Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Notes From Mr. Wilson's Basement-Part Two
Last week I
featured one-third of the famous Kid Line that helped put hockey on
the map in Toronto, It was in the early 1930s, and the Leafs were in
the process of moving into Maple Leaf Gardens. It was to become a
crowning achievement for Leafs owner, Conn Smythe.
Harvey Jackson
Harvey
“Busher” Jackson also played on that famous line. His nephew was
on hand to tell us about his uncle, and about his father Art, who
also played in the NHL. He talked about his uncle with an air of
reverence. “Busher's” career was certainly chaotic. All in all,
he did earn a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame, along with his
teammates.
He told the
audience in the basement that his uncle wore number 18 for the
Bruins. With that, he proceeded to dig into a plastic bag, and
displayed his uncle's jersey, and his father's as well. Art's dad
told his son that no one in the NHL possessed a backhand shot as hard
as Busher. He also said the Busher was “as tough as nails”.
Harvey Jackson
The Jacksons
had a summer place in Bobcageon. As was often the case in those days,
Busher would have the entire hockey team head north to his town to
play a little softball in the summer. In the winter, the boys often
skated in Toronto on the Grenadier Pond.
Busher had a
tough time following his hockey career. To put it gently, he lived in
the fast lane while playing, saving very little for a rainy day.
There is even a story that he could be found selling broken Leafs
sticks to fans outside the Gardens to get a little pocket money. When
the time came for the committee to induct him into the Hall of Fame,
Conn Smythe blocked his nomination. Five years after his death,
Jackson was inducted into the Hall. Smythe resigned the next day.
Joe Primeau
Joe Primeau
was the third member of the Kid Line. His granddaughter was on hand
to share tidbits from his life. Primeau was a classy guy, and was
considered to be the “brains” of the line. In his first five
years on the line, he led the NHL in assists three times. Primeau
retired from hockey in 1936, when he was just 30 years old. He
determined that he could be more successful with his business
interests off the ice. But once he had those businesses up and
running smoothly, he got back into the game, coaching. Over the next
ten years, his teams won the Memorial Cup, the Allan Cup, and the
Stanley Cup. He was the last surviving member of the Kid Line.
Another
participant that evening was Richard Levinsky, son of Alex Levinsky.
Levinsky played for the Leafs in the 1930s, with “Hap” Day as his
defence partner. He was later traded to Chicago, and was a popular
player with some of the well known characters in the city at that
time: ”Bugs” Segal, and Meyer Lansky, in particular. Levinsky was
Jewish, as were those gentlemen. When Levinsky was traded from
Chicago, they were furious. In their typically suggestive way, they
asked Levinsky if he wanted them “to take the coach for a short car
ride”.
"King" Clancy
Terry Clancy
was on hand to talk about his father, the legendary “King”
Clancy. He told the group his father never talked about his games,
from a personal standpoint. As a coach and observer later in life, he
realized that players continued to improve each year. Terry was a
fine player in his own right, playing for Canada in the 1964 Olympics
in Austria.
“King”
retired in the 36-37 season, then went on to referee in the NHL for
15 seasons. He returned to coaching, and was behind the bench 1n 1967
when the Leafs won the Cup,
Great
memories!
James Hurst
September
26, 2017
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Notes from Mr. Wilson's Basement
Notes
From Mr. Wilson's Basement
A couple of months ago,
I was invited to attend a hockey function in Toronto. It took place
in a basement in a very nice part of town, but it was no ordinary
basement. For hockey memorabilia fans, particularly Leaf fans, it was
an extraordinary cellar.
Mike Wilson used almost
one thousand square feet of space to display his collection. Since
that time, he has sold the bulk of the collection to the Canadian
Museum of History in Ottawa. Wilson spent many years amassing the
material. Each item that he obtained had a history, sometimes an
emotional attachment. He wanted to share his knowledge of the game,
keeping the history alive. With that in mind, he often hosted
different groups to his basement. A series of “Hot Stove League”
chats.
The evening I attended
was devoted to hockey history from the early 1930s. The Toronto
Marlboroughs won the Memorial Cup at that time, and the Leafs won the
Stanley Cup a short time later. Descendants of the players were on
hand to share a memory or two of their famous relatives. I was
invited to the event by Pete Conacher, who played for the Belleville
McFarlands when they won the World Championship.
Pete, in a recent photo in Mr. Wilson's Basement
Pete represented
arguably the most famous family in Toronto sports history. His dad
was Charlie. His uncle was Lionel. His cousin was Murray Henderson,
whom Pete calls the “unsung hero of the Conacher family”. His
Uncle Roy played several years in the NHL. Then there are several
other grandsons and nephews who played at higher levels of hockey.
Mike Wilson, in his basement
Pete told the group
assembled that his father “never talked about the games” when he
got home form the Gardens. His dad played on one of the first lines
in hockey to receive a nickname-the Kid Line. Other players on that
line were Joe Primeau, and Harvey “Busher” Jackson. Pete
remembered that his dad was not a fan of the “dump the puck”
style of hockey. His dad said that it slowed the game down to the
extent that “they could have played the game in galoshes”.
Pete got called up to
the Black Hawks from his Junior team in Guelph. His Uncle Roy was
retiring that season, and Pete got a chance to skate with him. Pete
played on a line with Bill Mosienko and Jim McFadden, against the
leafs. He remembered that the Hawks won, 1-0. Pete was credited with
an assist on the goal. He maintains that he did not touch the puck.
Charlie's son Brad took
the floor for a few questions and answers. He said that he followed
the game listening to Foster Hewitt. Naturally, the Leafs were
revered by most Torontonians. That reverence went back to those early
1930s days, when the Kid Line dominated play, and won Stanley Cups.
Remember?
Pete was also asked
about Nicholson Island, of all things. He told the group that his dad
sent their dog down to the island to be trained. His Uncle Lionel
often went to the island to hunt pheasant. There is a strong Toronto
Maple Leafs connection to the island, which I will research in days
to come.
Mike Wilson reported
that the last of the items he sold left his place about a month ago.
But he has an agreement with the Museum, indicating that he has
“curatorial control, naming rights, and an emphasis on preserving
and displaying his collection's history”.
September 18, 2017.
Friday, September 15, 2017
Jose Abreu-White Sox
As I get
older, I tend not to focus on the negative aspects of life. I know
they are out there. It is easier to pay more attention to sport, and
the good things about it.
Jose Abreu
has a lot on his mind, nowadays. He was born in Cienfuegos, Cuba,
roughly translated as “One Hundred Fires”. It lies on the south
coast of Cuba, roughly one hundred miles south of Havana, as the crow
flies. You may have seen footage of the disaster brought by Hurricane
Irma on the north coast of Cuba in the past few days.
Most of the
Caribbean Islands have been ravaged by the storm, some islands
completely flattened. As I write, Irma is making her way through
northern Florida, and into other southern states. I have seen
estimates of hundreds of billions of dollars in damages. I have no
idea how much that would be. Quite a bit, I assume.
So ...Abreu
is playing baseball for the White Sox. He is a very talented player.
He was the “Rookie of the Year” for the American League in his
first season, 2014. After his third season with the White Sox, he
joined Albert Pujols and Joe DiMaggio as the only players ever to hit
25 home runs, 175 hits, and 100 runs- batted-in in that time span.
His career
batting average is .300, and he has 30 home runs so far this season.
While
playing against the San Francisco Giants recently, Abreu accomplished
a rare feat. In baseball jargon, he hit “for the cycle”. It means
that he had a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in one game.
It was the way he accomplished the cycle that made it
remarkable.
In his first
three plate appearances, he had banged out a home run, a double, and
a single. When he came to the plate for the fourth time, the crowd
began to stir. Abreu dug in at the plate, and fouled the first pitch
off his shin. Down he went, and the trainer rushed out to check on
him. He waved off all assistance. He had something else in mind, as
did the fans. He smacked the next pitch into the gap belween the
outfielders in right field. He peeked over his shoulder as he rounded
second base.
He slid
safely into third base, reording his first “cycle”. A remarkable
feat, considering the fact that he likely had a lot on his mind. Only
five other White Sox have hit for the cycle, the last one seventeen
years ago. Ray Shalk, Jack Brohamer, Carlton Fisk, Chris Singleton
and Jose Valentin are the only other White Sox to hit for the cycle.
He has
returned to Cuba a couple of times, since he defected in 2013. He
went on a good will trip with Major League players in 2015, and also
last October, when he had a chance to visit with his family in
Cienfuegos.
I am sure he
will want to go again this year, especially after seeing the damage
left by Hurricane Irma. Another fine athlete to keep an eye on for
the next few years, as he has the potential to become a super star in
the great game of baseball. And he just may have opened the door,
slightly mind you, to a place in Cooperstown.
James Hurst
September
12, 2017.
Monday, September 11, 2017
Kevin Bailie-Moving On!
Bailie sees action for Baby Sens; Ottawa wins rookie tourney
Belleville native Kevin Bailie of Queen's University saw action for the Ottawa Sens at the NHL rookie tournament Sunday in Toronto. (Kingston Whig Standard photo)
Ottawa Senators prospects claimed the three-team NHL rookie tournament title with a 4-3 shootout win over the host Toronto Maple Leaf hopefuls Sunday at Richoh Coliseum.
Baby Sens opened the round-robin event Saturday with an 8-2 clobbering of the Montreal Canadiens rookie team.
On Sunday, Belleville product Kevin Bailie of Queen's University saw action in the the Baby Sens net. The rangy goaltender and former Belleville Athlete of the Year signed a tryout form with Ottawa after 2017 NHL draft pick Jordan Hollett was bitten by the flu bug.
Down 3-0, Sens battled back on goals by Andreas Englund and Matteo Gennaro before Filip Chlapik notched the tying tally with less than three minutes to go. Ottawa would go on to win it in the shootout.
Bailie was reportedly a bit shaky in the early going but settled down nicely with a couple of big stops in the second period before being replaced by Marcus Hogberg.
Sens draft pick, forward Drake Batherson from Cape Breton of the QMJHL, was among a group of strong performers up front. He's the son of former Belleville Bulls forward, Norm Batherson.
Thursday, September 07, 2017
Labour Day Classics 2017
Traditionally,
Labour Day is the halfway point of the Canadian Football League
season. Rosters are pretty well set, players are adjusting to
coaching methods, expectations become more realistic. The games that
are played on Labour Day have been referred to as “Classics” for
many years. Last Monday's game was an exception to the rule.
Mother
Nature helped decide the outcome of the game in Hamilton between the
Ticats and the Toronto Argonauts. At the start of the game, the winds
howled from one end to the other, affecting the coin toss. Winners
had to decide whether or not they should: A. Take the end with the
wind at their backs. B. Receive the kickoff. C. Defer the decision to
the start of the second half. It was a significant factor in the
choice.
Once the
first quarter was completed, the weather took over the game. The
rains came, the winds continued to howl, the lightning flashed. The
referee stopped the game and sent the players to their dressing
rooms. The fans were advised to leave their seats, and find cover.
(One consequence was that the concession stands did a booming
business!) The game was put on hold for the weather to clear.
Officials
stood around checking their smart phones every thirty seconds, hoping
for a reprieve. Two hours later, the second quarter recommenced, and
the fans were treated to yet another barn burner of Canadian
football. The winds subsided, even changed direction as the game
progressed.
When the
referee signalled the end of the game, the Ticats emerged victorious,
albeit by the skin of their fangs. Joy returned to Steeltown. It was
their first victory of the season, after eight losses. Any victory
against your arch rival is extra special. There was no love lost in
the game, nor will there ever be.
The Ticats
now cross the province to face the RED/BLACKS in Ottawa this coming
Saturday. The Ottawa squad now sits in first place, due to the
Toronto loss. Last Thursday, the knocked off the Montreal Alouettes
32-4 at Percival Molson Stadium in Montreal. Also known as McGill
Stadium, it is a wonderful place to watch a football game.
Unofficial RED/BLACKS Cheering section
The
RED/BLACKS made significant changes after last season. The had won
the Grey Cup, but sveral players left the fold, for many reasons.
Trevor Harris took the helm at quarterback, and has spent the first
half of the season finding a rhythm. He has a wonderful core of
receivers to work with, and Moses Madu in the backfield to carry the
load, when required. Greg Ellingson, Brad Sinopoli, Jake Harty, Josh
Stangby and Deonte Spencer can pull in short and long passes to keep
the opposition busy.
David and Arty with the Cup
The
RED/BLACKS host the Ticats on their final game of the season, October
27th. At that point in time, preparations will begin to
dress up TD Stadium for the hosting of the Grey Cup. Shania Twain
will perform at half time. A perfect combination of Canadian content.
Alice Loves the RED/BLACKS!!
Southside
fans will be ready this Saturday, especially with their chant of,
“Move those chains!” whenever Ottawa gets a first down. Buckle
your seat belt for another half season of CFL football!!
James Hurst
September 5,
2017.
