Sunday, May 22, 2011

Photos from Ted Scharf - Jersey Devils & Long Island Ducks

A couple of weeks ago I received a couple of cool photos from former EHLer Ted Scharf.

Ted is currently an executive for the Kitchener Rangers, which he captained back in the early 1970s.
http://www.kitchenerrangers.com/page/ted-scharf

Ted was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers with pick #50 in the 1971 draft, and assigned him to the Jersey Devils for the 1971-72 season. He roomed with John Brophy and Bob Miller, and had his best pro season with 24 goals, 57 points and 221 PIM. In the summer of 1972, Ted signed with the WHA New York Raiders, along with Devils teammates Jamie Kennedy, Claude Chartre and goalie Pete Donnelly. Ted split that last EHL season between the Raiders and the Long Island Ducks. The following year the Raiders became the Golden Blades, and then moved to the former EHL Devils home in Cherry Hill to become the Jersey Knights in 1973-74.

The shot above is Ted at Cherry Hill Arena in 1971-72. #10 on the right is Ted's linemate Wayne Hawrysh. I had personally forgotten the blue seats at Cherry Hill Arena. Alternate sections were blue or orange. They had been all red, before the team color makeover in 1970-71.

In the shot below, Ted is front row center, wearing the "C" as captain of the Kitchener Rangers. On the back row right are Hall-of-Famers Bill Barber and Larry Robinson. Future NHLers Chris Ahrens, Tom Cassidy and Jerry Byers were on the team. Back row left is Phil Iwaskiewicz, who played for the 1972-73 EHL Rhode Island Eagles.

Ted Scharf at hockeydb.com : http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=10548

Saturday, May 21, 2011

An event at Washington's Uline Arena - Swampoodle

Uline Arena in Washington, DC, home of the EHL Washington Lions and Washington Presidents, is back in action. This week you can do more than park your car in it, you can buy tickets to go see...
Swampoodle . http://swampoodledc.com/


It sounds a bit like Cirque du Soliel meets history of DC's notorious, historic and forgotten Irish neighborhood, which was mostly where Union Station's rail yard is now.

I know I'd go, just to experience an event in the building. I'll be interested to see how they represent hockey, if at all. The video looks to show late sixties hockey, going by the haircuts, well after the EHL was gone from DC.

5/24/11 Update...
Here's a review from Jenn Larsen of We Love DC that makes me wish I could experience it. The building itself is the main event. I guess I'll just have to park my car there sometime...
http://www.welovedc.com/2011/05/24/we-love-arts-swampoodle/

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Brian "Butch" MacKay - Greensboro Generals and US National Team

The last few weeks, I've been collecting articles about the 1962 US World Championships. The Canadian team had EHLers Butch Martin (Johnstown), and future EHLer Bobby Brown (Johnstown, Long Island, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Jersey). The US team had EHLers Don Hall & Dick Roberge (Johnstown), Reggie Meserve (Philadelphia), Gord Tottle (Charlotte) and the Greensboro Generals defenseman and captain, Brian "Butch" MacKay. These articles are posted on the EHL Discussion Boards http://theehl.yuku.com/topic/71/EHL-stars-at-the-1962-WORLD-CHAMPIONSHIPS As you read through, you'll see that the EHLers, including MacKay represented the U.S. and Canada well.

Butch MacKay was one of a handful of Troy Bruins (IHL), who stayed with the team when they became the nucleus of the EHL Greensboro Generals in 1959, along with Pat Kelly, Don Carter, and Max Szturm. The first year Kelly was team captain, with MacKay an alternate. The next three years MacKay was team captain, until his retirement after the Generals won the EHL Championship in 1962-63 to work at a meat packing company in Greensboro. MacKay was a high-scoring, yet rugged defenseman, as the article on the right would suggest - and that's before he entered the EHL. He was an EHL 2nd-team All-Star in 1960-61.

The photo below is from a game at Clinton on November 7, 1962. MacKay, #2, has the "C".
The program cover is from the Generals first season, with MacKay wearing the "A".





















Butch MacKay's Obituary from the Greensboro News & Record, May 19, 2011
http://obituaries.news-record.com/obituaries/news-record/obituary.aspx?n=brian-edward-mackay-butch&pid=151134587&fhid=6071

Brian Edward "Butch" MacKay Sr.
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GREENSBORO — Brian Edward "Butch" MacKay, Sr., 78, passed away on May 17, 2011 at Moses Cone Hospital.
A graveside service will be held on Friday, May 20, 2011 at 2 p.m. at Westminster Gardens Cemetery with Father John Eckert officiating.
A native of Montreal, Canada, Brian was born September 29, 1932 to the late Louis Edward Turner MacKay and Agnus Brady MacKay. He was self-employed and worked in the beverage industry.
Butch MacKay's stats at hockeydb.com:
http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=12768