The National Hockey League has been busy celebrating its 100th birthday throughout 2017.Ahead of its actualfounding day on the 26 November we’ve caught up with hockey fans who have shared the impact the sport and the NHL has had on their lives.
‘When the cup was won, my brother threw books at me in disgust’
Name: Domenic
Location: Montreal
My NHL team is... Montreal Canadiens
The first NHL game attended... the Montreal Canadiens against the Vancouver Canucks at the Pacific Coliseum in 1981. It felt like we Habs fan outnumbered the Canucks fans, and we certainly outshouted them!
My favourite NHL moment... winning the Stanley Cup in 1971. The Boston Bruins were arch rivals to the Canadiens and at the time far and away the class of the league. No one gave third-place Montreal much of a chance against the first-place Bruins in the opening quarter-final round. Backstopped by Ken Dryden, who had only played six games in the regular season, we won in seven games. Then we went on to win the semi-final in six and the finals in seven against Chicago. It was especially sweet as my older brother was a Bruins fan and absolutely despised the Canadiens. When the cup was won, he threw books at me in disgust. Hardback ones!
My favourite player... is a toss up between Guy Lafleur, who was the first player in the league to score 50 goals and 100 points in six straight seasons, or Jean Believau, who played a part in 20 seasons for the Canadiens between 1950 and 1971.
My youth was spent... playing road hockey and on frozen rivers and lakes, when we weren’t playing in our regular Minor Hockey League at the local arena. I’m still playing, three times a week, and know a number of people in their seventies who continue to do so.
‘The first musical tune I could hum was the ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ theme song’
Name: Jeff Powell
Location: Toronto
My NHL team is... Toronto Maple Leafs
I grew up in... the suburbs of Toronto, so there wasn’t really a choice.
Hockey means... everything for Canadians! I started to skate not long after learning to walk, and spent more hours playing road hockey than I did going to school.
My Dad... has always been a big hockey fan. He waxes lyrical about the days of the ‘original six’, and watching the greats like Bobby Orr and Gordie Howe. When he played they put rolled up newspapers in their socks, and no helmets. Hard core.
My five-year-old daughter... doesn’t know she’s a Leafs fan yet. I often take her out to skate.
The first musical tune I could hum was... the ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ theme song. It’s like the Match of the Day theme tune, but better.
It’s been 50 years... since the Leafs last won the Stanley Cup. It would be karmic to lift the trophy while the NHL celebrates its centenary. But I’m not holding my breath.
‘The sheer chance of getting the second pick was quite remarkable’
Name: James Joslyn
My NHL team is... Winnipeg Jets
What I love about the sport is... the generally tight games, the intensity of the crowds and the fast pace of the game. I admire its relative simplicity.
The team’s great success... came well before my time. But the 2016 Draft Lottery, enabling the Jets to move from the sixth pick to the second and select Right Wing Patrik Laine, gave me a lot of optimism for future seasons with a real star to build around. That promise wasn’t fulfilled last season, but it looks like it might this time around and bodes well for the future. The sheer chance of getting the second pick was quite remarkable and will hopefully be a turning point for a franchise that has struggled since relocating and reviving the Jets name.
It’s hard to look beyond... Teemu Selänne as my all-time favourite player. Nicknamed “The Finnish Flash” his achievements with the Jets, particularly in that incredible rookie season, are something that can’t be underestimated. He may be better remembered for his time with the Ducks, but his time in Winnipeg was such a fruitful one.
Out of the current bunch... I can’t help but admire the Columbus Blue Jackets’ stony-faced goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. The role of a goaltender is a precarious one but Bobrovsky is ice-cool under pressure and pulls off some incredible stops.
‘My Grandmother was from Montreal and my Grandfather was from Boston. Enough said!’
Name: Chris Fielder
Location: Saint Augustine, Florida
My NHL team is... Boston Bruins
When I was a teenager... I would spend Saturday nights with my Grandparents and we would watch Hockey Night in Canada. The greatest nights were when the Bruins played the Canadiens. My Grandmother was from Montreal and my Grandfather was from Boston. Enough said!
My all-time favourite player is... Bobby Orr, one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Of the current bunch I have to say it’s been enjoyable watching Brad Marchand go from a scrappy fourth liner to the premier Winger he is today.
Living in North Florida... I don’t get many chances to watch the Bruins. But I try to get to the Tampa Bay Lightning games whenever they play them. The Jacksonville Icemen just started up as a Jets minor league franchise, so I’ll be attending many of those games with my 13-year-old son.
‘My only opportunity to catch up on NHL matters was my subscription to Sports Illustrated’
Name: Hayden Gordon
Location: Ottawa
My NHL team is... Chicago Blackhawks
I fell in love with the game... growing up in South Africa on my first visit to the local ice rink. I also met the love of my life there at 16 and we’re still together.
I’ve attended some Ottawa Senators games... as they play locally. But I tend to spend the winters in warmer climates these days. The joys of retirement!
Back in my teenage years... there was no TV in South Africa. There was little or no hockey information. My only opportunity to catch up on NHL matters was my subscription to Sports Illustrated, which arrived a month or so after publication.
I wrote to Bobby Hull... when I was a teenager living in South Africa. I was thrilled to receive a postcard back signed by the Blackhawks legend. I still have the card and showed it to him, when we were lucky enough to meet in Ottawa. He took it from me carefully, looked it over and responded with a great smile.
‘The Flyers are the only NHL team that managed to beat the Red Army’
Name: Steve
Location: New Jersey
My NHL team is... Philadelphia Flyers
The one memory that really stands out is ... the time the Flyers defeated the Russian Red Army team 4-1 in 1976. It was a famous international game played in early January and was broadcast to an international audience. It was such a bad tempered affair, but the Flyers are the only NHL team that managed to beat the Red Army.
The most untouchable player is ... Wayne Gretzky with out question. Of the players currently in the NHL I like Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin.
For a number of years ... it seemed as though the speed of the players made scoring more “luck of the bounce” than great playmaking. Fortunately the style of play seems to be opening up. It’s made the game better to watch in recent seasons.
