Danny Grant

Danny Grant never got the credit he deserved for being a good hockey player.

A rare NHL player from New Brunswick, he was a junior star in Peterborough. He would sign professionally in the Montreal Canadiens system, but was never able to crack the Hab's vaunted line up.

Always thinking of the future, in 1968 the Habs moved Grant to Minnesota as part of a package for the North Stars' first round pick four years later in 1972. Montreal would select Dave Gardner, who would play 350 NHL games, but only 36 with Montreal. Meanwhile, Grant became a star with the North Stars.

Grant immediately cracked the Minnesota line up, scoring a team-leading 34 goals and earning NHL rookie of the year honours in the 1968-69 season. The 34 goals became the modern day rookie record (since bettered).

Grant would continue to be a top marksman for the North Stars over the following five seasons, only once failing to notch at least 29 goals in a campaign. Though defined by his wrist shot, he was also noted as a clever and durable winger, once playing in 566 consecutive games.

Grant did have his critics. He was not the swiftest of skaters, and he had to rely of hard work rather than glitzy skill that other teams' stars seemed to have. The North Stars had some pretty weak teams back then, which probably contributed to Grant's labelling as a one-way, offense only forward.

Looking to shake up the roster, the North Stars traded Grant to Detroit in exchange for defensive forward and Minnesota native Henry Boucha. What a lop-sided trade that turned out to be. Boucha would last only one season with the North Stars. Grant, on the other hand, erupted for his best NHL season yet.

Playing along side Marcel Dionne, Grant exploded for 50 goals and 87 points. He also was lauded for his defensive effort, and even became a regular on the penalty kill unit.

Still the critics persisted. Grant's success was directly a result of playing with Dionne. Grant did call Dionne the best linemate he ever had, but Dionne also had a great respect for Grant, once calling him the "the best left winger I ever played with. He was always working, had a great shot and was always near the net."

In the summer of 1975 the Red Wings lost their superstar as Dionne headed west to Los Angeles. Grant, by now named captain of the Wings, was left without his set up man, but a far bigger blow came late in 1975 when he suffered a torn right thigh muscle requiring season ending surgery.

The injury would plague him for the rest of his days. He would come back in 1976-77, but never could find his game. He would score just twice in 42 games.

1977-78 saw Grant's wishes fulfilled as he was traded to Los Angeles. Grant had hope being reunited with Marcel Dionne could reignite his career, but the injuries still hampered his effectiveness. In two seasons in LA he was limited to 41 and 35 games, respectively, scoring just 10 times in each campaign.

Danny Grant's excellence was short lived, but exciting to witness. It is a pity that injuries decimated the career of this hard working, diligent sharp shooter.

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Marcel Pronovost

Marcel Pronovost loved to play hockey. Want proof? He played an incredible 20 NHL seasons and over 1200 games despite being known as hockey's most injured man. He suffered nearly every injury in the medical dictionary - fractured vertebras, cracked cheekbones, broken noses and broken limbs - and yet somehow managed to perform at a level very few others have reached.

His kamikaze style of play was the only way he knew how to play, and all the bruises, stitches, breaks and separations in the world didn't stop him.

"Making a dangerous play on the ice didn't make me any more nervous than crossing the street might make someone else. He doesn't worry about getting hit by a car and I don't worry about getting hurt on the ice. If I did, I'd probably go crazy."

Marcel never went crazy, but there was probably a lot of people who thought he was when he repeatedly attempted his reckless abandon. He was a strong skater and puck carrier, often compared to Kenny Reardon before him or, for more modern audiences, a Ed Jovanovski after him. Often he would make a spectacular rush from one end to another. Sometimes these rushes would end up in an equally spectacular crash - into the boards, into another player, or into the goalie. But they were fun to witness.
Defensively Marcel was never considered to be a hard rock defenseman, though he sure tried to be. He would attempt to hit anything in sight with reckless abandon. He was one of the best stick and poke checkers the game has ever seen.

Marcel played 20 years in the league. The last 5 of those were in Toronto where he helped the Leafs win the 1967 Stanley Cup. But Marcel is best known as a Detroit Red Wing. From 1949-50 to 1965 he was a standout on the defense, although he was often overshadowed by bigger names on the team - Gordie Howe, Red Kelly, Terry Sawchuk, Ted Lindsay, Alex Delvecchio and Bill Quakenbush to name a few.

Marcel's big break came part way through the 1950 playoffs. Gordie Howe was forced to miss some action due to injury, and the Wings filled that immense hole by moving rearguard Red Kelly up to the forward units. To fill the void on defense the Wings called up the rookie Pronovost who had never played an NHL game previously, although he had a strong season with the Omaha Knights, the Wings farm club, where he scored 13 goals and 52 points in 69 games and was named as the USHL rookie of the year.

Marcel stepped into the Detroit lineup admirably. He played in 9 games and picked up only 1 assist, but helped the Wings win the Stanley Cup!

It was widely expected that Marcel would make the Wings the following season, however that changed during training camp. In a pre season game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Marcel tried to carry the puck on one of his patented dashes, only this time, like many other times, he was creamed by the veteran defensemen Leo Reise and Bob Goldham. The two Leaf defenders sandwiched Marcel, and Goldham's stick managed to facture Marcel's cheekbone.

As a result, Marcel was sent to the minors to recover. He played 34 injury free games down there before being called up to Detroit around the mid-season mark. This time Marcel was here to stay in the NHL for good.

The Detroit Red Wings of the 1950s are an often forgotten about dynasty in hockey history. They were strong in the early portion of the decade - winning the Cup (Marcel was a member of all the championships) in 1950, 1952, 1954 and 1955. They are overshadowed by the unparalleled Habs dynasty from 1956 to 1960 that saw 5 consecutive championships.

Although his statistics don't really suggest it, Marcel was definitely a star on that team. Although he didn't get any real recognition until the late 1950s. By then the Wings had traded their top d-man - Red Kelly - to Toronto. Marcel took over as the top rearguard. Also by this time Marcel had mellowed his crazy style somewhat and became more of a reliable two way defender. As a result of these two items, Marcel was named to the NHL First All Star team in both 1960 and 61, and the NHL Second All Star Team in 1958 and 1959.

Marcel joined Kelly and a host of other veterans in Toronto for the 1965-66 season when he was traded in a huge deal which saw Aut Erickson, Larry Jeffrey, Ed Joyal and Lowell MacDonald also head to Toronto for Billy Harris, Gary Jarrett and Andy Bathgate. Marcel, as mentioned previously, enjoyed 5 strong seasons in Toronto and is a member of the famous 1967 Maple Leafs championship team.

Marcel, who's brothers Claude and Jean also played in the NHL, finished his career by serving as the playing coach of the Maple Leafs farm team in Tulsa. He served in this capacity for the 1969-70 season and part of the 1970-71 season.

Had Marcel played in Toronto his whole career, it is arguable he would be held in even higher regard today. He wouldn't have been overshadowed to the degree that he was in his earlier years, and he would have been a household name playing for "Canada's Team."

Marcel was certainly held in high regard when he played though, as is obvious by his inclusion in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Pronovost scored 88 goals and assisted on 257. During the playoffs he recorded eight goals and 23 assists. In addition to his five Stanley Cup Championship rings he was a four time season's end All Star and participated in 11 all star games.

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Gary Bergman

When Gary Bergman was selected to play for Canada in the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviets it raised more than a few eyebrows among hockey fans in Canada.

He had been a solid performer for the Detroit Red Wings since 1964 but it wasn't until after the 1972 series that fans fully appreciated his play. Gary was only one of seven players on that 35-man roster who played all eight games. Coach Harry Sinden paired him with Brad Park.

"I'm so happy when I look back on that series that we picked him,'' Sinden said 28 years later. " We thought he had the character, integrity and type of personality that would add to our team, and we were exactly right in our assessment.

"He was one of the biggest surprises in terms of contribution that we had. We felt he could be a regular member of the team but his contribution exceeded that. He was a terrific member of the team, and well respected.''

"Team Canada was loaded with offensive talent and I believe I did what the situation dictated. I decided I could be more useful by bumping into the opposition and keeping my own end of the rink clean.", Gary said a few years after the series.

When asked if he had learned any new techniques in the series Gary replied:

"No, I didn't learn anything that I didn't know before the series began. But I did come out of it with an enormous respect for the players who were my teammates. Certain players surprised me. I never expected them to react so well. When things got tough the whole team put it all together, came up with the guts, and did a hell of a job."

Gary was not a rushing defenseman in the Bobby Orr mold but in the early years he was quite offensive minded and a good two way defenseman. He was also a fine bodychecker and very good shot blocker. Because of his fine skating in the early years he was also used as a left wing on occasions.

Gary was pretty large boned and burly. He had a Scottish mother and a Swedish father, whose Christian name of Gunnar became Gary's second name. Gary's dad used to play hockey himself and by the time Gary was three years old he was skating.

Gary played his junior hockey for the Winnipeg Braves and Winnipeg Warriors. He was barely 18-years old when he already was the property of Montreal Canadiens. Gary anchored the defense when he led the Winnipeg Warriors to the Memorial Cup in 1959. He chipped in with a league leading 20 assists in the playoffs.

Despite Gary's fine season he was ignored and forgotten by Montreal who at that time had just won their fourth straight Stanley Cup. Montreal went on to win a fifth title the following season and had one of the strongest teams of all time.

Instead of playing in the NHL Gary spent a long time in the minors, four years to be exact. It wasn't until Gary was claimed by Detroit in the intra-league draft 1964 that he got his first shot in the NHL. He made his NHL debut on opening night of the 1963-64 season, a 3-5 loss to Toronto (October 15) and never looked back. He played ten seasons in Detroit before he was suddenly traded to Minnesota for Ted Harris on November 7,1973.

" I wasn't surprised, but I was definitely dismayed when they traded me," Gary said back then. " I think it's very difficult to make a change after playing in one city as long as I did. I cannot say I was exactly attached to the people who operate the Red Wing organization because there have been so many changes in Detroit. " But I had become a little spoiled. " I was in my tenth year as a Detroit resident and I never even had to leave home to get to training camp. Now that's a real plus. Aside from hockey, my wife and I had our own special activities that we were sorry to leave and our three children had made a lot of friends. The difficult part of a trade is pulling up roots and transplanting ourselves. I had been doing things the Red Wing way for so many years."

Gary's stint in Minnesota lasted only for 57 games, that was the rest of the 1973-74 season before he was traded back to Detroit less than a year later. He played the 1974-75 season in Detroit before he was once again traded. This time it was to the Kansas City Scouts who were in desperate need for a reliable veteran defenseman. Gary provided Kansas with leadership and a 38 point season (5+33), his second best output of his 12 year NHL career. His best came in 1967-68 when he had 41 points (13+28) for Detroit. Despite his offensive outburst for Kansas he decided to retire. Gary was after all 38 years old.

He served as the president of the Red Wings Alumni Association in 1981 and from 1997 to 2000.

Gary had a malignant melanoma removed from his back in 1994 and there were no other health problems until he got a new diagnosis on April, 2000 that confirmed it had spread.

It's a great shame that Gary didn't make it to the 1972 Team Canada reunion held at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on November 3, 2000. Almost all the players from the 1972 team were there but Gary was too ill to attend. The heroes of 1972 were saddened to hear about Gary's condition.

"The guys who played knew Bergie's value to the team,'' said Paul Henderson, the hero of the 1972 series and a former teammate of Gary in Detroit. " He was a friend in Detroit, too, and I developed a deep respect for him as a husband and a father.''

"From my perspective, he was one of the great unsung heroes of that series,. He just played incredible hockey.''

"He was an above-average player in the NHL at that time and he proved that during the series,'' Bill White, one of the 1972 team's other defencemen, said. " Bergie gave a great account of himself in that whole series. " The steadiness of his play is what I remember most.''

"He was a rock,'' said Bobby Orr who didn't play in the series due to a knee injury but who travelled with the team and was impressed with Gary's steady play.

"We hit it off really good for guys who didn't know each other very well,'' said his defensive partner Brad Park. " I was more of an offensive guy so we jelled very well together.

"Right away I realized what a classy guy he was in how he handled himself on and off the ice, and what a great competitor he was. He had a lot of confidence in his ability and wasn't worried about how he was going to play. He just went out and played. He was as solid a defenceman as has ever played the game.''

Sadly Gary passed away on December 8, 2000. He was 62 years old.

The 1972 Summit Series was the highlight of Gary Bergman's hockey career so it's only appropriate to finish this biography with a memorable Gary Bergman quote about that series:

"As we skated off the ice after the last game, I stopped for one more look around the old barn. I realized that never in my life would I be prouder or have more respect for a group of men than I did at that moment."

The feeling from his teammates was very mutual.

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Bob Goldham

It is an immeasurable skill that only a few have been able to master. It is an undertaking that perhaps takes more guts as ability. It is an attribute that far too often goes without much praise or thanks - except from the goalies.

We are talking about shot blocking.

Shot blocking is now an integral part of a hockey team's defensive game plan. In fact the Dallas Stars 1999 championship was filled with countless blocked shots. Some games it seemed that the players were stopping more pucks than goalie Ed Belfour!

But who was hockey's first shot blocking expert? Defenseman Bob Goldham, a tough defensive defenseman from 1941 through 1956 with Toronto, Chicago and Detroit.

In the early 1940s the Maple Leafs coach Hap Day tried to convince all of his players the art of shot blocking. None of them were willing to sacrifice their bodies by dropping in front of a frozen rubber bullet. None except for Goldham.

Goldham would drop to one knee and keep his hands besides his body, taking up as much room as possible. If the puck didn't just hit him, he'd swat at the puck with his gloves.

"He used to get down on his knees and look the puck in the eye," explained former Red Wing teammate Max McNab in amazement. "He's the first totally fearless guy that I ever saw."

You had to be fearless back then as the equipment was paper thin and primitive by today's standards. While shot blocking became a lost art during the days of Bobby Hull's booming slapshot, it has returned with vengeance in today's game, largely due to impenatratable armor that players wear today.

Goldham first appeared in the NHL with the Leafs in 1941-42. He was part of the memorable Stanley Cup championship team that rallied from a thee games to none deficit in the finals.

Goldham missed the next three years due to service in the World War II with Canada's Navy. However, Goldham was back in a Maple Leafs uniform by 1945-46.

Goldham was part of a 5 player package traded to Chicago in exchange for superstar Max Bentley on November 4, 1947. While the Blackhawks were a weak team, Goldham's skills as a big league defenseman improved greatly under the tutelage of Bill Gadsby.

On July 13, 1950, Goldham was traded to the Detroit Red Wings. Bob enjoyed his finest years as a member of the Wings. He spent six seasons with what many consider to be the strongest team of all time. Goldham was a big part of 5 first place regular season finishes and 3 Stanley Cup championships - 1952, 1954, and 1955. In 1954-55 Bob received a rare piece of personal recognition when he was named to the NHL Second All Star Team.

Bob retired after the 1955-56 season and later became a long time television analyst for the CBC's Hockey Night In Canada. Bob was also instrumental in campaigning for increased pension benefits for retired NHLers.

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Bruce MacGregor

In the 1960s and early 1970s speedy Bruce MacGregor was so fast he was nicknamed "The Redheaded Rocket."

He was hometown legend growing up in Edmonton in the 1950s, starring with the junior Edmonton Oil Kings and later the senior Edmonton Flyers.

In those days, Edmonton was very much Detroit Red Wings territory. If you played for the Oil Kings and/or Flyers, you were a good NHL prospect. MacGregor fit that description to a tee, and it was not long before he became a regular in Detroit, the team he grew up dreaming of playing for.

Despite being an Edmonton hometown hero and a Red Wings fixture in the 1960s, nowadays "The Redheaded Rocket" should be re-nicknamed as "The Forgotten Man."

MacGregor was a slick and speedy forward who was a coach's dream. He was never an outstanding scorer, topping 20 goals only three times in his 13 year career, but he would do anything the coaches needed him to do, and with great proficiency. Using his incredible acceleration and his equally impressive hockey sense, he was a great utility player, filling in admirably wherever and whenever the team asked him to. He was also a mainstay on the penalty kill unit.

1965-66 was his most memorable campaign as the Red Wings met the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup finals. The Wings surprised nearly everyone by winning the first two games, in Montreal to boot, with MacGregor scoring his the winner in game 2. Montreal would storm back and win the next four to end Detroit's unlikely run.

MacGregor would remain in Detroit until February 1971 when MacGregor and Larry Brown were traded to the New York Rangers in exchange for Arnie Brown, Mike Robitaille and Tom Miller.

For the next four years MacGregor brought his steady game to Manhattan. In the spring of 1972 MacGregor had one final chance to sip from the Stanley Cup, but again it was not meant to be. After upsetting the Montreal Canadiens, the Rangers would fall short to Bobby Orr's Boston Bruins.

When the WHA was throwing around big contracts to NHL regulars, MacGregor jumped at the chance to return home to Edmonton and play for the new team known as the Oilers.

MacGregor would play two season for the Oilers, but he would very much be associated with the Oilers as they grew into WHA powerhouse and NHL dynasty, serving as one of Glen Sather's top aides, serving as the long time assistant general manager.

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Doug Barkley

Lethbridge, Alberta's Doug Barkley was a big and physical defenseman who started his NHL career at a late age and had it end far too early.

He could have become one of the most dominant defensemen of his time if it was not for a career ending eye injury.

In fact, he was so good that legendary hockey scribe Stan Fischler once compared Barkley to a latter day Larry Robinson.

"Tall, tough and tenacious, Barkley was a Larry Robinson before the latter arrived on the scene to redefine defensemen's play for the Montreal Canadiens," Fischler wrote.

Barkley was originally a Chicago Black Hawks prospect but only saw action in 6 games in 5 years while spending most of his career in the minors. Perhaps battling a case of home-sickness, Doug struggled while playing with the AHL's Buffalo Bisons but regained his confidence when he returned to Alberta to play for the Calgary Stampeders of the Western Hockey League. In fact in the 1961-62 season Doug blossomed to scored 25 goals and 74 points while playing on the blue line for the Stamps.

After his All Star season in the WHL, Barkley was a hot commodity again in the NHL marketplace. The Hawks ended up trading the 26 year old to the Detroit Red Wings for 2 players - Len Lunde and John McKenzie - on June 5 1962.

Finally getting a chance to play in the NHL, Barkley responded positively by scoring 3 goals and 24 assists in 70 games in the '62-63 season. His performance finished second only to Toronto defenseman Kent Douglas in Calder Trophy balloting. Both Barkley and Douglas spent a long time in the minors before playing regularly in the NHL.

Barkley followed his rookie season with a promising second NHL campaign. Known for his size (6'2" 185lbs) and aggressiveness (he had 382 PIM in only 253 games), Doug added a bit of an offensive element to his game that he had previously shown in the WHL. Doug scored 11 times and assisted on 21 others.

Doug was unable to step up his offensive production significantly the following season (5 goals and 25 points in 67 games) but showed promise in the 1965-66 season. In only 43 games he scored 5 goals and 20 points.

However the 43rd game of that season proved to be Barkley's last in the NHL. He suffered a career-ending eye injury while playing against Chicago on January 30, 1966. The Hawks' Doug Mohns accidentally clipped Barkley in the right eye with the blade of his stick. Despite multiple surgeries, doctors failed to restore enough of Barkley's sight to his eye to allow him to play again.

Doug Barkley scored 24 career goals while adding 80 assists for 104 points in 253 games. He appeared in 30 playoff contests, adding 9 assists.

Barkley would stay in the game as a scout, coach and broadcaster.

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