After the North Stars left for Dallas in 1993, Minnesotan hockey spirits were at an all-time low. Professional hockey had abandoned the one and only “State of Hockey”. Just a year later, thanks to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Kevin McLean, majority owner, and a heavily promoted name-the-team contest, Minnesota saw the triumphant return of professional minor league hockey in the form of the Minnesota Moose.

Moose merchandise, wittily dubbed “Moose Gear”, flew off the shelves, besting the revenue of all other minor league hockey teams. Like Kevin McLean had said, “The Moose is a name we can have fun with, and fun is a big part of the IHL’s approach to hockey.”

The first year was not very kind to The Moose, however. An up and down season left them fourth place in the IHL, their record standing at 34-35-12. Minnesotan hopes quickly began crumbling.

Support for The Moose became sparse their second season. Finishing last place in the IHL’s Western Conference caused many Minnesotans to shut the door completely.

Being the minor league affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets, The Minnesota Moose made the move to Manitoba in 1996 after just two short years. The team played there until 2011. They now recently relocated and have become the St. John’s IceCaps.

-Dan “The Wisconsin Hockey Fan”

Avid hockey fans know all the different moves various franchises made. Some existed for just a few short months after moving, while others were around for many years. Then, eventually, some of these franchises moved on until the original team was forgotten.

Minnesota, a state with a very proud hockey tradition, had a professional team, the Minnesota North Stars, who were in existence from 1967 – 1993. In the 1966 – 1967 season, there were just 6 NHL teams. The league, looking to expand to 12, was willing to listen to offers from a variety of different cities. The Minnesota North Stars successfully won a bid to become Minnesota’s first professional team.

The Metropolitan Sports Center was built in Bloomington, but it was just barely ready for the 1967 – 1968 season. Some seats were still not completed, but play still went on.

The team started off with a high degree of success, as it led the new expansion West Division halfway through its first season. But then, tragedy struck, when Bill Masterton was hit and fell backwards, slamming his head hard on the ice. He went unconscious, never came to awareness again, and died two days later. Masterton remains the only NHL player to die as a result of an injury to date. The team went on that year to lose to the St. Louis Blues in a seven-game series, which made them just one game shy of going to the Stanley Cup finals.

The team continued to experience a fair degree of success. It made the playoffs 15 times in its 26-year history. Although it made the Stanley Cup Finals twice, it did not win either time.

Minnesota Skips Town for Dallas

When he officially made the decision to relocate the franchise, owner Norm Green quickly became the most hated person in Minnesota. Among the reasons the team was moved include no deal being made for the construction of a new arena in the Twin Cities area, poor attendance during a succession of losing seasons, and a sexual harassment suit against Green, which reportedly resulted in his wife threatening to leave him unless he relocated the team.

The team then relocated to Dallas. As the Dallas Stars, the team won an NHL Championship in 1999 with star player Mike Modano, who was also a strong factor in the North Stars’ 1991 run to the Stanley Cup Finals. Modano’s retirement in 2011 made it official no more North Stars could be found playing in the league.

Professional hockey, however, made a return to Minnesota in 2000, when the Minnesota Wild began play. The team experienced a reasonable degree of success, making it to the Western Conference Finals in 2002-2003 and winning its first division championship in 2008.

-Dan “The Wisconsin Hockey Fan”

No one knows the exact origins of the mouthguard. Prior to the late 1800s, boxers were the first to use mouthguards. They made mouthguards out of cotton, tape, sponge, and even small pieces of wood (Doesn’t that sound comfortable?).

The only way they could hold the material in was by gritting their teeth. However, the boxers had a difficult time clenching the material and throwing punches at the same time.

As a result, they began seeking a new solution. In 1892, Woolf Krause, a British dentist, is typically the one credited with inventing the first mouthguard. He assisted career boxers by placing a natural rubber resin, called gutta-percha, over the teeth of boxers before they began their match.

Phillip Krause, his son, is credited with creating the first reusable mouthguard for use in a boxing match. Phillip was an amateur boxer himself, and his invention eventually gained widespread popularity when it was used in a 1921 championship fight.

However, the Krauses are not the only ones who have a claim to inventing the mouthguard. Jacob Marks also created a mouthguard in 1916, which was also later used by Dinnie O’Keefe. Thomas A. Carlos, an American dentist, also developed his own mouthguard around that time. Finally, E. Allen Franke, a Chicago dentist also claimed to have made many mouthguards for boxers during the same time period.

A 1927 boxing match between Jack Sharkey and Mike McTigue brought the mouthguard to permanent importance. McTigue had been winning the majority of the fight, but was forced to forfeit when a chipped tooth cut his lip. The boxing profession made mouthguards acceptable for use in the sport from that point on.

During the 1940s and 1950s, dental injuries caused nearly half of all football injuries. The resulting attention led to the American Dental Association promoting their health benefits to the public. In 1960, it recommended mouthguards for use in all contact sports.

The modern mouthguard, as it is used in ice hockey and other professional sports now, was developed by Arthur Wood in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Wood, a children’s dentist, was appalled by the dental and facial injuries he witnessed in many of the children he served.

Mouthguards were required for use by the NCAA for football in 1973 and have since become required in collegiate ice hockey, lacrosse, and field hockey. Mouthguards have prevented many dental injuries since, and innovations in these products have helped to reduce dental injuries in professional ice hockey and many other sports.

-Dan “The Wisconsin Hockey Fan”

If you haven’t heard of the town of Hespeler, Ontario, you’re not alone. Since 1973, Hespeler, the town, truly hasn’t existed, except in good hockey spirit. Have you heard of Ken Ellacott, Don Laurence, or Kirk Maltby? All of these players got their start playing for the same minor league team, The Hespeler Shamrocks.

You may still be wondering why the name Hespeler sounds so familiar. Hespeler hockey sticks have been around, in some form or another, since 1905. With over 100 years in the making, that makes the hockey sticks almost forty years senior that of the town of Hespeler itself!

Throughout the existence of the NHL, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that one third to one half of all league players used a wooden Hespeler. Notable players include Bobby Hull, Mario Lemieux, and Wayne Gretzky. The latter autographed a number of the Hespeler sticks for sports collectors’ auctions.

So, where does Heritage Wood Specialties fit in? Touted as, “the oldest hockey stick factory in the world,” over the course of 107 years, Heritage Wood Specialties has changed ownership five times before finally becoming its namesake.

Originally started under the name Hespeler Wood Specialties in 1905, they began by producing various wooden products, primarily wooden hockey sticks.

In the 1930′s, the Seagram family, owners of Seagram’s Distilleries, bought the company in addition to several other Ontario sports equipment companies. Hespeler Wood Specialties became known as Hespeler-St. Mary’s. This marked the birth of the “Hespeler” hockey stick. In addition, the factory also began production of wood baseball bats.

In 1972, Hespeler-St. Mary’s was bought out by the sports manufacturer Cooper. Predominantly a baseball bat supplier to the major leagues, Cooper also became a huge name in hockey sticks, best known for the ill-fated “Cooperall”.

Cooper, in turn, was bought out by Charon Industries, which was the producer of Bauer products. In 1994, Nike Inc. took over, creating Bauer Nike Hockey, Inc. (BHNI). For seven years, Bauer sticks were produced before the firm decided to close the doors.

However, six, loyal members of the factory, including Paul Bossenberry, current owner, could not bear to see such a long tradition pass on. They bought the company in 2004, appropriately naming it: Heritage Wood Specialties.

They are a rare sight at the professional level, with an estimated 85 percent of the NHL using composite hockey sticks. Yet, every year Heritage Wood Specialties turns out wooden hockey sticks made of aspen, ash, or birch veneer. They are hand cut, graded, and molded to exact dimension and then shaped.

Heritage Wood Specialties started with fifteen employees in 2004, and has been growing ever since.

-Dan “The Wisconsin Hockey Fan”

As crazy as it seems, the goalie’s mask was not a piece of standard equipment for a goalie until the 1960s. Imagine a 6 ounce puck flying at your face at 100 miles per or more, and sticks, skates, and arms flying near your face without anything to protect it!

In the early days of hockey, the first goalie mask was sported by Queen’s University’s Elizabeth Graham. In 1930, Clint Benedict created the first crude leather mask specifically for the purpose of protecting his broken nose. At the 1936 Winter Olympics, Teiji Honma, who minded the net for Japan, donned a mask similar to that worn by a catcher in baseball.

None of these individuals wore the masks full-time. In 1959, Jacques Plante was goaltending as a member of the Montreal Canadiens, when he was hit in the face by a shot from the opposing New York Rangers.

Plante received stitches for the injury, and informed his coach, Toe Blake, that he would not go back on the ice without being able to wear a mask. Blake had banned Plante from wearing the mask, fearing it would inhibit his vision. Because NHL teams at the time did not carry backup goaltenders on their rosters, Blake was forced to give in to Plante’s demands.

Many people laughed at and mocked Plante for his move. However, he want on a long unbeaten streak after putting the mask on, which ironically, was snapped when he was forced to remove it for one game. After that loss, the mask remained on Plante for the rest of his career.

In style, the mask was made completely of fiberglass. Interestingly, however, Jason Vorhees, the nefarious villain from the Friday the 13^th series, is probably much more famous for having worn a mask very similar in style to Plante’s.

Although the fiberglass style met initial resistance, it soon became standard issue gear for every NHL goaltender.

This design, however, was criticized for not providing enough protection. Dominik Hasek, a dominant force in hockey for many years, used this type of helmet for the majority of his career, which ended in 2008.

The newest type of fiberglass mask distributes the impact of a puck much better and is used at just about every level of hockey. It may be made out of carbon fiber, fiberglass, or ultra-tough kevlar.

Now you know the basic history of goalie helmets! Aren’t you glad for the safety and protection they provide? Or perhaps you are the ultra-hardcore hockey type and you aren’t!

-Dan “The Wisconsin Hockey Fan”

Victoriaville, a small city in southern Quebec, Canada, (just north of Maine) is home to many different high-quality hardwood products, with the most prominent of these being hockey sticks.

Long a staple producer of some of the most popular sticks in the industry, the Victoriaville hockey stick company was purchased by Rawlings in 1997 for $170 million. The company continued producing the sticks, but this time under the Rawlings brand name.

In a business move in 2001, Rawlings opted to discontinue the line of hockey sticks entirely, and it placed the physical factory for sale.

Famous NHL Stars Who Used Victoriaville Hockey Stick

Bobby Orr

Almost from birth, Orr demonstrated a strong knack for hockey. Despite his great offensive skills, Orr’s first coach moved him to defense, figuring that would make better use of his offensive talent.

At the age of fourteen, Orr found himself playing for the Oshawa Generals, a junior hockey affiliate of the Boston Bruins. In 1966, at the age of 18, Orr joined the Bruins professionally, and they were not noted at the time for their success.

Orr helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 1970 and 1972, taking the MVP award for himself both times. Orr continued to play defense throughout his NHL career, but he maintained his offensive focus and revolutionized the position.

He holds the record for most points and assists in a season by a defenseman, and he is the only defenseman to have won two league scoring titles. Orr was well known for his preference for both Victoriaville and Northland hockey sticks.

Gilbert Perreault

Perreault was well known for his ability to stickhandle in close quarters. The first player to ever be drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 1970, Perreault went on to score 512 goals and accumulate 814 assists.

A Victoriaville native, Perreault, like Orr, demonstrated a strong knack for hockey at an early age. He actually preferred street hockey and didn’t begin skating until the age of 8.

By the end of his career, Perreault was the 6^th leading scorer in NHL history. His closest bid for winning a Stanley Cup came in 1975, when his Buffalo Sabres lost to the Philadelphia Flyers 4 games to 2.

Perreault had always been known to love Victoriaville hockey sticks, manufactured right in his own hometown.

Many Players Loved Victoriaville Hockey Sticks

While these were two examples of NHL players who used Victoriaville hockey sticks, they were not the only ones. Many other legends such as Phil Esposito, Jean Beliveau, and Peter Stastny were also known for their use of Victoriaville hockey sticks.

-Dan “The Wisconsin Hockey Fan”

As is often the case with history, there are varying opinions about the origins of the game of hockey. Historians can generally agree, however, on the origins of the hockey stick from its earliest beginnings to the technological wonders used by players of the game today. Originally resembling something more akin to a field hockey stick, the sticks of today have undergone quite a metamorphosis from their early days.

Primitive sticks
The very first hockey sticks originated from an Irish sport known as hurling, which has been argued to be the predecessor to the sport of hockey itself. Early hockey sticks were made during the mid-19th century. They were one-piece sticks carved entirely out of ironwood (also known as hornbeam wood) by members of the Mi’kmaq Indian Tribe. Ironwood was valued for its sturdy weight and strength, both a result of the close grain of the wood. At this time, it was also used to create handles for tools, mallets and other things, which contributed to the eventual scarcity of the wood. Wooden sticks continued to be used all throughout the 19th century and well into the 20th century, when the wood became scarce and, as a result, expensive. Further, the demand for these sticks outstripped the Mi’kmaqs’ ability to keep up. As a result, companies began to manufacture hockey sticks at this time, including The Starr Manufacturing company. Starr Manufacturing had already been making hockey skates, so the foray into making hockey sticks was a natural progression. Because ironwood was scarce now, other materials needed to be sourced. Hardwoods like ash and yellow birch were more plentiful and more reasonably priced and were therefore a good choice. Before long, ash was the wood of choice for hockey sticks. They were very durable, but also very heavy.

Famously, “Moose” Johnson carried an ash stick that measured a whopping 99 inches in length! He used that supersized stick to help bring two teams, the Victoria Cougars and the Montreal Wanderers, to the coveted Stanley Cup. In the 1927-28 NHL season, the League instituted a rule that capped the allowable length of a hockey stick at a maximum of 63 inches.

Modern sticks
In 1927, Cy Denneny created the first of what came to be known as the “banana blade.” Up until this point, hockey sticks featured a straight blade. Denneny bent his blade in an attempt to increase the accuracy of his shots, but National Hockey League players did not start using curved blades as a general rule until the 1960s. It was at this time that Stan Mikita’s stick broke during a practice and he found that playing with the broken (and consequently curved) stick actually improved his play. Soon after, curved-blade sticks were used by players throughout the National Hockey League. That tradition continues today.

In the 1940s, hockey stick manufacturers began to laminate the wood used to make sticks. That means that instead of creating a stick out of one solid piece of wood, layers of wood were glued together to create a more flexible and lighter stick. The laminate process also added a snap or a springiness to the stick that was missing from solid-construction sticks. In the 1960s, manufacturers went one step further by coating the laminated sticks with synethetic coatings such as fiberglass.
In the 1970s, companies began to manufacture sticks that were partly wood laminate and party aluminum. They featureed an aluminum shaft and a wood or composite blade. Aluminum sticks are durable but they feel quite heavy in the hands, which is why most players in the NHL don’t use them today. The same can be said about fiberglass sticks. Although they are light, they are vulnerable to breakage and are not currently used by anyone in the NHL.

In the 1980s, the first completely non-wooden sticks where made and used in the NHL. These sticks were fashioned out of aluminum, making them much lighter than wooden sticks. Further, these new sticks were more durable than wooden sticks (which broke easily) and the blades could be replaced as they were separate from the shaft of the stick. These sticks were more cost-effective because when a blade split, it could be replaced without having to replace the entire stick. In addition, because it was no longer necessary to source pieces of wood large enough to fashion a one-piece stick, the cost of production was reduced significantly. In an effort to lend credibility to this new kind of stick, superstar Wayne Gretzky was signed to an endorsement deal by one of the manufacturers of aluminun sticks. The thinking was, if it was good enough for Gretzky, imagine what it could do for other players!

The 1990s ushered in the era of the carbon fiber stick in the NHL. Like the original aluminum sticks, the carbon fiber sticks were composed of two parts – a carbon fiber shaft and a composite blade. These sticks were popular because they combine the best of wooden sticks (the springiness) and of aluminum sticks (the durability and precision). These sticks can also be made to specific flex specifications, which means that all kinds of shots – from wrist shots to slap shots – can be improved by using this kind of stick. Because they are constructed from a variety of different kinds of materials, it is easy to swap in or out different materials to customize the stick for each player. The downside of carbon fiber sticks, however, is that they are expensive to make and easily broken.

The sticks of today
Today, most NHL players use sticks that are made of a composite material. In other words, the sticks are not made up of a single material (such as wood or aluminum). Instead, they are made of a combination of materials such as titanium and graphite. These sticks have become the standard because the materials used to make them create a lightweight and flexible stick, allowing players to shoot with both power and accuracy. Unfortunately, composite sticks are also vulnerable to breakage, requiring replacement several times over the course of an average NHL season.

~Will in Denver

Each year, since its beginning in 1981, the Hobey Baker Memorial Award distinguishes one collegiate hockey player, out of the entire country, above the rest. It honors their honed skills, but more importantly, their dedication to upholding the idealistic code of sportsmanship as established by Hobey Baker’s exemplary athletic life.

Before discussing the origins of this prestigious award, you need to be aware of just how exemplary Hobey Baker’s sportsmanship was. Hobart Amory Hare Baker was a student at Princeton from 1910 through 1914, named as Princeton’s best hockey player, football player, and all-around athlete: the man who had done the most for Princeton. He was estimated to have scored over 120 goals and 100 assists in three years, while only being penalized once, for slashing.

Yes, Hobey Baker is a man of legend, but few parts of his life have ever been overly exaggerated. He was famed far more for his sportsmanship than his playing skills; visiting the opposing team’s locker room after every game. His example was so great he inspired his fellow Princeton classmate, F. Scott Fitzgerald, who created the character Allenby, of This Side of Paradise.

Origins

In 1978, Chuck Bard, then the Minnesota Bloomington Athletic Club’s chief executive officer and general manager, was struck by the idea to recognize a collegiate hockey athlete as best in his sport. It was not until 1979, however, when a club member suggested they sponsor more “athletic oriented events” that Bard put his plan into action.

It took one day to set up the initial committee, finding Ralph Grieg, of Pepsi-Cola, to provide an ongoing sponsorship of the award. In 1980, this new idea for an award was welcomed by the world of collegiate hockey.

It came time to name the award: for whom we know, was named the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Other candidates included hockey legends Moose Goheen, Frank Brimsek, and John Mariucci. It was decided the award would be modeled after Steve Christoff for his reputation as “the unstoppable force”.

On April 1, 1981, Gordie Howe commemorated the first Hobey award, honoring Neal Broten (below, with award) of the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The player receiving the award is voted on by every head hockey coach at an accredited Division I NCAA school. Each coach names the top three players in their league, and also the top three in the nation. Ballots are then tabulated and the top ten candidates are named. The Selection Committee, which is composed of NHL scouts, the American Hockey Coaches Association, and print and electronic medias, selects the winner.

The Hobey is currently controlled by the non-profit group known as the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation.

-Dan “The Wisconsin Hockey Fan”

Ever since the very first human stepped on glare ice thousands of years ago, mankind had been plotting a way to conquer it. It was not until around 3000 B.C., however, that we finally figured out a solution. It was the development of the very first ice skate – made of a bit of animal leg bone and skimpy leather straps. No one could have possibly imagined such a simple mode of transportation would evolve, one day, into a national pastime.

It was not until 1572, long after the Iron Age, that the first metal blade skate made its way into the world; however, skating, for recreation, was not popularized for another century.

The game of hockey we know today was not fully developed until the late 1800′s, so when did skating make its debut into the world of competitive sports? Around 1800, the ancient Gaelic field game of hurling, played among the Mi’kmaq natives of Nova Scotia, became popular with students of the King’s College in Windsor, who began adapting it for ice. They used modified hurling sticks to play, dubbed “Hurleys”, which resembled the first wooden hockey sticks, and a round ball called a sliotar. Rocks and stone markers functioned as goals.

Over the next half century, the game became known as ice hockey; and as a result, began establishing itself through the constant evolution of equipment:

• 1860 Steam-bent sticks, MicMac Hurleys and Hockeys, are developed by Mi’kmaq wood carvers (below). The first wooden pucks replace the uncontrollable sliotar.
• 1861-1866 Starr Manufacturing Company develops Starr ‘Hockey’ Skates, which featured a rounded front and a back that rested on a wider blade.

• 1886 The first vulcanized rubber puck is used in Kingston, Ontario.

• 1890 Ankle support straps are introduced to skates.

• 1893 Goalies begin using the widened goal tender’s stick and Cricket pads.

• 1896 Short shin pads are introduced and first worn.

• 1899 The Halifax hockey teams develop the first goal net, dubbed the Nova Scotia Box Net.

• 1900 Players begin wearing knee protection and gloves. Starr Manufacturing introduces hockey tube skates, the “Silver King”.

• 1904 Hockey Gauntlets, padded hockey gloves, are invented.

• 1907 Goal tender’s stick is widened further, one side only.

• 1910 Players begin wearing shoulder and back protection.

• 1915 Goal tender’s stick is widened for increased blocking, both sides.

• 1920 Elbow pads are officially introduced. Knee and shin pads are joined for better protection.

• 1930 The first leather mask is worn by goal tender Clint Benedict, but abandoned after two games. Player numbers become mandatory. Laminated hockey sticks replace MicMacs.

• 1940′s Further protection for players is introduced: shoulder and loin pads.

• 1945 Protective equipment is upgraded from leather and felt components to fiberglass and plastic. Regulations for protective equipment instated.

• 1960 The first practical goalie mask is invented. Developments to shin guards protect against skate cuts.

• 1976 Fiberglass blades introduced to hockey sticks.

• 1979 Helmets become mandatory for players signing their first contract after June 1, 1979.

• 1981 Aluminum shaft sticks are approved by the NHL.

• 1994 Composite sticks begin to appear.

The sport of hockey has evolved from its early incarnations to the game we know today. From the rules of the game to the equipment, hockey has changed in virtually every aspect from its beginnings until now. One such evolution is that of the hockey stick. The hockey stick has undergone many metamorphoses since the beginning. One of those changes is the institution of the “banana blade.”

According to accepted hockey lore, it was Cy Denneny of the Ottawa Senators who first played with a stick that featured a bent blade, during the 1926-27 season. To achieve the now-familiar bend in his stick blade, Denneny dipped the blade into hot water to soften it and then created the shape as the blade cooled.

The banana blade had its downside from a player’s perspective, however. Although the curve allowed for powerful slapshots, it had a negative impact on the player’s ability to effectively stick handle the puck. Moreover, backhanded shots were less accurate as a result of the curved blade. These negative aspects caused the idea of the banana blade to be shelved for nearly 30 years.

The first regular use of the curved banana blade is often attributed to Andy Bathgate of the New York Rangers and to Stan Mikita, star of the Chicago Black Hawks. Both players used the curved sticks during play in the 1950s, with Bathgate twisting the blade to add an element of unpredictability to his slapshot. As a result of the pioneering efforts of Denneny, Mikita and Bathgate, other players began to experiment with the bends in their stick blades. It was this experimentation that eventually gave birth to what we now know as the banana blade. Before long, hockey stick manufacturers began to manufacture sticks that were pre-bent.

The dawn of the banana blade era changed how professionals played hockey. When only straight-blade sticks were used, wrist shots (whereby the puck was “flicked” by a motion of the wrist) were the most common type of shot. Curved blades allowed players to put more power behind their shots, which allowed them to shoot from greater distances than ever before. The possibility of making more powerful long-distance shots added a new texture to the game of hockey, one that was exciting for both players and fans alike.

When players started using the curved banana blade the game of hockey was revolutionized forever. The curve of the stick made it more difficult for goalies to predict the direction and speed of an opposing player’s slapshot. Because of that, goaltenders had a more difficult time anticipating a shot and, therefore, found it more difficult to stop the puck. Conversely, players using the banana blade didn’t always know where their shots were going to go, either. The National Hockey League viewed this as a potential hazard because of the possibility for rogue pucks to lead to injury. In an effort to prevent injuries from curved sticks, the League instituted a rule during the 1967-68 season stipulating that the blade of a player’s stick could not have a curve that measured greater than one inch. That rule was amended in 1970-71, making the maximum allowable curve one-half inch. That is still the rule today.

~Will in Denver

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