It’s that time of year when minds of young (and old) men of a certain
small-town Canadian demographic turn to: hockey.
Not long ago in this space, I wrote about the passing of hockey great Jean
Beliveau, a true gentleman of the game.
For those of us who cheered not for the Montreal Canadiens, Beliveau’s
team, but for two years with the Toronto Maple Leafs of that era, a man to watch
was Andy Bathgate.
In the US, hockey can too often be characterized by its brutal moments. (Seen
any lugs mowing down ice officials from behind lately?) But in my mind, it’s
players like Andy Bathgate (1932-2016), who epitomized the type of guy who
played hard, played right, and comported himself like a gentlemen. In fact, it
was Bathgate who in December 1959 produced a controversial article for True
magazine in which he warned that hockey’s “unchecked brutality is going to kill
somebody.” In those days, it took guts to take on the league – and when a
quality player like Bathgate spoke out, people listened.
I remember my mom clapping her hands with glee, calling him by his first
name as if he were family. When he won the Cup for the Leafs in 1964, real
tears were shed that day. Hockey as a game is great because of the
contributions of hockey players like Andy Bathgate.
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