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It's official! In October GreatestHockeyLegends.com, now entering it's 4th season, had the third busiest month in site history!
When you combine sister site HockeyBookReviews.com I blew away my previous best for readership.
A big thank you goes out to my loyal readers.
In an era when the NHL was being dominated by hockey's version of globalization, Adam Graves was the traditional Canadian hockey player.
"He's very physical, he will do anything to get his team geared up," said one NHL coach "He plays the game every inch of that ice. He wants to command, and he commands a lot of respect out there. He's a total player. He's a spark. He's an inspiration. There's an m.v.p. guy, let me tell you. He's just an outstanding player and an outstanding person."
"Adam was always the type of kid you wanted to make it," Colin Campbell, his former coach said. "He is conscientious, nice, hard-working, respectful. And usually those guys don't make it. Adam is the milk-drinker who goes through hell for you."
He plays a rugged, aggressive game of hockey, with a mean streak that enhances his talent and inspires his teammates. He parks his often bruised body in front of the net, especially playing on the power play. Graves is a willing fighter, often known as Mark Messier's bodyguard, both in Edmonton and later New York. Kevin Lowe, team-mate of both in both cities, calls Graves "the sheriff" for his willingness to defend fellow Rangers.
Graves was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings out of the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. He finished the 1988 season with the Wings after leading the Spitfires to the OHL championship. He split the 1988-89 season with the Wings and their AHL affiliate. He was quickly traded in the beginning of the 1989-90 season in a huge trade. Graves, Petr Klima, Joe Murphy and Jeff Sharples were all moved to Edmonton in exchange for Michigan-born Jimmy Carson and long time Oiler tough guy Kevin McClelland.
Graves filled a similar role to McClelland while in Edmonton, but possessed much promise which never really was tapped in the City of Champions. He played 2 seasons with the Oil, scoring 15 goals in 139 games. He teamed with Martin Gelinas and Joe Murphy to form the Oilers version of the "Kid Line." The trio combined speed and youthful enthusiasm in a supporting role in the Oilers 1990 Stanley Cup Championship.
The New York Rangers plucked Graves away from Edmonton in 1991 via the free agency market. It was in New York that Graves blossomed into a star. He blossomed in 1991-92 to score 26 goals, more than doubling his career total. The next year he improved to 36 goals and by 1993-94 he joined Vic Hadfield as only the second New York Ranger in history to score 50 goals. In fact Graves' 52 goals better Hadfield's then-team record by 2. Graves of course would add 10 goals and 17 points in 23 playoff games to help bring Lord Stanley's Cup back to Broadway for the first time since 1940.
Graves would have trouble reaching the same plateau again. Playing in pain but rarely missing a game, he became a consistent 20 goal scorer in the years following.
Though not known for using a stick in flagrant ways, one of Graves' most infamous moments involved a stick foul against the Pittsburgh Penguins' star Mario Lemieux in the 1992 playoffs.While killing a Pittsburgh power play, Graves swung his stick and broke a bone in Lemieux's right hand, putting him out of the series. Graves received a suspension that kept him off the ice for the rest of that series, and the Rangers, regular-season champions then, as they are now, were eliminated by the Penguins.
Gravy is also one of the NHL's nicest guys. The 1994 King Clancy Memorial winner, Graves participated in many activities involving under privileged kids in New York.
When Billy Moe played in the NHL from 1944 through 1949, he was part of a definite minority in the league. He was an American.
In fact only two other players in the NHL during that time span were Americans - Frankie Brimsek and John Mariucci. All three are are US Hockey Hall of Famers while Brimsek is a Hockey Hall of Famer and Mariucci is inducted as a builder.
But back to Moe. Moe was a defensive defenseman who was largely overlooked because of his quiet contributions to team. He used to uniquely crouch down tightly to check an opposing forward and had a reputation as a rock solid stay at home blueliner and shot blocker.
Such aggressive bodychecking of course would make Moe a target - but not from who you would think. Opposition players never really tried to punish Moe for his low blow. Instead, Moe became the target of Madison Square Garden camera lenses! So ununusal were Moe's hits that cameramen would single in on him alone for the entire game in hopes to obtain the perfect capture of of Moe's talent.
The best known photo was taken by Andy Lopez of Acme Newspictures. In it, Moe checks Toronto Maple Leaf forward Gaye Stewart during the 1947-48 season. Stewart is perfectly upside down in the photo.
Born in Danvers, Massachusetts but grew up in Minneapolis where he first picked up the game of hockey. He joined the EHL in unusual hockey cities like Atlantic City and Baltimore before the AHL's Hershey Bears signed him. The AHL of course was desperate for players as they, like the NHL, were losing players to WWII commitments. Had it not been for the war, Moe might never have been give the chance to play at the AHL level.
With the Bears he dominated the AHL 1942 through 1944. He was named as the AHL's MVP in 1944 and quickly attracted the attention of the NHL at the point. It was Lester Patrick's New York Rangers that landed the AHL MVP.
Moe played a strong but quiet role for 5 years in New York. With the war over, NHL teams were once again stocked with the best talent. While Moe never got the chance to play the same role as he had in the minors, he certainly never looked out of place in the big leagues either.
After Moe's 5 years with the Rangers, Moe returned to Hershey to finish his career by the 1953 season.
A 13 year veteran of hockey's notorious minor leagues, Danny Belisle received his best Christmas gift ever in 1960. Danny learned he would get his first NHL appearance on Christmas Day, 1960.
The New York Rangers called him up in to play the Montreal Canadiens as the Rangers roster - namely Dan Prentice and Camille Henry - was depleted with injuries. Like only a Hollywood script would dream of, Belisle responded with his first goal in his first game. He went on to add another in the 3 games that followed.
After his 4th game, it appeared that Camille Henry was nearly ready to return to action, however it wouldn't be until game time before the final decision was made. As a result, Ranger coach Alf Pike couldn't make up his mind what to do with Belisle. He told him to get dressed, then to get undressed. Finally he told him to get half dressed of all things.
Belisle, somewhat confused at the moment yet as always a jolly soul, decided to take that literally. He dressed in his hockey pads, shin and knee pads and hockey socks. Then he put on his street shoes, his shirt and his tie! His teammates were hysterical with laughter, but Pike was not.
Pike ordered Belisle to remove his hockey gear. Pike was determined to not use Belisle, even if that meant dressing a unhealthy Henry.
"And that was my last game in the NHL" laughs Belisle years later. "I did exactly what the coach ordered - I got half dressed. But putting on that shirt and tie pissed him off so much that I was back in the minors the following day!"
This is James Patrick. "Jeep" played in nearly 1300 NHL games, 4 world championships, 2 world juniors, 1 Canada Cup and 1 Olympics, but somehow is one of the most underrated defensemen in the history of the game.
Patrick, who suffered from the digestive disease colitis, was an exceptional talent. He was an excellent skater in every way - speed, agility and power. His skating was amplified by his superior puck handling ability, often rushing the puck. He had a great point shot, always kept low for tips and rebounds.
That is how Patrick picked up most of his points, because he was not an elite passer. He was never great at the perfect breakout pass from his own zone. His instinct was always to skate with the puck. Once he reached the neutral zone he would either dump the puck into the offensive zone, or just drive all the way to the net, whether the defenseman should be or not. He was unlikely to utilize the players ahead of him when rushing the puck.
Though his skating and hockey smarts always placed him in strong defensive positioning, he was often criticized for his defensive play. Despite his good size, he was never a physical presence by any stretch of the imagination. It was not in his demeanor, or in his upper body strength. Still, his skating and balance should have allowed him to be a smart take-out defenseman, but too often players would drive through his checks.
James comes a great Canadian athletic family, but not the family you may expect. He is no relation to Frank and Lester Patrick, hockey's most influential family. He is the son of Steve Patrick, a former CFL star quarterback turned Manitoba politician. James' brother Steve Jr. also played in the NHL, including a short time with James on the Rangers.
James was the Rangers 9th overall draft pick in 1981, selected ahead of the likes of Al MacInnis and Chris Chelios. Patrick was named as the Canadian Tier II junior player of the year that year, leading Prince Albert to the Centennial Cup. But the Rangers would have to be patient with Patrick, who was heading to the University of North Dakota to hone his game and study business administration.
Patrick immediately established himself as one of the best players in the NCAA, winning WCHA Rookie of the Year in 1982. That year North Dakota won the NCAA championships, with Patrick being named as the team's MVP. Patrick would be named as a finalist for the Hobey Baker award as the best college player in the country in 1983.
Patrick would leave North Dakota early. In his magical 1982 season he also discovered international hockey, helping Canada earn it's first World Junior gold medal. He enjoyed that experience so much that he jumped at the opportunity to return. He spent the 1983-84 season playing with Dave King's Canadian national team, earning a spot on the Canadian Olympic team. The Canadians finished just out of the medals in 4th place, but Patrick would credit the experience with readying him for the NHL.
Patrick would finish the season with the Rangers, immediately taking a spot on the power play. He would be a regular on the point for the next decade.
Although he had better offensive years, his best year was in 1987-88. He began the year playing with Canada at the Canada Cup, and finished the year being named as the Rangers best defenseman and team MVP.
In late 1993 the Rangers traded Patrick in a complex three way trade to land Steve Larmer. Patrick would play most of the season with Hartford before being traded again to Calgary where the Flames were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. The Rangers, meanwhile, won the Stanley Cup, a reward that would prove to be elusive for Patrick.
Patrick would play in Calgary for six years, battling serious knee, neck and concussion injuries. The Flames would not renew his contract in 1998, and some speculated Patrick's career was done.
The Buffalo Sabres were looking for a veteran presence on their blueline, and signed Patrick up. Neither party probably expected Patrick to play in Buffalo for six seasons, although injuries limited his playing time. Patrick's career highlight came in 1999 when he helped the Sabres reach the Stanley Cup finals. The Sabres would fall to the Dallas Stars in six games.
In 21 NHL seasons Patrick played in 1280 games, scored 149 goals and 639 points. Patrick finally retired in 2004 and took a spot behind the Sabres bench, coaching the defensemen.
For a player with such a great mind for the game, there was never such an obvious transition.
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