Los Angeles (AFP) – Ted Lindsay, who earned the nickname “Terrible Ted” on the ice and took that pugnacious style off it to help pioneer the NHL players’ union, died on Monday. He was 93.
The former Detroit Red Wing captain and Hall of Famer passed away at his home in Oakland, Michigan, according to a family spokesman.
“Ted was a persistent, courageous and determined man both on and off the ice,” the family said in statement.
“He was a man of many firsts. We are comforted in knowing that the Ted Lindsay legacy will forever be a part of history and are so proud of the many lives he helped change for the better through his tireless humanitarian work.”
In 1966, the Hockey Hall of Fame wasted no time inducting the Canadian left winger into the elite body by waiving the customary three-year waiting period, and the players’ union decided to rename their MVP trophy after him in 2010, dropping former Canadian prime minister Lester B. Pearson’s name in favour of Lindsay.
Together with right-winger Gordie Howe and centre Sid Abel in the 1950s, he formed the mighty “Production Line,” one of the greatest forward trios in history.
He combined with Howe to win Stanley Cup championships in 1955, 1954, 1952 and 1950. When Abel left, Alex Delvecchio came in to centre the line.
Lindsay was loved in Detroit but was a villain in the other five rinks. Howe once called the 1.72 metre (five-foot-eight) Lindsay’s style that of a “holy terror.”
Lindsay stuck up for his teammates on the ice and was just as selfless off it.
Despite it costing him his job with the Red Wings, he said he has no regrets about creating the players’ union and becoming the first president.
After 14 seasons in Detroit, he was exiled to the last-place Chicago Black Hawks, which had become a dumping ground for players that the colluding owners considered troublemakers.
“I was led by a feeling of fairness,” he said. “All of us who were involved in trying to establish the players’ association weren’t the ones who needed it. It was for the fringe players that were the worst off.
“When I got caught up in this, I was so grateful to the game for all it had done for me. But it was a dictatorship on the part of the owners, who didn’t realize any of us had a brain.
“There we were… these dumb hockey players, and we were going to ruin their game.”
Born July 29, 1925, in Renfrew, Ontario, Lindsay joined the Red Wings in the 1944-45 season.
He led the NHL with 33 goals in 1947-48 and won the Art Ross Trophy (most points) in 1949-50, when he had 23 goals and 55 assists.
He completed his NHL career with 379 goals and 472 assists in 1,068 games.
Lindsay retired following the 1959-60 season. He came back for one more season with Detroit in 1964-65 and became general manager for three seasons, beginning in 1977.
When the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in 1950, Lindsay decided to take the unique step of skating around the side of the rink with the Cup in hand and display it up close to the Detroit fans. It started the ritual of NHL players skating around the rink with the Cup.
– Fan favourite –
“I saw it sitting there, and I thought, ‘I’ll just pick it up and I’ll take it over.’ I just moved along the boards. I didn’t have it over my head,” Lindsay said.
“I had it so they could read it. I wasn’t starting a tradition, I was just taking care of my fans that paid our salary.”
Lindsay decided not to attend his Hall of Fame induction banquet because women weren’t allowed. The rule has now been changed to allow the players’ wives and girlfriends to attend.