Category: Hockey History 1917-2023

 From the early to late Seventies Don Luce was an amazing two-way forward

As a teenager Mr. Luce played for the OHA Kitchener Rangers where he led the team in assists in 1967-68 and CHL Omaha Knights where he won the CHL regular season 1969-70 title along with fellow future Buffalo player Mike Robitaille.

Both players are called up to the NHL NY Rangers where Mr. Luce plays only 21 games over the end of the 1969 season and beginning of the 1970 season garnishing a goal and three assists.

On November 2^nd, 1970 the Rangers trade Mr. Luce to the Red Wings for a player who never plays an NHL game.

After only six months and 58 games with 14 points as a Red Wings player Detroit trades Mr. Luce along with Mr. Robitaille to Buffalo for a mask-less goalie that only plays 29 games for Detroit earning a 3.15 GAA before jumping to the WHA.

Mr. Luce played for Buffalo from 1971 until 1981 and for the 1974-75 Cup Finals run Mr. Luce scored 76 points in 80 games on the strength of 33 goals, his playoff pace was similar with 13 points in 16 games.

During the Inaugural Draft of the World Hockey Association of February 1972, Mr. Luce was selected by the Chicago Cougars, fortunately for the Sabres Mr. Luce stayed with Buffalo.

Three days before Christmas 1974 Mr. Luce records his lone Hat Trick which was a Natural Hat Trick scored in the second period. Within less than four minutes Mr. Luce scores three times with the last two goals incredibly Short-Handed. Mr. Luce’s stunning offensive was so quick that his Hat Trick still stands as a Buffalo record for: Fastest Three Goals by One Player.  

His play throughout the 1974-75 NHL season earned Mr. Luce the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to Hockey.

 In the 1975 Season the NHL All Star Game changed to a battle between Conferences with the Wales Conference dominating the Campbell Conference in a 7-1 seemingly easy victory. Mr. Luce scored just over 12 minutes into the first period to make the game 2-0.

Playing for the Buffalo expansion team Mr. Luce became the first Sabres player to score a playoff assist in April 1973 against the Canadiens. Mr. Luce also scored the first playoff shorthanded goal for the team in May of 1975 once again against the Canadiens.

During the late Seventies when the Sabres were flying high and Mr. Luce was paired with Mr. Ramsey they became Buffalo’s top Penalty Killers with their stellar defensive play.

It was during this time that Mr. Luce in the late 1970s was a Frank J. Selke Trophy finalist, (“to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game”), three years running in the first three years of the Trophy’s existence. 

Mr. Luce has held a wide range of management positions for Buffalo:

Assistant Head Coach, Pro Scout, Director of U.S. Scouting, Director of Amateur Evaluation and Development, Director of Player Personnel which Mr. Luce was until the 2005-06 season.

 After his last season with Buffalo Mr. Luce filled the same Director position for the orange colored Hockey sweater clad team from Eastern Pennsylvania until 2012-2013 when Philadelphia then named Mr. Luce one of their Pro Scouts until 2015 when Toronto added Mr. Luce to their staff.

The Soviet Affair

It cannot be overstated how much personal danger Mr. Luce put himself in by assisting Mr. Mogilny’s expatriation.

Mr. Mogilny was a Lt in the Central Red Army of the Union Soviet Socialist Republic, an officer in the Soviet Regime towards the end of the Cold War before the Wall came down in Berlin.

Mr. Luce did not just assist a foreign national defect to the United States of America to play Hockey it was also support of a Soviet Officer deserting the Central Red Army of the USSR.

As a Cold War Veteran I understand that Mr. Mogilny was not a combat officer but a Hockey player, still I highly appreciate what Mr. Luce did for Mr. Mogilny, the Sabres, and the fans that support Buffalo.

The Sabres open their pre-season on the road versus Columbus tonight and a post-Capt Jack era will officially start with a young core of players under the guidance of a Head Coach who has won both as a player and HC will endeavor to take Buffalo to the playoffs.

     I appreciate and enjoy the pomp and ceremony of Hockey even in pre-season but as we all know as soon as the regular season begins the pre-season is soon forgotten.

     What has stoked my interest historically about this NHL 2021-22 Season is it has been approximately 97 years since the cities of Vancouver and Seattle played each other in the same professional Hockey league that could eventually led to the Stanley Cup Finals.   

  The battle between the two PCHA Stanley Cup champions, with Seattle being the first team in the United States of America to win the Stanley Cup, resumed on a late September day nearly a century between games with an NHL pre-season contest on September 26^th 2021.

     Professional Hockey history is rich with storied teams and leagues and the Kraken victory over the Canucks in a 2021-22 pre-season game brings into sharp relief how deeply embedded professional Hockey is in North America.

     In 1924 the Pacific Coast Hockey Association folded after only nine seasons, but what an interesting nine seasons it was. Both PCHA league teams Seattle and Vancouver beat their rival league champions from the National Hockey Association for no less than two Stanley Cup Championships.

     The 1919 Stanley Cup Finals tied at 2-2-1 had game six cancelled just hours before puck drop because of a number of Canadiens players having come down with feverish temperatures.  This cancellation happened during the height of the Spanish Flu in the United States of America.

    There was an offer for Seattle to claim victory but the Metropolitans HC refused to accept the Cup due to the circumstances surrounding game six.

     Officially 1919 is listed in NHL history of the Stanley Cup as “no winner”, admirably though when the Cup was redesigned in 1948 the NHL had the inscription added, “1919 Montreal Canadiens Seattle Metropolitans Series Not Completed”.

    As the 2021-22 gets under way for the Buffalo Sabres with a pre-season contest in Ohio versus the Blue Jackets I will watch and listen with a renewed enthusiasm for a “meaningless game” that might just not be.

In the late Fifties a very young Fred Stanfield played for the Mississauga Dixie Beehives then played Major Junior Hockey for the OHL’s St. Catherine’s TeePees/Black Hawks for three seasons with fellow teenage players Dennis Hull and Ken Hodge.

     Mr. Stanfield’s first NHL team would be Chicago and was also assigned to play in the now defunct CHL minor league during his three season 10-game tenure for the Chicago Blackhawks.

     In his third Chicago season Mr. Stanfield is traded to Boston and produces 64 points with 20 goals in 73 games. For six straight seasons Mr. Stanfield scores 20 or more goals and contributes to two Stanley Cup championships for Boston.

    Then Boston trades Mr. Stanfield to Minnesota for a goalie when Mr. Cheevers left Boston. Although Mr. Stanfield was afforded the opportunity to play on the North Stars number one line, he did not produce as expected.

     Approximately halfway through Mr. Stanfield’s second Minnesota season the North Stars trade 31 year old Mr. Stanfield to the Buffalo Sabres and in 32 games for Buffalo Mr. Stanfield scores 33 points. His veteran leadership assisted Buffalo on their march to the 1975 Cup Finals.

As with every NHL player all good things must come to an end, Mr. Stanfield in his early thirties played for two and half more season for Buffalo.

     His final Sabres season was 57 games with 11 points, so he went down to the AHL Hershey Bears where Mr. Stanfield recorded 60 points in 50 games in his first AHL season.

     That first season in Hershey he played then he coached the Bears into the playoffs as a mid-season Head Coach replacement as he was the following season in the OHA coaching the Niagara Falls Flyers into the playoffs as well.

      An excellent ending to an excellent Hockey career, Mr. Stanfield decided to spend the rest of his life with his wife in one of Buffalo’s beautiful suburbs while running a successful business furniture store that grew into an impressive operation.

     In the work force you know a good boss or owner when the employees speak highly and emotionally of them and just the case with Mr. Stanfield.  Found memories of Mr. & Mrs. Stanfield hosting players at home for weekend get-togethers. (Weekend at Freddy’s)   

     Always a willing participant with the Buffalo Sabres Alumni Association,   Mr. Stanfield continually exercised throughout his retirement while also playing in 30 to 50 games of Hockey a year and stayed in great shape.

When my Hockey History calendar approaches May 4^th (his birthday) I will reflect and continue to write about his Hockey accomplishments.

     Jim Schoenfeld became one of the most popular of Sabres as he played and then coached Buffalo as well as creating two albums in his first few years with the Sabres called “Schony” and “The Key is Love” with some assistance from John Valby on the latter album.

     When he stopped playing Mr. Schoenfeld did local television mattress commercials for years and even some broadcasting which Mr. Schoenfeld said he was not suited for and his bar “Schony’s” was a popular watering hole with live music.

As a bartender in my city I would tell my customers that I only ever cheered for one Boston NHL player. People invariably would shout out “Orr” or “Esposito” and although I highly appreciate these players and their accomplishments the response was always “nope”.

     I would inform my customers that it was “Jim Schoenfeld” and about Mr. Schoenfeld’s 39 regular season games for Boston during the 83-84 NHL season.

     We all have a sicken memory of Malarchuk’s life bleeding away in front of us and gratefully he physically survived the ordeal.

     But how many remember Mr. Schoenfeld bent over on his hands and knees blood pouring from his face from another blocked shot? Or who remembers how Tim Horton was Mr. Schoenfeld’s mentor and friend, so much so Jim cried on the ice when the announcer asked for a moment of silence before the next game after Mr. Horton’s fatal crash.

     I know Mr. Schoenfeld would have been an outstanding defenseman for the Sabres but the mentoring of Mr. Horton assisted his development into one of our best defenseman ever to wear the Blue & Gold.

     In Mr. Schoenfeld’s best offensive season 79-80 he scored 36 points and was a plus 60, and he was the third runner-up in the Norris Trophy behind only Larry Robinson and Borje Salming, while earning a roster spot on the All-Star team.

      In Mr. Schoenfeld’s first season he was fourth in the Rookie of the Year, Calder Trophy voting, and in his third season, he Captains Buffalo’s advance to the Cup Finals.

     There have been flashy scoring defensemen and even a rookie of the year defensemen in Campbell and Myers for Buffalo but in my heart, (and ears), there is no other defenseman quite like Jim “Schony” Schoenfeld.

From 1972-73 until 1981-82  Mr. Schoenfeld scored 45 goals for the Buffalo Sabres and during the 1980-81 campaign in the middle of March Mr. Schoenfeld registered his lone career NHL Hat Trick in a four point game against the Winnipeg Jets.

     In the opening period with 90 seconds remaining Mr. Schoenfeld earns the primary assist on Danny Gare’s goal to give Buffalo the 1-0 lead.

     Winnipeg ties the game early in the Second Period but Mr. Schoenfeld scores his sixth goal of the season on the PP with less than five minutes remaining in the period.

     Buffalo and Winnipeg trade goals in the next 88 seconds for a Buffalo 3-2 lead heading into the final period.

     Winnipeg’s cross-checking penalty called with seven seconds remaining in the Second Period carrying over into the Third afforded Mr. Schoenfeld an opportunity to score his second PP of the game and seventh of the year with 22 seconds remaining on the PP.

     Half way through the period Mr. Schoenfeld hooks one of the Jets but the Sabres defense and goalie are up to the task and Winnipeg fails to score.

     With Buffalo maintaining a 4-2 lead on Winnipeg Mr. Schoenfeld with approximately three and half minutes remaining scores his eighth of the season to complete his one and only NHL Hat Trick.

     When Mr. Schoenfeld was on a popular online video interview/talk show hosted by two former Sabres a couple of Halloweens ago,  he talked about one year there was like nine players wives expecting and they were a tight knit group of young players that spent significant time together with each other’s families away from the rink. Mr. Schoenfeld said it was the closest team he ever belonged to.

     Mr. Schoenfeld related the unwritten rule that the young single players had to throw the Halloween party and that they did a tremendous job. When pressed for information   Mr. Schoenfeld could not remember the specific costumes but commented that the parties were terrific.  

     He then told a story about a costume he does remember… someone was dressed as an “old man” and he was making passes at all the women and if they had on a skirt he used his cane to try and look up the their skirts and he would attempt to look down their tops and all night long during the party the players were trying to figure out who it was.

     Well as it turns out that it was one of the player’s wives…too funny…an absolute hysterical Halloween costume and prank on the players by their wives.

      A Family man that was an outstanding defenseman, Captain, combative coach, excellent executive, spokesperson, tavern owner with a musical career who is admired and respected by NHLers and fans alike, ladies and gentlemen I give you…Jim “Schony” Schoenfeld.  

     Hockey Enthusiasts basically approach the Draft in one of three ways since most drafts began hosting online and they are Snake, Linear, and Automatic along with mock and ordered drafts as options.

     For the ESPN Fantasy Hockey League the concentration will be on the top three ways to draft “your team”.

The Automatic draft is a good team saver for those participants who cannot attend the live draft for any reason.

     For the complete neophyte do not be overwhelmed by the 90 second clock and pressure to know who you need to select for each round and go ahead with the Automatic draft and prompts that will ensure that your turn and selection will be the highest ranked player available to fill your roster needs.

Most Leagues utilize the Snake draft which allows for the most equitable distribution of talented players each round for every Team.

    The Snake draft “flips” the order so that the last team to select in one round gets to select first in the next round and then the next to the last player will be last and then first and so on until all the rounds are completed.  

     The Linear draft is a rigid order of team selection that gives an inequitable distribution of talented players so that team ten in a Ten Team League will select tenth overall each round.

      Being required to select last each round is something no Team Manager should endure to build their team so turn a careful eye to the settings of a League you are considering before committing.