Don Simmons

Former goaltender Don Simmons passed away in September 2010.

Don "Dippy" Simmons was a three time Stanley Cup champion as a back up goaltender (to Johnny Bower) with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1960s. Previous to that Simmons replaced Terry Sawchuk in Boston and ended up splitting net-tending duties with Harry Lumley with the Bruins of the late 1950. He would finish the late 1960s with the New York Rangers organization, although much of his time was spent in the minor leagues.

Simmons is remembered years after his retirement for two things.

One - he is the answer to a challenging trivia question. Simmons was the second goaltender in NHL history to regularly play with a face mask, after the pioneering Jacques Plante, of course.

Two - he opened up Don Simmons Sports, a very successful "goaltending super store" in Ontario.

In total Simmons played in 249 NHL games over 11 seasons - sporting a 101-101-41 career record. In the playoffs he had a 13-11 record in 24 games, almost all with Boston. He rarely played in the playoffs while backing up Bower in Toronto. But in 1962 he did come off the bench two win two games in the 1962 finals to help secure the Stanley Cup championship.

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Harry Pidhirny

American Hockey League legend Harry Pidhirny died on December 20th, 2010, just weeks before he was to be enshrined in the AHL Hall of Fame.

Pidhirny played 1,071 games in the American Hockey League over 17 seasons, starting in 1948 with the Philadelphia Rockets through to 1966 with the Baltimore Clippers. Along the way, he also played for the Springfield Indians (most famously), Syracuse Warriors and Providence Reds. He also played with the San Francisco Seals of the Western Hockey League and Muskegon Mohawks of the International Hockey League. For all his lengthy career in professional hockey, he only appeared in two NHL games - both with the Boston Bruins in the 1957-58 season.

The 82 year old succumbed to his fight with cancer. Pidhirny was due to be inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame on January 30th, 2011 along with Mitch Lamoureux, Maurice Podoloff and Larry Wilson. He will still be honoured with a posthumous induction.

Pidhirny was the first player in the history of the AHL to play more than 1,000 games and his total still ranks third all-time. His 376 goals, 453 assists and 829 points place him sixth in league history. He scored at least 20 goals in 12 consecutive seasons, and he once scored 6 goals in a single game, one of only four players in AHL history to do so. He was also known as an ironman, as he rarely missed a game due to injury.

So why was Pidhirny, described as one of the most reliable AHL players in the 1950s, not able to crack a NHL line-up for more than just 2 measly games? Pidhirny himself chimed in on that one back in October 2010 when his Hall of Fame induction was announced.

"To go up to the National League, it was tough. I worked for Eddie Shore. He was a real bugger. He wouldn't let me go, so I was stuck with him for 12 years."

But he always cherished his two games in the big leagues.

"It was great. One was in Montreal and one was in Boston against the Leafs. We were playing against some good hockey players."

"If Harry had played at a different time, he would have been in the NHL," Ted Shore, son of Eddie, told reporter Garry Brown. "But it was so tough back then with only six teams in the league."

“He was a really valuable kind of guy. Good scorer, defensive player, penalty killer, captain, and everything else,” added Sam Popei, a retired sports reporter who watch him play closely. He also described him as a "stylish" player who could be counted on in all situations.

Pidhirny had worked as a car salesman in Scarborough after his hockey career was done.

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Myles Lane

Myles Lane became the first American born collegiate player to jump directly to the NHL following his graduation from Dartmouth in 1928. He was an excellent athlete at Dartmouth - in hockey, football and to a lesser degree baseball. In hockey he scored 50 goals in 17 career games over 3 seasons. He was also an All American in football and led his team to the national championship in 1925. But despite all of his athletic gifts, his ultimate goal was his education and obtaining a law degree.

While playing in a game against the University of Toronto, Lane impressed the young Toronto coach. That coach's name was Conn Smythe. Smythe of course would go on to become one of the greatest coaches and managers in NHL history.

Upon graduation from Dartmouth, Lane was offered a one year teaching position but elected to continue his hockey career when the New York Rangers offered him a job. He dressed in 24 games for New York, scoring 1 goal, before he was sold to the Boston Bruins for $7500. The Rangers, who weren't pleased with his play and wanted to demote him to the minors, dealt Lane because he was expected to retire rather than be sent down to the farm team. It was his plan all along to play just the one year and earn a little cash before returning to Boston to enroll in Law School. However the trade to Boston changed things a bit for Lane. He began to study law while playing for the Bruins. He played in 19 more games with the Bruins that year, adding one goal. It was a good move for Lane as he helped the Bruins beat his old team - the Rangers - in the Stanley Cup finals to capture Boston's first championship.

Myles played semi-pro baseball in the Cape Cod League in the summers. After a game in the 1929 season, Myles received serious injuries when the car he was travelling in left the road. He sustained a broken bone in his knee, and three fractured vertebrae. The injuries robbed Myles of his speed, but all through his long rehabilitation, Myles pursued his law degree. Lane did play in 9 games in 1929-30 but missed the entire 1930-31 season. He played the following three years but mostly with the Can-Am league's Boston Cubs. He was called up for 25 games with the Bruins in 1933-34 but retired after the season to devote full-time to his law career.

The real interesting story of Myles Lane is not about his hockey or athletic endeavours, but his post sports career. After serving with the United States Navy in the Second World War, Myles joined a law firm started by President Roosevelt. From there he went on to the US Attorney's Office, before serving as chairman of the New York State Crime Commission, until finally being named a judge of the New York State Supreme Court. He was a famous opponent of organized crime.

Lane is a charter member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame (1973) and the National Football Foundation's Hall of Fame.

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Vladimir Ruzicka

Vladimir Ruzicka started his career when he was just 16 years old, joining CHZ Litvinov of the Czechoslovak League in 1979. He played ther for 9 years plus 2 more with Dukla Tencin. He would represent his country on the international stage many times. His international resume includes the 1984 (earning a silver medal) and 1988 Olympics, the 1984 and 1987 Canada Cups and 5 World championships (earning gold in 1985, silver in 1983 and bronze in 1987 and 1989). He left for the NHL in 1989 but returned by 1994 and helped the Czech Republic win the gold medal in the 1998 Olympics.

Originally drafted by Toronto way back in 1982, the Leafs had little interest in big Vlad and traded to Edmonton who secured his release. It was big news at the time. Ruzicka was just 26, and considered to be the best player in all of Czechoslovakia, a traditional hockey power.  Twice named the Czech hockey player of the year (1986 and 1988), he came to Edmonton and immediately placed at center ice between Jari Kurri and Esa Tikkanen - Wayne Gretzky's old spot.

"Rosie" as he became known, was a dangerous offensive weapon who possessed many of the same tricks later displayed by Jaromir Jagr. However, he was a pathetic defensive player. He might have been able to get away with his poor attention to defense back home, but not in the NHL.

Ruzicka joined the Edmonton Oilers part way through the 1989-90 season and scored 11 goals and 17 points in 25 games. However by the playoffs Ruzicka was sitting in the pressbox. In his 25 games he was a -21, despite putting up 17 points. Though he had offensive potential, he was far too great of a defensive liability and the Oilers benched him en route to the team's 5th championship in 7 years.

Ruzicka was acquired by the Bruins in a trade on October 22, 1990. He eventually became a fan favorite in Boston because of his dazzling skills.


During his first season with Boston he suffered a severe ankle injury which sidelined him for much of the season. He returned from his injury during the playoffs and helped the Bruins in their playoff drive with 2 goals and 11.

The next season Rosie played an important role for the Bruins, who were missing leading goal scorer Cam Neely for most of the year through injury. Rosie led the Bruins with 39 goals. Despite his offensive contributions, he remained down right brutal without the puck. However the injury riddle Bruins had to overlook his shortcomings and play him a lot because he was their only offensive threat most nights that season.

Not surprisingly Rosie quickly found himself in new coach Brian Sutter's doghouse in 1992-93. Sutter was an easy coach to play for as long as you gave it your all every shift at both ends of the ice. Needless to say, Ruzicka's days were numbered with Sutter at the helm.

Following that season, Rosie left the Bruins as a free agent and signed with the expansion Ottawa Senators, but he only played in 42 games and scored only 5 goals and 18 points. Coach Rick Bowness blew up at him in practice, and his career in the NHL was over.

Due to Ruzicka's unwillingness/inability to play well defensively and lack of consistent effort, his NHL career was less than noteworthy. Still, domestically he is forever remembered as a spectacular and fun player to watch. Twice, in 1986 and 1988, he was named as the best player in the entire country, back in an era when most of the best players were still back home.

Noted European hockey historian Patrick Houda said this of Ruzicka: 

"His skills though placed him among the world's best ever. A hockey genius, perhaps the only players more dangerous in a one-on-one situation in modern times were Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr."

Now that is high praise!

For a player not noted for a complete game, it was surprising to see him go on to become the Czech Republic's national team coach. He guided the nation to two World Championships in the time, as well as at the 2010 Olympics.

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George Geran

George Geran only played in 34 NHL games, but is a man of a few historic NHL firsts.

First off, Geran became the first American born player to participate in the National Hockey League. Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1896, Geran was playing as an amateur in Boston when the Montreal Wanderers signed him to a professional contract. Geran only played in one game that season. In fact the Wanderers only played in 6 games in total. On January 2, 1918 the Wanderers arena burned to the ground forcing the team to withdraw from the NHL.

Geran returned to Boston where he resumed his amateur career in Boston. By 1920 he represented the United States at the Olympic Games in Antwerp Belgium. By doing so, Geran became the first player with National Hockey League experience to appear in Olympic hockey competition.

After the Olympics, the man known as Duke returned to Boston to continue his amateur career. His career was mostly with the Boston Amateur Athletic Association of the USAHA, but he did play 8 games in the 1921-22 season in Paris, France. In those 8 games Geran record 88 goals! No, that's not a misprint! He scored 88 goals in just 8 games.

In 1925-26, Geran returned to the National Hockey League as he won a spot on the Boston Bruins roster. The Bruins held a try-out camp for local players and Geran impressed them enough to sign him to a contract. Geran appeard in 33 games scoring 5 goals and assisting on another.

The 5'9" 180lb center retired after spending the 1926-27 season with the St. Paul Saints of the AHA.

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Alf Skinner

This solidly built right winger was a very good team player who excelled at both ends of the ice. He was born in Toronto and went on to play for the Parkdale Canoe Club (OHA) as a 16-year old in 1912. Shortly thereafter he appeared in 6 games (4 goals) for the Toronto Rowing Club (OHA Sr.).

The Toronto Shamrocks of the NHA liked what they saw in the youngster nicknamed "Dutch" and signed him as a free agent in November 1914. The Shamrocks faded away after only one season and the good players, including Alf moved across town to the Toronto Blueshirts. He performed well and played a total of 59 games in the NHA between 1914-17, scoring 33 points (22  goals and 11 assists). He played for Toronto during these years with the exception of 6 games during the 1916-17 season when he played for the Montreal Wanderers.

Alf played his first two seasons in the NHL for the Toronto Arenas, winning the Stanley Cup in 1918 where he led the team with 8 playoff goals in 7 games. The Arenas were in need of cash so they traded Alf to the Vancouver Millionaires of the PCHL on December 7, 1919. During Alf's five years on the coast, Vancouver made the playoffs each season and the finals four out of the five seasons, but the Stanley Cup title eluded them. Especially Alf's performance during the 1921 playoffs where he scored 7 goals in 6 games was exceptional considering that he was fighting a severe case of tonsillitis. Alf scored a total of 64 goals in 122 games for Vancouver and was named to the PCHL second All-Star team four years in a row (1920-23).

Goal scoring exploits aside, he was described by newspapermen at the time as "the premier back-checker of the league, and one of the fastest skaters in the game." He was inconsistent though, battling some weight problems that slowed him down as his career progressed.


On November 2, 1924 Alf was traded to the Boston Bruins but he only played 9 games as a right wing substitute before being shipped to the Montreal Maroons for Bernie Morris and Bob Benson. He played the rest of the 1924-25 season in Montreal before signing as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates on November 10,1925. Once again Alf was only used as a substitute and didn't see much ice time. He signed with the Duluth Hornets (AHA) exactly one year after coming to Pittsburgh. He finished his career playing in the Canadian Professional Hockey league and hang up his skates in 1929.

His final NHL stats: 26 goals, 11 assists and 37 points in 70 games. Alfred (Alf) Skinner passed away on April 11, 1961.

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