Looking for a throwback hockey player? Check out Cody Bass of the Springfield Falcons, who knows how to inflict and tolerate pain.I was given a clean slate to write about anything I wanted to with this blog regarding hockey. I thought I would take an opportunity this week to keep things a little on the lighter side and talk about some of the great characters in the game that I either played with or we had play here in Springfield. For old-time fans, some of these names will bring back memories. For the younger fans, it will give you an idea of some of the real colorful people who have played our great sport.
When I first turned pro in1969 I had the opportunity to play during training camp with one of the true legends of his time. His name was Eddie Shack. It looked like Eddie was going to be fined for being late for camp. But then he made his entrance five minutes before camp, landing at our off-ice work-out field in a helicopter. He emerged wearing his track suit and jumped right into the exercises we were doing just in time to avoid the fine. During my first preseason game, against the Detroit Red Wings, Shack followed me on to the ice.The first thing he did was go put his gum on the crossbar of the goal net. When warm-up was over, he picked the gum off the bar and popped it back in his mouth. I could fill this entire blog with other Shack stories during the short three weeks I played with him.
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Most old-time Indian fans remember Roger "Toothpick" Cote. Roger was a tough defenseman who kept a toothpick in his mouth the entire game - and at all times. My good friend and former partner Wayne LaChance roomed with Roger. At night, he said, Roger would take out the toothpick and put it on the table beside the bed. When he woke up, he would put the toothpick back in his mouth.
Some old Leaf and Whaler fans probably remember Jim Dorey. I played with Jimmy, aka "Flipper," for five years. He had some strange habits. He got the nickname because he liked to try to flip the puck out of the zone all the time. It did not always work. One night he was behind his own goal. He signaled for Tom Webster to go for a long pass, planning to flip the puck all the way down the ice for a breakaway. The problem? He hit his own goaltender, Al Smith, in the back of the head and the puck went into his own goal. Jimmy was also superstitious. When he was on a hot streak, he started getting dressed by putting on just his skates - no other equipment - and standing on his head in the corner of the dressing room. He would meditate in this position as his way of preparing for the game.
Nick Fotiu, the former Ranger and Whaler, was one tough kid. He won some boxing tournaments growing up in New York. When he was playing for the Whalers he used to like to warm up for games by putting on the gloves and sparring with another player. One time he was sparring with a teammate by the name of Fred O'Donnell who was a scrappy kid and a pretty good fighter himself, but not a heavyweight. Fred made the mistake of firing a hard right to Fotiu's nose during their sparring session. Nick snapped and started beating Fred so badly that about five players pull Nick off of him.
A long time ago, we had a player named Mike K who was struggling with a weight problem. The coach told Mike he could not practice until he rode 10 miles on the bike. It was a great idea until the trainer went in to see how Mike was doing and found him sitting on the floor with a doughnut in one hand and pedaling the bike with his other hand.
Finally, I will wrap up with a special note about a true warrior and a throwback to the tough players of years ago. I always thought Rob Murray was one of the most hard- nosed guys to ever play in Springfield. If something was not broken, Rob would find a way to play. Current Falcon Cody Bass, who recently had to call it quits for the season to have shoulder surgery, rates right up there with Rob. Cody should have stopped playing a few weeks ago. However, he mapped it out with his doctor and our trainer as to how long he could play before he needed to have surgery in time to rehab to be ready for next season. Cody played the past several weeks in pain and had to wear a very restrictive shoulder harness. However, he wanted to be in the line-up to help the team. This past Saturday night he blocked a vicious shot with his foot that may have won the game for us. He limped off the ice and most fans thought he had broken his foot. However, there he was the next afternoon playing and trying to help the team beat the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Who was the guy that got involved with Steve McIntrye when he attacked our goaltender? None other than Cody Bass. As a result of the fracas with McIntyre he came away with eight stitches in his mouth to hold his cheek to his gum, but for Cody it was all in a day's work. There just are not enough guys like him any longer.
Thanks for your support and look forward to your comments and emails.
Bruce Landon is president and general manager of the Springfield Falcons. He can be reached by commenting on this blog or sending him an e-mail at blandon@falconsahl.com. For more information visit the team website.