Prime Guy Lafluer. When I first saw him he was already well into his decline.
... too bad. Quite the piece of work in his prime. Helmetless, when he still had hair, the wheels, like Pavel Bure pretty much, only Guy had better closing skills. The pure joy with which he played was an exhibition in & of itself.
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Originally Posted by LeBlondeDemon10
Eddie Shore. I may not like what I see, but he would be mesmerizing. Howie Morentz. Gotta see that Streak!
... Morenz absolutely, but only for one game. Im convinced he would be a bore. Tool box limited. Not enough "trix". Same thing with Shore. He was all about angles. Positioning. Economy of movement. A marathon man. Sort of like Bob Baun or any number of defensive oriented defenceman of the Leafs 60's era.... Tough as nails sure, but lacking the size, heft. Overcompensated by being mean, nasty, dirty. That in & of itself is entertaining I suppose. Not my idea of "fun, wow" though.
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Originally Posted by the gazur voit
Robinson in his prime
... very quiet & studious. You absolutely had to pay attention. Nothing fancy or spectacular about Big Bird. Loping. Played like a Sleepwalker. Automatic. Telegraphed. A Somnambulist. Boston knew it. "Dont wake up #19".
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Originally Posted by SealsFan
Maurice Richard, hands down!
... yepp. The real deal was #9. I would have loved to have watched him in his prime. Just that sheer force of will. The deadliest man in the history of the game bar none. All guts, left it all out there on the ice; the glory resting uneasily. He saved the Habs as a franchise, put paid to the lie that francophones lacked grit, staying power & toughness. Whats even more amazing about it is that both the NHL itself & society as a whole in Canada thought they had their heel on throat of Quebec. Branded too small, quixotic, temperamental, sickly. An absolute Superhero was Maurice Richard. Just an incredible story, individual.
I have seen a lot in my lifetime so I go back a bit.
The bentley's with Mosienko. (saw a brief clip of Max which left me wanting more). Morenz, Shore, the kid line (Jackson, primeau, Conacher), cyclone Taylor, Newsy lalonde, The rocket in his prime (saw him post prime), howe in 52-53, and many many more.
I have seen a lot in my lifetime... saw a brief clip of Max which left me wanting more...
... the rest of those guys, not so much in my book, but ya, I mentioned Bentley earlier pappy. Coming from the Hawks, he earned the enmity of Smythe (Max drank, smoked, was a womaniser, marched to his own drummer) in Toronto, never used properly. From what I can grasp, was quite the piece of work as a player. He's one Id prefer to have seen for myself as opposed to relying on contemporaneous reports & stats. Definitely something "special" about that one.... the name itself invokes total class, even if he was a reprobate, which to me is all the more charming quite frankly.
... yepp. The real deal was #9. I would have loved to have watched him in his prime. Just that sheer force of will. The deadliest man in the history of the game bar none. All guts, left it all out there on the ice; the glory resting uneasily. He saved the Habs as a franchise, put paid to the lie that francophones lacked grit, staying power & toughness. Whats even more amazing about it is that both the NHL itself & society as a whole in Canada thought they had their heel on throat of Quebec. Branded too small, quixotic, temperamental, sickly. An absolute Superhero was Maurice Richard. Just an incredible story, individual.
Oh come now, we all know The Rocket wouldn't make an ECHL roster these days (cuz he's dead)
... the rest of those guys, not so much in my book, but ya, I mentioned Bentley earlier pappy. Coming from the Hawks, he earned the enmity of Smythe (Max drank, smoked, was a womaniser, marched to his own drummer) in Toronto, never used properly. From what I can grasp, was quite the piece of work as a player. He's one Id prefer to have seen for myself as opposed to relying on contemporaneous reports & stats. Definitely something "special" about that one.... the name itself invokes total class, even if he was a reprobate, which to me is all the more charming quite frankly.
Never heard Max described as a reprobate before. Are you sure about that? Maybe you have him confused with Busher Jackson who definitely was a reprobate but another guy I would have liked to have seen. Supposedly was quite the player as was Max.
Never heard Max described as a reprobate before. Are you sure about that? Maybe you have him confused with Busher Jackson who definitely was a reprobate but another guy I would have liked to have seen. Supposedly was quite the player as was Max.
... "Private Papers" of one Conn Smythe. Considered Max Bentley as a "force fed piece of veal" if memories correct. A "star in an unsophisticated, totally criminal environment; coming out of Chicago; the Norris familia". Smythe, sanctimoniously as you correctly point out pulled the same card earlier with Busher Jackson. Worked the first time, lets do it again.
Bentley was a "true" Superstar. Thing was, old Conny couldnt handle it. No way no how was one single player going to usurp his hand picked group of Soldiers. Team "unity". The "Regiment" old Bob.... Im not happy about this Pappy. Id like to meet Conn Smythe in an Ally & show the little ***** what Irish really is. Im older school than he is in Toronto. Straighten his corset right out. According to my (yes, voices) Ghosts, I'll be given that opportunity. Must say, relish the thought.
Hey guys, thanks for bringing up so many great players and memories. There are so many players that you have mentioned that I saw play, met, or was on the ice with.
You've brought a smile to an old man's face.
Of all those that have been mentioned, Maurice Richard is the one, in my book.
gallagher brothers? killion, what century do you think this is?
.... just an all too easy comparison/analogy. The "next Beatles" like the "next one"
in hockey. Held up to standards that really no one can possibly compete with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mbhhofr
Of all those that have been mentioned, Maurice Richard is the one, in my book.
.... did you not see Richard play as a kid mbh? I was born mid-50's so I missed him altogether. Though TV was available en mass from the late 40's early 50's, a lot of households went without during its first decade, plenty of people who didnt like the medium, thought it was a lousy influence on their kids, a time waster that stifled the imagination & inhibited creativity, stuck with radio. Wasnt until the early 60's really that pretty much every home had one, like a stove, refrigerator; mandatory. By that time of course Maurice had retired.
.... did you not see Richard play as a kid mbh? I was born mid-50's so I missed him altogether. Though TV was available en mass from the late 40's early 50's, a lot of households went without during its first decade, plenty of people who didnt like the medium, thought it was a lousy influence on their kids, a time waster that stifled the imagination & inhibited creativity, stuck with radio. Wasnt until the early 60's really that pretty much every home had one, like a stove, refrigerator; mandatory. By that time of course Maurice had retired.
I saw him first in 1953 when I was fourteen. I also met him then and got his autograph, which I still have.
I saw him score, what turned out to be the last goal of his career, against the Leafs in the 1960 Stanley Cup final.
.... just an all too easy comparison/analogy. The "next Beatles" like the "next one"
in hockey. Held up to standards that really no one can possibly compete with.
fair enough, killroy. and here i thought you'd just come to and stumbled out of ken kesey's bus thinking it was still 1995.
stuck with radio. Wasnt until the early 60's really that pretty much every home had one, like a stove, refrigerator; mandatory. By that time of course Maurice had retired.
Are there no recorded radio broadcasts of these players or games?
... the rest of those guys, not so much in my book, but ya, I mentioned Bentley earlier pappy. Coming from the Hawks, he earned the enmity of Smythe (Max drank, smoked, was a womaniser, marched to his own drummer) in Toronto, never used properly. From what I can grasp, was quite the piece of work as a player. He's one Id prefer to have seen for myself as opposed to relying on contemporaneous reports & stats. Definitely something "special" about that one.... the name itself invokes total class, even if he was a reprobate, which to me is all the more charming quite frankly.
Add "hypochondriac" to your list of colorful vocabulary to describe Max. It seemed that if anyone sneezed near him he would think he was coming down with something too. A walking drug store, but not a street pharmacist.
Ted Lindsay... the original "little ball of hate".
He fought the other team... he fought the league... he even fought the HoF when he was inducted.
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In 1966 he was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Lindsay politely declined to attend the ceremonial banquet since it was an all-male affair and he felt he owed a debt to his family for its support over his long career. Not coincidentally, the next year the banquet was opened up to include both sexes. http://www.legendsofhockey.net
Eddie Shore- I've found his playing career fascinating since I read the chapter on him in Net Worth. I picture some combination of Chelios, Samuelsson and Leetch.
Jean Bealiveau- Mario was my favorite player to watch, and most people I know who watched them both put them very close together. And I'm always a fan of big, smooth offensively gifted players.
Gordie Howe- Its only in the last few years that I've started to gain a real appreciation for Howe. I think for a while I had the stereotypical perspective of, 'Howe was pretty good and he played for a long time' when discussing the best players of all-time. Recently, when I started really looking into his actual accomplishments, I started to realize there's much more to him than that. He truly is in his own class as an all-around player.
Oh come now, we all know The Rocket wouldn't make an ECHL roster these days 
(cuz he's dead)
