Pep Talk: Flames celebrating 25 years in NHL

[Lee]

As the Calgary Flames celebrate 25 years of the National Hockey League in Calgary Flames alumni and former captain Flame Jim Peplinski will share his memories in 10 separate articles, aptly titled Pep Talk. The articles will appear throughout the 2005-06 season first in Blaze Magazine and then here, on www.calgaryflames.com

I like to share this and keep a copy here

[Lee]

In his first article, Peplinski takes us back 25 years as he recalls his first experience at a Calgary Flames training camp.

Pep Talk # 1: A rookie at training camp in 1980

As Flight 117’s wheels touched down on the runway, I got my first glimpse of pump jacks – and Calgary. It was Sept. 5, 1980, and the weeks that lay ahead would be challenging and memorable. From Brad Marsh, Randy Holt, Bob Murdoch and Kevin Lavallee to Cliff Fletcher, Ian MacKenzie, Bob Johnson and hundreds more, the next 25 years would be an adventure.


Mornings started with a 5:30 a.m. wakeup call. I would throw on some sweats and grab a quick bite then head to the Max Bell Arena for a 7 a.m. workout.

The first week of training camp included two, two-hour scrimmages each day. Three periods, stop time and two referees. We had a three-hour break that included lunch, followed by a second scrimmage session. And then off-ice training for another hour.

If you were a veteran, or had poor judgment, you might go down to Lucifer’s or some other local watering hole after the formal agenda to discuss the day’s events. That meant sneaking back to the Marlborough Inn – our temporary home away from home – after curfew.

This training camp started off like most others except for one slight difference – conditioning. Upon arrival, all players had the standard medical and dental examinations, followed by “testing.” For the first time in many professional lives, players were actually measured on how hard they worked over the summer. What Al MacNeil and Pierre Page had talked about was really happening – the Calgary Flames would no longer be thought of as a country club.

The first morning we all assembled at McMahon Stadium and were required to run two miles in 12 minutes. John Brophy, head coach of the Birmingham Bulls, supervised the run around the track. Approximately 70 of us participated and to my recollection the only player to make the grade was Don Lever – boy could he run! I thought back to this day many times over my career, what a great lesson on the importance of fitness and proper preparation.

As September came to an end, we traveled to Lethbridge and Medicine Hat for exhibition games. For many of us, these were our first real professional games. Trips to St. Louis and Los Angeles proved we were in the pros, even though for some players these were the only games they would play in the National Hockey League.

By early October we were close to final cuts. We continued to practice hard, finishing off each session with weights and running. Our assistant coach Pierre Page would accompany the squad on every run!

The day came when the final decisions were to be made. I remember being called in to Cliff Fletcher’s office in the ATCO trailer next to the Corral. I’d given it my best, yet was sure I would be making my home in Alabama where the Bulls, the Flames farm team, was located. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. No one expected me to make it anyway.

It was a short discussion, one sided really, with only one guy talking – Cliff Fletcher. All I could say was, “thank you, you won’t be disappointed.”

I left the office in disbelief. I’d be starting the season in Calgary, in the NHL. It was the beginning of a long and memorable career, and the start of many more stories to come.

[Lee]

In this, his second article, Peplinski takes a look at the tough guys he played with and against during his 10 years in the NHL.

Pep Talk #2: The tough guys in the NHL

I came into the league on the heels of the Broad Street Bullies. You might remember them – Bobby Clarke, Mel Bridgeman, Glen Cochrane, Bob Daily and Behn Wilson. The names might bring back memories of a bygone era; if they don’t, well maybe that’s a good thing.
In the 70’s, justice it seemed was shared between the referee and the players. This left room for physical and mental intimidation which always made a substantial impact on the game’s outcome and more importantly on a playoff series.

Players like Larry Playfair, Dave Hutchison, Dave Semenko and Paul Holmgren impacted the game. They instilled fear into their opponents but they also made their teammates “comfortable” on the ice.

Calgary fans will remember some of our own tough guys, like Willi Plett, Tim Hunter and Randy Holt.

Willi burst upon the scene in Calgary in 1980 with his flowing, blond “helmetless” hair. He had a big shot off the right wing and proved he was more than tough when he scored 40 goals on a line with Kent Nilsson and Don Lever. For a time this was the most productive line in the NHL.

His size, strength and a natural mean streak made him a player to be reckoned with. I remember him scrapping with Jerry “King Kong” Korab of Los Angeles. He told me Jerry hadn’t stopped the altercation, so he took matters into his own hands, grabbed Jerry’s thumb and “snapped it like a chicken wing!”

I learned a lot from Willi. He stressed the importance of always protecting myself and ingrained in me the same message that Al MacNeil preached: “Never unknowingly put yourself in a position to be taken advantage of.” Good advice. I missed six games in 10 years due to injury.

Tim Hunter was also tough. He was never a bully and he was always fair and honourable, so much so that he could have been a knight. When someone was in distress or needed a hand, Tim was always there. And his commitment to conditioning and mental toughness was exemplary while he worked tirelessly on his skills.

Hunts always proved himself against the Oilers. There isn’t one event that stands out – there are 20. From his first altercation with Dave Semenko, who outsized Tim by 30 pounds and four inches, I never recall him losing. Tim made us all better, by his toughness but mostly by example. By the way, he says his nose has never been broken – believe it!

Original Flame Randy Holt was tough and courageous. At 5’10” he might have weighed 180 pounds. He set a single game penalty record that included three, count em’, three fights against Dave Semenko – all in the same game. Some would say he lost while others would say he tied, but everyone would agree he never gave up.

“Wrangler” could have lived in a western movie. He said little and spoke clearly, but his actions spoke legions.
I played on a line with Randy and Willi in the quarter finals against the Flyers in 1981 – a series that was mired by brawls. One night, when I arrived in the dressing room prematurely, Randy was already there – he had played against Paul Holmgren that game.

I asked how the brawl had started. He replied, “Holmgren came into the corner too fast after the whistle blew. He needs to show more respect – so I showed him some.”

Truer words were never spoken by a more courageous man.

[Lee]

Pep Talk #3: Unsung Heroes

by Jim Peplinski

When I came to Calgary in September of 1980 I don’t think I’d ever heard of Bob Murdoch. During the last 25 years, however, this has changed.

I did know Kevin Lavalee, who I played against in junior when I was with the Toronto Marlboros and he was with the Brantford Alexanders. Kevin’s nickname was Eddie, but I’ll tell you that story another time.

When I met Kevin in September 1980 in the lobby of the Marlborough Inn, home base during training camp, we got to talking about our roommates. I had Brad Marsh, the Flames’ captain. Kevin wasn’t sure who he had, so I asked if he could describe him.

“Well, he has a real big head, Coke-bottle-bottom glasses and he reads books thicker than I’ve ever seen. I think he might be a professor,” guessed Kevin.

Kevin’s roommate was Bob Murdoch, or Mud as his friends call him. He was a quiet, mostly stay-at-home defenceman with a quick, dry wit, uncommon common sense and a math degree from Waterloo. He also had Canadian National Team experience from 1968, a Stanley Cup championship in 1971 with Montreal and competitiveness and integrity that is the envy of most.

Bob roomed with Kevin in training camp. Al MacNeil paired me up with Bob for the 1980 and 1981 seasons. I was lucky—there’s nothing like being close to quality people. You see, winning teams share a unique bond. Finding ways to create and strengthen this bond is at the centre of a team’s success, and roommates are part of this tradition.

I knew I had a pretty special roomie when, late one night on the road, I heard Mud singing the ABC’s to one of his kids who was having a tough night back home in Calgary.

In my eyes, Mud is an unsung hero. He never got enough credit and scored occasionally, but boy, did he compete. He was always honest, always helpful, always funny.

We were playing Edmonton one night in the Corral. Mud went into the corner with Dave Semenko. There was fur flying, and Mud wouldn’t give an inch in the battle for puck possession. He got back to the bench and was bloodied—face all red, nose bleeding, looking real bad. So I asked him what happened, thinking there might be a score to settle and he said, “Leave it alone Pep, I hit myself in the face with my stick.”

I remember playing the Washington Capitals and taking a pass up the middle. I made the mistake of looking back and just as I turned around with possession, Darren Vietch hits me with a great shoulder check right in the middle of the chest. I went down like a ton of bricks. The wind was knocked out of me and I felt like I was going to die. I heard Mud’s voice right beside me saying, “Oh jeeze, did you hit him! He’s on the ice and not moving, they have to get a stretcher—wow did you hit him!”

I thought, “I wonder how I did that?” While I’m thinking this, I’m beginning to believe I’ll live. My breath is coming back slowly, I’m feeling better and I hear Mud say, “Oh my gosh, I think he’s dead.” I’m shocked. I looked up but there was no one there. Vietch may have brushed his shoulder off after he flattened me!

In Buffalo, Larry Playfair (yes, big brother to Flames Jim Playfair) pasted Mud against the boards. Mud went down and Bearcat ran out. Mud was hurt. I ended up in a fight with Playfair. After the fight, Mud came over to the penalty box and said to me, “It’s a good thing I softened him up first or he would have killed you.”

Mud was a great teammate. He competed hard and mentored by example and by sharing perspective. He went on to become an assistant coach with the Flames, first with MacNeil, then with Bob Johnson. He was Coach of the Year in the NHL in 1990 and was a very successful coach in Germany and Italy. I have moved from not knowing about the Bob Murdochs of the world to looking for them.

[The Chloe]

woot!

[Lee]

Flames were really, really cheap those days. Marlborough Inn! Yuck!!!!!