All World Hockey by T. Michael Travers

Terrible Ted and Gentleman Ted Hockey is back. The 2026 Cup Playoffs are around the corner. Every player in today's NHL owes Ted Lindsay. Each one should sign over a personal cheque to him at the beginning of this New NHL in recognition for the stance he took on their behalf against the Original Six NHL owners. Al Waxman as Adams For all players, he demanded better pay and better working conditions. His pioneering work as the architect of the NHLPA was so important that the CBC filmed a movie about his life and the battle he had with team owners. The movie It is titled Net Worth. Incidentally, that money, if Ted were ever to receive it, would go to help others through his Ted Lindsay Foundation, as it provides important research funding for a cure for Autism. If you're an NHL player today and you earn 3 or 5 or 10 million dollars, it's because of what Lindsay did for you. I wonder how many of today's hockey-playing millionaires even know his name and th...

                                          It's been a long ride. Is this the year? Where was Boston's "Pasta" in the humiliating loss on Sunday?  And, the Bruins' #91 tough guy waited 57 minutes to show up? Is it just me, or does the Bruin coach, Marco Sturm, look out of place behind the bench? He is a veteran 17-year NHL player who has had only one year with more than 50 minutes in the penalty box. But the Bruins are noted for push-back. They look tough. Their home uni is black. I expect the Bruin coach to project the same image of toughness. He doesn't. He's way too animated (with his hands) during his late-game timeouts -- he ain't Italian, he's German. Bruin fans must be wondering ... where's Terry O'Reilly when you need him? Hey Sabres  ... as they say, "don't forget to put your foot on their neck when they're down". The late goal by Boston was an embarrassment to...

  In 1940, when Detroit Red Wing soon-to-be superstar, Ted Lindsay, was 15 years old and played for the Holy Name Irish "Juvenile" Kirkland Lake hockey team, he and his teammates travelled by train 230 miles to Port Colborne, Ontario, population 18,300, to face the local team for the province's division championship. Fun Fact: In the 1940's, the town of Kirkland Lake, Ontario had a population of approximately 25,000 -- yet 42 boys from that tiny mining town made it to the NHL. Lindsay was the first.  Lindsay's opponent team was led by the soon-to-be Toronto Maple Leaf superstar, Ted Kennedy. Following that championship game (won by Lindsay), both boys would move on to spectacular careers with their NHL clubs. Ted Lindsay #7 Lindsay would become captain of his Wings and earn four Stanley Cups, and Kennedy would captain his Leafs and be the first player in NHL history to earn five Stanley Cups. Ted "Teeder" Kennedy #9 Today, both players have bronze stat...

GOLD! A spectacular hockey Olympics ... every game was a nail-biter. But Team USA was destined to win ... it was their time, and from the looks of the USA Hockey "Brotherhood", as Jack Hughes called them, every country, most especially Canada, has to now pay attention to the new  Big Dog. Canada put its best on the ice, but the best wasn't good enough to win. But it did give all hockey fans a chance to see a young Canadian boy, only 19, play with and against seasoned men and excel—dominate isn't too strong a word. The teenager led the tournament in goals  and  shots on goal. In 4 years, will all Olympic hockey medal hopefuls be 25 and under? Honourable mention has to go to Bill Guerin, the Team USA GM and architect, who received lots of criticism for his Olympic team selections - he must have known something nobody else did. His team had lots of firepower, and their chemistry was very evident. The game's winning goal scorer and remarkable patriot, Jack...

It doesn't seem possible ... But this year I will be 80 years old, and my hope for you is that you are able to also reach the same number one day.  I continue to play hockey five times a week, every week, in Toronto and at the Fabulous Igloo in Bradenton, Florida. To prepare you, I thought you may be interested in a heads-up to the rarified air known as: " The Golden Years". First things first -- when it happens to you and I sincerely hope it does, you'll wonder ... how did I get to be this old? I feel the same as I did 20 years ago. Don't be confused, don't complain, getting here, getting old, is like winning the lottery and a whole lot better than the alternative. Let's start this "guidebook" with peeing. You'll be peeing a lot. Actually, I started in my 50's, but it's gotten way worse. As an example, I've been trying not to drink any liquids after 7 pm. Last night, I woke from a deep sleep  4  times to have a whiz -- where does...

  My connection to baseball runs deep.  As a youngster,  I was a  Dodger .  No, not a Los Angeles, a Brooklyn.  Jackie and Roy and Pee Wee were my guys to cheer for, but I think it was "Duke" Snider and his fabulous moniker that caught my attention. Duke Snider ... How can you not like a guy named "Duke: When " The Bums"  moved to Los Angeles, I didn't move with them, and my interest in the sport lay dormant until 1977, when the Toronto Blue Jays first took flight. I was at the CNE Grandstand on that April 7th, snowy, overcast day on the 1st base side to cheer for Doug Ault as he hit two home runs and bounced another off the top of the fence. I showed up for 37 more consecutive home openers until 2013. 30 years ago, my son, Sean, created the  Ontario Blue Jays Baseball Academy  and ran it for more than 25 years, helping more than 400 very talented Canadian ball players earn scholarships to American colleges and universities -- current Major L...