Passion is a timeless spirit, traveling to one place and then another all the while multiplying, rebirthing itself with each fresh stride, every rising shot ringing the post .Lord Stanley of Preston experienced the passion, it called to him and the cup was born. A challenge cup. An amature prize conceived as reward to the top ranked club, as determined by the acceptance of a challenge from another amateur league champion.
The days of our youth were filled with long hours of hockey. Shinny on the pond, scraping of the outdoor rinks, scrambling on the road, chasing a tennis ball, shooting, scoring, and shouting out our team, our player, the love for the game. Understanding little of the folklore, the history of a game that had claimed our interest and lured us away from the idle days of marbles and tobogganing!What we played for wasn’t tangible, joy is not an object, pride not something you can buy, yet, bragging rights were everything! Best on the street, on the block, king of the playground.These were coveted titles!
Lord Stanley’s trophy, the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, called to our thirst to be the best. It fed our appetite to compete and we longed to respond, to drink from its bowl. The awkwardness of youth giving way to the rush that is sport, desire luring hope. Bold is the believe and our resolute not wavered in past defeat.
The party spilled into town as we arrived, wearing bragging rights like a comfortable sweater, sleeves rolled up ready to have at her,we drank from the bowl. Our names engraved on its lip we could see them as we quenched that thirst!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
seeds of rivalry...
f one lives long enough,all things come back full circle.This fact of life creates situations and circumstances that can be both humorous and ironic at the same time.
In the game of professional hockey I believe the following to be both.
When contemplating the recent rivalry brewing between the Pens and Flyers I got to thinking of the 70's,the Cup and the Broad Street Bullies.Philly won two Cups between 74 and 76,also beating the Red Army in a head to head battle in 1976.One of the most exciting tilts I had witnessed to that date.To say the least they had a committed group of guys there,backstopped by for my money,the premier goalie of the day,Bernie Parent.
The Penguins have a storied history as well.Winning the Holy grail of hockey in 91 and 92 showcasing possibly the best players of that era.Mario Lemieux's name will be forever synonymous with hockey and Pittsburgh.
Heres the kicker.While musing these teams it dawned on me that Ray Shero is currently the GM of the Pen's.I realize that this and the connection to Philly is not news to many that follow these teams closely but to me the following was a revelation.Ray Shero's dad was Fred Shero,hockey icon and former head coach of the Broad Street Bullies!
Fred 'the fog' Shero was the force behind the team that dominated the league in the mid seventies.Fred Shero is a member of the Philadelphia Flyer's Hall of Fame!He was a players coach who had the absolute respect and attention of perhaps the most hated and feared team in sport at that time.
Now,today,the Flyers seem to be aspiring to these same heights and the team that loves to hate them is under the direction of Freddies son Ray Shero.Now if that isn't a classic case of irony,I don't know what is!
To give you a glimpse of his particular genius I'll quote some of Mr. Shero's favorite messages he would leave on the chalk board for his boys on the team.
'If we can't beat em' in the alley we can't beat em' on the ice'.
And this humorous gem 'the difference between making a contribution and making a commitment is like eggs and ham for breakfast-the chicken makes a contribution-the pig makes a commitment.I want players that make a commitment'
And this classic that I remembered without help 'Win today and we will walk together forever'
But perhaps the most relevant to the persona and identity todays team seems to be willing to 'commit to'.
'Take the shortest route to the puck carrier and arrive in ill humor.'
Although I don't see them capable of beating to many guys up they sure are playing like they are all seven feet tall.
I don't know too much about young Mr.Rejean Shero except he was drafted by the Kings but did not play in the league. He has also done some great work in Ottawa and Nashville.If I'm not mistaken he had a hand in Daniel Alfredsson coming to the Senators.In his first season as boss with the Pen's he brought in a couple of great players to the Pittsburgh fans, Mark Recchi and Jarkko Ruutu.That same year he drafted Jordan Staal with their second round pick.2006-07 saw him trade for Gary Roberts and Georges Laraque and the following off season he made moves for Sydor,Sykora,Taffe and Sabourin as well as signing stellar defenseman Ryan Whitney to a long term contract and all star phenom Sydney Crosby to a five year extension.
His most recent moves at the trade deadline are perhaps his most controversial as he has traded away futures for what it seems could be a rental in Marion Hossa.
I can assume however that Ray has a grip on the irony of his connection to the Flyer's organization and is preparing to reap the rewards of his fathers seeds of rivalry as the same can only be good for his business and hockey in general.
In the game of professional hockey I believe the following to be both.
When contemplating the recent rivalry brewing between the Pens and Flyers I got to thinking of the 70's,the Cup and the Broad Street Bullies.Philly won two Cups between 74 and 76,also beating the Red Army in a head to head battle in 1976.One of the most exciting tilts I had witnessed to that date.To say the least they had a committed group of guys there,backstopped by for my money,the premier goalie of the day,Bernie Parent.
The Penguins have a storied history as well.Winning the Holy grail of hockey in 91 and 92 showcasing possibly the best players of that era.Mario Lemieux's name will be forever synonymous with hockey and Pittsburgh.
Heres the kicker.While musing these teams it dawned on me that Ray Shero is currently the GM of the Pen's.I realize that this and the connection to Philly is not news to many that follow these teams closely but to me the following was a revelation.Ray Shero's dad was Fred Shero,hockey icon and former head coach of the Broad Street Bullies!
Fred 'the fog' Shero was the force behind the team that dominated the league in the mid seventies.Fred Shero is a member of the Philadelphia Flyer's Hall of Fame!He was a players coach who had the absolute respect and attention of perhaps the most hated and feared team in sport at that time.
Now,today,the Flyers seem to be aspiring to these same heights and the team that loves to hate them is under the direction of Freddies son Ray Shero.Now if that isn't a classic case of irony,I don't know what is!
To give you a glimpse of his particular genius I'll quote some of Mr. Shero's favorite messages he would leave on the chalk board for his boys on the team.
'If we can't beat em' in the alley we can't beat em' on the ice'.
And this humorous gem 'the difference between making a contribution and making a commitment is like eggs and ham for breakfast-the chicken makes a contribution-the pig makes a commitment.I want players that make a commitment'
And this classic that I remembered without help 'Win today and we will walk together forever'
But perhaps the most relevant to the persona and identity todays team seems to be willing to 'commit to'.
'Take the shortest route to the puck carrier and arrive in ill humor.'
Although I don't see them capable of beating to many guys up they sure are playing like they are all seven feet tall.
I don't know too much about young Mr.Rejean Shero except he was drafted by the Kings but did not play in the league. He has also done some great work in Ottawa and Nashville.If I'm not mistaken he had a hand in Daniel Alfredsson coming to the Senators.In his first season as boss with the Pen's he brought in a couple of great players to the Pittsburgh fans, Mark Recchi and Jarkko Ruutu.That same year he drafted Jordan Staal with their second round pick.2006-07 saw him trade for Gary Roberts and Georges Laraque and the following off season he made moves for Sydor,Sykora,Taffe and Sabourin as well as signing stellar defenseman Ryan Whitney to a long term contract and all star phenom Sydney Crosby to a five year extension.
His most recent moves at the trade deadline are perhaps his most controversial as he has traded away futures for what it seems could be a rental in Marion Hossa.
I can assume however that Ray has a grip on the irony of his connection to the Flyer's organization and is preparing to reap the rewards of his fathers seeds of rivalry as the same can only be good for his business and hockey in general.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
that night at the Forum...
It should be apparent that the recent riot in the streets of Montreal is a symptom of a much larger problem than the Habs fan base.Social behavioral conditions often manifest themselves as trivial but like the tip of an ice burgh there is always a much larger story.In this case perceived unrest between police forces and cultural groups is more likely the reason for the cruisers burning than the game.
That being said one must understand that hockey here in Canada is as defining to who we are as political persuasions are to our American friends.The rivalry between the Habs and the Bruins is as old as the game and can be traced back to battles on and off the playing surface,it was after all a Bruins player who clubbed Maurice Richard, of iconic status even then,causing a chain of events that led to rioting in the streets and the ingraining of hockey to our history books.So this was more than a first round series or even more than a loss or win, it was a trigger for the smoking gun which is social unrest and cultural identity.
In keeping with my belief that life is a circle of learning and that the world doesn't change it just re manifests itself, allow me this bit of Canadian history.
The image most people have of him is how he looked after scoring,circling under the clock, steam rising from his collar and some thought his nostrils.He would glance upward from time to time and even the least expensive seat in the house could see the fire blazing from his eyes,his most distinguishable feature.Glen Hall,one of many master tenders that Richard made look silly,said as he broke in on him those eyes flashed like a 'pin ball machine'.
As a boy he would listen to the Canadians play on the French radio broadcasts and dream of playing for the team, idolizing Howie Morenz who unfortunately died when he was sixteen.Thought too fragile to play pro hockey Maurice broke bones the last two seasons he played amateur and the first year he dressed for Les Canadian.In his second term playing on a line with Elmer Lach and Toe Blake he scored thirty two goals.Then the next,1944-45, fifty in fifty, an accomplishment as meaningful to hockey as the Babes sixty homers in 1927 was to baseball.
Richard had a nose for the net,from the blue line in he was possessed.Seven times he scored three goals in a Stanley Cup Game,eighteen times in the playoffs he scored the winner, helping, or as some suggest the reason why, the Habs win the cup seven times during his tenure.There was an intensity to his game that transcended his play,every thing he did with incomparable flare.When the Leafs installed 'impenetrable' glass to protect the upper class, well tailored customers in the front row Maurice or the 'Rocket' as he was known in the streets of Montreal where he was from, brought it down, cartwheeling up into the barricade shattering the barrier onto the ice in a shower of slivers.This visual alone, to me capsulizes the socio-economic state of the time when there was a more distinct line between the classes.Richard was a hero in Quebec, bigger than his team,bigger than the game.
There is one event that illustrates more than any how deeply of Quebec felt for him.Boston Gardens,March 13 1955,fourth to last game of the season.Late in the third Richard was hit across the forehead by the stick of Hal Laycoe, a Bruin defenceman, drawing blood.Maurice went berserk,taking dead aim he came back at Laycoe and gave him a two hander over the head. The linesman got the stick away from Richard only to watch him pick up another and than break that one over Laycoe's back.In the scrum he also struck the linesman.Well, earlier in the season during another altercation with another English linesman Richard had slapped him across the face with his glove.Clarence Campbell, then President of the league ruled decisively. Richard,who had been leading the league in scoring before the Laycoe incident,would be suspended the rest of the season and the playoffs as well.
On St. Patrick's day,at the Forum,the Rocket-less Habs lined up against Detroit, whom they were tied for first,the crowd was on a slow burn.With Richard sitting by the bench the always upwardly mobile Campbell actually arrived to take a seat with his secretary who all knew to be his mistress.They later married.French Canadians are for the most part staunch Roman Catholics.Someone threw a stink bomb and the game was delayed.Than raw eggs on the ice, somehow they made it through the first period but when it ended someone got past the police and hit Campbell in the face,pushing and shoving broke out everywhere and the game was called.
Through much of the night people went on a rampage in downtown Montreal,throwing bricks through windows, overturning streetcars,looting and setting bonfires.The city boiled with anger until Richard himself went on the air to ask people to calm down and get behind the team.He would accept his punishment.The Richard Riot, as it is known today may not have been the event that set Quebec societies Quiet Revolution of the sixty's and seventies in motion but I think it was at the very least an important development.As the 'Parti Quebecois' moved toward independence there have been more than one reference to the bitterness of that St. Patrick,s night at the Forum.
Please understand that I am not defending this recent incident.No reasonable sports fan would.Somehow passion got off the chain and a minority promoting or reacting to their own agenda have cast a shadow on what should have been a glorious celebration in the pursuit of Hockeys Holy Grail.
That being said one must understand that hockey here in Canada is as defining to who we are as political persuasions are to our American friends.The rivalry between the Habs and the Bruins is as old as the game and can be traced back to battles on and off the playing surface,it was after all a Bruins player who clubbed Maurice Richard, of iconic status even then,causing a chain of events that led to rioting in the streets and the ingraining of hockey to our history books.So this was more than a first round series or even more than a loss or win, it was a trigger for the smoking gun which is social unrest and cultural identity.
In keeping with my belief that life is a circle of learning and that the world doesn't change it just re manifests itself, allow me this bit of Canadian history.
The image most people have of him is how he looked after scoring,circling under the clock, steam rising from his collar and some thought his nostrils.He would glance upward from time to time and even the least expensive seat in the house could see the fire blazing from his eyes,his most distinguishable feature.Glen Hall,one of many master tenders that Richard made look silly,said as he broke in on him those eyes flashed like a 'pin ball machine'.
As a boy he would listen to the Canadians play on the French radio broadcasts and dream of playing for the team, idolizing Howie Morenz who unfortunately died when he was sixteen.Thought too fragile to play pro hockey Maurice broke bones the last two seasons he played amateur and the first year he dressed for Les Canadian.In his second term playing on a line with Elmer Lach and Toe Blake he scored thirty two goals.Then the next,1944-45, fifty in fifty, an accomplishment as meaningful to hockey as the Babes sixty homers in 1927 was to baseball.
Richard had a nose for the net,from the blue line in he was possessed.Seven times he scored three goals in a Stanley Cup Game,eighteen times in the playoffs he scored the winner, helping, or as some suggest the reason why, the Habs win the cup seven times during his tenure.There was an intensity to his game that transcended his play,every thing he did with incomparable flare.When the Leafs installed 'impenetrable' glass to protect the upper class, well tailored customers in the front row Maurice or the 'Rocket' as he was known in the streets of Montreal where he was from, brought it down, cartwheeling up into the barricade shattering the barrier onto the ice in a shower of slivers.This visual alone, to me capsulizes the socio-economic state of the time when there was a more distinct line between the classes.Richard was a hero in Quebec, bigger than his team,bigger than the game.
There is one event that illustrates more than any how deeply of Quebec felt for him.Boston Gardens,March 13 1955,fourth to last game of the season.Late in the third Richard was hit across the forehead by the stick of Hal Laycoe, a Bruin defenceman, drawing blood.Maurice went berserk,taking dead aim he came back at Laycoe and gave him a two hander over the head. The linesman got the stick away from Richard only to watch him pick up another and than break that one over Laycoe's back.In the scrum he also struck the linesman.Well, earlier in the season during another altercation with another English linesman Richard had slapped him across the face with his glove.Clarence Campbell, then President of the league ruled decisively. Richard,who had been leading the league in scoring before the Laycoe incident,would be suspended the rest of the season and the playoffs as well.
On St. Patrick's day,at the Forum,the Rocket-less Habs lined up against Detroit, whom they were tied for first,the crowd was on a slow burn.With Richard sitting by the bench the always upwardly mobile Campbell actually arrived to take a seat with his secretary who all knew to be his mistress.They later married.French Canadians are for the most part staunch Roman Catholics.Someone threw a stink bomb and the game was delayed.Than raw eggs on the ice, somehow they made it through the first period but when it ended someone got past the police and hit Campbell in the face,pushing and shoving broke out everywhere and the game was called.
Through much of the night people went on a rampage in downtown Montreal,throwing bricks through windows, overturning streetcars,looting and setting bonfires.The city boiled with anger until Richard himself went on the air to ask people to calm down and get behind the team.He would accept his punishment.The Richard Riot, as it is known today may not have been the event that set Quebec societies Quiet Revolution of the sixty's and seventies in motion but I think it was at the very least an important development.As the 'Parti Quebecois' moved toward independence there have been more than one reference to the bitterness of that St. Patrick,s night at the Forum.
Please understand that I am not defending this recent incident.No reasonable sports fan would.Somehow passion got off the chain and a minority promoting or reacting to their own agenda have cast a shadow on what should have been a glorious celebration in the pursuit of Hockeys Holy Grail.
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