This is Danny Schock. This hairy fellow is sporting the uniform of the almighty Richmond Robins (AHL) for whom he once scored 48 goals in a single season. He had an excellent Memorial Cup in the spring of 1968 for Estevan's Bruins and then turned pro in the Boston system. He was a rugged winger with some skill but lacked the talent of his brother Ron Schock and ended up playing only 21 NHL games.One of those games came in the spring of 1970. In the playoffs. For the Boston Bruins. Who won the Stanley.
And so Danny Schock, he of the 21 games and the lovely hair (I had a cut very similar in the mid-70s and can tell you zits were the main problem of the day) has his name etched on the Stanley Cup (Source: NHL Guide and Record Book) along with a ton of guys who fell ass over tea kettle into the promised land.
This season's final four offers us very few interesting players who may get their names on hockey's Holy Grail without being even a little famous:
Anaheim has the best example, center Mark Hartigan (1 game so far) who at 29 has yet to play more than 40 games in a single NHL season. Or defenseman Aaron Rome, who has played 1 NHL regular season game and 1 NHL playoff game.
Detroit has no 1 hit wonder, with D Kyle Quincey looking like the luckiest fellow on this roster. It isn't really fair to include him in this group, as he looks like he might be a player. Buffalo is similar with Daniel Paille who was a pretty high draft pick and has struggled making a very deep roster. Ottawa has no one really, the most obvious lucky guy might be Oleg Saprykin but he scored a huge goal for the Senators this spring.
I have followed this stuff forever, since it certainly does make a difference in a player's legacy. Before the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 1970, Johnny Bucyk was viewed as an inconsistent winger who wasn't good enough to lead his team to glory. After that, I can find many articles pointing to his "quiet leadership" and consistent play.
Face it: A lot of what happens in a player's career is luck, especially when it comes to winning the Stanley Cup. Perhaps we put too much importance on winning it all, when many players in NHL history haven't won it because of timing, luck, and the nature of a team game.
Is Normie Ullman less a champion because his name isn't on the Stanley Cup? I wonder if he's ever seen Danny Schock's Cup ring.
How about if Buffaslug win the Cup?
ReplyDeleteTy Conklin has been considered a roster player as he has been dressed as a backup throughout the playoffs. He has not seen a minute of action and only played five games for Buffalo since he was traded to the team (he only started three of those games).
He would likely get his name on the Cup for sitting at the end of the bench.
They are two games down now....
At least Shock played. What did Ivana Pocklington do to get her name on the cup? Or half of Mike Ilitch's family?
ReplyDeleteIf I'm not mistaken for a goalie to get his name on the cup he either has to play 40 games or play one game in the playoffs, so unless Conks gets into a game he won't be on the cup.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I'm pretty sure Conklin would get his name on it - he is the backup - there have been plenty of teams with goalies who played 60 plus games - my guess is their backups got their names on it - they are part of the team.
ReplyDeleteFunny as you say LT - I remember a basketball story where the Chicago Bulls GM was trying to peddle one of their benchwarmers after he broke up their team. He was shooting for the moon and he insisted he get paid a premium because the guy had three championship rings. Now, he never played but ...
If I'm not mistaken for a goalie to get his name on the cup he either has to play 40 games or play one game in the playoffs, so unless Conks gets into a game he won't be on the cup.
ReplyDeleteThat's true, but "playing in a game" is defined as "having your name on the game sheet," so Conklin's been considered a participant in every game of the playoffs.
Well, no need to worry about Conklin possibly getting his name on the cup now. The Sabres are pretty much done.
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