After Dick Irvin’s coaching career ended in Montreal, he joined the Chicago Black Hawks for the 1955-56 season, but his health was in such bad shape during the Hawks’ training camp that year, that, as son Dick Irvin. Jr. told Frank Selke, he had to sit on the sidelines and let 16 year old Bobby Hull, who was still a junior [...]

This is Clarence Campbell being accosted by a thug the night of the Richard Riot of March 17, 1955. You know the story – Rocket was suspended for the remainder of the season and all of the playoffs for slugging linesman Cliff Thompson. But Clarence Campbell either didn’t love his fiance Phyllis a whole lot [...]

When Clarence Campbell suspended Maurice Richard for the remaining games of the season and all of the playoffs in March of 1955, he was not a popular man. And that’s an understatement to end all understatements. Of course he wasn’t popular. How could you treat Rocket so unfairly when all he did was smash Hal Laycoe [...]

Two legendary members of the Montreal Canadiens, Frank Selke Sr. and Bernie ‘Boom Boom’ Geoffrion pose in the old Montreal Forum in the early 1960′s. Frank Selke left his longtime boss Conn Smythe and the Toronto Maple Leafs to join the Canadiens as managing director in 1946 and stayed with the Habs until his retirement in [...]

 From 1934 to 1967, if you mailed in a  Beehive Corn Syrup coupon, they would send you a free photo of most any player you requested. They were divided into three groups over the years, and this photo of Hal Laycoe comes from Group 2, which covered the years between 1944 to 1964.  Beehive photos were fun to collect [...]

I know I don’t have to go into detail about what happened on this day, March 17, in 1955. (53 years ago). On second thought, maybe a little detail. Because it was, after all, a really big deal.  It was, of course, the Rocket Richard riot in Montreal, and many feel feel it was the [...]