Chris Lindberg

Many Canadian fans always had a soft spot for Dave King's Canadian national teams back in the 1980s and early 1990s. Generally speaking the team was made up of defensive minded speedsters who were long shots to win Olympic and international tournaments. Many of the players graduated to the NHL with varying levels of success.

One of the more noticeable "Nats" players in the 1991-92 season was Chris Lindberg. Of course the national team got quite a lot of attention that year. It was an Olympic year after all, and with the fall of the Soviet Union some believed Canada finally had an equal chance to compete on a level international playing field. Moreover, Canada had a strong team with NHL super-prospect/hold out Eric Lindros leading the way. Joey Juneau, Brad Schlegel and Jason Woolley also played big roles, as did NHL imports like Sean Burke, Dave Hannan, and Dave Tippett.

Lindberg was noticeable first and foremost because of his astonishing speed. He could keep up with the fastest Russians and then some. He was often asked to kill penalties and be the first man in on the forecheck. His speed also created a lot of offensive opportunities. In two seasons with the Nats he scored 25 and 33 goals. In the Olympics he scored 1 goal and 5 points in 8 games.

Lindberg's dedication to the national team paid off in Albertville at the Olympics. Canada would lose to the Russians (playing under the title of "Unified Team" due to the evolving break up of the Soviet Union) 3-1 in the final game. Canada had nothing to be ashamed of in winning the silver medal.

Immediately after the Olympics Lindberg made the jump to the Calgary Flames. He played in 17 games to end the NHL season, scoring 2 goals and 7 points.

Dave King finally tried his hand at the NHL game. He signed on with the Calgary Flames as head coach for the 1992-93 season. This was great news for Lindberg. Lindberg stayed with the Flames full time that season, scoring 9 goals and 21 points in helping the Flames return to the playoffs.

Lindberg left Calgary prior to the 1993-94 season, signing as a free agent with the Quebec Nordiques. He played half a season in Quebec before being demoted to the minor leagues where he was a strong offensive player in the playoffs with the Cornwall Aces.

Lindberg could read the writing on the wall and he must not have liked the idea of riding buses in the minor leagues for the rest of his career. He took control of his own destiny and headed overseas to play in European leagues where his speed and experience would allow him to play more prominent roles. He played in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and even a season in Japan, extending his career by an extra 10 years.

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Harold Phillipoff

This is Harold "Hal" Phillipoff. He was a high draft choice (1st round, 10th overall by Atlanta Flames in 1976) after an impressive junior career with Ernie "Punch" McLean's New Westminster Bruins of the WHL. They were a junior dynasty in the 1970s, with the likes of Stan Smyl, Barry Beck and Mark Lofthouse. Phillipoff was an important member of two Memorial Cup appearances.

The Kamsack, Saskatchewan native made his pro debut in 1977, playing with the Flames farm team in Nova Scotia. He helped the Voyageurs capture the 1977 Calder Cup championship.

The following season Phillipoff debuted in the NHL, finishing his rookie year with a respectable 17 goals and 36 assists for 53 points. However he would fall victim to the dreaded sophomore jinx, and never really found his way in the NHL again. He struggled that season to a 9 goal, 26 point performance in 51 games before being traded to Chicago.

That trade was quite the notable transaction. Eight players changed their address on March 13, 1979, making it the biggest trade (in terms of bodies involved) in history to that point.
Atlanta traded Phillipoff, Tom Lysiak, Pat Ribble, Greg Fox and Miles Zaharko to Chicago in exchange for Ivan Boldirev, Phil Russell and Darcy Rota.

Phillipoff never found his way in The Windy City, either. He would get into just 23 games over 2 seasons, picking up zero goals and 4 assists. He was destined for the minor leagues for the rest of his career.

Late in his career he had what looked to be his final reprieve. Phillipoff was traded by Chicago with Dave Logan to Vancouver for Ron Sedlbauer on Dec. 21, 1979. But Phillipoff, who spent much of his successful junior career in British Columbia's Lower Mainland, never played for the Canucks.

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Stephane Yelle

Stephane Yelle was a very smart player who could read the oncoming attacks with great proficiency. As such, he became one of the NHL's most knowledgeable defensive forwards in the later 1990s and in the 2000s.

His hockey smarts were his greatest asset, because the sum of his skills were average at best. He was a good skater, but lacked the speed to be much of a threat. His hand skills made him a limited player offensively. Physically he was tall and rangy, not well built to battle against the league's biggest brutes.

Yet somehow Yelle was able to use his understanding of the game of hockey combined with his hard work to become a key role player and key penalty killer with the ritzy Colorado Avalanche. He helped the Avs win championships in 1996 and 2001, and helped the Calgary Flames reach the finals in 2004. He was a very popular player with the fans and his teammates, but most especially with the coaching staffs.

Yelle is best known with the Avalanche, where he played 3rd line center in the shadows of Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg. Yelle was more than a throw-in in the big trade that took him to Calgary. He was moved along with Chris Drury, to the Flames for Derek Morris, Dean McAmmond and Jeff Shantz.

Yelle, who also played with Boston and Carolina for short stints late in his career, retired in 2010 with 991 games played with 96 goals and 265 points. In the playoffs, where he earned his reputation as a valued NHL player, he chipped in 11 goals and 32 points in 171 post-season games. Underwhelming numbers to be sure, but his two Stanley Cup rings are far more reflective of his true worth.

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Ric Nattress

Ric Nattress, a native of Hamilton, Ontario, was drafted as an underage junior by Montreal Canadiens in 1980 (2nd round, 27th overall) after having posted a solid rookie season for the Brantford Alexanders (OHL). 

As a defenseman, the scouts liked Ric's size and toughness. He played another two seasons for Brantford until making his pro debut during the 1982-83 season when he played 9 games for the Canadiens farm team Nova Scotia (AHL) and 40 games for Montreal.

Unfortunately Ric will mostly be remembered for getting caught at the customs for possession of 3 grams of Marijuana and 1 gram of Hashish in August 1983. He was fined $150 in a Brantford court, but his stiffest punishment came from the NHL where he was given a 40 game suspension following his conviction in the Ontario court. Some players nicknamed Ric "Stash."

Ric rebounded from this embarrasing moment though. His right were sold from Montreal to St.Louis on October 7, 1985 where he completed two seasons between 1985-87. During the 1987 entry draft Ric was traded from St.Louis to Calgary for their 4th round choice in 1987 (Andy Rymsha) and 5th round choice in 1988 (Dave Lacouture).

Ric spent the next 4½ years in Calgary winning the Stanley Cup in 1989. On January 2, 1992 Ric was involved in the biggest trade ever in NHL history up to that point when he was dealt to Toronto in a 10-player deal that involved Doug Gilmour.

He did very well in Toronto upon his arrival there and scored 16 points in 36 games. During the off-season on August 21, 1992 he decided to sign as a free agent with Philadelphia. Ric responded with a career high 7 goals in only 44 games. The 1992-93 season was his last due to a knee injury that he suffered on March 21, 1993.

Ric Nattress scored 164 points based on 29 goals and 135 assists in 536 career NHL games. Ric wasn't a fancy player by any stretch of the imagination. He lacked creativity and did not handle the puck well, especially under pressure. He was at his best when he kept his style as simple as possible - chipping the puck off of the glass and out of the zone. He was an average, almost clunky skater with a tendency to wander from his position at times. Defensively he was big and strong, but more of a pusher than a hitter. Because his skating could be exploited by faster opponents, he was essentially a depth blue liner.

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Paul Kruse

Solid and sturdy with a bit of a mean streak, rugged Paul Kruse was more of an agitator than a true NHL heavyweight. That never stopped him from going toe to toe with some of the NHL's toughest hombres. He even took boxing lessons to become a better fighter.

But Paul Kruse nicely made a career for himself simply by working hard and listening to his coaches. He became a reliable defensive player, making safe plays and by being fundamentally sound positioning.

A naturally fast skater blessed with first-step quickness, Kruse w as relentless in his pursuit for loose pucks on the forecheck and in the corners. He never had the hand skills to do too much with the puck when he did get it, but he was smart enough to know his limitations.

As such the enthusiastic Kruse was a perfect 4th line player who could move up to the third line for stretches. His lack of production kept him on the bubble all the time.

He lasted 423 games in the NHL with Calgary, NY Islanders, San Jose and Buffalo. He scored 38 goals and 71 points, not to mention earning 1074 hard fought penalty minutes.

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German Titov

When the Soviets first came to the National Hockey League in the early 1990s, I took special interest in each one.One player that confused me was German Titov.

Titov, who starred for years with Khimik Voskresensk, came to Calgary in 1992 after a season and a half playing in Finland. I admittedly had never heard of him prior to his joining the Flames. I think what really surprised me about him was he had very good size and was not outstandingly fast - making him unusual amongst the best Soviet players.

That is not to say he was not amongst the better Soviets to initially join the NHL. In fact he adjusted quite well, thanks to willingness to use the body (thanks to incredible balance on his skates). He protected the puck well, blocked shots and sacrificed his body defensively. He was good on faceoffs and kill penalties. Because he was so responsible defensively he found a role with the Flames quickly, most famously on a line with speedier, more offensive players Theo Fleury and Michael Nylander.

Titov did bring offense to the table, too. In 3 of his first 4 seasons he topped 20 goals. He was a streaky scorer, but he had good hockey sense and was creative with the puck. I will always remember him for his short stick and his one-handed puckhandling. 

Titov played in 624 NHL games, also playing with Pittsburgh, Anaheim and very briefly Edmonton. He scored 157 goals, 220 assists and 377 points. He also helped Russia win the World Championship in 1993 and Olympic silver medal in 1998.

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Vic Mercredi

Vic Mercredi is one of only five NHL players in history (as of 2011) to have been born in the Northwest Territories. Vic was the first, followed by fellow Yellowknife-born Greg Vaydik. Others are Geoff Sanderson and Rob McVicar of Hay River and Zac Boyer of Inuvik.

Vic is one of the few native Canadians (Indian) to have played in the NHL. He may have been born in NWT, but he played his junior hockey for the Penticton Broncos (BCJHL) and New Westminster Bruins (WHL). He managed to crack the 100 point barrier in both leagues..
 
Vic was drafted by Atlanta Flames in 1973 (Atlanta's 2nd choice, 16th overall). He was also selected by Houston Aeros in the 1973 WHA draft. Vic's first professional season came in 1973-74, but he was hampered by a slight shoulder injury. He still managed to score a respectable 57 points (21 goals, 36 assists) in 68 games for Omaha Knights (CHL).
 
His only two NHL games came the following season during a west coast road trip. His NHL debut came against Vancouver on December 6, 1974 (7-5 loss) and his last NHL appearance came the following night against Los Angeles (6-2 loss). Vic only skated for a few shifts in these games.
 
In 1975-76 Vic played three games for the Calgary Cowboys (WHA). Calgary had obtained his rights from Houston. The rest of the season he played in the AHL for Baltimore Clippers.
 
In 1976-77 Vic jumped on the opportunity to play in Europe. He signed a contract with the Swedish division 2 club Hammarby IF from Stockholm. Vic only played 18 games and scored 14 pts (5 goals) and collected 67 Pim's before heading back to Canada again.
 
From there on Vic only played one AHL game and the rest in the little known Pacific Hockey League (PHL). In PHL he skated for Phoenix Roadrunners and Tuscon Rustlers. His last season as an active player came in 1979-80 for Delta Hurry Kings in the British Columbia Senior Hockey League (BCJHL).
 
Vic's number one asset was his speed. Interestingly he played with a neutral hockey stick, no curve at all. That made him almost unique in pro hockey at that time. Although he was primarily listed as a right hand shooter, he could move the puck from either side and rarely used the conventional backhand shot.

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Colin Patterson

During the mid to late 1980s the Calgary Flames were an NHL super power. One of the most unheralded yet most valuable players from those teams was Colin Patterson.

Patterson combined speed and anticipation to establish himself as one of the NHL's best defensive forwards. A tremendous forechecker who would sacrifice his body without thought, Patterson was hard worker and dedicated athlete. He was also a character in the locker room, always cracking jokes to keep the team loose.

Patterson was signed as a free agent by Calgary after an impressive amateur career with Clarkson University. In three seasons with Clarkson, he scored 64 goals and 155 points in 99 games. Patterson thanks his college coaches for making him a better hockey player.

"Billy O’Flaherty and Terry Meagher really pushed me to the limit of my skill capabilities and allowed me to leave after my junior (third) year to pursue a professional hockey career. Along with my parents they were instrumental in making sure I went back to university over the summers to finish off my degree.”

Following his collegiate career, Patterson played with the Colorado Flames of the Central Hockey League before joining Calgary on a regular basis in 1983-84. In his first NHL season, he scored 13 goals and 27 points in 56 games. During the 1984-85 campaign, he recorded career-highs with 22 goals and 43 points in 57 games.

Patterson was a key figure on the Flames roster for the next four seasons and especially during the 1988-89 campaign. He established a career-high 24 assists and totaled 38 points during the regular season that year and was a solid performer for the club in the postseason. In 22 playoff games in 1989, he totaled 13 points and helped the Flames to their first Stanley Cup championship.

His kamikaze style of play finally caught up to him by 1989. His knee was so banged up he had to have reconstructive knee surgery in the summer. That surgery cost him the entire 1989-90 season.

After a rehabilitation period that would leave most exhausted, Patterson returned to the NHL for the 1990-91 season. Unsure of his knee, the Flames dealt Patterson to Buffalo where he finished out his career by playing the next two seasons.

Patterson left the NHL with career totals of 96 goals, 109 assists and 205 points in 504 regular season games. In 85 playoff contests, he had 29 points.

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Dave Hindmarch

In the 1984-85 season the NHL mandated the use of the movable nets. Place upon flexible "Marsh Pegs," the nets would safely breakaway when too much force was applied. This has saved countless injuries over the years. Prior to this innovation many players were seriously hurt when they crashed into the old immovable nets.

One such victim was Calgary's Dave Hindmarch. In the season prior to the adoption of the Marsh Pegs, Hindmarch, tripped by Rick Lanz, crashed into the posts in a game against Vancouver on December 16th, 1983. Hindmarch seriously damaged the cartilage in both needs. Doctors described the injury more in line with that of a car accident rather than a hockey play.

Hindmarch was left in a wheelchair for weeks as he underwent major reconstructive knee surgery on both knees. That surgery required intense rehabilitation for a year and a half. Yet doctors still told him he should not play hockey again. His NHL career was over after just 99 games. He scored 21 goals and 38 points.

Hindmarch was a promising young player, just entering his second full season in the NHL. Although his father was a legendary player and coach at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver born Dave opted to play and study at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, helping the Golden Bears win a national title in 1978. He would lead the entire Canadian university scene in goals the following year.

In 1980 he opted to play neither college or pro, but rather with the Canadian national team with dream of playing in the Olympics at Lake Placid. He had a strong showing in those Olympics, with 3 goals and  7 points in 6 games. No doubt Dave's dad Bob was instrumental in instilling the Olympic dream. Bob worked with Father David Bauer as general manger and assistant coach of the 1964 Canadian Olympic team.

Hindmarch turned pro following the games, although much of his first couple of seasons were played in the minor leagues. In his first call up he scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game.

His first full season was not until 1982-83 when he caught on as a defensive forward with the Flames. He did manage to score 11 goals and 23 points in a season truncataed to 60 games due to an ankle injury.

After giving up on a return to hockey, Hindmarch decided to finish his degree in physical education. He graduated from UBC where his dad had now risen to the title of athletic director.

At last report Dave was a high school P.E. teacher at Chatelech Secondary School in Sechelt on British Columbia's beautiful sunshine coast.

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Calgary Flames/Atlanta Flames Greatest Players

Curt Bennett Perry Berezan Dan Bouchard Valeri Bure Guy Chouinard Don Edwards Kari Eloranta Theoren Fleury Tim Hunter Reggie Lemelin Tom Lysiak Al MacInnis Brad McCrimmon Lanny McDonald Joey Mullen

Frank Musil Phil Myre Joe Nieuwendyk Kent Nilsson Joel Otto Willi Plett Pat Quinn Paul Ranheim Pekka Rautakallio Paul Reinhart Doug Risebrough Gary Roberts Ron Stern Gary Suter Rick Wamsley Carey Wilson

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Kari Eloranta

This is Kari Eloranta. He was a Finnish hockey star and Olympian who was one of the top players in the Swedish Elite League before trying his hand at the NHL at the age of 25.

When he came to North America in 1981 he was undoubtedly one of the most sought after free agents. Seven teams were in serious negotiations for his services, but it was the Calgary Flames who won the derby. The Flames figured they had just landed the next Risto Siltanen or Pekka Rautakallio - the next very good defenseman from Europe.

It didn't quite work out that way. Eloranta was probably every bit as good as Siltanen or Rautakallio, especially with the puck. But he never really adjusted to the NHL style and went back home to Europe just as he appeared to be finding his way.

After just 19 NHL games (he picked up just 5 assists) into the 1981-82 season the Flames demoted Eloranta to the minor leagues for more seasoning, and even went as far as to trade him to St. Louis in a conditional deal before the end of the season.

Eloranta finished the season with the Blues, scoring his first NHL goal and seven assists in 12 games. But Eloranta was returned to Calgary in the summer time.

Eloranta's first season in North America was dubbed a disappointment by just about everyone. Speculation had it that if he had a poor training camp in 1982 the Flames would buy out his guaranteed contract and allow him to return to Europe.

But the proud Eloranta would not give up so easily. He trained hard all summer, and gave it his best in training camp. He won the final spot on the Calgary blue line to start the season, at the expense of a promising though green rookie named Al MacInnis.

Experience was the biggest factor in Eloranta's improvement, as he said he felt "more relaxed out there. I'm taking it easy a little bit. Last year, I didn't know what to do."

Eloranta returned to the game that made him such an attractive prospect to begin with.

"Last year, I tried to do some things I haven't done before. I tried to play a hitting game. I like to move the puck and skate. I'm trying to play my own game."

Eloranta's played improved dramatically. He played the full 80 games, seeing time on the power play. He responded to the opportunity with 4 goals and 40 assists for a career high 44 points. He chipped in with 1 goal and 4 points in 9 playoff games, too.

Eloranta played 3 more seasons with the Flames, gradually losing ice time to up and coming defensemen like MacInnis and Gary Suter. The Flames began stockpiling the lower ranks of their back line with behemoths, writing Eloranta increasingly out of the picture.

Eloranta returned to Europe where he continued to star in Finland, Sweden, and Switzerland until 1997. He represented Finland in 4 Olympics, 4 World Championships and 1 Canada Cup.

Eloranta was a smooth skater and puck mover. As his NHL statistics suggested, he was more likely to pass than to shoot. In 267 NHL games he score just 13 goals, but had 103 assists for 116 points. He could be rendered neutral by a heavy forechecking team, but he was respected as an intelligent, puck moving defenseman.

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Paul Ranheim

In the days before the internet, hockey fans studied the NHL Guide and Record Book for all the statistical records and feats

Fans eyeballs enlarged when they doubled checked Paul Ranheim's stat line for the 1988-89 season. Ranheim was a first year pro with Calgary's farm team in Salt Lake City. In 75 IHL games he scored an amazing 68 goals! He added just 29 assists for 97 points.

The Flames, of course, just had won the Stanley Cup. They already had 50 goal scorers in Joe Mullen and Joe Nieuwendyk, not to mention a scary collection of brilliant offensive players including Doug Gilmour, Al MacInnis, and Gary Suter. Youngsters Theo Fleury and Gary Roberts, future 50 goal scorers themselves, were promising to play bigger roles.

It appeared the Stanley Cup champs had another super scorer in Ranheim ready to make the team.

Ranheim, as it turned out, would not become much of a scoring threat in the NHL. In three out of four seasons with the Flames he would score over 20 goals, but he spent the bulk of his career with Hartford/Carolina and then Philadelphia struggling to score even 10 goals. But he did play in over 1000 NHL games because a) he was a fantastic skater and b) he reinvented himself as a checker.

Ranheim was always the faster skater on the ice. He rocketed around the rink like an Yvan Cournoyer or a Russ Courtnall. While his speed created many scoring opportunities at the University of Wisconsin and in the minor leagues, at the NHL level he just lacked creativity and hand skills to be much of an offensive force. He merited little power play time, partly because his shot was astonishingly inaccurate.

But Ranheim became a top defensive player. His speed obviously allowed him to keep up with any defensive assignment. He played a solid physical game, although he was not much of an initiator. He had good defensive reads and good anticipation, making him a fixture on the penalty kill.

If you told a young fan armed with NHL Guide and Record Book back in 1990 that Paul Ranheim would go on to play in 1000 NHL games they would have believed you. But they would never have guessed it would be as a penalty kill specialist.

It just goes to show that you can't really scout a player strictly by the statistics.

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Ron Stern

Ron Stern was more than a just tough guy.

True, he would drop the gloves without complaint and racked up some gaudy PIM totals, but I always considered him to be more of a honest, blue collar winger who knew his job and performed it to the best of his ability. He was a surprisingly good skater, allowing him to excel at a bang-and-crash game where he was a punishing hitter. He was a guy who you had to admire because he gave it everything he had on every shift.

Although he had decent offensive numbers in juniors and in the minors, Stern could never find his coring touch in the NHL. He only scored 75 times in his 638 game career, mostly by crashing the net for loose pucks. If he could hit 10 goals a year that was considered to be good production. He rarely handled the puck with much success. His best offensive play was to simply let his linemates carry the puck into the zone while he drove hard to the net opening up lanes for them.

Stern's best days were with the Calgary Flames, forming an effective grind line with center Joel Otto. He also played in Vancouver and San Jose, always employing his rugged game.

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Frank Musil

This is Frank Musil. He split his career pretty evenly between the Minnesota North Stars and the Calgary Flames, also skating parts of a couple of seasons with Edmonton and Ottawa later on in his career. I best remember him as a Flame personally.

I remember Musil as a big, physical defender, combining strong skating and balance with a desire to play physically and unafraid. He even had a bit of a mean streak.

Musil was mostly a defensive-minded defenseman, more often than not making the correct safe play to get the puck out of the zone.

He made few contributions in the offensive zone. He had all the tools, just not the toolbox. He was a good skater with speed and mobility. He could handle the puck well under pressure. He had no great shot to brag about, but he he occassionally would slip down low for a back door goal.

Despite a promising array of talents, Musil seemed content to play ultra-safe on every play. He would always force a puck carrier wide rather than step up and take control. He would unfailingly fall back off the blue line rather than contain the point. He would carry the puck only a few strides, just enough to get to center ice and dump it in.

As one reporter put it, he was a reactive player rather than an active player.

I never really minded, because he was consistent and reliable. But I can understand being a fan of the North Stars or Flames being frustrated when they can see the talent was there and expected a little more.

Frantisek Musil was born in beautiful Paradubice. He would later play with Dukla Jihlava where he met the famous Holik family, legends in Czechoslovakia. Jaroslav and Jiri were brothers on the national team in the 1970s, and later returned home as coaches. Jaroslav had two kids - Bobby Holik, who of course you know as the long time NHLer, and Andrea Holikova, a world class tennis player. Frank would one day marry Andrea.

Drafted by the North Stars 38th overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, Musil had helped his country win gold at the 1985 World Championships. Back in 1983 he helped the national team win silver at the worlds even though he was still a junior player. At the World Junior championships he help

Musil had no real hopes of being allowed to leave Communist Czechoslovakia until maybe late in his career. So Musil took matters into his own hands. He obtained a holiday visa and travelled to Yugoslavia with a girlfriend. Musil then met with Minnesota GM Lou Nanne and player agent Ritch Winter, who had arranged for an American work visa. Winter and Nanne used the work visa to fool the border guards, who were unaware that Musil was a defecting hockey star. The North Stars had been working on this secret plan for 3 years, waiting for Musil to complete his mandatory army service so that he would not be known as a deserter. With the working visa completely legit, Musil technically never actually defected.

Frank Musil would go on to play in 797 NHL games, scoring 36 goals and 144 points. With a changed political world he was able to return home and even play for his country again, helping the Czechs win a bronze medal at the 1992 World Championships.

Last I heard Musil was back home coaching as well as scouting for the Edmonton Oilers. He had finished his career in Edmonton, albeit very painfully. He missed an entire season due to a spinal cord injury in a training camp practice. He made it back in the middle of the following season, but the nerve damage in his neck and arm ultimately forced him to retire.

On an interesting note, Musil had a penchant for taking odd jobs in the summer time when he was still playing the NHL. He sold cars in Minnesota, and later worked a slaughter house in Alberta. He may have not made millions every season, but he certainly was paid well enough to have not worked.

I guess on or off the ice, Frank Musil just did not know how to stop working hard.

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Valeri Bure

This is Valeri Bure. Once his big brother Pavel was tagged with the nickname "The Russian Rocket," Val's obvious moniker was quick to follow - The Russian Pocket Rocket.

Pavel exploded on to the NHL scene back in 1991, putting some pretty lofty expectations on the younger Val. Pavel he was not, but he was a very creative little player who, when placed in the right situation, was a very good top six forward.

Val spent his main formative years in North America. He fled Russia at the same time as Pavel, but because of his age he spent three seasons playing with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League.

Drafted by Montreal way back in 1992, it was not until the 1995-96 season that he would stick with the Habs. He was used primarily as a third line winger in Montreal, seeing very little specialty team time. This affected his scoring totals severely. He topped 20 goals just once in four seasons with Montreal.

Listed generously at 5'10" and 170lbs, Bure really needed a big power forward on his line do the heavy work and create some space. Bure was strong for his size and was willing to pay the price, but he had to rely on smarts and speed to survive in the NHL. Fortunately for Bure, he was blessed with ample supplies of both.

Val was never as lightning fast as Pavel was, and could never electrify the crowd the same way. But he had excellent first step quickness greatly aided by superb sense of anticipation.

Hockey fans really witnessed that upon Val's arrival in Calgary. In February of 1998 Montreal sent Val and a draft pick to the Flames in exchange for Jonas Hoglund and Zarley Zalapski.

At first it did not seem like a great fit. Brian Sutter was the coach, and he demanded heavy physical play, just like how he played. But Bure won him over with a work ethic that exceeded his nice skills package. He was rewarded with ice time and power play time

Bure put together three good seasons in Calgary, scoring 26, 35, and 27 goals. He was a streaky scorer who could frustrate you when he was not scoring, but when he put it all together he was an upper echelon NHLer. For example, in that 1999-00 season his 35 goals and 75 point paced the Flames by a fair margin.

Yet he never could escape the enormous shadow of his brother. That same season Pavel scored 58 goals, and that was not even his best season. Had Valeri had a different last name, I think people would probably have better appreciated him then and now.

The rebuilding Flames moved Bure to Florida in exchange for Rob Niedermayer at the 2001 draft. It was an exciting time for the Bure family, as the two brothers would be reunited with the Panthers. Pavel was coming off a 59 goal season and Valeri looked to prominently help out the Panthers anemic secondary scoring.

The Bure brothers of course were together just a few months earlier at the 2002 Olympics, where they won a bronze medal. The two also helped Russia win the 1998 silver medal.

Things did not quite work out as planned. Valeri blew out a knee, missing a total of 51 games thanks to two knee surgeries. A pouting Pavel slumped through a poor season before being traded to the New York Rangers late in the season.

The knee injury cost Val 20 games of the 2002-03 season, too. And upon his return a broken wrist cost him 12 more games and hampered him the rest of the season. He scored only 5 goals, and was traded away the trade deadline to St. Louis.

Val's stay in the Gateway City was brief, playing just 11 games with the Blues, including playoffs. The Blues put Bure on the waiver wire during the off-season and, surprise surprise, the Panthers quickly reacquired him.

Bure had one last decent season in him. In 55 games with the Panthers he chipped in with 20 goals and 45 points, respectable numbers for sure. The Panthers traded him away at the trading deadline once again, this time to Dallas. He would play just 18 games with the Stars.

Bure opted to rest his weary body during the 2004-05 lockout. Back surgery in the summer of 2004 all but prevented any attempt to play hockey.

He and wife Candace Cameron, of Full House sitcom fame, enjoyed their life in California with their young family. When the NHL finally returned from the work stoppage, he signed with the Los Angeles Kings, hoping to play with his family nearby. But the injuries were too much. Valeri Bure retired from the game of hockey.

The Bure family has explored several entrepreneurial pursuits, most notably Bure Family Wines in California.

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Carey Wilson

When Carey made his NHL debut as a 21-year old for Calgary in 1984 he had a solid hockey career behind him. After graduating from Dartmouth College he went to Finland where he played two seasons in the Finnish Elite league where he had 72 points in 65 games. He also had represented Canada in the 1982 World Junior Championships (gold), but the highlight until his NHL debut was when he played for Canada in the 1984 Olympics. While there he scored a hat trick in the opening game against the defending champions USA in a 4-2 win.

Carey's father Gerry was the vice-president and team doctor for the WHA Winnipeg Jets, so he was brought up with hockey in his veins.

Carey's debut in the NHL worked out well. He scored in his first NHL game and first shot ever, blasting a 35-foot slapshot past Flyers goalie Bob Froese. His goal helped Calgary beat Philly for the first time in three years. His NHL debut came only days after his Olympic experience, so he only played 15 games during that abbreviated "pre-rookie" season. He also played six playoff games, scoring three goals including an OT winner. But his 21 games still qualified him as a rookie for the next season. He had been drafted by Chicago 67th overall in 1980, but was traded to Calgary for Denis Cyr on November 8, 1982.

In his first full season Carey chipped in with 72 points including 24 goals and 48 assists in 74 games. Only Mario Lemieux had more points as a rookie that year. Lemieux's rookie linemate Warren Young also had 72 points. Carey's 72 rookie points was a franchise record (previously held by Tom Lysiak - 64 pts.). Although Carey finished a distant fifth in the rookie voting, he was Calgary's most effective forward throughout most of the season. Carey in fact maintained the same pace as Mario Lemieux while playing on the same line as Richard Kromm and Colin Patterson. His fine play earned him the rookie of the month honors in October 1984. When both Kromm and Patterson went down with injuries, Carey was shifted to a more checking role, reducing his scoring. He also played on a line with Dan Quinn and Kent Nilsson or Ed Beers and Hakan Loob. Late in the season he was put on a fourth line that became an instant hit among Flames fans. It became dubbed "The Tank Line". Carey played with Gino Cavallini (215 lbs) and Tim Hunter (205 lbs).

In 1985-86 the Flames made it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals, upsetting the Edmonton Oilers en route. In the finals the Flames would fall short to the Montreal Canadiens. Wilson was unable to play in the finals due to a ruptured spleen courtesy of a nasty speer by Oilers defenseman Steve Smith, the same Smith who scored on his own net to allow the Flames to escape with the playoff series victory.

Carey was a solid if unspectacular contributor for a deep Calgary team before being traded to Hartford early in 1988. Less than one year later he was shipped to New York, and the Rangers. They traded him back to Hartford in the summer of 1990, but Hartford wasn't his last destination. He got traded once again, but this time back to were it all started...Calgary. It's worth noting that he played very well in both Hartford and New York where he scored a total of 164 points in 197 games.

Back in Calgary he only played parts of three seasons before hanging em' up after the 1992-93 season. Wilson, who was constantly on the injured reserve list for all sorts of ailments, was forced into retirement with torn tendons in his right knee. Carey scored a total of 427 points including 169 goals and 258 assists in 552 regular season games, as well as 24 points including 11 goals in 52 playoff games.

Carey was a very intelligent player who seldom made a bad decision on the ice. He was also very intelligent off the ice, majoring in biochemistry and qualifying as a pre-med student before leaving Dartmouth for a career in hockey. During his off seasons he continued his studies.

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Perry Berezan

You probably don't realize this, but Perry Berezan scored one of the most famous goals in hockey history.

Okay, so he actually didn't score it. But he got credit with it. In one of the most famous playoffs gaffes of all time, Edmonton Oiler defenseman Steve Smith accidentally banked the puck into his own net, eliminating the dynastic Oilers from the 1986 playoffs. Berezan, an Edmonton native, was the last Flame to touch the puck as he dumped the puck in for a line change!

Those 1986 playoffs were a definite highlight in Berezan's career in Calgary, which began in late 1985 after graduating from the University of North Dakota. The Flames went on to take on the Montreal Canadiens in the Cup finals, only to lose to Patrick Roy's Canadiens.

The Flames returned to the Cup finals in 1989 and won the entire thing that year, but just weeks earlier traded Berezan away to the Minnesota North Stars for big left winger Brian MacLellan.

Berezan's time in Minnesota could best be described as frustrating, as he was battered with several injuries. In 1991 the Stars took a Cinderella run to the finals against Mario Lemieux's Penguins. Berezan got to play in just 1 of those post season games.

The expansion San Jose Sharks came along in the fall of 1991 and selected Berezan to play on their inaugural squad. He had a relatively healthy season and fully enjoyed that first season despite many losses.

"That first year (1991-1992) was one of the best times in my hockey career," says Berezan. "My teammates were definitely the best group of guys I've ever played with."

"I was very proud to be a part of the Sharks first year," says Berezan. "There was so much excitement in Northern California with a new team; it was a special feeling to be a part of history."

He equaled his career best with 12 goals that season as well.

The injury plagued center was once a promising player in Calgary. In addition to injuries, Calgary's great depth really hindered Berezan from developing. He was a tireless skater blessed with great speed and agility. He was a good playmaker and anticipated well. He had good size though never really improved his upper body strength, which would have helped to prevent many of his injuries.

Retiring after the 1992-93 season, Berezan returned to the University of North Dakota to finish his business degree. He currently works as an investment advisor for Nesbitt-Burns in Calgary.

"The transition from hockey to the business world wasn't as hard as I thought. The biggest thing I miss is the bigger paychecks," jokes Berezan.

Also the Vice President of the Calgary Flames Alumni Group which holds one event each month for former Flames players, Berezan skates at least twice a month "just trying to avoid injuries!"

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Dan Bouchard

Patrick Roy's brilliance in nets, especially while with the Montreal Canadiens, established himself as the hero of a generation Quebecois goaltenders.

But did you ever wonder who served as Patrick Roy's idol?

The answer would be Dan Bouchard, a fiery goaltender out of Val d'Or, Quebec best remembered for playing with the Atlanta Flames and later the Quebec Nordiques. Interestingly Roy's first ever NHL shutout came with Bouchard playing at the other end of the ice.

From an early age Dan Bouchard wanted to be a professional hockey player, just like his father. George Bouchard played defense in the American Hockey League, most notably with the Cleveland Barons and Eddie Shore's Springfield Indians. He quit in 1960 and returned to Quebec to raise his family. George would take a job laboring at a brewery for the next 25 years.

The elder Bouchard always kept hockey close to him. In fact he died while playing a recreational game. He passed on his love of hockey to his family. Dan and brother Guy would both make it to the pros as goaltenders, although only Dan would enjoy a NHL career.

Dan first caught NHL attention as a junior. In 1968-69 he captured the Jacques Plante trophy for lowest GAA while leading the QMJHL's Sorel Black Hawks to a Memorial Cup experience. He would switch to London of the Ontario League the following year before being drafted by the Boston Bruins drafted him 27th overall in 1970.

The next two years Bouchard spent apprenticing in the minor leagues. The Bruins were deep in nets with the likes of Gerry Cheevers and Eddie Johnstone, so they allowed Bouchard proper time to hone his craft. But Bouchard was in a hurry, and set the league on its head while leading the league in wins and shutouts and leading the Boston Braves to a regular season title in 1971-72.

Bouchard would never get a chance to play in Boston. The NHL expanded and in the summer of 1972 the Atlanta Flames were quick to select the hot goalie prospect in the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft. He would go on to become synonymous with Atlanta hockey, and one of their key players.

Bouchard very well may have been the most important player in the short history of the Atlanta Flames. With his effective butterfly stance he was able to post very respectable numbers during the regular season, including a league best 32 wins in 1978-79, but the team was never able to garner any post season success. That fact probably will forever separate Dan Bouchard from the other elite goalies of his era. He holds practically every significant goaltender record in Atlanta Flames history.

Though he was and still remains a fan favorite in Atlanta, he was not always a favorite of his teammates and coaches. He was very fiery, very argumentative and admittedly too cocky. He quickly gained a reputation as a troublemaker and a poor leader. He never warmed himself to the media either, often ducking interviews. In many ways Bouchard was his own worst enemy.

Through it all, even the franchise's relocation to Calgary, Dan Bouchard remained the Flames goalie. That changed soon after the team's arrival in Alberta. He was playing less frequently and he was frustrated with what he called communication problems with the team. As the team left on a two week road trip, Bouchard was left behind and told to wait for a trade.

That wait may have been the best thing that ever happened to Dan Bouchard. Even though he was spiraling into a deep depression, he quickly found his salvation in the bible. He had always attended church as a kid, in the same way many of us did - reluctantly. But now he was actually reading the scriptures and suddenly finding inner piece.

This turn around was all rather quick in happening. Before the Flames' returned from their road trip Bouchard began practicing with a Calgary area junior team. Soon enough he found he was traded to the Quebec Nordiques.

From 1981 through 1985 Dan Bouchard was the Nords top goaltender. Again, playoff success was not to be found, and his numbers ballooned like most goalies in the high scoring 1980s. But armed with a new found inner peace, Bouchard enjoyed his time in Quebec.

The Nordiques brought in young Mario Gosselin in 1985, pushing Bouchard back to the sidelines. He would play another year in the NHL with Winnipeg before a short stint in Switzerland in 1986-87. He would retire and relocate back to Georgia.

Nowadays Dan Bouchard, along with former Bruins star Cam Neely, has invested into a credit card processing business. He also remains very active in hockey, teaching hockey to kids in Atlanta.

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Rick Wamsley

Drafted 58th overall in 1979 by the Montreal Canadiens, Rick Wamsley started his career with minor league Nova Scotia in the AHL. In 1980 the Canadiens called him up, still looking for a replacement for the Ken Dryden who retired a year earlier. Wamsley filled in solidly for 3 seasons. In 1981-82 he and Denis Herron shared the William Jennings trophy for allowing the fewest goals against in the entire league.

Wamsley, Herron, and for that matter Richard Sevigny all filled in nicely in Montreal, but the team was not keeping up with the New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers in battles for Stanley Cups. A goaltending carousel would exist in Montreal until Patrick Roy arrived in 1986. Wamsley was moved to St. Louis in 1984.

Wamsley was happy with the move to St. Louis because of the team's association with goaltending legend Jacques Plante. Plante had helped Wamsley in Montreal and continued to do so with the Blues. Wamsley always credited Plante with helping achieve big league success.

Wamsley would spend 4 seasons with the Blues, splitting crease responsibilities mostly with Greg Millen.

Despite his solid play in St. Louis, Wamsley will always be remembered for his departure. Near the trading deadline in 1988, Wamsley and Rob Ramage were traded to Calgary in exchange for journeyman Steve Bozek and a young sniper named Brett Hull. Hull would go on to become one of the greatest goal scorers in NHL history, but Wamsley and the Flames would the Stanley Cup in 1989.

Though he rarely played with starter Mike Vernon around, winning the cup was his career highlight.

"When Doug Gilmour scored the empty net goal with about a minute left to clinch it, I wouldn't say my life flashed before my eyes, but I thought back to my parents driving me to practices and games and all the teams I played for over the years. Winning the cup was everything you thought it'd be when you were 12 years old playing in your driveway."

Wamsley continued in the back up role in Calgary until January 1992 when he realized another childhood dream. Part of the big Doug Gilmour for Gary Leeman trade, Wamsley became a Toronto Maple Leaf.

"I grew up watching the Leafs on Hockey Night In Canada in my grandfather's basement, which made putting on the blue and white sweater very special."

Wamsley would retire as a Leaf the next season, but would stay in the game as a long time goaltending coach. As a player he was a stand up goalie to a fault, particularly susceptible to low shots to the corners. As a coach he's had to keep learning the game, as the stand up style is essentially non-existent anymore. But one area of the game that he always seemed to master, and perhaps thanks to Jacques Plante, was mental preparedness necessary to be a NHL goalie. He was a very consistent goalie, always pretty good if never elite.

Rick Wamsley played in 407 NHL games, compiling an impressive 204-131-46 record. He posted 12 shut outs and a career 3.33 goals against average, a very respectable number for a goalie in the 1980s.

Wamsley also twice represented his country in international play. He helped Canada medal at the 1983 (bronze) and 1985 (silver) world championships.

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Reggie Lemelin

Rejean "Reggie" Lemelin was one of a number of goalies from the 1980s that always perplexed me.

Though goaltending in the 1980s is historically regarded as weak at best, Reggie was an above average goalie who was capable of great performances. Yet he was never able to truly establish himself as an elite goalie, like say Grant Fuhr, Billy Smith and Ron Hextall. Instead Lemelin was regarded to be a level below that, along with names like Bob Froese, Bob Sauve, Brian Hayward, and former teammates Pat Riggin and even Andy Moog. I'm even inclined to include Pete Peeters on this list.

Lemelin was an old-school stand up goalie. That style is basically instinct today, but it was still accepted practice back then, and Lemelin excelled at playing his angles and directing pucks into the corners. In many ways he was blocking shots rather than saving them. By virtue of his playing style he often made stops seem easier than they probably were.

The problem with that theory of goaltending of course is the goalie is very susceptible if he has to move around. Force the goalie to move and he will lose his angles, and Lemelin fit this textbook definition of stand up goalie to a tee as well. Though he had great balance and was quick when forced to scramble while off his feet, he was slow in moving across his crease and often relied on the unreliable stacked-pads attempt to stop 2 on 1's.

Drafted by Philadelphia way back in 1974, Lemelin signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Flames in 1978. He did not become a Flames regular goalie until 1980-81, the first year the Flames relocated to Calgary.

Though he was a constant in the Calgary crease for much of the 1980s, he could never secure himself the #1 starting goalies job. Not even after his magical 1983-84 season where he went unbeaten in 19 straight games and was voted as runner up to Buffalo rookie sensation Tom Barrasso for the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the league. Lemelin was even asked to play for Team Canada at the 1984 Canada Cup following his 21-12-9 season, and would improve his numbers in 1985-86.

Correctly believing organizational depth was a key to success, the Flames always had someone pushing Lemelin for playing time. There was Pat Riggin, Don Edwards, and finally Mike Vernon, who would finally establish himself as the undisputed king of the Calgary crease.

In 1987-88 Lemelin was moved to Boston where he was essential in their voyage to the Stanley Cup finals. Most people will of course remember the Bruins started Andy Moog for the final series against Moog's old Edmonton Oilers teammates. But Lemelin actually played the lion's share of games that post season, posting a 11-6 record in 17 post season games.

Lemelin would remain in Boston until 1993. As time went by his status as the back up goalie behind Moog was cemented. Regardless, the Bruins featured one of the strongest tandems and therefore strongest teams in the early 1990s. The Bruins returned to the Stanley Cup finals in 1990, but would once again fall short to the Oilers.

Lemelin would hang up his skates for good in 1993, famously saying that he knew it was time to retire when his teammates were asking him for permission to date his daughter. (by the way, Lemelin's daughter is actress Stephanie Lemelin.) In actuality, Lemelin chose to retire rather than accept Boston's decision to demote him to the minor leagues.

Lemelin would go on to the world of coaching after his playing days. In 1993-94 he was the goalie coach in St. Louis before moving the next season to Philadelphia where he would serve as the long time goaltending consultant.

I guess history will not be as kind to Reggie Lemelin as perhaps it should be. He was an above average goalie, and for a couple of seasons he may even have been elite. But success and therefore that magical defining moment was tough to find. Consider this - Lemelin was the back up goalie for 3 Stanley Cup finals. Perhaps that is his defining moment.

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Doug Risebrough

Doug Risebrough, a four time Stanley Cup champion with the Montreal Canadiens,  always played the same way - day in, day out, pre-season or game seven.

Risebrough played with tons of heart and determination, and with a hatred for losing which no doubt was nurtured during his days with the Habs. In Montreal he learned how to win and how not to accept anything less, something he was always able to take with him and make him a better leader.

A leader he was. He captained the Flames to their first Stanley Cup appearance in 1986, only to fall just short to his old Montreal Canadiens teammates. Risebrough was an essential cog in the Flames rise from also-rans to contenders in his four seasons there.

Risebrough was a very physical player, playing much bigger than his 5'11" and 170 lb frame should have allowed. He would hit anything in an opposing jersey, never afraid to get his nose out of joint. Risebrough would pay for this, however, missing significant time in 6 of his 13 seasons, including his final four in Montreal, leading to his trade to Calgary. Among the serious injuries on his medical charts are badly separated shoulders which would lead to early arthritis, a severe groin/abdominal pull, and career ending knee surgery.

While physical, Risebrough walked the line from chippy to dirty. He was among the best pests ever in the game. Who can forget his role in the Battle of Alberta wars between the Flames and Edmonton Oilers. He once received a 6 game suspension for swinging his stick at the head of Glenn Anderson. Another time he used his skates to slice Marty McSorley's discarded jersey to pieces.

Don't get us wrong, Riser was a very good player, too. He was an exceptional skater, blessed with speed and balance and agility. Enhancing his skating abilities was his ability to read the play as it was happening. Best applied defensively, he could anticipate what the opposition was going to do, and break up plays using his vision.

Risebrough was a penalty killing specialist. Firstly, he had outstanding arm and wrist strength, making him one of the best on faceoffs. Throw in his anticipation and skating skills and Riser was a natural born penalty killer. Because of his breakaway speed he was always a short handed threat to score.

Risebrough was never a noted scorer. He never scored more than 23 goals or 60 points, and, largely due to injury, rarely challenged those career highs. He didn't have the hands to match his anticipation skills, so when he turned over the puck he wasn't the greatest offensive threat. He had a hard wrist shot and could use his teammates well if given that extra second.

We subscribe to the theory that Risebrough could have been a better offensive player if he ever was given the opportunity. To crack that dynastic Montreal team in the late 1970s Riser had little choice other than to accept his role as pest, face off and defensive specialist. He was able to establish himself as one of the best at his trade and by the time he left for Calgary, he was destined to fulfill that role forever.

Forced off the ice because of the knee injury, Risebrough became general manager and coach of the Flames. He was burned badly by the Doug Gilmour for Gary Leeman trade, forever overshadowing his accomplishments as GM in Calgary.

He would later become the long time GM of the Minnesota Wild.

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Guy Chouinard

This clever center racked up some respectable numbers during his 10 year NHL career.

Called "Gramps" by his teammates because of his looks which made him appear a lot older than he was, Guy Chouinard emerged as the Flames offensive leader. Teaming memorably with Billy MacMillan, Chouinard was a creative offensive force with a deadly accurate shot and soft hands. For a brief time he was considered to be the third best center in the National Hockey League.

Chouinard had a good junior career with the Québec Remparts where he scored 147 goals and 359 points in 179 games between 1971 and 1974. He formed a devastating line in Québec with Andre Savard and Jacques Richard. Guy was only 17 when he was drafted by Atlanta Flames in 1974 (Atlanta's 1st choice, 28th overall), making him the youngest player in professional hockey during the 1974-75 season when he played for Omaha (CHL). He was named the Rookie of the Year in the Central Hockey League and even got to play 5 NHL games for Atlanta.

The following season Guy was loaned to Nova Scotia Voyageurs (AHL), Montreal Canadiens farm team.

"Ken Houston, Noel Price and myself were on loan there," Guy fondly recalled. "Al MacNeill (Voyageurs coach) helped me a lot while I was there. He worked with me a lot even though I belonged to another team. I was brought up on the Montreal Canadiens and just being on their farm was a big thrill for me. And Al did things with me that maybe other guys wouldn't have because I wasn't their property. I played there with Pierre Mondou, Gilles Lupien, Brian Engblom, Bill Nyrop, Rick Chartraw, Glenn Goldup, Ron Andruff. We had a good team. It was a good time for me and helped me a lot for the future."

It did indeed. Guy's defensive play improved significantly, readying him for the NHL. He quickly became one of the offensive catalysts on the Flames team. In 1978-79 Guy exploded for 107 points, including 50 goals, becoming the first Flame to reach the magic 50 goal plateau, and the 21st player in NHL history. It was a tremendous season where everything seemed to go in for Guy. He had eleven 2 goal games and was held of the score sheet just 16 times in 80 games. He would finish third in All Star voting, ranking behind only Marcel Dionne and Bryan Trottier.

The following season Guy had 77 points in 76 games and in 1980-81, now relocated in Calgary, he was off to another flying start. But then he suffered a serious shoulder dislocation, causing him to miss 28 games. He still managed to score an impressive 83 points in only 52 games and another 17 points in 16 playoff games. In 1981-82 Guy's injury problems continued. Despite a nagging groin pull, he scored a fine 80 points in 64 games.

Guy never got back to the form he once had and was eventually traded to St. Louis on September 6, 1983. In St. Louis he played one more season. Because of his bum knee Guy could not make the Blues roster at the 1984 training camp and was sent down to Peoria (IHL). He only played 9 games there before hanging 'em up barely 29 years old.

Guy could have played another 4-5 years but he had enough. Years before Guy retired he had the following thoughts on retirement:

" My philosophy is simple. And that is that you fire all the ammunition you can for as long as you can. When you can no longer give your best and cannot help the team, then it's time to hang 'em up. You should always strive to be a rising star in whatever business you're involved in."

Sadly enough Guy Chouinard ran out of ammunition too early.

In retirement Guy Chouinard has become one of the longest serving and successful coaches back in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. His nephew Marc also made it to the National Hockey League.

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Phil Myre

Phil Myre was drafted 5th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 1966. However Myre quickly became the bottom man on the totem pole in Montreal. The Habs already had Rogie Vachon and Gump Worsley. They also had Tony Esposito just starting to break in and they had a kid still playing college hockey by the name of Ken Dryden.

Myre spent his first professional season in Houston, Texas where he played for the CHL's Apollos, an affiliate of Montreal. He excelled at that level, being named the league's top goalie in his rookie year. By 1969-70 he was elevated to the Habs chief affiliate team in the AHL and excelled there as well, rapidly improving his ranking in the organization. When Gump Worsley was moved to Minnesota early in the 1969-70 season, Myre earned a shot to play as Rogie Vachon's back up with the Habs. Although he did very well in his sporadic appearances (4-3-2 record with a puny 2.27 GAA in 10 games), in hindsight Myre wished he could have played more at the AHL level before jumping to the NHL. He would rather have been playing in the minors than warming the bench in the big league.

"That was really difficult for a 20 year old kid, not to be playing. I needed to play. The Voyageurs had a good team and going up to the Canadiens set me back quite a bit. I should have played more in the minor leagues."

Myre impressed the Habs enough to choose him over Esposito. In the summer of 1969, the Habs exposed and lost Tony O in the intra-league draft. It looked as though the Habs goaltending glut had been resolved. Myre would back up Vachon.

It started that way at least, but ended much differently. Myre had an okay season (13-11-4, 3.11 GAA, first NHL shutout) as Vachon did really well (23-12-9, 2.65 GAA, 2 shutouts) Yet the Habs weren't doing as well as they had hoped to be, and were in the search for a late season spark. That spark came when they called up a rookie by the name of Ken Dryden.

The Dryden story is now legendary. He came up without any NHL experience and took over the starting goalie role with 6 games left in the regular season and led the Habs to the Stanley Cup. Vachon dressed as the back up, relegating Myre to the press box. As a result, Myre does not have his name inscribed on the Stanley Cup.

After Dryden's fine performance, it came as no surprise that Dryden would become the Habs starter the following season. Vachon was traded to Los Angeles, while Myre would be Dryden's back up. Myre would only play in 9 games in the entire 1971-72 campaign.

Myre left Montreal in the 1972 expansion draft as the Atlanta Flames selected the Quebec native. Myre teamed with another Quebecois goalie in Dan Bouchard to form one of the better tandems in the 1970s. Despite playing on an expansion team, the two goalies brought instant respect to the Atlanta franchise. In the 6 seasons that Myre was there, the Flames never finished worse than sixth in goals against.

Myre and Bouchard had a friendly competition going in Atlanta. The two battled it out for the starters role for 6 years, but no one really was designated as the #1 goalie. The two formed one of the best combinations in nets and the Flames were smart in not breaking up that competition. The two drove each other to be as best as they could, and the Flames were the biggest winners.

"We knew if one guy had the chance to take over the other guy might not get back for a long time. So we both played hurt, we both played sick, but for six years nobody else ever dressed for a game."

Bouchard eventually won out as the goalie of choice as the Flames traded Myre with Curt Bennett and Barry Gibbs in a blockbuster deal to St. Louis. The Flames received Yves Belanger, Dick Redmond, Bob MacMillan and a high draft choice in return.

The Blues, who were in financial peril at the time, were a bad team. As a result, Myre's days in St. Louis are less than forgettable. In two seasons there he posted 20 wins, 47 losses and 16 ties and a GAA of about 4.00. Although he played well on a bad team, many people thought Myre was done as an NHL goalie.

The Philadelphia Flyers were interested in his services though, and traded Blake Dunlop and Rick Lapointe in 1979 to get him. Myre would split the season with Pete Peeters, who at the time was a rookie. There was no mistaking that Peeters was being groomed as the goalie of the future while Myre was there to be the veteran guide for him.

Peeters and Myre had an incredible season as the Flyers set an NHL record with 35 games without a loss. Myre went 10-0-6 during that streak and ended the year with a 18-7-15 record. He was also strong in the playoffs with a 5-1 record and a 2.50 GAA as the Flyers advanced to the Stanley Cup finals.

It was definitely a memorable year for Phil.

"That year Pat (coach Pat Quinn) played me in a lot of pressure games, tough games on the road. Pete was a first year man so in many cases I was getting a lot of the tougher games. I liked that kind of pressure."

Myre's stay in Philly was short as Peeters took over the number one role quickly. Myre was traded to Colorado and later signed with Buffalo, but he spent more time in the minors than he did with those two NHL clubs.

Myre remained active in the game after retirement, serving either as a scout, assistant coach and goaltending consultant for several organizations.

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Don Edwards

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Buffalo Sabres boasted one of the league's best goaltenders in Don Edwards. Twice he was named to the NHL Second All Star team (1978 and 1980) and he and partner Bob Sauve shared the Vezina trophy as the league's best goaltending tandem in 1980. Don was also included on the 1981 Team Canada squad at the Canada Cup tournament as he backed up Mike Liut.

Goaltender Don Edwards was a fifth round pick of the Buffalo Sabres, 135th overall in the 1975 NHL draft. Edwards, a nephew of former Detroit and Pittsburgh goaltender Roy Edwards, enjoyed a brilliant junior hockey career with the Kitchener Rangers. Despite his obvious talent and ability, he wasn't drafted until late in the draft because of his lack of size. He was just 5'9" and 160 pounds. Don quickly dispelled any ideas that his lack of bulk would hinder him. He used his cat-like reflexes to impress enough to earn the nickname "Dart."

Don only spent a year and a half apprenticing in the minor leagues before he got the call up to the NHL during the 1976-77 season. He impressed immediately, as he posted a 16-7-2 record with 2 shutouts and a 2.51 goals against average. Don came out of seemingly nowhere to catapult himself to the top of the Buffalo Sabres goaltending depth chart.

Don remained atop of the depth chart for most of his 6 seasons in Buffalo. In his first full NHL season of 1977-78 he led all NHL goaltenders in games played (72) and wins (38). He also posted 5 shutouts and a 2.64 goals against average en route to be named to the NHL all star team. Edwards was quickly becoming the talk of the goaltending world. He seemed to be able to take his game to a higher level in important games against strong opponents.

The Sabres felt that 72 games was too much for their little puckstopper, and reduced his ice time to just 54 games in 1978-79. He had to readjust somewhat to not playing every night, but contributed with a solid 26-18-9 record while splitting time with backup Bob Sauve.

In 1979-80 Edwards and Sauve shared the Vezina trophy, then given to the team with the lowest goals against average. Edwards returned to his spectacular numbers of previous years. Though he played in just 49 games, he posted a 27-9-12 record with a puny 2.57 goals against average.

Edwards led all NHL goalkeepers with 3 shutouts in 1980-81, but as the 1980s progressed the Sabres and their fans became less than enchanted with the Sabres lack of success in the spring. Despite all the promise the Sabres showed the team was never much of a threat in the playoffs. Edwards played as well as could be in the playoffs but in 1981 and 1982 he had weak showings, which encouraged the Sabres to look to make some changes.

For Don, and defenseman Richie Dunn, change occurred on May 29, 1982 when the two were traded to Calgary in a confusing exchange of draft picks. Don spent the next three years in Calgary, but he was never able to duplicate the same level of spectacular play and results that he did in Buffalo. He often found himself backing up Reggie Lemelin instead of being the go-to guy.

Edwards was quietly moved to the Toronto Maple Leafs organization in 1985-86. It was a childhood dream come true for Don, who always grew up pretending he was a member of the Leafs. For much of his childhood he dreamed of scoring goals for the Leafs, as he didn't start tending the goal until he was 13 years of age! But by the age of 30 he found himself stopping goals for the Leafs. Unfortunately the childhood dreams weren't realized in reality. The Leafs were a brutal team in the mid 1980s, and after just 38 games, Don had his contract bought out.

That proved to be the final showing for the once great NHL goalie. He disappeared quietly, although did continue to play senior hockey in the Ontario town of Brantford in 1986-87. He also played in three minor league games for the Nova Scotia Oilers in a brief 1987-88 comeback attempt.

Don retired with some impressive numbers on his hockey resume. He posted a record of 208 wins, 155 losses and 74 ties in 459 appearances. He had 16 shutouts and a career 3.32 goals against average. In 42 playoff appearances he went 16-21 with 1 shutout.

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Brad McCrimmon

Though Brad McCrimmon never came close to duplicating his junior numbers at the NHL level, make no mistake - Brad McCrimmon was one of the top defensemen in the 1980s. He also spent most of the 1990s as a dependable veteran and teacher. No wonder why became a coach after retiring..

Brad was an incredible junior player with the Brandon Wheat Kings from 1976-1979. Look at his junior numbers:

1976-77 72 GP - 18G - 66A - 84 Pts - 96 PIM
1977-78 65 GP - 19G - 78A - 97 Pts - 245 PIM
1978-79 66 GP - 24G - 74A - 98 Pts - 139 PIM

Plus he was incredible in the playoffs. He average well over a point a game in the post season. In 1979 he helped the Wheaties advance all the way to the Memorial Cup, though his team would ultimately fall short. The two time WHL All Star defenseman also twice represented Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships.

After one of the finest junior careers in hockey history, McCrimmon topped it all off with a NHL 1st round selection - 15th overall in by the Boston Bruins.

Already sporting one of the best young defensemen ever to play the game in Ray Bourque, the Bruins looked strong for years to come on the blueline. McCrimmon developed slowly though, and in his third season took a step backwards, scoring just 1 goal and 9 points in 78 games. .

After those three seasons in Boston, the Bruins took a chance and dealt the still highly thought off rearguard to Philadelphia in exchange for number one goalie Pete Peeters. The Bruins really felt they needed a goalie and with the 1st round draft selection of Gord Kluzak, McCrimmon became expendable. Harry Sinden, Boston's cheap General Manager, later admitted the trade was also fueled by a contract squabble.

Though possessing a strong stride, McCrimmon was not a great skater at the NHL level. He lacked any element of speed and in his early days was weak one on one because he was awkward in his turns in pivots. Over time he learned to overcome his deficiencies by playing the angles and rarely being caught out of position. Once he learned how to do this he really became a solid NHL defensive back liner.

McCrimmon really came into his own in Philadelphia, particularly when he assumed the spot along side highly skilled defenseman Mark Howe. The fierce competitor was never a star, but was a valuable member of the Flyers. He would take care of the defense and physically manhandling players in his own zone allowed Howe to take chances offensively and become one of the best (and most underrated) defenseman in history.

McCrimmon was never an offensive threat at the NHL level, he did put up some decent numbers from 1984 through 1987. Though it wasn't until his trade to the Calgary Flames in the summer of 1987 that saw him emerge from Howe's shadow. He was named as a second team All Star as he posted a league high + 48 as well posting 42 points without Howe (although playing with the likes of Al MacInnis and Gary Suter might have helped his stats some!).

The Flyers traded McCrimmon saying that they needed to get some fresh blood in the lineup as the Flyers were a veteran team. However the Flyers players did not like the trade.

"You can't replace a guy like him," said LW great Brian Propp of McCrimmon. "He was one of our main team leaders."

Propp was right, as the Flyers team that had twice gone to the Stanley Cup finals quickly fell apart (for a variety of reasons, not just because of the loss of McCrimmon).

The Flames traded a 1st round draft pick to Philadelphia in exchange for McCrimmon. The trade came shortly after the 1987 Stanley Cup finals in which McCrimmon was a key performer for the eventual runner up Flyers. The Flames were seeking some veteran leadership, defense and toughness to help guide them to the Stanley Cup finals, and in McCrimmon's second season in Cow Town, that is just what happened. Only this time McCrimmon was the bride and not the bridesmaid, as the Flames won their first Stanley Cup in 1989.

Fearing McCrimmon was nearing the end of his career (just like Philly did 3 years earlier) the Flames moved Brad to Detroit in 1990. By 1992 he was reunited with Mark Howe who joined the team his father made famous. However Brad was soon on the move again, this time to spend three years in Hartford. He'd also spent a year with the Phoenix Coyotes before stepping behind the bench to coach at various levels

Brad retired with 81 goals, 322 assists and 403 points in an amazing 1222 games career. He added 11 goals and 29 points in 116 playoff games.

Brad McCrimmon went on to become a highly respected assistant coach with in New York, Calgary, Atlanta and Detroit. But he really wanted to be a NHL head coach. In order to get more experience running his own bench, he headed to Russia's KHL to coach Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.

McCrimmon would never get the chance to officially coach the team. On September 7th, 2011, in an unthinkable disaster en route to the team's opening game of the regular season, the private jet carrying the team crashed shortly after taking off.  43 of 45 people on board, including coach McCrimmon, perished.

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Willi Plett

One of the rare players in NHL history to hail from South America, big Willi Plett was born in Paraguay, though raised in Ontario. He and his parents moved to Ontario when he was only 1½ years old. His parents were born in Russia but moved out from there when they were in their 20's during the World War II. Then they lived in Germany, Poland and South America before finally settling down in Canada. Willi's dad, John, worked in Canada as a bricklayer to support his family.

Willi didn't start playing competitive hockey until he was 13 years old. Up until that time he played high school football and lacrosse, two vigorous contact sports that aided Willi on the ice. Willi was never much of a skater but was a hard worker and a team player. He used his muscles in and around the goal cage and was hard to move away from the slot. Willi had a very short junior career and only played a handful of games for Niagara Falls and St. Catherines. He was regularly criticized for not using his size to his advantage. Despite that, someone from the Atlanta Flames scouts saw him and liked what they saw. The Flames drafted him with their 4th choice, 80th overall in 1975.

Willi started his professional career in CHL for Atlanta's farm team, Tulsa Oilers. Plett is quick to credit head coach Orland Kurtenbach for making him into an NHL player. Kurtenbach was a similar player to Plett. Both got off to late starts in their hockey careers, and both made it in the NHL due to their size and willingness to use it. It was Kurtenbach who convinced Plett to charge into corners aggressively, be the immovable object in front of the net, and be willing to battle with all comers.

In his first pro season in Tulsa he played well enough to earn a four game call up to Atlanta. During the 1976-77 season he started in Tulsa again but after 14 games he was called up to Atlanta and never looked back.

On November 12, 1976 he made his NHL season debut on the right wing on a line together with Tom Lysiak and Eric Vail. The "Downtown Connectors" clicked immediately and finished the season with 208 points, 95 of them goals.

Willi scored 20 goals in his first 35 games, while fellow NHL rookie Don Murdoch of NY Rangers (who scored 16 goals in his first 16 games), to create one of the most interesting races in the history of the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year. While Murdoch was slumping during the second half of the season, Willi continued playing strong two way hockey for the Flames. Willi finished his rookie season with 33 goals and 56 points in 64 games and won the Calder Trophy.

Willi had some stellar seasons in Atlanta / Calgary. His best season goal and point wise came during the 1980-81 season. He scored 38 goals and had 68 points.

He was a fan favorite in both Atlanta and Calgary because of his aggressive player. Yes, Plett was a feared heavyweight NHL fighter, but, save for his plodding skating, he was also an extremely good player.

"His greatest plus is his size. No one can forget he is out there running around. And my biggest defenseman can't handle him in front," suggest Atlanta coach Fred Creighton.

"He had one ability," says Cliff Fletcher, long time Atlanta/Calgary GM and one of Plett's earliest believers, "In all sorts of heavy traffic he could get the puck, snap off a shot real quick and most times it was pretty accurate. And he was big. I had to like that."

He was traded, on his birthday nonetheless, to Minnesota during the 1982 entry draft with Calgary's 4th rounder that year for Steve Christoff, Bill Nyrop and Minnesota's 2nd rounder that year.

Willi spent five relatively anonymous seasons in Minnesota. Despite once scoring 4 goals in a single game while in Minny, his role seemingly was reduced to that of pugilist more than all around player. The old Norris division featured some bitter rivalries and many brawls. His goal totals dwindled while his fighting majors and penalty minute totals increased. As he aged, the intimidating, ornery warrior found he less and less enjoyed the game.

Minnesota traded Plett to the NY Rangers for Pat Price on September 8, 1987. But before Willi played a game in New York he was claimed by Boston of the waiver draft. The veteran only played one year in Boston before retiring after the 1987-88 season. It almost became a very memorable season. He helped Boston reach the Stanley Cup final, where they lost to the strong Edmonton Oilers team.

Willi played hardnosed hockey all the time and finished his 13 year NHL career with 2572 penalty minutes in only 834 regular season games, still ranking him among the all time leaders in PIMs. Willi could not only fight but also put the puck in the net. He had 437 points (222 goals and 215 assists) in 834 regular season games and 46 points (24 goals and 22 assists) in 83 playoff games. In addition, he retired with 466 NHL playoff penalty minutes, once an NHL record.

No, Willi Plett was never in the running for the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play, In 1980, he landed a huge bodycheck on Philadelphia's Paul Holmgren, and the ensuing fight touched off a bench--clearing brawl. In 1982, he was suspended for eight games for a sticks-winging incident with Detroit goalie Greg Stefan. In the 1984 playoffs, he went after Blackhawks goalie Murray Bannerman after being speared, touching off a bench-clearing brawl. The next season, Plett and Detroit's Greg Smith began to fight as the teams went to their dressing rooms after the first period, The ensuing brawl included a wrestling match between coaches Glen Sonmor and Nick Polano. In 1988, he received a five-minute head-butting penalty during a fight-fest between Boston and Quebec in which 219 minutes in penalties were doled out.

Willi Plett returned to Atlanta following his NHL days. He opened a car dealership, but later found his true post-hockey calling the Willi Plett's Sportspark in Atlanta--a golf course, driving range, baseball batting cages, and restaurant in one 15-acre complex.

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Pekka Rautakallio

Who is the best Finnish hockey player of all time? North American fans will quickly suggest Jari Kurri or Teemu Selanne. However a case could be made for blue line legend Pekka Rautakallio.

Nicknamed Rocky during his North American tour of duty, Rautakallio is the Bobby Orr of Finnish hockey. He put up some very impressive stats in the National Hockey League as well as in his native Finland. He wasn't a puck rushing defenseman like Orr, as his skating ability wasn't overly tremendous, though it was certainly not bad. Instead he relied on his great understanding of the game to position himself perfectly be it in the offensive or defensive zone. He was a great passer, quarterbacking the point on the power play and making long breakout passes from his own zone. He also possessed a wicked snapshot from the point. It was hard and accurate, and he got it away in an uncanny hurry. Defensively he was solid, due largely to his positioning. Though normally mild-mannered he could be tough if necessary, though he usually left the overly physical duties to his defense partner. A good comparison for Rautakallio would be Larry Murphy.

Born on July 23, 1953 in Pori, Finland, Pekka played for Ässät Pori from 1968 - 1975 before signing as a free agent with the Phoenix Roadrunners of the WHA, where he played for two seasons. In 151 games he made a nice adjustment to the North American game, scoring 15 goals and adding 70 assists with just 16 penalty minutes.

Pekka returned to Finland to play for Ässät Pori in 1977 for two seasons before returning to North America, this time signing as a free agent with the Atlanta/Calgary Flames for 3 years. His NHL career turned out to be a big success. By his second year he was one of the top defensemen in the league. He scored 11 goals and 45 assists in 76 games. In 1981-82 he upped his totals to an impressive 17 goals and 68 points, and contributing to the Flames 16 game playoff run. He was also chosen to play in the NHL All Star Game in 1982. That made Rautakallio the first Finn ever to play in mid-season classic.

A funny story came out of Rautakallio's experience at the All Star game. The game was played in Washington that year and the players ended up at a post-game dinner hosted by American President Ronald Reagan. The master of ceremonies at the dinner was introducing the players individually over a microphone as the players walked up to shake the President's hand. The announcer tried to say his last name three times before throwing the towel in and joking "You say it yourself!"

Rautakallio shocked the hockey world when he announced at the end of the 1982 season that he would be returning to Finland in the summer of 1982. It was a shock as Rautakallio looked like one of the outstanding players for years to come in the NHL. However Pekka cited family reasons as his children were at school age, and returned to Finland where he would play for HIFK Helsinki until 1987. He played a couple additional years in Switzerland before hanging up the blades in 1989.

In his NHL career Rocky played for Atlanta / Calgary in 235 games scoring 154 points ( 33 goals, 121 assists ) drawing 122 penalty minutes. In playoffs he played in 23 games with 2 goals and 5 assists and 8 penalty minutes.

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