Questionnaire for Ol' timers

[tyhee]

This post made me feel like either ABNuck must be a youngster or I'm even older than I thought.

On 2015-12-08, 10:56:14, ABNuck said:

You younger fans are more than welcome to add to the discussion as well, but be forewarned the yardstick by which you will be measured is if you know who said "Oldtime Hockey - Yeah - Eddie Shore" (Just kidding )...but it will be easier to answer some of these questions if you ACTUALLY participated or were there (Smithers Joe...you there?) as opposed to "here's a cool story my dad told me". Anyways here's the questions I've come up with:

1/ I think most everyone would agree that the greatest all-time top 4 are Gretzky, Howe, Orr and Lemieux (we can debate the order at some other time), so the question is...who's #5? Bossy? Yzerman? Beliveau? Sawchuk? Tretiak? Lafleur? Richard?...the list goes on for miles...and I suspect we would get as many answers as there are commenters...so let the debate begin. I'm with Bossy on this one. He accomplished something that none of the top 4 could: 9 consecutive seasons with 50+ goals...talk about consistency.

 I was thinking about Bobby Hull, Jean Belliveau, Rocket Richard, Eddie Shore and Howie Morenz, though those last two were before my time.

On 2015-12-08, 10:56:14, ABNuck said:

 Have you ever seen a game in one of the older buildings (Gardens - TO or Bahston, the Forum on Peel, MSG, the Madhouse, the Checkerdome, Pac Coliseum...or how about the Aud or the Spectum...remember the fog series)?

Pacific Coliseum an older building?  I remember attending the opening of the Pacific Coliseum after my minor hockey days were over, as well as attending both Leafs and Marlies games in Maple Leaf Gardens.

On 2015-12-08, 10:56:14, ABNuck said:

4/ Did you ever get to play minor hockey without a faceshield? I remember that they always mandated the full face protection just behind the level I was at...as I moved up, it became law for the level I had just left. So for my whole minor hockey career I got to wear the mouthguard only...the outside one, not the inside one...young ones ask your dad...he can show you a picture. Man were they ugly. But it was easier to fight back then...no fear of busting up your knuckles on a cage.

 There were no face shields available when I played minor hockey.  I could be wrong but thought that at age 8 I'd played without a helmet.  I have no recollection of wearing a helmet before age 10.

 

On 2015-12-08, 10:56:14, ABNuck said:

5/ Do you remember wearing skates with steel blades and holders? I recall getting my first pair of Bauer Supremes with Tuuk blades...all the cool kids had 'em. Back then there was only 2 real choices...Bauer Supremes and CCM Tacks. But do you remember ROOS (the Kangaroo leather skates...gawd were they heavy huh) or Langes (the plastic moulded boot...looked like ski boots).

Of course.  That was all that was available and the skates I had never had enough ankle support for me.

On 2015-12-08, 10:56:14, ABNuck said:

6/ And the worst of all...remember the sticks we had to use? All wood (heavy)...adult sized only (no kids or intermediate sizes so...heavy)...not many choices (basically curved or straight, left or right...you learned to live with the LIE of the stick your dad bought you). But we had 2 sticks...ice hockey only stick which eventually became...your road hockey only stick (remember wearing the blade down 'til it was about an inch high?)

 

I don't remember having to use adult sticks, but do remember playing with a wooden stick.  Curved sticks were unknown in minor hockey when I started but were in use by the mid to late '60's.

[ABNuck]

1 hour ago, tyhee said:

This post made me feel like either ABNuck must be a youngster or I'm even older than I thought.

 I was thinking about Bobby Hull, Jean Belliveau, Rocket Richard, Eddie Shore and Howie Morenz, though those last two were before my time.

Pacific Coliseum an older building?  I remember attending the opening of the Pacific Coliseum after my minor hockey days were over, as well as attending both Leafs and Marlies games in Maple Leaf Gardens.

 There were no face shields available when I played minor hockey.  I could be wrong but thought that at age 8 I'd played without a helmet.  I have no recollection of wearing a helmet before age 10.

 

Of course.  That was all that was available and the skates I had never had enough ankle support for me.

I don't remember having to use adult sticks, but do remember playing with a wooden stick.  Curved sticks were unknown in minor hockey when I started but were in use by the mid to late '60's.

Yeah...you definitely sound older than me for sure (I just turned 51). As for Pac Coliseum...I threw that in there for Canuck nostalgia only.

[WHL rocks]

19 hours ago, RUPERTKBD said:

 

Really? You have him ahead of Orr, Gretzky or Lemieux?

Yes. Gretzky #1 , flip a coin after that. 

[Salmonberries]

1 - Richard

2 - PNE Forum

3 - Old time Canuck Keke Mortson used to wear a helmet that made Butch Goring's look like something from the NASA program. Long John Henderson played goal in the local senior men's circuit (Barnstorming Shmyr Flyers, Milliardville Carlings, Hi Lo Warriors etc!!) with a cooper three piece helmet and no mask! Charlie Burns of the Oakland Seals wore the old wrap around with strapping over an open top (no chinstrap). A few Red Wings wore these in the 50s - 60s for a time. Neat look; not very protective.

4) Sans facial protection for me, went with a molded mouth guard later on (too late??).

5) Nothing but tubes for me.

6) The mighty Victoriaville!

7) 

[RUPERTKBD]

1 hour ago, WHL rocks said:

Yes. Gretzky #1 , flip a coin after that. 

To each his own, I suppose, but I'd respectfully disagree.

IMHO, the top four are undisputed. (although some might debate the order) For me it's Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux and Howe, in that order.

[RWMc1]

Valeri Kharlamov. hoho

Coliseum had a great atmosphere

Had a friend who wore one of those. We called him no-neck.

Tack then Super Tack

Did anyone else used to steam the crap out of their blades to change the curve?

Man, I miss those days.

[Alflives]

31 minutes ago, RWMc1 said:

Valeri Kharlamov. hoho

Coliseum had a great atmosphere

Had a friend who wore one of those. We called him no-neck.

Tack then Super Tack

Did anyone else used to steam the crap out of their blades to change the curve?

Man, I miss those days.

Soaked the whole stick in a warm bath to create more whip.

[smithers joe]

probably beliveau for me but there were lots of great hockey players to choose from...as a kid, we use to rent the back sheet of ice at the pne forum...we all chipped in one dollar...our old wooden sticks would get wore down from all the road hockey, so we would fit some tin around what was left of the blade and screw it together...we use them until they disintegrated ....most of our hockey was played on the road or make shift ice rinks we froze on the tennis court....no helmuts...as a kid playing hockey, i was always, alex delvecchio.....

[RUPERTKBD]

16 hours ago, RWMc1 said:

Valeri Kharlamov. hoho

Coliseum had a great atmosphere

Had a friend who wore one of those. We called him no-neck.

Tack then Super Tack

Did anyone else used to steam the crap out of their blades to change the curve?

Man, I miss those days.

Used to heat mine up with a torch.

And no reason to laugh about Kharlamov. He's a legit pick for #5, IMO (although I picked the Rocket)

14 hours ago, smithers joe said:

probably beliveau for me but there were lots of great hockey players to choose from...as a kid, we use to rent the back sheet of ice at the pne forum...we all chipped in one dollar...our old wooden sticks would get wore down from all the road hockey, so we would fit some tin around what was left of the blade and screw it together...we use them until they disintegrated ....most of our hockey was played on the road or make shift ice rinks we froze on the tennis court....no helmuts...as a kid playing hockey, i was always, alex delvecchio.....

t was Yvan Cournoyer for me, which is funny because I can't stand the Habs.

[RWMc1]

1 minute ago, RUPERTKBD said:

Used to heat mine up with a torch.

And no reason to laugh about Kharlamov. He's a legit pick for #5, IMO (although I picked the Rocket)

t was Yvan Cournoyer for me, which is funny because I can't stand the Habs.

I had friends who also used a torch. I didn't have access to one so I used steam.

The reason I chuckled about Kharlomov was because I know some older players still hate him because he played so well against us. Actually that series changed the way hockey was played and coached in Canada. Left wing lock!

It's funny, I also hated the Habs but was a Cournoyer fan. I used to bug my Montreal fan friends by saying things like Guy the Flower and Corn why eh? and Geek Arbeneau. Changed one letter back to u for pc reasons. Of course as a Canucks fan, they had more ammo. It was all in good fun though. Trash talk is a long-standing hockey tradition.

[hlinkas wrister]

1- remember started watching NHL in mid-late 70's so never got to see Beliveau or even Orr before the knee injuries but if I had to pick a number 5 that I've seen it would be Lidstrom

2- Only the Pacific coliseum

3- I think my first hockey helmet was one of those big dome coopers, but I remember my first skating helmet was some obscure leftover from the sixties that was three pieces with lots of round vent holes- useless for impact but might have taken the sting out of a deflected pass.

4- Face protection had been mandatory for a hand full of years before I started

5- I remember being one of the last guys in my league to change to Tuck holders from steel (my old man was a bit of a tightwad but he taught me early that in any sport it wasn't gear that made the player). I got to wear one pair of second hand Roos, and I remember when I saw the Langes or the Microns I thought the players were goalies trying to play out.

6- I started played with some pretty terrible woodies from the local Marshall Wells but as soon as I got a paper route I started buying my own Koho's and Titans with big curves. I didn't even know what the "lie" of the stick was lol.