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Norm!
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1969-70
Welcome to the 70's as the world shifted from flower power to bad haircuts, polyester fashions, bad acid rock music, ugly huge cars, instability in the middle east and the height of cold war tensions. But onto hockey.
Hockey and violence had always been married at the hip. Hockey was the only major league sport that endorsed fighting and toughness and the more nasty elements of the game and the 70's would be classed as the era of on ice brutality that would never be matched again.
But if there was ever a player that lived and died by the sword, and in this case almost died, it was Ted Green, a fearsome intimidating Boston Bruin's defenseman. Green was on the blueline on Sept 12,1969 during an exhibition game in Ottawa. Normally for veteran's exhibition games are pretty tame affairs as most of the veterans just want to get through the preseason without injuries. But late in the first period St Louis forward Wayne Maki charged Green behind the next. Maki fell to the ice and speared Green. Green countered with a slash that caught Maki in the arm. Green at that point figured he made his point and turned to skate away.
But Maki was enraged and clobbered Green in the head with his stick. Green fell to ice,, he had suffered a compound skull fracture, and had to have a 2 1/2 hour surgery, there were even rumours that Green had died.
When his team mates visited Green, Green didn't remember their names only their numbers. Green suffered from temporary paralysis, but eventually recovered.
But the hockey world was in shock, the public was disgusted and the Crown jumped in and charged both players with assault with intent to injure. It went to trail and made front page headlines, both players were eventually acquitted, but the NHL was embarrassed.
Clarence Campbell suspended both players without pay, Green for 13 games and Maki for 30 days. In Green's place it was technical, as he was injured and wouldn't play until next year.
Even without Green their undisputed leader on the blueline, the Bruins dominated the league, they finished with a 40-17-19 record, they were lead by Bobby Orr who took home the Hart, Art Ross and Norris Trophy. The Bruins destroyed Chicago in the Eastern Finals then did the same in the finals to the Blues.
It was appropriate that Orr scored the cup winning goal giving the Bruins their first cup since 1941. As much as they missed Green, the Bruins core of Orr, Esposito and Gerry Cheevers had become a league power house.
Trivia
- Montreal uses the first two picks of the draft to pick up Rejean Houle and Marc Tardif.
- The Hull of Fame inducts 6 including Sid Abel, Bryan Hextall, Red Kelly and Roy Worters.
- Carl Brewer ends his four year retirement/holdout to join the Detroit Red Wings.
- Terry Sawchuk joins the Ranger and plays his last season. He will retire with all time goalie records for games with 971, wins with 435 and shutouts with 103
- Toronto replaces long time coach Punch Imlach with John McLellan, the Leafs finish last in the East.
- 1969 Amateur draft https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_NHL_amateur_draft
- Chicago finishes first in the league with a 45-22-9 record.
- Bobby Hull misses 15 games, but scores his 500th goal on Feb 21 becoming the third player to join the 500 goal club.
- Chicago debuts Phil's little brother Tony Eposito in net. He leads the NHL in wins with 38, shutouts with 15 and a 2.11 gaa.
- Boston's Phil Esposito leads the league with 43 goals.
- Bobby Orr finishes first in the league with an awesome 120 points.
- The Ranger's lead the league with line names as they debut the GAG line of Ratelle, Gilbert and Hadfield, as well as the Bulldog line of Tkaczuk, Balon and Fairbairn.
- The Canadians failed to make the playoffs, they match the Rangers in points but score 2 fewer goals then the Rangers.
- Pittsburgh's rookie sensation Michel Biere leads the Pens to a 2nd place finish in the list while scoring 32 assists.
- Philadelphia finishes in 5th place in the West, but debut former choir boy Bobby Clarke.
- Gary Dornhoefer the kind of the front of the goal scores 26 goals.
- Bobby Orr's 87 assists sets a new NHL record.
- Chicago record Keith Magnuson brawls his way to 213 penalty minutes.
- In the opening round of the playoffs Chicago sweeps Detroit, Boston beats New York 4-3. In the west Pittsburgh knocks off Oakland in 4, while St Louis squeeks by Minnesota in 6.
- The Bruins sweep Chicago in 4 games. The Blues and Pens battle back and fourth but the Blue's win in 6 games.
- Bobby Orr scores at 40 seconds of overtime in game 4 to give the Bruins their first cup in 29 years.
- Phil Esposito leads all playoff scorers with a record 27 points, but Bobby Orr wins the Conn Smythe.
- Bobby Orr wins his first of three Hart Trophies, and his third Norris Trophy and the Art Ross Trophy.
- Blues center Phil Goyette wins the Lady Byng trophy.
- Tony Esposito wins the Calder and Vezina Trophy.
- Chicago's Pit Martin wins the Masterton Trophy.
- Eddie Shore and James Hendy win the Lester Patrick Award.
- Cornell defeats Clarkson to win the NCAA title.
- The Montreal Junior Canadians win their second straight Memorial Cup.
- During the spring of 1970, Pittsburgh rookie sensation Michel Briere is injured in a car accident. He hangs on until April 13, 1971 and passes away from his injuries.
- Terry Sawchuk broken down and bitter after a 21 year career that ends with just 8 games with the Rangers. He gets into a drunken brawl with his room mate and team mate Ron Stewart and dies from his injuries on May 31, 1970 at the age of 40.
Debuts
Last Games
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
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