Fred Williams

When Fred came out of the juniors he was highly regarded by pro scouts. He played five seasons for the Saskatoon Blades (WHL) and scored 265 points  (82+183) in 319 games. These weren't any remarkable stats for a player picked in the 1st round, 4th overall in 1976, like Fred was.

But Detroit who were desperately looking for a strong centerman in 1976 liked the total package in Fred. Hall of Famer Alex Delvecchio who at that time was Detroit's GM was a big fan of Fred.

"We wanted an all-around player, not just a goal scorer or 'Fancy Dan'. We would have drafted Bernie Federko, but we felt from watching Freddie that he was the kind of a guy we wanted - a better all-around player." Delvecchio said shortly after Fred had been drafted.

Bernie Federko of course went on to score 1130 points in the NHL, which was 1123 points more than Fred ever did. At that time back in 1976 it was generally regarded that Federko played with some good wingers in the juniors, while Fred had no help at all. At the same time Fred was considered to be a much better two-way player.

Toronto's head scout, ex-NHL'er Bob Davidson also liked Fred.

"He shows a lot of poise for a rookie, and he doesn't throw the puck away" Davidson said after the 1976 pre-season. Fred's scouting report read:

"A very good skater who makes good plays. Excellent forechecker. Good shot. Good penalty killer. Plays point on the powerplay. Quiet personality. Great anticipation and hockey sense. "

Fred had a very impressing training camp as a rookie and it looked like Detroit had made a great pick. In his very first NHL game against Washington on October 7,1976 Fred was teamed with Buster Harvey and Bill Lochead. Fred scored the go-ahead goal (3-2) in the second period in the  game that ended in a 3-3 tie.

Little did people know that he would only score one more goal in his NHL career.

There was a lot of pressure on Fred and when he failed to score more points in the next few games then his confidence hit a real low. Fred only played 44 games for Detroit that 76-77 season, scoring two goals and adding five assists. He never played any more NHL games.

He was sent down to Rhode Island (AHL) in the middle of the season to get his confidence back, but he struggled there as well. (26 points in 34 games).

Although Fred made a couple of more training camps for both Detroit and Philadelphia, (where he was traded in 1979) he just couldn't crack the lineup of an NHL team. Fred played for the Kansas City Red Wings (CHL), Philadelphia Firebirds (AHL) and Maine Mariners (AHL). In 267 AHL games he scored 180 points, having a 55 and 51 point season in Maine as his best seasons. He retired only 26-years old in 1982.

It was really a shame for Fred that things didn't work out for him in the big league. He was a very modest person who was really down to earth and who didn't get a "big head" when he signed his lucrative contract with Detroit. His father worked with crane rentals and his mother was a jewellery store clerk in Saskatoon and they raised him well. Unfortunately the expectations together with his lucrative contract put more pressure on Fred then he could handle.

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Carson Cooper

Carson Cooper was one of the greatest amateur right wings to ever play hockey. Three times the man with the "Shovel-Shot" led the OHA Senior league in goals, including an incredible 33 goals in 10 games in 1924, and scored another 5 in 2 playoff games that year. He played for the OHA Senior league's Hamilton Tigers, a team that featured the great Green brothers. In 55 career games in Hamilton (over 6 seasons) Cooper netted 108 tallies

Perhaps Cooper might have joined the NHL's Hamilton Tigers like the Green brothers, but in 1924-25 a new team had entered the NHL. The Boston Bruins needed players so Cooper accepted a generous contract and started his NHL career in Beantown.

A bad charley horse made sure his first season was not impressive, but his second season certainly was, scoring 28 goals (2nd most in the whole league) in 36 games, establishing him as one of the NHL's best right wings. He played alongside "Sailor" Herberts. The two were dynamically noted for the speed and perplexing passing plays, catching many defenses off guard.

The following season Cooper got off to a slow start (4 goals in 10 games) and was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Billy Boucher. In 12 games with the Habs Cooper fired home 9 goals.

He was sold to the Detroit Cougars just before the 1927-28 season and became a solid though not spectacular scoring threat. In 5 years with Detroit he never missed a game and regularly challenged the 20 goal mark.

Always overshadowed by stars like Howie Morenz, Nels Stewart, Aurel Joliat or Bill Cook, Cooper didn't always get the credit he deserved. When the NHL let up on passing restrictions, Cooper decided to instead of star, set up goals for others. He had 18 goals and 18 assists and because of his unselfish work, George Hay had 18 goals, a figure he might never have achieved without Cooper's help. Hay was in the twilight of his career and it took an unselfish forward like Cooper to give Hay or Herbie Lewis the scoring chances they needed. Lewis scored 20 goals that season.

Cooper scored 14 goals and had 14 assists the next season, 1930-31, and was now slowing down a bit. He exited the NHL in 1932, only to stay in Detroit to play and coach with the IHL's Detroit Olympics for a couple of seasons. He later returned to now-renamed Red Wings and was a long time scout. His most famous find - Gordie Howe. He also is credited with finding Red Kelly, Ted Lindsay, Terry Sawchuk, Harry Lumley and Alex Delvecchio.

He was born in 1899 and died July 4th, 1955 of an apparent heart attack.

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Dennis Sobchuk

Dennis Sobchuk is still a hockey legend in Regina, where he starred with the junior Pats in the early 1970s. He played 200 games from 1971 to 1974, registering 191 goals and 225 assists. He was named the most valuable player of the 1974 Memorial Cup. He later had his number retired and is undoubtedly one of the greatest Pats of all time.

Lorne Davis, the long time Edmonton Oilers scout, remembers his junior exploits well.

"He played with a lot of energy. He could stickhandle and he could really shoot. He played with Clark Gillies (a Hockey Hall of Famer) at the time, people thought that Dennis would be the next great player. That didn't really happen but he had a great junior career."

His junior career was so impressive that he became the first player to sign with a professional hockey team before leaving major-junior hockey. He signed a 10-year, $1-million contract with the WHA's Cincinnati Stingers in 1973. He played the 1973-74 season with the Pats and was loaned to the Phoenix Roadrunners for the 1974-75 season because the Stingers didn't have an arena in which to play.

It was a very controversial move at the time, because of the money and because it was likely Sobchuk would have been the top player selected in the 1975 NHL draft. The WHA stole him before the NHL even had a chance, opening up a controversial practice the WHA would use with many of Canada's top junior players.

Sobchuk played for Phoenix, Cincinnati and Edmonton in 348 WHA games from 1974 through to 1979. He scored 145 goals and recorded 186 assists. His best offensive season was with the Stingers in 1976-77 when he had 44 goals and 51. Not bad, but his scoring and his play deteriorated from that season onward. He later tried resurrect his career in the NHL, but to no avail.

"Discipline-wise it may have helped me to go to the NHL," said Sobchuk, who played 35 games in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings and Quebec Nordiques. "They were more structured in their foundation. In the WHA, we were just happy to have 18 guys on a team. One game we were supposed to play the Minnesota Fighting Saints and the Houston Areos came out because Minnesota folded that day. It was hard for a 20-year-old to be as serious in hockey as I would have been in the NHL."

Injuries really hampered Sobchuk's career.

"I had three shoulder separations and the third time they removed about six inches of my clavicle,'' Sobchuk said. "They told me at the time that when I turned 50 that I would have arthritis. It's hard to believe that I ever got to 50. It doesn't bother me now.

"It happened during the middle of my career when I was rolling," Sobchuk said. "The injuries happened one, two, three and it took the burning desire out. It seemed like every year I was battling to get back in shape. The guys were bigger. It wasn't as easy to get back in the stirrups. It wasn't fun again. It was work."

Sobchuk retired in 1983. He briefly returned to Regina to try his hand at coaching, but soon relocated to Bellingham, Washington, just south of the British Columbian border. He was involved in the construction of the local arena there, and soon turned to building and selling homes.

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