While it wasn’t easy to accept when the announcement came down, it truly wasn’t too much a surprise when the Boston Bruins announced that they had traded defenseman Johnny Boychuk.
Peter Chiarelli
On the afternoon of Saturday, October 14, the Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced that they had traded Boychuk to the New York Islanders in exchange for two second round draft picks (the Philadelphia Flyers second round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and the New York Islanders second round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft) and a conditional third round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. The Bruins would acquire the conditional 2015 third round pick from the Islanders if New York trades Boychuk during the 2014-15 season to an Eastern Conference team.
Supposition had been swirling around the hockey community throughout the training camp season. It was no secret that the Bruins had a plethora of defensemen, especially when a contract was reached with Torey Krug about a week ago. It was also no secret that the club was feeling the ceiling of the cap pushing back to the point that they couldn’t stand up straight. Something was going to have to happen.
In addressing the media, Chiarelli let them know what he said to Boychuk.
“I told him ‘You know Johnny; we brought you here from Colorado. You did everyting we told you to do. You got better as a player. You were patient. You got better. You’re a part of the fabric of the team and this was really hard to do but there’s an element of business to it, an element of hockey and we tried to get ahead of it a little bit,’” Chiarelli said. “He was upset. I was upset. I’m still upset.”
Chiarelli’s job is one of the toughest in a hockey club. He’s got to not only see where the team is currently, but also have a gift for projecting where things are going—both in regard to the hockey market as a whole and to the players he has on his roster. He must also look at the cold hard dollar signs and, prior to the trade, the Bruins were not in a good place. While not giving them a lot in this regard, they are in a better place than they were.
In explaining some of his decision making, Chiarelli pointed out that he has a laundry list of things to do in the coming year or so.
“We’ve got a lot of people to sign and there’s a list of priorities and part of my job is to prioritize things. That’s a little bit how it shakes out,” he said. “I’d love to keep this team together player to player as long as I could if I felt it was prudent on the hockey front and the financial front. And I’ve tried to keep the critical mass together and I’ll continue to provide the right moves for the organization.”
Johnny Boychuk
The defensive depth of the Bruins organization is perhaps too much of a good thing. The number of defensemen who were at camp was one short of a complete roster of all positions for a game. Some obviously were going to be released to the Providence Bruins, but after the third set of releases, the roster was still carrying nine d-men.
“We have guys that are going to step up. They’re not the same player as Johnny,” Chiarelli explained. “We’ve got players that are returning from injury in Adam McQuaid. We’ve got players that are coming into their own in Matt Bartkowski. We’ve got a player in Dougie Hamilton that’s really picking it up. We’ve got Dennis Seidenberg coming from injury and shaking the rust off. We’ve got [Zdeno Chara] who’s trained in a terrific way this year.”
Of course in the end, no one was ready for news that they inevitably knew was coming. But it will be interesting to see how the defensive pairs shake out in the coming early games of the regular season.
In addition to the astounding news about the Boychuk trade, the Bruins also placed Jordan Caron and Craig Cunningham on waivers; and David Warsofsky was placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the Providence Bruins. The recently recalled Chris Breen, Justin Florek, Seth Griffith, Alex Khokhlachev and Zach Trotman were assigned to the Providence Bruins. And finally, Malcom Subban was assigned to the Providence affiliate
Bobby Robins has become one of the most popular players for the Providence Bruins. The journeyman right-winger, who will turn 33 just nine days after the start of the 2014-15 NHL regular season, is as close as he’s ever been to playing out his dream of being called an NHL hockey player.
Tracing his sojourn through the last fourteen years has seen him suit up with the Great Falls Americans (AWHL), Tri-City Storm (USHL), UMass-Lowell River Hawks (Hockey East – NCAA), Binghamton Senators (AHL), Elmira Jackals (ECHL), Rochester Americans (AHL), Albany River Rats (AHL), Syracuse Crunch (AHL), Belfast Giants (EIHL), Jesenice (Austria), Bakersfield Condors (ECHL), Chicago Express (ECHL), Abbotsford Heat (AHL) and for the past three seasons the Providence Bruins. Along the way he has earned his college degree, quit his addiction to chewing tobacco, become an inspiration to many through his blog, gotten married, become a father, and been honored by the Belfast Giants. He has also dropped the gloves 80 times in his 175 regular season games with the P-Bruins and countless other times before. And as he has survived the third round of roster cuts announced by the Boston Bruins on Wednesday, October 4, he continues to do whatever it takes to fight for one of the forward spots on the Boston squad and finally achieve his goal.
Commitment
Robins’ commitment to doing whatever is necessary on and off ice speaks to his resolve. Having been hurt early in last season’s training camp, he was ultimately sent back to Providence, but went with the knowledge that management was aware of him and his grit and determination. Fast forward to a short run for the Boston Bruins in the playoffs and the announcement that the organization would not be re-signing resident, and beloved, tough guy Shawn Thornton and it was clear that the 2014-15 season’s training camp could be the opportunity that Robins needed.
Bobby Robins
The health conscious forward took a hard look at his skill set and at the current trends and positions available for pugilistically inclined players such as himself. He made a conscious decision to improve his skills as a skater to increase his all-around abilities.
After the Bruins’ disappointing showing against the New York Islanders in Tuesday’s preseason matchup, in which Robins again made his presence known, he was asked about the role of the “enforcer” in today’s NHL game, and if he had learned anything from the departed Thornton.
“That first and foremost guys like us have to be out there playing hockey and good hockey because this is the best league in the world,” he responded. “That one dimensional fighter is pretty much out of the game now.”
That doesn’t mean that Robins’ willingness to drop the gloves cannot be appreciated.
“[The game] is more geared toward the hard-nosed forechecking winger who isn’t afraid to mix it up when the time comes,” Robins continued. “And for me a lesson I learned from [Thornton] was that opportunities to get into fisticuffs and fight will present themselves if you’re playing hard and you’re playing rugged and hard-nosed style hockey.”
Understanding the necessity to be the best hockey player he possibly can be, Robins spent the summer improving his skating. He trained with Mike Macchioni, owner of Northeast Sports Training in Warwick, Rhode Island.
“I said, ‘I want to get more explosive. I want to get quicker. I want to get in the best shape of my life and I want to work on my lateral movement,’” Robins told reporters on Tuesday evening. “Pretty much all of my training was geared towards skating.”
Perseverance
His perseverance this past summer is evident to those who watch him on the ice. Ant it has not gone unnoticed by Head Coach Claude Julien.
Bobby Robins
“I see a better player. I think he’s certainly making a case for himself,” said Julien. “When you see what he brings and how hard he works and the energy that he gives our team, and everything else that we know about him, I’m certainly not ready to write him off yet.”
Robins is also keeping his eyes open and absorbing all he can from his opportunity to share the locker room and the ice with players he holds in high regard including Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara. The Pink Puck asked him what he felt he was learning from those who have been in the NHL for a few years.
“These are the best players in the world and I see how hard they work every single day. You’d think that once you’ve reached the top and once you’re the best you’d take a day off but these guys don’t,” Robins responded. “Guys like [Bergeron] and these great leaders on the team, like Zdeno, they’re working just as hard and they’re the hardest working guys out there.”
Their example has made an impression on Robins and it is something that he certainly wants to emulate.
“So it really shows me what it takes over the course of a season and over the course of a career,” he expounded. “Some of these guys have played for 15 or 20 years and it just shows that work ethic and that’s really the most important thing. I know what I have to work on and now it’s just a matter of showing up and working as hard as I can.”
And working hard is not something that Robins is afraid to do. He relishes the opportunity he has before him and will continue to approach his career with this mindset, while always looking for ways he can improve himself and concentrate on the things he can directly affect.
“If I am going to change, it’s just going to be little tweaks of things I can do better, diet, this and that. Really controlling every controllable that I can to make it,” Robins said. “Doing what I’ve done every single day over the past many years to get to where I am now.”
There are two more preseason games this coming weekend and still some hard decisions for the Boston Bruins management to make. Robins is not holding back and hoping he makes their decision in regard to him easy in that they realize they can’t let him go.
If you live in or near Anaheim, California, you might just want to clear your schedule this weekend. Hilary Knight – who already boasts two Olympic Silver medals, four International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships, and was the first American-born player named MVP of the CWHL – is adding another accolade to her incredible resumé. The Anaheim Ducks announced Wednesday that Knight will practice with the team today (October 3rd), which makes her possibly the first non-goalie female to ever practice with an NHL team.
Knight will participate in a portion of the Ducks’ practice session prior to taking part in the IIHF’s global initiative to promote girls’ interest in hockey, World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend, which kicks off October 11th. The Ducks are honoring this event with a week-long campaign focusing on girls’ hockey.
The Ducks are dedicated to making a positive impact on female youth in local communities using the sport of hockey to teach educational themes, encourage healthy and active living, reinforce the importance of positive character building, and reward youth for their dedication of pursuing academic excellence.
Hilary Knight will have a busy weekend involving practice with the Ducks at 10 AM at The Rinks – Anaheim Ice, followed by serving as a guest coach for the Lady Ducks hockey team. Knight will then join the Ducks tomorrow, October 4th, where she will have a special meet-and-greet with fans prior to the Ducks’ preseason game against the San Jose Sharks. She will also participate in the pre-game skate and on-ice drills, and be honored during a ceremonial puck drop that will feature girls from local youth hockey associations. The evening will be #GirlsPlayHockey night for the Ducks.
Knight won’t stop there… Tuesday, October 7th, she is slated to takeover @usahockey‘s Twitter account, coinciding with nationwide events by USA Hockey in support of IIHF’s Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend.
For more information on the Ducks’ participation in World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend, including their own special Girls Try Hockey For Free Day, please visit Anaheim Ducks GIRLS’ HOCKEY WEEKEND
Another Thursday roster cut was made by the Arizona Coyotes. Nineteen year old Max Domi was the latest surprising addition to the “cut” list. Because of his eligibility in Juniors, Domi will be sent down to the OHL team, the London Knights, who have been part of the development of many notable players such as Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane, Ducks’ Corey Perry, Rangers’ Rick Nash and Islanders’ John Tavares. Domi made a name for himself, along with many other rookie hopefuls, but the reality of it is that coach Dave Tippett wants players who have the speed and mind-set to play in the NHL.
During media availability, the General Manager of the Coyotes, Don Maloney said:
“I thought he had a terrific camp, much better than a year ago. He’s quicker, stronger – he’s just 19 years old. He’s a young player that has to continue to be able to execute offensively at the NHL level on a consistent basis. When we talk Max Domi, we’re not talking about a fourth-line energy player. We need him to be a top-two line offensive contributor and he’s going to be a great player for us down the road… In an ideal world we’d love to put him in the American (Hockey) League, but that’s not available to us. He’ll go back to junior.”
When asked about how he felt, Dave Tippett said:
“His next step is just to execute at NHL speed. He’s a quick player but the next step is when you don’t have as much time to make those plays they’ve still got to get made. We think Max is going to be a top-six forward. Right now he’s just not going to beat any of our top-six forwards out (so) it’s best for him to keep playing and developing.”
The full list of the players who were released is below:
For a game that doesn’t count in the standings, a lot counted for the jobs at stake for the San Jose Sharks. Fresh talent mixed in the lines with seasoned veterans should be a winning combo, but after falling short to the Los Angeles Kings, one thing was very apparent – they still have a long way to go to tighten up their coherency and their roster.
San Jose still doesn’t have a captain, but speaking of leadership, Joe Thornton got on the board quickly, netting one right away, only a minute and 28 seconds into the first period. Jonathan Quick had to wake up quickly in his first game back in the preseason since his wrist surgery in June. But the surgery has not slowed him down, as that was San Jose’s one and only goal for the night, with Martin Jones finishing up the night in the LA net. Even though that one goal for San Jose ignited a surge of excitement and energy in me, anxious for the impending new season with refreshed hope, soon thereafter I was focused solely on the new guys on the ice.
Some notable players included Taylor Fedun, Barclay Goodrow, and Mirco Mueller. They are fighting for solid spots on the roster and that clearly was evident as they hustled along the boards and stayed on top of the puck. Fedun notched his first point in the preseason, assisting on Thornton’s goal. Everywhere the puck was, so was Goodrow, who didn’t have any shots on goal or points, but certainly showed heart and hustle. He also shined in his previous two games, with three goals and an assist. Mueller, who was paired with back-to-defense Brent Burns, got one shot off in the first and had over 21 minutes of ice time.
Drew Doughty answered Thornton’s goal with a power play goal for himself on Tommy Wingels’ cross checking penalty, a little before halfway through the first. San Jose would have two chances on the power play after Doughty’s goal, but registered only 4 total shots. Disappointing, but not surprising. Power plays are only one area of many that they must improve upon.
The Kings and captain Dustin Brown came hurtling out in the second, scoring a goal less than a minute into play and lit the lamp again near the end of the second, from Justin Williams, putting San Jose three goals in the hole.
San Jose does not fare well in the third either, letting another get past Antti Niemi, in his second game of the preseason; his first, a shootout loss against the Arizona Coyotes. Dwight King settled it for the Kings, with a final score of 4-1 at the Tank.
Despite the loss, now five in a row against the Kings, including the playoffs, it’s really refreshing to see new talent. The fans, including myself, are ready for something great to happen. From my perspective, it was immediately apparent that the veterans are taking the newcomers under their wings and guiding them, giving them chances to play the puck and trusting them, but being there as a backup just in case they need a helping hand. I like that. This team needs that kind of leadership. If Thornton, in particular, can keep up this kind of attitude and work ethic, the captaincy could go back to him.
While it was only a preseason game, San Jose’s overall energy was clearly deflated, even with all the new talent on the ice. During post game interviews, head coach Todd McLellan remarked “there were some guys who were playing like it was an exhibition game,” but that he understands it happens. Wingels echoed the sentiment and explained “we didn’t do the best of job adapting to it and our game fell apart.” And Logan Couture nailed it on the head with what I was thinking: “It’s a wake-up call before the season starts.”
With just two more games after Tuesday night’s preseason tilt against the New York Islanders, the Boston Bruins are still struggling a bit with communication and chemistry. Of course this no doubt has to do with the fact that the final roster isn’t set—they still have at least six players that need to be cut—and as such the final lines haven’t been decided.
After practice on Tuesday morning, head coach Claude Julien was asked about when he needs to begin to pick those lines so that the chemistry can start to bubble.
“A lot of guys have been together for quite a while when you talk about Marsh [Brad Marchand] and Bergy [Patrice Bergeron] and you look at [David] Krejci and Looch [Milan Lucic] for example,” Julien responded. “Two guys normally with good chemistry, it’s a lot easier to throw a third guy in there. When you have three new guys on a line it’s a bit tougher.”
As Julien pointed out, they aren’t the only team who will be facing this problem going into the opening games of the regular season. However, as the first period continued, some of the missed passes and questionable puck decisions had the assembled fans antsy for better connections and perhaps more shots on net. Of course, generally speaking the fans want the players to “shoot the puck” even when it doesn’t make sense.
Some of the questionable decision making will likely be removed as the roster is finalized—barring injuries. And hopefully by the time the puck drops on the regular season, the rust will have been knocked off of players like Chris Kelly, Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid—all who missed considerable time this past year due to injuries.
Unfortunately it wasn’t just those who were returning from injuries who appeared to be suffering from the struggles, which was a little surprising when considering that some of those fanning on shots and making passes to empty spots have played with each other for some time.
Returning to Julien’s comments after practice, he mentioned the chemistry between Krejci and Lucic. It was disappointing to watch these two struggle in a variety of situations throughout the game.
Loui Eriksson
Post game, Julien was again asked about chemistry, specifically in regard to if he felt that the Lucic, Krejci and Loui Eriksson line could work.
“I don’t think that line as a whole had a good game, either of them. When I say great game, they were just okay,” Julien answered. “I don’t think they were a dominant line tonight. Probably hard to assess as far as will that line work or not. Definitely we need to see them play a little bit better.”
Eriksson was also asked about if he felt there was chemistry forming with his line mates.
“Hopefully we can get something together quickly. It’s kind of a tough game too with penalties, especially in the second there it was tough to get a good feeling out of it,” Eriksson told reporters. “Definitely we need some more games here maybe and get the connection going.”
The team’s struggles to communicate and find chemistry were certainly exacerbated by the almost revolving door that led to the sin bin. Nine different Bruins found themselves sitting for two minutes on ten penalties throughout the second and third periods. And it was this constant need for Julien to roll his specialty units—sometimes with his top penalty killers unavailable because they were the ones serving time—that seemed to cause the ultimate downfall of the Bruins in the game.
Fortunately, when the final buzzer sounded, and the Bruins took a 5-3 loss on the evening, the fact that they lost doesn’t count. Preseason is for trying different line combinations and testing players who may be on the cusp to see if they are truly ready for the crucible that is an NHL level game.
Fortunately it is a time for personal evaluation and the players understand this is part of the preseason.
“Preseason is a good time to show what you’ve got and to show what you’re bringing, but it’s also a time to get comfortable in the sense where you make your mistakes now,” Matt Fraser told the gathered press. “You get those out of the way so when you’re kind of shooting real bullets in the season you’re ready to and you’re ready.”
Matt Bartkowski
“I think preseason is about finding your game. I don’t know if this is the time to [make] mistakes,” suggested Carl Soderberg. “There’s never a good time to [make] mistakes, but it takes some time when you get on the ice and you play with a lot of different guys. Maybe the preseason is for that reason.”
“I think everyone assesses their own [play]. I certainly do, especially in preseason because you want to get back to mid-season form, I guess you could call it, or as close as you can to start the season,” responded Matt Bartkowksi, who scored the Bruins’ third goal. “But they’re exhibition games, so there’s stuff that…you know, it’s better that we do it poorly here in a game that doesn’t matter, so we can learn how to correct it.”
There are definitely some things that the team needs to address before the regular season begins. There are player decisions to be made. And there are two more preseason games for them to get the kinks out.
Monday morning began with the news that the Boston Bruins had come to agreements with defenseman Torey Krug and forward Reilly Smith—each receiving $1.4 million for the coming season.
According to head coach Claude Julien, the agreement appears to have been reached last night because Julien was informed late Sunday night that he would have Krug and Smith on the ice at practice on Monday morning. Of course this means that Bruins management still has a lot of decisions to make in regard to the final 23-man roster.
When training camp began there were listed a total 53 players (including the then unsigned Krug and Smith). There have been two groups of 11 released during the last week, the first on the September 25 and the second on September 28, which brought the roster down to 29 (31 if Krug and Smith were counted). And Monday after practice while Peter Chiarelli addressed the press, he revealed that Ville Leino had been released in the morning from his tryout agreement. Later in the day came the announcement that defenseman Chris Breen had also been released from camp—though his release means he will go to Providence where the Providence Bruins are holding camp.
So again the roster stands at 29 and there are at least six more players who will be getting disappointing news.
However, Monday was a day for good news and it was clear that both Krug and Smith were happy to finally join their teammates on the ice and it appeared that their teammates were likewise happy to see the two late arrivals.
After practice, Captain Zdeno Chara was asked about their arrivals.
“It’s nice to have the core complete team out there and you could see that both of them were happy and glad to be back,” said Chara. “It’s nice to see.”
When talking with Krug, it was clear that he was glad to be back, as was Smith. Like all hockey players their truest joy is to play the game. Of course it is also a business and in this instance the business got in the way of the game they love so much.
Krug was asked about the timing of his return.
Torey Krug
“I think at some point you gotta get in here and make sure you’re prepared for the upcoming season and it got to be that time and we talked to [Chiarelli] a lot over the last few days, we decided to come to the deal we reached and we’re very happy to be here,” Krug responded. “I was very excited to walk in the room and see all the guys and be back in this great city. So I’m very happy with how things worked out.”
And Smith alluded to how the business aspects of the negotiations were taking their toll when asked if it was hard to see others skating with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand—whom Smith had called line mates last season.
“It’s more than just the line mates I had last year, but it is everyone being here and not being able to be a part of that,” Smith said. “It’s a tough thing. Days are really long. I’ll tell you that for sure. It seemed like every twenty minutes I was looking at my phone and every time I was getting off the ice I was checking to see if there was any new messages and anything going forward in negotiations so it was tough. Long days. Pretty anxious for most of it so, just glad all of it is behind me now.”
Both of them were thrilled be back on the ice.
“It was good. It was tough at first,” Krug shared. “I was a little nervous, which I was surprised about but it’s just about being back in the season, looking forward to things, be on the ice with those guys. I settled down later on and I felt good at the end.”
While training camp went on without Krug and Smith, it was clear that the Bruins organization, though wanting to include the two players, were moving forward. And with the depth the Bruins have in players, the reality that almost everyone is replaceable was a definite possibility in this situation. Krug was asked about this.
“Yah, I mean. You know anybody can look at our team and say… You know the depth we have on defense they’d be fine without me.” he said. “I’m pretty sure everyone was confident in the guys that were here. You know it’s the same thing when we go through a season and there’s injuries and you gotta call a guy up. Everyone’s confident in the guys that are coming up from Providence. It’s a great group.”
And Smith acknowledged the depth and went on to expand on how the one-year contract is motivation.
“I’m coming into the season pretty excited. You know there was a lot of opportunity here and that’s the one thing about having a one-year deal. You know that you’re pushing for your job for next year,” Smith told media. “I have high expectations for myself especially. It’s gonna be a long season like the last one was. To make it a good 82 games you know my body has to be in peak physical condition so that’s the way I think I trained this summer.”
Now all that remains is for Chiarelli and his group to pare down the roster to a maximum of 23 players in the coming days, as training camp and the preseason wind down.
Every hockey barn has its own unique story to tell, and if Olympia Stadium’s walls could talk, they would go on for hours. This “Old Red Barn” has a laundry list of memorable moments and unforgettable events that took place within its walls from hockey games to boxing matches to rock concerts. That is why we have chosen Olympia Stadium as our featured Barn for this edition of Barn Blog.
In 1927, the Olympia stadium was built 107 feet high with a strong steel frame and red terra cotta bricks. It was so structurally sound that the general manager, Lincoln Cavalieri, once commented “This is a tremendous building . . . if an atom bomb landed, I’d want to be in Olympia.” Detroit was in an economic boom thanks to Henry Ford and the automobile industry, and with plenty of leisure time, the community was looking for an entertainment source. Originally set to be a $600,000 project, the stadium quickly turned into a $2.5 million extravagant stadium that would soon become the largest indoor skating rink at the time with 77.393 square feet of floor space.
Although Olympia’s real opening day was a rodeo, its first big event was a heavyweight fight between Tom Heeney and Johnny Risko. This match brought the stadium’s first full house as fans were even hanging from the rafters just to get a better view of the match. Boxing was the Olympia’s first favorite pastime. In 1943, Jake LaMotta and Sugar Ray Robinson fought before an audience of 18,930 rowdy fans who filled up every last inch of the stadium including the standing room only section.
Eventually, fans would move their focus to hockey. As the Detroit Times put it, “Hockey, they discovered, is football set to lightning. The athletes flashed around the big expanse of ice like shooting stars, but every electric movement meant something. They squirmed, dodged, ducked, danced and pirouetted on their flashing blades with such rapidity that at times the eye could not quite follow the maneuvers . . . That the pastime has caught on here cannot be doubted.”
There are many greats who have played at the “old red barn” including: Ted Lindsay, Sid Abel, Alex Delvecchio, Terry Sawchuk, Larry Aurie and “Mr. Hockey” himself, Gordie Howe. According to an excerpt from “Olympia Stadium” by Tom Henderson, Howe carried the team and was so good the Red Wings rarely needed to call up players from their farm team. He also held the NHL records for most goals and most points.
The stadium saw many great games throughout its years, but one of the greatest was the Red Wings last regular game. On December 15, 1979 the Red Wings took on the Quebec Nordiques. Fan and Senior Analyst, Greg Eno, from the Bleacher Report states, “It’s among the list of electrifying moments I’ve been lucky enough to witness in person in Detroit sports history.”
In the first and second periods the Nordiques managed to gain a 4-0 lead over the Red Wings. Many teams may have lost hope with a score like that, but the Red Wings didn’t give up and managed to tie the game at 4 in the end. There was no such thing as overtime or shootouts at the time. With 15,609 fans cheering on the Red Wings, “The place shook when the crowd reaction was explosive enough,” says Eno. The Red Wings left the Olympia with a happy ending and a great story for fans to tell.
Through the years, the team went through a few ownership and name changes as well. They were originally the Victoria (B.C.) Cougars when they bought by a group of Detroit businessman led by Charles Hughes. The team soon moved to Detroit and had their first game in 1926 as the Detroit Cougars. Later in 1930, they would go on to change their name to the Detroit Falcons, and then in 1932 their name was finally changed to the Red Wings. A wealthy man from Chicago by the name of James Norris had just bought the team and thought that a winged wheel was a much more appropriate symbol for a team from Detroit. He got the name from his youth amateur team who were known as the Montreal Winged Wheelers.
The Olympia saw a total of seven Stanley Cup wins. This includes the years: 1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954 and 1955. It also saw a total of six retired numbers as well including: Terry Sawchuck (1), Larry Aurie (6), Ted Lindsay (7), Gordie Howe (9), Alex Delvecchio (10), and Sid Abel (12). The stadium definitely had its share of countless hockey records and moments, and produced a great team that continues to play today at Joe Louis Arena.
Not only did the Olympia withstand thousands of rowdy sports fans, but it withstood thousands of screaming girls as well. The Olympia has hosted numerous concerts of well known bands and artists including: Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, The Jackson 5, Pink Floyd, Elton John, David Bowie, Kiss, and more. In May of 1976, one fan named Michael Kudzia was even lucky enough to make it backstage after a concert to give Sir Paul McCartney himself a Red Wings sticker which he promptly added to his 1964 Texan. McCartney went on to record Yesterday with the same guitar and even used it to perform on the Ed Sullivan show.
Unfortunately, the Olympia was demolished in 1987. According to HistoricDetriot.org, “When it was finally torn down, the building’s superstructure was so solid and well-built, it could not be imploded.” It had to be considering all of the spirited sports and music fans that packed the building on its most memorable nights. “Cranes gradually ate away at it, from rear to front, while construction workers handed out bricks and chairs to tearful onlookers.” Although fans mournfully watched the building’s demolition, the memory of the Olympia and all of the wonderful events that took place within its walls, will remain in the hearts and minds of all those who were lucky enough to be in its seats . . . and its rafters.
New York Islanders captain, John Tavares was honored by one of his former OHL teams, the Oshawa Generals Sunday night. The 24 year old center man had his number, 91, retired by the team in a banner raising ceremony on Sunday night at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa. His number now hangs next to the likes of Bobby Orr, Red Tilson, and Eric Lindros. Tavares was selected by the Generals in the 2005 draft, and was eventually made captain. Tavares stayed with the team until he was traded to the London Knights in 2009. During his time in the OHL Tavares broke the record for goals scored after surpassing Peter Lee with his 214th goal.
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