The Pro Hockey Alumni Podcast Hosted by Mark Willand. "The Voice of Hockey Legends"
Episodes
Tuesday Oct 15, 2019
Tuesday Oct 15, 2019
Terry Ruskowski and Morris Lukowich Remember Teammate and Friend Larry Hale
Episode 52 of the Pro Hockey Alumni Podcast is a tribute to former Philadelphia Flyers and Houston Aeros defenseman Larry “Stoney” Hale, who passed away of natural causes in his native British Columbia on Sept. 27, 2019 at the age of 77.
Hale was born October 9, 1941 in Summerland, British Columbia. After a long stint with the Seattle Totems of the old Western Hockey League, he signed with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1968.
Hale played 196 regular season games for the Flyers between the 1968-69 and 1971-72 seasons.
He later played six seasons in the WHA with Gordie Howe and Houston Aeros, where was a solid force on the blueline helping the Aeros to a pair of AVCO Cup Championships in 1974 and 1975.
In this episode we’ll hear from two of Larry’s Aeros teammates — Terry Ruskowski and Morris Lukowich — who have fond memories of Larry as a player and teammate.
RIP Larry “Stoney” Hale.
Monday Oct 07, 2019
Monday Oct 07, 2019
Bruce Landon an original New England Whalers G and AHL Hall of Famer
Episode 51 of the Pro Hockey Alumni Podcast features Bruce "Batesy" Landon, a solid WHA goaltender with the New England Whalers, a Springfield hockey icon and one of the most respected men in hockey.
Following a successful junior career with the Ontario Hockey League’s Peterborough Petes, Bruce was selected in the fourth round of the 1969 draft by the Los Angeles Kings
He played three seasons for the Kings minor-league affiliate Springfield Kings, backing up future Hockey Hall of Famer Billy Smith as the Kings won the AHL's Calder Cup championship in 1971.
In 1972, Landon signed with the upstart New England Whalers of the WHA and was the team's backup goaltender for five seasons. He paired with Al Smith to lead the Whalers to the inaugural WHA championship in 1973.
Upon retiring from pro hockey in 1977, Bruce embarked on an amazing 40-year career in a variety of roles with Springfield AHL hockey, most notably serving as GM of the Indians and co-owner of the Springfield Falcons. He managed the Indians franchise as it won improbable back-to-back Calder Cup championships in 1990 and 1991 — with two different NHL affiliations.
Bruce was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in 2016.
We’ll discuss a lot about Bruce’s days in Springfield, but it goes without saying that there would be no AHL hockey in Springfield without his heroic efforts to keep it alive.
Bruce has a new book out — “The Puck Stops Here — My (Not So) minor league life.” Hockey fans will love the inside stories from the WHA and AHL. It’s also a great reference for those interested in the business of hockey.
Purchasing information for the book are in the show notes. All proceeds from the sale of the book with benefit the Tammy Jacobson Landon “I Can Hear You Now” scholarship fund at the Clarke School for Hearing and Speech. Tammy, Bruce’s daughter who passed away from cancer at the age of 43, was the inspiration behind this book.
To order the book email Bruce Landon at nlandon30@gmail.com. The price (including shipping) is $24.95
Monday Sep 23, 2019
Monday Sep 23, 2019
With Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe and Gerry Cheevers, Team Canada 1974 was a team Canadians and WHA fans could be proud of.
Welcome to Episode 50 of the Pro Hockey Alumni Podcast.
This is a Topic Episode featuring many of our previous guests.
First, we’’ll celebrate the 45th anniversary of “The Forgotten Summit” — the 8-game 1974 Summit Series battle between the best of Team Canada (i.e. Team WHA) and the Soviet Union. Rick Smith played defense for Team Canada ’74 and he provides unique insights into this overlooked super series that featured the likes of Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe, Vladislav Tretiak, Valerie Kharlamov and many of hockey’s all time greatest legends. The Soviets won the series 4-1-3, but this was a team that Canadiens and WHA fans could be proud of.
Next, NHL training camp is well underway, so we’ll talk to several of our former guests — Rick Middleton, Blake Dunlop, Wayne Babych, Morris Lukowich, Rick Smith and Phil Bourque — about their first NHL training camp experience.
Finally we’ll conclude with a look at a major NHL Alumni event we’ll be involved with: the NY Rangers Alumni vs. Boston Bruins Alumni doubleheader on October 26 and 27, 2019.
Don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review the show on ITunes, Spotify, You Tube or wherever you listen to the show. Your input has a big impact on making the show more visible to hockey fans around the world.
Also, feel free to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ProHockeyAlumni. Home base for the show is our website: ProHockey alumni.org.
Saturday Sep 07, 2019
Saturday Sep 07, 2019
Dan Quinn Was a Highly Skilled Offensive Star for 14 NHL Seasons.
Episode 49 of the Pro Hockey Alumni Podcast features 14-year NHL veteran and celebrity golf legend Dan Quinn.
Dan was drafted 13th overall by the Calgary Flames in 1983 and he made his debut with Calgary halfway through the next season, scoring 52 points in 54 games and adding 8 more points in eight post season games.
He really hit his stride in 1985-86 as he led the Flames in scoring with 72 points and recorded 15 points in 18 playoff games as the Flames advanced to the Stanley Cup finals before succumbing to the Montreal Canadiens.
In 1986, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Mike Bullard.
It was in the Steel City where Quinn would have his most individual success, as he scored a career high 40 goals in 1987–88, and a career-high 94 points the next season on a high-flying Penguins team that also featured the likes of Mario Lemieux and Paul Coffey.
Despite his success, in 1990 he was traded to Vancouver where he was named team captain — but he admits that his dedication to the game was less than optimal while with the Canucks.
Dan had numerous other productive, but brief, NHL stops in Ottawa, LA, Philadelphia and St. Louis.
After retiring from hockey in 1996, Dan continued to compete at the American Century Celebrity Golf Classic, an annual competition to determine the best golfers among American sports and entertainment celebrities. He won the tournament in 1992, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2012, and had a total of eighteen top-10 finishes.
Dan is articulate, honest and insightful and you’ll enjoy reliving his NHL journey with interesting recollections about teammates and coaches including Joe Mullen, Wayne Gretzky, Al McInnes, Lemieux, Coffey, Kent Nilsson, Badger Bob Johnson and many more.
Tuesday Sep 03, 2019
Tuesday Sep 03, 2019
Jim "Seaweed" Pettie was a colorful and rambunctious goalie for the Boston Bruins
In episode 48, we remember the life and career of the fun-loving Boston Bruins Goaltender Jim Seaweed Pettie, who passed away on August 31, 2019 at the age of 65.
A 9th round draft pick by the Bruins in 1973, Seaweed played in 118 games with the IHL Dayton Gems between the 1973-74 and 1975-76 seasons.
During the 1975-76 season, Pettie went 12-3 in the post season to lead the Gems to the Turner Cup championship.
As a goalie, Seaweed was rambunctious and combative as illustrated in that 75-76 campaign, when he amassed 145 minutes in penalties — the fifth-highest total on the team.
Teammate Steve Langdon recently said: “I would say he was probably the toughest goalie to ever play the game.”
The Bruins promoted Pettie in 1976-77 season, placing him with the AHL Rochester Americans, where he would play 43 games while posting an excellent record of 26-15-1.
During that year he also played one NHL game with the Bruins — a victory over Bobby Orr and the Chicago Blackhawks.
At the start of 1977 training camp, Pettie was roomed with author George Plimpton, who was doing research for his upcoming book, "Open Net." Because of that, Pettie was often referenced in the book.
After another stint in Rochester, Pettie was up with the Bruins for most of the 1978-79 season, going 8-6-2 in 19 games as the back-up to Gilles Gilbert and Gerry Cheevers. This would be Seaweed’s final tour in the NHL.
In retirement he remained in the Rochester area and was active with the Amerks Alumni.
Bruins legend and Alumni President Rick Middleton joins us today to recall Seaweed Pettie and his unlikely role in, what was almost, one of the Bruins all-time most historic goals.
Tuesday Aug 27, 2019
Tuesday Aug 27, 2019
Hockey Fight Stories Part 1 -- Jerry Rollins, Joe Noris and John Van Boxmeer
We’ll play three periods in this episode
First, we’ll start with our "Classic Stories" Series — Tonight is part 1 of Hockey Fights.
Three of our guests from previous shows: Jerry Rollins, Joe Noris and John Van Boxmeer share their old time hockey fight tales.
In period two we’ll get caught up with classic hockey news — and we’ll remember the man who took down the Eagle — journalist Russ Conway, who passed away this past week.
In period three, we have an informative interview with Vince Cimini, the executive director of the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame, which will celebrate it’s new class of inductees on September 6, 2019 at Twin River in Lincoln Rhode Island. In this interview you’ll learn all about this year’s class, which includes Brian Boucher and Brian Burke and Vince reminds is of how RI helped shape the game of hockey as we know it today.
Mrs PHA and I will be at the RIHHOF there and I hope you can join us.
For tickets visit: The RI Hockey Hall of Fame website
Wednesday Aug 14, 2019
Wednesday Aug 14, 2019
Our guest today is 1981 Masterton Trophy winner Blake Dunlop, an 11-year NHL pro with the North Stars, Flyers, Blues and Red Wings.
As a junior in 1972-73, Blake led the Ontario Hockey Association in scoring with 159 points in 62 games. He was the first pick of the Minnesota North Stars in the 1973 NHL draft.
After four up-and-down seasons with Minnesota, Blake career took a turn for the better in 1977-78 when he joined the AHL’s Maine Mariners, the AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers. Blake helped lead the Mariners to a Calder Cup championship and was named the league’s MVP.
After a season with the Flyers, Blake was traded to the St. Louis Blues, where he finally found a hockey home.
In 1980-81 he collected 20 goals and 67 assists centering a line with Jorgen Pettersson and Wayne Babych as the Blues vaulted to second in the NHL’s season standings.
Much like the description of the Masterton Trophy, Blake’s career is a study in perseverance and dedication in the face of numerous obstacles.
We’ll talk about Blake’s rise to NHL stardom and many of the notable personalities he met along the way like Denis Potvin, Gump Worsley, Red Berenson, Steve Yzerman and many more.
Saturday Aug 03, 2019
Saturday Aug 03, 2019
Episode 45 of the Pro Hockey Alumni Podcast is a tribute to 7-year NHL pro Mike Christie, who passed away on July 11, 2019.
Born in Big Spring, Texas, and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Mike was the first native Texan to play in the NHL although it was strictly a technicality as his father was a Canadian citizen working for an American oil company and Mike grew up in Canada.
Before turning pro , Mike played for the University of Denver, becoming a first team all-American in 1971 as well being chosen to the US amateur national team at the 1972 Ice Hockey World Championship.
Mike then played two seasons with the Dallas Blackhawks (CHL), before signing with NHL's California Golden Seals in 1974, where he played until the franchise moved to Cleveland in 1977, becoming the Cleveland Barons. Mike was captain of the NHL's Colorado Rockies hockey team in the late 1970s, and his NHL career ended with the Vancouver Canucks in 1981.
He also represented the United States in the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup tournament.
Mike settled in Colorado after his hockey career ended, and started a second career as a sales representative that allowed him to enjoy his other athletic passion - golf. He represented several well-known brands, including Callaway and Top-Flite, before retiring in 2010.
Mike died of kidney disease on July 11, 2019. He was married to his wife of 47 years, Molly (née Hamill), and had two daughters, Lisa and Colleen, a son Dan, and four grandchildren. [
In this episode we hear tributes from four of Mike’s teammates: former NHLers Mike Lampman, George Pesut, Dave Gardner and Paul Gardner.
Thursday Aug 01, 2019
Thursday Aug 01, 2019
A two-time NHL All Star and WHA Champion with the Winnipeg Jets
Episode 44 of the PHA podcast is Part 2 of our discussion with Morris Lukowich.
Morris gives you inside access to behind the scenes stories from his early years in the WHA and his NHL days with Winnipeg, Boston and LA. He delivers interesting stories about Mike Murphy, Pat Quinn, Ray Bourque, Gordie Howe, Mark Howe and many more.
We also discuss sports psychology, nutrition, mental health, life after hockey and much more in a wide ranging interview that stretched over two nights and past midnight for this particular episode.
Morris is a fascinating guy with a great life story — don’t forget to listen to part 1 of the interview on episode 42 of the show.
Wednesday Jul 24, 2019
Wednesday Jul 24, 2019
A prolific storyteller, who fought the likes of Battleship Bob Kelly and Dave "Killer" Hanson.
Our guest on episode 43 of the Pro Hockey Alumni podcast is Mike Boland, an original member of the WHA Ottawa Nationals, a Calder Cup winner with the Springfield Kings, briefly a Broad St. Bully and, ultimately, one of Canada’s premier cinematographers.
Mike is humorous and personable and he’s got captivating stories about hockey legends like Bobby Hull (there’s a part 2 to the preceding story), Billy Smith, Butch Goring, Battleship Bob Kelly, Dave “Killer” Hanson, Gilles “Looney” Gratton, Johnny Wilson and many more.
Mike doesn’t hold back as he relives his journey through the big leagues, the minor leagues and European hockey. All of out guests have been great — and Mike is certainly no exception.
Mike's Book: "Through the Lens of My Eye; Adventures of a Documentary Cameraman"