Saturday, July 30, 2011

Patrick Lalime

Patrick Lalime sure knew how to make a first impression.

Lalime, a mid round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1993, wrote his name into the NHL record book in 1996-97 by going 16 straight games to start his career without a loss. He went 14-0-2, breaking Ken Dryden's record! He would cool off as the season went on, finishing with a 21–12–2 record, 2.94 GAA and a save percentage of .913. He would end up backing up Ken Wregget in the playoffs.

Despite Lalime's amazing start, he quickly disappeared in the 1997-98 season. A contract dispute saw him play in the minor leagues until the Penguins finally traded him away to Anaheim for Sean Pronger. Lalime's struggles continued when he failed to make the Ducks roster for the 1998-99 season.

Lalime finally resurfaced in the 1999-2000 season as he joined the Ottawa Senators.
Over the next 5 seasons Lalime would have strong regular seasons, topping the franchise all-time wins (146), shutouts (30) and games played by a goalie (283) lists. But the team's spotty playoff record smudged his legacy.

After the 2005 lockout Lalime, a licensed helicopter pilot, bounced around the NHL, playing with St. Louis, Chicago, and Buffalo.

He retired in 2011 to become a French hockey broadcaster, covering the Senators. All told he played in 444 NHL games, winning 200, losing 174 and with 32 ties/shootout losses.

Lalime, famous for his Marvin the Martian helmets, was a bit of a throw back goalie as he liked to play the stand-up style more so than the butterfly. He usually looked cool under pressure, though he had a temper as Philadelphia's Robert Esche found out when Lalime jumped him in a famous goalie fight.

Lalime received a lot of criticism for Ottawa's playoff failures, even though that was more of a reflection of the whole team than the goalie. For example, Lalime became only the 14th goalie in NHL history to record 4 shutouts in one playoff year (2002).

Lalime should be remembered as a hot and cold goalie who showed great resiliency and should have gotten more recognition as a good goalie than he did.

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Saturday, July 2, 2011

Bill Touhey

Described as a solid checker who could chip in on offense, left winger Bill Touhey played in 273 NHL games, most notably in his hometown with the original Ottawa Senators. He 65 goals, 40 assists and 105 points in his career.

Not a whole lot is known about Touhey,'s career, but after hockey Bill remained active in Ottawa in both the hockey and business scenes.

He coached the Ottawa RCAF Flyers during the 1941-42 Allan Cup playoffs and was an original investor in the Ottawa 67s junior hockey team. A long time member of the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, he was inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame in 1978.

On the business side Touhey owned the Albion Hotel in Ottawa from the late '40s to the late '60s.

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Hec Kilrea


"Hurricane" Hec Kilrea joined the Ottawa Senators in 1925-26 at the of age 18. The Sens were powered by the great line of Frank Nighbor, Cy Denneny and Hooley Smith, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926-27. Kilrea and fellow substitute Frank Finnigan saw little ice time.

That changed in 1927-28. Amid rumors of financial dire straits, the Ottawa Senators sold Hooley Smith to the Montreal Maroons in exchange for $22,500 and player Punch Broadbent. But the youngsters Kirea and Finnigan began seeing increasing ice time. Kilrea began showing Ottawa fans his blazing speed. He was a speed skating champion, after all.

By 1929-30 Joe Lamb took over as the top center between Kilrea and Finnigan, and the result was career years for both Lamb and Kilrea. Kilrea scored 36 goals - the 5th highest total in the NHL that season.  The biggest benefactor was the Sens, who finished just 1 point out of first place overall that season.

Ottawa's continued financial problems forced the gutting of the team, as top prospects like Syd Howe, Allen Shields and King Clancy were sold off for cash. The result was a last-place finish and Ottawa's withdrawal from the NHL for 1931-32. Kilrea was signed by Jack Adams of the Detroit Falcons while the Senators regrouped. Hec played on a line with Larry Aurie and Ebbie Goodfellow and scored 13 goals.

Ottawa returned to the NHL for 1932-33 and continued in the doldrums, so they sold Kilrea (for Bob Gracie and $10,000) to Toronto where his linemates were Bill Thoms and Buzz Boll. He was with the Maple Leafs for two years when they headed the Canadian Division and beat Boston in the 1935 playoffs. The Leafs lost the Cup to the Montreal Maroons and Kilrea was benched for the final game of the series by Conn Smythe for a drinking incident.

Jack Adams was now manager-coach of the new Detroit Red Wings, and he admired his former teammate of the Senators 1927 Cup winners and again signed Hec for his team. The Wings won two consecutive Stanley Cups with Kilrea playing with Syd Howe and Ebbie Goodfellow. He was the hero of the fifth and deciding game of the 1937 opening round against the Montreal Canadiens when he scored the winning goal at 11:49 of the third overtime period that won the series for Detroit. The Red Wings then beat the New York Rangers in another close series to win its second straight Stanley Cup. He played three more seasons with Detroit and now was showing his age.

Finally he was sent to the minors after 12 games in 1939-40 and this is where he completed his career.

After his retirement from professional hockey he became an U.S. citizen. Like many other players he enlisted for military service in World War II. He would receive the Distinguished Service Cross (the second highest military decoration of the United States Army), Purple Heart and French Croix de Guerre.

After returning to civilian life he worked with Ford in Detroit until he retired.

Born in Blackburn, Ont. June 11th, 1907, Hec Kilrea died after a long illness on October 8th, 1969

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Saturday, April 16, 2011

Andreas Dackell

This is Andreas Dackell. He was a very solid defensive winger, far tougher than his size and penalty minutes suggested.

Dackell was a subtly valuable role player. He had good hockey sense and was very sound defensively. He protected pucks well, killed penalties nicely, and could always be counted on to protect a lead in the last minute of play.

Though he scored some timely and big goals, offensively Dackell never broke out. Like so many Swedes he did not shoot enough. He also lacked the speed to breakaway for loose pucks.

At 5'10" and 190lbs Dackell was not big by any stretch, and definitely not a banger and crasher. But he finished his checks and was never intimidated, not even when famously crushed by Philadelphia's Eric Lindros, who was like twice his size. Dackell was concussed and suffered facial cuts, but he returned with enthusiasm.

Dackell left his native Brynas of the SEL to join Ottawa in 1996. For the next 5 years he was a perfect third line right winger, chipping in his usual 15 goals and 35 points.

In 2001 he joined the Montreal Canadiens, though his game slowly deteriorated in three seasons with the Habs. In 2004 he returned to Brynas where he continued to play until 2009.

Andreas Dackell quietly played in 613 NHL contests, scoring 91 goals and 159 assists for 250 career points. He added another 5 goals and 10 points in 44 playoff games.

Dackell was also part of Sweden's gold medal winning 1994 Olympic team.

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Magnus Arvedson

Magnus Arvedson was a strong defensive winger. A Selke Trophy runner-up in just his second season, Arvedson had his best season in 1998-99 playing on the top line with Marian Hossa and Radek Bonk.

Arvedson was never able to fulfill his true potential in the NHL. A big, strong winger, he could had the strength, speed and smarts to handle almost any checking assignment. He also had the ability to contribute offensively, possessing a heavy shot and good vision. But a terrible back injury plagued him over the years, and eventually forced him into retirement by 2004.

Arvedson was definitely a late bloomer. He became a regular in the Swedish Elite League at the age of 23 (1993) and only then caught the attention of NHL scouts. At the age of 25 the Ottawa Senators took a flyer on him, drafting in 119th overall in 1997, thanks to a strong showing at that year's World Championships. Magnus helped Sweden capture the silver medal.

He stepped immediately into the Senators' lineup. He was initially used in a third line checking role but was increasingly moved up to more offensive lines. By his second season he was a regular on the top line, cashing in his best performance - 21 goals, 47 points and a +33 rating. He narrowly missed out on the Selke Trophy to Dallas' Jere Lehtinen.

Injuries would seriously plague Arvedson over the next couple of years. The Senators had the tough decision to let him walk as an unrestricted free agent in 2003. The Vancouver Canucks took a chance on the injury prone forward.

Arvedson provided a strong upgrade on Vancouver's wings. Playing alongside Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Arvedson was on a hot scoring streak when the injury bug appeared again. This time Arvedson blew out his knee, costing him not only the rest of the season, but his career.

Arvedson rehabbed his knee as much as possible, but prior to the 2004-05 season he announced his retirement. In 434 career NHL games he scored 100 goals and 225 points. In addition to the aforementioned 1997 World Championship team, Arvedson also represented his native Sweden at the 2002 Olympic Games.

In retirement he returned to Sweden and took up coaching.

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Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Kevin MacDonald

Kevin MacDonald had to fight and fight and fight for just one chance at the NHL. Literally.

MacDonald was a rugged, stay at home defenseman who played 4 seasons (1983-87) with the OHL's Peterborough Petes. Having not been drafted he attended St. Thomas University as a 20 year old and impressed minor league scouts well enough to earn a try out with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. After just one year of schooling Kevin quit school to chase his dream of playing professional hockey.

Kevin was a fringe defenseman at the IHL level but a top pugilist. He racked up penalty minutes like there was no tomorrow! He was a spirited guy who gave it his all on the ice. Unfortunately he didn't have a whole lot to offer other than his physical, bruising play.

His spirited play did not go unnotice. By 1990 the Edmonton Oilers signed Kevin. The Oilers were look for a minor league tough guy and had no plans for Kevin at the big club, so that never worked out. But he continued to scratch and claw and fight his way at the IHL level, never giving up his dream of making it to the NHL.

As the NHL began expanding in the 1990s, Kevin's hopes were renewed that maybe, just maybe, some team would take a chance on him. That chance was finally granted in the form of an early Christmas gift. On December 22, 1993 the Ottawa Senators signed Kevin to a contract for the remainder of the year.

MacDonald was placed in the minors, not surprisingly. He earned 245 PIM in just 40 games with the PEI Senators. The Sens of course were awful that year, and by the end of the year were giving anyone their protected list a look-see. That included Kevin. He was called up late in the year and appeared in his lone NHL game.

Kevin was released at the end of the year and no other NHL team expressed interest. But Kevin wouldn't give up. He returned to the IHL and took his pugilism to a new level. He led the IHL with a career high 390 PIMs. MacDonald would continue to bounce around the minor leagues for the next few years, never earning another shot at the NHL.

Kevin wasn't a very good hockey player to be honest. There's guys in your recreational leagues that are better. But Kevin was one tough SOB who knew that the only way he could make a living as a professional hockey player was to fight. He did just that, and even was rewarded with fulfilling his dream of playing in the NHL, albeit just for one game.

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Saturday, January 22, 2011

Bruce Stuart

Bruce Stuart, brother of the more famous Hod Stuart, was a fine hockey player in the early 20th century.

He originally joined the Ottawa Senators for the 1898-99 season, when he scored 12 goals in 6 games. After a season with the Quebec Bulldogs, he rejoined Ottawa for the 1901-02 schedule. Stuart spent the next five years playing in the International League with teams such as Houghton, Pittsburgh and Portage Lake, before moving to the Montreal Wanderers. He assisted Montreal to the Stanley Cup in 1907-08 and then rejoined the Senators as their captain.

Bruce and the Senators immediately recaptured the Cup in 1908-09. After losing it the following season, Ottawas again crowned champion in 1911. Participating in three Stanley Cup victories, Stuart alone scored 17 goals in seven games. His best single game record against Quebec when he netted 6 tallies.

Stuart retired after the end of the 1911-12 season and will be remembered as an excellent all-around forward. Stuart was elected in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961. He had been battling health problems late in life, and died several weeks after his induction. He was 80.


For many years (1906 through 1952) he had operated a famous shoe store in his name on Bank Street in Ottawa, earning high praise in the business community. He was also a noted golfer and curler.

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