Kukla's Korner Hockey
Making Peace At The Winter Classic
by Paul on 02/11/12 at 03:06 PM ET
Comments (3)
from Jeff Marek of Sportsnet,
And it got me thinking: wouldn’t it be great if every year each team involved in the game made some peace with their past? After all, the Classic is supposed to be about the roots of hockey where the game is pure; back to a simpler time when it was just about the joy of playing and nothing else.
In that spirit I submit two names, one from the Leafs and Wings I’d like to see get the Lindros treatment from their former franchises.
Dave Keon: This story is well told already. The animosity goes back to the Harold Ballard era and the hatred between the infamous Maple Leafs owner and Keon predates the Leaf player bolting the franchise for the WHA, to the moment Ballard nixed a trade Keon and his agent had worked out that would have sent him to the New York Islanders for a Stanley Cup run….
Larry Aurie: Detroit’s first true superstar player, Aurie flirted with scoring crowns, led the Wings to two Stanley Cups (1936, 1937) after never having qualified for the playoffs before he arrived. Aurie was nicknamed “Little Dempsey” because of his likeness to former boxing champ Jack Dempsey (to say nothing of his own fighting prowess) and “Rags,” due to his uncanny ability to rag the puck while killing penalties.
Aurie was a favourite of former Wings owner James Norris, who immediately retired Aurie’s No. 6 after he hung up the blades. However, after Mike Ilitch bought the Wings he un-retired the number, although it still remains out of circulation.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: dave+keon,
larry+aurie
Comments
Does anyone know WHY #6 got un-retired? What did Aurie do to deserve that?
Posted by redxblack from Akron Ohio on 02/12/12 at 12:22 AM ET
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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
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Probably the only blot on Mr. and Mrs. I’s otherwise world class Organ-I-zation.
Posted by SYF from the Flood on 02/11/12 at 04:11 PM ET