The Hockey Story Nobody Knows ...

 

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 statues on display in their team cities, and both boys were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the same year, 1966.

Fun Fact: Kennedy was the "property" of the Montreal Canadiens as a 16-year-old. Could you imagine if he'd remained in Montreal? They won 5 consecutive Stanley Cups without him in the 1950s (which is still a record) ... they may have won 10 with him!

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. 

These careers need a little more background.

Lindsay was 5' 9" and 163 lbs. of terror.

It's not an overstatement. 

During his Original Six career, he claimed more than 2,000 penalty minutes - no other Hall of Fame candidate came close to that number -- not even the league's heavyweight champs. He earned the moniker "Terrible Ted" for a reason. Elbowing and kneeing penalties were created because of him - he was a little guy who played like he was 6' 5." and always showed up to the rink angry. 

He tortured the game's greatest players with his stick and his tongue. He invented trash-talking, and nobody was exempt. A favourite target was Montreal's fabulous captain, "Rocket" Richard. Lindsay would call Rocket every name he could think of while on the ice, but "Rocket" didn't understand English very well. So, at the end of the period, in the dressing room, he'd ask his teammates ... "What did Lindsay say to me"? Once he found out how bad it was, "Rocket" would be on fire to start the period and only be thinking of Lindsay and revenge instead of playing the game.

Fun Fact: Lindsay's mother was French Canadian!

Hockey, most especially NHL hockey, is full of grudges. 

I guess, because every player has their own weapon and they know how to use it. It was common knowledge that former Bruin Bobby Schmatz could "carve a player up like a Christmas turkey" with his Sherwood hockey stick. Of course, players had good memories, so each infraction would have consequences.

 

If a grudge wasn't settled during a game, it would be the next time they met the offending player -- or maybe even next year -- or maybe even in 5 years!

I'll get back to grudges in a minute.

 

I won't mention Lindsay's remarkable point totals. Suffice to say, when the time came for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, he did not have to wait the obligatory 3 years-he was inducted without delay (like Gretzky & Lemieux & Beliveau).

Every opposing player -- every single one of them-- hated Ted Lindsay. But, he somehow found the time to create the NHL Players' Association and relieve the pressure every Original Six player felt from the NHL owner/slave-like relationship. Lindsay was the architect of a union -- so, the owners colluded to penalize him and ship him to the league's worst team, the Blackhawks -- even though he had just completed his most successful year in the NHL as a Red Wing. Lindsay had lots of grudges with guys in suits.

Ted "Teeder" Kennedy was the NHL poster boy of what a captain should look and act like: reliable, dedicated, team-focused, involved in the community and a leader of men - he was only 22 years old when he accepted the captaincy, as voted on by his teammates, so that gives you an idea of how his peers thought of him. The scribblers in the hockey media claimed he couldn't skate very well, but, somehow, he was always in the middle of the Leafs greatest moments in the team's history. He earned 5 Stanley Cups with a group of Leaf journeymen players while beating "Rocket" and Beliveau, Plante and Howe, Lindsay, Schmidt and Bauer and the Bentleys and Bathgate and the Connachers. "Teeder" beat 'em all!

What would today's Leaf Nation think of a team captain who earned a Stanley Cup? What would they think of a captain who earned five?

Back to grudges.

I've had a long relationship with the Canadian Special Olympics. And, due to that organization, I've had the occasion to meet lots of sports celebrities -- people who understood the importance of the charity and wanted to help their fellow athletes.

I invited Ted Kennedy to one of our Special Olympics gala events in 1991. He was fabulous -- mixing and mingling with our paid guests, signing autographs, and enjoying the experience of meeting up with his fans. A year later, Ted Lindsay agreed to also participate.

I know about hockey grudges - I've been there. 

But I didn't expect that my two favourite childhood hockey idols would have a 50-year-old grudge still percolating with Ted Lindsay for the other Ted.

Our fundraiser involved a festive breakfast for 2,000, followed by a black-tie dinner for another 1,000 on the evening of the same day. Lindsay made it very clear to me that he was not to be stationed in any position close to Kennedy -- no adjacent seats -- no photos, and every and any face-to-face encounter should be, must be, avoided. This went on for 9 years that they attended this event.

Did I say that the grudge was from 50 years ago?

Somehow, magically, the grudge came to an end at an unlikely place and time ... The 2000 All-Star Game @ Toronto's Air Canada Centre Arena. I have no idea how or who orchestrated the face-to-face handshake.

Look closely at the picture below of these two NHL warriors.

Do you see the 15-year-old boys who dreamt of becoming NHL players? 

Do you see the joy?

Do you see the 50-year-old forgiveness?

Do you see the friendship?

That's our game!

I titled this photo ... Two Lions at Dusk

Honoured Hockey Hall of Fame Member Ted Kennedy passed away in August. 14, 2009, he was 83 years old.

Honoured Hockey Hall of Fame Member Ted Lindsay passed away on March 4 2019. He was 93 years old.

Footnote: I've met hundreds of sports and entertainment celebrities, none more dedicated to helping someone in need than Ted Lindsay. During a quiet moment while having dinner at his favourite restaurant, I thought it was OK to ask him about his feud with Kennedy. He said, "I am totally ashamed of the way I treated one of the greatest hockey players to play the game".

If you would like to read more about The Greatest Maple Leaf, Ted Kennedy, click on the link below ...

https://allworldhockey.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-greatest-maple-leaf-of-them-all.html