The best defenceman of his time

[M. Beaux-Eaux]

RED FISHER
The Gazette

January 26, 2005

Most of today's players locked in the vise of a season-long lockout might not remember Doug Harvey, seeing how almost all of them weren't born when he was the NHL's premier defenceman. There was no union during most of his career, but he was his own man, as many among them now think they are. He feared neither constituted authority nor opposing teams.

Win or lose, he refused to shake hands with opponents. He didn't socialize with them during the offseason, but he was one of them, so hardly anybody was surprised when Harvey's name was among the half-dozen players mentioned in the startling news chattering from my newspaper's telex machine in the late 1950s.

- tinyurl.com/6acav

[Habs_fan_in_LA]

Rocket, Boomer, Harvey, Moore, Beliveau, Plante, Gumper, Robinson.....
It was more than their hockey skill. They were character players, played hurt, gave a real 100% for the team, not for next years contract.
Todays players may be bigger, faster, stronger, better trained, and yes, even better; but the game is not the same. Today it's entertainment instead of firehouse hockey.
Us oldtimers are always remembering the good old days, and forgetting some of the current improvements. Last night I watched Jay Leno and missed Carson.

[Habs_fan_in_LA]

Little known fact about the days when defensemen were DEFENSEmen, Doug never made it to double digits with more than 9 goals in a season.