Preface & Introduction to a hockey book – Hockey’s Most Tragic Deaths
Canadiens, Howie helped popularize hockey in the United States in the 1920s. After stints in Chicago and New York, the veteran returned to his beloved Canadiens in 1937, only to break his leg during the celebrated comeback and later perish in the hospital, broken-hearted that his stellar career had ended so badly.
Although Maple Leafs defenseman Bill Barilko never made it to the Hall of Fame, he is still remembered for his game-winning 1951 Stanley Cup goal. That tally handed the Leafs its fourth Cup during Barilko’s five years with the club, but the lucky young rearguard’s fortunes drastically changed later that summer, when he disappeared on a plane trip to northern Ontario. Bill’s body was not discovered until 1962, the next year the Leafs won the Cup.
North Stars journeyman forward Bill Masterton never had the opportunity to challenge for the Stanley Cup, but he still fulfilled his lifelong dream of playing in the NHL. The 29-year-old rookie suffered severe head trauma from an on-ice collision early in the 1968-69 season. Tragically, he died in the hospital soon after. The league later created The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded each year to the player best exemplifying perseverance, dedication, and sportsmanship to hockey. Masterton’s death also prompted some NHLers to start wearing protective headgear, but the use of helmets was not made mandatory until several years later.
Arguably the greatest goalie ever, Terry Sawchuk captured four Vezina Trophies and seven Stanley Cups during his glory years in Detroit and, later, Toronto. A perennial all-star during his remarkable, 21-year NHL career, “Uke” revolutionized goaltending with his trademark crouch style. It was copied by generations of aspiring, young netminders. Sawchuk was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1971, a year after his death from stomach-related injuries, at the age of forty. Another veteran who enjoyed a long and storied career, tough and dependable rearguard Tim Horton toiled for 24 years in the NHL, winning four Cups with the Leafs and later anchoring the defense for young teams in Pittsburgh and Buffalo. In early 1974, driving home to Buffalo late at night after a game at Maple Leaf Gardens, Horton died when he his speeding sportscar crashed on the highway.
Pelle Lindbergh, the young Swedish goalie for the Philadelphia Flyers, was another hockey star who died in a horrifying car crash late at night. His bright red Porsche crashed in a New Jersey suburb in November 1985, leaving him in a coma, with severe head injuries. Lindbergh had recently become the first European goaltender to win the Vezina Trophy, so the subsequent death of this pioneer star shocked the hockey world.
Troubled and tormented enforcer John Kordic’s death also shocked many in pro hockey. An adept fighter who terrorized NHL opponents with his fists during the late 1980s, Kordic was popular in Montreal and Toronto, but soon wore out his welcome. After unsuccessful stints with a number of pro teams, the embattled pugilist died in 1992, likely the result of ingesting a lethal mix of alcohol, cocaine and steroids. His well-publicized demise prompted the league to eventually adopt a comprehensive substance abuse policy.
Alcohol also allegedly had a part in the death of veteran rearguard Steve Chiasson, who played for Detroit, Calgary, Hartford and the Carolina Hurricanes. Chiasson attended a team party right after the 1999 playoffs ended, and died later that night, after his pick-up truck crashed on the way home.
Another defenseman, talented Bryan Fogarty, never became the player many thought he would be. Often compared to Bobby On as a Canadian junior hockey star, Fogarty continuously battled substance abuse problems throughout his troubled and inconsistent pro career, like good friend John Kordic. After short stints with Quebec, Pittsburgh and Montreal, the rearguard played for several European-based clubs before eventually calling it quits in 2000. He died of heart failure less than two years later.
This book’s final chapter briefly considers the lives of 16 other former NHLers who died too young. Hod Stuart is discussed; his death at the start of the century was the first real hockey “tragedy”. Others include Hobie Baker, Scotty Davidson, Frank McGee, Red Garrett and Joe Turner; these players died as soldiers, in either the First or Second World War. Also mentioned is “Bad” Joe Hall, a rugged defenseman who patrolled the blueline for the two Montreal clubs, the Maroons and Canadiens. Hall was the only player to die from influenza during the 1919 Stanley Cup finals between the Habs and the Seattle Metropolitans, which was eventually ended without a winner declared. Like Stuart, former Canadiens great Babe Siebert also met his demise while swimming. Babe was a star defenseman for the Maroons, Rangers and Bruins, later finishing his career in the late 1930s with the Canadiens. He drowned while on