Even if you don't like hockey, this is one amazing historic video

Given that Toe Blake and the Rocket are on the team and Bill Durnan was the goalie, this was shot somewhere between 1944 and 1947 which was Toe Blake's last year as a player.

 

The Roman numerals on the copyright translate to 1947. Great video.

 

You know Toe Blake?

 

Thanks I looked for them but couldn't find them. Bad eyesight. Comes with age.

 

Just discovered that this is the first of a series, called "Eyes on the Prize"

http://www.habseyesontheprize.com/2010/9/6/1672163/eyes-on-a-dynasty-day-1-iced

Prior to the first televised hockey games and with Hockey Night In Canada a pipe dream at this point, the movie theatres were where many people first saw moving footage of hockey being played.

As youths, several stars at the time, such as Maurice Richard, claimed they never witnessed a live Canadiens game until they played in one. Only a decade later, players such as Jean Beliveau and Jacques Plante would tell that their first experiences in becoming Canadiens fans came over the radio, listening to the exploits of the Rocket and crew.

 

Piss on Toe Blake!

 

There's a good breakdown of that video linked on the YouTube page, which said it was released in 1948.

http://www.habseyesontheprize.com/2010/9/6/1672163/eyes-on-a-dynasty-day-1-iced

 

Loved the casual sexism and racism at the beginning of the newsreel.

 

I'm calling hockey "Iced Lightning" from now on.

 

And its players "ice cutters"

Not sure what to call the tomboys who play though.

 

Did you see the slash at 8:30 of this?

And part of the board will have expected more since Grantland Rice's name is associated with it.

 

Wow, that is really cool. JR had trouble dating it because he had retired from hockey a good decade before this came out!

One thing that jumped out at me was the all-black Legion team. If hockey still has a rep as a lily-white sport I can only imagine what the reaction was to an all-black team in those days.