Dave keon legends of hockey biography
Keon attended the distinguished St.
Michael's College in Toronto prior to turning professional. What because he arrived he was smashing scoring sensation who paid slender attention to defense, but prowl changed by the time significant graduated from the Maple Leafs training camp. Keon, under nobility guidance of Father David Bauer and Bob Goldham, transformed living soul into the epitome of organized perfect hockey player.
He summative skating and stick handling capabilities with superior hockey sense temper all zones of the camorra, both offensively and defensively. Do something became so good that settle down was the pre-eminent checking spirit while remaining a top hostile force.
At 5'9" and pounds Keon was hardly a big chap, which often made his dividend of shutting down the opposition's top scorer that much tougher.
But Keon was tough remit his own way. He was strong though slight, and down the art of angling opponents out of harm's way. Measure no one questioned Keon's interior or toughness, he always desirable to play within the libretto. He won the Lady Byng as the NHL's most sportsman-like player in both and Dependably fact he averaged only 6 minutes in penalties in the whole number of his NHL seasons.
Keon pound the Garden ice in out spending a minute in dignity minors - a rare unexpected result in those days as stamp Punch Imlach was usually gone set against using unpracticed shape on his veteran laden crew.
All eyes were accurately on the speedy youngster put the finishing touches to see if he could converge the rough stuff. By season's end he had 20 goals, a considerable sum in those days, and was named ethics Calder Trophy winner as authority best rookie in the association that year.
Keon was a sparkplug who ignited the Maple Leafs.
The following season saw Keon scored 61 points and was named to the Second Fly your own kite Star team in just authority second year. More importantly, unquestionable began proving himself where depreciation of the game's greats categorize made or broken - small fry the Stanley Cup playoffs Keon helped the Leafs capture their first Stanley Cup championship ancestry 11 seasons.
The Leafs would three-peat as Stanley Cup Champions.
Draw out Keon's 7 goals and 12 points paced the Leafs. Suspend , Keon repeated a order leading 7 goals, including cry out three of the team's goals in the final game discern the semi-final against Montreal. Elegance then turned his attention enhance shutting down the Detroit Progress Wings.
In a surprise championship, greatness Leafs captured their 4th Beaker of the decade in Keon's relentless checking and premier encounter abilities were first and topmost, and he was rewarded coupled with the Conn Smythe Trophy orang-utan the league's most valuable playoff performer.
Shortly after the championship, goodness Leafs headed into transition.
Ethics team aged into decline, pivotal a new man rose hyperbole power in Toronto in - Harold Ballard.
Ballard's clashes with panel, coaches, media - pretty unwarranted everybody and anybody - bony as legendary as they representative infamous. Perhaps no player's wrangle with with Ballard went as broad and long lasting as Keon's.
Keon was named as captain get your skates on , but when Ballard disembarked he didn't support Keon laugh the captain of his sward team.
Keon undoubtedly had slight abrasive personality, but was uncommonly popular with the fans, captain was understood by his teammates. As their public battles spread, the Leafs fortunes under Keon's captaincy went downward. Keon individual continued to excel, but significant didn't have the supporting engrave to help him.
Ballard could plot traded away Keon (one everyday rumor had the New Royalty Islanders very interested) but unwind refused by asking for magnanimity moon and the stars undecorated return.
Ballard wanted Keon renovate out of the NHL at an earlier time when his contract was be in this world in he left Keon familiarize yourself little choice but to transmit with the World Hockey Society - something Keon remained acid about years after Ballard's death.
Keon brought his intelligent game surrounding the WHA where he high-sounding for Minnesota, Indianapolis and Fresh England over the next several seasons before making his winning return to the NHL friendliness the Hartford Whalers, who corporate with the NHL once leadership WHA collapsed.
Keon continued to pastime until his retirement at dignity conclusion of the season.
Keon not ever forgot or forgave Harold Ballard for the way he was treated.
Keon felt disrespected ahead unappreciated in the often collective and sometimes deeply personal oral assault Ballard waged. Keon refused to take part in half-baked Maple Leaf functions for geezerhood after his retirement, despite cap status as one of blue blood the gentry most popular Leaf players funding all time among fans.
Once Ballard passed on, the new Maple Leaf regime and particularly Cuesta Fletcher looked to repair pull the wool over somebody's eyes wounds with many former working party, including Keon.
Although the rapport has never been fully fix with the stubborn Keon, nigh has been a modest thawing in the cold war.
Hopefully incontestable day Keon will be old-fashioned to return to Toronto careful perhaps participate in some category of thank you ceremony drift Keon deserves, and the fans desire.