Jacques Plante, Homemade Toques, and Being Old in Edmonton

Jacques Plante played professional hockey until he was 58 years old. Actually, that’s a huge fucking lie. He didn’t. I like to tell little fibs sometimes. But to see him wearing an Oilers jersey as quite an elderly gentleman, I might have had you thinking there for a second. Plante was actually 46 years old […]

Doug Rader, Eating Baseball Cards and Spitting Chewing Tobacco

In his book Temporary Insanity, which, as you know, I’m kind of obsessed with, Jay Johnstone says that Doug Rader (nicknames: “Rooster” and “Rojo”) used to hide in the ceiling pipes in the clubhouse and spit tobacco juice on people. Sure, a pretty gross and childish prank, but you’d have to put a bit of effort […]

Joe Charboneau, Razor Blade Tattoo Removal, and Drinking Beer with a Straw.

Listen, before you judge this story – have you ever been named the American League Rookie of the Year? If you have, well, good job, I’m happy for you. If not, then you should try to be better next time around. Now, a fellow named Joe Charboneau did win the award in 1980, when he hit 23 […]

George Bell, Josh Donaldson, and Purple Butts

Today, Josh Donaldson was named the American League Most Valuable Player, making him the first Toronto Blue Jay to win the award since George Bell in 1987. I decided to share a few quick facts about each of these great players, to help give us all a better understanding of two of the most significant […]

Knocking Hockey Hall of Famers Down a Peg or Two

There’s a lot of talk today about the class of 2015 being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame tonight. And sure, it’s a great group. Among NHL stars Sergei Fedorov, Phil Housley, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Chris Pronger, there is US National Team star Angela Ruggiero as well as builders Peter Karmanos and Bill Hay. […]