Old-Timey Hockey Violence

Greatest Hockey Legends features an excerpt from the book Hamilton’s Hockey Tigers that details some borderline grotesque hockey violence.

Here’s a neat/disturbing little 1920’s newspaper story re-told in the book “Hamilton’s Hockey Tigers.” It’s about the particularly intense rivalry between Hamilton goalie Jakie Forbes (pictured) and Montreal great/ruffian Newsy Lalonde.

“As he (Lalonde) sped past Forbes he belted him with a right hand squarely across the face. Blood spurted out from the goaler’s nose and he took off after Lalonde, brandishing his stick like a lariat. In his frenzy he bowled over the referee, Cooper Smeaton, who jumped to his feet and threw his arms around Forbes. “Get back in goal you crazy little bugger!”

Later as Lalonde neared his net cradling the puck, Forbes gripped his stick in both hands readying an axe-swing at Lalonde’s head. But at the last instant the flying Lalonde spat a long a stream of tobacco juice into Jakie’s face, circled the net laughing, and pushed the puck into the goal past the sputtering Forbes.”

They just don’t make ’em like that anymore.