Thread: MLA mini-bio

Several SRP members have recently contacted me regarding my NHL career seeking clues and hints about my identity. I post this message in an effort to allow you to get to know me a little whilst protecting my privacy, which is every SRP Member’s privilege, and one I choose to exercise.
Growing up as a fairly typical Canadian kid in 1960s northern B.C., all I ever wanted to do was play hockey. Sound familiar? My abilities gave me the opportunity to play collegiate hockey in the U.S.A. Upon graduation (double major: history and psychology with a teaching certificate) I reported to an ECHL team that had a working agreement with my parent NHL club, but the dream remained a constant in the foreground of my mind. That dream came true in the late autumn of 1981 when I was called up for my first NHL game against the defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders at the old Nassau Coliseum. My first shift was noteworthy for the fact that I did nothing at all. I recall my assignment was to keep Jethro (Clark Gilles) and Bob Nystrom out of the crease. As we were all big boys that presented quite a challenge! Bossy lit us up for 2, Trottier had 3 assists, and Jethro and I fought to a draw in the 2^nd period. By the way, we lost 5-2.
The decade of the 1980s is when I truly learned how to play the game. I had to learn to cope with the inhuman speed of Gartner, the awesome agility of Savard, the foresight of Gretzky, the grittiness of Claude Lemieux, and the brilliance of SuperMario. I never saw myself as a prototypical “tough guy” in the sense that fighting was not my first love. I really thought myself a “hard guy”: strong defencively, capable of chipping in offencively when the opportunity presented itself, and willing to foil up and drop ‘em to defend my goaltender. The men I fought in that decade constitutes a “Who’s Who” of NHL baddies: the aforementioned Gilles, Dave Schultz, Dave Semenko, Cam Neely, Chris Nilan, Mark Messier, Harold Snepsts, Joe Kocur, Bob Probert, Craig Berube, Marty McSorley, and Dirk Graham to name a few. Pound for pound the overall toughest guy I ever fought was my buddy Stumpy Thomas: he just didn’t ever give up! I won some, and didn’t others.
In the 1990s – the latter half of my 16-year career – saw my pugilistic endeavours in decline: I was getting older, and the reigning goons were a whole lot younger. Fortunately, I’d acquired a reputation as a guy who wouldn’t shy away, and to an extent that protected me from all but the most eager cup of coffee looking for a permanent spot on a team. I think back to how many face washes I gave in those days, which usually ended it right there.
I recall my last game in the spring of 1997. My family and best friends were all in attendance as we lost in the playoffs. After 16 years and two NHL teams the ride was over. No Stanley Cup for me. My first year of retirement was the weirdest 365 days of my life. I visited saloons almost daily, and nearly bought one. Women came and went out of my life with surprising regularity. I just wasn’t a very nice guy to be around. When the 48^th Highlanders of Canada ushered the Leafs into their home opener that October I could hardly watch, even though I was in attendance. My father, sitting next to me at MLG, put his arm around me and told me of the pride which filled him every shift I took in my career. He stated that his biggest regret was not teaching me to duck! Time and the sport moved on without me. I spent the rest of the 1990s and early 2000s in graduate school completing my M.S. in psychology, and five years ago I settled semi-permanently at my fishing cottage on Lake Michigan. The northern B.C. winters just became too much for my arthritic joints and healed broken bones. I hope to be able to return to my home in B.C. in the near future when my health permits.
I fill my days with fishing, hunting, ferrying SWMBO to work and back on my bike – which usually leads to me riding along Lake Michigan’s spectacular coastline, watching baseball, football and hockey, and repeatedly declining the same coaching offers year after year from local amateur teams. I haven’t been on the ice in 2 years, and I love it! No more locker room BS from the guy who “could’ve played pro except for …” Retirement has been very good to me, and has allowed me the opportunity to treat every day of the year as a Saturday. No boss, no time clock, no phone, no BS.
I truly enjoy the fellowship I’ve found here on SRP. I’ve met young men in their very early teens seeking wet-shaving guidance, senior citizens with decades of experience willing to share the wisdom of past mistakes, twice-per-week shavers like myself, and guys who take advantage of every opportunity to slay the 5 o’clock shadow. Honers, scalers, forgers, smiths, restorers, experts, novices, stroppers and Snafflers. Just about every trait of cutthroat and DE shaver may be found in our membership rolls. Moscow to Melbourne, Abilene to Aberdeen, Rochester to Rio de Janeiro, Winnipeg to Wales, Vancouver to Vladivostok: we’re all proud members of SRP! In that sense I’m no different than any of you.
Please don’t PM me for additional details. Your messages will be ignored.

Cordially,

MapleLeafAlumnus

Thanks for the info! But to me you are just another SRP guy who enjoys the same online camaraderie that I do. In fact I had no idea that you play, or played, hockey, let alone professional hockey. And I still have no clue as to who you "really" are. In fact even if you told me, I probably still wouldn't know! Not that I lead a sheltered life. I just don't follow hockey, and the only hockey games I've ever been to are from when my son got into the sport for just under one year a few years ago. Really, even tho I played team sports in high school, I just don't follow any sporting events now. I just tell people that I don't have that "spectator" gene. They still don't get it.

Anyway, yours is an intriguing story, thanks for sharing!

P.S.- I still don't get "Hat Trick." What the heck and why the terminology?

I'm in much the same boat as honedright and missing that "spectator" gene also. Sounds like you had an interesting career doing what you loved to do and damned few are that lucky. Thanks for sharing some personal insights and experiences. I hope you are enjoying your retirement as much as I do mine. Good to playing on the same "Team Razor" as you.

Bob

Holly crap!! Back in my boarding school days (St. Andrews College) I was a 48th Highlander! I wouldn't have been able to watch either lol!!

I was one of those guys who messed with you MLA. I guess it was more out of curiosity to see if you ever "sat on the other side of the table" when my wife was counsel for the Leafs. But ultimately it doesn't matter as I get a great deal of utility form your posts and whacky sense of humor lol. Like I said once before, quite a while back... "your are going to get me in trouble lol." And you have .

Anyway - everyone wants a piece of an athlete who's had some success as you well know... Heck in Canada, any player who makes it to the NHL is royalty! But you are right - you are entitled to your privacy... but let me point out you are a tool for naming yourself MLA lol!!

I am glad you had a full career MLA. There aren't many of us who can lay claim to that. I am glad your retirement has been positive after the hick-up that all men have when they no longer do what they do after years!

It's been a pleasure BSing with you on the forum MLA - hockey player or not. Sorry for the harassment in the past.

Originally Posted by honedright

P.S.- I still don't get "Hat Trick." What the heck and why the terminology?

"Hat trick" refers to 3 goals scored by one player in one game. The term became popular in the 1920s when fans would toss their hats onto the ice after the player's 3rd goal in recognition of the feat.
"Natural hat trick" occurs when one player scores 3 uninterrupted goals. This means that no other player from either team has scored in-between any of his goals.
"Texas hat trick" is when a player scores 4 goals in one game.
"Ovechtrick" is 8 goals in one game. Never happened (yet) in an NHL game (although 6 have been scored in one game).

Originally Posted by BobH

Good to playing on the same "Team Razor" as you.
Bob

"Team Razor" ... I like that!

What is this game you call "hockey?"

Ice that you skate on? What a concept! All we use that stuff for is keeping our beer and iced tea cold.

SKATING on it?

You're kidding right?

Yours Truly,
Confused in Texas.

Ok, on the way to work (yeah, I gotta work Sundays) I'm thinking, "If someone has already brought this up, I'll leave it alone, but if no one has...."

Well, no one has yet...

So here it is, if you throw a dog a bone, don't be surprized if old boy chases it. Well MLA, you threw out a whole bunch of bones in your bio. Don't know if you did it intentionally or not, but there's enough that someone with a bit of skill in deductive reasoning, and the ability to pull up a couple of Maple Leaf team rosters, could figure out exactly who you are. I'm just saying...

And I'd be surprized if someone hasn't already. But I'm not going to out you. You may have done it to yourself though, maybe on purpose, maybe not.

Originally Posted by honedright

Ok, on the way to work (yeah, I gotta work Sundays) I'm thinking, "If someone has already brought this up, I'll leave it alone, but if no one has...."

Well, no one has yet...

So here it is, if you throw a dog a bone, don't be surprized if old boy chases it. Well MLA, you threw out a whole bunch of bones in your bio. Don't know if you did it intentionally or not, but there's enough that someone with a bit of skill in deductive reasoning, and the ability to pull up a couple of Maple Leaf team rosters, could figure out exactly who you are. I'm just saying...

And I'd be surprized if someone hasn't already. But I'm not going to out you. You may have done it to yourself though, maybe on purpose, maybe not.

LOL - you know what - I thought of that too, so I read it quick, trying hard to not take any notes. If he doesn't want people to know... so be it.

I'm still honestly trying to figure out if you're trying to protect your anonymity then why this??