again, how is this guy still around...
Cyclones are very pleased to announce our next pick, for our 4th defenceman, Earl Seibert.
Earl Seibert played his junior hockey in his hometown, Kitchener, and turned pro in 1929 with the Springfield Indians of the Can-Am league. During his two-year term in Springfield, he suffered a serious concussion and for the rest of his career wore a helmet, making him
the first player to wear headgear on a regular basis. In 1931 Seibert joined the New York Rangers, beginning a 15-year NHL career during which he'd become one of the league's premier players.
Seibert's demeanor was always serious. On the ice, this manifested itself in mature play and tremendous leadership.
Seibert established himself as one of the best defensemen of his era. He was named to
the First or Second All-Star Team each year between 1935 and 1944, a feat surpassed only by Gordie Howe, Maurice Richard, Bobby Hull and Doug Harvey. Seibert was generally regarded as second only to Eddie Shore in terms of skill and rugged play, and
Shore once confessed that Seibert was the only man he was afraid to fight. Defensively, Seibert was one of the best shot-blockers in the game, and he could move the puck just as quickly as anyone.
Although his career was full of great accomplishments, it was compromised by one of the worst accidents in the history of the game. On January 28, 1937, in a game against the Montreal Canadiens, Seibert and Howie Morenz chased after a puck behind the Chicago net. Seibert tied up his man on the play, but Morenz fell awkwardly into the boards, shattering his leg. Just six weeks later, Morenz died in hospital, having never recovered emotionally from the devastation of the career-ending injury. Seibert himself never really got over the trauma; whenever he was asked if he'd ever played against Morenz, he'd reply bitterly, "Yeah. I killed him."
In 1963 he was
elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame and, along with his father, who was elected in 1961, became
the first father-son combination ever elected as players.
Team Cylones recap:
Center-1: Stan Mikita (2xHart, 3xArt Ross, 6x1st team, 2x2nd team, 2x Bying)
Right Wing-1: Teemu Selanne (Richard, Calder, Masterton, 2x1st team, 2x2nd team)
Right Wing 2: Boom Boom Geoffrion (2xArt Ross, Hart, Calder, 1x1st team, 2x2nd team)
Left Wing-1: Bobby Hull (2xHart, 3xArt Ross, 10x1st team, 2x2nd team)
Left Wing-2: Michel Goulet (3xBying, 3x1st team, 2x2nd team)
Left Wing-3: John Leclair (2x +/- lead, 2x1st team, 3x2nd team)
Defence-1: Dit Clapper (3x1st team, 3x2nd team)
Defence-2: Pierre Pilote (3xNorris, 5x1st team, 3x2nd team)
Defence-3: Mark Howe (3xNorris runner-up, 3x1st team, 1x +/- lead)
Defence-4: Earl Seibert (4x1st team, 6x2nd team)
Goalie-1: Dominik Hasek (2xHart, 2xPearson, 6xVezina, 3xJennings, 5x1st team)
Arena: Maple Leaf Gardens