45 years ago tonight....

This happened.*

Two brothers playing goal against each other in an NHL game. Rookie Ken Dryden against his older brother Dave and the first year expansion Buffalo Sabres.
The story is well known. If, somehow you haven't heard it, google is your friend.

To my knowledge, the Drydens are still the only pair to do it, although the Pickards could one day accomplish it.

*I believe this picture is from the second time they played against each other. I don't have a decent pic of them from their first meeting.

Dickie Moore 1931 - 2015

Another living legend has passed. The great Dickie Moore died earlier today at the age of 84.

Six Stanley Cups 1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960

Two Art Ross Trophies 1958, 1959

Elected to the Hall of Fame - 1974

#12 retired by Montreal - 2005

a son, a daughter, and a whack of grandkids left behind. Along with thousands of fans. One of the greatest ever. He will be missed.

Dickie Moore  January 6, 1931 - December 19, 2015

Pelle Lindbergh remembered

It was 30 years ago today that Pelle Lindbergh crashed his heavily modified Porsche 930 Turbo into a wall while driving under the influence of alcohol.

Pelle, 26, was coming off of a career year where he led the NHL in wins with 40, was voted to the First All Star team and won the Vezina trophy as outstanding goalie.

No one quite knows why he left a team function that day with two friends with a blood alcohol level of .24, over twice the legal limit in New Jersey where the accident occurred. According to friends and family, Pelle rarely drank. Certainly never to intoxication. But once was enough.

 Pelle was kept alive by machines long enough for his family to fly in from Sweden. His heart and several other organs were harvested for transplant.

O-Pee-Chee stopped the presses long enough to add a memorial banner onto his 85/86 card.

 

 It's always a touchy subject dealing with incidents such as drunk driving. Many people believe that someone shouldn't be memorialized for being stupid and almost killing others.
Some look past that and remember the person they were before. While I agree that Mr Lindbergh was stupid, careless, and selfish when he got behind the wheel after drinking.... I'll leave this debate for another forum, another time.


Instead, I'll memorialize the what might have been. The unrealized. A bright shining life snuffed out far too soon.

Pelle Lindbergh  24 May, 1959 - 11 November, 1985

You're Number One!!!!!

I don't think this is even possible with today's equipment.

$10,000,000.00

That's just what this guy....

 

 

donated to the Montreal Children's Hospital.

 

Haters gonna hate, but it's great to see the class of the organization be picked up and carried by the next generation.

Mr. Beliveau would be proud sir.

We're getting closer...

56 days until the season starts. And none to soon. Thankfully the Premier League just got underway and the NFL starts in four weeks. I've been going crazy with no sports to watch.

To get in the mood for the upcoming hockey season, I'll let you watch a little 5 on 5 line brawl.



Well that escalated quickly. Complete annihilation by Latvia. Kudos to the Yanks for even getting in there against them. They look fresh out of a gulag somewhere.

your Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2015 inductees.

Today was the announcement of the new inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Or at least, the Hockey Hall of Very Good. The past few years, well, let's say the bar has been lowered to a more pc level. Or maybe little league level. You know, everyone gets a turn and a participation trophy at the end.....

 

But enough about that. Let's see who got in.

 

Nicklas Lidstrom - Defence  - Detroit Red Wings

 

Nick played his entire 20 year career with the Wings. A slam dunk no brainer for the Hall, he finished with 1564 GP  264 G  878 A  1142 PTS  +450.  Four Stanley Cups, seven Norris trophies, 1 Conn Smythe trophy and thirteen All Star teams.

The best defenceman since Larry Robinson retired. Period.

 

 

Sergei Fedorov - Right Wing  - Detroit Red Wings

(also played for Anaheim, Columbus and Washington) 

 Sergei played 18 years and 908 GP. He had 400 G  554 A  954 PTS and a +276   Add in three Stanley Cups, six All Stars, two Selke, one Hart and one Ted Lindsay award.
Another no brainer.



Phil Housley - Defence  -Buffalo Sabres
(he also played for the Flames, Jets, Black Hawks, Capitals, Devils, Blues and of course, Toronto)

 here is where the water gets murky.
Phil played 21 seasons, 1495 GP  338 G  894 A  1232 PTS  and a -53. Two All star games.
No Cups. No Norris. No trophies of any kind.
Not really sure why he got voted in.


Chris Pronger - St Louis Blues
(also played for the Whalers, Oilers, Ducks, Flyers, Coyotes???)

 Chris has played 18 years and counting. I say counting, because he is still an active player. Who by the way got traded to the Arizona Coyotes yesterday. And he's now in the Hall of Fame.
Nice.
This is everything that is wrong with the NHL all wrapped up into one. An active, but injured player who hasn't laced up the skates in three years gets traded on Sunday and elected to the Hall of Fame on Monday.
But I've said it before. If you want to be elected to the Hall, just go work for the NHL head office. The good ole boys club will put you in.


Angela Ruggiero - U.S.A. National team.

I can't find any of Angela's cards in any of my boxes right now, let alone here rookie, so settle for a promo shot instead. I think her RC is from '01/02.... but I could be wrong.
Click on her name to go to her website and learn more about her.

So there you have it.
Thumbs Up - Lidstrom, Fedorov, Ruggiero
Thumbs Down - Housley
The Big Raspberry - Pronger

What say you?