Honey, I Finished The Internet

15 Replies to “Honey, I Finished The Internet”

1. Perhaps the best goalie ever!

2. Maybe most facial scars also.

3. I remember listening to Hockey Night In Canada as a young guy in the late ’50s through the ’60s on a really sketchy AM radio signal in Mid-Western Ohio. When I read the name Terry Sawchuck it all came back to me. What a player! What memories!

4. In the ’70s my brother had a Swiss exchange student stay at our house for a month and when we took him to the (old) Hockey Hall of Fame, he asked if all the photos with the mask-less goalies were staged publicity photos. 🙂

5. It wasn’t so long ago that nobody wore helmets either. Craig MacTavish was the last NHL player to play without one, and he’s only 56 years old.

6. geeze did he lose his right nipple to a puck?
   Hockey is the GREATEST!

7. Sounds a lot like my father. He played senior hockey in the 50’s for the Quebec Aces. Played with Herbie Carnegie and for Punch Imlach. Lots of drinking back then after he had served in WW2. The last of seven kids was I. Not a lot of attention. But my father never abused my mother or any of his children. But I can see similarities. No multi-million dollar contracts, but a way out of abject poverty.
   My mother told me that my Dad came back from a season (one season) of hockey in Quebec City and was able to buy a car. Only rich people had cars back then. He was from the other side of the tracks….an exception to the rule regarding flaunting wealth. But he wanted to show the rich people that he could make big money too. Ironically my Mother was from a very rich family.
   Part of my Dad’s incentive was that, while a smart man, he had to quit school to help support his Mother and siblings after my Grandfather died of a heart attack when he was in elementary school. Hard times, hard decisions. He and his younger brother joined the army for WW2 to make money for the rest of the family. Sacrifice, real sacrifice, that we don’t see much of any more….or comprehend.
   Alas…like Mr. Sawchuk. Alcohol was the ‘boss’ with my Dad as his life progressed. But as I grew into adulthood our bond grew stronger. He sacrificed a lot to help his siblings and never got much credit in return from some of them. Such is life.

8. Anyone remember Johnny Bower?
   Jacques Plante was the first smart guy to wear a mask.

9. One of the greatest ever. I grew up as a Black Hawks fan, so I liked Glenn Hall better, but there’s no denying Terry Sawchuk’s greatness.

10. Jacque Plante, Gumper, and Sawchuk. We didn’t have TV until ’60 so radio was the start. Since I was a Habs fan Sawchuk was always feared.
    Grape’s movie was pretty accurate in regards to the ‘pops’ consumed. I played in a ‘beer’ league which is a pretty accurate description. What Canadian kid cannot remember when his feet were so light on the ice that he could skate ALL day.

11. Shouldn’t forget this:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8gVrqQm548

12. When faced with the decision between wearing a Helmet or a Jock Strap. Gordie Howe said “you can always hire someone to do your thinking”

13. I remember as a kid playing hockey all the time there was ice available.
    The league hockey, the school rink, the neighbourhood back yard rinks and even the street in front of our house.
    Bruises and goose eggs, bloody noses and black eyes were dealt with by putting your face in the snow or busting a piece of ice for a compress. You learned not to go home crying or bleeding if it could be helped because you not only lost playing time but had to endure motherly lecturing and scolding about playing rough. Scars were a badge of honour and stitches or even better a cast was like a trophy.
    Life was good.

14. As a 50s Red Wing fan, I attended many games at Olympia Stadium, where Terry Sawchuck dominated the game in his position. He covered the net with protective gear, but without a mask. On one occasion he suffered a facial cut that needed stitches. Everyone knew Terry would return to play, as the locker room served as the emergency room. No ambulance to the hospital was needed. The referees stopped the game, allowing the trainer to put on equipment and substitute for Terry. The game continued after about 5 minutes of warmup.
    Other players also suffered facial cuts and gashes that needed medical attention. The best description was attributed to Marcel Pronovost, a defensemen, “I used to be ugly.”
    Newspapers only reported how Terry performed in the previous night’s game. No open reference was made about his sad personal life.

15. Tecno?