LATEST ARTICLES


BIDNER

American Hockey League,Detroit Red Wings,Edmonton Oilers,National Hockey League,United Kingdom,Washington Capitals / Sep-2015

Todd Bidner:
FIGHTING CLAUDE JULIEN

I got in a fight that night with Claude Julien. I’d fought him in junior, so I knew I could beat him up. I did pretty good against him, and all the scouts were there.

FT-EWEN

Bob Probert,Fighting,St Louis Blues / Sep-2015

Todd Ewen:
REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT

I call my brother up and say, “Hey man, just had my second game in the NHL and it was awesome I fought this guy his name is Preburt or Proberb, something like that.”

FT-Brubaker

American Hockey League,Coaching,Edmonton Oilers,Fighting,Hartford Whalers,National Hockey League / Sep-2015

Jeff Brubaker:
THEY DON’T FIGHT LIKE THEY USED TO

If there was a choice between having to fight a bunch of tough guys every night or not being there, I didn’t mind.

FT-Darius

Russia / Sep-2015

Darius Kasparaitis:
THE MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY

Sometimes, I call myself the man without a country. I left Lithuania at a young age, went to Russia, and ended up just everywhere.

FT-Maruk

American Hockey League,Montreal Canadiens,Training Camp,Washington Capitals / Sep-2015

Dennis Maruk:
FROM THE BEGINNING

I was excited about going to my first training camp after the California Golden Seals drafted me in the second, round, 21st overall in 1975.

steve_shutt_thumb

Montreal Canadiens,Music / Sep-2015

Steve Shutt:
ME AND GEDDY

We were both 14 years old going to Fisherville Junior High in Willowdale in 1966, right at the start of the psychedelic era.

Feature---Steve-V

Countries,Kontinental Hockey League,Leagues,Russia / Sep-2015

Steve Valiquette:
LIFE, FATE & STEVE MONTADOR

The next morning I got a call from Steve’s brother saying he’d passed the night before. It was at the same time that I was walking home.

FT-Ling

Kontinental Hockey League,Russia / Sep-2015

David Ling:
GUNS, MONEY AND MOSCOW

When it was my turn to go get my money, I walked in to find an old lady sitting at a small table with a mail bag full of 100 dollar bills (all American), a money counter and a list of the players and their salaries. Behind her was a big scary looking mob guy for security.

FT-1992

Lithuania,National Hockey League,New York Islanders,Olympics,Russia / Sep-2015

Darius Kasparaitis:
1992

1992 was one of the best years of my life. I won Gold at the World Juniors and the Olympics; got drafted; and then played my rookie year with the Islanders.

FT-Zehr

American Hockey League,Boston Bruins,Callup,National Hockey League / Sep-2015

Jeff Zehr:
48 HOURS

As we were skating off, Chris Simon grabbed me by the throat and said, ‘Rookie, if you hit another guy, I’m sending you down to the minors in a body bag.’

FT-PRonger

National Hockey League,Retirement / Sep-2015

Sean Pronger:
THE END OF HOCKEY

I limped home, got an ice pack out of the freezer, went up to the bedroom and yelled downstairs to my wife, ‘That’s it, we’re done!

FT-Plante

Boston Bruins,Canada,Russia,St Louis Blues / Sep-2015

Assorted:
LET’S FACE IT, AS A TEAM GUY HE WAS A PIECE OF S*&T

Jacques Plante was a great goalie, but as a team guy he was a piece of shit. He was always broke and borrowing money, but he’d never pay you back.

FT-Warriner

National Hockey League,Toronto Maple Leafs / Sep-2015

Todd Warriner:
SURVIVING TORONTO

I enjoyed playing in Toronto. I think now it’s a little bit — I’ve said this before, I started with Pat Burns, and then we had Mike Murphy in there but we also had Pat Quinn.

FT-JJ

Boston Bruins,Canada,Countries,National Hockey League,Olympics / Sep-2015

Joe Juneau:
BOSTON, BY WAY OF ALBERTVILLE

During college I had good marks, I was an All-American, I was the Hobey Baker finalist for two years, and I felt I had earned a one-way contract in the NHL.

FT-Darius4

Addiction,Retirement / Jul-2015

Darius Kasparaitis:
STORIES FROM A LIFE IN HOCKEY

My problem when I retired was that I had such high expectations of myself. I wanted to do only huge things; I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything less. But, with time, I realized that it isn’t about that.

FT-Baldwin

Hartford Whalers,National Hockey League,World Hockey Association / Jun-2015

Howard Baldwin:
THE BALLAD OF DAVE KEON

To me, Dave Keon was as classy a guy as I ever met in hockey. And I loved the way he played and conducted himself. He was quiet, he had his own way of doing things, but who cares, we were so lucky to have him on our team

FT-Muir

Draft / Jun-2015

Bryan Muir:
DRAFT DAY

It has been a pretty long day; our seats are way up in the rafters of the Forum. We fall asleep, both of us. I don’t know when, but I wake up, rub the sleep out of my eyes and check the draft board.

FT-Draft

Draft,St Louis Blues,The Last of the Best / Jun-2015

Gerald Haines:
115TH OVERALL

Mom wasn’t a hockey person so she didn’t know Gordie Howe from Joe Blow. “Some fella named Cliff Fletcher called and said something about you being drafted.”

FT-Henderson

Boston Bruins,Draft,The Last of the Best / Jun-2015

Jay Henderson:
246TH OVERALL

I joke about it. People will ask “where did you go?” And I’ll say I was picked right before Vincent Lecavalier. “But didn’t he go first overall in 1998?” And I’ll say “yeah, that’s right”.

FT-Gani

Draft,Edmonton Oilers,The Last of the Best / Jun-2015

Darren Gani:
250TH OVERALL

The best decision I ever made in my life was not going to the draft; that is for sure. My agent called and said, “I am taking some guys down to Montreal for the draft. I want you to come along.”

FT-PRonger

Draft,Vancouver Canucks / Jun-2015

Sean Pronger:
DRAFT DAY

In ’91, my dad and I drove to Buffalo for what was to be the Lindros draft. I had just the one meeting set up with the Vancouver Canucks.

FT-Morin

Detroit Red Wings,Draft,National Hockey League,World Hockey Association / Jun-2015

Grant Morin:
185TH OVERALL

I was just playing hockey with my pals. I didn’t have dreams of going to the NHL or anything. We were a town of 6000 with dads coaching. It wasn’t until I was 14 that I realized you can go play junior.

FT-Draft

Draft,The Last of the Best / Jun-2015

Assorted:
THE LAST OF THE BEST

To simply be drafted, means you play the very difficult game of hockey better than almost every other person born in your birth year anywhere in the hockey-playing world.

FT-Knibbs

Draft,Montreal Canadiens,Series,The Last of the Best / Jun-2015

Darrel Knibbs:
84TH OVERALL

Even all the way up, all I got was a letter from Montreal saying, you’ve been drafted by the Montreal Canadiens show up on September 8th to the Montreal Forum.

FT-Dundas

Draft,Montreal Canadiens / Jun-2015

Rocky Dundas:
THE DRAFT

Serge Savard drafted me. He must have asked me 20 times if I was happy to be drafted by the Canadiens because I looked so disappointed.

FT-Darius3

Lithuania,The Modern Game / Jun-2015

Darius Kasparaitis:
THE LOST ART OF HITTING

I played the game hard and no matter where I played, I played to win. But I’ll be honest: I always played to hit someone. That was my number one goal.

FT-Mystery-Baldwin

Hartford Whalers,Movies,Owners / Jun-2015

Howard Baldwin:
WHEN HOCKEY MEETS HOLLYWOOD

It was my wife Karen that created the story. Those were the days of the Die Hard movies and she said, “What about Die Hard in an arena?”

FT-Vukota

Fighting,National Hockey League,New York Islanders,Washington Capitals / Jun-2015

Mick Vukota:
THE FIGHTER’S BOND

There’s a bond among fighters because we all have a fear of failure. Most fighters, off the ice, are the nicest guys because of this very real weakness that we have to stare down and try and face, but sometimes, cannot.

FT-Maruk

Playoff Beards,Playoffs,Washington Capitals / Jun-2015

Dennis Maruk:
WHY I HAD A MOUSTACHE IN THE NHL

I first started growing a moustache when I was about 14 because I just didn’t want to shave, and it made me look older.

FT-White

1972 Summit Series,Chicago Blackhawks,Events,Russia / Jun-2015

Bill White:
1972

I tried getting in shape before the 72 Series, but I hated running. I’d jogged a little up north but had come across a mother bear and her cubs, which gave me the excuse: “Too dangerous.”

FT-Shutt2

Guy Lafleur,Legends,Montreal Canadiens,Stanley Cup / Jun-2015

Steve Shutt:
MY PHOTO ALBUM NO. 2

Guy Lafleur was the most dynamic, captivating player that I ever played with. When he got the puck, everyone in the rink just knew that something was going to happen.

FT-Broderick

Don Cherry,Gordie Howe,Hockey Night in Canada / Jun-2015

Ken Broderick:
CHERRY, ORR AND WEARING THE MAPLE LEAF

My brother was a goaltender. He’s three years older than I am. I just decided that if Len could play goal, I could play goal better than him.

FT-Warriner

Europe,Finland,Germany,Switzerland / Jun-2015

Todd Warriner:
THE EUROPEAN WAY

That’s the biggest thing when you go to Europe, don’t stand around and think you have all kinds of time, you still have to play with pace.

FT-Kelly-Ballard

Owners,Toronto Maple Leafs / Jun-2015

Red Kelly:
THE JOB OFFER FROM PRISON

Once, I received a phone call from Harold Ballard from Millhaven Penitentiary. He said, ‘You interested in coming to Toronto?’ and I said ‘Yeah’

FT-Start

Beginnings,Childhood / Jun-2015

Assorted:
THE START

From the pond in Tilsonburgh, Ontario to the hockey hotbed of Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, everyone started somewhere. These are some of those stories.

FT-Eddie

Broadcasting / Jun-2015

Eddie Olczyk:
GOING FOR THE TRIPLE AND DAILY DOUBLE

It looked like the possibility of doing the Daily Double of the Triple Crown and Stanley Cup finals on the same day in the same city, but it didn’t work out.

FT-Schoenfeld

Family,Loss / Jun-2015

Jim Schoenfeld:
LOSING TIM HORTON

Our team in Buffalo was very close socially: the old and young players, everybody’s wives and girlfriends. When something good happened to someone, we shared in the joy.

Henry Boucha

Minnesota,NHLPA,USA / Jun-2015

Henry Boucha:
THE EAGLE AND THE END

After leaving hockey, I was devastated that I couldn’t play. I felt self-pity and depression. I was 25 years old walking out a door and into a world I didn’t know.

therookies

Broadcasting,New York Islanders / Jun-2015

Jiggs Macdonald:
HOW TIGER SAVED BRYAN, AND OTHER STORIES

I was sitting there at the bar when two rookies– Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey– came in and found me. One grabbed my sandwich, one grabbed my Coke, and told me I was going with them.

FT-Warriner

Toronto Maple Leafs / Jun-2015

Todd Warriner:
THE HAIRDRESSER

He’s going through: I remember you got two against L.A. — he remembered everything. It was incredible. It wasn’t as if I was scoring regularly — but he remembered my goals. It was pretty cool.

FT-Music

Music / May-2015

Assorted:
THE SOUNDTRACK OF HOCKEY

From the backyard pond to the game’s most iconic rinks, music has soundtracked the game of hockey, intertwined with some of the greatest names like Valeri Kharlamov to Al Iafrate.

FT-Walker

Concussions,Fighting,Retirement,Toronto Maple Leafs / May-2015

Kurt Walker:
THE PRICE OF PLAYING

When you’re young, you feel invincible. You think you can do whatever you want to do and nothing will bother you. I’ve had 17 surgeries, 10-plus concussions & I pay the price every day.

FT-Neale

Broadcasting,Canada,Coaching,Family,Gordie Howe,Minnesota Fighting Saints,World Hockey Association / May-2015

Harry Neale:
FLASHLIGHT RADIO

My dad built me a rink when I was five years old in the backyard in Sarnia. It was only a small rink but I played all the time. In those days, the winters in Southern Ontario gave you ice from early December all the way to March.

FT-SmallBridge

Canada,Olympics / May-2015

Billy Bridges & Sami Jo Small:
Hockey Canada’s Golden Couple

There are more pictures of Sami and Teemu Selanne than there are of the two of us. Her mom got so mad about that when I tweeted it. Her mom said, ‘That’s not true, there’s one of you in the corner of our living room…’

FT-Jackson

Alcoholism,Drinking,Quebec Nordiques / May-2015

Jeff Jackson:
THE MOURNFUL SAGA OF BRYAN FOGARTY

Bryan Fogarty was supposed to be the next Bobby Orr. He could do amazing things on the ice. I remember his zenith, which came during an early home game at the Colisee in the winter of ‘89.

FT-Baldwin

Hartford Whalers,Owners,World Hockey Association / May-2015

Howard Baldwin:
HARTFORD AND HOWARD

The game went off okay, but the next night in Philly, the players fell through the ice. That was the WHA: you never knew what was coming at you.

FT---Dionne

Leagues,Montreal Canadiens,National Hockey League,Philadelphia Flyers / May-2015

Gilbert Dionne:
IN CONVERSATION

Victoria Matiash sits down with Gilbert Dionne to talk about winning a cup with the Habs, Boston fans, his famous older brother and going his own way.

Terry-Ryan

American Hockey League,Canada,Countries,Leagues,Montreal Canadiens,Newfoundland / May-2015

Terry Ryan:
TALES OF A FIRST ROUND NOTHING

Episode One: Surviving Michel Therrien – Stories of a life in hockey, about hockey, by former Montreal Canadien and Newfoundland hockey legend and author Terry Ryan with broadcaster Victoria Matiash.

FT-Eddie

Broadcasting,National Hockey League / May-2015

Eddie Olczyk:
MY PICK FOR THE PREAKNESS AND OTHER HORSE STORIES

I’ve been an avid horse owner and bettor for a long time, and in 1994, after we won the Stanley Cup with the Rangers, I took the Cup to the Belmont Park for the day.

FT-Shutt

Leagues,Montreal Canadiens,National Hockey League,Teams / May-2015

Steve Shutt:
MY PHOTO ALBUM NO. 1

So when I saw this photo I was thrilled – me and Frank in the same photo. How cool is this. Then I start thinking – he’s a left winger, I am a left winger.