Posted in Bruins History, Trivia August 5th, 2008
(NOTE: this is a repost from March, 2007 from back in my old “Ghosts of the Garden” days. That’s right, slow Bruins news days (weeks?) means you get “best of” around here. Enjoy.)
When you visit the TD Banknorth Garden, you see the numbers of the Bruins immortals hanging from the rafters, probably still caked with those stalactites of dust that gripped the ceiling of the old Boston Garden.
#2 - Eddie Shore
#3 - Lionel Hitchman
#4 - Bobby Orr
#5 - Aubrey “Dit” Clapper
#7 - Phil Esposito
#8 - Cam Neely
#9 - Johnny Bucyk
#15 - Milt Schmidt
#24 - Terry O’Reilly
#77 - Ray Bourque
But something odd is missing there. Where the hell is #6? You figure that the first nine numbers on this team would HAVE to be retired by now, right? Alright, the fact that there hasn’t been a #1 retired is odd too (why NOT HOF’er Tiny Thompson?), but wearing a #1 on a team has a sort of stigma to it…perhaps an overt implication that you’re the best player…so I can see why that number might be avoided. Either that, or a goalie sucked it up.
But why #6? You’re going to tell me that throughout this team’s storied history, there’s never been a player donning numero seis that’s worthy of having his number retired by the team? Happily, I recently discovered that The Internet Hockey Database now has jersey numbers logged on their website. Now I can finally go through the archives and scroll through the mediocrity associated with that number. So, tonight, let’s you and I take a whirlwind tour of Bruins players past who have worn the cursed 6.
First, a disclaimer. I’m limited by the stats posted over the IHDB and not every season has jersey numbers listed. In fact, the jersey numbers for the Bruins don’t even start until the 1929-30 season (which, actually, is pretty impressive itself) so some years I needed to make some assumptions. Sometimes they’re easy and a player’s jersey number is only listed once or twice, but he’s on the team for a dozen years. But other times I was staring at large gaps with no idea as to who was wearing the dreaded jersey.
So, let’s see who the culprits are…
1929-1934: Percy “Perk” Galbraith
1934-1936: Charlie Sands
1936-1937: Reginald “Hooley” Smith
1937-1939: Ray Getliffe
1939-1940: Unknown
1940-1950: Jack Crawford
1950-1951: Unknown
1951-1952: Walter “Gus” Kyle
1952-1957: Unknown
1957-1961: Bronco Horvarth
1961-1963: Unknown
1963-1972: Ted Green (famous for his Wayne Maki stick fight in which he fractured his skull and suffered brain damage)
1972-1973: Nick Beverley
1973-1978: Darryl Edestrand
1978-1982: Dick Redmond (thanks to an anonymous commenter!)
1982-1991: Gord Kluzak (the ultimate cursed player…almost a decade with that jersey and only 299 NHL games to show for it)
1991-1994: Glen Featherstone
1994-1996: Alexei Kasatonov (Russian legend who ended his career with the B’s)
1996-1997: None
1997-2000: Joe Thornton (changed his jersey in 2000! Was he feeling the curse?)
2000-2001: None
2001-2002: Gord Murphy
2002-2004: Dan McGillis
2004-2005: Season canceled
2005-2007: Brad Stuart (thanks #4bobbyorr!)
2007 - present: Dennis Wideman
So there you have it. At least since the “Percy” and “Reginald” years, they’ve toughened up a bit name-wise (Bronco). Funny how in the last couple of decades Sinden & company have WANTED someone to step up and claim that #6 for the rafters. Kluzak was taken 1st overall in 1982 and Thornton 1st overall in 1997. I’m sure it was no accident that both started out wearing #6.
Thornton would have been the closest to finally get that #6 up in the rafters, but a funny thing happened…he changed his jersey to #19 and his inability to meet management expectations got him shipped off to San Jose.
Posted in Bruins History January 18th, 2008
Hi.
Remember me? It’s been a while. Apparently it’s been long enough for some of my linkers to un-link me, either thinking I had abandoned this blog or died or maybe because they were tired of looking at that last post of Barney Rubble with the new Sabres logo on his head. I could bore you with tales of work and family, but no one wants to hear it and frankly, I don’t want to tell them. Besides, if you’re a friend on my Facebook account, you know them all already.
Unfortunately, I just haven’t had that much to write about. For the last month or so, the team’s been playing “meh” hockey and is just barely clinging to the 8th potential playoff spot. Hailing from central NJ without the Center Ice package leaves me with limited things to talk about but, hey, they’re playing the Rangers this weekend so I should be able to catch at least ONE game!
But there is one thing to celebrate today: the 50th anniversary of Willie O’Ree breaking the NHL’s color barrier.
Posted in Bruins History November 23rd, 2007
Tom Johnson had an impressive career. A Hall of Fame defenseman who won six Stanley Cups with the Canadiens and netted a Norris Trophy of his own in ‘59-’60, he was best known in Boston as the head coach of the last Bruins championship team in ‘71-’72. Johnson died Wednesday at the age of 79. More on Tom Johnson can be found at Legends of Hockey.
Posted in Bruins History, 50 Greatest Bruins names June 18th, 2007
So here we are. From Fernie Flaman at #50, through Gerry “Cheesy” Cheevers at #40, tiptoeing by Phil “The Italian Slot Machine” Esposito in my last minute addendum, past Jim “Peggy” O’Neill at #28, and finally past Emory “Spunk” Sparrow at #13 we now arrive at the ten greatest Bruins names of all time. Well. In my opinion, anyway. But, hey, what are lists without controversy? 
#10 - Frankie “Mister Zero” Brimsek - A goalie doesn’t get that name without reason and he more than earned it. Hell, in 1938-39 he logged 10 shutouts in 43 games. Anyone who can post a goose egg every four games is okay in my book. Even better, his name sounds like a comic book arch-villain who covers people in ice.
#9 - Armand “Bep” Guidolin - Go ahead. Say “Bep Guidolin” ten times fast. Sounds like you’re communicating with fish, doesn’t it? The story of how Armand Guidolin got this nickname differs, but I prefer the Wikipedia version (his Italian mother pronounced baby, “Beppy”) over the Legends of Hockey version (a broadcaster called him “Bep” because his birth name was too difficult). “Armand” is too difficult to pronounce? C’mon.
#8 - Bob Beers - This one really doesn’t need any explanation, does it? Even better, it’s plural. The only way you could have topped this is if his last name was “Kegs”.
#7 - Glen Featherstone - Jumbo shrimp. Major General. Government Intelligence. As oxymorons go, it doesn’t get much better than “Featherstone”. What’s his family origin? Pumice?
#6 - Harry “Apple Cheeks” Lumley - So immature and insultingly patronizing, it’s a winner every time. Like someone nicknamed “Skippy”, it’s hard to take them seriously. But, hey, the dude’s in the Hall of Fame!
#5 - Bruce Shoebottom - Like Bob Beers, there’s really no explanation needed with this one. Just as the exposed sole of a foot in Arab culture is considered extremely insulting, Shoebottom…wellll, lets just say that he wasn’t a great defenseman. He was, however, a mean S.O.B. From Hockey Draft Central:
Shoebottom exhibited one of the angriest outbursts in pro hockey history during Oklahoma City’s March 23, 1994, CHL game at Tulsa. The incident took place after Shoebottom tried to leave the penalty box to resume a fight with Mike MacWilliam, who was on his way to the opposing penalty box after officials had broken up a fight between the two players. The attendant in the penalty box was unable to restrain an irate Shoebottom, and police intervened to protect the attendant from further harm. Shoebottom then head-butted one of the policeman trying to restrain him and was only subdued after a blast of pepper spray and a chokehold. Shoebottom suffered severe shoulder and neck injuries in the bizarre outburst. Initially charged with assault, Shoebottom was never tried since the charges were dropped.
Oof. You know what, I take that all back. Bruce Shoebottom’s one of the greatest defenseman ever. Better than Orr. (gulp)
#4 - Real Chevrefils - Never in my life have I ever heard of someone whose name sounds like a gas station promotion. “That’s right, if you bring your Camaro down to Dave’s Citgo this Saturday, we’ll give you a real Chevy refill!”
#3 - Bronco Horvath - Well, hell, as long as we’re talking about Chevys, we might as well segue into a Bronco. Like the horse the truck’s named after, if you want to make anyone sound tough, call ‘em Bronco. Hey, it worked for Bronco Nagurski. Although Horvath wasn’t exactly a tough guy, he did have some good years scoring on the “Uke Line” with Johnny Bucyk and Vic Stasiuk.
#2 - Fred Knipscheer - This is a name that tantalized me from the get-go. I can’t explain why, but it just sounds…well…*perfect*. Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Pretend that this is a different Freddie Knipscheer…one that DIDN’T score only 9 points in 28 games. Now imagine these lines delivered in a Boston drawl: “Freddie Kuh-nip-sheah with only one defender to beat! He pokes the puck through his legs and gets it back, Kuh-nip-sheah shoots! He scores!!! Goal number 67 for Kuh-nip-sheah this season!” Ahhhh, gives you chills doesn’t it? It makes me want to go run out and get a jersey lettered right now. You pair that name with any kind of talent (be it scoring or fighting) and it guarantees a barroom legend.
#1 - Jean Pusie - Pusie was the clown of hockey in his time known more for his on-the-ice antics than for his actual talent. From Legends of Hockey:
In London, however, fans were more preoccupied with his behaviour than his stickhandling. One night, on a breakaway, he fired a sizzler that took the opposing goalies’ glove right off of his hand and into the net for a score. Before the goalie could move, Pusie dove into the net, secured the glove and presented it to the befuddled goalkeeper accompanied by a low bow.
Not only that, but he was a professional wrestler too. Slam! Wrestling recounts a humorous tale from Canadian sportswriter Jim Coleman:
“My final meeting with Jean Pusie came after he had abandoned hockey and embraced professional wrestling. We
met at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens on a Thursday night when Pusie appeared in a preliminary bout on a regular weekly wrestling card promoted by Frank Tunney.
“Late that night, the wrestlers and several members of the news media were drinking in Tunney’s suite of offices on the main floor Church Street side of Maple Leaf Gardens. One of the wrestlers, Rudy Paytek, was an accomplished accordionist and was entertaining his fellow-wrestlers on the squeeze box as they waiting to be called into Tunney’s inner office to receive their individual shares of the night’s box-office receipts.
“Finally, from behind his office door, Tunney bawled out, ‘Pusie!’ As he arose from his chair, Pusie tapped the accordion-player, Rudy Paytek, on the shoulder. ‘Come with me,’ Pusie said to Paytek, ‘I like to listen to music while I’m getting screwed.’”
But let’s be honest everyone. We all know the reason Pusie’s on this list. My God, how can anyone go through life with this name? This should be the name of the French Prime Minister, not a hockey player. Hey, you’ve got to give Pusie credit…he made the most of it, becoming a fan favorite and even going into wrestling. Not surprising since he probably had to learn to fight at an early age.
But the best part about Jean Pusie? He only played four games in a Bruins jersey and spent most of his NHL career in a Canadiens sweater. Now THAT’S being a Pusie!
Posted in Bruins History, 50 Greatest Bruins names June 9th, 2007
So whaddya think? I’ll betcha no one was pondering the like of John Quilty and “Peggy” O’Neill, were ya? Hang on tight…what’s left is bound to be a pleasant blend of the obvious and the obscure. I can almost guarantee no one’s going to guess my top two. But, I digress, I’m tipping my hat too much…we’re not even at the Top Ten yet!
#20 – Orville “Obs” Heximer – Orville Heximer was good enough, but “Obs”? Heh. So immature. So awesome.
#19 - Forbes Kennedy - With a name like this, you don’t get a sad story about an poor child growing up in a steel mill town…father dying at age 7 after a horrible smelting accident…15 siblings in tattered clothes, 12 of them dying before the Red Sox won in 2004. Hell, you wonder why he’s not running for office in Worcester and/or driving mistresses into the local tributary. The funny thing is that he had 195 PIM for the Flyers in ‘68-’69. “Errrrah, is there any powdah in the clubhouse? My right fist is getting chafed!”
#18 - Sprague Cleghorn - Pay, ahhh say, pay attention boy! Ahhh was one of the dirtiest players eveh and even clubbed Lionel Hitchman over the head with mah stick when he was on the Senators! Ahhh couldn’t believe he kept his teeth numbered for just such an occasion!
#17 - Bobby Schmautz - Ahhhhh, Bobby Schmautz…my favorite non-Orr, non-Esposito player from the ’70s. You didn’t think I’d leave him off this list, did you? How can you not love someone apparently named after something you might find on the side of your face after eating a jelly donut?
#16 - Vladimir “Rosie” Ruzicka - As if “Rosie” wasn’t funny enough, there’s something ironic about having the same first name as Vlad the Impaler in addition to that. It’s almost like having someone named Adolf “Sweetcheeks” Johnson.
#15 - Kenny “The Rat” Linseman - Thus named by Bobby Clarke due to his on ice-posture. His career was ended prematurely in 1996 when he was slapped across the Panthers locker room by Scott Mellanby, sparking their Stanley Cup bid that year. What? Oh. sorry. Wrong rat.
#14 – Chris “Knuckles” Nilan – Finally, a nickname befitting someone’s job description. You know when you’re hiring someone named “Knuckles”, he’s not going to be there to help boost your power play. Not unless you’re planning on having him clobber the other team’s best defender.
#13 - Emory “Spunk” Sparrow - Another case where the name was good enough already but the nickname enhanced it jusssst that much more. He may have been spunky, but he wasn’t that good…in only eight NHL games, he had zero points to show for it.
#12 - Fleming MacKell - …zerre, late one night deep in zee Louisiana marshezz I heard it…zee throaty warble of one of zee rarest and mozzt elusive waterfowl in Les Etats-Unis…zee Fleming MacKell…
#11 - Percy “Perk” Galbraith - I guess when you’ve got a name like Percy, you’ve got to find a way to toughen it up a little bit. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if “Perk” was the way to go. On a positive note, he did play on various teams with “Peaches“, “Peggy” and “Pinkie“, so at least he must have able to deflect some of the taunting then…
Coming soon, the final list you’ve all been waiting for…#1-10!
