International Hockey Legends

Austria Dr. Blake Watson Canada Hank Akervall Roger Bourbonnais Connie Broden Sean Burke Jack Cameron Billy Colvin John Devaney Frank Frederickson Chris Fridfinnson Randy Gregg Wayne Gretzky Paul Henderson Fabian Joseph Mario Lemieux Eric Lindros Barry MacKenzie Seth Martin Mark Messier Morris Mott Dunc Munro Steve Nemeth Hugh Plaxton Beattie Ramsay Gord Sherven Darryl Sly Harry Watson Stelio Zupancich Czech Republic Jiri Bubla Josef Cerny Jaroslav Drobny Jiri Dudacek Miroslav Dvorak Dominik Hasek Milos Holan Jiri Holecek Jaroslav Holik Jiri Holik Martin Hostak Jiri Hrdina Jaroslav Jirik Stanislav Konopasek Oldrich Machac Vladimir Martinec Bohumil Modry Eduard Novak Jiri Novak Milan Novy Jan Peka Frantisek Popisil Robert Reichel Bohuslav Stastny Jan Suchy Frantisek Tikal Vladimir Zabrodsky Finland Tony Arima Matti Hagman Raimo Helminen Aarne Honkavaara Arto Javananian Erkki Laine Pekka Rautakallio Simo Saarinen France Pierre Allard Philippe Bozon Germany Rudi Ball Karl Friesen Gustav Jaenecke Udo Kiessling Erich Kuhnhackl Robert Mueller Great Britain Jimmy Foster Tony Hand Chick Zimick Hungary Attila Ambrus Israel Max Birbraer Italy Rino Alberton Italy Mike Rosati Latvia Helmut Balderis Elmars Bauris Viktor Khatulev  Harry Mellups Norway Espen Knutsen Anders Myrvold Bjorne Skaare Petter Thoresen

Poland Ralf Adamowski Wieslaw Jobczyk Russia Venjamin Alexandrov Alexander Almetov Vyacheslav Anisin Yevgeny Babich  Sergei Babinov Evgeny Belosheikin Yuri Blinov Vsevolod Bobrov Alexander Bodunov Vyacheslav Bykov Nikolai Drozdetsky Viacheslav Fetisov Anatoli Firsov Edward Ivanov Alexander Galimov Alexei Guryshev  Alexei Kasatonov Valeri Kharlamov Nikolai Khlystov Vladimir Krutov Viktor Kuzkin Igor Larionov Konstantin Loktev Vladimir Lutchenko Sergei Makarov Alexander Maltsev Boris Mikhailov  Grigori Mkrtychan Victor Nechaev Vladimir Petrov Stanislav Petukhov  Sergei Priakhin Alexander Ragulin Anatoli Semenov  Vladimir Shadrin Sergei Shepelev Viktor Shuvalov Alexander Sidelnikov Genrikh Sidorenkov Nikolai Sologubov Anatoli Tarasov Vladislav Tretiak Gennady Tsygankov Alexander Uvarov Valeri Vasiliev Alexander Yakushev Viktor Zinger Slovenia Janez Albreht Ernest Aljancic Rudi Hiti Slovakia Jiri Bicek Vladimir Dzurilla Jozef Golonka Vaclav Nedomansky Ladislav Trojak Sweden Monte Afzelius Lasse Bjorn Anders Eldebrink Leif Holmqvist Tumba Johansson Jorgen Jonsson Kenny Jonsson Eje Lindstrom  Mats Naslund Carl-Goran Oberg Borje Salming Ulf Sterner Lennart Svedberg Einar Svensson Hakan Wickberg Switzerland Paul Dipietro Pauli Jaks Richard "Bibi" Torriani USA Tony Amonte Hobey Baker Dave Christian Roger Christian Bill Cleary Bob Cleary Jim Craig  Herb Drury Mike Eruzione Moose Goheen Willard Ikola Steve Janaszak Mark Johnson Ray Leblanc  Joe Linder John Mayasich Jack McCartan Winthrop "Ding" Palmer David Quinn Mike Richter Andy Roach  Jim Sedin  Coddy Winters Scott Young Ken Yackel

John Devaney

Everyone remembers the 1980 Olympics as the year of the American Miracle On Ice upset victory over the Soviets. But Canada had a strong team that year. Though they never won a medal, Team Canada also came close to a miracle of their own.

Team Canada that year had several future NHLers, including future Hall of Famer Glenn Anderson, future Stanley Cup champion Randy Gregg, scoring star Paul MacLean as well as Jim Nill, Time Watters and Ken Berry.

But can you name who led Canada in scoring during the Lake Placid Olympics? Here's a couple of hints - this player never played any notable hockey after the Olympics and was never drafted by a NHL team.

Edmonton native John Devaney led all Canadian scorers with 4 goals and 7 points. But chances are you never heard of him. Let's see what we can learn about John Devaney.

Devaney grew up in Edmonton where his whole family was heavily involved in hockey. He was recruited by several universities in both Canada and the United States but for Devaney the choice was obvious. He would stay home and, like his three older brothers before him, play for the University of Alberta Golden Bears.

In three seasons with green and gold he helped Alberta win two CIAU University Cup national championships and three Canada West conference crowns. Devaney was a CIAU all star and top scorer.

In 1980 Father David Bauer invited Devaney to the Canadian national team program. Bauer was said to be impressed by Devaney's skillset which included "deceptive speed, head's up team play, superbe hand-eye coordination, and fierce competitiveness.

After the Olympics Devaney did play one season of professional hockey with EHC Visp in Switzerland. He returned to Edonton and completed his bachelor of commerce degree while also serving as an assistant coach with the Golden Bears.

He briefly kept coaching at the junior level but gave up the game in order to concentrate on building his career as a chartered accountant.

Stelio Zupancich

This is Stelio Zupancich. Very few people will remember that he represented Canada at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.

The 5'9" 180lb forward left the Oshawa Generals and joined the Canadian national team in 1979-80. The speedy forward made the final Olympic cut and played in Lake Placid alongside the likes of Glenn Anderson, Randy Gregg, Paul MacLean, Tim Watters and Jim Nill. Zupancich was not just a depth player, either, I might add. He scored 4 points in 6 Olympic games. Canada failed to medal in that tournament.

Never drafted by a NHL team Zupancich hung up his skates after the Olympics and he became a banker.

Years later he was in the headlines once again as the result of a generous gift from his birth mother. She had won the lottery and gave him $2 million, much to the chagrin of the rest of the mother's family who had no idea she had another soon from a previously failed marriage. This all came out in trials after his mother mysteriously died. Her long time husband, Dr. Joseph Roncaioli, was found guilty of manslaughter.

Steve Nemeth

The 1987 World Juniors are the most famous (perhaps I should say infamous) in tournament history. It will forever be remembered for the brawl featured below - The Punch Up In Piestany.



The bench clearing brawl saw eternal rivals Canada and the Soviet Union disqualified from the entire tournament, likely costing Canada a gold medal.

The 20 minute long event spurred one of the most popular books of the 2006 season. Gare Joyce filled over 350 pages in his text When The Lights Went Out.

The most interesting story in the book is that of Steve Nemeth. Nemeth is a little remembered forward on loan from the Canadian Olympic team. Nemeth did not even fight, yet all players in the game were suspended from all IIHF events for 18 months. Nemeth would lose his spot in the Olympic training program and ending his dream of playing in the 1988 Olympics in Calgary.

Nemeth was one of quite a few players from this Team Canada who did not have grand NHL careers that you would expect the top 20 Canadian junior players from any year to have. Scott Metcalfe, Everett Sanipass, Yvon Corriveau, Chris Joseph, Stephane Roy and goaltenders Shawn Simpson and Jimmy Waite were all footnotes in NHL history.

Nemeth, a WHL graduate, would turn pro that 1987-88 season and for the next two seasons he would apprentice in the minor leagues. He did get called up to the New York Rangers for 12 games and even scored 2 goals, but he was never to return.

Nemeth would play for Dave King's Canadian national team for the next three seasons before elongating his hockey career in Britain for most of the 1990s.