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Val James
Valmore Curtis James (born February 14, 1957) is an American-born former ice hockey player who played 11 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs between 1981 and 1986. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1978 to 1988, was spent in various minor leagues. James was the first African American to play in the NHL. Early life James was born in Ocala, Florida and raised in Hauppauge, New York. He was one of six children. James began skating and playing ice hockey in Commack, New York where his father was employed as the manager of an ice rink. Playing career James was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the 16th round, 184th overall in the 1977 NHL Entry Draft after playing two seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for the Quebec Remparts, although he never played in any regulation games for the Red Wings. He also played several seasons, in the late 1970s, for the Erie Blades, in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ocala, Florida
Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida. Home to over 400 thoroughbred farms and training centers, Ocala was officially named the Horse Capital of the World in 2007. Notable attractions include the Ocala National Forest, Silver Springs State Park, Rainbow Springs State Park, and the College of Central Florida. Ocala is the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2017 population of 354,353. History Ocala is located near what is thought to have been the site of ''Ocale'' or Ocali, a major Timucua village and chiefdom recorded in the 16th century. The modern city takes its name from the historical village, the name of which is believed to mean "Big Hammock" in the Timucua language. The Spaniard Hernando de Soto's expedition recorded Ocal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Erie County Field House
The Erie County Field House was a multipurpose arena in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States. It was home to the Erie Blades, a North American Hockey League and American Hockey League franchise. According to a 1976 promotional flyer for the facility,"9 Years Of Rock", p. 51 it had 3,750 permanent seats with a maximum capacity of 5,250. The arena was eventually replaced by the Louis J. Tullio Arena in 1983. Major events In 1980 the Erie Blades played the Russian Olympic team in an exhibition game at the fieldhouse. The Blades lost 9-0. It was also home to many great concerts of the day, including Alice Cooper, Air Supply, Rush, Heart, Kansas, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, Black Sabbath, Nazareth, Molly Hatchet, Journey, Kiss, Ted Nugent, Judas Priest, Blue Öyster Cult, Foghat, Barry Manilow, Bay City Rollers, The Carpenters, Cheap Trick, Peter Frampton, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash, and Santana. Other events such as boat shows, circuses, the world famous lipizzaner stallions, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Kordic
John Nicholas Kordic (March 22, 1965 – August 8, 1992) was a Canadian ice hockey player in the National Hockey League. Hockey career Kordic played for the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals and Quebec Nordiques, for a total of seven seasons in the NHL. He won the Memorial Cup with the Portland Winter Hawks in 1983, the Calder Cup with the Sherbrooke Canadiens in 1985, and a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1986. While playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, he wore No. 27, formerly worn by Leaf players Darryl Sittler and Frank Mahovlich. Kordic was known as an enforcer on the ice. In 1992, he moved back to Quebec after finishing the season with the Cape Breton Oilers, and had expressed hope that he could turn his life around if he could catch on with the Oilers and play in his hometown. Death On August 8, 1992, after overdosing on drugs and being involved in a struggle with police at Motel Maxim in L'Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec, Kordic died of lun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terry O'Reilly
Terence Joseph James O'Reilly (born June 7, 1951) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger, who played for the NHL's Boston Bruins, and one of the most effective enforcers in NHL history. O'Reilly was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Playing career O'Reilly was picked by the Boston Bruins in the first round as the 14th pick overall in the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft. O'Reilly spent his entire career in Boston, serving as the captain of the Bruins during the 1983–84 and 1984–85 seasons before his retirement. The Bruins retired his No. 24 on October 24, 2002. O'Reilly made his NHL debut in the Bruins' final game of the 1971–72 regular season. He scored a goal in Boston's 6-4 victory over Toronto at Boston Garden. O'Reilly was known for being a tough player, racking up over 200 penalty minutes in five consecutive seasons, and earning for himself the nickname "Bloody O'Reilly" in the press. His teammate, Phil Esposito, dubbed O'Reilly "Taz" in reference to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Enforcer (ice Hockey)
Enforcer is an unofficial role in ice hockey. The term is sometimes used synonymously with "fighter", "tough guy", or "goon". An enforcer's job is to deter and respond to dirty or violent play by the opposition. When such play occurs, the enforcer is expected to respond aggressively, by fighting or checking the offender. Enforcers are expected to react particularly harshly to violence against star players or goalies. Enforcers are different from pests, players who seek to agitate opponents and distract them from the game, without necessarily fighting them. The pest's primary role is to draw penalties from opposing players, thus "getting them off their game", while not actually intending to fight the opposition player (although exceptions to this do occur). Pests and enforcers often play together on the same line, usually the fourth line. National Hockey League At present in the National Hockey League (NHL), teams generally do not carry more than one player whose primary role is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1986–87 NHL Season
The 1986–87 NHL season was the 70th season of the National Hockey League. The Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup by beating the Philadelphia Flyers four games to three in the Cup finals. League business The Chicago-based club officially changed their name from the two-worded "Black Hawks" to the one-worded "Blackhawks" based on the spelling found in their original franchise documents. Regular season The Oilers won their second straight Presidents' Trophy as the top team and Wayne Gretzky won his eighth straight Hart Memorial Trophy and his seventh straight Art Ross Trophy. On November 26, 1986, Toronto's Borje Salming was accidentally cut in the face by a skate, requiring more than 200 stitches. It was the third injury to his face and Salming returned to play wearing a visor. On January 22, 1987, a massive blizzard resulted in only 334 spectators attending the game between the New Jersey Devils and the Calgary Flames at the Brendan Byrne Arena, leading to the Devils dubbing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its current shape, the trophy has a two-tiered square base with commemorative plaques for each of the AHL's 20 most recent champions: 12 on the bottom tier and 8 on the top tier. Each time a new championship plaque is added, the oldest plaque is retired and joins a display at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. The Hershey Bears have won the Cup more times than any other team, with eleven victories in franchise history. The Cleveland Barons come in second with nine; the Springfield Indians/Kings are third with seven. Eight teams have won back-to-back championships; the Springfield Indians of 1960–62 are the only team to have won three straight Calder Cup championships. On three occasions an AHL club has won the Calder Cup coincidentally with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rochester Americans
The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. The Americans are the fourth oldest franchise in the AHL, and have the second longest continuous tenure among AHL teams in their current locations after the Hershey Bears. Rochester was awarded a new franchise in June 1956, when the Pittsburgh Hornets were forced to suspend operations after their arena, the Duquesne Gardens was razed in an urban renewal project. With the Hornets franchise in limbo until a new arena could be built, there was room in the league for a team in Rochester. The Americans' team colors are red, white and blue. The logo is a patriotic badge with "Americans" written in cursive script. The Americans have played for the Calder Cup 16 times. They have won six Cups: in 1965, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Keenan
Michael Edward Keenan (born October 21, 1949) is a Canadian professional hockey coach who most recently coached the Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League. Previously, he served as head coach and/or general manager with several NHL teams between 1984 and 2009. He currently ranks fifth in playoff wins with 96. He is noted for his early career success in coaching Team Canada to win the 1987 Canada Cup round-robin tournament in a thrilling best-of-three series finale against Viktor Tikhonov's Red Army team. Keenan won a Stanley Cup championship as coach of the New York Rangers in 1994. He also won the Gagarin Cup while coaching Metallurg Magnitogorsk in 2014, and he is the only head coach to have won championships in both the NHL and KHL. Coaching career NHL career His first coaching job was at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute in Toronto, Ontario, where he coached the varsity hockey team. In 1977 he became the coach of the Oshawa Legionaires of the Metro Junior B Hockey ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL season, 2010–11 season, every team in the league has an affiliation agreement with one NHL team. When NHL teams do not have an AHL affiliate, players are assigned to AHL teams affiliated with other NHL teams. Twenty-six AHL teams are located in the United States and the remaining six are in Canada. The league offices are located in Springfield, Massachusetts, and its current president is Scott Howson. In general, a player must be at least 18 years of age to play in the AHL or not currently be beholden to a junior ice hockey team. The league limits the number of experienced professional players on a team's active roster during any given game; only five skaters can have accumulated four full seasons of play or more at the professional level ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virginia. Its newspaper is printed at 37 sites across the United States and at five additional sites internationally. The paper's dynamic design influenced the style of local, regional, and national newspapers worldwide through its use of concise reports, colorized images, Infographic, informational graphics, and inclusion of popular culture stories, among other distinct features. With an average print circulation of 159,233 as of 2022, a digital-only subscriber base of 504,000 as of 2019, and an approximate daily readership of 2.6 million, ''USA Today'' is ranked as the first by circulation on the list of newspapers in the United States. It has been shown to maintain a generally center-left audience, in regards to political persuasion. ''US ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Grier
Michael James Grier (born January 5, 1975) is an American former professional ice hockey winger and current general manager of the San Jose Sharks in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Edmonton Oilers, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, and San Jose Sharks. Primarily a checking forward, he played 1,060 games over 14 seasons. He was the first African-American NHL player to train exclusively in the United States, and the league's first black general manager. Early years Grier's father Bobby was the associate director of Pro Scouting for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). Prior to that, Bobby Grier was a running backs coach, director of pro scouting, and vice-president of player personnel for the New England Patriots of the NFL. (The elder Grier should not be confused with the Bobby Grier who broke the color barrier in the 1956 Sugar Bowl.) Grier's brother Chris currently serves as the general manager for the Miami Dolphins, a position ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
