Winnipeg Jets Legends

Dale Hawerchuk

2011-11-21T23:03:00.001-08:00

Dale Hawerchuk was a legendary junior hockey player who went on to even bigger things in the National Hockey League and in international competitions. It is no wonder why he is a deserving member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

As a junior player, he was named to the QMJHL First All-Star team after the 1980-81 season and was named the Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year. That year he played in all 72 games and scored a ridiculous 81 goals, 102 assists for 183 points! He led Cornwall of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to consecutive Memorial Cup Championships (1980 and 1981) and won the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the Memorial Cup Tournament MVP in 1981.

Hawerchuk was the Winnipeg Jets’ first round choice (first overall) in the 1981 Entry Draft. He made an immediate impression with the Jets as he was the first NHL rookie to record 40 goals and 100 points in the same season finishing with 45 goals and 103 points in 1981-82. Following the season, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL Rookie of the Year, beating out a great young goalie in Edmonton named Grant Fuhr.

In nine seasons with Winnipeg, Hawerchuk established himself as one of the NHL’s premier forwards. He led the team in scoring in each of his nine years in Winnipeg and broke the 100-point barrier six times. Seven times he scored more than 40 goals. During the 1984-85 season, he established career highs in goals (53) and points (130) while finishing second in the voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player.

Hawerchuk was a joy to watch. He was an excellent though not smooth skater, deceptively fast and blessed with great lateral agility. He had the rare ability to handle the puck and create plays even at top speed. A tremendous one on one player, Hawerchuk learned not to over handle the puck and became a great playmaker as well as a goal scorer, particularly on the power play.

However Hawerchuk and the Jets were never able to find post seasons success. That is largely due to the fact that they were in the same division as the powerhouse Edmonton and Calgary teams. The Jets just didn't have the depth to escape the Smythe division.

While Hawerchuk never tasted NHL post season highs, he did experience some great moments in international hockey. He was a member of the 1982, 1986 and 1989 Team Canada at the World Championships. He represented the NHL All Stars at Rendez Vous 1987 and most importantly was a big part of two Canada Cup championship teams - in 1987 and 1991. Dale's role in 1987 in particular is looked upon as one of the greatest examples of gamesmanship in hockey history. Dale was a high scoring superstar in the NHL, but at this level he graciously accepted a lesser role and became more of a gritty checker. That selflessness played a big role in Canada's victories, and in the maturing of Dale Hawerchuk into a complete hockey player.

As the 1980s wound down, Hawerchuk's offensive contributions were slowing as well. Coming off of his great 1987 Canada Cup performance, Dale scored the second best numbers in his career - 121 points thanks to 44 goals and 77 assists. He dipped down to a still very impressive 96 points in 1988-89, but in 1989-90 Dale had his worst offensive year in his career. 26 goals and 81 points in 79 games sounds like a career year for most players but for Dale those were his worst numbers in Winnipeg. The Jets were concerned that his play was in recession, and after a decade of brilliance, they still had not accomplished anything in the playoffs.

Jets management decided it was time for a change, and prior to the 1990-91 season, Hawerchuk was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in a draft day blockbuster that saw Phil Housley go to Winnipeg. In his first season in Buffalo, he scored 31 goals and 89 points and recorded his 1,000th NHL point during the campaign. He played a strong second line role behind Pat Lafontaine - combining his great playmaking with his gritty defensive game he discovered while in the Canada Cup. However post season success would not happen in Buffalo either, due to untimely Sabres injuries almost every playoff season.Dale would play in 5 seasons in Buffalo. His terrific passing game keyed the Sabres power play from the point for most of his time in New York state. In 5 seasons in Buffalo (including the lockout shortened 1994-95 season) Dale scored 110 goals, 265 assists for 375 points in 323 contests. His intelligent and shifty game made him a fan favourite.

Hawerchuk signed with the St. Louis Blues as a free agent on July 8, 1995. He played in 66 games for the Blues in 1995-96 before being traded to Philadelphia in exchange for Craig MacTavish.

Dale played in his first and only Stanley Cup final in 1997, yet he and his Philadelphia Flyer's came up short against the Red Wings. Dale played admirably in that series, and you couldn't help but route for him even if you weren't a Flyers fan.

Injuries forced Dale Hawerchuk to retire earlier than anyone wanted him to. His high scoring days were behind him but he was still a joy to watch.

Hawerchuk has played in 1,188 NHL games over 16 years with Winnipeg, Buffalo, St. Louis and Philadelphia. He has registered 518 goals and 891 assists, which ranked him at the time of his retirement 21st all-time in goals, and 10th in both assists and points.

Dale was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.

Thomas Steen

2011-11-21T23:03:00.000-08:00

Thomas is one of the most underrated Swedish players in NHL history.

He grew up in the small town of Grums in the Värmland region where he learned to play hockey as a little kid. His childhood idol was his cousin and ex-NHL'er Dan Labraaten as well as his older brother Malte Steen who played in the Swedish elite league for many years. They inspired Thomas to become a hockey player.

Thomas played for Grums IK in the Swedish 2nd division until 1976. In his last season there he had 9 points (5+4) in 21 games. He then debuted in the Swedish Elite league as a 16-year old for Leksand. Thomas made such a good impression that he was selected to represent Sweden in the 1977 European Junior Championships. He did very well there as he collected 6 points (3+3) in 7 games and guided Sweden to a Gold medal. Thomas also played in the 1979 and 1980 World Junior Championship tournaments, making the All-Star team in 1979. All in all Thomas played 18 games and collected 18 points (10+8).

Winnipeg Jets liked what they saw and drafted Thomas 103rd overall in 1979. At that time nobody could imagine that this young kid would one day become the franchise All-time leader in seasons (14) , games (950) and assists (553). This quiet, humble and well liked Swede played in the shadow of many of his fellow countrymen but was one of the most useful players around. In 1990-91 the players in the NHL voted for him as the most underrated player in the league.

The season before he came to the NHL he won the "Player of the year" award (1980-81) in Sweden as he led his team Farjestad BK in scoring and to the league title. He also finished second overall in league scoring. That same season Thomas represented Sweden in the 1981 World Championships and Canada Cup.

Thomas played hard every game and never backed down from any confrontations. Former Jets GM John Ferguson only had positive things to say about Thomas.

"Thomas Steen is the toughest and bravest of all the Swedes in the NHL. I've seen Thomas involved in more physical confrontations than most of the Canadian players in the league. He looks like a choirboy, but he can play as tough as anyone in the league."

Rick Bowness who coached Winnipeg said:

"You need players of Steen's caliber to be successful in the NHL. He is our most useful player."

Thomas strength was that he didn't have a real weakness. He played with a great deal of determination, he had great leadership qualities which landed him the captaincy between 1989-91, he was a great passer, a fine two-way player, he had good anticipation and vision, was a fine face-off man, nice stickhandler... and the list goes on...

He wasn't the flashy type of player but he was the heart and soul for the Jets for most of his 14 seasons with the team. No one wore the Jets uniform with more pride and dignity than Thomas Steen.

When it was announced at a press conference that Winnipeg was moving to Phoenix he cried openly.

"I was crushed by the news, he said later on."

During his 14 year NHL career Thomas hit the 80 point plateau twice (84 and 88 points), 70 points once (72), 60 points four times (65, 64, 66 and 67) and 50 points four times (59, 50, 54 and 51). His best effort point wise came in 1988-89 when he collected 27 goals and 61 assists.

Even in Sweden Thomas wasn't a household name. The primary reason was that he left for the NHL when he was only 21. But after his outstanding effort in the 1984 Canada Cup when he led his team to the finals, he got the recognition he deserved even from his folks back home. Thomas had prior to the 1984 Canada Cup only scored two goals in 21 games for the Swedish senior national team. He however exploded in the Canada Cup, as he went on to score a tournament high 7 goals in 8 games, scoring on 46.7 % of his shots.

"It was great to succeed in such a fine and prestigious tournament like the Canada Cup," Thomas said. "It was something of a personal revenge for me since I never had much success previously on the national team."

Thomas played on a line together with Hakan Loob and Kent Nilsson, both playing for Calgary Flames. They clicked together immediately and displayed some great hockey in the tournament.
Kent Nilsson had nothing but praise for his line mate.

"Thomas was incredible. As a center on our line he really worked hard. He was just a phenomenal guy to play with."

Thomas heroics in the Swedish uniform wasn't over. In the 1986 World Championships he was the tournaments leading scorer with 8 goals in 8 games as Sweden won the Silver. Thomas other appearances in the Swedish uniform came in the 1989 World Championships and 1991 Canada Cup.

The only thing Thomas regretted in his career was that his Winnipeg Jets never got past the second round while he was there.

"Personally I had a lot of success in Winnipeg. I only wish that the team could have done better in the playoffs."

On May 6, 1995 Thomas Steen's jersey # 25 was retired. He became only the second Jet after Bobby Hull to receive this honour and he became the first European trained player to have his number retired.

A great honour for the symphatic Swede. "It's a great honour and I'm proud of it," he said.

When Thomas announced that he had played his last game for Winnipeg he was given maybe the finest honour of them all. The children's hospital in Winnipeg got the name "Thomas Steen children's emergency" Thomas had donated large sums of money to the hospital for many years and also had a personal tragedy earlier on when his two month old son passed away.

The Steen family kept a house in Winnipeg as Thomas went on to play another three seasons in Germany for the Frankfurt Lions and Eisbären Berlin. He collected 55 points (23+32) in 117 games before finally hanging em' up in 1998. During that time he also fulfilled a dream to skate along his talented son Alexander Steen during an exhibition game.

As the new millennium approached Thomas was still running his appreciated hockey school in Orsa, Sweden, together with his brother Malte every summer.

The words in the 1995-96 Winnipeg Jets Media Guide sums up Thomas perfectly.

"Steen was a consummate professional who embodied everything good about the Jets organization; loyalty, commitment to excellence, hard work, dedication and pride. He played with enthusiasm and a burning desire to win at all costs. He was an exceptional player who represented the club both on and off the ice with class and distinction."

- Special thanks to Pat Houda

Dan McFall

2011-09-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

Danny McFall can thank long time NHLer Jim Lorentz for helping him appear in the NHL too.

McFall, who played 9 games for the Winnipeg Jets over parts of two seasons, was being coached by Lorentz when McFall was discovered by NHL scouts. Lorentz had recently retired but didn't want to leave the Buffalo area, so he turned to coaching the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, of the NYJHL. Now not too many players are ever drafted out of the NYJHL, but under Lorentz's guidance, McFall played impressively enough not only to get scholarship offers to play Division 1 college hockey, but also to be drafted out of high school by the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets selected Dan 148th overall in 1981.

The Jets probably never expected McFall to pan out as far as the NHL was concerned. The fact that he played 9 games was probably more than anyone expected. They drafted him knowing that most 8th round picks never make it. They also knew that he had committed to going to Michigan State for the next 4 years.

McFall had a good collegiate career with the Spartans. In 1984 he was named to the NCAA West's second All American team. By 1985 he was named to the first All American team. In 168 games over 4 years, McFall scored 36 goals and 76 assists. He excelled more as a defensive d-man, though he was too small to excel in that role at the professional level.

Immediately following the completion of the collegiate season in 1985, McFall joined the Jets late in the season where he played in his first two NHL games. 1985-86 saw the Jets send McFall to the minor leagues as they felt he needed time to adjust from the collegiate game to the rougher professional ranks. He did appear in 7 games for the Jets, recording his only NHL point, an assist.
McFall didn't have a great season in the minors either. He had 2 goals and 12 points in 50 games. He seemed very overwhelmed by the difference of the pro game.

McFall played in just 11 games in the IHL in 1986-87 before called it quits. But McFall did alright for himself. He was just a kid playing hockey in Buffalo who got discovered with a bit of luck. He went on to get a good education at a good school and got paid for 2 years for playing hockey. He even made it to the big show for 9 games.

Craig Endean

2011-09-09T20:24:00.000-07:00

Craig Endean was a brilliant scorer in the Western Junior League with the Seattle Breakers/Thunderbirds and Regina Pats. However the smallish winger did little else than score, meaning he wasn't a physical presence nor a great defensive player.

Craig, who started in the WHL at the tender age of 15, played 5 seasons of junior hockey. Playing that many years is unusual, and allowed Craig to be one of the highest scoring players on the WHL career scoring list with 529 points.

After scoring 16 goals as a 15 year old, he scored an impressive 97 points as a 16 year old. By the time he reached age 17, the age many players begin playing juniors, he erupted for 58 goals and 128 points! He turned 18 before the NHL draft, thus making him eligible for NHL selection. But because of his size he slipped 91 selections before the Winnipeg Jets picked him 92nd overall in the 1986 Entry Draft.

Craig spent the 1986-87 season split between Seattle and Regina, and posted a mind boggling 146 points based on 69 goals and 77 assists! Endean was also brought up to the Jets to play his first two NHL games, and even picked up an assist!

However that would be the only two games Endean would ever play in the NHL. He returned to junior hockey as an overage junior, a rare thing for a true NHL prospect. At that point Endean must have realized he faced an uphill battle to make it to the big leagues. He would play one season in the Jets minor league system before he was released. Both the Philadelphia Flyers and Minnesota North Stars would give him a look in the following years training camp, but never signed him. Instead he signed some independent contracts with minor league teams but never made a big splash down there.

Endean retired as a hockey player at the end of the 1992-93 season.

Willy Lindstrom

2011-08-24T11:54:00.000-07:00

Willy was born and grew up in the small Swedish town of Grums where he played hockey until the late 1960's. After that he went on to play five seasons for Vastra Frolunda in the Swedish elite league. His smooth and effortless skating in combination with his hustling playing style caught the eyes of WHA's Winnipeg Jets in the mid 1970's. Willy always played at full speed in Sweden and had injuries like a broken wrist, smashed cheekbone, broken nose and torn knee ligaments.

Willy was already a veteran of the Swedish national team when he joined Winnipeg for the 1975-76 season. It took him awhile before he was comfortable in his new surrounding. He struggled with his English at first and had to take lessons from a tutor before he could communicate with his Canadian and American teammates. But when he got the hang of it he became one of the teams greatest practical jokers.

It took him awhile to adapt to the more physical North American style as well. But after about 50 games under his belt he started to dish out checks on his own and played a more aggressive hockey. His style was that he skated with his legs far apart which made him tough to knock off the puck. He had a decent rookie season in the WHA scoring 59 points in 81 games.

His sophmore season was excellent as he scored 80 points, including 44 goals. During that 1976-77 season Willy played a total of 124 games,which included pre-season games, Canada Cup games as well as regular season and playoff games for Winnipeg. Writers and broadcasters voted him as the best player on the West team in the 1977 WHA All-Star game.

Willy then had two more solid seasons in the WHA scoring 60 and 62 points. His biggest contributions came in the AVCO Cup playoffs where he helped Winnipeg win three titles. He for example led all goal scorers in the 1979 playoffs (10 goals) and scored the last Jets goal in the WHA.

He also had Winnipeg's first ever hat trick in the NHL where continued to put up descent numbers for Winnipeg. He had two 20+ goals seasons and one 30+ goal season and had just reached the 20 goal plateau in his 4th NHL season (1982-83) when he was told that he had been traded to Edmonton.

"I got the news on the airport when we were heading home from a game in Vancouver." Willy said. "John Ferguson (the Jets GM) came to me and said that I had just been traded to Edmonton. First I thought he was joking, but I soon understood that he was serious. I was both shocked and sad at the same time. Me and my wife had a lot of friends in Winnipeg and we even had plans to settle there for good. Of course I was disappointed to leave Winnipeg because I had played there for such a long time and I really enjoyed the place and the team."

But coming to Edmonton proved to be the best thing that could have happened to Willy. Edmonton made the finals in each of his three seasons with the team, winning two Stanley Cups. Willy had a defensive role on the Oilers team that was stacked with offensive fire power. He mostly played on the third and fourth lines. But in the playoffs Willy's savvy and experience proved to be very valuable. When Edmonton won their second Stanley Cup in 1985 Willy scored three goals in the final series, only Gretzky scored more goals in the finals.

"It was a wonderful feeling to win. The first time was the best, but from a personal standpoint I scored more important goals when we won the Cup the second time. I scored three important goals in the finals and when we won the second game against Philadelphia I scored the most important goal of my entire hockey career" Willy said.

After that playoff Willy was picked up by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1985 waiver draft. In Pittsburgh he got to play together with a young superstar in Mario Lemieux. After two seasons in Pittsburgh Willy decided to return back to Sweden in 1987. At that time he was 36 years old but went on to play another three seasons, finishing his career in Brynas 1990. Thanks to his fine skating he was able to play until he was 39.

Willy was no star in the NHL, but he was a very decent and honest player who accomplished more than most players could ever dream of. He represented his country in the World championships and Canada Cup.

He's one of very few players to win both the AVCO Cup and Stanley Cup. He also had the honour to play alongside two of the greatest players in Gretzky and Lemieux. All in all Willy had an exciting hockey career for over two decades.

Paul MacLean

2011-07-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

Paul MacLean and his big bushy moustache was Dale Hawerchuk's regular right winger for most of his time with the Winnipeg Jets.

Big Mac was a very underrated player in his day, with much of his success immediately credited to his superstar center. The dirty work on that line (often with Brian Mullen on LW) often ended up on MacLean's plate. He was a solid defensive player and, thanks to his size and balance, an above average grinder. It was often MacLean's job to retrieve pucks from the heavy traffic areas in the corners and the slot. He was a handful for defensemen to handle, but because he was generally such a clean player he rarely garnered the notice other lesser players have received.

MacLean had good anticipation skills and surprising speed for such a big man. Offensively he relied on his terrific wrist shot, which feature a very quick release. He was far from one dimensional though, as he had good vision and, with soft passes, he utilized his linemates well.

MacLean was a rare NHL player born in France - Grostenquin, France to be specific. But he was a Canadian kid through and through - an Air Force brat who spent far more time in Cold Lake, Alberta and Chatham, New Brunswick where his father was regularly stationed.

The St. Louis Blues drafted MacLean 109th overall in the 1978 NHL draft after a solid junior career in Brockville, Ontario and Hull, Quebec. While with Hull he was almost traded to the Quebec Remparts in exchange for Kevin Lowe. Hull nixed the deal after MacLean scored 5 goals in a single game.

Despite the promise MacLean exhibited, he was not one to follow the usual route to the NHL. Instead of signing professionally and earning his stripes while riding the buses in the minor leagues, MacLean enrolled at Dalhousie University to pursue his education. A season later he joined the Canadian national team and made the 1980 Olympic squad. Canada failed to medal at the 1980 Lake Placid games.

After the Olympics MacLean finally turned pro. He had a real solid freshman year with the Blues farm team in Salt Lake City, and even earned a 1 game call up to the NHL.

Despite the promise shown that season, little did MacLean know his future did not lie in St. Louis. He was part of a package of players including goalie Ed Staniowski and defenseman Bryan Maxwell shipped to Winnipeg for a big young defenseman named Scott Campbell.

Campbell never really found his way in the NHL, but MacLean sure did. Over the next 9 seasons he was a regular 35 goal scorer. In three seasons he topped the 40 goal mark. Only once in that time span did he fail to reach 30 goals. That injury plagued year he still registered 27 red lights.

All told, Paul MacLean scored 324 goals, 349 assists for 673 points in 719 career games. He became a long time coach following his playing days, finally landing a NHL head bench job in Ottawa in 2011.

If I were to compare Paul MacLean to any other player in NHL history it would have to be Dave Taylor, the long time LA Kings right winger. Both were really solid, physical wingers who played in the shadows of superstar centers (Hawerchuk in Winnipeg and Marcel Dionne in Los Angeles.)

Winnipeg Jets Greatest Players

2011-06-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

Winnipeg Jets Legends
Dale Hawerchuk
Anders Hedberg
Bobby Hull
Ulf Nilsson
Teemu Selanne
Thomas Steen

Keith Tkachuk

Alexei Zhamnov

Other Notable Players

Mike Amodeo
Scott Arniel
Dave Babych

Laurie Boschman
Thommie Bergman

Scott Campbell
Dave Christian
Kim Clackson
Dave Ellett

Pat Elynuik

Danny Geoffrion
Terrible Ted Green
Bob Essensa
Larry Hopkins

Larry Hornung
Kris King
Jim Kyte

Barry Legge
Morris Lukowich
Jimmy Mann

Dave Manson
Markus Mattsson
Dave McLlwain
Troy Murray
Kent Nilsson
Ed Olczyk
Rich Preston
Deron Quint
Terry Ruskowski

Darrin Shannon

Doug Smail

Doug Soetaert
Peter Sullivan

Tim Watters

Laurie Boschman

2011-04-02T20:05:00.000-07:00

Following an amazing final season of junior hockey with the Brandon Wheat Kings (he scored 66 goals and 149 points as well as 215 penalty minutes playing along side Brian Propp and Ray Allison), center Laurie Boschman was drafted 9th overall in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Now Boschman never really emerged as the offensive leader the Leafs had hope he would. A sophomore jinx coupled with a bad bout of mononucleosis doomed him, at least in the eyes of cantankerous Leafs owner Harold Ballard. Ballard publicly question Boschman's toughness due to his religious nature. He had recently became a born-again Christian, thanks in part to former Leaf Ron Ellis.

Boschman started a third season in Toronto but was hobbled by both Ballard and a bad stomach ulcer. He requested a trade, and by the trade deadline he was moved to the Edmonton Oilers for Walt Poddubny.

Boschman was a bit player with the increasingly mighty Oilers of the early 1980s. By the trade deadline in 1983 he was moved to Smythe Division rival Winnipeg.

Boschaman would be best remembered as a Jet. He would thrive playing behind Dale Hawerchuk. After scoring just 48 points in his first 4 NHL seasons he erupted for 74 points in his first season with the Jets. More amazingly, he accumulated 234 penalty minutes that season, too.

There must be something in the Manitoba air as Boschman enjoyed his best seasons, both in junior and as a pro in the Canadian province. A poor man's Bobby Clarke, "Bosch" would be a dependable 70 point man for his first three seasons, while settling into an agitating third line checking role through the rest of the decade.

In 1990 Boschman joined the New Jersey Devils for 2 seasons. His final season came in 1992-93 where he served as the first captain in the reincarnated Ottawa Senators history. The Sens had a forgettable year (10-70-4, 24pts) but Boschman would be remembered for his great work ethic.

All told, Laurie Boschman played in 1009 career NHL games (and another 57 in the playoffs), scoring 229 goals and 348 assists for 557 points. He also spent 2257 minutes in the penalty box.

Boschman played one season in Britain after leaving the NHL. He soon returned to Ottawa as his adopted home. He has been very active with Hockey Ministries International in retirement.

Jimmy Mann

2011-03-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

When NHLers retire, the last thing most of them do is play more organized hockey than ever before. But that's exactly what Jimmy Mann does.

Mann, a first round pick of the Winnipeg Jets in 1979, organizes the Oldtimers' Hockey Challenge. This group of former NHLers travel all across Canada taking on local beer league teams, and rarely lose. In a recent stretch the team traveled from Fort St. John to Medicine Hat to Kitimat in less than 72 hours! Then they headed to Newfoundland with only one week's rest.

Mann suspects he's played in over 1000 old timer games, mostly in Canada as well as the US and Russia. In addition to playing Mann arranges for travel and hotel accommodations, as well as media and publicity events. Proceeds from each game go to a local charity.

Some of the regulars on the tour include Guy Lafleur, Marcel Dionne, Tiger Williams, Lanny McDonald and Bobby Hull. Due to family and business commitments, most players play some but not all games. Mann not only organizes the games, but participates in almost all of them.

"I really enjoy this," says Mann, who was born in Montreal. "I'm raising money for a good cause, I get to give a little back to society and its good to see guys like Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne play."

"I really enjoy playing smaller rinks - there's less ice to cover and for a 40 year old, that's perfect!" jokes Mann.

Mann's Oldtimers like to joke around on the ice too. In one Harlem Globetrotter-like moment, two of the oldtimers will act like they are upset at each other, and start squirting each other with water bottles. Then one will go into the bench and come out with a bucket of water, and chase the other around the rink. He'll finally catch up to his enemy just as they go by the local team's bench and of course misses his teammate, and instead soaks the unlucky local saps.

Mann of course was a big, scrappy right winger for parts of 10 NHL seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, Quebec Nordiques and Pittsburgh Penguins. He quickly earned his reputation as a ruffian, earning a league leading 287 PIM in his rookie season of 1979-80. He was actually a goal scorer in junior hockey but once he got the NHL he was quickly labeled as a goon. Injuries hampered Mann throughout his career, as did the erosion of his puck skills due to lack of use in such areas. He was big, slow and a poor puckhandler. In 293 games he only scored 10 goals and 30 points.

While Mann enjoyed his 10 years in the NHL, he still loves to play hockey. If the Oldtimers Hockey Challenge ever comes to your town, be sure to check it out. Also check out their website at http://www.oldtimershockey.com/

Keith Tkachuk

2011-03-28T12:17:00.000-07:00

Keith Tkachuk is a bit of a funny case for me. Despite his status as an elite power forward who, in his hey day, was scoring 50 goals and accumulating 200 penalty minutes in a season, not unlike a Cam Neely, I never really warmed to him. I'm not sure why. I was always left wanting more.

Tkachuk was arguably the best power left wing of his era, an era that also included John LeClair and Brendan Shanahan. He had soft hands for scoring goals with his strong wrist shot and quick release. He was a hulk of a fan made more physically dangerous thanks to his powerful and well-balance skating. He could drive right by most defensemen. The others he would simply try to plow right over.

Perhaps the reason I did not like him as much as I probably should was his penchant for taking bad penalties. He was mean and volatile, which is often great with such hockey beasts. But he had a reputation for keeping his stick high and for throwing retaliatory punches once the safety of the scrum had arrived. That, and he had little post-season success and was seemingly always in a contract squabble.

All that being said, let's take a look at his final resume:

1201games played in 18 NHL seasons
538 goals, 525 assists, 1063 points, 2219 penalty minutes
Led NHL in goals 1997
Only NHL player to lead league in goals while accumulating 200 PIMs
2 times post-season 2nd all-star - 1995, 1998
4 time Olympian - silver medal in 2002

Is that enough to get him into the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Traditionally, the answer is yes. 500 goals, 1000 points, 1200 games are all strong numbers. He was an elite player in his era, as suggested by his all star status and Olympic inclusion.

But somehow I still don't think of him a Hall of Famer - not like Neely, or Shanahan or even Leclair. Neely was a controversial induction, Leclair still waits while Shanny is eligible for the first time in 2011. Is Tkachuk as good as him, or is a level south, on par with the likes of Adam Graves or Gary Roberts? Excellent players, but not Hall of Famers.

I rank Tkachuk somewhere in between based on regular season numbers. His playoff numbers are brutal though - just 28 goals in 89 post season games, and a career -15. Yeah, Tkachuk never played on a great team. But only once did his team make it to the third round of the playoffs. That year - 2001-02 - Tkachuk scored just 2 goals in 15 games.

Keith Tkachuk is a tough player to judge in history's eyes. It will be interesting to see what the consensus will be.

Danny Geoffrion

2011-03-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

Hockey has always been a family game, with a number of great father/sons and brother combinations in National Hockey League history - Henri Richard, Brett Hull, Mark Howe and Doug Bentley are all examples of NHL superstars who had even bigger named family members play in the league.

But bloodlines do not mean you are going to be a good NHLer. In fact, often the name association can prove to put too many unrealistic expectations on a young player - like Keith or Brent Gretzky, Vic Howe, or Alain Lemieux. Another good example would be Danny Geoffrion, the 8th overall selection of the Montreal Canadiens in the 1978 Amateur draft.

If there was ever a player who should be great based solely on his bloodlines, it would have to be Danny. He was of course the son of the legendary Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion. And that made his grandfather the great Howie Morenz, as Boom Boom married the daughter of the first NHL superstar.

Needless to say the pressure of playing in Montreal is bad enough, but for a rookie with connection to two of the greatest players in franchise history, it proved to be too much. Though he was a goal scorer in junior, he failed to score a goal in 32 games in 1979-80. He picked up 6 assists as he battled confidence and pressure problems.

Prior to the 1980-81 season the Habs waived their rights for Geoffrion, who was then picked up by the Quebec Nordiques. Geoffrion previously spent 1 year with the Nordiques back in their WHA days, but was unnoticeable with 12 goals in 77 games. The Nords however traded him two days later to Winnipeg.

The Jets were an awful team in 1980-81, perhaps the worst of all time. But Geoffrion at least got a chance to play and redeem himself. He did okay, scoring 20 goals and 46 points in 78 games. But as the Jets acquired better players over the coming years, Geoffrion was soon dispatched to the minors, only playing 1 more NHL game after 1980-81.

Doug Smail

2011-03-11T14:51:00.000-08:00

The key to being a good hockey player is being able to skate. If you can skate really well you can last a long time. Few could skate better than Doug Smail

Smail was phenomenally quick, probably the quickest skater during the 1980s. He was a very intelligent skater as well, as he often would skate at less than full board in order to throw off his check. This unpredictability led to a lengthy career as a penalty killer and defensive left winger.

Smail joined the Winnipeg Jets as a free agent in 1980 after playing three seasons with the University of North Dakota where he was quite the athlete. In his final season of college hockey he scored 43 goals in 40 games while leading his team to the NCAA Championship. Smail was named as the NCAA Championship tournament's MVP.

The Moose Jaw native played in parts of 11 seasons with the Jets. He didn't possess the puck skills to match his foot skills to be much of an offensive contributor, but he did set a career high 31 goals and 66 points in 1984-85. He reached the 20 goal plateau 3 other times while with the Jets, including the 1989-90 season when he represented the Jets as their player in the NHL All Star Game.

Smail was traded to Minnesota in exchange for a prospect named Don Barber early in the 1990-91 season. By the summer he was traded to Quebec and he spent one final NHL season with the expansion Ottawa Senators in 1992-93.

Smail finished his career by playing in Britain.

Doug Soetaert

2011-03-10T18:30:00.000-08:00

When the New York Rangers used a high draft pick to claim Doug Soetaert, they had hoped he would be their long term solution to their goaltending puzzle. The selected him in the 2nd round of the 1975 entry draft (30th overall), ahead of such distinguished names as Mike O'Connell, Willi Plett, Paul Holmgren and fellow goaltender Don Edwards.

You certainly couldn't blame the Rangers for thinking like that. Soetaert had a brilliant junior career with his hometown Edmonton Oil Kings, and even represented Canada at the World Junior Championships.

However the man they dubbed "Soapy" never got much of a chance to play in New York. He played seasons with the Rangers, only one of which was anything close to a full season, and every one of those seasons he saw time in the minor leagues. His first two years he only played 52 games, some of those weren't even full games as he filled in on relief appearances as he was a backup goalie for the most part. He constantly had to battle the likes of John Davidson, Lindsay Middlebrook, and Wayne Thomas for playing time. None of them were bonafide NHL starters, so the job was always there for the taking, although Soapy never seemed to be given a full chance.

It wasn't until the 1980-81 season that Doug finally got a real chance to play for the Rangers. That season he posted a respectable 16-16-7 record in 39 games. However the Rangers weren't impressed enough, and dealt Doug to Winnipeg for a draft pick.

The Jets, who were really struggling in the early 1980s, were happy to acquire Doug. The Jets general manager at the time was John Ferguson, the former boss in New York. He knew Doug well and felt Doug was capable of doing the job.

"(The Rangers) considered Soetaert surplus. I knew he could play," said Ferguson.

Fergie was right, as Doug played the lion's share of the Jets games over the next three season, posting a better than .500 winning percentage even if his goals against average was very high. In those three season Doug's record was 50-48-21, which was a dramatic improvement from the Jets first two season in the NHL without Soetaert. They went 29-106-15 as they struggled to find a goaltender in those days.

While Soetaert did an admirable job, no one was calling him a bonafide NHL starter in an ideal situation. With Brian Hayward emerging in the prairie province, the Jets moved Doug to the Montreal Canadiens for prospect Mark Holden.

Soetaert enjoyed his best days in Montreal, even though he didn't play much. He was relegated to a back up role and leader, as he helped to guide two of the hottest young goalies in the league in the mid-1980s. First, in 1984-85, it was Steve Penney who was on fire. He quickly fizzled out, but the following season Doug backed up a rookie by the name of Patrick Roy. While Doug didn't get to play a lot, he was part of a Stanley Cup championship team in 1986.

Ironically enough, the Canadiens acquired Soetaert's replacement in Winnipeg to replace him once again in Montreal. Brian Hayward was brought into backup Patrick Roy, and Soetaert was allowed to sign as a free agent anywhere he wanted. He chose to go back to where his career all began - the New York Rangers.

Not much had changed in New York as far as Doug's playing time was concerned. He played in just 13 games as the Rangers carried three netminders - John Vanbiesbrouck, Bob Froese and Soetaert.
That proved to be Doug's last season as an active goalie. He retired with an all time record of a respectable 110-104-42 record and 6 career shutouts.

Doug has been involved in team management at the minor league level since retirement, and will likely return to the NHL soon in a front office position there.

Barry Legge

2011-02-18T20:48:00.000-08:00

Barry Legge grew up in Winnipeg. By the time he reached the junior leagues, the Winnipeg Jets were the talk of the hockey world. While they weren't in the National Hockey League, they offered an exciting alternative with Bobby Hull and an influx of European talent.

So it should come as no surprise that Legge opted for the WHA over the NHL.

Although he was drafted 61st overall by the Montreal Canadiens, Legge turned pro with Michigan-Baltimore of the WHA. However WHA teams dropped like flies in those early years. Soon Legge found himself in Denver, Ottawa, Cleveland and Minnesota before finally finding some stability in Cincinnati in 1976.

Despite losing some prime development time because of his constant moving and change of coaches, Legge developed nicely in Cleveland. From 1976 to the league's eventual demise in 1979 Legge played a quiet, grossly underrated role. He was a journeyman defenseman who worked hard, giving everything he got. Despite his work ethic and defensive commitment, Legge was at best a 4th or 5th defenseman, even in the WHA which featured weak blueline corps.

When the WHA folded in 1979 and the remaining teams joined the NHL, Legge found himself playing for two ex-WHA teams - Quebec in 1979-80 and his native Winnipeg from 1980-81 to 1981-82. It wasn't the best of times for Barry though. He split his NHL time with time in the minor leagues. He also was limited to less than 40 games each NHL season by injuries.

Legge hung up the blades in 1982.

Alexei Zhamnov

2011-02-06T19:45:00.000-08:00

My list of the most talented hockey players I have ever seen in the National Hockey League has to include Alexei Zhamnov.

Zhamnov graduated from Moscow Dynamo to join the Winnipeg Jets for four years. He was best known as Teemu Selanne's centerman during the Finnish Flash's highest scoring days. Zhamnov, nicknamed "Archie" due to his uncanny resemblance to the famous cartoon character, moved on to Chicago in 1996 for 8 seasons. He rounded up his career with brief appearances with Philadelphia and Boston.

When he was on top of his game, he was an absolute joy to watch. He was a magnificent skater, blessed with one-step acceleration but more important incredible agility. He was a masterful stickhandler with an underrated (and often under-used) shot. A classic center from the Russian school of hockey, he was a great playmaker first and foremost, and a dependable defensive forward. Although he may never have thrown a body check in his life, he had solid size and was strong on his skates, making him hard to knock off the puck. His physical game was definitely understated.

Yet, it seemed, he had trouble finding his top game with any sort of consistency. Ah yes, the classic Russian centerman - skilled beyond belief but frustrating as hell. Although I always though that Russian centermen - and especially Zhamnov - were somewhat misunderstood in the North American game. Perhaps he was so talented and so understanding of the game of hockey and it's positioning that he gave the impression he was floating.

In some ways I think it is a case of buyer-beware by NHL teams and for fan expectations. The old Soviet school of hockey trained centermen differently than North Americans. The center is still arguably the most important player on the ice, but in Soviet hockey the wingers get the offensive chances more so than the center. I don't know if there has been a Soviet-trained center - not even Igor Larionov or Sergei Fedorov - who did not frustrate North American fans with perceived indifferent play.

Maybe that is something to remember the next time your favorite team has a frustratingly talented Russian centerman. That may change over the coming years, although the immediate generation or 2 following the break up of the Soviet Union has continued to come from the same school of thought. Maybe Russian centermen need to be adopt more offensive urgency in the NHL.

Alexei Zhamnov's final line sounds like this: 807 NHL games played with 249 goals and 470 assists for 719 points. In the lockout shortened 1995 season he was a second team NHL All Star. Internationally he represented his country at three Olympics, winning gold in 1992, silver in 1998 and silver in 2002. A career ending ankle injury prevented him from playing in 2006

Scott Campbell

2011-01-12T15:48:00.000-08:00

Scott Campbell was once a very highly touted youngster. The St. Louis Blues signed the big bruising defenseman 9th overall in 1977, only to have the Houston Aeros of the WHA prey on the prized young player.

"The rival league, the World Hockey Association, was still going hot and heavy, and they weren't so dumb," pointed out Blues GM Emile Francis, who coveted Campbell. "They'd wait until we held our draft, then they'd look around and see who drafted who before they made their picks."

"It was common knowledge that St. Louis was in financial trouble, and the WHA went after the weak ones."

Houston knew this and drafted the big boy from Toronto.

"I met Campbell's agent, Norm Caplan, one morning," continued Francis. "And he said they already had reservations to fly to Houston the next day to negotiate."

"I told him I'd pay him $25,000 of my own money and put the rest up at camp - that's how much I thought of the kid - but he said if I couldn't come up with $75,000 by the following morning they'd be gone. And they were. Next afternoon Campbell signed with Houston."

Campbell played respectfully in his rookie pro season in Houston. He quietly scored 8 goals and 29 assists for 37 points along with 116 well earned penalty minutes. However all was not rosy in Houston.

"After the first year though, the Aeros were in trouble and were gonna pull out, so we negotiated with them for Campbell, but Winnipeg made them a package deal for him," continued Francis.

Campbell really earned a reputation as a tough guy in 1978-79 with the Jets. He scored just 3 goals and 18 points while picking up 248 PIM! While Campbell was no stranger to the rough going, PIM totals this high were somewhat uncharacteristic.

The WHA as a league folded at the end of the year, and the remaining 4 teams - Winnipeg, Edmonton, Quebec and Hartford - joined the NHL. Existing NHL teams were permitted to reclaim players they'd lost to the WHA, and the Blues quickly reclaimed Campbell.

However the Blues only had Campbell for less than a day. The 4 WHA teams were allowed two priority picks, to reclaim a couple of their existing players. The Jets reclaimed Campbell. Part of the deal was that the priority picks would have to stay in their respective city for at least 2 years. So the Blues were once again left empty handed.

Campbell and the rest of the Jets struggled in their first NHL seasons. Campbell played in 63 games, scoring 3 goals and 20 points. He also had 136 PIM and a horrific -39 rating.

That year was good compared to Campbell's second year. Campbell only played in 14 games in the entire 1980-81 season due to a terrible shoulder separation. Initially Campbell had surgery, rehabbed and play in the minors to get his conditioning back. When he returned he reinjured the shoulder in a fight.

Emile Francis and the Blues finally got their man on July 3, 1981. The Jets sent Campbell and left winger John Markell - who missed much of the previous season due to mononucleosis - to St. Louis in exchange for backup goalie Ed Staniowski, 25 year old defenseman Bryan Maxwell and promising minor league sniper Paul McLean.

"Winnipeg lost two goalies who signed elsewhere as free agents - Michel Dion with Pittsburgh and Lindsay Middlebrook with Minnesota - and all of a sudden John (Winnipeg GM John Ferguson) needed some goaltending," Francis said.

The Blues were willing to move Staniowski, who the Jets desperately needed. The Blues also had Rick Heinz and Paul Skidmore in their system as respected goalie prospects.

Francis of course was elated to finally get Campbell.

"In junior I thought he was more of an offensive defenseman, but in 4 years as a pro he's been more of a defensive defenseman. Unlike some big guys, Campbell can be physical too, but I think with Winnipeg he was expected to pick up the cudgel and be policeman for some of the smaller players. I'm not sure that's his natural style. What we want him to do with us is to find his own best game and play it."

Campbell never got a chance to find his best game though. He played in only 3 games in St. Louis. He developed serious headaches that would not enable him to play.

Bobby Hull

2011-01-09T19:55:00.001-08:00

Long before he joined the NHL, Bobby Hull was labeled a sure-fire NHL player. And he didn't disappoint anyone.

Although he didn't invent the slap shot, his uncanny accuracy and amazing power popularized the shot to this day. Goalies would cower when he wound up. Hull led the league in goal scoring in seven seasons. He scored an amazing 610 regular season goals, and over 300 more with the WHA's Jets. He was the first player to record more than 50 goals in one season (54); won the Art Ross Trophy three times, the Hart Trophy twice, the Lady Byng once, and the Lester Patrick Trophy once; Bobby also dominated all-star selections, being named to 10 first all-star teams, and 2 second teams. No wonder why Bobby is considered by many to be the best left winger in the history of the game.

Hull helped bring a Stanley Cup to Chicago, in 1961, as the Black Hawks beat the Detroit Red Wings four games to two. Hull, in his first Stanley Cup Finals, scored two goals in Game One, including the game-winner. The Black Hawks went to the finals twice more, losing in 1962 to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and in 1965 to the Montreal Canadiens.

Hull represents a link to another era, when pro sports weren't such big businesses, when the innocence of the sport fostered unabashed adoration of idols. Hull, the charismatic, goal-scoring goodwill ambassador who throughout the 1960's simply was the Chicago Blackhawks, takes us back to another day, when it was so much easier to be young at heart.

"We played just for the sheer enjoyment. We made a boyhood dream come true to play in the NHL," he said. "That's all we wanted to do, to stay there, play the game and enjoy it. Hopefully, the fans enjoyed it.

"We had to make our own fun," Hull recalled. "We stayed together. We went out after games together. On the road, we went out after games together. By the time game-time came around, we didn't have to get to know one another. We spent so much time together we were one unit."

His blonde good looks and sparkling charisma combined with his on ice speed and swagger earned him the nickname "The Golden Jet." Oddly enough, Hull would become a Jet when he signed with Winnipeg of the WHA. Hull became hockey's first millionaire, and the WHA gained instant credibility. The NHL was left shocked as one of their elite attractions walked away to play for another league. Ironically hockey's era of innocence which Hull still represents suffered a severe wake up call.

In Winnipeg he starred for years with Swedish stars Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson. The NHL was furious with his WHA signing and tried legal action to block the move, and then punished Hull by leaving him off of the 1972 Summit Series Team Canada squad. And ironically, it was Winnipeg that opened up the wallets and started handing out big contracts in an effort to lure some of the games top players. Ironic because Winnipeg would lose the NHL version of the Jets in 1996 because they couldn't compete economically.

When the WHA merged with the NHL in 1979, Hull ended up with the Hartford Whalers, where he played one final season. In 1981 Hull, who scored 303 goals in the WHA, attended the New York Rangers training camp as a 42 year old. The Rangers also had Hedberg and Nilsson and were looking to recapture some WHA magic, but it was not meant to be.

Hull was hockey's faster skater (28.3 mph with puck, 29.7 without it) and had the hardest shot (once reportedly recorded at 118.3 mph, some 35 mph above the league average). He was hockey's ultimate hockey player, blending together the talents of his most famed predecessors - the speed of Howie Morenz, the goal scoring prowress of Maurice Richard, the strength and control of Gordie Howe - plus the looks and charisma of a movie star. Hull did more than any other player to popularize the game of hockey in the United States prior to Wayne Gretzky.

Stan Mikita, Hull's long time teammate once was quoted as saying "To say that Bobby is a great hockey player is to labor the point. He was all of that of course. But the thing I admired about him was the way he handled people. He always enjoyed signing autographs for fans and was a genuine nice guy."

Bobby Hull was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1983. One day Bobby's son Brett will join him in the Hall. Brett was Bobby's equivalent during the late 1980's and 1990s, though was overshadowed by Wayne Gretzky.

Pat Elynuik

2010-12-19T11:12:00.000-08:00

Pat Elynuik is a bit of a legend back in Saskatchewan. The Foam Lake native played three seasons with the Prince Albert Raiders, helping them win one Memorial Cup. He was a two time WHL All Star who scored back to back 50 goal and 100 point seasons. He was also a top scorer for Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships, although that Team Canada is more famous for being banished from the tournament for brawling with the Russians.

Elynuik's fine junior career caught the eyes of the NHL scouts, who projected him as a 35-40 goal guy at the NHL level. The Winnipeg Jets were quick to grab him with the 8th overall selection in the 1986 entry draft.

He started his career in the minor leagues, but finished the year with 13 games in the NHL. His first full NHL season was an injury plagued 1988-89 season. A shoulder injury didn't slow him though, as he scored and impressive 26 goals and 51 points as a rookie in 56 games.

Elynuik, who complemented slick center Thomas Steen very nicely, took his game to the next level the following two years, reaching the 30 goal plateau both times. However he was unable to duplicate in 1991-92.

The Jets were looking to beef up in the summer of 92, and traded Elynuik to Washington in exchange for playoff hero and rugged right winger John Druce. One of the main criticisms of Elynuik's game was that he had no physical element to his game. He shied away from the front of the net and was not much of a banger. He was a good skater who knew how to get himself open for a shot, usually either at the top or bottom of the right faceoff circle. Despite his lack of grit, Elynuik was a decent defensive player.

Elynuik had an quiet year in Washington, scoring 22 goals but not meeting expectations. Early in the 1993-94 season he was traded to Tampa Bay for the always popular future considerations, but was released at seasons end. He signed with Ottawa for the next two seasons but played little and scored less.

In 1996-97 many were surprised that the Dallas Stars offered him a chance. He signed with them but spent the entire year, his last in the pros, in the minor leagues.

Elynuik was a nice player in Winnipeg, especially when teamed with the highly underrated Thomas Steen. He scored 154 goals and 342 points in 506 career NHL games.

By The Way - For whatever reason, Pat Elynuik may be a bigger hockey legend in the cyber world than on the actual ice. He was a surprising star player in the NHLPA 93 video game way back in the day!

Larry Hornung

2010-08-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

National Hockey League fans may not remember Larry Hornung, the Saskatchewan native who played 48 games with the St. Louis Blues in the early 1970s. But Winnipeg Jets fans in the days of the World Hockey Association will undoubtedly remember him. He played five seasons with the Jets, and another season in the WHA for a total of 371 games.

Prior to jumping to the Jets, the expansion New York Islanders had acquired his NHL playing rights in the 1972 expansion draft. Though he quite likely could have stayed in the NHL with the first year Isles, he quickly opted to switch to the upstart league after Winnipeg offered him a 3 year, $130,500 contract

"The WHA was a good brand of hockey, though in the early years, a lot of teams were moving about," he later recalled.

Hornung really impressed that first year especially. He was named to the WHA Second All Star Team. He settled down into more of a dependable depth type defenseman after that, unspectacular but steady.

Hornung would retire by the end of the decade but he would stay in the game as a long time scout with the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes franchise and later the Toronto Maple Leafs. He also spent some time working with youth in a drug rehabilitation centre in Regina.

Hockey had been good to Larry Hornung, but on the night of March 1st, 1987 hockey turned his life upside down and inside out. His son Brad was a top prospect with the Regina Pats. His bright future in hockey came to a crashing hault when he crashed head first into the boards, crushing his spinal cord and paralyzing him permanently.

"When I played, I never worried about an injury like that," Larry would later say. "But when your children play, you tend to think more about it. I was there that night and I knew right away it was serious. My heart almost stopped beating. For the most part, his attitude has been excellent. He's in good spirits. He knows the truth, that he'll never walk again, and at first it was hard to accept. But he's taken it well, and he's been a tower of strength for the whole family."

Hornung would continue scouting until 2000 when he discovered he had cancer. The disease took his life on May 8th, 2001.

Special thanks to Jennifer Conway

Darrin Shannon

2010-07-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

Darrin is one of two Shannon brothers to play for the Buffalo Sabres. Older brother Darryl also enjoyed a long career in the National Hockey League

Darrin was a big left winger out of the Ontario Hockey League's Windsor Spitfires junior team. He missed quite a few games as a junior with injury problems, but was an impressive standout nonetheless as suggested by Pittsburgh's selecting of him in the 4th overall in the deep 1988 NHL entry draft. Other first rounders selected after Shannon that year include Jeremy Roenick, Teemu Selanne and Rod Brind'Amour. To make his junior career accomplishments even more impressive, Darrin kept his studies up at a great level while playing hockey, and was honoured with the prestigious Canadian Major Junior Scholastic Player of the Year.

As mentioned, Darrin was drafted by Pittsburgh, however he never played with that team. Early in the 1988-89 season, while Darrin was still playing in Windsor, the Penguins traded their highly touted prospect along with solid defenseman Doug Bodger to Buffalo in exchange for disgruntled but often spectacular goaltender Tom Barrasso.

With a spectacular junior career behind him and having being traded for a high profile player, Shannon had immense pressure placed on him before he even entered the league. And for the first couple of seasons it appeared that he would not live up to expectations. He spent most of the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons apprenticing n the American Hockey League with the Rochester Americans. Aside from concerns about his skating, he seemed to lack confidence and assertiveness.

The Sabres gave up on Shannon after just one game in 1991-92. He was traded with Mike Hartman and Dean Kennedy to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Gord Donnelly, Dave McLlwain and a draft choice. He had played a total of just 55 games in Buffalo, scoring 10 goals and 14 assists for 24 points in his brief career.

In Winnipeg Darrin emerged as a solid player. He was a very good cornerman. He had good size and was able to shield the puck nicely. Once he retrieved the puck he did have the ability to make a play as suggested by his couple of 20 goal and 60 point seasons. While he never emerged as the power forward that scouts had hoped he would when he was drafted 4th overall, he nonetheless became a nice contributor in Winnipeg/Phoenix.

For all intents and purposes, Darrin's career ended prematurely due to reconstructive knee surgery in the off season of 1998. He missed the entire following season except for 10 games in the minor leagues. He would attempt a comeback in 1999-2000 by signing on with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, but after 17 games in the minors he retired from the game.

Darrin played a total of 506 NHL games, scoring 87 goals and 250 points. It took longer than the Sabres had hoped, but he did mature into a nice NHL player.

Kris King

2010-07-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Kris King accomplished an awful lot in his hockey career considering many probably never figured he would make it very far.

Drafted 80th overall by Washington in 1984, everyone knew there was only one way he was getting into the NHL - by literally fighting his way in. Yet when all was said and done he left the NHL with a reputation not as a goon but as a clean, hard hitting team player.

He was a tough guy with a big heart and a great team attitude. He was a natural leader and that, combined with his rugged play, kept him in the National Hockey League for 13 seasons. He was willing - and able - to do the grunt work along the boards and in the corners. He was absolutely relentless in his pursuit of the puck, or at least the puck carrier. He created a lot of turnovers but never had the hand skills or speed to do much with loose pucks. Still, he was a coach's delight - a reliable bottom six forward who could always be counted on for a big energy shift whenever the team needed a boost.

In addition to being a natural leader on the bench and in the dressing room, he was also a wonderful presence in every community he lived in, donating his time to many charities, especially causes involving children. In 1996 he was recognized by the National Hockey League for his charitable kindness with the King Clancy award.

As great as receiving that award was, that was a tough summer for King. His season ended after blowing out his knee. That would prove to be his last game in Winnipeg as the franchise relocated to Phoenix to become the Coyotes. Although he started out with Detroit and was a Broadway hit with the New York Rangers, he really found a home in blue collar western Canada.

King played in Phoenix for one season before moving on to Toronto and then Chicago. He retired in 2001 and quickly joined the NHL's hockey operations department. Nowadays he has risen to become the department's senior vice president.

Kris King only scored 66 goals and 151 points in 14 NHL seasons. But the key stat for him is the fact that he played in 849 career playoff games. He probably had twice as many bruises for every game played. He was one of hockey's good guys.

Deron Quint

2010-07-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

They say everyone gets 15 minutes of fame. Deron Quint got only 4 seconds, although it may stand the test of time.

As a rookie defenseman in 1995-96, Quint scored just five goals all season for the Winnipeg Jets. But two of those goals came just four seconds apart in the same game. That tied the NHL's speedy record for fastest two goals by the same player. The record was previously set Nels Stewart back in 1931.

Nels Stewart - an ill-tempered Hockey Hall of Famer they dubbed "Old Poison" - was one of hockey's all time greats. Deron Quint would not be destined for such a career. The New Hampshire born Quint would play in 463 NHL regular season games, mostly with Winnipeg/Phoneix and also with Columbus (where he scored three goals in one period) and briefly New Jersey and Chicago. He score 46 goals and 143 points in an injury riddled career.

He was a little too slight to be an effective NHL defenseman, but rampant expansion in the 1990s ensured employment. He was a very good skater, both in terms of speed and fluidity. He had good hands, too. He made good outlet passes and had a hard slap shot from the point. Ultimately though he was prone to defensive breakdowns either because of his lack of size or his inconsistency in reading the play.

During the lost NHL season due to the 2004-05 labour dispute, Quint found a team in Europe to play for, and he has never returned. He would play in Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Russia.

Scott Arniel

2010-06-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

The Winnipeg Jets thought they won the draft day jackpot twice back in 1981.

The most certainly did with their 1st choice. Picking 1st overall they landed Dale Hawerchuk. He would become the greatest player in Winnipeg's NHL history.

Then with their second draft pick, 22nd overall, they landed Hawerchuk's junior linemate Scott Arniel. Together the two led the Cornwall Royals to back-to-back Memorial Cup championships in 1980 and 1981.

But it quickly became evident that dynamic duo would not replicate that magic in the NHL. Hawerchuk immediately stepped in and starred. Arniel, too, made the immediate jump to the NHL, only to falter miserably. He would be returned to junior after 17 horrendous games. This allowed Arniel to be part of the very first gold medal championship for Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships.

Arniel would return to the NHL the next season (he even scored a hat trick in the first game of the year), and never did apprentice in the minor leagues. Playing on a line with Laurie Boschman and Lucien DeBlois, he emerged as a 20 goal threat in the high scoring 1980s. He reinvented his game from a great junior scorer to a serviceable NHL depth player.

I remember Scott Arniel as being a very average player, which is probably a pretty harsh thing to say about a veteran of 730 NHL games. Perhaps I under-estimated him and certainly under-appreciated him. Then again, maybe he was just average. The Hockey News thought so when they named him the NHL's most average forward in a study of statistics in 1989.

He was an okay skater, but never impressed with any speed or agility. He possessed no great shot or a playmaking prowess. He was too inconsistent in the physical game a little too much for my liking, especially since he had decent size.

Arniel was versatile in that he could play all three forward positions, and in a variety of roles. This gave his team some nice versatility. And while he was not going to wow anyone with his game, he was no liability defensively, either.

After five seasons the Jets moved Arniel to Buffalo for Gilles Hamel. He continued to play his rather anonymous game for the Sabres for four seasons before Arniel was traded back to Winnipeg, this time as a throw-in in exchange for his old junior running mate: Dale Hawerchuk.

Arniel played one season in Winnipeg and part of another with Boston before his NHL days were done. He would continue to play in the minor leagues for many years, developing a love for helping younger players achieve their NHL dreams. This undoubtedly led him to turn to a career of coaching after his lengthy pro career was over.

Arniel, a born-again Christian, would go on to become a very successful minor league coach, most notably in Winnipeg with the Manitoba Moose where he compiled a 181-105-10-19 in four seasons. He had previously coached in Houston and as an assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres.

On June 7th, 2010 he returned to the NHL when he was hired as the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Hopefully I appreciate him more as a NHL coach than I did as a NHL player.

Thommie Bergman

2010-02-15T14:32:00.000-08:00

The NHL and WHA began importing Sweden's top players in the 1970s, beginning the internationalization of North American hockey. While many easily remember Borje Salming and Inge Hammarstrom in the NHL and Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson in the WHA, not every remembers the first Swede to cross the Atlantic Ocean - Thommie Bergman.

The Detroit Red Wings signed the Munkfors-born defenseman in the summer of 1972 on the advice of scout Jack Patterson. Patterson was impressed with Bergman's play at the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Japan. Sweden finished just off of the podium in 4th place.

The Wings had to spend a reported $30,000 to Bergman's old club, Vastra Frolunda, to secure his release, but it was worth it as he soon established himself as the top defenseman on a very poor Detroit team. In his first year he teamed with Ron Stackhouse regularly, scored 9 goals and 21 points and posted a respectable +6 rating. The 6'3" 195lb defenseman he tried to embrace the more physical side of the game, dropping the gloves with none other than Dave "The Hammer" Schultz and Bobby Clarke. It was this gusto that attracted Bergman to scout Patterson in the first place.

Life was quite different in the NHL than back home for Bergman and the following Swedes. For instance, Bergman worked at an ad agency as his day job back home. He was also a very studious fellow, earning a master's degree in economics while also studying engineering. In Detroit though there was little time to embrace such pursuits as he spent so much time playing, practicing and travelling. He lamented the down time, saying watching television was a bad habit he was picking up.

The long schedule wore Bergman down, like it did for so many of the early European players. Injuries, particularly a troublesome knee he originally injured back in Sweden playing a game of pick-up basketball, and fatigue limited his effectiveness, and after a less than impressive season and a half following up his rookie year, he was traded to the WHA Winnipeg Jets.

Bergman enjoyed 4 solid seasons with the Jets, a franchise noted for embracing European players. In addition to Nilsson and Hedberg Bergman also counted the likes of Veli-Pekka Ketola, Willy Lindstrom, Lars-Erik Sjoberg, Mats Lindh, Heikki Riihiranta and Curt Larsson as teammates, with Dan Labraaten and Markus Mattsson joining later on.

Late in the 1977-78 season Bergman was released by the Jets. He found his old team from Detroit interested in his services, despite a wonky knee.He would play parts of three more seasons with the Red Wings before going home to round out his career in Sweden. He would later get involved in management with the Gothenburg team and become the chief European scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Crazy Fact - Like a baseball player in that time era, Thommie Bergman played while chewing snuff. He said the chewing tobacco relaxed him without wearing down his cardiovascular conditioning like cigarettes would.

Mike Amodeo

2010-02-03T19:21:00.000-08:00

Mike Amodeo was too small to play defense in the National Hockey League. Just 5'10" and 190lbs, its pretty rare for a defensive minded back liner to play more than a handful of games. That's what Mike did - he played in 19 games during the Winnipeg Jets horrendous first NHL season. He collected no points and was a -15 in an otherwise unnoteworthy NHL career.

Mike did manage to play parts of 6 years of big league hockey with the World Hockey Association. There, with the Ottawa Nationals, Toronto Toros and Winnipeg Jets, he was a serviceable blueliner in a league where anyone who could play defense was in high demand.

The mobile defenseman also spent several years in Europe including parts of three seasons in Sweden before playing in the NHL, and in Italy afterwards.

An interesting aspect of Amodeo's life lies in his close friendship with former NHL goalie Gilles Gratton. Gratton, affectionately called Grattooney the Looney, has often been laughed off as most people consider him to be a space cadet. Gratton believes in reincarnation, and claims to have been several things in the past - a Spanish Count, a British Surgeon, an Indian Hobo, a 12th century sailor. He wasvalso is heavily involved in astrology.

Amodeo shared Gratton's interests. Especially meditation. Stories have it that Amodeo preferred afternoon "flights of fancy" to the traditional pre-game nap.

"Michael wouldn't lie down on his bed," recalled Jim Dorey, a teammate of Amodeo's with the WHA Toronto Toros. "He would get his mat out, sit on the floor, and then travel around the world on his mat. He told me he'd been to Japan and China. He just took off for the afternoon. He'd sit there with his eyes closed in the yoga position and I'd watch him fly away."

Mike was last on the ice at the 1982 World Championships, but he was not playing for Canada. His parents were Italian, and he used to secure his passport to represent Italy at the worlds.

The last we heard of Amodeo was that he was working in the Toronto area as a beer salesman.

Markus Mattsson

2009-11-04T20:34:00.000-08:00

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.

Larry Hopkins

2009-02-20T13:50:00.000-08:00

You know your NHL career did not go the way of hockey dreams when you are best known as the mustachioed man mistakenly pictured on another player's rookie hockey card.

That would sum up how hockey history remembers Larry Hopkins, the man pictured as Paul MacLean in the 1982-83 O Pee Chee hockey card set.

I guess it can be chalked up to an honest mistake. After all both sported some pretty significant facial hair.

But that might be as close as the comparison between the two gets. MacLean went on to a 10 year NHL career averaging 36 goals and over 100 PIMs per season. Hopkins played in just 60 games in his career, scoring 13 times and assisting on 16 others.

The Oshawa born left winger made next to no splash at all in his quiet junior career with the hometown Generals. Despite playing with the likes of Rick Middleton, Nelson Pyatt and Lee Fogolin, he managed just 7 goals and 29 points in two years with the legendary OHA team. Despite his impressive size (he would play in the NHL at 6'1" and 210lbs) he was very polite, collecting just 13 minutes in the penalty box.

If it was not for his impressive size, NHL scouts may never have noticed Hopkins. He likely had realized the NHL dream was unrealistic for him when he passed on the chance to play with Oshawa as an overaged 20 year old junior and enrolled at the University of Toronto instead. He chose to pursue a degree in commerce while playing for the U of T Varsity Blues hockey team.

It is rare that a Canadian university player gets noticed by the NHL. But Hopkins quickly established himself as the best collegiate hockey player in all of Canada. Sensing he may be a late bloomer, the Atlanta Flames took a flier on him with the 152nd pick of the 1974 NHL Amateur draft.

Hopkins stayed at the University of Toronto for 5 seasons, completing his degree in commerce. In that time he also led the U of T to CIAU championships in 1976 and 1977.

Upon graduation late in the 1977-78 season, the Flames did not offer Hopkins a contract, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent. The Toronto Maple Leafs offered the kid in their backyard a tryout contract. Though he would finish that season and all of the next in the minor leagues, he did get a chance to play in two games for the Leafs, wearing number 12.

This undoubtedly rekindled Hopkins' dreams of the NHL, and he worked hard while in the minor leagues. The Winnipeg Jets noticed and offered him a contract in the summer of 1979.

Over the next three seasons Hopkins was shuttled back and forth between the NHL and the minor leagues. His best season was in 1981-82 when he got into 41 games with the Jets, sometimes even playing on the top line with Dale Hawerchuk and Paul MacLean.

Hopkins retired after the 1982-83 season. He and his wife Linda soon returned to the Tulsa, Oklahoma area where he played 3 seasons of minor league hockey and was a very popular player and was voted as the unsung player of the year. He became an account manager for a telecommunications company.

Bob Essensa

2009-01-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

Robert Earle (Bob) Essensa was drafted 69th overall in the 1983 Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets knew he was a long term project. He had just completed playing hockey at Henry Carr High School in Toronto (although scholastically he attended Vincent Massey High School) and was about to enroll at Michigan State University for the 1983 season. The Jets were patient with their selection, knowing he'd be 4 years away from turning pro, but they knew he was with one of the top hockey programs in the United States.

The Jets' patience paid off. He was a CCHA all star with a career record of an impressive 62-13-2 career record and set several school records, though they have since been bettered.

Essensa made his NHL debut in 1988-89 at the age of 23. He went 6-8-3 in 20 games, but in 1989-90, that record improved to 18-9-5 with a 3.15 goals-against average, while being named the NHL All-Rookie goaltender. In 1990-91, Essensa posted four shutouts and won the Jets' Molson Cup award, given to the player with the most points accumulated through three-star selections at the conclusion of each game.

In 1991-92, Essensa registered a league best five shutouts and was the second runner up for the Vezina and Jennings trophies, and posted a career-high 33 wins in 1992-93. He was an extremely popular player in Winnipeg, and well decorated too. He set franchise records for most career games played by a goalie, most minutes, most career wins, most wins in one season, most consecutive wins and most assists by a goalie in one season.

In 1993-94 Essensa was traded to the Detroit the Red Wings for Tim Cheveldae and Dallas Drake. Though he was excited to return to the city where he attended university, he never got the playing time he had hoped for in the Motor City and played most of the next two seasons in the minors.

Essensa resurfaced in the NHL in 1996 as a backup goalie with the Edmonton Oilers. Though he never really was given a shot to re-prove himself as a number one goalie, he received great feedback for his positive attitude and play as a back up netminder, thus lengthening his career. He also was quite approachable when it came to mentoring young goalies.

In 1999-2000, Essensa rejoined the Phoenix Coyotes, the old Winnipeg Jets team, and posted a 13-10-3 record. On July 26, 2000, Essensa signed as a free agent with the Vancouver Canucks and split goaltending duties first with Felix Potvin and then Dan Cloutier. He went 18-12 with a 2.68 GAA and helped the Canucks make the playoffs for the first time in five years. In the playoffs, he started two of the Canucks four games.

Although Vancouver fans loved to chant "Bob E, Bob E," the popular goalie was not re-signed. In September 2001, Essensa signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Sabres where he served as backup and mentor to Martin Biron.

He would retire at the end of the season, and would move on to become a goalie coach. He retired 173-176-47 record with 18 shutouts in 447 NHL games.

Dave Manson

2009-01-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

When a player is affectionately known as "Charlie" Manson, it comes as no surprise he was one of the most feared NHL tough guys of his era. But he could play too, a terrific package of terror and talent.

The pride of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, the former hometown Raiders star Dave Manson played in over 1100 NHL games, most notably with the Chicago Blackhawks. He also played well in Edmonton, Winnipeg and Montreal before toiling with Toronto and Dallas late in his career.

Manson quickly established himself as a rough and tumble customer. He had nearly 2800 career penalty minutes, including a Chicago single season record (since broken) of 352 penalty minutes in his third season, 1988-89.

The following season he would have bettered his own record if he was not suspended three times - twice for pushing a linesman and returning to fights, and once for biting the hand of Scott Stevens.

With his rugged approach to the game he was an obvious fan favorite in the Windy City. He had some real battles in that old Norris Division, and Chicago had some long time rivalries. Bob Probert and Joey Kocur were in Detroit. Basil McRae in Minnesota. Todd Ewen and later Scott Stevens in St. Louis.

That Stevens bout was quite the classic. Let's take a look:

Manson backed down from nobody, and you can not accuse him of having a bark worse than his bite. You see, Manson often had to let his physical play send messages for him, as he his voice was reduced to a raspy whisper courtesy of Sergio Momesso, then with Vancouver. Big Momesso punched Manson right in the throat during one altercation, and Manson contracted a permanent case of laryngitis. Even after two major surgeries, Manson still talks very softly and gravelly.

Despite the nickname and impressive pugilistic resume, one should not be too quick to jump to the conclusion that he was simply a goon. No, in fact he was also an offensive defenseman who twice played in NHL all star games.

Remember that '88-89 season where Manson sat in the penalty box for 352 minutes? The defenseman also registered 18 goals and 54 points that year.

Blessed with a heavy shot, Manson was a natural on the power play. He loved to tee up one timers but was also smart enough to change up his shot now and again. And he was never afraid to pinch up and surprise the penalty killers with his straying from the left point.

That year Manson really put it altogether. There is not a coach in the league that would not want a defenseman with Manson's scary combination of physical aggression and offensive intimidation. He was always playing on the edge, but he constantly struggled to keep that right balance.

The problem was Manson was never able to maintain the right mixture over any length of his career. This was due to discipline and hockey sense.

First and foremost was discipline, but with penalty minute totals like his that comes as no surprise. Too often he would unnecessarily engage in scrums after the whistle instead of just concentrating on hockey. He would often throw himself off his own game as he ran around out of position and taking bad penalties. With his well-established reputation as one of the most feared men on ice, he did not need to do this. He needed to learn let his reputation do a lot of the intimidating for him, and just concentrate on playing hockey.

Discipline in hockey also refers to playing the game smartly and patiently. This is also known as hockey sense.

At times Manson was too over-exuberant in his offensive game too, making bad pinches, impossible passes, and plenty of turnovers. He was very much a gambler with the puck, and he got burned many times. This only led to a significant number of minor penalties, for hooking and tripping, because he did not have the superior foot speed to make up for his gaffes.

Had Manson learned to be more patient with the puck and just make the safe if unspectacular play, he would have been one heck of a defender. He might not have been as noticeable on the ice if he played more conservatively, but given his turnover history that might have been a good thing.

Defensively he could be an adventure, too. Certainly the opposition did not like to put the puck into his corner, given the likelihood he would try to put you into the first row of seats. But the opposition knew Manson would stray too far from his optimal position to make a big hit or to unnecessarily help out his defense partner. Poor reads by Manson led to wide open scoring chances for attackers too often.

Manson may have been a big city star who lasted over 1100 wars in the NHL, but he never forgot his hometown roots. He was always a Saskatchewan boy at heart, proud of his hometown of Prince Albert where he led the WHL Raiders to the Memorial Cup in 1985. Following the conclusion of his NHL career, Manson returned to Prince Albert and became involved in coaching with the Raiders.

Dave Christian

2008-06-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

Hockey was a way of life for Dave Christian.

Dave Christian was born into the first family of hockey in tiny Warroad, Minnesota. The town of 1700 residents proclaimed themselves as Hockeytown, USA for years before Detroit stole it.

The heroes of Hockeytown were no doubt the Christians. Uncle Gordon started the Olympic pedigree, earning a silver medal with Team USA in 1956. Dave's father Bill and uncle Roger both played for the 1960 Olympic gold medal winning Team USA, with Bill scoring the winning goal. The two went on to compete in the 1964 Olympics as well, before forming, along with brother-in-law Hal Bakke, Christian Brothers hockey stick company in Warroad.

No doubt most of the kids growing up in the area would use Christian sticks, including Bill's own two sons Eddie and Dave. Eddie made it all to way to the minor leagues.

But it was Dave Christian who would go on to the greatest degree of success. He was a blessed skater, armed with good puck skills and a mind for the game. He effortlessly played both defense and forward. He was a natural athlete, also starring in football, baseball and track in his youth.

After starring for the Warroad high school team he left for University of North Dakota. He followed in his father's skate marks to the Olympic games, starring with the 1980 Miracle On Ice gold medal winning team. Though he was a scoring forward at North Dakota, coach Herb Brooks utilized Christian on the blue line for the Olympics, and never missed a beat. He was able to control the game by himself, a trait of only the most special players.

Christian never returned to UND, opting for the NHL instead. It didn't take long for Christan to make his mark in the big leagues, either. Just 7 seconds into his career Christian scored his first goal, a NHL record that still stands to this day.

The consistent Christian went on to score 340 goals and 433 assists in 1,009 NHL regular season games. He is perhaps best remembered as a member of the Winnipeg Jets and the Washington Capitals, though he also played with Chicago, Boston and St. Louis. Christian also continued to embrace the international game, playing in two world championships and three Canada Cups when the NHL schedule allowed for it. Christian finished his career back in Manitoba, playing in the IHL with the Moose.

For all his success in hockey, it is the 1980 Olympic gold medal that will always rank as his greatest achievement.

As author Wayne Coffey wrote in the book The Boys of Winter:

"Dave Christian used to read his father's scrapbook as a kid and dream about being in the Olympics himself. he doesn't really have words for it, either. "To have that come true, to be in that position, playing against Russia, with my father and my uncle in the stands...for me it was as impossible and far-fetched a dream as you could have."

Dave Ellett

2008-03-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

They say all sports heroes secretly want to be rock stars. But I think a lot of hockey players secretly yearn to be a cowboy. And quite a few attempt the lifestyle after hockey.

There is definitely something about former NHLers and horses. Wayne Gretzky bought into a stable of thoroughbreds. Many others (Keith Jones, Curtis Joseph for example) had ownership of at least one thoroughbred championship horse, and many others (Wendel Clark, Brent Sutter, Tom Lysiak to name a few) had farms. Larry Robinson liked to play polo. Clint Malarchuk even became became a horse dentist.

Then there's Dave Ellett, the power play specialist with the Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs in the 80s and 90s. Following his playing days the Ellett family moved to Cave Creek, Arizona where the hockey vet tried his abilities out as a cowboy mounted shooter, a rodeo sport where you ride a horse around obstacles and shoot at balloons.

Actually, Dave tried it out more as a hobby, as he concentrated on his new job as owner/president of the CHL's New Mexico Scorpions hockey team. But his Texan wife took the sport very seriously. In fact, Annie Bianco-Ellett, better known as Outlaw Annie, competes against men and has won world championships. She's a bigger legend in her sport than her husband is in his.

It turns out Dave Ellett has another sporting relative in his blood. His father was Bob Ellett, a long time minor league hockey player turned junior hockey coach. Because of the vagabond lifestyle of a hockey minor leaguer, Dave, a Canadian through and through, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and split some of his youth in American cities like Houston, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Rochester.

The Elletts would settle in Ottawa and Dave developed into a top hockey prospect. He would star in college hockey at Bowling Green State University and was a member of the 1984 National Collegiate Athletic Association champion Falcon squad, earning both CCHA and NCAA All-Tournament team honors that season.

The Winnipeg Jets drafted the skilled defenseman 75th overall in the 1982 NHL entry draft. He would join the Jets upon graduation in 1984, and immediately started paying dividends.

Dave Ellett was a very skilled finesse player. Skating was his prime asset. He was an excellent skater, blessed with very good speed and quickness, and fine agility. His mobility allowed him to dictate the play at either blue line. His transition game was great because he could effortlessly turn the play around at the defensive blue line.

His puck ability was also top notch, and that shone through on the power play, which is where Ellett established himself as one of the NHL's top players. He could control the point with great comfort, holding the line and pinching in with great efficiency. He was a key player in establishing the offensive zone. He was an under-rated puck rusher and a good break out playmaker. He also had a very good shot, and the smarts to keep it low and hard to create opportunities for deflections and rebounds.

As good as he was offensively, Ellett struggled at times defensively. He had good size and decent strength, and he used those skills in efficient manner rather than any vociferous way. He became good at establishing body position but could be outmuscled in the corners. His lack of noticeable physicality became a criticism point from his detractors in Winnipeg, accusing him of be unenthusiastic defensively at times. From time to time he was also guilty of playing the puck instead of the man on one-on-one breaks against him, resulting in a few memorable blow-bys.

Ellett was one of those players who was very valuable, but not necessarily very memorable. He never posted an incredible season or more importantly a string of playoff success. His very nature and his key to success was to remain solid and efficient, not spectacular.

Ellett may be best remembered for his overtime goal against the Edmonton Oilers in the 1990 playoffs that gave the Jets a win in Game 4. The Oilers went on to win the series and the Stanley Cup, but on that night Ellett was the undisputable hero.

Change was blowing through Winnipeg after another failed playoff experience, and early in the next season Ellett and Paul Fenton were traded to Toronto in exchange for Ed Olczyk and Mark Osbourne. Ellett would play 7 seasons in T.O. He was a very important veteran presence in two deep Toronto playoff runs.

Ellett would round out his career with New Jersey, Boston and St. Louis. He would play an impressive 1,129 NHL games, scoring 153 goals and 568 points.

Kim Clackson

2008-01-19T16:23:00.001-08:00

My face is so pretty, you don't see a scar, which proves I'm the king of the ring by far. - Muhammed Ali

Well Ali's comments are probably quite accurate in the world of boxing, the same doesn't necessarily translate into the world of hockey fighting.

Case in point - Kim Clackson.

Kim was a tough guy of some repute in the 1970s. He started out with Victoria of the WHL junior leagues where he earned a fearsome reputation. His physicality from the blue line intrigued both the WHA and NHL, as both leagues drafted him relatively high in their respective 1975 entry drafts.

Clackson chose to move on to the WHA, playing 4 years, 2 with Indianapolis and 2 with Winnipeg, setting team season and career records with each. He was part of the Jets championship teams in 1978 and 1979.

He moved to the NHL for 2 seasons following the WHA's collapse, playing for Pittsburgh and then Quebec. In the first period of his first game, he fought Boston's Stan Jonathan and Al Secord. In 206 career NHL games he recorded 370 PIMs and no goals.

Dating back to their days in junior hockey, noted NHL tough guy Dave Semenko got quite well acquainted with Clackson, perhaps more so than any other tough. They battled in juniors, in the WHA and in the NHL.

At 5'11" and 195lbs, Clackson was quite a bit smaller than most guys, which perhaps is why he earned a reputation as one of the worst stickmen in every hockey league he played in. In his autobiography "Looking Out For Number One," Semenko laments Clackson's stick work and sort of dismisses him as a true top tough guy, but shows him quite a bit of respect, too.

"Sometimes it felt like we spent half of our careers fighting each other," wrote Semenko. "We went all the way back to junior days in Western Canada, where he played for the Victoria Cougars. The first time I saw Kim I didn't know what to expect. I'd heard all about him. His reputation was what you might call a little frightening, because he was supposed to be right off the wall. He couldn't be intimidated, no matter what. There were rumors flying around the league about the 1000s of stitches he was responsible for. Guys like that scared me more than anything. You could pound on them only to have them come back later and cut your eyes out with their sticks."

Semenko remembers one crazy night in Edmonton when Clackson took liberties on Wayne Gretzky.

"All hell broke loose one night when Clackson cut Gretzky, who'd been cruising through the crease. I was away from the play but Mark Messier was in the neighborhood, so he went right after Clackson. The linesmen had them separated and Clackson was in the penalty box when I got into it with Russ Anderson and we were sent off, too.

"The fights were still going on out on the ice. I sure wasn't prepared to just sit there in the penalty box like a statue, so I said to hell with it and hopped out of the penalty box, turned around, and invited Clackson to come out. Now here I am, standing at the door to their penalty box, trying to get at him. But while I'm throwing lefts at Clackson, Anderson's trying to grab my arm. The two of them were both trying to get hold of me and drag me into their penalty box.

"Meanwhile, though I didn't realize it, a brawl was breaking out behind me. Anderson saw it and went to find someone to fight. That left Clackson and me all alone. He wasn't going to back down, so we went at it. The first thing I did was get his helmet off so I wouldn't hurt my hand at all. I managed that and we thrashed around a little more. Then the linesmen came in and broke us up.

"At that point, nobody was bothering me and everything seemed evenly matched, so I just watched the fight. But about a minute later Clackson wanted a rematch. He'd found his helmet, strapped it back on, and damned if he didn't come right back after me. I got the hlmet off him again and got on him pretty good until the linesmen came along and separated us a second time.

"So I figured it was over. But guess who's got his helmet strapped back on, looking for another piece of me? Clackson. We went at it a third time. Three times during one fight. That had to be a record.

"My hands were sore from hitting this guy on the head, though you'd never know it from looking at him. He looked so innocent, with that baby face of his that almost impossible to mark. I had one good fight against him in Winnipeg when I got a lot of punches in and thought I'd rearranged a few features rather drastically. Yet when we lined up to play the next game, there's Clackson without a mark on his face!"

Unlike the stereotype of hockey's tough guys, Clackson was a surprisingly intelligent human being. After retiring from hockey he returned to Pittsburgh after retirement and went into commercial real estate business, becoming senior vice president of local CB Richard Ellis office. Has consistently been one of company's top producers, and has worked on deals for many of its biggest corporate clients.

Teemu Selanne

2007-12-29T18:51:00.000-08:00

When he broke into the league, he was the machine gun goal scorer and skater so fast he was nicknamed the Finnish Flash.

By the end of his career he was hobbled by many injuries including reconstructive knee surgery but he finally would become known by the label he wanted to be remembered by: Stanley Cup champion.

Selected 10th overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1988 Entry Draft but he didn't come over to North America until 1992-93. He remained in Finland playing for Jokerit while serving his mandatory military duty. He also spent 3 years doubling as a kindergarten teacher. No, I'm not kidding.

Selanne was well worth the wait for Winnipeg fans though. More mature than most rookies, he rewrote the NHL rookie record book in 1992-93. Playing on a line with Keith "Walt" Tkachuk and Alexei "Archie" Zhamnov, Selanne scored a league leading (tied with Buffalo's Alexander Mogilny) 76 goals, in the process smashing Mike Bossy's previous rookie record of 53 goals. He also registered 132 points, destroying Peter Stastny's old rookie mark of 109 points. Not surprisingly, Selanne won the Calder Trophy as the league's rookie of the year.

"I remember every goal that year," he said. "I remember getting, like, two, three breakaways every game. Nowadays, you get three, four the whole season? That's pretty good."

Hockey certainly would change over the course of Selanne's career, preventing Selanne and all other players from challenging the 70 goal mark ever again.

The following season he would score just 25 goals in 51 games before his season was ended by a torn Achilles Heel. And in year three he'd score 24 goals in just 45 games as the NHL season was decimated by a labour dispute.

On February 7th, 1996, the Winnipeg Jets shocked the hockey world by trading their superstar forward to Anaheim with Marc Chouinard for Chad Kilger, Oleg Tverdovsky and an exchange of draft picks. The financially strapped Jets knew they could not keep both Tkachuk and Selanne, and opted to move Selanne for a variety of reasons. His production had fallen to near mortal levels but there was always concern about his durability. He rarely played at 100% health, suffering from troublesome knee and back injuries. He was also criticized for his lack of intensity some nights during the NHL's clutch and grab era. Coach John Paddock once publicly referred to Selanne's play as "useless."

"When you can't use your speed you can't play at your level," Selanne said of the clutching and grabbing, and of his knee problems. "You lose the passion. You lose the fun coming to the rink. Every stride hurts. You try to take shortcuts. It's almost like surviving -- you can't enjoy it any more."

It was sad end to what should have been long and great career as the highest flying of the Jets, but Selanne would welcome the move to California. The winters were far move enjoyable than in Winnipeg or in Helsinki for that matter. He was better able to enjoy his classic car collection down in LA, including his Enzo Ferrari.

Selanne would also find hockey in sunshine to his benefit. Teaming with great friend Paul Kariya, Selanne became the mightiest of the Ducks, scoring 51, 52 and 47 goals in his first three seasons in Anaheim. His 52 goal year in 1999 led the league, earning him the inaugural Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's leading goal scorer.

Selanne would slow down to the 30 goal level, which encouraged the Ducks to trade him to San Jose at the trading deadline in 2001. But his two full seasons in San Jose were forgettable at best.

Selanne and Kariya decided to reunite and chase the Stanley Cup together in 2003-04, signing with the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche. The experiment failed miserably. Selanne, hobbled by knee injuries, scored just 16 times and was released at season's end.

The NHL lost an entire season in 2004-05 thanks to another labour dispute, but that may have been the best thing for Teemu. He had the necessary reconstructive knee surgery he needed and had the time to rehabilitate.

"When I went into surgery I thought there's no way I was going to come back if I don't feel as good as I felt my first 10 years," Selanne told Canadian Press. "It was a long process."

"Six or seven months after that, I was still concerned. Hard work and patience paid off. It was an unbelievable feeling to realize it's there again."

When the league came back in 2005-06 complete with a mandate to end clutching, grabbing and obstruction, Selanne was ready to return to his old ways.

Re-signed by Anaheim, Selanne registered 40 and 48 goals while helping lead the Ducks to the 2007 Stanley Cup championship! After 1041 NHL games, Selanne was finally a Stanley Cup champion, and just the 6th Finnish player to hoist the trophy.

Selanne was also a great international player. He is a 4 time Olympian, and was named as the best forward at the 2006 Olympics. He also participated in 4 World Championships and 3 Canada/World Cups.

Did you know? Teemu has a twin brother named Paavo. He was a junior ice and field hockey goalie who gave up sports to pursue education. He is now a teacher back in Finland.

Jim Kyte

2007-12-05T14:17:00.000-08:00

Jim Kyte was one tough hombre on the ice. Though he masqueraded as one the NHL's toughest guys of the 1980s and 1990s, often he took the worst of the fights, particularly later in his career. But one thing was for sure, Kyte was sure to answer the call.

I will always as the giant defenseman with the Winnipeg Jets. Standing 6'5" and 215lbs, few were bigger than Kyte. And he knew his punch ticket to the NHL was to use his size to full advantage - clearing the crease, banging bodies and, yes, fighting when the game merited it.

I always felt Kyte lost more than just his fare share of fights as his career progressed. I felt he became a reluctant fight, cast into a role that he worked so hard to over come. He wanted to be more than a goon on defense. He wanted to ascend to the status of a top 4 defenseman, much like Marty McSorley did in L.A. or Dave Manson in Chicago.

For such a giant, Kyte was a pretty good skater. It was something that he had worked on zealously, improving both his speed, sprints and mobility. In the high flying Smythe division of the 1980s, this Kyte wouldn't exactly fly, but he rarely looked out of place.

Kyte's problem was he could do little more than keep up. He didn't have a lot of puck skills or creativity. He wasn't great at reading plays, and therefore would take a second too long to make first passes out of the defensive zone. That would often get him into trouble, causing his coaches to harp on him to just chip it off the glass and into the neutral zone.

Though he had enough upper body strength to get off, if given enough time, a good slap shot from the point, Kyte could do little with the rubber biscuit. In 598 NHL games, he only scored 66 points.

I know I always admired Jim Kyte, because he is the only player in National Hockey League history to be legally deaf.

Kyte suffered from a hereditary hearing deficiency that broke down his audio nerve from about the age of 3. Kyte could hear, courtesy of special hearing aids. He always had to wear a customized helmet with special flaps covering his ears to protect the hearing aids during games.

Naturally, Kyte was and remains inspiration to deaf and hearing-impaired hockey players. He was always very active in charitable causes involving hearing impairment, but many other charities as well. He learned sign language even though it wasn't necessary for him to communicate. During the off season he worked with hearing-impaired children at a special camp run by Stan Mikita in Chicago. He later would run his own summer hockey school for deaf and hearing-impaired kids in Toronto before opening the Jim Kyte Hockey School for the Hearing Impaired in Ottawa. He continues to run that hockey school today.

For all his work in charity and for overcoming his own impairments, Jim Kyte was twice nominated for the Masterton Trophy for dedication to the game of hockey. He should have won it.

Dave McLlwain

2007-10-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

Speedy Dave McLlwain was a well travelled hockeyist. The Seaforth, Ontario native played in over 500 National Hockey League games with six teams - two of which he toiled with on two different occasions.

Dave enjoyed a successful junior hockey career in the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers and North Bay Centennials. In his final year of junior he scored 46 goals and 119 points and represented Canada at the World Junior Championships. The following season, 1987-88, Dave would make the Pittsburgh Penguins and enjoyed an 11 goal, 19 point rookie season. However he would suffer the sophomore jinx in 1988-89 and spent most of the year tearing up the minor leagues.

A summer time trade saw the lean Dave head to Winnipeg with Randy Cunneyworth and Rick Tabaracci in exchange for Jim Kyte, Andrew McBain and Randy Gilhen. Dave responded very positively, scoring a career high 25 goals and 51 points in a full 80 games. However it wasn't his offense that would become his trademark. Rather his speed and faceoff abilities made him a good role player and penalty killer. He enthusiastically hustled on every shift, and while he wasn't overly big he had an element of scrappiness. Dave never came close to reproducing the offensive success he found in that 1989-90 season. In 1990-91 he slumped to 14 goals and 25 points.

In 1991-92 Dave learned to live out of a hotel room as he became a member of the rare club of players who played with 4 different NHL teams in one season. Just 3 games into the season the Jets traded Dave to Buffalo in a trade which also saw Gord Donnelly come to Buffalo in exchange for Darrin Shannon, Mike Hartman and Dean Kennedy. However Dave's stay in Buffalo was very short and just as unmemorable as he donned the Blue and Gold Sabres jerseys for just 5 lonely games. He was subsequently included in the huge trade which saw Pierre Turgeon leave to Long Island in exchange for Pat Lafontaine. Dave played well in 54 games with the Isles but wouldn't finish the season in New York. The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired his playing rights at the trading deadline.

Like so many Ontario boys, Dave achieved a childhood dream by donning the Maple Leafs' blue jersey. He would spend a full season in Toronto before he would join the Ottawa Senators in 1993. He would enjoy relative stability in the Canadian national capital as he spent parts of 3 seasons in Ottawa before returning to Pittsburgh in 1996. A brief appearance with the Islanders in 1996-97 effectively ended his NHL career, however he continued to play professional hockey - first in the minor leagues before discovering professional hockey in Germany and Switzerland.

Dave played in a total of 501 NHL games, collecting 100 goals and 107 assists for 207 points. His speed and defensive consciousness attracted interest from several NHL employers, however his shortcomings in other areas of his game forced him to keep the change-of-address cards handy at all times.

Dave Babych

2007-09-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

There were two stages to Dave Babych's career.

There was early Dave Babych, the junior superstar, the 2nd overall draft pick and the offensive defenseman. And then there was the later Dave Babych, a really solid defensive rearguard who quietly but effectively remained an solid defender.

Babych, whose jersey #44 was every bit his trademark as his bushy moustache, was the top rated defenseman in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. He was also the consensus #2 overall prospect, trailing only Canadian Major Junior Hockey League player of the year, Doug Wickenheiser.

History might suggest that Denis Savard should have been the first overall pick, or that Larry Murphy and Paul Coffey were the better defensemen. After all, all three made it to the Hockey Hall of Fame. But the Winnipeg Jets were convinced that the 6'3" 215 complete package was the best player in the draft.

Babych grew up in Edmonton, dreaming of playing in the NHL alongside his brother Wayne. Dave would dominate with Portland of the WHL, combining size and skating and puck movement. He was a gifted offensive blueliner, but also a very good positional defender.

Babych joined the Jets in 1980. It was not easy for the 19 year old rookie, as the Jets were the league's worst team and too much pressure was placed upon the young Babych. Still, he was Winnipeg's best player, posting 44 points and representing the Jets in the NHL all star game. He would post 4 consecutive successive seasons of at least 57 points, including a career high 74 (13 goals and 61 assists) in 1982-83.

Despite his personal successes in Winnipeg, he remained a league secret. The Jets improved, but were never serious contenders in the old Smythe Division. Babych's scoring exploits were also dwarfed by the likes of Ray Bourque, Mark Howe, Murphy and especially Paul Coffey. The Jets grew impatient, and traded their defensive kingpin to Hartford in November, 1985, receiving rugged winger Ray Neufeld in return.

Babych played 5 and 1/2 seasons in Hartford, suffering from the same anonymity and lack of team success. His scoring prowess also went down in the lower scoring Adams Division, but he was probably the best defenseman the NHL Whalers ever had.

In 1990 it looked as though his career may have been over. Having been able to escape the injury troubles that plague his brother, the 10 year veteran had his wrist fused. It was doubtful if he'd ever be able to shoot a hockey puck again.

The Whalers dropped him, but Pat Quinn and the Vancouver Canucks gave Babych a chance to reclaim his NHL career. He was able to bounce back very nicely, playing 7 seasons in Vancouver. Babych supplied veteran leadership and a steadying influence in the back end, though he never scored more than 32 points.

The 32 points came in the 1993-94 season, which also hosted Babych's career highlight. Forming a reliable pairing with Gerald Diduck, Babych helped the Canucks reach his only Stanley Cup finals. The Canucks came within a goal post in game 7 of winning the Stanley Cup, but the chalice would escape Babych's grasp.

Babych is eternally grateful to Pat Quinn for giving him a chance to get his career back on track and to play for 10 more years during the big money era.

"Luckily Pat Quinn took a chance on me," Babych told Jeff Rud in the book Canucks Legends.

"(After the wrist surgery) you couldn't stickhandle the same way, you couldn't move the puck the same way, you couldn't shoot the same way. So you knew if you didn't change your game you were kind of hooped.

"Pat basically told me: 'Babs, I don't care if you get a point or score a goal. I really don't car. I just want you to play solid hockey."

Babych lasted seven years in Vancouver before he was exiled, like Quinn and so many members of that 1994 team before him, by new owners John McCaw and coach Mike Keenan.

Babych would play parts of two more seasons in Philadelphia, but a broken foot proved to be mighty cumbersome to Babych. As it turned out, the Flyers medical staff misdiagnosed the injury and rushed him back to service. Arguing successfully that the misdiagnoses prematurely ended his career, Babych was awarded $1.37 million in a civil lawsuit against the Flyers.

Dave Babych will likely go down in hockey history as a forgotten man. That is unfortunate as Babych was an upper echelon defender in the 1980s and very solid NHL citizen. It total he played 1195 NHL games, scoring 142 goals and 723 points.

Tim Watters

2007-06-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

It is becoming increasingly rare to see a defenseman in the NHL nowadays who is under 6 feet tall and 200lbs. A few shrubs have prospered over the years in a forest of gigantic trees - Mike O'Connell, Bob Murray, Norm MacIver and Don Sweeney immediately come to mind in recent times. One that might not is Tim "Muddy" Watters.

Though he played in 2 Olympics and well over 700 NHL games, Watters quietly had a nice career by playing a solid though unspectacular role from 1981 through 1995 with the Winnipeg Jets and Los Angeles Kings - two teams that didn't enjoy much success or fanfare.

Just 5'11 and 185 lbs, Watters learned to play an intelligent game in the National Hockey League. He learned to be in perfect position and angled shooters out of harm's way, as there was little chance he could out muscle many of the incoming attackers. He read the oncoming rushes very well, and thanklessly cut off passing lanes and blocked shots.

Physically he learned to tie up players sticks and was one of the few modern players to master the hip check.

And though his quiet style hides it, he had a decent package of skills. He was a very good skater. And he could carry the puck out of his own zone or headman a breakout pass equally well. However his defensive posturing meant he rarely attempted much in the offensive zone.

Born in Kamloops BC, Watters played with the hometown Blazers for one year before bolting major junior hockey in Canada for NCAA college hockey with Michigan Tech in 1977. He played there for three years, helping the Huskies win a NCAA championship in 1981.

His tenure with the Huskies was interrupted during the 1979-80 season when he left school to play with the Canadian National Team. Making that team all but assured Watters a chance to represent his country at the 1980 Olympics, which he did - scoring 2 points in 6 games.

After graduating from college Watters turned pro in 1981 with the Jets, who drafted him back in 1979. Over the next 6 years the likable Watters became a mainstay on the Jets blue line.

During the 1987-88 season Watters became a bit of a spare part in Winnipeg. The Jets released him to play with the Canadian Olympic team during the 1988 Calgary Olympics, another definite highlight of Watters career.

After that season, feeling that his best hockey was behind him, the Jets let Watters go as a free agent. He signed quickly with the Los Angeles Kings. Tim enjoyed 2 solid years with Wayne Gretzky's Kings. By 1990 Tim became a spare part in Los Angeles too. But he continued to play for parts of 5 more years, acting almost as an on-ice coach, helping the Kings younger defensemen along. He also spent some time in the minor leagues, doing a similar job.

Watter's contributions to his team were usually of the unnoticeable and thankless variety. It is because of players like that that teams win. So you can be rest assured that Watters coaches and teammates noticed his work, and thanked him on a nightly basis.

Troy Murray

2007-04-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

The Chicago Blackhawks didn't really know just how good of a player they drafted when they snatched up Troy Murray 57th overall in the third round of the 1980 NHL entry draft.

The Calgary native was playing tier II in St. Albert, where he was a teammate of a young Mark Messier, before heading south to the University of North Dakota to study business administration and engineering. A dean's list student, Murray excelled on the ice too. He had a reputation as a great offensive player and a devastating bodychecker, but he would develop into a complete player at UND thanks to legendary coach Gino Gasparini.

"I was always a goal scorer," confessed Murray. "Gino Gasparini is the coach who really stressed playing in the defensive end. I give him more credit than anybody that I've gotten even as far as I've gotten."

Murray got far. He led the Sioux to the 1982 NCAA Championship. Over the Christmas break he captained Team Canada to the World Junior Championship.

Murray would leave school early to sign with the Hawks, though he finished his degree at DePaul University in the off-seasons of professional hockey. Though his first couple of seasons were not significant in terms of scoring, he made a big impression on NHL opponents.

Al Secord, an aggressive thumper in his own right, was impressed with Murray's play.

"When he first came to the club, I guess the biggest thing that stands out with me is how he used to throw out these real hard body checks. He used to nail guys and straighten them up. He's a very, very strong guy. He's very dedicated in the off season in conditioning. He comes to play.

Terry Ruskowski, another teammate, was also impressed.

"Because he was so strong on his skates and had such good balance, when he hit somebody, the guy was hit. To try to knock him off his skates was almost impossible. He was very sturdy on his skates. He was a good shot, and he handled the puck well."

Playing on a line with veteran Curt Fraser and hometown hero Eddie Olczyk, Murray enjoyed an incredible breakout year in 1985-86. He scored 45 goals and 54 assists for 99 points. Though he was one of the highest scorers in the league, his fine defensive play continued and for that he was recognized with the Frank J. Selke trophy as the league's pre-eminent defensive forward.

Murray was the perfect second punch up the middle that season, paying behind the dipsy doodle dandy Denis Savard. But Murray was never able to duplicate the offensive contributions like that again. Though he had good hands and excellent vision and anticipation, he was unable to or perhaps under-utilized when it came to creating offense.

Murray and Warren Rychel were traded to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a young, hard hitting defenseman named Bryan Marchment in the summer of 1991. Though the native Winnipeger was named team captain, he would return to Chicago in another trade a season and a half later. He would continue to bounce around the league until his retirement in 1997. His stops included Ottawa, Pittsburgh and Colorado, where he won a Stanley Cup title in 1996.

Troy Murray played in 915 NHL games, scoring 230 goals, 354 assists for 584 points. In retirement Murray has done both radio and television analysts of Hawks broadcasts, as well as worked as a stock trader on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Eddie Olczyk

2007-04-10T22:05:00.000-07:00

A Chicagoan native who grew up cheering on the Blackhawks, Eddie Olczyk's status as hometown hero was both a blessing and a curse.

Olczyk, along with another young American prodigy named Al Iafrate, crossed the border and played junior B hockey in Stratford, Ontario. He would not pursue junior hockey any further, instead focusing on making the 1984 US Olympic team. At the age of 17 he was the youngest American in Sarajevo. A center throughout his youth, he switched to play left wing on the "Diaper Line" with fellow American youngsters Pat LaFontaine and David A. Jensen. In six Olympic games he scored 9 points.

The Chicago Blackhawks made the local boy their first pick, third overall in the 1984 draft, directly behind Mario Lemieux and Kirk Muller, and ahead of the likes of Shayne Corson, Gary Roberts and Iafrate. The Hawks actually had to trade up from the 6th spot, offering Los Angeles goalie Bob Janecyk to swap picks. The Hawks then had to give New Jersey future considerations in order to assure the Devils would not take the native of Palos Heights, Illinois.

The hometown hero was an instant hit in Chicago.

"In my first game, I scored a goal and the fans started chanting my name like they used to for Tony Esposito. I'd never felt better in my whole life."

Olczyk settled in on Chicago's second line, the "Almost Clydesdales Line" with Troy Murray and Curt Fraser. With Murray just missing a 99 point season, Olczyk slipped in nicely with 20 goals and 50 points. In year two Eddie O scored 29 goals and 70 points, his best effort with the Hawks.

Being a Chicago native was both a source of pride and of stress for Olczyk. Reportedly his popularity and special treatment by media, sponsors and fans made some of his teammates envious. Olczyk, who was an emotional guy and perhaps a tad immature to handle all the pressures and benefits of his instant celebrity, suffered, turning in a third season with just 16 goals and 51 points.

The poor season precipitated a trade to Toronto where he would be reunited with Al Iafrate. Olczyk and aging warrior Al Secord went to Toronto in exchange for Steve Thomas and Bob McGill.

"I think he just got into the position here where he had a lot of pressure on him because he was the hometown kid. Maybe getting out was good for him," said Chicago teammate Bill Gardner.

Often centering a line with Mark Osborne and Gary Leeman, Olczyk turned in some good seasons in Toronto, a city where intense fan and media attention made it no easier to play from a pressure standpoint. But Olczyk did fine, scoring 42 goals and 75 points in his first season. One of several young guns that promised hope for long suffering Leafs faithful, Olczyk upped his totals to 90 and 88 points in years two and three, respectively.

The never-patient Leafs broke up the young team after repeated playoff failings. He was moved to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for tough guys Kris King and Tie Domi. Olczyk would put together one 30 goal year in the Manitoban capital, but a variety of injury problems would soon limit his effectiveness.

Olczyk moved on to the New York Rangers in time for the team's 1994 Stanley Cup championship. However Olczyk does not have his name on the Cup. He played less than the mandatory 40 games in the NHL that season due to a severe thumb injury.

Olczyk's vagabond days took him back to Winnipeg as well as Pittsburgh and Los Angeles before finding his way home to Chicago. He finished out his NHL career with two final season in the Windy City, retiring in 2000.

Ed Olczyk played in 1031 NHL games, scoring 342 goals, 452 assists and 794 points. He was blessed with natural hockey sense, although he was always more of a shooter than a playmaker. He suffered from constant shuffling between center and right wing, as he could have benefited learning one position only in his NHL career. A good skater with an excellent snapshot, Olczyk was known for occasional glaring defensive lapses and for not using his great size more to his advantage. He stayed away from high traffic zones, preferring to play on the perimeter.

Rich Preston

2007-03-27T21:44:00.001-07:00

Rich Preston was a fantastic defensive forward during the 1980s with Chicago, also spending 2 seasons in New Jersey. He was also a standout in the WHA.

Preston started his hockey career at the University of Denver before turning professional with Houston of the WHA, citing the chance to play with Gordie Howe as his main reason for opting to jump to the WHA. It was with Houston that he first formed a dynamic partnership with center Terry Ruskowski.

In the final season of the WHA, Ruskowski and Preston joined the Winnipeg Jets, and lead the team to the Avco Cup championship. Preston, with 8 goals in 10 playoff games, was named as the post-season MVP.

When the WHA collapsed in 1979, Preston joined the Chicago Blackhawks.

"When the merger talks (between the WHA and NHL) cropped up last season, four or five teams were interested in me, and I was a free agent, so I could talk with them. I signed with Chicago because I like the city, and I know Cliff Koroll and Keith Magnuson from Denver. We all went to college there, and that meant something to me."

Preston will always be remembered in Chicago as a member of the RPM Line with Grant Mulvey and Ruskowski.

The RPM Line was a very close knit trio, both on and off the ice. Ruskowski and Preston had played together in both Houston and Winnipeg, and Mulvey complimented them nicely.

"Grant Mulvey set himself in a position where he could just one-time it. We worked on it a long time; just passing and one timing it. He was a goal scorer. I passed it to him and he put the biscuit in the basket as we say. Preston was great in the corners. He had very strong legs and a strong upper body. He really dug the puck out. So, it was a combination of three people doing what they do best," explained Ruskowski,

Preston immediately stepped into a Chicago lineup and scored 31 goals and 61 points, turning many heads.

As the Blackhawks team got stronger over the coming couple of seasons, Preston was relegated more to a defensive role, a role which he enthusiastically took on and excelled at. He was a student of the game and had a good understanding of any situation on the ice. He was a key penalty killer for Chicago as well.

An aggressive player despite an average build, Preston was excellent in the corners, a poor man's John Tonelli. Preston was also a super team guy in the dressing room as well. He had a contagious attitude. His up beat and positive attitude helped young players and other veterans alike.

While Rich Preston's hockey career is forgotten about by most now, he should be looked back upon as a good role player whose true contributions could never be quantified, but always were appreciated.

Terry Ruskowski

2007-03-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

Terry Ruskowski was born and raised just outside of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Learning the game on the frozen ponds on the family farm, he immediately battled the rap that he was too small. After his first season with Humboldt in the Saskatchewan junior league he asked his coach about moving up to the junior A at Swift Current. He was told he would never be big enough, sparking Terry's characteristic desire work ethic and desire. Nothing would stop him from achieving his dream of playing for the Swift Current Broncos

Terry would have had a hard time in the juniors if he hadn't decided right away to play the way he did. He wasn't a speedy skater or a prolific scorer so he chose the gritty and chippy style of play. Or as Terry put it: " You had to decide on a style. You can't kid yourself because that's when the pros are watching. I realized my only chance was to fore-check the best I could and hustle like crazy. "

This style indeed worked for Ruskowski. After establishing his territory in the league, he developed a playmaker's vision that would serve him well throughout his career. In three years with the Swift Current Broncos he 273 points in 188 games, including 195 assists. His 556 Pim's gave a clear indication that he was a guy who never backed down.

This was also acknowledged by the Chicago Blackhawks who selected him in the 4th round, 70th overall in 1974. At the same time WHA's Houston Aeros also selected him in the 2nd round of a so-called "secret draft". Terry negotiated with Chicago all summer long and when it was apparent that Chicago's plans was to ship him to their CHL farm team in Dallas he jumped on Houston's offer instead. They not only offered him better money but they also seemed more eager to acquire Terry than Chicago.

Terry wound up proudly playing four seasons for Houston between 1974-78, winning the AVCO Cup during the 19 74-75 season alongside the legendary Gordie Howe. Houston was about to fold and sold Terry to Winnipeg in 1978. Terry enjoyed Houston and was sad to leave the town and to leave coach Bill Dineen, who he credited as the most influential coach in his career.

Terry played the 78-79 season for Winnipeg and won another AVCO cup title. Not only did he play in the last WHA game ever but he also recorded 4 assists in that final game. Terry's WHA stats were a very solid 337 points in 369 games, including 83 goals and 254 assists. He also had 761 PIMs.

Ruskowski was one of the top players in WHA history, and very proud of the league and his Avco Cup championships.

"We cherished that trophy as if it was the Stanley Cup. You want all your life--and you fight all year long--to win a championship. I had won the Avco Cup with the Aeros, but the second time was more meaningful because I participated more. When I won with Houston, I was on the fourth line. I was just a rookie. With the Jets, it was more of a baffle. We had been through league wide changes and coaching changes and trades and everything. This was great."

At the time of the WHA-NHL merger the four new teams were allowed to protect two players each. The Winnipeg management dreaded having to leave Terry unprotected, but they had little choice. John Ferguson, the Winnipeg GM at that time said: "I'm not only giving up probably the best player in our league, I'm giving up the heart of our hockey club. They have a name for that. It's called rape."

Ferguson grabbed Bobby Hull in the Expansion draft from Chicago who had claimed Hull from Winnipeg only four days earlier. Ferguson knew that the Chicago crowd would love to have Hull back in Chicago, so his plan was to trade Hull for Ruskowski, but the Chicago management were not interested in such a deal and nothing happened.

Terry didn't disappoint in Chicago his first year there and led the team in both scoring and penalty minutes. He was the key on the "RPM Line" together with Rich Preston (31 goals) and Grant Mulvey (39 goals).

The RPM Line was a very close knit trio, both on and off the ice. Ruskowski and Preston had played together in both Houston and Winnipeg, and Mulvey complimented them nicely.

"Grant Mulvey set himself in a position where he could just one-time it. We worked on it a long time; just passing and one timing it. He was a goal scorer. I passed it to him and he put the biscuit in the basket as we say. Preston was great in the corners. He had very strong legs and a strong upper body. He really dug the puck out. So, it was a combination of three people doing what they do best," explained Ruskowski, who could be favorably compared to Dale Hunter.

Just 12 games into Ruskowski's NHL career, long time Chicago favourite Keith Magnuson had to retire and Terry Ruskowski was named captain of the team. This wouldn't be his first stint as a captain for an NHL team. Terry later captained Pittsburgh and Los Angeles as well which clearly shows the great leadership qualities that he had.

A sloppy skater, Ruskowski always admitted that he relied on work ethic over natural talent for his success on the ice. "When you can't rely on talent - and I'm not really a good skater, a good shooter, a good stick handler - when you can't depend on talent, you have to depend on working harder. It's my natural response, reaction; my natural instinct is to try and do the best I can, to do things right. I think I've felt that way since I was a kid."

On October 24, 1982 Terry was traded to Los Angeles where he played three seasons before signing as a free agent with Pittsburgh on October 3, 1985. He often played left wing on Mario Lemieux's line. After two good years in Pittsburgh Terry signed as a free agent with Minnesota in July 1987 to finish his career there.

Terry retired at the beginning of the 1988-89 season and finished his NHL career with 113 goals, 313 assists and 426 points 630 games. "Roscoe" added 1354 PIMs in a career where he will be remembered by all those who played with him as one of the finest leaders in pro hockey.

Kent Nilsson

2006-08-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

Kent Nilsson is known in hockey circles as the Magic Man. Some say he got the nickname because of his high skill level that rivals that of a Gretzky or a Kharlamov. Others say he earned the name because he disappeared when the NHL playoffs came around.

Born in Nynashamn, Sweden, Nilsson is one of the most technically superb players that Sweden has ever produced. He could awe crowds with his stickhandling and playmaking abilities and skated effortlessly. The slippery winger was as skilled a player as their ever was.

So with all that skill why isn't Kent Nilsson mentioned in the same breath as Gretzky or Orr? Simple. He was lazy. He'd even admit it on occassion. He rarely worked out and relied strictly on his god given talent. But oh what a talent to watch!

Prior to coming to North America, Kent played in the Swedish Elite League for Djurgarden in 1975-76 and won the scoring title in the league. Despite his spectacular exploits, his team got relegated.

The next season Kent Nilsson went to play for Djurgarden's greatest rivals AIK, who remained in the Elite League. He was AIK's leading scorer that season.

Kent had already represented Sweden in the 1974, 1975 and 1976 European and World Junior Championships before it was time for him to debut for Sweden on the senior level in 1976. In 1977 when Sweden played in the Izvestija tournamnet in Moscow he was approached by Winnipeg Jets (then with the WHA) GM Gerry Wilson who told him that the Winnipeg Jets were interested in him. Kent was of course already drafted by the Atlanta Flames of the NHL but he decided to play for Winnipeg, who were the talk of Sweden with Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson (no relation) teamed up with the legendary Bobby Hull.

His debut in the Jets uniform was over all expectations. He led the league in points ahead of Bobby Hull after the first few games. Kent finished his rookie season with an excellent 107 points.

The following season Kent would duplicate the 107 points, this time in 2 less games. In two seasons in the WHA, Kent, ever the gentleman, earned just 16 minutes in penalties.

With Kent in the lineup, the Winnipeg Jets went on to win two AVCO Cups. The AVCO Cup is given to the WHA Champion at season's end.

When the WHA folded he went on to play for the Atlanta Flames where he would be teamed with Yugoslavian born Ivan Boldirev and big Ken Houston. He had a good first season in the NHL collecting a very respectable 93 points.

After that 1979-80 season the Flames organization moved from Atlanta to Calgary, where Kent thrived under the new surroundings. In his first season in Calgary Kent became the first European player in the NHL to reach the 100-point plateau. He finished the season with 131 points!!

In 1981 Kent Nilsson played in the Canada Cup, the Swedish team was heralded as a "dream team" and the expectations among the Swedish fans and media was high. But the Swedes flopped including Kent Nilsson, who simply wasn't prepared physically to play.

When the 1984 Canada Cup was played Kent was in a much better shape and finished third in the scoring race with 11 points and Sweden made it to the finals where they lost to Canada.

After his phenomenal 131-point season in the NHL the expectations were high on him in Calgary. Kent started the season slowly with a shoulder injury which would cause him to miss three months and 40 games. He would finish the season with a still impressive 55 points in just 41 games.

The 1982-83 season saw the arrival of Badger Bob Johnson in Calgary as the new head coach. Johnson was very upfront with Kent and told him that he must work harder and that he expected a much better work ethic from Kent. Kent never got along very well with Johnson, perhaps not surprisingly. Still Nilsson scored 104 points while playing a full 80 games.

The next two seasons Kent put up impressive numbers but everyone expect more after his 131 point season a couple of years earlier. Nilsson scored 80 and 99 points in 1983-84 and 1984-85 respectively.

After long speculation, Kent's numbered days in Calgary came to an end in June of 1985. The Flames had traded their Magic Man to Minnesota.

In Minnesota his production slowed to a crawl compared to what he had shown before. His first year he scored just 16 goals and 60 points. Part way through the next season he was traded back to Alberta, this time to Edmonton, where he would help Wayne Gretzky's Oilers win the 1987 Stanley Cup.

While in Edmonton Kent got to know an old Edmonton player named Ron Chipperfield who at that time was the GM in Bolzano, Italy. He told Kent that he should try playing in Italy because it was good money for a short season. What also was appealing to Kent was the fact that the travels between the games were 3-4 hours by bus and the climate was good so all in all Kent figured that it could be worth a try.

While the lifestyle fit Kent's preferences perfectly, the hockey was anything but challenging for him. He led Bolzano to the league championship while scoring 71 goals and 158 points in just 43 games!

In 1988-89 he opted for a return to Sweden and his old club Djurgarden. After winning the Swedish Championship, Nilsson became hockey's globetrotter, playing for teams in Switzerland, Norway, Austria and Spain. In 1994-95 Kent made a comeback of sorts in Edmonton playing in 6 games with the Oilers.

Kent has been a champion in the WHA, NHL, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland and Spain, a pretty unique feat. Kent is one of only ten players to have won both the WHA and NHL Cups.

Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson

2006-08-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

When you think of Anders Hedberg, you have to think of Ulf Nilsson at the same time. The explosive scoring duo came to the World Hockey Association's Winnipeg Jets shortly after Borje Salming and Inge Hammerstrom arrived in Toronto with the NHL Maple Leafs. They all became the first Swedish born players to achieve superstar status in North American hockey.

Upon arrival in Winnipeg, Nilsson and Hedberg were almost immediately teamed up with The Golden Jet - Bobby Hull. Thus, tons of attention was poured on these two Swedish kids. And they didn't disappoint. In fact, they help Hull achieve mind boggling statistics while playing an exciting brand of hockey previously not seen in North America. Many look back it at it now and call it "Edmonton Oiler Hockey" only a few years earlier. Like Gretzky's Oilers, Nilsson, Hedberg and Hull loved to run and gun.

Nilsson was more of a playmaker than Hedberg, who was more of a sniper. Both however fed the real sniper - Hull. Nilsson twice led the WHA in assists and never scored less than 114 points. Lets take a quick look at Nilsson's WHA offensive exploits:

1974-75 - 26 goals, 94 assists, 120 points
1975-76 - 38 goals, 76 assists, 114 points
1976-77 - 39 goals, 85 assists, 124 points
1977-78 - 37 goals, 89 assists, 126 points

Not bad eh? Hedberg on the other hand was more of a goal scorer, but certainly knew how to thread a good pass too. He led the WHA in goals in 1976-77 Here's a look at his WHA totals

1974-75 - 53 goals, 47 assists, 100 points
1975-76 - 50 goals, 55 assists, 105 points
1976-77 - 70 goals, 61 assists, 131 points
1977-78 - 63 goals, 59 assists, 122 points

Of course Hull was the biggest beneficiary of the Swedish scoring terrors' creativity and speed. An aging Hull set a pro hockey record with 77 goals in 1974-75.

Because of the scoring exploits of Nilsson and Hedberg, the Jets won the Avco Cup in 1976 and 1978. Many people agreed that the Jets were the super power of the WHA and the only WHA team that could give the dynastic NHL Montreal Canadiens a run for their money in a 7 game series. You can credit that much to the offensive wizardry for Nilsson and Hedberg.

Upon the merging of the WHA into the NHL, Nilsson and Hedberg found themselves playing for the New York Rangers. They weren't able to match the success they had during their Winnipeg days, but still showed they belong in the National league. Hedberg did better than Nilsson, but Ulf showed some fine playmaking and puck handling skills when he wasn't injured. In three full seasons with the Rangers he only averaged 50 games a year. Over that time he averaged a point a game. In total, Ulf scored 57 goals and 112 assists in 170 NHL games. Hedberg on the other hand stayed healthy and played 6 full seasons and never scored less than 20 goals. He scored 30 or more 4 times and was a consistent 70 point man. Anders totaled 172 goals and 397 points in 465 NHL games.

Ulf Nilsson's and Anders Hedberg's true legend lies in the World Hockey Association. They however proved they belong at the National Hockey League level as well.

Of course, both are legends in Sweden. Along with the likes of Borje Salming, Mats Naslund and Kent Nilsson, they are considered to be the first great wave of Swedish hockey players.

Morris Lukowich

2006-08-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

Little Morris Lukowich was an explosive player - both in terms of speed and scoring. He also added a bit of sandpaper to his game, playing with admirable grit.

Born in the Speers, Saskatchewan, Lukowich played 3 seasons of junior hockey with the WCJHL Medicine Hat Tigers. In his final season in "The Hat," Morris had a career year, scoring 65 times and accumulating 142 points in 72 games. His fine season got him named as the WCJHL First All Star Team on left wing. More importantly, he got noticed by NHL scouts. Despite his small stature (just 5'9" and 170 lbs on a good day), Morris was selected 47th overall in the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins

Morris was also selected by the Houston Aeros in the 1976 World Hockey Association Amateur Draft. Morris opted to turn pro in the WHA instead of going the NHL route.

"I was a young guy and I got an opportunity to spend a week down in Houston with Gordie Howe and his sons, Mark and Marty, and I was just really impressed by them. So when I ended up with the two contract offers, the two contracts were about the same that Pittsburgh and Houston were offering, and Pittsburgh hadn’t really even talked to me at all, they’d actually mostly ignored me. And Houston was talking that they really wanted me and I just really thought it would be a great situation," said Lukowich.

Getting a chance to meet and play with Mr. Hockey played a big role in his decision as well.

"I mean Gordie Howe was an idol of mine when I was young and I decided that it looked like there was more of a chance that I was going to play there as well as an opportunity to play with Gordie Howe. And I will never regret that because those are memories that I’ll never forget."

Lukowich progressed nicely as a player in the WHA under Howe and Co.'s tutelage. Morris had a respectable rookie season in the high scoring WHA, scoring 27 times and adding 18 assists. By year 2 he developed into a league scoring threat, notching 40 goals and 75 points. He also added 8 goals and 15 points in 10 playoff contests.

In what proved to be the final season for the WHA, Lukowich moved to Winnipeg to join the high flying Jets, the class of the league. Morris had a terrific year with the offense-first Jets, finding the net 65 times! Add 34 assists and his 99 points was good enough to be named as the WHA's Second Team All Star on left wing. More importantly, Lukowich scored 8 goals and a team high 15 points en route to capturing the final WHA championship.

Morris has fond memories of his tenure in the rebel league.

"It was great for me to watch the things that Gordie Howe would do and Mark Howe. And our league had a lot of great players like Marc Tardif, Real Cloutier, Robbie Ftorek. To watch these guys, you could learn a lot about hockey."

However the league was in financial peril, and had to fold in 1979. The 4 remaining teams - Edmonton, Hartford, Quebec and Winnipeg - merged with the NHL. However the WHA teams could only protect a fraction of their roster. Lukowich was one of the few players Winnipeg managed to hang on to.

The early years for the NHL Jets were pretty tough, as the team lost way more games than they won. But Lukowich was one of the few bright spots on many nights. He scored 35 and 33 goals in his first two seasons respectively, before notching his best NHL numbers in 1981-82. Lukowich found the net 43 times and collected 92 points. For his efforts Morris was invited to the NHL All Star game for the second year in a row, playing on a line with Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier.

After his best year Morris took a step back in 1982-83. Battling through some nagging injuries, Morris played in 69 games but only had 22 goals and 43 points. He rebounded somewhat in '83-84, finding the 30 goal mark once again plus 25 assists. However a horrible start in 1984-85 got him traded out of Winnipeg. He scored just 5 times in 47 games before Morris was moved to Boston in exchange for crafty veteran Jim Nill.

Lukowich's stay in Boston was short, just 36 games over 2 seasons. He was exposed on waivers early in the 1985-86 season and was gobbled up by the Los Angeles Kings. Lukowich rounded out his NHL career by playing his final two years in the Californian sunshine.

Lukowich's NHL career ended in 1987, but he continued to play professionally over in Europe.

Despite missing the NHL playoffs so often in his career, the early end to his seaons allowe him to experience one of his favorite moments in hockey - the 1981 World Championships.

"Well, definitely playing in the World Championships was terrific. I got to play with some of the best players in the NHL and got to play in Sweden. So it was interesting to see another part of the world."

Lukowich obviously enjoyed his European stint in '81. So much so that he crossed the Atlantic once his NHL career was over to continue playing hockey. Lukowich played in both Italy and Switzerland. It was an interesting time for the former NHL All Star.

"Europe is a very, very high pressure situation. I actually lost my job there one time. I got fired and that was after I got nine points one night! So crazy stuff can happen there and the people there take their hockey very seriously."

Once Lukowich finally hung up the blades, he tried his hands at coaching, with Roller Hockey International and ice hockey in Japan.

Now he's doing a real job.

"Currently I live in Calgary and work in buying and selling stock and also in corporate finance, raising money for private companies."

Peter Sullivan

2006-08-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

Peter Sullivan was another example of a player who was pretty good in the World Hockey Association, but was never able to translate that into National Hockey League success.

Originally the Montreal Canadiens 95th overall draft pick in the 1971 Amateur Draft, the impish center had little chance of breaking onto a strong Habs club that became perhaps the greatest dynasty of all time. He slowly improved in the minor leagues, eventually maturing into an exciting scorer in the AHL. By 1974-75 season, he led the whole AHL with 44 goals, and chipped in with 60 helpers.

Due to their great depth, the Canadiens never gave him a chance in Montreal. Despite his scoring exploits he remained suspect defensively and was labelled as uninterested in the physical game.

When his contract expired with the Habs in the summer of 1975, "Sully" jumped at an offer to join one of the top teams in the rebel league - the World Hockey Association.

Over the next 4 seasons he became a consistent scoring threat. He was described as "an entertaining center with moves galore" and more often than not scored highlite reel goals. He became nicknamed "Silky" - after the famous racehorse and because of his dekes and zig-zags. His great hands also made him a valuable faceoff man on the right side, as he was a right handed shot. Though not remembered as a top WHA player, he was certainly above average and a scoring threat. In his best season, 1978-79, Sullivan scored 46 goals and 86 points, and helped the Jets capture the final WHA championship ever.

When the WHA collapsed and the 4 remaining teams joined with the NHL, Sullivan's rights were retained by the Jets. The team was otherwise dismantled, which made for a horrendous first NHL season. The Jets won just 20 out of 80 games. With their lack of depth, Sullivan played a lot, and scored 24 goals and 59 points. But he was a -45. While he was one of the few players who could entertain the fans, his poor defensive play and lack of grit saw him quickly fall out of favor in the National Hockey League.

The following season was even worse. The Jets won just 9 times in 80 outings! And Sullivan fell completely out of favor. He was a healthy scratch for almost as many games as he actually played. He became an honorary member of the press, as he often infiltrated the press boxes for free catered food while he was watching his teammates play without him.

How could a team that won only 9 times not use the shifty pivot? Things could not have gotten any worse could they? At least he might give the home town fans something to cheer about.

Winnipeg's associate coach Mike Smith said "his age is a definite factor." He was just 29 at the time though, so it seems like a bit of a cover up. General Manager John Ferguson, who loved aggressive but skilled hockey, was blunt. "Check his plus-minus some time" he said, referring to Sullivan's non-existent defensive game.

A Hockey News article from the 1980-81 season suggests that Sullivan "has a few detractors, many occupying the Jets offices. It is oft stated that he doesn't take out the man; his checks score too frequently; his passes are often intercepted; and he is rarely aggressive."

With Sullivan becoming a free agent at the end of the year, the Jets tried to move him by the 1981 trading deadline. There was a rumour that the Flames showed very mild interest, but obviously nothing materialized. No other team wanted Sullivan either it seemed.

The Jets finished the season with Sullivan and then let him go in the summer. He ended up signing with a team in Switzerland of all places. He would continue his hockey career for several years in the neutral European country, hanging up the skates in 1987.

Peter is the son of 1928 Canadian Olympic hockey gold medalist Frank Sullivan, who also starred in football at University of Toronto as member of 1921 Grey Cup championship team. His uncle Joseph was also on the 1928 Olympic gold medal hockey team and later became a prominent senator in Canada.