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Sixty Moments That Changed The Game
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
Montreal Canadiens
BEST PLAYER EVER Richard was the first NHL player to score 500 goals. This fiery, five-time Art Ross Trophy winner played on eight Stanley Cup championship teams and is a legend in the hockey world. FRANCHISE FORMATION In 1909, eight years before the formation of the NHL, the Habs were founded by Ottawa sportsman J. Ambrose O’Brien with financial support from magnate T.C. Hare. TOP BUILDER Serving as GM from 1964 to 1978, Sam Pollock was the architect of a Canadiens dynasty which won nine Stanley Cups while he was there. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978. BEST DRAFTED PLAYER GUY LAFLEUR (1st overall, 1971) He earned five Cup rings with his hair flapping in the breeze as he flew down the wing. ‘The Flower’ was the best player in the game…
‘FIREWAGON’ GETS DOUSED
WHAT’S A SURE-FIRE SIGN SOMETHING IS a big deal? When Wayne Gretzky drops his saywhat’s-safe media approach and lets you know what he’s really thinking. On the same June, 1985 day Gretzky accepted the Hart and Art Ross Trophies following a second-straight championship season for him and the Edmonton Oilers, he let the world know exactly what he felt about a rule change many said was aimed at taking a bit of the wind out of his team’s offensive sails. “I think the NHL is making a big mistake,” Gretzky told The Hockey News at the time. “I think the NHL should be more concerned with butt-ending, spearing and three-hour hockey games than getting rid of 4-on-4 situations.” Maybe Gretzky should have been more flattered than angry. After all, the change marked one…
Edmonton Oilers
BEST PLAYER EVER Gretzky’s vision was unmatched by anyone and his numbers prove it. He was the main figure in leading the Oilers to four Cups and will forever be known as ‘The Great One’. FRANCHISE FORMATION Its road to the NHL was paved by its WHA success. The WHA folded in 1979 which led to the NHL’s expansion of four former teams, but only the Oilers have managed to avoid relocation. TOP BUILDER When one considers the Glen Satherbuilt Oilers of the mid-to-late’80s could fill a starting lineup of Hall of Famers, it’s clear he assembled one of the best dynasties in league history. And that’s why he’s a Hall of Famer himself. BEST DRAFTED PLAYER MARK MESSIER (48th overall, 1979) If Gretzky was No. 1 in the hearts of Edmontonians, Messier was 1A. ‘The Moose’…
SCOUTING HIDDEN GEMS
JIM NILL CALLS THEM HIS “DR. ZHIVAGO” trips. Today, he is the assistant GM of the Detroit Red Wings and the man who oversees the team’s scouting empire, but Nill was once one of the scouts beating through the bushes and putting his life at risk to unearth the future of the game. When it came to scouting, the Wings were like the Starship Enterprise – going boldly where no man had gone before. They stepped behind the Iron Curtain into the deepest, darkest corners of Eastern Europe to unearth talent that would turn them into an NHL power throughout the 1990s and change the face of the game forever. It wasn’t just a job, it was an adventure. “They weren’t typical trips where you’d fly in, check into a hotel, freshen up…
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