The better question would be this: Which one who has recently passed away do you wish was still around to be appreciated?
For me, I wish like heck to have met Roger Neilson, aka "Captain Video". I have always heard he was a great person off the ice, and was one of the biggest innovators in the NHL. The same goes for Herb Brooks as well.
I pose this question for the hockey fans because some of us have grown up in an era where the greats are still relatively young (Wayne, Mario, Moose, Stevie Y, et al are in their 40s, and Bobby Orr is in his late 50s). However, we have missed out on the old-timers, the builders, the founders, the people who build the NHL.
2007-07-28 06:57:55 · 15 answers · asked by Snoop 5 in Sports ➔ Hockey
Al Sutphin - In Cleveland, Ohio, Pro Hockey History, he is "the man" as the original owner of the AHL Barons and the builder of the 10,000 seat Cleveland "All-Sport Palace" Arena in the 1930s, which, at its height of drawing events, would average around 300 events per year....which made the arena as major a facility as any in North America.
He passed away in the early 1970s and - before his death - donated $10,000 to Cleveland youth amateur baseball. He was a civic leader who is seemingly forgotten in Cleveland history.
2007-07-28 11:50:50 · answer #1 · answered by Zombie Birdhouse 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hey I somewhat did get to root for Herb Brooks lol. He was Head Coach of my Penguins in his last coaching gig I believe. Personally I thought it was a great thing. How about Helinka that followed him if you are a Chezch fan? Anyway of the greats that I am too young to have got to see there are plenty, go back to Howe and not really even that far. Heck I was born late '79 so missed out on quite a few.
2007-07-28 15:29:56 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
Wow...where do I start? Maurice Richard is a given, Tim Horton (more on his business than hockey actually), Bill Barilko and the circumstances surrounding his death, Howie Morenz, Willie O'Ree, Larry Kwong (first Asian player in NHL, played for Rangers)....many others...good question.
I got more now that I've given it some thought: The Patrick Brothers. They were the men who started organized hockey with rules like offside, blue and red lines, forward passing (before that, they could only pass backwards like rugby and football). I would've loved to talk to them and get inside their heads for their genius. Another is Tretiak. We all hear about the Summit Series, but it's mainly from the Canadians' side ("History is written by the victors"). I want to hear it from the Russians' side of it.
2007-07-28 14:25:56 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Herb Brook
the innovator , the man , the legend , the coach that coached a team that defeated the Russian team in 1980.
2007-07-28 14:07:14 · answer #4 · answered by Ming P 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
My pick would be Herb Brooks. Great coach, and what else can you say about the Miracle On Ice?
If we're gonna pick people who have trophies named after them, I'd probably go with Lester Patrick, and you can't go wrong with Lord Frederick Stanley (who was actually British).
2007-07-29 00:37:06 · answer #5 · answered by David D 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Herb Brooks.. hands down one of the greatest coaches ever in Hockey
2007-07-28 17:18:27 · answer #6 · answered by Turd Ferguson 2 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Lord Stanley!!!! Without Lord Stanley and his donation of the Stanley Cup, hockey might have evolved differently. I know he wasn't a player, coach or official (his son was a player) but he donated the original "Holy Grail" for players to strive towards winning as a team.
2007-07-28 19:24:44 · answer #7 · answered by Jamie 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Roger Nielson is a good choice but too much of a bible banger for me. Probably would have tried to convert me to christianity or something. Great guy though.
Pelle Lindburgh's death really shook the team I root for. Fred Shero would've been an interesting guy to meet, coach of the Bullies and all. Jaques Plante or Gump Worsley. Maurice Richard with those "crazy eyes". Old Harold Ballard just to see how big of a nut he was.
How about Georges Vezina himself? Going way back but anyone with the moniker of the "Chicoutimi Cucumber" would be worth meeting.
I notice my list has alot of goalies, probably because they are a strange breed, kinda like lefty pitchers.
2007-07-28 14:27:40 · answer #8 · answered by Bob Loblaw 7 · 5⤊ 2⤋
"The Rocket"
I would've love to be at the game he played after moving into a new house on Dec. 28th 1944 when he scored 5 goals and 3 assists and led the Habs to 9-1 victory over the Wings.
2007-07-28 15:00:56 · answer #9 · answered by Sly 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Badger Bob Johnson
2007-07-29 00:19:04 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋