Sport Slices

The hockey world lost one of its greatest characters recently with the passing of Eddie Shack. He was 83 years old.

Born in Sudbury, Ontario, Shack gravitated toward Southern Ontario. He struggled in school, primarily due to illness in the primary grades, and was illiterate. But when it came to business, or to a fiery brand of hockey, no one could compare with Shack.

He began his Ontario Hockey League career with the Guelph Biltmores when he was 15 years old, and spent five years with the team. In his final year, he scored 47 goals and added 57 assists in 52 games. He spent the next year with the Providence Reds in the American Hockey League, contributing 34 points in 35 games.

Eddie was not a prolific scorer, but he could put the puck in the net, when necessary. He scored 20 goals on five different occasions in the NHL, for five different teams! A real rarity!

He began his career with the New York Rangers, but was moved to the Leafs after 3 seasons in New York. He was with the Leafs for 9 seasons, when they won 4 Stanley Cups. His best year was when he played on a line with Ron Ellis and Bob Pulford in the 1965-66 season when he scored 26 goals.

Following his years with the Leafs, he moved on to play for the Bruins, the LosAngeles Kings, the Buffalo Sabres, and the Penguins, before finishing his NHL career back in Toronto. He played more than 1 000 games in the NHL, collecting 465 points. Shack was never shy when it came to physical hockey. He had 1 439 penalty minutes in his career.

At the height of his career, Eddie was immortalized in the song, “Clear the track, here comes Shack”. I cannot begin to explain the reason for this, but the song topped the “Hit Parade” charts for two weeks. If you can find the song on “You Tube”, and listen to it, you will understand my opinion. It is really bad.

Shack was able to use his charisma outside the rink as well. He earned fortunes from television commercials for a variety of products: garbage bags, tires, golf courses, and other products. He was especially well known for his “Pop Shoppe” endorsements.

He sold Christmas trees for many years, following his hockey career. Many Torontonians would visit Eddie each winter to purchase a tree, kibbitzing and laughing with “The Entertainer”, haggling over the price. Eddie donated the proceeds of his sales to charity. It was yet another way for him to stay connected to his fans.

In his fine book about hockey called Players, Andrew Podnieks referred to the night when Shack was introduced to Leaf fans, long after he had retired. “The ovation he received the night Maple Leaf Gardens hosted its final NHL game was among the loudest (for any player).”

One of the great characters of the game.

James Hurst