky would leave Edmonton and come to Los Angeles in 1998. Taylor showed what a great leader and a selfless team player he was. It was Taylor who insisted that Gretzky wear the "C" of the team captain on his jersey.

Though he was generally underrated by observers around the league, the L.A. fans adored Taylor. He took home many team awards, including team MVP and most popular player, and represented the Kings in 5 NHL all star games. He was given the ultimate sporting thank you when he had his number 18 retired to the rafters of the Great Western Forum along side Marcel Dionne and Rogie Vachon.

He also won the Bill Masterton and King Clancy awards in 1991, after years of tirelessly working towards charity and community endevors. The highly respected Taylor was very proud of these two significant NHL honors.

In his career he tallied 431 goals and 1069 points. He played in 1,111 career games, all with the Kings. Needless to say that is a team record he is very proud of.

Taylor retired and stepped into management, serving as the long time Kings GM (1997-2006) before moving on to the Dallas Stars organization.

Marty McSorley

2008-06-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

Marty McSorley worked hard to rid himself of his reputation as a goon early in his career. He worked hard to improve himself as a player, and became very well respected throughout the entire league, both for his on ice play and off ice class.

However that all changed on February 21, 2000.

With less than five seconds left in regulation time and the Canucks cruising to a 5-2 victory over the McSorley's Boston Bruins, the hulking defenseman closed in on fellow tough guy Donald Brashear and took a two-handed swing at the Vancouver forward's head, connecting with his right temple. Brashear dropped like a rock, hit his head on the ice and lay twitching on the ice. Brashear, who was then carried off on a stretched with blood flowing from his nose, suffered a severe concussion but could have suffered much worse.

McSorley, who has a short fuse and a history of violence, crossed the line of what is considered to be "acceptable" acts of violence in a hockey game. The Vancouver RCMP continue to look into assault charges.

McSorley was genuinely apologetic following the game, though that was not enough.

"I'm in shock with what I did," said a contrite McSorley. "That's not the way I want to be remembered as a hockey player.

"I have to reflect upon what I did. I have to come to terms with what I did.

"I've done that with so many guys, so many times, but I don't know what happened," he said. "There's no excuse. I got way too carried away. It was a real dumb play."

McSorley's act was probably the worst act of violence at the NHL level since Rocket Richard attacked Hal Laycoe and a linesmen back in the '50s. For his despicable act, Richard was suspended for the remainder of the regular season and the entire playoffs, sparking the now infamous Richard Riots in Montreal.

No one will be rioting now, but McSorley too got kicked out for the rest of the year. He was banned officially for 23 games plus the playoffs, the harshest penalty handed out by the NHL for an on ice incident to that point in history.

Its an unfortunate exclamation mark at the end of McSorley's career. No one should ever condone what he did, but it is important to tell the story of the rest of McSorley's career as well.

Marty McSorley went undrafted after playing junior hockey with the Belleville Bulls. The Hamilton, Ontario native signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1982 and made the team in 1983-84 as simply a goon. He record 224 penalty minutes. However Marty would spend most of the next season in the minors.

In 1985 he was then traded to the Edmonton Oilers with Tim Hrynewich and later Craig Muni in exchange for goaltender Gilles Meloche. McSorley was brought into Edmonton with the idea that he could be Dave Semenko's eventual replacement as Wayne Gretzky's "bodyguard."

The move to Edmonton proved to be a great move for Marty as he would be part of back to back Stanley Cup championships in 1987 and 1988.

Then came "the trade." Wayne Gretzky, Mike Krushelnyski and McSorley were shipped to Los Angeles for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas and $15 million. McSorley was supposedly a throw in in the deal but some sources say that Wayne Gretzky insisted that his good friend Marty be included.

McSorley brought his bruising physical style to Los Angeles where he became an instant fan favorite. He racked up a 350 penalty minutes his first year and 322 in the following year. But Marty also became a really good player while in Los Angeles. He scored 15 goals and 36 points in 1989-90. 1990-91 saw McSorley tie Theo Fleury with a +48 rating, tops in the NHL. Marty even recorded a six point game against the Vancouver Canucks.

In 19 92-93 McSorley set the Kings record for penalty minutes with 399. It was also the season of the Kings Cinderella run into the Cup Finals. It was the franchises first time in the Finals. Though Marty had a great year and incredible playoffs, McSorley may most be remembered for happened in Game Two of the Finals. With the Kings in position to win and go up 2-0. Montreal coach Jacques Demers took a gamble and won big by asking the referee to check if McSorley was using an illegal curve on his stick. The move paid off for Demers, as the curve was indeed illegal. On the ensuing power play, Montreal scored to send the game into overtime, where they would win the game and tied the series at 1 game apiece.. The call turned the series in Montreal's favor, who would eventually down the upstart Kings to win the Stanley Cup.

Before the 19 93-94 season began, McSorley was traded back to Pittsburgh. Marty had earned a big pay raise and the Kings didn't want to pay the bill, so they sent him packing. It signaled the start of the downfall for LA as the Kings lost their emotional leader.

He played 47 games in Pittsburgh, but struggled. Much to Marty's relief he was traded back to Los Angeles later in the year. Oddly enough Shawn McEacheran was also involved in both trades. Upon his return to La-la-land he set the Kings franchise record for career penalty minutes. He also made a nice pass to Wayne Gretzky on Gretzky's NHL record breaking 802nd NHL goal.

McSorley was traded by the Kings again, this time March 1996 to the New York Rangers. McSorley was a free agent at season's end, so the Rangers were effectively using him as a rental player for the playoff run. As it turned out McSorley would only play 13 games for New York, including just 4 playoff contests.

After that, he signed on with San Jose as a free agent, but was used sparingly due to his lack of foot speed and defensive blunders. McSorley returned to the Edmonton Oilers in 1998-99, and signed with Boston for the 1999-2000 season.

TH will be remembered for his hideous assault on Donald Brasher, which is unfortunate. Marty McSorley was more than a goon. He started out as a goon in Pittsburgh who went on to become Dave Semenko's replacement as Gretzky's bodyguard in Edmonton and later Los Angeles. But a funny thing happened a long the way - McSorley worked his butt off and he turned himself into a fine player, especially during his first tenure with the Kings. In fact, in my opinion, McSorley was the second most dominant LA King in the 1993 Cup run, after of course Wayne Gretzky.

Though he was an awkward skater, Marty learned to play within his limitations, and as soon as he did that he thrived. Originally a winger, Marty is best known for playing defense where he cleared creases and intimidate attacking opponents on a nightly basis. He did possess a heavy shot.

Marty earned great respect around the league for his hard work, his fine team play, and his articulate intelligence off the ice. That all changed because of a sick stick swinging incident that even left McSorley shocked.

"He'll have to live with this for the rest of his life" said Canucks GM Brian Burke. "That's quite a burden."

Bert Wilson

2008-03-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

A colleague recently shared their views on a former Los Angeles Kings tough guy named Bert Wilson:

"Bert Wilson had only one talent - flapping his sharp elbows into the opposition's ribcage. He was the worst stickhandler I ever saw in the NHL. On the rare occasions that Wilson scored a goal it was by one of two ways: The first one was an occasional goal mouth scramble. The second (usual) way was because the opposition refused to check him. In this scenario, the puck would be deep in the opposition's end. Each opposing defenseman (usually with the help of a back- checking forward) would drape themselves over Wilson's line mates the moment they touched the puck until they passed it back to Beltin' Bert. The remaining opposing forwards would harass the King's D men at the points should the puck come to the D men. If the Kings had the puck, the opposition wanted Wilson to have it! Wilson would be left all alone with the puck without being harassed. Under those conditions, even Wilson had more than enough time to skate in alone with the puck and have just as much time to get a point blank shot on goal - and a few went in!

"However, I give Wilson some credit. At least the effort was there even if the talent wasn't. I'm sure it was there since he probably realized that if he didn't go all out for a game, it may be his last one in the NHL."

Wilson did last 7 full NHL seasons and 478 games. In that time he scored just 37 times, while setting up 44 others. He was drafted by the Rangers and played in their minor league system for the first 5 years of his career before finally catching on in New York. Best known as a King, he also played with St. Louis and Calgary before rounding out his career with two seasons with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the CHL.

So there you have it. Another player in a long list of forgotten about players who survived by playing as physical as they could, despite having few tangible hockey skills.

Here's a YouTube highlight of Bert Wilson dropping the gloves with Behn Wilson:

Rogie Vachon

2007-10-22T12:46:00.001-07:00

Rogie Vachon started his career in Montreal where he was on course to become one of yet another in a long list of great Habs netminders. His highest goals-against average with Montreal was a miniscule 2.87. He played a major role in upsetting the Bruins in the 1969 playoffs, as the Canadiens eliminated Bobby Or and the heavily favored Bruins in the semi-finals en route to the second of three Stanley Cup championships Vachon would enjoy while with Montreal.

Vachon looked like he was en route for hockey immortality - tending the nets for the legendary Canadiens, succeeding Gump Worsley and winning Stanley Cups. Then, late in the 1970-71 season, the Canadiens decided to give Rogie a bit of a rest right before the playoffs would start. They called up a promising young goalie to give him some apprentice time with established Vachon. The name of this prospect was Ken Dryden.

Dryden impressed the coaching staff so much that he played in all of the remaining 6 regular season games, only giving up 9 goals. However everyone expected Vachon to be between the pipes for the first playoff game. Much to everyone's surprise, head coach Al MacNeil decided to go with his hot hand, playing a hunch that the rookie wouldn't fold under pressure and at the same time give the Habs a huge advantage as no one had ever seen Dryden before. Dryden would lead the team to the Stanley Cup. Despite helping the Habs to previous championships, Vachon sat on the bench, and the next season was traded to Los Angeles.

Rogie became and still is a hero in Los Angeles, although his California zip code somewhat distanced him from the status of legend he probably should enjoy. He brought instant credibility to a struggling franchise with little fan support. His number 30 hangs high in the rafters along with names like Dave Taylor and Marcel Dionne. For 6 and 1/2 seasons he was the Kings workhorse, posting very respectable statistics and in hind-sight being one of the most valuable players to any one team. Playing in relative obscurity in the new, isolated hockey market, people often forgot about the great goalie named Rogie.

A classic stand up goalie, Vachon made the Kings respectable while becoming the most popular player in the Sunshine State. His best season came in 1974-75, finishing a close second to Bobby Clarke as the league's most valuable player. The Hockey News did name the big hearted competitor as player of the year.

Cursed by the obscurity of playing with the Kings, the lasting Vachon legacy for many Canadians will forever be his play in the 1976 Canada Cup. With Bernie Parent and Ken Dryden not playing, Vachon backstopped the Canadian team to the inaugural championship. In the first 6 games he let in only 6 goals, and he was a standout in the best of three final against Czechoslovakia. Vachon was named as Canada's MVP, no small feat considering this team featured 16 eventual Hockey Hall of Famers.

While in Los Angeles Rogie almost became the first goalie to be credited with scoring a goal in the NHL. On Feb 15, 1977 the Kings were playing the NY Islanders. In the second period Vachon made a save and appeared to clear the puck to center ice. The Islanders regrouped and one of the Kings committed a penalty -- setting up a delayed-penalty situation. As the Islanders regrouped with possession of the puck (and the ref's arm raised) they pulled goalie Chico Resch, then sent the puck in deep Trottier picked up the puck by the side of the Kings' goal and attempted a pass to the defensemen at the point. The puck went between the two defensemen and all the way into the Islanders' empty net. After a moment of confusion, the goal was awarded to Rogie Vachon!

However, after the game the official scorers looked at the videotape and realized Kings' forward Vic Venasky cleared the puck after Vachon's earlier save that preceded the penalty -- so the goal was credited to Venasky.

Rogie Vachon would wind up his career with Detroit and then Boston, but is best known for his days with L.A. He would return to California and take over the General Manager role for many years.

Doug Smith

2007-06-17T05:27:00.000-07:00

Doug Smith was a highly thought of junior player. So highly thought of that the Los Angeles Kings selected Smith 2nd overall in the 1981 Entry Draft. Drafted ahead of American whiz kid Bob Carpenter and future superstar Ron Francis, Smith, who played for the Ottawa 67's, had the unenviable task of being picked 2nd to perhaps the greatest 1st overall pick ever - Dale Hawerchuk.

While Hawerchuk went on to achieve superstar status and Carpenter and Francis enjoyed fine careers as well, Smith struggled and was never able to establish himself as a top offensive player. Although he became a good role player and defensive specialist by the end of his career, he was never able to shake the lofty expectations placed on him.

Part of the problem was Doug wasn't mature enough to handle the pressure at such a young age.

"I look back when I was drafted, at the time I was so young having just turned 18 in May of 1981, my draft year," recalled Smith. "I was cocky and outspoken I had gone from being the best player in junior to just another player in the NHL. Maybe I didn't show the proper respect. I realize now that then I didn't know what the NHL was all about. The NHL is a tight family and it's like you are adopted. I got frustrated and lost confidence. I suffered from it for a long time."

"I look back now at age 34 after 600 career games and a career ending injury and appreciate, and consider it was an honor to play in the NHL."

Smith played in four and a half seasons with the Kings beginning with the 1981-82 campaign. His
rookie year at age 18 saw him appear in 80 games picking up 16 goals ands 30 points. His best season as a King was 84-85 when he totaled 41 points including 21 goals (career highs). Played a total of 304 games as a King scoring 72 goals, 74 assists for 146 points.

Smith was traded to Buffalo, January 30, 1996, with Brian Engblom for Larry Playfair, Sean McKenna and Ken Baumgartner. He played 3 seasons in Buffalo before moving on to stints in Edmonton, Vancouver and Pittsburgh. In total Smith had 115 goals and 138 assists for 253 points in 535 NHL games. He added another 4 goals and 6 points in 18 playoff contests.

Smith was an incredible skater, with explosive speed and tremendous agility..

"I lot of people told me I was going to break my neck while I was playing in the NHL. I always played full out with reckless abandoned always wanted to win. One of my favorite plays was running the defensemen and really getting in on the forecheck and stirring things up."

Ironically Smith did end his career by breaking his neck, but it wasn't in the NHL. While playing Austria, Smith was chasing the puck into the corner with a defender. As Doug cut through the goal crease to chase the defender, he hit a rut in the ice and fell head first into the boards.

"I broke my neck in 200 places shattering two of my vertebrae, C5 and C6, it resulted in being paralysed from the neck down but I'm one of the fortunate few that have had an opportunity to learn how to walk again. I tried skating in 1996 but like a child learning to walk before he can skate I became frustrated after about five minutes and took my skates off."

Jim Fox

2007-06-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

Despite being considered too small to play in the National Hockey League, the Los Angeles Kings thought better of Jimmy Fox. They were rewarded for their insight with a productive though largely unnoticed career on Hockey's Californian coast.

Fox stood just 5'8" though was built solidly at 185lbs. Despite his lack of size the Kings drafted the right winger 10th overall in the 1980 Entry Draft following 3 straight 100 plus point seasons in the OHA. In his final year with the Ottawa 67s, he led the entire league with 101 assists and 166 points plus 65 goals in just 52 games! There was no doubt that Fox knew what to do with the puck.

Fox turned pro in 1980-81 and had a respectable rookie season - scoring 18 times and picking up 43 points. Over the following 4 years he became a consistent 30 goal threat and 70 point scorer. He topped out in 1984-85 when he had a career high 53 assists and 83 points.

Following that season injuries and an infusion of younger talent like Jimmy Carson and Luc Robitaille began to slow Fox's production. He dipped to the 50-60 point plateau, and never scored 20 goals in a season again, coming close in 86-87 with 19.

Fox blew out his knee which cost him the entire 1988-89 season, which was unfortunate. That was Wayne Gretzky's first year in La-La-Land, and with Fox's speed he may have been a good match on The Great One's right side.

That knee injury eventually forced Fox to retire for good. He played in 11 games in 1989-90 but had to hang up the blades after that failed comeback attempt.

Fox was a very good skater, blessed with speed and a low center of gravity. That made him hard to knock off the puck despite his size. In fact, his size never really hampered Fox. He was pretty effective in the corners and along the boards despite being half a foot smaller than his opponents. And his great finesse skills made him even more valuable, as once he retrieved the loose puck he was able to do something with it in order to create a scoring chance.

Offensively Fox saw the ice very well, although he probably passed the puck a bit too much for his coaches liking. He was also pretty predictable in that he would cross the blue line and then pull up while his teammates jumped ahead of him into the offensive zone. As for goal scoring, Fox possessed a deadly wrist shot, but most of his goals came from in close.

Defensively Fox was pretty good too. He was very conscious of his defensive duties and used his above average anticipation skills to his advantage. He was used more and more as a defensive forward as his career wound down.

All in all, Jim Fox was a nice player. Its too bad his knee injury cut his career short just as better days were ahead in Los Angeles.

Daryl Evans

2007-05-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest upsets in pro sports history happened in 1982. It became dubbed the Miracle on Manchester as the mediocre Los Angeles Kings upset Wayne Gretzky and the high flying Edmonton Oilers. While you expect names like Marcel Dionne, Dave Taylor or Charlie Simmer to lead the way in such a feat, it was many of the Kings foot soldiers who stepped up their play to cause the upset. The foot soldier who stepped up the most in that series was Daryl Evans.

Evans was just a rookie at the time. In fact he only played in 14 NHL games prior to those playoffs after spending most of the season learning the pro game at the AHL level. Daryl, a Toronto native, scored 2 goals and 6 assists in his first taste of NHL action.

When the playoffs came along, the Kings were huge first round underdogs against Gretzky and the Oilers. Gretzky had just come off of his record smashing season of 92 goals and 212 points. Everyone expected the Oilers not only to simply destroy the Kings, but all the competition and meet the dynastic New York Islanders in the finals. However someone forgot to tell the Kings. The best of 5 opening round Smythe division battle was an offensive show. The Kings somehow managed to keep pace with the high scoring Oilers and took the Oilers to a decisive 5th game, eventually winning the game.

Evans was the hero in game one as he produced a 4 point night as the Kings shocked the Oilers. The Oilers stormed back in game two to win by an astounding score of 10-8.

The best game of the famous series was game 3 on April 10, 1982. Down 5-0 in the third period, the Kings stormed back to narrow Edmonton's commanding lead. Trailing the Oilers, 5-4, the Kings buzzed around in the Edmonton zone until Steve Bozek's shot beat Grant Fuhr to tie the historic contest with just five agonizing seconds remaining. The Forum was rocking when overtime began, and at 2:35 of the extra period, rookie Daryl Evans sent the puck over Fuhr's shoulder to end an incredible game.

"We trailed in the game 5-0 after two periods. I remember coach Don Perry and the rest of the guys saying let's go out there and play a strong third period and get some momentum for the next game. In that third period we got some breaks, especially with the major penalty to Edmonton late in the period, and tied it after regulation."

"On the winning goal we had myself, center Doug Smith and left wing Steve Bozek out for the draw in the Oiler zone to the right of Grant Fuhr. Smitty won the draw and I moved in about two feet and just shot. I wasn't really picking any opening I just was trying to get the shot on net. As it turned out I beat Fuhr up high over his right shoulder and before I knew it everyone on the team was piling on top of me at the other end of the ice."

The rest as they say is history. The Oilers tied the series at 2 a piece but it wasn't meant to be for the Oilers. The Kings would win and go on to face the Vancouver Canucks, but would lose to the Cinderella 'Nucks. Evans lead the Kings in playoff scoring with 13 points (5 goals and 8 assists) in 10 games.

Evan's incredible heroics and output in the playoffs obviously put a lot of pressure on the youngster to live up to that on a nightly basis. However Evans, who was the 178th player drafted in 1980, would struggle to equal his accomplishments of April 1982.

Evans played a full 80 games the following season, scoring 18 goals and 22 assists. He was however not big enough to play the physical NHL style long term, and also was a defensive liability. Evans would spend most of the final two seasons in the Kings organization with the farm team, appearing in only 11 NHL games.

In 1985 the Kings traded their hero to Washington but with the exception of 6 games Evans remained at the AHL level.

Evans signed as a free agent with his boyhood favorite Toronto Maple Leafs in 1986, and had the opportunity to appear in two games with the Leafs, even scoring 1 goal, his last in the NHL. Evans spent the three years with the Leafs farm team in Newmarket.

Evans left North America in 1989 but resurfaced in Europe. He played in 32 games for an Italian club called HC Gardena-Groden - scoring 32 goals and 97 points. The following season he landed in Britain for a handful of semi-pro games with the Wiltley Warriors in 1991. He had 10 goals and 19 points in his 6 regular season games, and then exploded for 18 goals and 40 points in just 8 games in the playoffs!

Chris Kontos

2007-04-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

Chris Kontos was a well travelled 12-year pro hockey player. He spent parts of eight seasons in the NHL, parts of five seasons in Europe and two stints with the Canadian National Team.

But he will always be remembered for the spring of 1989.

Kontos began his road to the NHL with the OHL's Sudbury Wolves and Toronto Marlboros. His 42-goal, 104-point season in 1981-82 prompted the New York Rangers to select him 15th overall in the 1982 Entry Draft.

Despite his lofty draft selection, Kontos struggled to achieve even a regular role in the NHL. He spent parts of five seasons in the Rangers organization, splitting his playing time between the parent club, the Tulsa Oilers of the CHL, the New Haven Nighthawks of the AHL, and Ilves Tampere of the Finish Elite League. He scored just 12 goals and 16 assists in 78 games over those 5 years before being traded to Pittsburgh for veteran Ron Duguay. By this point and time Kontos had already been all but dismissed as yet another first round draft bust.

Things didn't change much in Pittsburgh either. He collected 25 points in 67 games over parts of two seasons with the Penguins before a trade took Chris to the west coast and the Los Angeles Kings.

Chris' career finally started to take off in Los Angeles. After initially reporting to the Kings farm team in New Haven where he exploded for 8 goals and 16 assists in just 16 games, Chris was called up to the Kings late in the season where he continued his explosive play. He finished the season with 6 games in the NHL, scoring 2 goals and 10 assists for 12 points. He added 1 goal in 4 playoff games while showing some late season magic with Wayne Gretzky.

Kontos made a name for himself during the 1989 post-season. After playing the majority of the year with EHC Kloten in Switzerland after a contract dispute, Chris re-joined Los Angeles and put on a goal-scoring clinic in the ’89 playoffs as he notched nine goals - 6 on the power play - in 11 post-season games as Wayne Gretzky's favorite target! He basically came out of nowhere to become the talk of the entire National Hockey League!

Kontos remembers his playoff run.

"Once you get into a mode when you score, you just know you are going to get out there and score," Kontos said. "The net looks like a soccer goal and everything slows down and it such a nice feeling. But it is so tough to keep that feeling all the time."

"I cherish the fact that I was in the limelight for quite a while and I was being recognized for something that was positive and was good and no matter what, nobody will ever be able to take it away from me and a lot of people remember it. I am always thankful of that. It was a time to shine and it was fortunate I did what I did."

After that incredible run it was thought that Chris had finally blossomed and even higher expectations were placed upon him. However things didn't work out well for Chris. Injuries shortened his 1989-90 season, most of which was spent back in the minors. He only played 6 games with the Kings that year, plus 5 more in the playoffs.

Chris was released by the Kings following the season, and signed with the Phoenix Roadrunners of the IHL for the 1990-91 campaign and the Canadian National Team for the 1991-92 season.

Kontos signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Lightning for their inaugural season in 1992-93 and he set career-highs that year with 27 goals, 24 assists and 51 points in 66 games. But a closer look shows that Kontos was on another hot streak at the beginning of the season. He scored 4 goals in the Bolts first ever game! He went on to score the majority of his 27 goals in the first 25 or 30 games, and finished the year quietly.

Kontos found himself in another contract dispute following that season. He was offered a two-year contract for $450,000 by the Bolts in 1993. He turns it down, as he felt he was worth more. He exercised an escape clause in his contract to become a restricted free agent in order to get more money. However there was no takers interested in the one dimensional, streaky power play expert, at least not at his asking price.

Kontos played the 1993-94 season with Canada's national and Olympic teams, helping Canada win the 1994 Olympic silver medal. He later spent a year in Sweden, two years in the International League (with the Florida Panthers organization) and one year in Germany before getting into television. He never played another game in the NHL or came close to earning the money the Lightning offered him.

Kontos retired with 54 goals and 123 points in 230 regular season NHL games. Chris also added 11 goals in 20 playoff contests. He will be best remembered for his two streaky scoring displays - in the 1989 playoffs along side Wayne Gretzky and the beginning of the 1992 season with the Lightning. However he will also be remembered as a first round bust who received bad advice from his agent to hold out after each hot streak.

Kelly Hrudey

2007-03-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

Kelly Hrudey began his career in the NHL in 1983-84 after being drafted by the New York Islanders in the second round (38th overall) of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. Kelly was a top prospect brought into replace the legendary Islander netminder Battlin' Billy Smith.

Needless to say, Kelly had big skates to fill!

Kelly was in the crease for one of the most memorable dates in NHL history, Game Seven of the Patrick Division semifinal against Washington in 1987. During that famous playoff battle, Kelly stopped 73 of 75 shots in a 3-2 quadruple overtime victory against the Capitals. The game was the sixth longest in NHL history, and was ended by a Pat Lafontaine slapshot.

After six solid seasons on Long Island, Kelly was traded to the Los Angeles Kings late in the 1988-89 season in exchange for Mark Fitzpatrick, Wayne McBean and Doug Crossman. Kelly was an instant hit in LA and had his best days with the Kings. He backstopped the team to the Stanley Cup Finals during the 1992-93 season and was selected Kings MVP during the 1991-92 and 1994-95 seasons.

Kelly fondly remembers his days in LA.

"I was there to ride the boat, basically," Kelly said. "I couldn't believe how fortunate I was to be a part of it."

Kelly signed as a free agent with the San Jose Sharks for his final two seasons of NHL play. He provided veteran leadership and NHL quality goaltending on a struggling expansion franchise.

During his 15-year career, Kelly played in 677 career games and posted a 271-265-88 mark with 16 shutouts and a 3.43 GAA. An excellent standup goalie with a rapier like glove hand.

Kelly had a weakness on his stick side and could give up huge rebounds, although he was fast to recover on these rebounds. Kelly was an aggressive goalie who thrived on a lot of work. Since he played for a lot of mediocre teams during his career, facing a lot of shots was something Kelly was used to. And under the barrage of shots that he faced on many nights it happened that he got yanked.

"That 100-foot skate to the bench after you have been pulled is the longest, slowest skate in the world. It seems likes five miles," Kelly once said.

He played a total of 85 career playoff games, posting a 36-46 record with a 3.28 GAA..

Kelly retired on July 30, 1998 to become a full-time analyst with Hockey Night In Canada. Kelly seems as comfortable with a microphone as he was in the crease.

"The game didn't come as easy or naturally as it once did. I knew that I had no interest in going anywhere else. I had no interest in leading the life of a gypsy. I have no feelings of sadness," he said in a conference call from his home in Canada when he announced his retirement. "I just cannot believe the opportunity I've had."

Today Kelly resides in Calgary, Alberta. He has become a mainstay on Hockey Night In Canada.

Bernie Nicholls

2007-03-31T14:23:00.001-07:00

This three time all star was one of the NHL's best kept secrets for much of the 1980s as he played in relative anonymity in Los Angeles until Wayne Gretzky's arrival. He clicked with The Great One for one of the greatest seasons in NHL history, but then was surprisingly traded to Manhattan. The long time Californian fan favorite became

The Haliburton, Ontario native was drafted 73rd overall in the 1980 Entry draft after a good but not necessarily great season with the OHA's Kingston Canadiens. The Kings of course sent Bernie back to junior the following year for more apprenticeship which is something Bernie admits is the best thing that ever happened to him.

"Fortunately for me, I was allowed to spend one more season in junior hockey, with Kingston," Bernie said in 1985. That additional experience meant that when I did turn pro, a year later, I was really prepared. If I'd gone right into the NHL, I wouldn't have made it."

Bernie didn't make it right away either in his first professional season. He was sent to the minor leagues where he played with the AHL New Haven Night Hawks. Bernie tore apart the minor leagues, scoring 41 goals and 71 points in just 55 games before the Kings called him up for good.

Bernie made a big impression in his first stint in the NHL too. He scored 14 goals and 32 points in the final 22 games of the season, plus added 4 tallies in the playoffs.

In his first full NHL season Bernie couldn't quite keep up his dazzling pace, but by 1983-84 he really caught on fire as he and linemates Terry Ruskowski and Jim Fox gelled nicely. Bernie blasted in 41 goals and had 95 points. The following year he had what looked like would be his career year - 46 goals and 100 points, followed by a 36 goal, 97 point campaign in 1985-86.

After 5 consecutive 30+ goal seasons and constant flirting with the 90-100 point a season mark, Bernie, who celebrated goals with his patented arm-pumping "Pumper-Nicholl," teamed with Wayne Gretzky in 1988-89 - the Great One's first season in Los Angeles. In some respects it was a coming out party of sorts for Bernie too. He finally got recognition as a top player in the league after years of toiling in obscurity. Now he was in the bright lights and excelling at an unbelievable. With lots of help from Gretzky to be sure, Nicholls exploded to score 70 goals in 1988-89, as well as 150 points. He is one of just eight players in league history to score 70 goals in a season.

He was on a torrid pace the following season as well (27 goals and 75 points in 47 games - that would translate to 46 goals and 128 points over a full 80 game slate) but curiously the Kings felt it was necessary to trade their long time popular star to add more depth now that Gretzky had arrived. He was sent to New York in exchange for Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato on January 20, 1990. It was curious because one complaint in Los Angeles was that there wasn't enough players who were good enough to play with Wayne, so why would they trade away the one who excelled with him?

Though he had over a point a game in New York and became popular with the fans (they nicknamed him Broadway Bernie), he was quickly sacrificed in one of the NHL's biggest and most influential trades. The Rangers sent Broadway Bernie along with youngsters Steven Rice and Louie Debrusk to Edmonton in exchange for their Messiah - Mark Messier.

After one exciting playoff with Edmonton, Nicholls had lost a step in his game and become more of a playmaker relying on his reputation of past glories. The Oilers were looking to trim costs and inject youth, so they opted to move Bernie to New Jersey for Kevin Todd and Zdeno Ciger.

Nicholls unfortunately didn't fit into coach Jacques Lemaire's defensive trap system, so they let Nicholls sign with Chicago as a free agent. After two years he move to San Jose via free agency, signing a one year contract. Nicholls re-signed with Sharks in the summer of 1998 but by November they told him he was not in their plans any longer.
Bernie Nicholls announced his retirement on November 23, 1998. You get the feeling he didn't really want to though.

"I don't know what to say," Nicholls told the San Francisco Chronicle. "They've announced I'm done playing here. ... I don't know what I should do. It doesn't make any sense. I don't know how to answer any questions. I never expected it to be this way -- you kind of want to go out on your terms."

The San Jose Shark center ice man was pressured into retirement by San Jose Sharks general manager Dean Lombardi as he made it clear to Nicholls that there was no room for him on the team.

"I don't like having to trade players, or deal with contract holdouts. But for me to tell a future Hall of Famer that you recommend this ... I spent the last 48 hours agonizing over it," Lombardi told the San Jose Mercury News.

One would assume Lombardi made every attempt to find Nicholls a home somewhere in the NHL, but there were apparently no takers.

Bernie Nicholls retired with 475 goals and 734 assists for 1,209 points in 1,127 games with Los Angeles, New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks.. At the time of his retirement, Nicholls ranked 32nd on both the all-time goals and assists lists, and 26th all-time in points.

Bernie Nicholls was a very skilled player, but was more of a goal scorer than playmaker, particularly in his prime. He relied on his linemates to set him up to use his strongest hockey talent - his shot. His shot wasn't the most powerful but both his wrist and slap shots were deadly accurate and released quickly. His release was the key to his goal scoring. He was an excellent one touch shooter and often had the puck flying towards the net before the goaltender could get set. His skating was not exceptional but his anticipation and puck sense were extraordinary.

Bob Nevin

2007-03-31T14:22:00.003-07:00

Bob Nevin was a long time NHL right winger, playing in over 1100 career games. He was a fine two way forward who was noted for his gentlemanly play, picking up just 211 penalty minutes in his lengthy career.

Nevin, a Toronto Maple Leaf prospect from the age of 13, played his junior hockey with the Toronto Marlboros from 1954 to 1958. In that time he scored a very solid 210 points in 152 games, including 111 goals.

Nevin's childhood dream of playing for the Leafs came true at the conclusion of the 1957-58 season when he was called up for a 4 game stint. However the next two seasons Nevin would spend apprenticing in the minor leagues with AHL Rochester.

Nevin's first full NHL season was in 1960-61. He had a strong year, scoring 21 goals and 58 points. However his sophomore season would be one not to forget. Though his scoring totals dipped to 15 goals and 45 points, Nevin helped the Leafs capture the Stanley Cup!

"We beat New York in the semi-finals and then we were in a really tough series with Chicago, who had won the Cup the previous year. And we managed to beat them in Game Six at Chicago Stadium, which was a tough feat considering all the noise and atmosphere in that building. So in terms of winning the Stanley Cup and doing it right in Chicago, that was a real big thrill because that was probably the hardest place at that time to win an away game.”

Any Stanley Cup championship team will tell you the only thing harder than winning the Cup is defending it. But the Leafs did that successfully in 1962-63. Nevin actually thought it was easier though.

“The second one was relatively easier, not that any of them are easy. But the second one, I think we beat Montreal in five games in the semi-finals and we beat Detroit in five games in the Finals. So in 10 playoff games, we only lost two so we had a pretty dynamite team that year. We had a pretty strong team and we figured if we kept the team together we could win a number of Cups in the early ‘60s.”

The Leafs did go on to win their share of Cups throughout the sixties, but the team was not kept in tact. Halfway during the 1963-64 season Nevin was traded with Rod Seiling, Dick Duff, Arnie Brown and Bill Collins to the New York Rangers. In return the Leafs got Don McKenney and superstar Andy Bathgate.

Nevin, who was one of the earliest players to wear contacts while playing, enjoyed 7 1/2 seasons in New York. He got more ice time and an increased role than he did on the veteran Maple Leafs team. He scored 20 goals in all but one season, and tapped in a career high 31 in 1968-69.

Nevin looked back on his Rangers days with a special fondness.

“Well, initially it was a big shock (to be traded) because I had grown up in Toronto and a lot of the guys on the Leafs I had played junior with and we had a pretty special relationship with all the guys on that Toronto team. And initially when I got the phone call that I had been traded it was a pretty big blow. It took me a while to adjust from living in Toronto to New York. But I got traded in late ’64 and the fall of ’64, the next year, they made me the team captain. So that obviously was a great thrill to be captain of a team in a six-team league. That was a pretty special time for me in my career.”

The Rangers traded Nevin to Minnesota for Bobby Rousseau for the 1971-72 season. Nevin didn't have his best years in Minnesota. Over 2 seasons he scored just 20 goals and 52 points. In his final year he had just 5 goals and was a -12. Many expected Nevin's career was over.

However the Los Angeles Kings thought Nevin could offer something to their team, and took a chance by selecting Nevin in the annual Reversal Draft. Nevin responded by posting three great seasons, including a career high 72 points in 1974-75 at the age of 36.

“I loved my time in L.A. I had my old teammate from junior and with the Leafs, Bob Pulford, who was the coach and he was doing a real good job. In fact, the one year, we finished with 105 points. We had a really good team. We had Butch Goring, Danny Maloney, Rogie Vachon, and Terry Harper and Bob Murdoch were on defence. Mike Murphy was also playing then. Actually, I really enjoyed my time in L.A. I’m an enthusiastic golfer and, as someone who likes to drive convertibles, it worked out pretty good out there!”

After three seasons in Los Angeles the aging Nevin signed on with the WHA Edmonton Oilers. He played only 13 games in the WHA, for a rather uneventful ending to his career.

In 1128 NHL games, the 4 time all star game representative scored 307 goals, 419 assists for 726 PIM. He added 16 goals and 34 points in 84 career playoff games.

Ted Irvine

2007-03-31T14:22:00.001-07:00

Ted Irvine was one of those hard working wingers who did a thankless job as a role player during the 1970s. As a result he was underrated by fans, but not by his teammates or hockey experts.

Born in Winnipeg Manitoba in December of 1944, Ted grew up playing many sports. He was active in baseball, tennis, football, track and swimming, but of course hockey was his true love.

By 1961 he joined the St. Boniface Canadians of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. As a rookie he chipped in 6 goals and 13 points, but the following year he led the whole league in goals with 31 in just 32 games!. By 1963-64 he captained the Canadians, but wound up with the MJHL Winnipeg Braves by mid season.

A Boston Bruins prospect, Ted ended the 1963-64 season with a trial stint in the pros, including his first game in the National Hockey League!

Because the league was still a 6 team league, it was extremely difficult for players to break into the league until expansion finally came in 1967. As a result Ted spent the next 3 years in the minor leagues. All three years were spent in the CHL - one in Minneapolis and two in Oklahoma City. Ted won two successive CHL championships, and in 1965-66 led all playoff scorers with 6 goals!

Ted's big NHL break happened on June 6, 1967. That was the day of the NHL expansion draft, as the NHL's six new teams stockpiled their rosters with basically minor leaguers and role players from the Original Six teams. Ted was selected by the Los Angeles Kings, and his minor league days were over.

Ted brought his his hard hitting, spirited play to the Californian coast and was an instant hit. The press nicknamed him the "baby faced assassin," a great metaphor for his kamikaze style of bodychecking.

Ted and the Kings had two really good years to start off their NHL careers, but by year three the team was really struggling. Ted too wasn't having as strong a season. In order to help rectify the Kings poor season, Ted was traded to the New York Rangers in exchange for Real Lemieux and Juha Widing on February 28, 1970. Irvine played a strictly defensive role at first, but soon was placed on a line with Pete Stemkowski and Bruce MacGregor where he got more ice time.

In New York Ted was noted to do "The Irvine Shuffle" - a celebratory dance when he scored a goal. He was able to dance a career high 26 times in 1973-74. He also added 20 assists for a career high 46 points.

Ted spent the next 5 full seasons in the Big Apple. An outstanding team player, Ted was extremely popular off the ice too. In 1974 he received the hockey writers "Players Player Award." A year later he was honored with the NY Ranger team award for charitable work. The "Conacher Award" was given to him for his work with handicapped children.

In the summer of 1975 Ted was traded with Bert Wilson and Jerry Butler to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Bill Collins and goalie John "JD" Davidson. It was with the Blues that Ted spent his final two NHL seasons.

For 10 NHL seasons Ted Irvine earned a reputation as a big and tough winger. Aggressive but disciplined, Irvine was a hard worker, particularly in the corners and along the boards. A well rounded player who played strong positionally, Irvine was not blessed with great skills. He had a good shot and a knack for scoring in clutch situations, but was a poor skater by NHL standards.

A couple of other interesting notes about Irvine: Ted, who in his early NHL years worked for the Canadian Liquor Commission during the off-seasons, is the father of professional wrestling superstar Chris Jericho.

Jericho - a quick witted fan favorite of WWF fans who has inherited his dad's nickname as the Baby Faced Assassin (although he's better known as Y2J), has early memories of hockey and his dad.

"I remember going to Madison Square Garden when I was five and getting mad because my dad wouldn't look up off the ice at me. And I always thought it was too loud. I pulled this little sweatshirt over my ears because I hated the cheering!" he said in a Jay Greenberg interview. " I remember all the other kids thought it was cool my dad played for the Rangers. But for me it was just my dad. I didn't understand what was going on in the game. Now, I look back on some of the things he accomplished and I'm proud."

Jericho was asked to describe his dad as a player:

"He was a fighter, kind of like a Cam Neely type power forward. He was 6 foot 2, 95 pounds and in 1970 that was a big player. In his best year he had 26 goals and 105 penalty minutes, pretty good numbers for even this day and age, and back then, things were different. He wasn't a star, but a very important player, like an Adam Graves. He played for a long time, 10 years. Today, he'd make $4 million a year!"

After the trade to St. Louis, Irvine retired as he didn't have the same zest for the game in the Gateway City.

"I just felt it was time," Irvine said. "Playing in New York was the epitome of hockey and after I got traded, it just wasn't the same."

Ted added: "Chris said, 'Dad, can you stay home and teach me Kung Fu?' so I did. It was his turn."

So could have Chris Jericho made a living as Chris Irvine - NHL hockey player?

"I wanted to be a hockey player at one point," Jericho says. "I was a grinder, a penalty killer, a checker, a Craig Berube, Mike Eagles kind of guy. I was okay, but wasn't NHL material, although now with 30 teams I could probably play for the Blue Jackets"

Jericho remains a big hockey fan, but it isn't quite the same as when he watched his dad play.

"There are no real characters anymore. Now everybody wears a helmet because of concussions and the game is a corporate business. The teams are kind of nameless and faceless. There are no Nick Fotius, Jerry Korabs, Dave Schultzes. And not that they had to be goons either. Guy Lafleur had the hair flowing, then he had no hair and then all of a sudden he had hair again. C'mon, what's up with that?! And Bobby Clarke had no teeth."

Ah the memories!

And what does dad, a religious man, think about his son's chosen line of work?

I don't like some of the things that go on in wrestling, but it's Chris's profession and I don't judge it. It's the path God chose for him and I know he makes up with a lot of good things that he does."

"The end analysis was, I was not Wayne Gretzky"

2007-03-31T14:18:00.000-07:00

For a city that often barely recognizes either of the two NHL teams located there, the Los Angeles Times has a nice story on former King Jimmy Carson.

Many people forget about Carson's first three years in the league, especially his first two in Los Angeles where he and fellow newcomer Luc Robitaille breathed new life into a long-sagging organization.

For two seasons together, Robitaille and Carson prospered, Robitaille exceeding expectations and Carson, a goal-oriented son of a lawyer from well-to-do Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., more than living up to his advance billing.

Robitaille won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year in 1987, Carson joining him on the all-rookie team. The next season, Carson scored 55 goals to give him 92 before his 20th birthday, more than any other player in NHL history.

But then came Aug. 9, 1988, when everything changed. Carson, who had just signed a new, multiyear contract and bought a house in Redondo Beach, was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in the blockbuster, multiplayer trade that brought hockey icon Wayne Gretzky to the Kings.

He didn't know it then, but his most enjoyable seasons were behind him. He had just turned 20.

Carson was not bad in Edmonton — he rang up 49 goals and 51 assists in his first season with the Oilers — but he was not great. Nor was he, as seemed to be constantly noted, The Great One.

"The end analysis was, I was not Wayne Gretzky," he says.

After his season in Edmonton, Carson moved to his hometown of Detroit and struggled, then bounced around the league for 3 years before simply vanishing. People questioned his heart, making this Bruce McNall quote from the LA Times piece all the more interesting.

"In a weird way, I knew Jimmy's heart was not as much into it," says McNall of his friend, who neither smoked, drank nor partied with teammates. "He was an intellectual, multidimensional guy, read the Wall Street Journal, and so many other players just don't have his opportunities and interests. So I always thought, deep down, that maybe long-term hockey wouldn't be for him."

There is much more to this worth-reading LA Times piece, and I encourage you to do so.