Birth Date Planning Still Extremely Important For Future Hockey Stars

We covered this in an article last year, but thought it would be fun to revisit with 2011-12 Ontario Hockey League stats plugged in. As Malcolm Gladwell explained in detail in his 2008 book Outliers: The Story of Success, the month you are born in during the year seems to truly affect the odds of becoming an elite athlete.

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Birth Date Planning Still Extremely Important For Future Hockey Stars

9 Ontario Hockey League Grads on the Los Angeles Kings Roster

We don’t often write much about OHL grads in the NHL here at OHL Alumni Central. It’s a bit of a bold move to write an article about the OHL alumni playing on an NHL team a day before the trade deadline – especially when one player is a major player in the rumour mill. However, it’s just got to be noted that nine players on the Los Angeles Kings played in the Ontario Hockey League.

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9 Ontario Hockey League Grads on the Los Angeles Kings Roster

The Big Bomber: Charlie Conacher

Part 3 of Toronto’s Kid Line. The past few articles we’ve looked at Busher Jackson and Joe Primeau. Today, it’s the biggest part of the famous line from the 1930′s, right winger Charlie Conacher.

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The Big Bomber: Charlie Conacher

93 Owen Sound Attack Alumni Active in 2011-12

Fresh off their 2010-11 Robertson Cup victory over the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors, and their subsequent berth in the Memorial Cup, the Owen Sound Attack are vying for a visit to the post season again in 2011-12. In addition to the current team, their are 93 former Owen Sound Attack players active in the world of hockey.

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93 Owen Sound Attack Alumni Active in 2011-12

1966-67 Topps #35 – Bobby Orr Rookie Card

Back when I was a kid in the late 1970′s, my grandmother had one hockey card to her name and she used it as a bookmark. I begged her for that card and eventually got it. It was a 1966-67 Topps Gordie Howe. I had no idea of the value. At the time, it probably didn’t have all that much of a value. I just knew it was the coolest thing I’d seen – far better than my 1976-77 O-Pee-Chee’s that were all over my room. Good old Gordie Howe looking back at me from the television frame on the 1966-67 cardboard.

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1966-67 Topps #35 – Bobby Orr Rookie Card

3 London Knights Grads are Monsters Across Lake Erie

As the crow flies, Cleveland is roughly the same distance from London as Detroit and Toronto are. There are 169 km between the John Labatt Centre and the Quicken Loans Arena, home of the American Hockey League’s Lake Erie Monsters. Helping the Monsters try and secure a visit to the post-season are three players that have called the JLC home. Lake Erie is currently on the outside looking in at ninth place in the AHL’s Western Conference.

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3 London Knights Grads are Monsters Across Lake Erie

Joe Primeau – Centre of the Toronto Maple Leafs Kid Line

Joe Primeau was the centreman on the Kid Line, a high-scoring trio that played for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1930′s. Along with linemates Busher Jackson, who we featured the other day, and Charlie Conacher, the Kid Line terrorized opposing National Hockey League goaltenders for several years.

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Joe Primeau – Centre of the Toronto Maple Leafs Kid Line

Eugenia Falls

Check out this picture of Eugenia Falls. This is hosted at Shareapic.net. Still trying to figure out if Shareapic is a viable place to put photos.

Trio of Ontario Hockey League Grads on a Rampage in San Antonio

The AHL’s San Antonio Rampage are currently tied for sixth in the Western Conference. It’s looking good for the Rampage to make the Calder Cup playoffs in 2011-12 for just the third time in the team’s history. Since entering the American Hockey League for the 2002-03 (a reincarnation of the Adirondack Red Wings), San Antonio has seen the playoffs just twice, an early exit both times, losing the Conference Quarter-finals. The last time the Rampage were in the post season was 2007-08. The team is the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers.

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Trio of Ontario Hockey League Grads on a Rampage in San Antonio

4 Ontario Hockey League Alumni in the Federal Hockey League’s Top 10

The other day, we featured some Ontario Hockey League grads that were among the top 20 scorers in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL). A little further to the northeast is a league of similar calibre, the Federal Hockey League (FHL). The FHL regular season is nearing the end at there are four OHL alumni in the top 10. The four might not be the most remembered OHL players, but they’re doing just fine a league that is mostly filled with NCAA and OPJHL players but is led by Pierre Dagenais, someone with NHL experience.

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4 Ontario Hockey League Alumni in the Federal Hockey League’s Top 10

4 OHL Grads Among Top 20 in the SPHL

For those who don’t know, the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) is a nine-team league existing mostly in the area from Northern Florida to Ohio. The league is a step below the ECHL and similar to the Central Hockey League. The SPHL was formed for the 2004-05 season and typically plays a 56 game regular season schedule. Attendance for SPHL games is usually in the 1,500 to 3,500 range.

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4 OHL Grads Among Top 20 in the SPHL

Bob Perreault: If Only NHL Expansion Had Come Sooner

If only NHL expansion had come sooner, the likes of Bob Perreault would have surely enjoyed a long and fruitful National Hockey League career. Similar to Marcel Paille, Perreault was an outstanding goaltender that excelled in the American Hockey League but never got his big break in the six team NHL. Initially, with the Montreal Canadiens organization, he stood third in line behind the great Jacques Plante. After being moved to Detroit, it was Sawchuk and Crozier that blocked Perreault from the NHL.

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Bob Perreault: If Only NHL Expansion Had Come Sooner

Hockey Trivia 78 – Toronto Maple Leafs Records | Sportales

The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the oldest franchises in the National Hockey League and were once one of the most successful. The individual records of the Toronto Maple Leafs may not be as flashy as other NHL teams but the players involved are often legends of the game. Test and expand your knowledge of Toronto Maple Leafs records with these four hockey trivia questions and answers.

Q. Before Rick Vaive came along in the early 1980’s and lifted Toronto’s goal scoring record above the 50 goal plateau, the Maple Leafs record for most goals in a season had stood since the 1960-61 season. Who held Toronto’s record for most goals in a season previous to the 1981-82 NHL season?

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Hockey Trivia 78 – Toronto Maple Leafs Records Sportales

The History of the OHL’s 50 Goal Scorers

No matter the league and no matter the length of the schedule, a goal scorer’s true measure is always the crossing of the 50 goal plateau. The Ontario Hockey League is no exception. Despite a regular season schedule that is currently 14 games shorter than that of the National Hockey League, the number of 50 goal scorers is fairly similar between the two leagues.

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The History of the OHL’s 50 Goal Scorers

OHL 50 Goal Scorers

With records going back to the 1951-52 OHA season, there have been 279 players, as of the end of the 2010-11 Ontario Hockey League season, that have scored 50 or more goals in a season. Of course, the record for most goals in a single season belongs to Ernie Godden of the Windsor Spitfires with 87 in 1980-81.

See the full list here:

OHL 50 Goal Scorers

ECHL List of 50 Goal Scorers

The ECHL came into existence for the 1988-89 hockey season. The league began as the East Coast Hockey League, but like Kentucky Fried Chicken changing to just KFC, the East Coast Hockey League is now officially just the ECHL.
There have been 42 50+ goal performances in the history of the league, as of the end of the 2010-11 season. The record for most goals in a season is 85 by Trevor Jobe in 61 games for the Nashville Knights in 1992-93. There has been one other 80+ goal scorer, Bill McDougall of the Erie Panthers with 80 in just 57 games during the 1989-90 season.

See the full list here:

ECHL List of 50 Goal Scorers

Vic Hadfield: The Highest Valued Rookie Card in the 1962-63 Topps Series

The highest valued rookie card in the 1962-63 Topps series featured a young New York Rangers player, Vic Hadfield. Card number 60 is the Vic Hadfield rookie card and is valued by Beckett Hockey Monthly at $50. The full set is valued at $1300 with a common card going for $12. The highest valued card in the 1962-63 Topps series is Bobby Hull’s card which is valued at $300. Other notable rookie cards include Bruce Gamble ($40), Chico Maki ($20), Jim Neilson ($20) and Bob Perreault ($15).

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Vic Hadfield: The Highest Valued Rookie Card in the 1962-63 Topps Series

They Call Me Killer: A Must Read for any Hockey Fan (or anyone else, for that matter)

On my recent sunshine vacation to Rancho Luna in Cuba, I took just one book with me, thinking it would take me the whole week to read it. They Call Me Killer: Tales from Junior Hockey’s Legendary Hall-of-Fame Coach is not a particularly long book but with an all-inclusive beer tap, I didn’t plan on reading much.

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They Call Me Killer: A Must Read for any Hockey Fan (or anyone else, for that matter)

Rookie Cards of the 1969 Hockey Hall of Fame Inductees

In 1969, six people entered the Hockey Hall of Fame, four players and two builders. Of the four players, three were a long time coming and one had been retired as a player for just two years. The rookie hockey cards of all are fairly rare and rather expensive.
The four Hockey Hall of Fame player inductees in 1969:

Sid Abel – Detroit Red Wings / Chicago Black Hawks
Bryan Hextall – New York Rangers
Roy Worters – New York Americans
Red Kelly – Detroit Red Wings / Toronto Maple Leafs

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Rookie Cards of the 1969 Hockey Hall of Fame Inductees

104 Guelph Storm Alumni Active in 2011-12

The Guelph Storm are the decendants of the once great Toronto Marlboros team that has roots that trace back to 1904. After a brief stop in Hamilton, where they were known as the Dukes, the franchise moved to Guelph for the 1991-92 Ontario Hockey League season and doesn’t look to be leaving any time soon.

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104 Guelph Storm Alumni Active in 2011-12

OHL Grads Dominating Italy Once Again

Fresh off the other day’s article about OHL grads owning the penalty boxes of Great Britain’s Elite Ice Hockey League, we take a look at another European league where Ontario Hockey League alumni dominate the sin bin. Italy’s Lega Italiana Hockey su Ghiaccio is, talent-wise, on par with the EIHL. The OHL can lay claim to five of the top 20 positions in the PIM race, including the number 1 and 2 slots. However, three of the top eleven point producers are also grads of the OHL, including number 3 and 5. Two players find themselves in the top 20 in each category. The LIHG is just a few games away from completing their 40 game regular season schedule.

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OHL Grads Dominating Italy Once Again

OHL Grads Relegated to Enforcer Roles in Great Britain?

Is Great Britain’s Elite Ice Hockey League just using Ontario Hockey League grads for their fists? The EIHL typically has more than a few OHL alumni among the top ten scorers in the league. This year, there are just two in the top 20 with approximately 10 games to go in the regular season. These two, Mike Ramsay and Corey Neilson, fall in the 16th and 20th position. Ramsay, a player who was used sparingly by the Peterborough Petes over two partial seasons and Neilson, a 35 year old defenseman who last played for the Barrie Colts in 1997.

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OHL Grads Relegated to Enforcer Roles in Great Britain?

The Rookie Cards of the 4 Winners of the WHA’s Bill Hunter Trophy

The Bill Hunter Trophy was the WHA’s version of the Art Ross Trophy. For seven years between 1972-73 and 1978-79, the World Hockey Assocation handed out the Bill Hunter Trophy each year to the player with the most points during the regular season. Although Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull were the poster-children of the league, neither got their names on the Bill Hunter.

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The Rookie Cards of the 4 Winners of the WHA’s Bill Hunter Trophy

5 Great Excursions From Rancho Luna Resort in Cienfuegos Cuba

5 Great Excursions From Rancho Luna Resort in Cienfuegos Cuba: Located just south of Cienfuegos, Cuba on the Caribbean coast, Rancho Luna is part of a small, lesser known resort area. Due to its small beach area surrounded for miles on either side by coral cliffs, it is doubtful this area will ever be as popular as a Cayo Coco, Guardalavaca or Veradero. This is perhaps a selling point for vacationers trying to avoid the big crowds.

Finland’s Pelicans Load Up On OHL Grads For Playoff Run

The Lahden Pelicans of Finland’s SM-Liiga are treading in rare territory. Three quarters of the way through the 2011-12 season, Pelicans find themselves in second place in the fourteen team Finnish elite league. The team has never never won a championship and has really never enjoyed any great playoff success. 2011-12 might just be the year of the Pelicans.

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Finland’s Pelicans Load Up On OHL Grads For Playoff Run