Getliffe going strong at 91
Feb 25, 2006 13:49:28 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2006 13:49:28 GMT -5
www.canada.com/topics/sports/hockey/canadiensstory.html?id=f0d1a0e9-0a99-42c8-b418-b3c03540101b
Here's a trivia question for Canadiens fans out there: Who is Ray Getliffe and why is he one of the most important players to wear a Habs jersey?
Give up?
Getliffe, who at 91 is believed to be the oldest living former Canadiens player, is also the man who gave Maurice Richard his nickname "The Rocket" nearly 60 years ago. It's a story Getliffe is always happy to recount.
"We were at a practice and this kid had come up," Getliffe said during a recent interview at his home. "I'm on the bench, sittin' beside Murph Campbell ... and (Elmer) Lach passed the puck to the kid. (He) took off on a B-line for the net, and I said to Murph: 'Geez! That kid went in there just like a rocket!'
"Dink Carroll, a Gazette writer, was sitting behind the bench and the name stuck from there."
And just like that, Richard had his new moniker, all thanks to Getliffe's offhand remark.
The first thing you notice when you meet Getliffe is his grip. For a nonagenarian, the man doesn't have a hand, he has a vice. Next is his amazing memory. He recounts experiences and events with absolute clarity. But the most notable thing about Getliffe is how down-to-earth he is. It's a trait his friends and peers all remark on.
"The one thing that stands out is that he is the genuine article. No B.S.," said Bruce Huff, founding chairperson of the London Sports Hall of Fame. "He's a remarkable specimen at his age, most unselfish, always ready to go to bat for anybody (and) loves kids.When it was his turn to bring the Stanley Cup to London last summer for Ray Day he signed autographs for hours and made sure the kids got all the pictures with the Cup they wanted. I hope he lives forever."
Getliffe, who was born in Galt, Ont., in 1914, was inducted into the London Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Few others can count Elmer Lach and Jean Beliveau as lifelong friends and get away with calling them "junior."
Despite failing vision and reduced mobility, Getliffe remains sanguine about his long life. When asked about his greatest accomplishment, his response is as quick as his wit: "Staying alive! I'm nearing 92 (in April), so it's a big accomplishment."
Getliffe played 10 seasons in the NHL (1935-45) as a centre/left-winger who could bang in the corners and light the lamp. "I was a good team player," he said modestly. "Certainly not an all-star, maybe better than average."
He broke into the NHL with the Boston Bruins and helped them win the Stanley Cup in 1939. He was then traded to Montreal, where he won another Cup with the Canadiens in 1944. He hung up his skates for good in 1945 after refusing a trade to Detroit.
"I didn't know I was traded till I got a telegram from Jack Adams telling me to report to Windsor for training camp," Getliffe recalled. "I'd already moved my family from Boston and settled in Montreal. I had a job offer at Simpson's. So I felt 10 years was a good run and it was time to hang them up."
He says he was proud to end his career as a Canadien.
Though he's humble about his on-ice accomplishments, Getliffe confesses the highlight of his career was a six-point night on Feb. 6, 1943, when the Canadiens beat the Bruins 8-3. Coach Dick Irvin Sr. gave him the playing opportunity of a lifetime.
"We played Boston and defeated them," Getliffe recalled. "I was fortunate to get five goals that night (and an assist). Toe Blake was hurt and I went on a line with (Elmer) Lach and the Rocket, and the puck just followed me around all night.
"I was talking to Elmer the other day and he joked about it. He said, 'You know, Ray, Irvin took you off the ice that night so you wouldn't get the sixth one!' " Getliffe said with a laugh.
He maintains Irvin was the best coach he ever played for.
"What made him great was his no-nonsense approach and his fairness," Getliffe said. "He never came into a room and ranted and raved. He'd just take you aside and so forth."
Getliffe and his wife of 71 years, Lorna, called Montreal home for almost half a century. In 1990, they moved to London, Ont., to retire and be closer to their family. These days Getliffe is busy helping his wife convalesce from knee-replacement surgery. He helps her cook, clean and entertain family and friends when they stop by. They are enjoying their golden years with each other. Still, there is some longing for his former home.
"Our stay in Montreal was wonderful," he said. "If it wasn't for the fact our family was up here, we'd still be in Montreal, enjoying that great city."
However, Getliffe doesn't waste time pining. His life is anything but sedentary. He remains an avid golfer and gets in as much playing time as he can, sometimes up to three times a week in the summer. "I break 90 once in a while, but I can't see the ball once I hit it so it's a little more difficult," he said.
Clearly, his natural abilities and vigour are well intact. And he's never stopped following the NHL. He's impressed with today's young talent, particularly Rick Nash and Sidney Crosby. And he's happy, if not cynical, about the rule changes.
"The rule changes!" he scoffed. "They haven't changed the rules. They're just playing like we used to play. There's no clutching and grabbing, and we didn't have that, either."
He admits he hasn't followed the Canadiens as closely as he'd like, but he was astute enough to suggest a major change was in the offing only days before general manager Bob Gainey took over the coaching duties from Claude Julien. And while many people have forgotten Getliffe's contribution to Montreal hockey, he insists on making light of his longevity.
"My friend across the road is also from Montreal," he said. "He tells me he remembers watching me play when he was a boy. He'll be 80 next month."
Getliffe laughed and then had to end the interview to attend to Lorna.
He waved goodbye from his doorway, still chuckling, his Stanley Cup ring glinting in the sun.
They don't make them like that anymore.
Here's a trivia question for Canadiens fans out there: Who is Ray Getliffe and why is he one of the most important players to wear a Habs jersey?
Give up?
Getliffe, who at 91 is believed to be the oldest living former Canadiens player, is also the man who gave Maurice Richard his nickname "The Rocket" nearly 60 years ago. It's a story Getliffe is always happy to recount.
"We were at a practice and this kid had come up," Getliffe said during a recent interview at his home. "I'm on the bench, sittin' beside Murph Campbell ... and (Elmer) Lach passed the puck to the kid. (He) took off on a B-line for the net, and I said to Murph: 'Geez! That kid went in there just like a rocket!'
"Dink Carroll, a Gazette writer, was sitting behind the bench and the name stuck from there."
And just like that, Richard had his new moniker, all thanks to Getliffe's offhand remark.
The first thing you notice when you meet Getliffe is his grip. For a nonagenarian, the man doesn't have a hand, he has a vice. Next is his amazing memory. He recounts experiences and events with absolute clarity. But the most notable thing about Getliffe is how down-to-earth he is. It's a trait his friends and peers all remark on.
"The one thing that stands out is that he is the genuine article. No B.S.," said Bruce Huff, founding chairperson of the London Sports Hall of Fame. "He's a remarkable specimen at his age, most unselfish, always ready to go to bat for anybody (and) loves kids.When it was his turn to bring the Stanley Cup to London last summer for Ray Day he signed autographs for hours and made sure the kids got all the pictures with the Cup they wanted. I hope he lives forever."
Getliffe, who was born in Galt, Ont., in 1914, was inducted into the London Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Few others can count Elmer Lach and Jean Beliveau as lifelong friends and get away with calling them "junior."
Despite failing vision and reduced mobility, Getliffe remains sanguine about his long life. When asked about his greatest accomplishment, his response is as quick as his wit: "Staying alive! I'm nearing 92 (in April), so it's a big accomplishment."
Getliffe played 10 seasons in the NHL (1935-45) as a centre/left-winger who could bang in the corners and light the lamp. "I was a good team player," he said modestly. "Certainly not an all-star, maybe better than average."
He broke into the NHL with the Boston Bruins and helped them win the Stanley Cup in 1939. He was then traded to Montreal, where he won another Cup with the Canadiens in 1944. He hung up his skates for good in 1945 after refusing a trade to Detroit.
"I didn't know I was traded till I got a telegram from Jack Adams telling me to report to Windsor for training camp," Getliffe recalled. "I'd already moved my family from Boston and settled in Montreal. I had a job offer at Simpson's. So I felt 10 years was a good run and it was time to hang them up."
He says he was proud to end his career as a Canadien.
Though he's humble about his on-ice accomplishments, Getliffe confesses the highlight of his career was a six-point night on Feb. 6, 1943, when the Canadiens beat the Bruins 8-3. Coach Dick Irvin Sr. gave him the playing opportunity of a lifetime.
"We played Boston and defeated them," Getliffe recalled. "I was fortunate to get five goals that night (and an assist). Toe Blake was hurt and I went on a line with (Elmer) Lach and the Rocket, and the puck just followed me around all night.
"I was talking to Elmer the other day and he joked about it. He said, 'You know, Ray, Irvin took you off the ice that night so you wouldn't get the sixth one!' " Getliffe said with a laugh.
He maintains Irvin was the best coach he ever played for.
"What made him great was his no-nonsense approach and his fairness," Getliffe said. "He never came into a room and ranted and raved. He'd just take you aside and so forth."
Getliffe and his wife of 71 years, Lorna, called Montreal home for almost half a century. In 1990, they moved to London, Ont., to retire and be closer to their family. These days Getliffe is busy helping his wife convalesce from knee-replacement surgery. He helps her cook, clean and entertain family and friends when they stop by. They are enjoying their golden years with each other. Still, there is some longing for his former home.
"Our stay in Montreal was wonderful," he said. "If it wasn't for the fact our family was up here, we'd still be in Montreal, enjoying that great city."
However, Getliffe doesn't waste time pining. His life is anything but sedentary. He remains an avid golfer and gets in as much playing time as he can, sometimes up to three times a week in the summer. "I break 90 once in a while, but I can't see the ball once I hit it so it's a little more difficult," he said.
Clearly, his natural abilities and vigour are well intact. And he's never stopped following the NHL. He's impressed with today's young talent, particularly Rick Nash and Sidney Crosby. And he's happy, if not cynical, about the rule changes.
"The rule changes!" he scoffed. "They haven't changed the rules. They're just playing like we used to play. There's no clutching and grabbing, and we didn't have that, either."
He admits he hasn't followed the Canadiens as closely as he'd like, but he was astute enough to suggest a major change was in the offing only days before general manager Bob Gainey took over the coaching duties from Claude Julien. And while many people have forgotten Getliffe's contribution to Montreal hockey, he insists on making light of his longevity.
"My friend across the road is also from Montreal," he said. "He tells me he remembers watching me play when he was a boy. He'll be 80 next month."
Getliffe laughed and then had to end the interview to attend to Lorna.
He waved goodbye from his doorway, still chuckling, his Stanley Cup ring glinting in the sun.
They don't make them like that anymore.
