Quackenbush recalled top playoff moments from NHL career

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday.

This week, Fischler shares a chat he had with Hall of Fame defenseman Bill Quackenbush, who starred for the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins from 1942-56. Quackenbush played in the Stanley Cup Final four times but never won a championship. He did win the Lady Byng Trophy in 1948-49 for gentlemanly play and had 285 points (62 goals, 223 assists) in 775 NHL games.

You were with the Detroit Red Wings when Gordie Howe broke in as a rookie in 1946-47. What was he like then?

"He came to Detroit when he was 17 and anyone looking at him could tell that he had talent. It was just a matter of time before he became the kind of hockey player who dominated the League. He became one of the best all-round guys I ever played with. Gordie -- along with Ted Lindsay and Sid Abel -- made my job easier. The way those guys forechecked and backchecked was a big help to all the defensemen. That 'Production Line' was a great two-way unit."

You played for Detroit in the famed 1945 Stanley Cup Final against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Why was it considered a classic?

"It went right down to the wire and wasn't decided until late in the seventh game. Actually, it started out pretty bad for us since Toronto's goalie, Frank McCool, shut us out in the first three games. Considering our offensive strength, that was quite remarkable. But the Leafs had a strong checking team and it wasn't until the fourth game that we solved their puzzle. We beat them 5-3 and continued the counterattack and shut them out in the next two games, 2-0 and 1-0, with young Harry Lumley in goal. That tied the series at three apiece and set up the deciding seventh game which caused quite a bit of controversy."

What was the controversy all about?

"The score still was tied when referee Bill Chadwick called a penalty against us. For a while we did well on the penalty kill until their defenseman Babe Pratt took a shot from out at the point. Lumley smothered the puck but it seemed to us that Chadwick took too long to blow his whistle. Meanwhile, Pratt skated all the way in from the point and poked the puck under Lumley and into the net. Our gripe was that it seemed as if the puck had been out of sight for at least three seconds and the play never was called dead. Worse, still, that was the Cup-winning goal."

Why do you think Toronto was able to win that series?

"Their coach Hap Day had a system. After they'd score a goal, they then would try to hang on; and they played that system to perfection. In addition, they only played two lines against us throughout the series. The best ones at it were guys like Gus Bodnar, Lorne Carr, Nick Metz and Ted Kennedy. They played for the one-goal advantage and then they'd check, check, check."

After you were traded to Boston by Detroit in 1949, you had to play against the fully grown Gordie Howe. How tough was he by then?

"Let's put it this way, Gordie wasn't nearly as mean as people thought he was. Actually, he had a playful streak in him. Sometimes he'd try to annoy people and get a reaction from them. I do know that he wouldn't step back from anybody if the going got tough. As for me, every so often Gordie would try to get my goat, but I knew what he was doing, and he'd laugh. Of course, we always remained friends."

You never won the Stanley Cup but had some memorable playoff moments in the NHL. Which one stands out?

"The spring of 1952 was really one of our most exciting playoff thrills. [Boston] wound up playing Montreal in the semi-final round and, at first, it looked like the 'Habs' were going to sweep us in four straight. They won the first three in a row and then, we rallied to tie the series. That led to a terrific seventh game and one of the most spectacular plays of all-time by Rocket Richard of the Canadiens."

What made it so special?

"For starters, I was on the ice at the time Rocket pulled off his great rush. But I should mention that earlier in the game Richard had been flattened by our Leo Labine. For a minute or so it appeared as if he was gone for the rest of the game, except that he returned in the third period with the score tied. The pressure was really intense, especially since we had just killed off four minutes in penalties."

When did Richard reappear?

"He came on the ice without any notice and started motoring in my direction, one-on-one against me. I had measured him very carefully because I knew from experience that he had a burst of speed like no other player in the League. My plan was to keep him between me and the boards and then force him into the right corner so he wouldn't have a shot on goal. At the time, it seemed like a good idea."

What went wrong?

"At that moment, nothing. I had been playing against Richard for 14 years and he never had beaten me on a similar play. But two things went wrong. First of all, he made an unexpected, incredibly quick turn from behind the net, cutting right out to the front of the crease. Secondly, my defense partner that night happened to be a rookie. From lack of experience, he neglected to come out and cut off The Rocket. Given that bit of opening, Richard swung himself right to the crease and slammed the puck past our goalie, 'Sugar' Jim Henry. That made it 2-1 for Montreal and they eventually won, 3-1, on an open-net goal."

What made Richard so special?

"He was strong as an ox, super-motivated and -- as that particular play demonstrated -- one of the greatest, if not the greatest, goal-scorer ever to play the game."