Nitzy's Hockey Den

What a helluva time to be a Maple Leafs fan. After literally a lifetime of suffering through mostly atrocious teams (with a few glimmering points), it appears we have finally come out on the other side. Toronto is a legitimate contender and a high-powered scoring juggernaut. I sure as hell am going to enjoy the ride, hopefully for at least a few years (please, hockey gods). After their fifth game of the 2018/19 campaign, the Leafs hold the top four spots in NHL scoring; Matthews and Rielly with 12 and Tavares and Marner with 10.  I mean, Matthews just broke Wayne Gretzky's record for youngest player with at least 12 points in their first 5 games of a season...and Rielly broke Bobby Orr's modern record for most points by a defenceman in their first five games of a season... I need to lay down. In all seriousness though, as good as these numbers are, it's fun to look at two of the greatest ever and how they came out of the gates through the years. The Great One...

Above is an action-packed photo I found in the Vancouver Archives database (I believe that's where I found it, I save so many old hockey pics sometime I forget where exactly I found them). It was labelled only with the year "1948", and clearly shows the old Vancouver Canucks and Seattle Ironmen of the Pacific Coast Hockey League.  The PCHL was a professional circuit existing from 1944 through 1952 when it became the professional  Western Hockey League. The problem with the photo is there are literally no player numbers visible, making identification difficult...difficult, but not impossible. Looking through the Society for International Hockey Research database, it's fairly easy to narrow down the Canuck who's driving the net as Scotty McPherson or Bob Drainville (see pics below). Both players were left-handed shooters who played for the Canucks in 1948/49. This would be Drainville's only season with Vancouver, while McPherson played the next two f...

I recently picked up this hockey magazine from November 1978 for two reasons; a Maple Leaf (Tiger Williams) is pictured on the cover, and there's an article about a young Wayne Gretzky inside. Written by Shirley Fischler, wife of Stan and a renowned hockey writer herself.  Fischler describes the 17-year old Gretzky as having "fresh good looks" in "well-worn khaki jeans, denim t-shirt and Philadelphia Phillies baseball cap". Gretzky is quoted,"I let my agent, Gus (Badali), carry the money. I just want enough cash to pay my expenses."He also states, "In my life, girls always came third, after hockey and school." Adorable. What I really like are the fairly rare photos of Gretz in a pre-season photo-shoot wearing the Indianapolis Racers jersey. He of course played a mere 8 games for Indy, collecting 6 points. The trade to Edmonton on November 2, 1978 happened likely as this magazine was hitting the newsstands. The rest is history...

As the Vancouver Norvans and Nanaimo Clippers finished tied with 29 points in the Coast League standing, two points behind Victoria, they would play each other in the best-of-three Semi-final. Before they could do that however, league President Jack Ryan ordered that they play a two-game total game series to determine the out-right second place finisher. The winner would be granted home ice advantage for the Semifinal. Norvan playing/coach Tip O'Neill figured his squad had "an even chance" of taking second place. He admitted that former NHLer Dave MacKay had added considerable  strength to the Clippers but added, "The fact that Victoria Bapcos beat them proves they are not unbeatable, and we were never worried by Victoria." Vancouver Feb. 20- Nanaimo Clippers Defeat Norvans in Opening Match, 9-2 "Nanaimo Clippers defeated Vancouver Norvans 9-2 here tonight to go into a seven-goal lead in the two-game total-goal playoff series to decide second place i...

Ex-NHLer Jack Riley The addition of Jack Riley, who had recently been reinstated as an amateur, continued to pay off for the Vancouver Norvans Shipyard squad;The Vancouver Sun headline blared; "NORVANS ALONE ON TOP, Jack Riley Spearhead Of Shipyard Offense Before 4000 at Forum."  The Daily Colonist exclaimed, " Norvans Register Over Clippers to Take First Berth Vancouver Hockey Squad, Paced by Jack Riley, Scores 7-3 Victory Over Nanaimo in Coast Ice League - Breaks First-Place Tie With Victoria Bapcos - Second Period Rough."  The headline and byline said it all, The Daily Colonist went on to describe the rough match; " Jack Riley, recently reinstated pro, paced Norvans with two goals while Frank Pietrosky, Ken Barker, Johnny Ursaki, Bill Nelson and Norm McQuade supplied the others. Jackie Mann was the only Nanaimo scorer, netting all three of his team's goals."  The Vancouver Sun wrote;  "Sticks were high and so were Nanaimo tempers...there wa...

Red Beattie, a veteran of over 300 NHL games with Boston would  score 15 goals in 41/42 tied for the Norvans lead The four-way tie of all the teams in the Coast League was short-lived. On January 5, 1942 a league ruling changed up the look of the standings; " NANAIMO-Commisioners of the Pacific Coast Intermediate Hockey League, in a special meeting here yesterday, upheld the protest of Victoria Bapcos against use by Nanaimo Clippers of three allegedly inelligible players in a December 20 game and ruled that he game in question be replayed on a date to be set later by the clubs involved.  Victoria had protested Nanaimo’s use in a game at Nanaimo, December 20 of Red Carr, Jack Mann  and Fergy McPherson, despite the fact the three had been given match penalties in a game the previous night at Victoria which Nanaimo won 2-1. Clarence Campbell, former N.H.L. referee now at Victoria taking an officers’ training course with the militia, will be appointed to handle Victoria g...

Nanaimo Clipper, against whom the Norvans snapped their 7-game losing streak  After an entire month of losing every game they played, the Vancouver Norvans Shipyards broke a seven-game losing streak with a surprise home win at the Vancouver Forum over New Westminster on Dec. 15, 1941. The Victoria Daily Colonist reported; " Vancouver Norvans Nose Out Spitfires In Hockey Surprise -  Halt Losing Streak at Expense of League Leading New Westminster Club, 4-3 – Beattie Nets Two Goals in Final Period Offensive  With a trio of new players and return of several on the injured list Norvans gave a much improved performance over that of the past few weeks which saw them drop seven games in a row." New Westminster Spitfires The following night back in New Westminster, the Norvans continued their turnaround; " Vancouver Iceman Register Victory Over Rival Squad -  Norvans Continue Bid for Cost Hockey League Honors by Rallying in Final Period to Turn Back New Westnminste...