2 OHL Grads Gagarin Cup Champs in Russia’s KHL

Russia’s KHL wrapped up the 2011-12 season this past week with Dynamo Moscow being crowned Gagarin Cup champions. Dymano took seven games to oust Avangard Omsk, the score of the final game a tight 1-0. Along the way, Moscow swept Dinamo Minsk in the conference quarter-finals, beat Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 4-2 in the conference semis and swept CSKA Moscow in the conference finals. Two Ontario Hockey League grads played a role in Dymano’s championship.

Read more:

2 OHL Grads Gagarin Cup Champs in Russia’s KHL

5 Brampton Battalion Originals Active in Pro Hockey During 2011-12

In 1998-99 the Brampton Battalion entered the Ontario Hockey League and played as would be expected from an expansion team. With just eight wins and 19 points, Brampton finished in 19th but were still eight points ahead of their expansion cousins, the Mississauga IceDogs. I recall attending a few games in the bunker that first season and remember well the applause when the “One minute to ceasefire.” announcement came on.

Read more:

5 Brampton Battalion Originals Active in Pro Hockey During 2011-12

The 1974 Philadelphia Flyers Stanley Cup Run on Cardboard

In 1973-74, the Philadelphia Flyers became the first post-1967 expansion team to win the Stanley Cup. The Broad Street Bullies were led by a cast of tough guys and highly skilled players, many were a little of both. The Flyers finished the regular season with 112 points, first in the West Division and one point behind the Boston Bruins for the overall lead.

Read more:

The 1974 Philadelphia Flyers Stanley Cup Run on Cardboard

1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Playoff Hockey Cards

Ah, yes. The Stanley Cup playoffs are in full swing. Back before the days of ProSet and Wayne Gretzky, O-Pee-Chee periodically featured playoff cards as part of their annual set. The 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee set had eight playoff cards, one for each playoff series and one for the Stanley Cup champion. The cards ran from number 191 to 198. All are considered by Beckett Hockey Monthly as common playoff cards and are valued at $1.50 each. All, that is, except for card number 198. The playoff pinnacle card is valued at $5.00.

Read more:

1973-74 O-Pee-Chee Playoff Hockey Cards

5 OHL Alumni Among AHL’s Top 20 in 2011-12

A slow finisher, the American Hockey League finally wrapped up its regular season schedule this past weekend. 2011-12 saw some amazing stuff in the AHL, especially the 28 game winning streak to end the season by the Norfolk Admirals (stay tuned for more on the Admirals in our next article). It was not the most offensive year in the league, however. Chris Bourque of the Hershey Bears led the AHL with just 93 points and Cory Conacher of Norfolk led the league in goals with 39. In the race for the John B. Sollenberger Trophy, two Ontario Hockey League alumni finished in the top 10 and a total of five OHL grads placed in the top 20.

Read more:

5 OHL Alumni Among AHL’s Top 20 in 2011-12

Toronto Pearson Airport Landings from April 13, 2012

2 OHL Alumni Among Top 15 in Norway

Maybe not as strong as in other European leagues in 2011-12, but the Ontario Hockey League presence was felt in Norway’s Get-Ligaen. Two OHL grads placed among the top 15 for points and a third finished 29th. What is really impressive is the OHL alumnus that finished 15th, played less than half the regular season games due to injury and was on a pace that was .70 per game more than the league leader.

Read more:

2 OHL Alumni Among Top 15 in Norway

1953-54 Parkhurst: More Jean Beliveau at Dickie Moore’s Expense

Jean Beliveau has his picture on the front of two hockey cards in the 1953-54 Parkhurst set, but it wasn’t intended that way. Number 27 is the Jean Beliveau rookie card. Number 28 in the set is Dickie Moore’s second year card but it’s Beliveau on the front and not Moore. The Beliveau rookie card is valued at $600. The Dickie Moore hockey card is a far cheaper way to get a piece of Beliveau in his rookie season at $125. The Dickie Moore rookie card from the previous year is valued at $250 by Beckett Hockey Monthly .

Read more:

1953-54 Parkhurst: More Jean Beliveau at Dickie Moore’s Expense

Eugenia Falls

Video and photos taken in April, 2012 at Eugenia Falls in Eugenia, Ontario. The waterfall is located just below Lake Eugenia on the Beaver River, a short drive northeast from Flesherton. Flesherton is located between Toronto and Owen Sound on highway 10.

7 of Top 10 ECHL Goalies in 2011-12 Were OHL Grads

Among the ECHL goalies in 2011-12, with a minimum of 1,440 minutes played (24 games), four of the top six and seven of the top fourteen in terms of goals against average were grads of the Ontario Hockey League. The player with the the best GAA, and the only one below the 2.00 mark, played his OHL days with the London Knights.

Read more:

7 of Top 10 ECHL Goalies in 2011-12 Were OHL Grads

1953-54 Parkhurst Al Arbour Error Card

Parkhurst had a problem with mistaken identity in their 1953-54 hockey card set. Al Arbour and Bill Dineen were rookies with the Detroit Red Wings and appearing on cardboard for the first time. Arbour’s rookie card was number 37 and Dineen’s was number 38. The only problem is, it was Dineen’s mug on the number 37 card and Arbour’s on 38. Parkhurst wasn’t done. The card of the Montreal Canadien’s Dickie Moore, number 28, featured a shot of Jean Beliveau on the front of the card.

Read more:

1953-54 Parkhurst Al Arbour Error Card

5 OHL Alumni in the ECHL’s Top 10 in 2011-12

With the ECHL’s Kelly Cup playoffs underway, the final totals from the regular season are in. The race for the ECHL Leading Scorer Award was won by Dustin Gazley of the Elmira Jackals with just 85 points. It was the second lowest point total by a league leader, behind just John Spoltore’s 84 points in 1999-00. A far cry from the ECHL record of 161 set by Trevor Jobe in 1992-93.

Read more:

5 OHL Alumni in the ECHL’s Top 10 in 2011-12

Mount Carleton Provincial Park

Video of Mount Carleton Provincial Park in New Brunswick, Canada.

Hockey Trivia 83 – Darryl Sittler | Sportales

Darryl Sittler is one of the greatest legends in the history of the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs. Sittler is a Hockey Hall of Fame member that has certainly left his mark on the game. Test and expand your hockey knowledge with the following four hockey trivia questions and answers.

Q. When Darryl Sittler was traded from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Detroit Red Wings for the start of the 1984-85 season, what player, who would play over 1,000 career NHL games, went in the other direction?


Read more: 

Hockey Trivia 83 – Darryl Sittler | Sportales

1970-71 O-Pee-Chee Darryl Sittler Rookie Card

A trio of rookie cards highlighted the 1970-71 O-Pee-Chee set. Bobby Clarke currently leads the rookies in value at $120. Gilbert Perreault and Darryl Sittler both have their rookie cards in the set and both are valued at $100, according to Beckett Hockey Monthly. Other than checklists, the only player with a more value hockey card in the series is Bobby Orr, whose card is valued at $200.

Read more:

1970-71 O-Pee-Chee Darryl Sittler Rookie Card

3 OHL Grads Among Austria’s Top 10 for GAA in 2011-12

An Ontario Hockey League alumnus, John Hughes, led Austria’s Erste Bank Eishockey Liga (EBEL) in points during the 2011-12 regular season. The OHL was also represented quite well between the pipes. Three OHL alumni were among the top ten goaltenders in the EBEL for GAA.

Read more:

3 OHL Grads Among Austria’s Top 10 for GAA in 2011-12

Behind the Forks

Phil Esposito – the 78 Goal Scorer in 1972-73 (According to O-Pee-Chee)

According to O-Pee-Chee, Phil Esposito broke his own record for most goals in a single season with 78 in 1972-73. This total beat the 76 he scored in 1970-71 by two. Wayne Gretzky would shatter Esposito’s number and establish an unbreakable record with 92 in 1981-82.

Read more:

Phil Esposito – the 78 Goal Scorer in 1972-73 (According to O-Pee-Chee)

3 OHL Alumni Among Germany’s Top 20 Goalies in 2011-12

Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) is well into the 2011-12 playoffs. During the 52 game regular season, three Ontario Hockey League grads placed among the top 20 for goals against average. One, Rob Zepp, placed fourth, 0.02 away from third.

Read more:

3 OHL Alumni Among Germany’s Top 20 Goalies in 2011-12

Hockey Trivia Five – Nicknames of Long Gone NHL Teams | Sportales

Back in the early days of the NHL, before the league was reduced to the ‘Original Six’, an interesting mix of franchises came and went. Test and expand your hockey knowledge with these four trivia questions on the nicknames of teams that were part of the early days of the NHL but are now long gone.

Q. Where was home for the NHL’s Tigers?


Read more: 

Hockey Trivia Five – Nicknames of Long Gone NHL Teams | Sportales