| Overall | Player Chosen | By | From | Player Removed From Protected List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | ||||
| 1 | Andy Hebenton | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers | |
| 2 | Val Fonteyne | New York Rangers | Detroit Red Wings | |
| 3 | Wayne Rivers | Boston Bruins | Detroit Red Wings | |
| pass | New York Rangers | |||
| 4 | Irv Spencer | Detroit Red Wings | Boston Bruins | |
| pass | Montreal Canadiens | |||
| pass | Chicago Black Hawks | |||
| pass | Toronto Maple Leafs | |||
| Round 2 | ||||
| 5 | Ted Hampson | Detroit Red Wings | New York Rangers | |
| Round 3 | ||||
| 6 | Art Stratton | Detroit Red Wings | Chicago Black Hawks | |
Showing posts with label Intra-League Draft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Intra-League Draft. Show all posts
Sunday, April 14, 2013
1963 NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1963 NHL Intra-League Draft was held June 5. Rules were the same as before.
1962 NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1962 NHL Intra-League Draft was held June 6. Again, the rules were the same as before: 18 skater and two goalie protected lists, $20,000 draft price, etc.
The biggest name taken in this draft was Bert Olmstead. He was 35 years old at the time, soon to be 36, and it was no secret that the Rangers drafted Olmstead so that he could take over as a playing coach from Doug Harvey. Olmstead wasn't interested and refused to report to the Rangers. There were rumours that the Canadiens were interested in re-acquiring Olmstead but he eventually chose retirement.
Jean-Guy Gendron and Bronco Horvath were drafted for the second straight year, the third time since 1957 that each had been selected.
The biggest name taken in this draft was Bert Olmstead. He was 35 years old at the time, soon to be 36, and it was no secret that the Rangers drafted Olmstead so that he could take over as a playing coach from Doug Harvey. Olmstead wasn't interested and refused to report to the Rangers. There were rumours that the Canadiens were interested in re-acquiring Olmstead but he eventually chose retirement.
Jean-Guy Gendron and Bronco Horvath were drafted for the second straight year, the third time since 1957 that each had been selected.
| Overall | Player Chosen | By | From | Player Removed From Protected List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | ||||
| 1 | Jean-Guy Gendron | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers | |
| 2 | Alex Faulkner | Detroit Red Wings | Toronto Maple Leafs | Vic Stasiuk |
| 3 | Warren Godfrey | Boston Bruins | Detroit Red Wings | |
| 4 | Barclay Plager | Detroit Red Wings | Montreal Canadiens | Forbes Kennedy |
| 5 | Bert Olmstead | New York Rangers | Toronto Maple Leafs | Irv Spencer |
| pass | Chicago Black Hawks | |||
| pass | Toronto Maple Leafs | |||
| pass | Montreal Canadiens | |||
| Round 2 | ||||
| 6 | Irv Spencer | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers | Jerry Toppazzini |
| 7 | Floyd Smith | Detroit Red Wings | New York Rangers | Claude Laforge |
| 8 | Bronco Horvath | New York Rangers | Chicago Black Hawks | |
| 9 | Ed Van Impe | Toronto Maple Leafs | Chicago Black Hawks | |
1961 NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1961 NHL Intra-League Draft was held June 14. Rules were the same as before.
This was the first intra-league draft in which the players being dropped from their teams' protected lists played a large part in the proceedings of the day. Half of the selections—Bronco Horvath, Al Arbour, Vic Hadfield and Orland Kurtenbach—were dropped from their respective teams' protected lists and were chosen by another club later in the draft. Also, half of the selections came from the newly-crowned Stanley Cup champion Chicago Black Hawks (including Arbour and Hadfield).
This was the first intra-league draft in which the players being dropped from their teams' protected lists played a large part in the proceedings of the day. Half of the selections—Bronco Horvath, Al Arbour, Vic Hadfield and Orland Kurtenbach—were dropped from their respective teams' protected lists and were chosen by another club later in the draft. Also, half of the selections came from the newly-crowned Stanley Cup champion Chicago Black Hawks (including Arbour and Hadfield).
| Overall | Player Chosen | By | From | Player Removed From Protected List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | ||||
| 1 | Pat Stapleton | Boston Bruins | Chicago Black Hawks | Dale Rolfe |
| 2 | Jean-Guy Gendron | New York Rangers | Montreal Canadiens | |
| 3 | Earl Balfour | Boston Bruins | Chicago Black Hawks | Bronco Horvath |
| pass | New York Rangers | |||
| pass | Detroit Red Wings | |||
| 4 | Bronco Horvath | Chicago Black Hawks | Boston Bruins | Al Arbour |
| 5 | Al Arbour | Toronto Maple Leafs | Chicago Black Hawks | |
| pass | Montreal Canadiens | |||
| Round 2 | ||||
| 6 | Autry Erickson | Chicago Black Hawks | Boston Bruins | Vic Hadfield |
| Round 3 | ||||
| 7 | Vic Hadfield | New York Rangers | Chicago Black Hawks | Orland Kurtenbach |
| Round 4 | ||||
| 8 | Orland Kurtenbach | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers | |
Friday, April 12, 2013
1960 NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1960 NHL Intra-League Draft was held June 8. Rules were the same as before.
First choice Billy McNeill had been involved in a controversial trade between the Rangers and Red Wings earlier in the '59-'60 season. On February 5, 1960 Red Kelly and McNeill were to be dealt to the Rangers for Bill Gadsby and Eddie Shack. Red Wings GM Jack Adams was incensed that Kelly had told a Toronto publication that he had been playing on a broken ankle the season before. It was inferred that Kelly had been encouraged by the Red Wings to play on the broken ankle. Both Kelly and McNeill refused to report to the Rangers and threatened to retire. (Note that Kelly was 32, a veteran of the NHL by then, but McNeill was only 24.) A couple days later the trade was rescinded. McNeill was chosen by the Rangers in the draft only four months later and again he refused to report. He chose retirement, and didn't play a game for the Rangers. They eventually traded his rights back to the Red Wings in 1961 and McNeill came out of retirement to play for the Red Wings' affiliate in the WHL, the Edmonton Flyers.
Jim Morrison, acquired by the Rangers, had been property of the Black Hawks for only three days. He was traded to the Hawks by the Red Wings for Howie Glover (brother of AHL great Fred Glover) on June 5.
| Overall | Player Chosen | By | From | Player Removed From Protected List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | ||||
| 1 | Billy McNeill | New York Rangers | Detroit Red Wings | Noel Price |
| 2 | Ted Green | Boston Bruins | Montreal Canadiens | |
| 3 | Ted Hampson | New York Rangers | Toronto Maple Leafs | Mel Pearson |
| 4 | Jim Bartlett | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers | |
| 5 | Parker MacDonald | Detroit Red Wings | New York Rangers | Val Fonteyne |
| pass | Chicago Black Hawks | |||
| 6 | Larry Hillman | Toronto Maple Leafs | Boston Bruins | Pat Hannigan |
| pass | Montreal Canadiens | |||
| Round 2 | ||||
| 7 | Jim Morrison | New York Rangers | Chicago Black Hawks | Larry Popein |
| 8 | Tom Thurlby | Boston Bruins | Montreal Canadiens | Barry Ashbee |
| 9 | Guy Rousseau | Toronto Maple Leafs | Montreal Canadiens | Johnny Wilson |
First choice Billy McNeill had been involved in a controversial trade between the Rangers and Red Wings earlier in the '59-'60 season. On February 5, 1960 Red Kelly and McNeill were to be dealt to the Rangers for Bill Gadsby and Eddie Shack. Red Wings GM Jack Adams was incensed that Kelly had told a Toronto publication that he had been playing on a broken ankle the season before. It was inferred that Kelly had been encouraged by the Red Wings to play on the broken ankle. Both Kelly and McNeill refused to report to the Rangers and threatened to retire. (Note that Kelly was 32, a veteran of the NHL by then, but McNeill was only 24.) A couple days later the trade was rescinded. McNeill was chosen by the Rangers in the draft only four months later and again he refused to report. He chose retirement, and didn't play a game for the Rangers. They eventually traded his rights back to the Red Wings in 1961 and McNeill came out of retirement to play for the Red Wings' affiliate in the WHL, the Edmonton Flyers.
Jim Morrison, acquired by the Rangers, had been property of the Black Hawks for only three days. He was traded to the Hawks by the Red Wings for Howie Glover (brother of AHL great Fred Glover) on June 5.
1959 NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1959 NHL Intra-League Draft was held June 10. The rules were the same as before except the draft price was raised from $15,000 to $20,000, twice the original price set in 1952. Keep in mind that stars like Maurice Richard and Doug Harvey were making $25,000 per season at this time (about $200,000 in 2013 dollars, adjusted for inflation). When a team made a claim in the intra-league draft it cost them a significant amount of money.
| Overall | Player Chosen | By | From | Player Removed From Protected List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | ||||
| 1 | Gary Aldcorn | Detroit Red Wings | Toronto Maple Leafs | |
| 2 | Irv Spencer | New York Rangers | Montreal Canadiens | |
| 3 | John McKenzie | Detroit Red Wings | Chicago Black Hawks | |
| 4 | Ian Cushenan | New York Rangers | Chicago Black Hawks | |
| pass | Toronto Maple Leafs | |||
| pass | Chicago Black Hawks | |||
| 5 | Bruce Gamble | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers | |
| pass | Montreal Canadiens | |||
| Round 2 | ||||
| 6 | Brian Cullen | New York Rangers | Toronto Maple Leafs | |
| 7 | Autry Erickson | Boston Bruins | Chicago Black Hawks | |
| Round 3 | ||||
| 8 | Charlie Burns | Boston Bruins | Detroit Red Wings | |
Saturday, April 6, 2013
1958 NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1958 NHL Intra-League Draft took place on June 4, and was easily the busiest intra-league draft to date. A record ten players were chosen. Why the spike in activity? Some of it must be attributed to the New York Rangers, who decided to leave eight of their NHL regulars off their protected list (including goalie Gump Worsley; Rangers' GM Muzz Patrick elected to protect Bruce Gamble and Marcel Paille) in favour of players in the minors. Of the ten players chosen in the draft five of them were from the Rangers.
Rules were broadly the same as before: protected lists of 18 skaters and a pair of goalies, players chosen had to go through waivers before being traded or assigned to another team, draft price of $15,000, etc.
That little rule about having to keep a chosen player on the team's NHL roster or otherwise having to put him on waivers before assigning him to a minor affiliate or trading him to another club played particular importance on June 4, 1958.
Before the draft the Canadiens, Maple Leafs and Black Hawks conspired to make a three-way deal: the Canadiens would leave Bert Olmstead (who had been benched in the playoffs and replaced by Ab McDonald anyway) off their protected list for the Maple Leafs to pick, the Maple Leafs would trade Tod Sloan to the Black Hawks, the Black Hawks would also acquire Dollard St. Laurent from the Canadiens and the Canadiens would in turn get a defenceman from the Black Hawks and neither the Black Hawks nor Maple Leafs would choose Danny Lewicki or Dave Creighton from the Rangers in the draft, leaving Montreal to acquire them. Montreal wanted to stock up the Rochester Americans farm team with Lewicki, Creighton and the unnamed defenceman.
Olmstead was chosen by the Maple Leafs first, the Black Hawks picked defenceman Jack Evans from the Rangers with the intent of trading him to Montreal to complete the deal, and Montreal chose Lewicki and Creighton, but when President Clarence Campbell got wind of the trade of Evans to Montreal he reminded the three parties that Evans had to go through waivers before being traded to another club. So too did Lewicki and Creighton before they could be assigned to Rochester. Otherwise they had to be kept in the NHL for the '58-'59 season. Muzz Patrick reminded the other teams of this too, and stated he'd claim them off waivers if the Canadiens and Black Hawks tried to move Evans, Lewicki and Creighton.
Sloan and St. Laurent were traded to the Black Hawks as planned but the rest of the deal fell through. The Hawks kept Evans for another five years, including the Stanley Cup championship team in 1961. (Sloan and St. Laurent were also on the Cup-winning team.)
The Canadiens kept Lewicki and Creighton through the 1958 training camp and reluctantly placed them on waivers with the intent of assigning them to the AHL if none of the other NHL teams put in a claim. Unfortunately for the Canadiens both players were claimed: Lewicki by the Black Hawks and Creighton by the Maple Leafs! The Canadiens' were betrayed by their co-conspirators at the draft three months earlier.
Note that the only player I know of who was removed from a protected list was Ted Lindsay, removed from the Black Hawks' list after they picked up Al Arbour. I'm not sure who else was removed from protected lists during this draft but Lindsay's removal was well-reported. "Terrible Ted" had just played his first season in Chicago after having been traded to the Black Hawks in retribution for trying to organize a players union, and it was probably the worst season of his career.
Rules were broadly the same as before: protected lists of 18 skaters and a pair of goalies, players chosen had to go through waivers before being traded or assigned to another team, draft price of $15,000, etc.
That little rule about having to keep a chosen player on the team's NHL roster or otherwise having to put him on waivers before assigning him to a minor affiliate or trading him to another club played particular importance on June 4, 1958.
Before the draft the Canadiens, Maple Leafs and Black Hawks conspired to make a three-way deal: the Canadiens would leave Bert Olmstead (who had been benched in the playoffs and replaced by Ab McDonald anyway) off their protected list for the Maple Leafs to pick, the Maple Leafs would trade Tod Sloan to the Black Hawks, the Black Hawks would also acquire Dollard St. Laurent from the Canadiens and the Canadiens would in turn get a defenceman from the Black Hawks and neither the Black Hawks nor Maple Leafs would choose Danny Lewicki or Dave Creighton from the Rangers in the draft, leaving Montreal to acquire them. Montreal wanted to stock up the Rochester Americans farm team with Lewicki, Creighton and the unnamed defenceman.
Olmstead was chosen by the Maple Leafs first, the Black Hawks picked defenceman Jack Evans from the Rangers with the intent of trading him to Montreal to complete the deal, and Montreal chose Lewicki and Creighton, but when President Clarence Campbell got wind of the trade of Evans to Montreal he reminded the three parties that Evans had to go through waivers before being traded to another club. So too did Lewicki and Creighton before they could be assigned to Rochester. Otherwise they had to be kept in the NHL for the '58-'59 season. Muzz Patrick reminded the other teams of this too, and stated he'd claim them off waivers if the Canadiens and Black Hawks tried to move Evans, Lewicki and Creighton.
Sloan and St. Laurent were traded to the Black Hawks as planned but the rest of the deal fell through. The Hawks kept Evans for another five years, including the Stanley Cup championship team in 1961. (Sloan and St. Laurent were also on the Cup-winning team.)
The Canadiens kept Lewicki and Creighton through the 1958 training camp and reluctantly placed them on waivers with the intent of assigning them to the AHL if none of the other NHL teams put in a claim. Unfortunately for the Canadiens both players were claimed: Lewicki by the Black Hawks and Creighton by the Maple Leafs! The Canadiens' were betrayed by their co-conspirators at the draft three months earlier.
| Overall | Player Chosen | By | From | Player Removed From Protected List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | ||||
| 1 | Bert Olmstead | Toronto Maple Leafs | Montreal Canadiens | |
| 2 | Jack Evans | Chicago Black Hawks | New York Rangers | |
| 3 | Gerry Wilson | Toronto Maple Leafs | Montreal Canadiens | |
| 4 | Al Arbour | Chicago Black Hawks | Detroit Red Wings | Ted Lindsay |
| 5 | Jean-Guy Gendron | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers | |
| pass | Detroit Red Wings | |||
| pass | New York Rangers | |||
| 6 | Danny Lewicki | Montreal Canadiens | New York Rangers | |
| Round 2 | ||||
| 7 | Earl Balfour | Chicago Black Hawks | Toronto Maple Leafs | |
| 8 | Gord Redahl | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers | |
| 9 | Dave Creighton | Montreal Canadiens | New York Rangers | |
| Round 3 | ||||
| 10 | Earl Reibel | Boston Bruins | Chicago Black Hawks | |
Note that the only player I know of who was removed from a protected list was Ted Lindsay, removed from the Black Hawks' list after they picked up Al Arbour. I'm not sure who else was removed from protected lists during this draft but Lindsay's removal was well-reported. "Terrible Ted" had just played his first season in Chicago after having been traded to the Black Hawks in retribution for trying to organize a players union, and it was probably the worst season of his career.
1957 NHL Intra-League Draft
Now we're cookin'! The 1957 NHL Intra-League Draft took place on June 5, and a record number of players (five) were chosen. The number of goalies that could be protected was reduced from three to two and the draft price was still $15,000.
| Overall | Player Chosen | By | From | Player Removed From Protected List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | ||||
| 1 | Larry Hillman | Chicago Black Hawks | Detroit Red Wings | |
| pass | Toronto Maple Leafs | |||
| 2 | Bob Bailey | Chicago Black Hawks | Detroit Red Wings | Frank Martin |
| pass | Toronto Maple Leafs | |||
| 3 | John Hanna | New York Rangers | Montreal Canadiens | Gerry Foley |
| 4 | Norm Johnson | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers | |
| pass | Montreal Canadiens | |||
| pass | Detroit Red Wings | |||
| Round 2 | ||||
| 5 | Bronco Horvath | Boston Bruins | Montreal Canadiens | |
1956 NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1956 NHL Intra-League Draft, the first to occur as part of the league's summer meetings in June (June 6, 1956 to be exact), was the busiest intra-league draft yet. Two players were chosen.
The Black Hawks, Bruins and Maple Leafs passed on their picks but the third-place Rangers picked defenceman Larry Cahan from the Maple Leafs for the draft price of $15,000. The second-place Red Wings followed, taking forward Tom McCarthy from the Rangers.
The Black Hawks, Bruins and Maple Leafs passed on their picks but the third-place Rangers picked defenceman Larry Cahan from the Maple Leafs for the draft price of $15,000. The second-place Red Wings followed, taking forward Tom McCarthy from the Rangers.
1955 NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1954 intra-league draft meeting had finally produced a result. Unfortunately the 1955 meeting did not.
The protected lists were submitted to the Central Registry on September 1, and the draft meeting was scheduled for September 7, but in the intervening week the general managers looked over each other's reserve lists and unanimously decided that "there was nobody to draft" and "no point in holding a meeting".
The 1955 Intra-league Draft was the last one scheduled to occur in September. Training camps began in September so it was awkward for the teams to firm up a protected list by September 1 before having seen the players in training camp. It was awkward for a team to lose a player in the midst of training camp, and equally awkward for that player to learn he had been drafted and would immediately have to report to another team's training camp. It was decided that beginning in 1956 the intra-league draft would be moved forward to the NHL's summer meetings in June.
The protected lists were submitted to the Central Registry on September 1, and the draft meeting was scheduled for September 7, but in the intervening week the general managers looked over each other's reserve lists and unanimously decided that "there was nobody to draft" and "no point in holding a meeting".
The 1955 Intra-league Draft was the last one scheduled to occur in September. Training camps began in September so it was awkward for the teams to firm up a protected list by September 1 before having seen the players in training camp. It was awkward for a team to lose a player in the midst of training camp, and equally awkward for that player to learn he had been drafted and would immediately have to report to another team's training camp. It was decided that beginning in 1956 the intra-league draft would be moved forward to the NHL's summer meetings in June.
References:
"NHL Meeting Off; Nobody to Draft". The Globe & Mail. Canadian Press. (Toronto, Ontario). September 7, 1955. p. 31.
"Rangers Draft Ross Lowe, Bartlett; Royals' Orval Tessier Goes to Bruins". Montreal Gazette. June 1 1955. p. 23
1954 NHL Intra-League Draft
After two years of uneventful draft meetings the NHL intra-league draft meeting on September 15, 1954 produced some actual results!
For the draft price of $15,000 the last-place Chicago Black Hawks picked Montreal Canadiens' utility centreman Johnny McCormack. All other teams forewent making a selection.
For the draft price of $15,000 the last-place Chicago Black Hawks picked Montreal Canadiens' utility centreman Johnny McCormack. All other teams forewent making a selection.
The Genesis of the NHL Intra-League Draft
Oy vey, it has been a long time since I've posted anything here. There's never enough time in the day. Damn that infernal day job.
I've posted the results of several NHL intra-league drafts over the last year or so (seems like it has been longer!) but looking back I never really did explain how the draft came about.
In the first ten seasons of the "Original Six" era, 1942-43 to 1951-52, three teams were consistently better than their peers and two teams were decidedly worse than the rest. Noticeably worse. To the point where it seemed the bottom feeders of the league needed an extra advantage to make them more competitive, to make the entire league as a whole more competitive, and hopefully to make the league more interesting to potential fans as a result.
From 1943 to 1952 the Stanley Cup was won by three clubs: Toronto (1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951), Detroit (1943, 1950, 1952) and Montreal (1944, 1946). In that same time period the Red Wings never missed the playoffs, the Maple Leafs and Canadiens each missed once (1946 and 1948 respectively), the Bruins missed a couple times (1944, 1950) and the Black Hawks and Rangers each missed the playoffs EIGHT TIMES in those ten years. There wasn't a single season between 1943 and 1952 that one of the Rangers or Black Hawks didn't make the playoffs.
How do you go about restoring a semblance of parity between these six teams? The NHL governors decided to institute a new draft of players, an intra-league draft, which would give the moribund Rangers and Black Hawks (the Hawks in particular; they hadn't made the playoffs since 1946) a leg up on the competition by allowing them to have their pick of the league's best teams' fringe players and spare parts.
NHL President Clarence Campbell was tasked with the job of developing the rules for the draft. He presented them to the board of governors for approval at their 'semi-annual' meeting in Chicago on September 11, 1952. The draft rules were as follows:
- each NHL club would be able to exempt 15 skaters and one goalie
- the draft price, to be paid by the club making a claim to the club losing the player, would be $10,000
- the draft would take place on or about the 30th of April, after the Stanley Cup playoffs had been concluded
- sponsored amateurs and other amateurs on 'A', 'B' and 'C' forms would not be eligible
- the draft order would be the reverse of the final standings of the previous season
After deliberating the rules at the meeting it was agreed to amend them such that:
- each NHL club would be able to protect 20 skaters and 2 goalies
- the draft would take place just before the beginning of the season; protected lists would have to be filed within seven days of the opening of the regular season and the draft meeting would occur some time within those seven days
- players selected by draft would have to be kept by the club that chose him (he could not be traded or loaned to another club) for at least one year, except that the player could be placed on unconditional waivers (no right of recall) to be claimed by any club for a price of $7,500
- the draft order would be the reverse of the final standings, however in the first round the bottom two teams (6th and 5th place) would alternate the first four choices, such that the first round's order of selection would be 6th, 5th, 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st. All subsequent rounds would be 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st.
The first intra-league draft meeting was scheduled for the afternoon of Sunday, October 5, 1952; just before the All-Star Game. Protected lists were to be filed by the morning of October 3 (the '52-'53 regular season started October 9). Before the protected lists were to be filed the governors made another amendment to the rules: not only would amateurs whose rights belonged to NHL clubs be exempt, but in fact all players under the age of 22 who had not played in at least four NHL games would be ineligible for selection.
The meeting on Oct. 5 was uneventful. No players were drafted, no money changed hands.
At the league's 'summer' meetings in June of 1953 the draft rules were once again amended to encourage the general managers the select players. The number of skaters that could be protected was lowered to 18 from 20, and the number of goalies increased from two to three. The draft price was also increased from $10,000 to $15,000, and the timing of the draft meeting was changed from just before the season started to about three weeks earlier, during the semi-annual meeting in September.
The '53 draft meeting was scheduled for Thursday, September 10, and like the inaugural '52 meeting nothing happened.
It took until 1954 for someone to take a chance on a player...
I've posted the results of several NHL intra-league drafts over the last year or so (seems like it has been longer!) but looking back I never really did explain how the draft came about.
In the first ten seasons of the "Original Six" era, 1942-43 to 1951-52, three teams were consistently better than their peers and two teams were decidedly worse than the rest. Noticeably worse. To the point where it seemed the bottom feeders of the league needed an extra advantage to make them more competitive, to make the entire league as a whole more competitive, and hopefully to make the league more interesting to potential fans as a result.
From 1943 to 1952 the Stanley Cup was won by three clubs: Toronto (1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951), Detroit (1943, 1950, 1952) and Montreal (1944, 1946). In that same time period the Red Wings never missed the playoffs, the Maple Leafs and Canadiens each missed once (1946 and 1948 respectively), the Bruins missed a couple times (1944, 1950) and the Black Hawks and Rangers each missed the playoffs EIGHT TIMES in those ten years. There wasn't a single season between 1943 and 1952 that one of the Rangers or Black Hawks didn't make the playoffs.
How do you go about restoring a semblance of parity between these six teams? The NHL governors decided to institute a new draft of players, an intra-league draft, which would give the moribund Rangers and Black Hawks (the Hawks in particular; they hadn't made the playoffs since 1946) a leg up on the competition by allowing them to have their pick of the league's best teams' fringe players and spare parts.
NHL President Clarence Campbell was tasked with the job of developing the rules for the draft. He presented them to the board of governors for approval at their 'semi-annual' meeting in Chicago on September 11, 1952. The draft rules were as follows:
- each NHL club would be able to exempt 15 skaters and one goalie
- the draft price, to be paid by the club making a claim to the club losing the player, would be $10,000
- the draft would take place on or about the 30th of April, after the Stanley Cup playoffs had been concluded
- sponsored amateurs and other amateurs on 'A', 'B' and 'C' forms would not be eligible
- the draft order would be the reverse of the final standings of the previous season
After deliberating the rules at the meeting it was agreed to amend them such that:
- each NHL club would be able to protect 20 skaters and 2 goalies
- the draft would take place just before the beginning of the season; protected lists would have to be filed within seven days of the opening of the regular season and the draft meeting would occur some time within those seven days
- players selected by draft would have to be kept by the club that chose him (he could not be traded or loaned to another club) for at least one year, except that the player could be placed on unconditional waivers (no right of recall) to be claimed by any club for a price of $7,500
- the draft order would be the reverse of the final standings, however in the first round the bottom two teams (6th and 5th place) would alternate the first four choices, such that the first round's order of selection would be 6th, 5th, 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st. All subsequent rounds would be 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st.
The first intra-league draft meeting was scheduled for the afternoon of Sunday, October 5, 1952; just before the All-Star Game. Protected lists were to be filed by the morning of October 3 (the '52-'53 regular season started October 9). Before the protected lists were to be filed the governors made another amendment to the rules: not only would amateurs whose rights belonged to NHL clubs be exempt, but in fact all players under the age of 22 who had not played in at least four NHL games would be ineligible for selection.
The meeting on Oct. 5 was uneventful. No players were drafted, no money changed hands.
At the league's 'summer' meetings in June of 1953 the draft rules were once again amended to encourage the general managers the select players. The number of skaters that could be protected was lowered to 18 from 20, and the number of goalies increased from two to three. The draft price was also increased from $10,000 to $15,000, and the timing of the draft meeting was changed from just before the season started to about three weeks earlier, during the semi-annual meeting in September.
The '53 draft meeting was scheduled for Thursday, September 10, and like the inaugural '52 meeting nothing happened.
It took until 1954 for someone to take a chance on a player...
Saturday, November 24, 2012
1975 NHL Intra-League Draft
1975: the number of NHL and WHA teams combined was at an all-time high (32). Teams in both leagues were struggling to make ends meet. The WHA's Chicago Cougars and Baltimore Blades (née Michigan Stags) folded after the '74-'75 season. The Kansas City Scouts, only a year old, were already facing financial ruin. The Golden Seals had been owned and operated by the NHL for over a year. The Pittsburgh Penguins were bankrupt. The NHL obviously had much more pressing matters at the annual meetings in June to consider than the intra-league draft. As such it was very brief; reportedly it took less than 10 minutes.
The rules were the same as before: protected lists of 18 skaters and a pair of goaltenders, $40,000 draft price. The Penguins weren't permitted to take part due to their bankruptcy; there was a very real possibility that the Penguins would fold.
The Penguins were rescued from bankruptcy by businessmen Al Savill and Otto Frenzel, and former Minnesota North Stars GM Wren Blair. The Penguins would live to see another day. The same could not be said of the intra-league draft. Mid-way through the '75-'76 season the end for the intra-league draft had come: there would be no draft in 1976. June 17, 1975 would go down as the day the last intra-league draft was held by the NHL. Hartland Monahan was the last player ever taken in an NHL intra-league draft.
| Overall | Player Chosen | By | From | Player Removed From Protected List | Claim player or cash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dale Lewis | New York Rangers | Los Angeles Kings | Hartland Monahan | cash |
| 2 | Hartland Monahan | Washington Capitals | New York Rangers | Tom Williams | cash |
The rules were the same as before: protected lists of 18 skaters and a pair of goaltenders, $40,000 draft price. The Penguins weren't permitted to take part due to their bankruptcy; there was a very real possibility that the Penguins would fold.
The Penguins were rescued from bankruptcy by businessmen Al Savill and Otto Frenzel, and former Minnesota North Stars GM Wren Blair. The Penguins would live to see another day. The same could not be said of the intra-league draft. Mid-way through the '75-'76 season the end for the intra-league draft had come: there would be no draft in 1976. June 17, 1975 would go down as the day the last intra-league draft was held by the NHL. Hartland Monahan was the last player ever taken in an NHL intra-league draft.
1974 NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1974 NHL Intra-League Draft took place June 10 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. This year, because it was an expansion year, the rules were modified slightly such that the teams could lose only one player. As in the past first-year pros were exempt and the draft price was $40,000. Also exempt this year were goalies. Any player claimed in the proceedings had to be kept on the claiming team's 16-man protected list in the expansion draft, which took place later that week.
The biggest news story surrounding this year's draft was fall-out from the first selection. Before the draft the Golden Seals, Rangers and Bruins had come to an agreement such that the Seals would take Jim Neilson with their first pick, drop Walt McKechnie from their protected list to make room for Neilson, the Rangers would claim McKechnie as compensation, and they would trade McKechnie to the Bruins at a later date for Derek Sanderson. All was going according to plan until the Sabres had their turn. Because McKechnie was claimed as compensation for losing Neilson McKechnie wasn't placed on the Rangers' protected list. Sabres GM Punch Imlach, being Punch Imlach, thought he could claim McKechnie from the Rangers (his rationale being "McKechnie was the best player available"), thus negating the pre-arranged deal the Rangers and Bruins had agreed to. NHL President Clarence Campbell immediately ruled that the selection was invalid, explained that this year a team could only lose one player and the Rangers had already lost Neilson to the Golden Seals, and the Sabres would have to make another selection or forfeit their pick. Imlach threatened to appeal to the Board of Governors but Campbell rebuffed him, telling him appeals on this matter would not be allowed.
Imlach waived his selection and the rest of the teams passed as well, ending the draft. Two days later McKechnie was traded to the Bruins for Sanderson.
| Overall | Player Chosen | By | From | Player Removed From Protected List | Claim player or cash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim Neilson | California Golden Seals | New York Rangers | Walt McKechnie | claim |
| 2 | Dave Fortier | New York Islanders | Philadelphia Flyers | Brian Lefley | cash |
| 3 | Jim Wiley | Vancouver Canucks | Pittsburgh Penguins | Jim Mair | cash |
| 4 | Brian Ogilvie | St. Louis Blues | Chicago Black Hawks | Butch Williams | cash |
| 5 | Ron Busniuk | Detroit Red Wings | Buffalo Sabres | Al McLeod | cash |
The biggest news story surrounding this year's draft was fall-out from the first selection. Before the draft the Golden Seals, Rangers and Bruins had come to an agreement such that the Seals would take Jim Neilson with their first pick, drop Walt McKechnie from their protected list to make room for Neilson, the Rangers would claim McKechnie as compensation, and they would trade McKechnie to the Bruins at a later date for Derek Sanderson. All was going according to plan until the Sabres had their turn. Because McKechnie was claimed as compensation for losing Neilson McKechnie wasn't placed on the Rangers' protected list. Sabres GM Punch Imlach, being Punch Imlach, thought he could claim McKechnie from the Rangers (his rationale being "McKechnie was the best player available"), thus negating the pre-arranged deal the Rangers and Bruins had agreed to. NHL President Clarence Campbell immediately ruled that the selection was invalid, explained that this year a team could only lose one player and the Rangers had already lost Neilson to the Golden Seals, and the Sabres would have to make another selection or forfeit their pick. Imlach threatened to appeal to the Board of Governors but Campbell rebuffed him, telling him appeals on this matter would not be allowed.
Imlach waived his selection and the rest of the teams passed as well, ending the draft. Two days later McKechnie was traded to the Bruins for Sanderson.
1973 NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1973 NHL Intra-League Draft took place June 12 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. The draft price was $40,000, and each team protected 18 skaters and a pair of goalies. It was a short affair this year, lasting only about half an hour with only a half-dozen players taken in a single round of drafting. Montreal Gazette sports editor Ted Blackman's article about the draft was titled "NHL draft strictly dullsville". He went on to describe the atmosphere at these meetings as very quiet:
The WHA had arrived, baby.
"With the amateur draft moved ahead three weeks to beat the WHA to the punch, the NHL meetings have lost all excitement. Most of the governors' meetings are hush-hush secret sessions on war strategy, the halls are quiet and not one decent rumor has been started."
The WHA had arrived, baby.
| Overall | Player Chosen | By | From | Player Removed From Protected List | Claim player or cash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bert Marshall | New York Islanders | New York Rangers | Dave Pulkkinen | cash |
| 2 | Ray McKay | California Golden Seals | Buffalo Sabres | Danny Helm | cash |
| 3 | Doug Mohns | Atlanta Flames | Minnesota North Stars | Bill Plager | claim |
| 4 | Ron Jones | Pittsburgh Penguins | Boston Bruins | Jim Shires | cash |
| 5 | Lou Angotti | St. Louis Blues | Chicago Black Hawks | Kevin O'Shea | cash |
| 6 | Joe Noris | Buffalo Sabres | St. Louis Blues | Murray Kuntz | cash |
Sunday, November 18, 2012
1966 NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1966 NHL Intra-League Draft was held June 15 in the ballroom of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. The draft price was $30,000 (US). The four teams that qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs at the end of the 1965-66 season—Black Hawks, Red Wings, Canadiens and Maple Leafs—were permitted to protect 18 skaters and three goaltenders. The fifth place team, the Bruins, were permitted to protect 19 skaters and three goalies, while the last place Rangers were allowed to protect 20 skaters and three goalies. The number of goaltenders allowed to be protected was increased to three from two because of the foreboding expansion in 1967; the NHL had already decided that the number of protected goalies per team in the '67 Expansion Draft would be only one. If they were only allowed to protect two goalies in this intra-league draft then hypothetically a team could lose two of its top three goalies in the span of about a year, which was felt to be too much of a burden.
1966 was the first year that a player dropped from a team's protected list to make room for another could be immediately claimed by the team who had lost a player, without forfeiting their own turn. The teams who exercised this option had to pay the other team the full draft price. As it turned out every team exercised this option and in effect this resulted in no actual cash changing hands in this entire draft; it all evened out in the end. This was changed after expansion to allow the teams who had lost a player to claim the player dropped by the other team for a reduced price (see my post about the 1972 Intra-League Draft).
| Overall | Player Chosen | By | From | Player Removed From Protected List | Claim player? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | |||||
| 1 | Orland Kurtenbach | New York Rangers | Toronto Maple Leafs | John Brenneman | claim |
| pass | Boston Bruins | ||||
| 2 | Al Lebrun | Detroit Red Wings | New York Rangers | Max Mestinsek | claim |
| 3 | Don Blackburn | Toronto Maple Leafs | Montreal Canadiens | Wally Boyer | claim |
| 4 | Wally Boyer | Chicago Black Hawks | Montreal Canadiens | Al MacNeil | claim |
| pass | Montreal Canadiens | ||||
| Round 2 | |||||
| 5 | Al MacNeil | New York Rangers | Montreal Canadiens | Mike McMahon | claim |
| 6 | Ted Taylor | Detroit Red Wings | Montreal Canadiens | Pat Quinn | claim |
| Round 3 | |||||
| 7 | Ray Cullen | Detroit Red Wings | New York Rangers | Bryan Campbell | claim |
1966 was the first year that a player dropped from a team's protected list to make room for another could be immediately claimed by the team who had lost a player, without forfeiting their own turn. The teams who exercised this option had to pay the other team the full draft price. As it turned out every team exercised this option and in effect this resulted in no actual cash changing hands in this entire draft; it all evened out in the end. This was changed after expansion to allow the teams who had lost a player to claim the player dropped by the other team for a reduced price (see my post about the 1972 Intra-League Draft).
Saturday, October 27, 2012
1964 NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1964 NHL Intra-League Draft took place on June 10, the day after the Inter-League Draft. Note that Boston and New York, being at the bottom of the league standings at the end of the '63-'64 season and having failed to qualify for the playoffs, each had 'bonus' picks at the beginning of the first round. The price for each pick was $20,000 (US) and each team protected two goaltenders and 18 skaters.
| Overall | Player Chosen | By | From | Player Removed From Protected List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | ||||
| pass | Boston Bruins | |||
| 1 | Jim Mikol | New York Rangers | Boston Bruins | Bob Woytowich |
| 2 | Bob Woytowich | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers | Wayne Maxner |
| pass | New York Rangers | |||
| 3 | Gary Bergman | Detroit Red Wings | Montreal Canadiens | Al Langlois |
| 4 | Dickie Moore | Toronto Maple Leafs | Montreal Canadiens | Gerry Ehman |
| pass | Chicago Black Hawks | |||
| pass | Montreal Canadiens | |||
| Round 2 | ||||
| 5 | Murray Hall | Detroit Red Wings | Chicago Black Hawks | Bob Dillabough |
| Round 3 | ||||
| 6 | George Gardner | Detroit Red Wings | Boston Bruins | Terry Sawchuk |
| 7 | Terry Sawchuk | Toronto Maple Leafs | Detroit Red Wings | Gerry Cheevers |
Friday, October 26, 2012
1968 NHL Intra-League Draft
By request here are the results of the 1968 NHL Intra-League Draft, held June 12. Each team protected 14 skaters and two goalies, and the draft price was $30,000.
The protected lists were as follows:
The draft results:
The big news this year was Oakland's picking Carol Vadnais first overall. Supposedly Montreal 'gifted' Vadnais to Oakland by leaving him off the protected list in lieu of another player the Seals wouldn't have wanted. The price of this courtesy—again, supposedly—was that the Seals sent their first and second round picks in 1973's amateur draft to the Canadiens for the Canadiens' second round pick in '72 and the right to draft Vadnais. I can't find any period sources to substantiate this.
As you can see Larry Hillman and Bill Sutherland had busy days. Within the span of minutes Hillman was claimed by the Rangers from the Leafs when the Leafs dropped him from their protected list to make room for Larry Mickey, and then was picked by the North Stars from the Rangers. Sutherland was similarly dropped by the Flyers, claimed by the North Stars and picked by the Maple Leafs.
George Konik, the player claimed from the Penguins after the Penguins picked Burns, never played in the NHL again. He chose 'retirement' over playing for the Seals. He had a college degree (he played hockey at the University of Denver) and an off-season job in Minnesota, so he chose to pursue that career instead. He played in the 'amateur' USHL and for the U.S. national team, having become a naturalized citizen. His last pro hockey was played in the '72-'73 season for the WHA's Minnesota Fighting Saints.
The protected lists were as follows:
| Boston Bruins | Chicago Black Hawks | Detroit Red Wings | Los Angeles Kings | Minnesota North Stars | Montreal Canadiens |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goaltenders | |||||
| Gerry Cheevers | Denis DeJordy | Roger Crozier | Gerry Desjardins | Chuck Goddard | Rogie Vachon |
| Eddie Johnston | Dave Dryden | Roy Edwards | Wayne Rutledge | Cesare Maniago | Gump Worsley |
| Skaters | |||||
| Don Awrey | Dennis Hull | Ron Anderson | Bryan Campbell | Dave Balon | Ralph Backstrom |
| Johnny Bucyk | Bobby Hull | Bobby Baun | Bill Flett | Andre Boudrias | Jean Beliveau |
| Wayne Cashman | Doug Jarrett | Gary Bergman | Brent Hughes | Wayne Connelly | Yvan Cournoyer |
| Gary Doak | Chico Maki | Alex Delvecchio | Ted Irvine | Ray Cullen | Dick Duff |
| Phil Esposito | Wayne Maki | Kent Douglas | Eddie Joyal | Bill Goldsworthy | John Ferguson |
| Ted Green | Gilles Marotte | Ron Harris | Skip Krake | Danny Grant | Terry Harper |
| Ken Hodge | Pit Martin | Gordie Howe | God Labossiere | Claude Larose | Ted Harris |
| John McKenzie | Stan Mikita | Nick Libett | Real Lemieux | Milan Marcetta | Jacques Laperriere |
| Glen Sather | Doug Mohns | Bruce MacGregor | Lowell MacDonald | Bob McCord | Jacques Lemaire |
| Eddie Shack | Eric Nesterenko | Frank Mahovlich | Poul Popiel | J.P. Parise | Henri Richard |
| Dallas Smith | Jim Pappin | Dean Prentice | Doug Robinson | Jim Pateron | Bobby Rousseau |
| Fred Stanfield | Bobby Schmautz | Pete Stemkowski | Dale Rolfe | Bill Plager | Serge Savard |
| Ed Westfall | Pat Stapleton | Jim Watson | Bill White | Bob Woytowich | Gilles Tremblay |
| Tom Williams | Ken Wharram | Bob Wall | Mike McMahon | J.C. Tremblay | |
| New York Rangers | Oakland Seals | Philadelphia Flyers | Pittsburgh Penguins | St. Louis Blues | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Goaltenders | |||||
| Eddie Giacomin | Charlie Hodge | Doug Favell | Les Binkley | Glenn Hall | Johnny Bower |
| Gilles Villemure | Gary Smith | Bernie Parent | Joe Daley | Seth Martin | Bruce Gamble |
| Skaters | |||||
| Arnie Brown | John Brenneman | Dick Cherry | Lou Angotti | Al Arbour | Ron Ellis |
| Reg Fleming | Larry Cahan | Gary Dornhoefer | John Arbour | Red Berenson | Paul Henderson |
| Rod Gilbert | Norm Ferguson | Jean Gauthier | Andy Bathgate | Craig Cameron | Bryan Hextall |
| Phil Goyette | Stan Fuller | Earl Heiskala | Leo Boivin | Terry Crisp | Larry Hillman |
| Vic Hadfield | Ted Hampson | Jim Johnson | Wally Boyer | Darryl Edestrand | Tim Horton |
| Wayne Hillman | Billy Harris | Forbes Kennedy | Val Fonteyne | Larry Keenan | Dave Keon |
| Harry Howell | Bill Hicke | Andre Lacroix | Earl Ingarfield | Ab McDonald | Murray Oliver |
| Orland Kurtenbach | Gary Jarrett | John Miszuk | George Konik | Noel Picard | Pierre Pilote |
| Don Marshall | Bert Marshall | Simon Nolet | Dunc McCallum | Barclay Plager | Marcel Pronovost |
| Jim Neilson | Tracy Pratt | Leon Rochefort | Keith McCreary | Bob Plager | Bob Pulford |
| Bob Nevin | Doug Roberts | Brit Selby | Noel Price | Rejean Richer | Duane Rupp |
| Jean Ratelle | George Swarbrick | Bill Sutherland | Jean Pronovost | Jim Roberts | Floyd Smith |
| Rod Seiling | Bryan Watson | Ed Van Impe | Ken Schinkel | Gary Sabourin | Norm Ullman |
| Ron Stewart | Howie Young | Joe Watson | Gene Ubriaco | Ron Schock | Mike Walton |
The draft results:
| Overall | Player Chosen | By | From | Player Removed From Protected List | Claim player or cash | Fill-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | ||||||
| 1 | Carol Vadnais | Oakland Seals | Montreal Canadiens | Larry Cahan | claim | Claude Provost |
| 2 | Brian Conacher | Detroit Red Wings | Toronto Maple Leafs | Gary Marsh | claim | George Armstrong |
| 3 | Charlie Burns | Pittsburgh Penguins | Oakland Seals | George Konik | claim | Brian Perry |
| 4 | Larry Mickey | Toronto Maple Leafs | New York Rangers | Larry Hillman | claim | Larry Jeffrey |
| 5 | Larry Hillman | Minnesota North Stars | New York Rangers | Bill Plager | claim | Camille Henry |
| 6 | Jacques Plante | St. Louis Blues | New York Rangers | Seth Martin | cash | Bob Jones |
| pass | Los Angeles | |||||
| 7 | Ron Buchanan | Philadelphia Flyers | Boston Bruins | Jean Gauthier | claim | Ted Hodgson |
| pass | Chicago Black Hawks | |||||
| pass | Boston Bruins | |||||
| pass | New York Rangers | |||||
| pass | Montreal Canadiens | |||||
| Round 2 | ||||||
| 8 | Fern Rivard | Minnesota North Stars | Philadelphia Flyers | Chuck Goddard | cash | Don Blackburn |
| 9 | Myron Stankewicz | St. Louis Blues | Los Angeles Kings | Rejean Richer | cash | Dave Amadio |
| Round 3 | ||||||
| 10 | Larry Hale | Philadelphia Flyers | Minnesota North Stars | Bill Sutherland | claim | Bill Collins |
| Round 4 | ||||||
| 11 | Bill Sutherland | Toronto Maple Leafs | Minnesota North Stars | Duane Rupp | claim | Parker MacDonald |
The big news this year was Oakland's picking Carol Vadnais first overall. Supposedly Montreal 'gifted' Vadnais to Oakland by leaving him off the protected list in lieu of another player the Seals wouldn't have wanted. The price of this courtesy—again, supposedly—was that the Seals sent their first and second round picks in 1973's amateur draft to the Canadiens for the Canadiens' second round pick in '72 and the right to draft Vadnais. I can't find any period sources to substantiate this.
As you can see Larry Hillman and Bill Sutherland had busy days. Within the span of minutes Hillman was claimed by the Rangers from the Leafs when the Leafs dropped him from their protected list to make room for Larry Mickey, and then was picked by the North Stars from the Rangers. Sutherland was similarly dropped by the Flyers, claimed by the North Stars and picked by the Maple Leafs.
George Konik, the player claimed from the Penguins after the Penguins picked Burns, never played in the NHL again. He chose 'retirement' over playing for the Seals. He had a college degree (he played hockey at the University of Denver) and an off-season job in Minnesota, so he chose to pursue that career instead. He played in the 'amateur' USHL and for the U.S. national team, having become a naturalized citizen. His last pro hockey was played in the '72-'73 season for the WHA's Minnesota Fighting Saints.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
1965 NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1965 NHL Intra-League Draft took place on June 9, the day after the Inter-League Draft. Several players involved in the Inter-League Draft and other transactions on the 8th of June were moved as part of the Intra-League Draft proceedings the very next day.
Earl Ingarfield, Pat Stapleton, Bryan Watson and Keith Wright were each moved twice in the span of a day. Ingarfield went from being Rangers' property to the Canadiens and back to Rangers, Stapleton went from the Bruins to Maple Leafs to Black Hawks, Watson went from the Canadiens to the Black Hawks to the Red Wings, and Wright went from the Canadiens to Rangers to Bruins.
Some trivia for you: Arthur Stewart "Butch" Paul, the player the Red Wings dropped from their protected list when they claimed Bryan Watson, was killed less than a year later in a car crash. He died Friday, March 25, 1966 while driving home from a CPHL game in Memphis against the Tulsa Oilers.
| Overall | Player Chosen | By | From | Player Removed From Protected List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | ||||
| 1 | Gerry Cheevers | Boston Bruins | Toronto Maple Leafs | Jack Norris |
| 2 | Earl Ingarfield | New York Rangers | Montreal Canadiens | |
| pass | Toronto Maple Leafs | |||
| 3 | Pat Stapleton | Chicago Black Hawks | Toronto Maple Leafs | Bryan Watson |
| pass | Montreal Canadiens | |||
| 4 | Bryan Watson | Detroit Red Wings | Chicago Black Hawks | Butch Paul |
| Round 2 | ||||
| 5 | Poul Popeil | Boston Bruins | Chicago Black Hawks | |
| Round 3 | ||||
| 6 | Norm Schmitz | Boston Bruins | Montreal Canadiens | |
| Round 3 | ||||
| 7 | Keith Wright | Boston Bruins | New York Rangers | |
Earl Ingarfield, Pat Stapleton, Bryan Watson and Keith Wright were each moved twice in the span of a day. Ingarfield went from being Rangers' property to the Canadiens and back to Rangers, Stapleton went from the Bruins to Maple Leafs to Black Hawks, Watson went from the Canadiens to the Black Hawks to the Red Wings, and Wright went from the Canadiens to Rangers to Bruins.
Some trivia for you: Arthur Stewart "Butch" Paul, the player the Red Wings dropped from their protected list when they claimed Bryan Watson, was killed less than a year later in a car crash. He died Friday, March 25, 1966 while driving home from a CPHL game in Memphis against the Tulsa Oilers.
1969 NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1969 NHL Intra-League Draft was held June 11. Each team protected 14 skaters and two goalies, and the draft price was $30,000.
The protected lists:
The draft results:
The protected lists:
| Boston Bruins | Chicago Black Hawks | Detroit Red Wings | Los Angeles Kings | Minnesota North Stars | Montreal Canadiens |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goaltenders | |||||
| Gerry Cheevers | Denis DeJordy | Roger Crozier | Gerry Desjardins | Cesare Maniago | Rogie Vachon |
| Eddie Johnston | Jack Norris | Roy Edwards | Wayne Rutledge | Fern Rivard | Gump Worsley |
| Skaters | |||||
| Don Awrey | Dennis Hull | Bobby Baun | Bryan Campbell | Bob Barlow | Ralph Backstrom |
| Johnny Bucyk | Bobby Hull | Gary Bergman | Bill Flett | Ray Cullen | Jean Beliveau |
| Wayne Cashman | Doug Jarrett | Carl Brewer | Dennis Hextall | Sandy Fitzpatrick | Yvan Cournoyer |
| Gary Doak | Chico Maki | Wayne Connelly | Brent Hughes | Pete Goegan | John Ferguson |
| Phil Esposito | Gilles Marotte | Alex Delvecchio | Bill Inglis | Bill Goldsworthy | Terry Harper |
| Ted Green | Pit Martin | Kent Douglas | Ted Irvine | Danny Grant | Ted Harris |
| Ken Hodge | Ray McKay | Ron Harris | Eddie Joyal | Claude Larose | Jacques Laperriere |
| Jim Lorentz | Mike McMahon | Gordie Howe | Skip Krake | John Miszuk | Jacques Lemaire |
| Don Marcotte | Stan Mikita | Nick Libett | Ross Lonsberry | J. P. Parisé | Claude Provost |
| John McKenzie | Doug Mohns | Bruce MacGregor | Leon Rochefort | Tom Polanic | Henri Richard |
| Derek Sanderson | Jim Pappin | Frank Mahovlich | Dale Rolfe | Tom Reid | Bobby Rousseau |
| Dallas Smith | Paul Shmyr | Garry Monahan | Eddie Shack | Darryl Sly | Serge Savard |
| Fred Stanfield | Pat Stapleton | Hank Monteith | Bob Wall | Brian D. Smith | Gilles Tremblay |
| Ed Westfall | Ken Wharram | Pete Stemkowski | Bill White | Tom Williams | J. C. Tremblay |
| New York Rangers | Oakland Seals | Philadelphia Flyers | Pittsburgh Penguins | St. Louis Blues | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Goaltenders | |||||
| Ed Giacomin | Charlie Hodge | Doug Favell | Les Binkley | Glenn Hall | Bruce Gamble |
| Gilles Villemure | Gary Smith | Bernie Parent | Joe Daley | Jacques Plante | Al Smith |
| Skaters | |||||
| Dave Balon | Bob Dillabough | Serge Bernier | John Arbour | Al Arbour | Wayne Carleton |
| Arnie Brown | Gerry Ehman | Mike Byers | Doug Barrie | Red Berenson | Ron Ellis |
| Bill Fairbairn | Norm Ferguson | Reggie Fleming | Charlie Burns | Ron Buchanan | Paul Henderson |
| Rod Gilbert | Ted Hampson | Jean-Guy Gendron | Craig Cameron | Claude Cardin | Tim Horton |
| Vic Hadfield | Bill Hicke | Wayne Hillman | Bryan Hextall | Phil Goyette | Dan Johnson |
| Al Hamilton | Harry Howell | Jim Johnson | Keith McCreary | Ab McDonald | Dave Keon |
| Orland Kurtenbach | Earl Ingarfield | Andre Lacroix | Tracy Pratt | Noel Picard | Jim McKenny |
| Real Lemieux | Gary Jarrett | Ralph MacSweyn | Jean Pronovost | Roger Picard | Murray Oliver |
| Don Marshall | Mike Laughton | Gerry Meehan | Duane Rupp | Barclay Plager | Bob Pulford |
| Jim Neilson | Bert Marshall | Rosie Paiement | Ken Schinkel | Bob Plager | Pat Quinn |
| Bob Nevin | Brian Perry | Dick Sarrazin | Ron Schock | Bill Plager | Brit Selby |
| Jean Ratelle | Doug Roberts | Bill Sutherland | Bill Speer | Jim Roberts | Norm Ullman |
| Rod Seiling | Gene Ubriaco | Ed Van Impe | Bryan Watson | Gary Sabourin | Mike Walton |
| Ron Stewart | Carol Vadnais | Joe Watson | Bob Woytowich | Frank St. Marseille | Ron Ward |
The draft results:
| Overall | Player Chosen | By | From | Player Removed From Protected List | Claim player or cash | Fill-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | ||||||
| 1 | Dick Sentes | Minnesota North Stars | Montreal Canadiens | Brian Smith | cash | Dick Duff |
| 2 | Tony Esposito | Chicago Black Hawks | Montreal Canadiens | Jack Norris | claim | Pete Mahovlich |
| 3 | Glen Sather | Pittsburgh Penguins | Boston Bruins | Bill Speer | claim | Barry Wilkins |
| 4 | Matt Ravlich | Detroit Red Wings | Chicago Black Hawks | Kent Douglas | cash | Eric Nesterenko |
| pass | Los Angeles Kings | |||||
| 5 | Larry Hillman | Philadelphia Flyers | Montreal Canadiens | Jean-Guy Gendron | claim | John Vanderburg |
| pass | Oakland Seals | |||||
| 6 | Andre Boudrias | St. Louis Blues | Chicago Black Hawks | Roger Picard | cash | Bobby Schmautz |
| 7 | Marv Edwards | Toronto Maple Leafs | Pittsburgh Penguins | Al Smith | claim | Nick Harbaruk |
| pass | New York Rangers | |||||
| pass | Boston Bruins | |||||
| 8 | Larry Mickey | Montreal Canadiens | Toronto Maple Leafs | John Vanderburg | cash | Floyd Smith |
| Round 2 | ||||||
| 9 | Grant Erickson | Minnesota North Stars | Boston Bruins | Sandy Fitzpatrick | cash | Stan Gilbertson |
| 10 | Lou Angotti | Chicago Black Hawks | St. Louis Blues | Bobby Schmautz | claim | Ian Campbell |
| 11 | Dean Prentice | Pittsburgh Penguins | Detroit Red Wings | Charlie Burns | cash | Poul Popeil |
| 12 | Ron Anderson | St. Louis Blues | Los Angeles Kings | Ian Campbell | cash | Gord Labossiere |
| Round 3 | ||||||
| 13 | Charlie Burns | Minnesota North Stars | Pittsburgh Penguins | Pete Goegan | cash | Forbes Kennedy |
| 14 | Bob Blackburn | Pittsburgh Penguins | New York Rangers | Forbes Kennedy | claim | Guy Trottier |
| 15 | Wayne Maki | St. Louis Blues | Chicago Black Hawks | Claude Cardin | cash | Jean-Paul Leblanc |
| Round 4 | ||||||
| 16 | Howie Menard | Chicago Black Hawks | Los Angeles Kings | Jean-Paul Leblanc | cash | Howie Hughes |
Monday, August 6, 2012
1971 NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1971 Intra-League Draft was known more for the antics of Punch Imlach than the transactions themselves.
The draft was held June 8. Each team protected 18 skaters and two goalies. When a goalie was lost another could be added to the protected list as a fill-in. The draft price was $40,000.
(Note: After goalies Al Smith and Gary Edwards were drafted the Penguins and Sabres filled in their protected lists with Paul Hoganson and Rocky Farr, respectively.)
As you can see from the results the Sabres had no problem bending the rules a bit to get what they wanted. You see, there was nothing that said a team couldn't draft one of its own unprotected players. Punch Imlach used 35-year-old Reg Fleming, who because of his age and his salary was not likely to be picked by another team anyway, as a pawn. Fleming was 'drafted' and 'dropped' nine times, and in the process the Sabres acquired four players well after the rest of the teams were done drafting. As Imlach drafted a player from another team he'd drop Fleming, who wasn't claimed, and then reclaim him in the next round by dropping the player he'd just drafted. If the drafted player was claimed by another team the Sabres didn't really stand to lose anything: they'd get the $40,000 back from having drafted the player in the first place and they were right back were they started. If they lost Fleming to another team, so what? He was 35; he never played another game in the NHL after this anyway.
Trivia for you: Rene Robert was drafted from the Maple Leafs by the Sabres in the second round but was lost to the Penguins in the fourth round as Punch Imlach was reshuffling his list of players. Imlach wanted to have Robert on his team but ended up having to trade Eddie Shack to the Penguins in 1972 to finally get him.
The draft was held June 8. Each team protected 18 skaters and two goalies. When a goalie was lost another could be added to the protected list as a fill-in. The draft price was $40,000.
| Overall | Player Chosen | By | From | Player Removed From Protected List | Claim player or cash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | |||||
| 1 | Wayne Carleton | California Golden Seals | Boston Bruins | Gerry Ehman | cash |
| 2 | Al Smith | Detroit Red Wings | Pittsburgh Penguins | Jim Rutherford | claim |
| 3 | Dennis Kearns | Vancouver Canucks | Chicago Black Hawks | Murray Hall | cash |
| 4 | Dave Burrows | Pittsburgh Penguins | Chicago Black Hawks | Dean Prentice | cash |
| 5 | Ray McKay | Buffalo Sabres | Chicago Black Hawks | Jean-Guy Talbot | cash |
| 6 | Gary Edwards | Los Angeles Kings | Buffalo Sabres | Bruce Landon | cash |
| pass | Minnesota North Stars | ||||
| 7 | Larry Brown | Philadelphia Flyers | New York Rangers | Larry Hillman | cash |
| 8 | Don Marshall | Toronto Maple Leafs | Buffalo Sabres | Brian Marchinko | cash |
| 9 | Mike Parizeau | St. Louis Blues | New York Rangers | Claude Laforge | cash |
| pass | Montreal Canadiens | ||||
| pass | Chicago Black Hawks | ||||
| pass | New York Rangers | ||||
| pass | Boston Bruins | ||||
| Round 2 | |||||
| 10 | Frank Hughes | California Golden Seals | Toronto Maple Leafs | Doug Roberts | cash |
| 11 | Fred Speck | Vancouver Canucks | Detroit Red Wings | Ron Ward | cash |
| 12 | Tim Horton | Pittsburgh Penguins | New York Rangers | Bob Blackburn | cash |
| 13 | Rene Robert | Buffalo Sabres | Toronto Maple Leafs | Floyd Smith | cash |
| 14 | Frank Spring | Philadelphia Flyers | Boston Bruins | Garry Peters | claim |
| Round 3 | |||||
| 15 | Stan Gilbertson | California Golden Seals | Boston Bruins | Bill Hicke | cash |
| 16 | Rey Comeau | Vancouver Canucks | Montreal Canadiens | Jim Wiste | cash |
| 17 | Hugh Harris | Buffalo Sabres | Montreal Canadiens | Paul Andrea | cash |
| 18 | Brian Lavender | Minnesota North Stars | Montreal Canadiens | Bob Murdoch | claim |
| Round 4 | |||||
| Dick Duff | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Sabres | Rene Robert | ||
| 19 | Rene Robert | Pittsburgh Penguins | Buffalo Sabres | Wally Boyer | cash |
| Round 5 | |||||
| Reg Fleming | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Sabres | Hugh Harris | ||
| Round 6 | |||||
| 20 | Danny Lawson | Buffalo Sabres | Minnesota North Stars | Reg Fleming | cash |
| Round 7 | |||||
| Reg Fleming | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Sabres | Dick Duff | ||
| Round 8 | |||||
| 21 | Rod Zaine | Buffalo Sabres | Pittsburgh Penguins | Reg Fleming | cash |
| Round 9 | |||||
| Reg Fleming | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Sabres | Rod Zaine | ||
| Round 10 | |||||
| 22 | Tom Miller | Buffalo Sabres | Detroit Red Wings | Reg Fleming | cash |
| Round 11 | |||||
| Reg Fleming | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Sabres | Tom Miller | ||
| Round 12 | |||||
| 23 | Ken Murray | Buffalo Sabres | Toronto Maple Leafs | Reg Fleming | cash |
| Round 13 | |||||
| Reg Fleming | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Sabres | Ken Murrary | ||
(Note: After goalies Al Smith and Gary Edwards were drafted the Penguins and Sabres filled in their protected lists with Paul Hoganson and Rocky Farr, respectively.)
As you can see from the results the Sabres had no problem bending the rules a bit to get what they wanted. You see, there was nothing that said a team couldn't draft one of its own unprotected players. Punch Imlach used 35-year-old Reg Fleming, who because of his age and his salary was not likely to be picked by another team anyway, as a pawn. Fleming was 'drafted' and 'dropped' nine times, and in the process the Sabres acquired four players well after the rest of the teams were done drafting. As Imlach drafted a player from another team he'd drop Fleming, who wasn't claimed, and then reclaim him in the next round by dropping the player he'd just drafted. If the drafted player was claimed by another team the Sabres didn't really stand to lose anything: they'd get the $40,000 back from having drafted the player in the first place and they were right back were they started. If they lost Fleming to another team, so what? He was 35; he never played another game in the NHL after this anyway.
Trivia for you: Rene Robert was drafted from the Maple Leafs by the Sabres in the second round but was lost to the Penguins in the fourth round as Punch Imlach was reshuffling his list of players. Imlach wanted to have Robert on his team but ended up having to trade Eddie Shack to the Penguins in 1972 to finally get him.
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