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It was not until 1901 that Pulford attempted any of the rushing tactics featured by Mike Grant of the Victorias. Throughout his career, he favoured playing back of what would now be his blueline ad it would be a rare occasion to justify a sortie up the ice. He would steer opponents into corners or catch them with thumping body checks away from the boards. If he relieved an opponent of the puck, he would most likely hoist it to the other end of the rink with a towering backhand lift. This technique was standard with most defence players at that time but now would be called icing the puck. His style of play is reflected in his scoring. He played almost seven years before he scored a goal and only netted eight in his whole career.Pulford was notable for his physical play and leadership. He was hockey's strongman and was fully respected by foes and friends alike. He was knocked for his skating ability because he lacked speed. but he had great balance thanks to "the thinnest blades in hockey." He was impossible to move off of the puck.
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.
Morley Bruce, born in North Gower, was another hometown hero amongst the original Ottawa Senators.
Bruce, a center, had starred as a junior with New Edinburgh before joining the Senators for the NHL's inaugural season in 1917-18. He was identified as one of the best players to come out of the Ottawa City League. His brother Bower was also a noted city league star, although he would ultimately take a civil servant's job and pass on any hockey opportunities.
Bruce's season was interrupted just 7 scoreless games in, as he signed up for service with the army in World War I. He would miss the entire 1918-19 season too.
He returned from military duty and rejoined the Sens in 1919. He played the next three seasons with the Senators, including in 1920-21 when the Senators won the Stanley Cup. He seems to have left the game after the 1921-22 season.
I do not know a whole lot about what type of hockey player Morley Bruce was, although his statistics suggest he was a reservist who was sent in on spot duty to allow the stars to rest. One newspaper source suggested he was specifically Frank Nighbor's sub. He played in 71 career NHL games, scoring 8 goals and 11 points. He also participated in 3 Stanley Cup games.
But I do know he left the ice and jumped into the fire, serving as an Ottawa fireman until 1953. For 25 of those years he was the fire department's assistant secretary, originally serving in that capacity to another hockey star-turned-fireman, Alex Connell. Bruce, by then an avid curler and lawn bowler, later served with the fire prevention bureau in the last 7 years with the force. Upon retirement from the department he took a clerk's job at Higman's Hardware Store on Wellington Street until his death.
He died in 1959, at the age of 65, "after a brief illness." His wife, Ida, lived on until 1996, dying at the age of 98! Both rest at Norway Bay Cemetary in Quebec.
Local boy Letham "Leth" Graham was an Ottawa hockey star through the 1910s and early 1920s.
Graham originally starred with the Ottawa Senators before the NHL even existed. Graham played the 1913-14 and 1914-15 seasons with the Sens in the NHA - National Hockey Association, fore-runner to the NHL.
Graham's hockey statistics are sketchy at best, making it hard to follow his hockey career. After the 1915 season he does not surfaced again until 1920-21, where he helped the NHL Ottawa Senators win the Stanley Cup.
Graham's absence is unknown to me. Service in World War I is a definite possibility, with one source hinting at four years of service. Also, newspaper archives suggest Graham and friend Howard Boorne were seriously hurt when their tandem bicycle they were riding was hit by an automobile in 1915.
Graham, who was also a top lacrosse player in Ottawa, appears to have remained active with the Senators until 1926, although he played very sparingly. Including a five game appearance with the NHL Hamilton Tigers, Graham's six season NHL career consisted of just 27 games. Perhaps this was because of conflicting schedules with his day job with the Ottawa Electric Company. He scored just 3 goals, 2 of which came in his only game of the 1921-22 season.
Described as "a good forward and very speedy," Harry Helman has become a forgotten member of the original Ottawa Senators team.
The 5'6" 145lb right winger played with the Sens for three NHL seasons, including in 1922-23 when the local boy helped them win the Stanley Cup.
That season was Helman's only full season in the NHL, though he was used sparingly. He played in 24 games, but failed to register a single point. He did pick up 5 minutes in penalties. In the Stanley Cup playoffs he has been credited for two more games played, but again went pointless. His post-season was cut short when he suffered a serious cut to his face courtesy of a teammate's skate blade during a practice.
Helman returned to the Sens the following season, scoring what would prove to be his only NHL goal. It was his only point in 19 games that season.
A veteran of World War I and an established Ottawa hockey sensation prior to joining the NHL Senators, Helman returned for just one game in the 1924-25 season. He sat out the entire 1925-26 season from big time hockey, resurfacing in Saskatoon where he played for the Shieks of the Prairie Hockey League for one season.
I know very little about Helman's life after hockey, although he appeared to return to Ottawa shortly after his season in Saskatoon. I'd love to hear from you if you do have any clues or knowledge.
Helman died in 1971. He was 76 years old.
One of the least known Ottawa Senators players of the original era is hometown boy Len Grosvenor.
Grosvenor was born in Ottawa on July 21st, 1905 and lived there most of his life. He was quite an athlete, starring in football and baseball. But hockey was where his future lay, with the NHL's home team.
As a hockey player he played in 144 NHL games from 1927 through 1933, all but 16 of which were with Ottawa (12 with NY Americans and 4 with Montreal Canadiens). Unfortunately for Grosvenor his arrival with the Sens came just after the team's Stanley Cup dynasty of the early 1920s.
This forward quietly scored 9 goals and 20 points in his career. He was used as a substitute player. Way back teams used their best players for most of the game, only spelling off tired or injured players when need be with the designated sitters. It appears Grosvenor never really shook this label.
His most noteworthy inclusion in the newspaper archives appears to surround his star status as a pitcher in city baseball leagues and for an automobile accident involving another car and an old-time street car. Grosvenor was hospitalized with a crushed arm.
After his NHL career was over his career gets a little spotty. It appears he may have played in Quebec Beavers of the Can-Am League although stats do not seem to exist for this.
He definitely spent some time coaching in Noranda in northern Quebec. One source suggests Grosvenor returned to Ottawa at some point to take a civil servant's job, while another suggests he and his family remained in Noranda for many years. Another source suggested his non-hockey life was spent working on the railroads. Obviously this remains a mystery to us for now.
Len Grosvenor died in Ottawa on March 15th, 1981. His obituary suggests he died suddenly, but does not mention how. It does mention in lieu of flowers donations should have been made to the Ontario Heart Foundation.
Jack MacKell was a 5'7" 150lb swingman, playing both on right wing and right defense. He was a rover in his youth and early days.
Born in Ottawa in 1894, much of his hockey career either pre-dated the National Hockey League or was interrupted by his service in the First World War. He did play two seasons in the NHL, both times winning the Stanley Cup with his hometown Ottawa Senators (1920 and 1921).
He retired and moved to Montreal where he excelled in a career with lithography. He also raised a family, including son Fleming who went on to enjoy a 13 year career in the NHL with Boston and Toronto. Jack also had two daughters, Joanne and Maureen.
Jack MacKell died of a heart attack on November 25th, 1961. Always a sports fan, he was watching a football game at the time of his death.
Who is the greatest goal scorer of all time? A very debatable question with many good answers and arguments.
One argument is the highest goals-per-game average over a players entire career. That title is held by Mike Bossy at 0.762 goals per game. Who is second? Not Mario Lemieux, not Wayne Gretzky, nor Brett Hull. Not even early superstar Joe Malone.
Another pioneer of hockey holds down second place: Cy Denneny.
Denneny scored 246 times in 326 games in the NHL, thus giving him a .755 goals per game average. He also has the second highest goals per game average over one single season, with 36 goals in 22 games in 1917-18, for an amazing 1.64 GPG. He also is one of only 7 players to record 6 or more goals in a single NHL game. That feat has only been accomplished twice in modern times.
The Cornwall Colt as he was affectionately nicknamed began his professional career in 1914 with the Toronto Shamrocks of the National Hockey Association, enjoying two seasons there before joining the Ottawa Senators of the NHA in 1916. He stayed with the Senators as they became part of the NHL. He was part of a powerhouse Sens team that won the Stanley Cup four times in the NHL's early days.
At the conclusion of the 1928 season, Denneny took an offer to join the Boston Bruins as a player, coach and assistant manager. The Bruins won the Stanley Cup that season, giving Cy his 5th taste of champagne from Lord Stanley's Mug.
Though best remembered as a sniper, Denneny was also quite the physical player, not afraid to mix things up with the opposition. Short and stocky, he was said to be an average skater at best, but it didn't seem to hold him back any.
Denneny retired as a player after the one year in Boston. He retired as the NHL's all time leading goal scorer at 246, which wasn't matched until 1934 by Howie Morenz. He would go on to be a successful coach and referee in both the NHL and junior hockey.
Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1959, Denneny was named as the 62nd best player of all time by The Hockey News in 1998.
Cy Denneny died in Ottawa, in September, 1970.
The Ottawa area was one of the true hot spots of hockey in the 1800s and early 1900s. Powerful teams and legendary players brought multiple Stanley Cups to Canada's capital city.
The very first Ottawa hockey legend likely was Weldon "Weldy" Young. He and brother George were original members of the Ottawa hockey team in 1889.
Young was described as "Ottawa's only world-calibre hockey player in the early 1890s," Young was said to be a terrific skater and puck rusher. But he was also zestful for the physical game, hitting opponents with passion.
Though he was a well respected hockeyist, he was not well liked. He was said to be a mean-spirited grump "with a permanent scowl on his face." Still, he was named as the Team Captain and certainly provided color.
For all his success in Ottawa, history seems to best remember Weldy Young for almost being Ottawa's opponent. After the turn of the 20th century Young was caught up in the Klondike gold rush, investing heavily in claims in the Yukon. He was recruited by the Dawson City team that challenged Ottawa for the Stanley Cup in 1905.
Young agreed to play, but was unable to participate. He held down a job as civil servant, and at the time championship a federal election was being held. Young had to oversee the election.
By the end of the decade Young, like so many other fortune seekers, fled the Klondike. He returned to Ontario where he invested in the silver mines of the Haileybury area, while also taking up refereeing. He later became involved with the management of the Haileybury hockey team that merged with the NHA.
Most people have a soft spot for huge underdogs. Maybe that's why I cheered on Norm MacIver so much. At 5'11" and 180lbs MacIver was a small defenseman by NHL standards, but he often carried a big load on his shoulders.
He was a fantastic catalyst from the blue line, generating offense with strong clearing passes, by rushing the puck out of the zone or by jumping into the zone for the extra attacker. He handled prime minutes quarterbacking the power play. He was a superb puckhandler and a quick skater who used his wits and intelligence to survive in the NHL.
The problem was he was not physically able to withstand the rigours of the NHL. That is why he was ignored at the NHL draft. He survived trades, demotions and injuries, reappearing with a team equally as bad as the previous one. He would wear down as the season progressed, and fizzled out before crunch time.
Give the Rangers credit - after he graduated with a communications degree in 1986 they signed MacIver out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth where he was an all star and finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as best player in US College hockey. Two years later he was off to Hartford, then Edmonton the year after that. He would earn AHL defenseman of the year status in 1991, finally forcing the NHL to give him a look-see.
The Oilers called him up for their lengthy playoff run in 1991 and played him regularly in 1991-92. He showed he could play in the league by scoring 8 goals and 47 points in a total of 79 games in Edmonton.
The Oilers left MacIver unprotected for the 1992 NHL expansion draft, and the Ottawa Senators were quick to grab him. He became a workhorse for the Senators, who at that time were one of the worst teams in NHL history. MacIver gave it everything he had, and on many nights was the most noticable Senator on the ice for both his effort and creativity. He actually led the Sens in scoring in their debut season of 1992-93 with 17 goals and 46 assists for 63 points in 80 games.
MacIver's magical season came to a dramatic end, though. While representing Canada at the World Championships, MacIver was crunched with a body check and immediately had breathing problems. Doctors discovered his heart was bruised.
He made a full recovery, but he could not reach the heights of his previous campaign in year two in Ottawa. The constant losing must have zapped the energy and drive out of all those players. Even MacIver looked worn down at times.
The Sens moved MacIver to Pittsburgh in 1995. He subsequently jumped around with Pittsburgh, Winnipeg/Phoenix and the minor leagues before hanging up the skates in 1999. The vastly underrated MacIver finished his career with 500 games played, 55 goals, 230 assists and 285 points. Not bad for a undersized defenseman nobody wanted in the first place.
MacIver stayed in the game after retiring, first coaching in the minor leagues and with Boston then serving as Chicago's director of player development.
Alexandre Daigle was a highly touted 1st overall draft pick that would become a much celebrated bust.
Daigle was selected by the Ottawa Senators in their second stab at the draft table. The Victoriaville Tigres center combined blazing speed with soft hands and spectacular point totals to quickly be dubbed as not only the future of the Ottawa Senators, but of the NHL. He was even compared to the incomparable Mario Lemieux.
Daigle took great pride in being drafted first overall, surpassing the likes of Chris Pronger and Paul Kariya. "Nobody remembers number 2" was his famous quote at the time. How wrong he proved that to be!
On top of all this perhaps unrealistic pressure being thrust upon the youngster was a much discussed five-year, $12.25- million deal he signed after being drafted. It was a ridiculously high contract that would become the driving force behind a rookie salary cap agreed to shortly afterwards by the NHL and the Players Association.
Daigle showed brief glimpses of brilliance in his first three years, but they were few and far between. As the Senators struggled as perhaps the worst team in NHL history, the pressure never let up on the young Daigle. To make matters worse many were starting to question Daigle's heart.
"The guy has just never lived up to his potential. He refuses to use his biggest asset, which is his speed. I just don't think anybody in the league is going to want a guy who really isn't interested in playing hockey." said one NHL official.
Daigle was traded to Philadelphia early in 1998 in exchange for Vinnie Prospal and another first round bust in Pat Falloon. He lasted about a year in Philly after showing up for training camp out of shape. He was traded to Tampa Bay via Edmonton for the remainder of the 98-99 season. In 1999-2000 he played with the New York Rangers after accepting a $1 million pay cut. However Daigle's play continued to be lethargic as he ended up playing out the season in the minor leagues.
No contract offers were coming in for Daigle's services in the year 2000. There was some rumors about interest coming out of both Edmonton and Montreal, but neither team made a move.
Daigle is one of hockey's pretty boys, and he likes to hang out in the bright lights of Hollywood. In fact he was briefly linked as both Sheryl Crow's and Pamela Anderson's love interest. Daigle said he'd take the 2000-01 season off from hockey in order to pursue another passion in his life - acting.
"I know the guy wants to pursue an acting career, but he's a pretty bad actor on the ice. It's hard to hide that. He's got good speed, but he lacks the skills necessary to be a superstar. It's a tough fall to watch." said the same unnamed executive.
There was an article during the 2000-2001 season that showed Daigle still played the game - as a defenseman in a Los Angeles beer league.
Daigle did make a NHL come back. After showing little in 2002-03 with Pittsburgh, Daigle actually turned in a commendable season with Minnesota in 2003-04. With Wild coach Jacques Lemaire simplifying Daigle's game, he seemed re-invigorated and passionate about the game again. He scored 21 goals and 51 points, and even was showing signs of transforming himself into an effective support player, using his speed to forecheck and backcheck.
The success of that season did not carry over into the following season. He struggled, scoring just 5 goals in 46 games. He would finish the season in the minor leagues, forever ending his NHL days.
Daigle headed to Europe, playing in Switzerland with the legendary Davos team.
"A lot of teams wanted nothing to do with me for good or bad reasons," Daigle said. "It was tough, but that's the way it was."
Nobody questions his talent," John Muckler, his coach in New York, said. "You can question other things, but you can't question his talent."
Despite losing an eye in the rough International League in northern Michigan, Fred Lake of Moosomin, Saskatchewan played nine years as a professional hockey player.
Lake's most prominent years came alongside defense partner Hamby Shore. The two first teamed up in Winnipeg in the Manitoba Hockey League before spending 4 years together in Ottawa. Standing tall before goalie Percy Lesueur, the duo of Lake and Shore helped the Senators capture the 1909 and 1911 Stanley Cup!
In addition to be a hockey star, Fred Lake was an astute businessman in his days in Ottawa. But perhaps a business deal went horribly wrong, as Lake was found dead in 1937 under very suspicious circumstances.
According to ace hockey researcher James Milks at his excellent website LostHockey.com:
"Fred Lake's body was found under suspicious circumstances on November 30, 1937.
"Lake's body was found in an automobile on a deserted farm near Connaught park Jockey Club in Aylmer, Quebec. He had been dead for 36 to 48 hours, so his exact date of death is unsure, but either the 27th or 28th of November.
"An extension had been placed on the exhaust pipe and twisted into the interior of the car. Lake's head was resting on two small pillows, his body stretched out on the seat. The mystery deepened with the discovery of two sets of footsteps in the frozen snow leading away from the car. An auto crank was also found on the ground near the back wheels."
Samuel Hamilton Shore, known forever by his moniker Hamby, was born to play hockey. And with a few seasons' exceptions spent in Winnipeg, Shore would play in his hometown of Ottawa with the original Senators.
Shore, no relation to Eddie Shore who would later dominate the NHL, was versatile player, playing both wing and defense. With his steady influence the Senators won the Stanley Cup two times, in 1905 and 1911.
Earlier in his career Shore was a scoring forward, registering 114 goals in 186 career games. Later in his career he played on the blue line, most often with Fred Lake in Ottawa. The duo formed a fearsome pairing in front of Sens goalie Percy Lesueur for four seasons before Lake's departure to Montreal.
Without Lake it is said that Shore's play began to slip. Perhaps that led to a rift with the Ottawa coaching staff. Shore apparently demanded to be let out of his contract and to leave the Senators but the team refused to comply. Shore continued to play for the Senators until 1918 when sadly Shore lost his life due to the terrible influenza epidemic that plagued North America in that time frame.
Hamby Shore was just 32 years old at the time of his death.
Marty Walsh was one of the most remarkable goal scorers of his day. In a playoff game against Port Arthur in 1911, he scored 10 times, placing him at the top of the list for single game totals. A newspaper reported the next day "this is a decidedly great performance for Walsh not only tallied at will, but he did a great deal of checking as well and was on top of the rubber from beginning to end." In five seasons with Ottawa he scored an unbelievable 135 goals in 59 games!
Walsh first came to prominence while playing for Queen's University in 1906, when they challenged the Ottawa Silver Seven for the Stanley Cup. Even though Queen's was defeated, Walsh's superb play against Ottawa superstar Frank McGee did not go unnoticed. The Silver Seven immediately made Walsh an offer when McGee retired in 1906. Accepting a contract in the International Hockey League instead, Walsh headed south of the border in 1907.
Playing in what was regarded as the roughest league in hockey history, Marty broke his leg early on in the season. Too bad for Marty but it was a blessing in disguise for a newcomer named Fred Taylor who was waiting on the bench. Taylor is better known as Cyclone Taylor, the most famous pre-NHL hockey player.
When Marty's bones healed, the Ottawa offer was extended again and in 1908 he joined the ranks of the legendary Silver Seven.
Walsh captured the scoring title during his first two seasons and was instrumental in Ottawa's Stanley Cup wins in 1909 and 1911. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of fame in 1962.
Bruce Ridpath was a high scoring right winger who netted better than a goal per game in his four years of professional hockey.
Starting out with Toronto in the Ontario Professional Hockey League, Ridpath helped the team skate to the league championship in 1908. Unfortunately, the Toronto Professionals lost a challenge to the Montreal Wanderers for the Stanley Cup that season.
Ridpath would taste Stanley Cup success soon enough, however. In 1910 he joined the Ottawa Senators and immediately settled in on a line with Marty Walsh and Dubbie Kerr. The trio were hockey's highest scoring line, especially in the 1911-12 season. Ridpath scored an impressive 22 goals in 16 regular season games then added 4 more in 2 playoff games as the Sens won the Stanley Cup.
Ridpath was on his way to a glorious hockey legacy before tragedy struck. On Toronto's busy Yonge Street an automobile ran into him, fracturing his skull. Though he attempted a comeback, the accident cut his career short in 1912.
Born in beautiful Lakefield, Ontario, Ridpath also loved the canoe. He put on shows internationally displaying his stunt paddling and canoe racing ability.
Ridpath died far too young after suffering a severe stroke in 1925. The never-married Ridpath was just 40.
Albert "Dubbie" Kerr started his pro hockey career as a high scoring left winger with the Toronto Pros of the Ontario Professional Hockey League in 1909. After only three games with Toronto, he jumped to the Ottawa Silver Seven. He promptly led them to a Stanley Cup victory!
Kerr, along with center Marty Walsh and Billy Gilmour became the most prolific scoring line in the ECHA. In 1911 Bruce Ridpath replaced Gilmour on right wing and the new trio powered their way to an mindboggling 91 goals between them, leading Ottawa to their second Stanley Cup in three years.
After one more season in Ottawa, Kerr jumped to the PCHA to play for the Victoria Aristocrats. he continued to skate for Victoria for five seasons before moving south to Spokane for one more. He retired in 1920.
Ottawa Senators - Modern
| | Craig Billington - A true student of the game, Craig Billington went from top prospect, to starter, to backup to Patrick Roy's goalie coach. |
| | Darcy Loewen - Darcy Loewen was one of many hard working, fan favorite, but not overly good Ottawa Senators from the expansion years. |
| | Ron Tugnutt - Best remembered for his 70 save night as a Nordique, Ron Tugnutt set the modern day NHL record for season GAA in Ottawa. |
Ottawa Senators - Original
| | Clint Benedict - Praying Bennie was the statistically dominant goalie of the early NHL. He backstopped the Ottawa Senators to the NHL's first dynasty, and wore the very first goalie mask in NHL history. |
| | Bill Beveridge - Bill Beveridge is a long forgotten goaltender of a long forgotten team. There's not many people around anymore that saw the Montreal Maroons play. |
| | Punch Broadbent - Punch Broadbent was one of National Hockey League's early great goal scorers. |
| | Sprague Cleghorn - A great defenseman, history will always remember Sprague Cleghorn as the baddest man in all of hockey.. |
| | Alec Connell - Known as the "Fireman" simply because he was actually a fireman in addition to a hockey player, Alec Connell also put out the fire of opposing NHL sharpshooters. |
| | Jack Darragh - Ottawa born and bred, Jack Darragh was the scoring hero in back to back Stanley Cup championships in 1920 and 1921. |
| | Frank Finnigan - Compared by one source as the Michael Peca of his day, "The Shawville Express was a rugged two way forward. |
| | Percy Lesueur - Peerless Percy was the first great goaltender in Ottawa history. |
Ottawa Silver Seven
| | Cyclone Taylor - Best known with Ottawa and Vancouver. , the Cyclone was hockey's first national superstar, he excelled at all positions except goal. |
Harry Broadbent was nicknamed "Punch" for a couple of reasons: he had knockout scoring punch with a knack for scoring at clutch times; and he was also one of the best fighters in his era in the NHL.
Born in Ottawa, July 13, 1892, Broadbent played most of his career in the nation's capital. After playing three years of senior hockey in the Ottawa area, Punch turned pro when the Ottawa Senators and the National Hockey Association was formed. In his first season, 1912-13, he scored 21 goals and two seasons later he bettered his exploits to 24 goals.
Punch put his hockey career on the backburner in order to serve his country for three years in World War 1. Punch returned triumphantly and sporting a Canadian Military Medal for his heroic combat service overseas.
In 1919, Broadbent resumed his career with the Senators, only now the NHA was extinct and the NHL was the premier league. Punch stayed five seasons in Ottawa, earning 3 Stanley Cup championships. He only played in 8 games in his first NHL season, but whoed he had what it took in 1919-20, his second season. He scored 19 goals in 21 games and added 5 points in 5 playoff games. He also showed his mean streak as witnessed by his 42 PIM in those 5 playoff games.
Punch was born and bred in Ottawa and loved the area. He never wanted to leave the city and for a while refused to play other NHL teams.. In fact on New Year's Eve 1920, the Sens sold him and Sprague Cleghorn to Hamilton, but Punch refused to report and retired instead. Hamilton then traded him to the Montreal Canadiens, but again Punch refused to report. Eventually Punch's playing rights were returned to Ottawa and Punch returned to the ice. He only played in 9 games that year because of his refusal to play, scoring 4 goals and 1 assist.
The Senators were counting their lucky stars the following season. After trying to move Punch, he returned to team and had one of the greatest seasons in NHL history. He scored a league leading 32 goals and 46 points in 24 games. He also set the long standing NHL record of scoring at least one goal in 16 consecutive games!
However in 1924 the Senators were again looking to sell him. Punch and Clint Benedict were sold to the Montreal Maroons. This time Punch did report and played in Montreal for 3 seasons, and earned a 4th Stanley Cup in 1926. Punch returned to Ottawa for the 1927-28 season. The following season he played for the New York Americans. It proved to be Punch's final season of hockey. The next year he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force.
He scored 122 goals and had 45 assists in his 11 NHL seasons, adding 12 goals and 7 assists in 42 playoff games. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962, Harry Broadbent died March 6, 1971, at the age of 77.
March 21st, 1991. Quebec's Ron Tugnutt stopped 70 Bruins shots, including 12 in overtime, to give the Nordiques a 3-3 tie at Boston.
The Bruins' 73 shots were 10 short of the NHL record set by Boston in a 1941 game against Chicago. Ray Bourque set a NHL single game record with 19 shots himself!
Tugnutt's performance was so impressive even some of the Bruins' players skated over to congratulate him.
Here's some video highlights:
That Nordiques team was really bad. But Tugnutt was the guy you really pulled for, even if you were a fan of the opposition that night. He was a small but exciting reflex goalie, and a hard and enthusiastic worker.
Early in his career, especially in Quebec, he was a hot and cold goalie, often flopping around the net, looking either spectacular or foolish. Obviously Boston caught him on a spectacular night.
He was never really a number one goalie though. He filled that role with terrible teams in Quebec and in Columbus. With the guidance of goaltending coach Phil Myre he had some good years in Ottawa, even setting a modern single season record with a 1.79 GAA one year. But ultimately he split duties with Damian Rhodes and Patrick Lalime. Otherwise he was labeled a back up goalie when with strong teams like Edmonton (Bill Ranford), Montreal (Patrick Roy) and Dallas (Marty Turco).
Darcy Loewen was an extremely popular player at the minor league level. He was a pint sized winger (just 5'10" and 185 pounds) but he played with such heart and zest that you couldn't help but cheer him on. He didn't score many goals, but his fiery and relentless physical play made him a valuable player, particularly in his 4 seasons in Las Vegas of the International Hockey League.
Loewen, born in Calgary, Alberta, learned to survive physical wars while playing junior hockey with the Spokane Chiefs for 4 seas. The Buffalo Sabres were impressed enough with his grit to select him 55th overall in the 1988 NHL draft.
Loewen turned pro in 1989 and immediately became valuable member of the Sabres farm team in Rochester of the AHL. For three straight seasons he proved to be a pesky but valuable player. The Sabres rewarded him with brief call ups in each of his first three years. However in a total of 12 games as a Sabre, Loewen failed to pick up a scoring statistic.
Loewen's NHL break came in the summer of 1992 when the Ottawa Senators used an expansion draft pick to select the rambunctious Loewen. For two seasons Loewen impressed with his hustle, but with just 4 goals in 123 games with the Sens and Darcy's NHL career was nearing its end.
Darcy may have enjoyed his finest years as a professional hockey player in his post NHL days. From 1994 through 1997 Loewen was one of the most popular players in Las Vegas of the IHL. He also played half a season with the Thunder's arch rivals from Salt Lake City before he headed to Britain for a year.
Darcy, who had a keen interest in agriculture, signed on with the WCHL's Idaho Steelhead's while he enrolled in college classes. He officially retired in 2000.
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