Nitzy's Hockey Den

Above is the cover for the N HL Goal Magazine from February 1983. Quebec Nordique, Peter Stastny is shown proudly displaying the captain "C" , but the problem is Stastny did not take over the Quebec captaincy until 20 games into the 1985/86 campaign when captain Mario Marois was traded to Winnipeg.                                     Here is a Hockey Digest from around the exact same time showing Statsny with a C. This one as well as the Goal Magazine photo show what appears to be a letter C applied to his jersey using only white hockey tape. The closeup of the first picture below clearly shows it as a rather poorly looking tape-job. Why would an NHL player have a taped-on C as is done in mens beer-leagues or kids minor hockey? There is an obvious explanation for the temporary feel to Stastny captaincy in February 1983. Just a month before during a game against the touring Soviet...

Another recent acquisition of the Den. I have never seen this item before and just had to have it. The Dave Keon Skate Sharpener is from the mid-1960's and still has the price-tag from Woodward's Department store in Vancouver. These were perhaps more famously available through the Bee Hive Syrup company. One wrapper from a corn syrup bottle and $1.25 (Regular Value $1.98!) and the item was on it's way via Canada Post. I am tempted to try it out on a pair of my old vintage skates, looks like it's in good enough shape to still put a nice edge on a skate blade.

I picked up this gem on the weekend, a 65 year old book just loaded with rare photos. The photos are from the legendary Turofsky Studios of Toronto. Pictured above are very early shots of Gordie Howe and Bill Barilko. Howe is 19 years-old here and Barilko is 20 in his first full season of the NHL. The Howe picture is the one that was colourised and used on his rookie hockey card 1951/52 Parkhurst. Here's a fantastic shot of the penalty box loaded with Leafs and Bruins. Baby-faced Bill Barilko is caught staring into the lens. Times have certainly changed. Leaf, Gus Mortson is being carted off on a stretcher after a big hit. Not carried by doctors or paramedics, but by ushers and policemen. No neck brace, using simply his glove as a head-rest. Another example of the long-gone tradition of teams sharing the penalty box. A rookie Red Kelly of the Red Wings and Leaf Vic Lynn surrounded by Wings. Goaltender, Harry Lumley following the deflected puck past the c...

I recently discovered the website extraskater.com, if you like in depth hockey statistics you'll love it. On the site, you can sort NHL players into many different categories of stats from Percentage of Powerplay or Shorthanded time on the ice a player spends, ratio of penalties drawn and taken, and probably my favourite one, Primary Points. This stat is the total of a player's goals and Primary Assists. It's scoring leaders without those sometimes undeserving, uncalled-for Secondary Assists. NHL Primary Points Leaders thru Oct 31 Phil Kessel               16 Steven Stamkos       15 Daniel Sedin             15 Sidney Crosby          14 Alex Steen                14 Frans Nielsen            14 Logan Couture          13 Patrick Marleau         13 Corey Perry...

Through the first 14 games of 2013/14 the Buffalo Sabres have a record of 2-11-1. After the first 14 games of their expansion year in 1970/71 they went 2-11-1. Was the first ever incarnation of the Sabres better off than the current squad ? Let's have a look. 1970/71 after 14 games (GP-G-A-Pts)  21 GOALS FOR, 58 GOALS AGAINST Gilbert Perreault  (20 yrs old)              14-7-5-12  Gerry Meehan     (24 yrs old)              12-4 3-7  Cliff Schmautz      (31 yrs old)             11-3-4-7 Larry Keenan       (30 yrs old)             12-1-5-6   Reggie Fleming     (34 yrs old)             14-1-4-5  Randy Wyzorub   (20 yrs old)             14-2-1-3  Steve Atkinson     (22 yrs old)  ...

With 17 points in his first 9 games of 2013/14, many are already talking about Sidney Crosby having a season for the ages. The real impressive thing is the era in which he is producing such outstanding numbers. Crosby's 17 points are 4 ahead of second place Henrik Sedin and the 24 other players within 3 points of each other trailing him. Even when Wayne Gretzky was putting up 200 points a season in the 1980's a 4 point lead in the points race at this stage of the season was rare. A look at the scoring leaders during the early 1980's at the same point in the season: (GP-G-A-PTS) Through Oct. 26, 1980 Charlie Simmer     7-8-8-16 Kent Nilsson        9-6-8-14 Wayne Gretzky    8-5-9-14   Through Oct. 25, 1981 Real Cloutier     10-7-12-19 Marcel Dionne      9-8-9-17 Wayne Gretzky  10-7-10-17   Through Oct. 27, 1982 Wayne Gretzky    9-6-18-24 Mike Bossy      ...

It's official, Toronto's start to the 2013/14 season is their best one in twenty years. The Leafs haven't been better than 6-1-0 to start a season since their NHL record 10-0-0 beginning to the 93/94 campaign. In fact the franchise has only had at least a 6-1 start in now six seasons. The other occasions it has happened: 2013/14 6-1-0, 27 Goals For - 16 Goals Against 1993/94 7-0-0, 35 GF - 15 GA 1980/81 6-1-0, 36 GF - 27 GA 1944/45 6-1-0, 35 GF - 17 GA 1941/42 6-1-0, 26 GF - 16 GA 1934/35 7-0-0, 23 GF - 9 GA Amazingly, this is only the third time the Leafs have started a season this good in almost 70 years. The time previous to 93/94 is interesting in the fact that their hot start really didn't mean a thing once the season went on.  The Wilf Paiement, Darryl Sittler, Jiri Chra-led Leafs would end up with a mere 71 points in 80 games. They had fallen back to a .500 record just over a month after going 6-1-0. It would take them 23 games to win their next si...