Brendan Shanahan, New Jersey, Toronto, and Useless Facts

In light of today’s announcement regarding the Toronto Maple Leafs, I thought we’d look at a little Now and Then of the man, Brendan Shanahan, who just hired the man who drafted him, Lou Lamoriello. Shanahan began (in 1987-88) and ended (in 2008-09) his career with the New Jersey Devils. Even though there were four […]

Lanny McDonald, Bad Helmets, and Colorado

Lanny McDonald played 142 games in one full season and parts of two others for the Colorado Rockies, scoring 66 goals and 75 assists for 141 points. However, for most people, it’s an easy part of his career to forget, stuck between some tumultuous years in Toronto with Harold Ballard and Punch Imlach, and eight […]

Rick Wamsley and Naming Hockey Teams After Yourself

Top Five Things to Know About Rick Wamsley: 1. Shared the William M. Jennings Trophy as a member of the Montreal Canadiens with Denis Herron in 1981-82. 2. Won a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1989. 3. Was part of the 10-player Doug Gilmour trade during the 1991-92 season. 4. Once wore the […]

On Borje Salming, Skate Cuts and Bad Letters

Borje Salming was a great hockey player. He was a trail blazer, one of the first Swedish players to make an impact in the NHL. But, I’ll tell you, that sat very poorly with seven-year-old me. Very poorly indeed. Let me explain. The card you see above was issued by Esso during the 1988-89 season […]