Vintage Black Aces: Pierre McGuire Gets Canned In Hartford

This is a pretty wild read on Pierre McGuire (tweeted by Gare Joyce today), from all the way back in 1994 when he was fired as head coach of the Hartford Whalers. I remember some of the drama that was going on at the time but forgot how heated it really was.

If you think McGuire is an intense, polarizing character now, read the article. “When the hallway curtain opened after a loss in Boston, McGuire was found by the media wildly smashing sticks against the wall. When the door opened after a loss in Pittsburgh, McGuire was seen knocking furniture around the coach's room.”

It goes on to say that Jaromir Jagr felt his overtime goal against Hartford in a regular season game was the “biggest of his life” because it was against McGuire. Wow.

Black Aces All-Star Game Vintage

When I was a kid, I absolutely loved the All-Star Game - up to a point.

I'd get all cranked up on soda and stand glued to the spot during the player introductions, always the most glamourous part of the game. In the 80's the "glamour" consisted of bare lights, a rousing 80's keyboard anthem and miles of bad hockey hair. By the end of the first period I'd be in the basement pretending I was Wayne Gretzky and winging tennis balls off the washing machine, the game itself forgotten.

As a time capsule, here's the 1980 All-Star Game player introductions at the brand spanking new Joe Louis Arena in Motor City. Of note, this is Gretzky's first All-Star Game and Gordie Howe's last.



The Skills Competition was like every kid's dream to watch and remains better than the game itself. Here's the breakaway competition from 2002.



Let's go with the shooting accuracy comp in a random year - 1996 - which has all the big names you can think of, plus Brendan Shanahan as a Hartford Whaler being blown away by Mark Messier going 4 for 4.



The 1991 All-Star game may be the most memorable in the past 25 years. Held in Chicago Stadium during the start of the Gulf War, the anthem before the game was a complete madhouse and the roof almost came off the old building.



The following video showing highlights of that 1991 weekend is typical of the production values that the NHL employed at the time - full-on cornball. But there's still good stuff in here, particularly Phil Esposito letting off some kind of flash-bomb taped to the end of his stick during the old-timers game. And you thought Ovechkin's hat and glasses trick was flashy?



Of course, we have to end it with Owen Nolan's called shot against Dominik Hasekin 1997 (with glowing puck). This video shows his last two goals of the hat-trick with the big moment coming about 50 seconds in. Still one of the best things I've seen in a hockey game.



Hope everyone enjoys the All-Star weekend here in Ottawa for the first time.

Coaching Staff Set For Little Sweden

Looks like the Senators read my last post, dropped everything, called the PR staff back from the cottage, and decided to announce the official signings of Dave Cameron and Mark Reeds as the assistants to head coach Paul MacLean in Ottawa. When I lift a finger, people start running, as my seven loyal readers well know.

We already know the score with Dave Cameron, but Mark Reeds is a little less known in Ottawa unless you're a rabid follower of the Ontario Hockey League where Reeds coached the Owen Sound Attack for the last handful of years. He, like MacLean and Cameron, played in the NHL as well, spending most of his time with the St. Louis Blues and a short spell with the Hartford Whalers (and their farm team in Binghamton).

The Senators now have three main coaches with NHL playing experience, and you can also throw in some of the other assistants like Luke Richardson and Rick Wamsley in that category. The Senators have never had a coaching staff that has the potential to understand what these players are going through, which was one of the main complaints about Cory Clouston and his staff last season, where even nice guys like Daniel Alfredsson and Chris Phillips were said to be shaking their heads at the way the team was being run.

But that's ancient history now. Bryan Murray has done a stellar job getting some of the top prospective NHL coaches together in one staff, and it's going to pay off sooner rather than later I suspect. He's also got the most picks of any NHL team in tomorrow's draft (as they keep saying without realizing the shocking meaning of that number - 6 of the first 66 picks - 666 - the ultimate "goocher" number of all numbers).

Now if Murray could somehow convince the Panthers to swap picks and grab Gabriel Landeskog at number 3 (Gabriel - another biblical reference - something strange is brewing), and if the local press can stop trying to trade Jason Spezza every week, then the Senators are going into this season with nothing but positive vibes, a whip-smart coaching staff, and a team full of hungry kids fresh off an AHL championship.

Maybe they even convince a top-six forward like Ville Leino or Scottie Upshall to sign in July.

Not much to complain about right now, but I'm sure we'll find something.

As for the draft, I'll be watching just like the rest of you, clueless as to what will actually transpire, but everyone has their pet pick for the second round or later, and mine is Swedish hot-shot Joachim Nermark, who can score goals like a maniac. I'll take a shot in the dark and predict the Senators will grab Nermark on Saturday to complement their growing Swedish family. And if you've caught sight of that monstrously huge Ikea being built out by Pinecrest, guys like David Rundblad, Robin Lehner, Andre Petersson, Jakob Silfverberg, Marcus Sorenson and (hopefully) Landeskog should feel right at home here in Little Sweden by the River.

Passing The Torch

When it's all said and done, it looks like Chris Phillips could be the Senators all-time leader in games played just a few seasons from now. Daniel Alfredsson currently sits at 1056 and Phillips is about a season and a half behind him at 938.

But that gap could close quickly. Alfredsson is 38 years old and has two years remaining on his contract after this season, but the last of those years, 2012-2013, coincides with a possible CBA confrontation between the players union and the league. I'd say it's 50/50 on whether or not a good chunk of games are cancelled, especially with the NHLPA having a new boss in Donald Fehr who was brought in to be a tough guy for the next round of negotiations.

It's entirely possible that next season could be Alfie's last in the NHL. A lot will depend on his health, which hasn't been great this season, and the looming CBA battle which could, in a worst-case scenario, wipe out an entire season.

Phillips on the other hand is still in the late stages of his prime years at 33 years old and has 3 more on his new deal and one that extends a season past the possible Armageddon. He'll still only be about 36 when the contract expires and could conceivably re-sign for another couple in the city he obviously loves to play in.

A lot of defenseman in their late 30's are still playing important minutes in the NHL today such as Sean O'Donnell (39), Chris Pronger (36), Adam Foote (39), Nicklas Lidstrom (40), Brian Rafalski (37), Adrian Aucoin (37), Sergei Gonchar (36), Sami Salo (36), Roman Hamrlik (36), Jaroslav Spacek (37) and Karlis Skrastins (36). There's both offensive and defensive specialists in that group.

Phillips has a chance to play another five or six years in this league if he can stay healthy and there's no reason to think he won't play a lot of those years in an Ottawa uniform. In a way, Phillips has a chance to be the next Glen Wesley who played 21 seasons in the NHL, mostly with the Carolina/Hartford organization. There are a lot of similarities between the two.

So if Phillips succeeds Alfredsson as the all-time games played leader, who's in the pipeline to surpass him?

The next guy on the list is Chris Neil at 652 games but at 31 years old and only 2 years left on his deal, he has a long road to the top. I'd say the odds are not good.

Jason Spezza is intriguing. He's a relative pup at 27 and is signed all the way through the 2014-2015 season with a no-trade clause in his pocket. He's already played in 519 games but would have been in more if it weren't for injuries. That's Spezza's only barrier to eventually becoming both the all-time games played and all-time points leader one day down the road. His new devotion to two-way play will cut down his offensive numbers a little over the coming years but he will be in the 75-100 point range nearly every season if he can keep healthy.

While Alfredsson and Phillips will share the elder statesman status for the time being, the torch has already been passed to Spezza. He's quickly become the team's most important player and his worth to the club is incalculable on the ice.

This is his team now and will be for a long time. He's the next captain, guaranteed.

But then again, there's Erik Karlsson, who is going to be one of the best defenseman in this league for the next 15 years. He's already the best defenseman on this team.

And then there's whoever they draft in the early first round this season. The Senators could have another franchise player on their hands in just three months time.

Things could be worse.

Nick Fotiu Is Insane

I've been ripping through Ross Bernstein's book called "The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL" which is packed with some truly great stories by past and current enforcers from around the league.

Inside is this hilarious Nick Fotiu story and I just had to post it. Fotiu was a very popular New York Ranger in the 70's and 80's and made a few stops along the way, including a stint in the WHA with the Hartford Whalers. Here's Nick in his own words:

"I used to love intimidating the opposition; it was a lot of fun. I remember when the Flyers would come to Madison Square Garden in New York to play us. I knew exactly what time they were going to arrive and what door they were coming in. So I would do like 200 push-ups right before they got there and would tape my wrists and get my arms all pumped up. Then I would put on a tank top and position myself right by the door where they came in. I would stand there looking just sweaty and pissed while I was sawing my sticks for that night's game. Well, when they walked in and started heading to their locker room, I know that they would look over at me and see me all pumped up with my muscles all bulging out.

That had a psychological effect on their tough guys for sure. They would come in tired from a long trip and then start thinking, "Oh man, look at this freaking guy!" Then, when they were getting dressed, I would go run a lap around the concourse and dump water all over me to make it look like I was sweating like crazy. I would then go down by their locker room while they were getting dressed and talk to the trainers. They would say real loud, "Oh, you're not playing tonight, Nick?" and I would say "No, I just felt like running three miles before the game to really get warmed up."

I know their guys could hear it, and I wanted to plant that seed. Then, and here is the kicker, I would buzz around like crazy during warm-ups, real fast. Finally, when
the game started and I got my first shift, I would come out like a bat out of hell, just banging guys and scaring the crap out of them. You just knew that they were over on their bench thinking, "Man, this freaking guy is nuts. He just ran three miles. Look at him!"

- "The Code" by Ross Bernstein

Incredible!

Here's Fotiu viciously beating Paul Holmgren (I think) into the ice at the old Spectrum in Philly. Fotiu was a mean bastard.

You can check out Fotiu's career "fight card" here.

Howe, Gretzky and Orr Should Be Honored With Re-Named Trophies

You could say that the NHL got the ball rolling with the creation of the Maurice Richard Trophy in 1999 but they also created the problem where other great players such as Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe and Bobby Orr are not similarly honored. No offense to the great Rocket, but the three aforementioned players were just as important to the history of the game as the former Hab’s star.

So do you bend over backwards and try to create three new trophies or does the league take a serious look at renaming some of their existing hardware?

There is no law that says you have to honour these players with their own trophies but it would create a positive buzz for the league and allow fans to actually identify the awards with names they actually know something about. Yes, that might seem like a disservice to three names I’m nominating to get changed, but much like the rings get taken off the Stanley Cup once the names underneath them get filled, the people honored for these three trophies have been celebrated for most of the century so far and should not be seen as being replaced.

It might just be time to honour some other deserving names for the next 50 to 100 years.

Here are the three trophies I propose to be re-named. Any other suggestions would be great to hear.

***

Hart Trophy (for most valuable player in the NHL) should be changed to:

The Gordie Howe Trophy.

Who else to name this trophy after than Mr.Hockey himself? Gordie won the Hart 6 times during his incredible 26 NHL seasons and is widely considered to be the most complete hockey player to ever play the game. Only Wayne Gretzky with 9 has won more Hart’s than Howe but Gretzky’s major claim to fame will always be his scoring exploits and he seems more suited to have the Art Ross Trophy named after him. It would be a fitting tribute to a legend that still may be the most popular and well-known hockey player of all-time.

Originally named after: Dr. David Hart, donor of the trophy and father of one-time Montreal coach and general manager Cecil Hart.

***

Art Ross Trophy (for the highest scoring player in a season) should be changed to:

The Wayne Gretzky Trophy.

Complete no-brainer. Gretzky won the Art Ross an astounding 10 times including 7 in a row from 1981 to 1987. Only Gordie Howe and Mario Lemieux even come close with 6 wins apiece.

Originally named after: Arthur Howie Ross, donor of the trophy, Hall of Fame Player and one-time coach and general manager of the Boston Bruins.

***

James Norris Trophy (for best defenseman in a season) should be changed to:

The Bobby Orr Trophy.

Another easy one. Orr revolutionized the position in his relatively short 12 year career and won the Norris Trophy an incredible 8 years in a row from 1968 to 1975. Only four players have scored more points per game on average – Gretzky, Lemieux, Howe and Mike Bossy.

Originally named after: James E. Norris, former owner of the Detroit Red Wings.

Bleeding Green

It's crazy to think that there are a lot of hockey fans out there who weren't even around the last time the Hartford Whalers played a game. One of the leagues most lovable franchises, they picked up and moved to Carolina at the end of the 96-97 season after missing the playoffs five years in a row. (By the way, that's original Ottawa Senator Peter Sidorkiewicz pictured above who represented the Sens along with Brad Marsh in the 93 All-Star game)

Now someone has made a quirky little film about the remaining hardcore Whalers fans who get loaded at dimly lit arenas and cry in their beers when the "Brass Bonanza" is played during pick-up games. This documentary, called Bleeding Green, is made by and for Whalers fans and more information on it can be found here. Be sure to check out the Official Hartford Whalers Booster Club here as well.

Even though the Hurricanes managed to win the Stanley Cup in Carolina, many team records are still held by players who wore the classic green (and later blue) uniform.

Blaine Stoughton scored the most goals in a season in franchise history with 56 in 1980.

Hall of Famer Ronnie Francis racked up the most helpers in one season with 69 in 1990.

Mike Rogers (who?!) twice notched 105 points in a season (1980, 1981) which is a record that still remains today.

Torrie Robertson holds the penalty record with 358 minutes in 1986.

It goes on and on with players like Dave Babych, Geoff Sanderson and Sylvain Turgeon (another original Ottawa Senator) setting franchise marks while the team was still in Connecticut.

And don't forget that Gordie Howe ended his NHL career wearing the Whale along with a toupee wearing Bobby Hull.

I don't think there would be too many fans uncomfortable with a new Whalers team in Hartford. If I could, I'd be there opening night raising a beer to the glorious sounds of Brass Bonanza while wearing a green Kevin Dineen jersey.