OLD-SCHOOL HOCKEY

[The Real Spiffy]

Not bad guesses for teams that played 50 years ago....Here is the info...Rangers... Giacomin, Villemure, and Maniago...Bruins. ..Ed Johnston, BERNIE PARENT, and Gerry Cheevers....Red Wings....Crozier, Bassen...Leafs... Bower, Sawchuk, and Gamble.....Black Hawks....Hall , De Jordy....Canadien s...Charlie Hodge, Lorne "Gump" Worsley....

[#7 TRAIN TO FLUSHING]

Da Gumper !!!  Forgot him.. I think he played for the Rangers too...  Bassen,,, Right.. Bruce Gamble I tried and tried but couldn't come up with him altho I knew of him...Good stuff..  Maniago went with expansion to the Stars and Hodge to the Seals

[The Real Spiffy]

When Charlie was left unprotected by the Habs, he wound up being selected by the Oakland Seals...He became my neighbor for 7 years till i moved back to Canoga Park...Charlie and DeeDee were great people, and he gave me his game jerseys from the Canadiens as a going-away gift. Looking back, i should have asked him for a Seals jersey, because they are worth a hellof a lot of money now...Charlie passed away earlier this year back in Quebec, he was one of many solid netminders for the Habs...

[#7 TRAIN TO FLUSHING]

Interesting story.. Still have his Montreal jerseys or sweaters as they called them ?

[The Real Spiffy]

Yes i do...my best friend's son will get an awesome gift upon my demise...Also...e ven though they are regarded as one of the classisest franchises in the NHL, the owners at the time(NOT the Molson's)...tried to screw Charlie out of his players' pension, saying it was the responsibility of the Seals' organzation, which was defunct...Charlie had to threaten them with a Civil suit in Provincial Court to get them to pay out on the pension...thats what happens when bean-counters and businessmen own sports franchises, rather than sportsmen...

[#7 TRAIN TO FLUSHING]

Sad story...Charlie seemed like a class guy.. I got to know some players and refs in time.. All that I got to know were fun to hang out  with.....They would share stories  and be regular guys.. I'm sure there a holes out there.. Got to hear a behind the scenes story or 2..  this was not the 60's bunch, but 70's 80' early 90's..

[The Real Spiffy]

I was told by a friend who lived in Detroit during that time that most of the Red Wings were very accessible...they would do PA.s at Department Stores, Car Dealers and the like...even the old-timers like Lindsay and Pavelich would do them too...A different breed of player...

[#7 TRAIN TO FLUSHING]

They played for the love of the game as much or more than the $$.. Better than working on the farm in Saskatchewan !

[The Real Spiffy]

Bringing up referees...rememb er Vern Buffey and Frank Udvari??? I thought they were the worst refs in the NHL...Vern had the Trump 'do long before it became stylish....

[#7 TRAIN TO FLUSHING]

I do.. Never met them while they were on ice , as was just a kid.. (Met Udvari when he was a Supervisor)..First one I met was a linesman Neil Armstrong as I worked at a Country Club and he had a day off between games.. (Tues-Thurs or Thurs Sat) and I got him on the golf course.  When he returned , he had a different crew working with him.. In a matter  of a few months I knew most of the staff that worked the Eastern half of the US games. In a year  I knew them all..  Free tickets out of town, a puck collection,(game used), of over 500.. One even stayed over at my house. Got a couple game worn jerseys too...