It was inevitable that Eddie Shore would become a professional hockey player and it was just as certain that he would become one of the very best. Some believe Shore was the most accomplished man to ever lace up a pair of skates (Beddoes, 1973). It is unquestionable that Shore was one of the best, most durable and most bizarre players ever to play in the N.H.L. Shore began his life in Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, soon moving to Cupar where he spent the rest of his early years. Shore was first recruited to play in Melville with the Millionaires. He then moved up to the professional ranks with the Regina Capitals who folded, sending Shore to Edmonton. Soon after his arrival in Edmonton, Shore was nicknamed the "Edmonton Express". It was also here that Eddie met his wife, Kate Macrae, of the famed Edmonton Grads basketball team. Shore next moved to the N.H.L. with the Boston Bruins whom he played with most of his career. Shore's accomplishments as a player still stand as a testament to "The Babe Ruth of Hockey" (Beddoes, 1973). Shore never stopped giving to hockey. After his retirement as a player, he became owner and coach of the Springfield Indians, giving the game of hockey back everything he had gained from it. Shore died in 1985, but the memory of the Bruins #2 racing down the ice in an attack on his opponent's goalie will always live in the minds of hockey fans.

The first rink in Cupar was an open air effort situated in Railway Avenue. The
dimensions were a mere 44 feet by 100 feet, but this rink would be the first ice Eddie Shore would skate on (Ward, 1980). Who could have guessed that a small sheet of ice in southern Saskatchewan could produce such a hockey player?Eddie Shore was born in Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, on November 25, 1902 (Werner, 1988). At the age of five Eddie's father T.J.Shore acquired a lot of land in the Cupar District and moved his family to the growing community (Turner, 1993).

Eddie started school in Cupar in 1909 and attended for a few years. Eddie was never regarded as a scholar by his classmates. Walter Turner sat in front of Eddie in fourth grade and was in charge of correcting his spelling lessons. Walter recalls that if the class was assigned 20 words to spell, Eddie would misspell 18 of them. Eddie also skipped school quite often, and spent the winter days playing hockey in the outdoor rink when he should have been in class (Turner, 1994). The young Shore also had several disagreements with his teacher and was expelled from classes several times (Turner, 1994).

Shore was not a child who had very much free time to learn the complex skills needed for hockey. His father T.J. owned cattle and raised horses on his farm southwest of Cupar (Werner, 1988). Eddie was expected to do a lot of the work on the farm, with his older brother Aubrey. Eddie's big break came in 1911 when it was decided that a new enclosed rink would be built in Cupar for four thousand dollars (Ward, 1980). T.J. Shore financed the building of that first indoor rink and nine year old Eddie was given a key (Werner, 1988).

The war of 1914 to 1918 played havoc with hockey teams of that era. Eddie and his brother Aubrey still played with the Cupar team through those tough times (Ward, 1980). The weather also caused problems for the teams. In fact in the 1914-15 season, the first hockey game was not played until February 22 because of the warm weather (Ward, 1980).It was sometime right after the end of World War One that Eddie went to Manitoba to attend the Agricultural College. At this stage in his life Eddie had still not acquired great skill at the game of hockey. In fact, he did not even earn a place on the school's hockey team when he was in the Agricultural College (Liss, 1972). It was his time in Manitoba, however, that pushed him to take up hockey seriously. It is not known whether it was his iron-willed determination (Liss, 1972) or his older brother's taunts (McKinley, 1993) which caused him to dive head first into the game of hockey. Whatever the reason, Shore took up the sport which was to become his life and his passion. Shore never became a beautiful skater, but what he lacked in grace he made up for in his fiercely competitive and uncompromising nature which was a reflection of his frugal prairie ethics (Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, undated).

From 1919 to 1923 Cupar had a very good Saskatchewan Intermediate C hockey team with Shore at its center (Turner, 1993). This team went to the finals in their league three times. Twice, special trains were chartered to take the hockey team and their fans from Cupar to the final game, once to Moose Jaw and once to Saskatoon (Turner, 1993). The team's coach at that time was Heeb Sellars. Heeb recounted a story of the team's trip to Moose Jaw for the final game. Apparently throughout the first period of the championship game Eddie Shore was having trouble skating. He was continually tripping and falling to the ice, rendering himself useless to the team. Many of the fans and players believed Eddie was intoxicated and therefore unable to play. However, Heeb states that he was with Eddie that entire day and swears Shore did not touch a drop of alcohol.. It was later discovered that Shore's skates were sharpened backwards by a man at the Moose Jaw rink. With no proof of this action, the team went home after a loss to the Moose Jaw team (Turner, 1993).

It was another such game against Melville that boosted Shore's career as a hockey player. In 1922 Cupar won the Southern Championships against Moose Jaw and went on to meet Melville in the provincial final for the Henderson Cup. Many fans followed the team and Shore put on quite a show for the hometown fans. Many believe this is why Shore was asked to play for the Melville Millionaires in the 1923-24 season (Ward, 198?).

It was around this time that Eddie's father T.J. became involved in a business deal in British Columbia. T.J. set up a bolt company in B.C. which eventually went out of
business, costing T.J. and his investors a lot of money. At that time T.J. returned to
Cupar. One day, right before a meeting with two of the investors in the bolt company, T.J. hung himself (Turner,1993). It is not known how this event affected Eddie or his brother and sisters.

Aubrey Shore, Eddie's older brother by two years, played hockey with the Cupar team at the same time Eddie did. Many have said that Aubrey was as good, if not a better hockey player than Eddie. Aubrey went on to play with the Melville Millionaires and the Regina Aces (Western Producer, 1980). Aubrey's drinking problem is apparently what kept him from going on to an N.H.L. career as his brother did (Shore, 1994).

For the 1923-24 season Eddie Shore played for the Melville Millionaires. This team was not professional, therefore Eddie had to work as a fireman for the railway while he was there (Turner, 1994). It was here that Eddie first had to prove himself as a force to be reckoned with in hockey.During a championship game against Winnipeg, the coach of the Millionaires instructed Eddie not to take a penalty, no matter what. Eddie complied. As the game progressed, the Winnipeg players figured out what was going on and began to come at Shore from all angles. Eddie played a full 50 minutes of the game, until he was rendered insensate for the third time. He was carried unconscious into the dressing room. He had a broken jaw, a broken nose and had lost six teeth (Diamond, 1991).

At that game, the manager of the Saskatoon team, which was in the same league as the Millionaires, was watching from the stands, checking out the new talent of the Millionaires. Throughout the game the manager noticed that Shore was not retaliating when he was pushed and shoved by the opposing team. The manager of the Saskatoon team assumed Eddie was a coward and instructed his team to give Shore the works at the next game (Liss, 1972). When Melville visited Saskatoon, the manager told one of his best players, Bill Cook, to shove Shore around. At the very first opportunity, Cook slammed Eddie into the boards and was unexpectedly sent flying halfway across the rink by Shore (Liss, 1972). After that episode, Shore was greatly respected by his opponents. The following season Shore turned professional, with the Regina Caps.

In the same year the Boston Bruins first joined the N.H.L., Eddie Shore, who would
later become one of their most famed players, joined his first professional team. The Regina Caps were part of the Western Hockey League along with teams from
Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, Calgary and Saskatoon (The Leader, Nov. 4, 1924).It was with this team that Eddie enjoyed his first and last season playing as a forward. Eddie was recruited by Wes Champ, the owner of the Capitals at that time. Eddie was one of the only players to be brought onto the Capitals team that year; most of the other players had played with Regina the previous season (The Leader, Oct. 31, 1924).

Champ was pleased with Shore's performance in Regina and was quoted as referring to Shore as, "not only a fast skater but a flashy attacker as well, and he carries the weight to make him a hard man to stop," (The Leader, Nov. 12, 1924, p.9).

The Regina Capitals pulled out of the Western Canada Hockey League the next year with the players going to a new team from Portland (Edmonton Journal, Nov. 6, 1925). Eddie was then traded to Edmonton with two other players (Edmonton Journal, Nov. 6, 1925).

The November 3, 1925 edition of the Edmonton Journal carried an article which talked of how Canada's great winter past-time had reached the big money class. The article commented on how hockey players were getting more money than any other professional athletes were. This was the year that Eddie Shore went to the Edmonton Eskimos, on his way to becoming one of those "big money" players. Shore is lucky that the opportunity to play in Edmonton was offered to him, for this year would prove to be a fateful one. The team almost did not play in Edmonton at all due to problems with the city over a fair wage clause. The owner of the Eskimos, Kenny MacKenzie, would not sign the agreement for lease of the Arena while the fair wage clause was in it (Edmonton Journal, November 6, 1925). MacKenzie entered intonegotiations with Regina over the possible transfer of the team. Regina's team, the Capitals, withdrew from the league only the season before. The rumors of the move spread throughout the city, and alternatives, such as moving the Saskatoon Sheiks to Edmonton were looked at (Edmonton Journal, Nov. 6, 1925). MacKenzie was reportedly offered a very good price for the franchise by Regina, although no details were released to the press. MacKenzie stated that he was interested in Regina because of the fan support the city had shown for the Capitals, which was lacking in Edmonton in the 1923-24 season causing MacKenzie to lose approximately $13,000 (Edmonton Journal, Nov. 10, 1925). The city of Edmonton would not accept that the fate of its team lay in another city. A Boosters' Committee was set up and set about attempting to retain the Eskimos (Edmonton Journal, Nov. 13, 1925). The Committee guaranteed to owner Mackenzie that $10,000 worth of reservations would be sold. After meeting with the Committee one Saturday night, the team owner decided to keep the team in Edmonton on the promise that $10,000 of reservations would be sold (Edmonton Journal, Nov. 16, 1925).

The fact that the city of Edmonton wanted to keep the Eskimos was a lucky one for
Shore. Eddie played well in Alberta, where he donned the nickname of the Edmonton Express. In one game against the Calgary Tigers Shore played a particularly dazzling game despite the fact that the ice was very heavy and that he and three of his team mates were "bleeding profusely from gashed heads," (Edmonton Journal, Jan. 25, p.19). It was also here that Shore played with the other star of the team, Duke Keats.

It was during this year in Edmonton that Shore met his future wife, Kate Macrae.
Kate was a member of the famous Edmonton Grads Basketball Team (Shore, 1994). Shore also bought a farm in Edmonton, planning to stay in the city for a few years while playing with the Eskimos (Turner, 1994).

Shore came to the forefront of hockey in that year in Edmonton. Local newspapers
reported him as having become a star since leaving Regina (Edmonton Journal, March 4, 1926). It was with Shore, that the Edmonton Eskimos went on to place first in the final league standings, earning them a bye into the final playoff series (Edmonton Journal, March 11, 1926). It was in this playoff series in which Shore obtained one of his first major injuries. In one of the first games of the series Shore suffered a severe cut to his leg which required 14 stitches to close (The Story of Hockey, undated). It was not thought that he would play in the final game of the series, especially when he arrived in Vancouver on crutches before the game (The Story of Hockey, undated). It is reported that some of Shore's teammates kidded him about faking the injury to his leg, so to prove them wrong he went out and played (The Story of Hockey, undated). During the course of the game the stitches in his leg came out and blood seeped into his skate, yet Shore was the most brilliant player on the ice that night (The Story of Hockey, undated). In fact, in the Edmonton Journal the next day Shore was described as having made the "Vancouver fans rise on their hind legs and yell as he hurtled down the ice on rush after rush," (Edmonton Journal, March 25, 1926, p.15). Unfortunately the Eskimos were unable to defeat the Victorians who won the playoff and went on to lose to the Maroons in the Stanley Cup (Diamond, 1991).Shore was described as not looking absolutely fit when he stepped off the train from Vancouver (Edmonton Journal, March 25, 1926).

Throughout the 1925-26 season rumors of the collapse of the Western Canada Hockey League loomed. It was thought that the League would disband before the next season, with the Vancouver, Portland and Victoria clubs being kept intact as a Pacific Coast League (Edmonton Journal, Jan. 11, 1926). The main reason given for the disbandment was the lack of profitability found in the western cities for the hockey teams. It was thought that one of the teams of Saskatoon, Edmonton and Calgary would be sold to New York as its second club to operate in the National Hockey League (Edmonton Journal, Jan. 11, 1926).

This was a time when the game of hockey was trying to establish itself in the United
States. New American teams needed colorful, exciting players to attract crowds to the game (The Story of Hockey, undated). The rumors came into reality as the League ran aground and the directors of the League, Frank and Lester Patrick were auctioning off some excellent players at reduced prices. Adams, the Bruin owner at the time had $50,000 to purchase Shore and Keats in a seven man package (Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, undated).

It has been said that the first hockey dynasty was born when Shore pulled on the gold, white and black jersey. From that moment onward the Bruin adjective was tough (Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, undated). Shore has been called the "Babe Ruth of Hockey" and whether one believes this analogy or not, one thing is for certain,Shore became a big drawing card in the United States, helping to set up a game that was, until that time, struggling (Beddoes, 1973).

Shore crashed into the fairly new National Hockey League team leaving his reputation for playing good hard hockey behind him in Western Canada. In fact, the manager of the Bruins Art Ross was not even sure if Eddie could make it as a hockey player in Boston. His fears were soon put to rest as Eddie got in his first fight with his own team mate at training camp (Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, undated). Billy Coutu was a Bruin player who was not impressed by Shore's arrogant and icy manner. Coutu wanted to put Shore in his place. One day at training camp Coutu saw his opportunity. Billy skated as hard as he could at Shore, who was standing in front of the net. Shore saw Coutu coming and braced himself for the impact. Crouching low, Shore was able to remain standing as Coutu went crashing to the ice (de le Hay, Nov. 26, 1991). Shore's delight at having proven himself once again in a new city didn't last long. Shore discovered that he had not come out of the confrontation unscathed, his ear was mashed beyond recognition. The doctors told Shore he would have to have his ear removed but Shore, having his own brand of medical knowledge, would not accept this. He searched all day for a doctor that would reattach his ear. When he finally found one, the doctor asked him what type of anesthetic Eddie would like for the pain. Shore requested only a hand mirror, so he could watch the doctors stitching. Shore reportedly made the doctor change the very last stitch preventing a scar from forming (Beddoes,1973). Shore is quoted as telling the doctor that he was, "Just a prairie boy who did not want his looks messed up" (Beddoes, 1973).

 In the first two seasons the Bruins were in the League they finished fourth and sixth
respectively. In Eddie Shore's first season with Boston the team finished second in the American Division (de le Hay, Nov. 19, 1991).

Eddie's first season was characterized by clashes, especially with the Montreal
Maroons. At one point in time several Maroons decided they were fed up with Shore manhandling them so much. During one game one player tore open Eddie's cheek with his stick and another sliced his chin. Throughout the whole game Maroons hammered Shore. In the last minutes of the game a clout to the mouth knocked out several of Shore's teeth and left him unconscious on the ice for 14 minutes (Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, undated). In that one game Shore accumulated more wounds than most players do in a lifetime. He had a broken nose, three broken teeth, two black eyes, a gashed cheekbone, and a two inch cut above his left eye (Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, undated). Eddie returned to play in the very next Bruins game, stating, "This is all part of hockey, I'll pay off," (Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, undated). And indeed he did. Eddie's revenge came in the 1927 playoff series against the Maroons. Eddie skated and played like a mad man. He took on one player at a time, getting into two fist fights. He practically chased Montreal off the ice. Boston fans saw Shore as a hero as the Bruins went on to the semi-final against the Rangers (Liss, 1972).

The Bruins beat the Rangers handily, going on to the Stanley Cup against Ottawa. At the end of the series, Ottawa ended up on top winning the Cup for the fourth time (Hewitt, 1950). Many of the Boston players were upset at the officiating in the game, promoting Coutu to hit referee Jerry Laflamme. Calder, the League president, expelled Coutu from the League for life over this incident (Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, undated).

In his second season with Boston Shore accumulated a League record of 166 penalty minutes in only 43 games (Simpson, March 8, 1988). The next season was a bright one for Shore and the Bruins. Boston advanced into the Stanley Cup final against the defending Champions, the New York Rangers. The Bruins goalie, "Tiny"
Thompson played brilliantly, chalking up three shut outs in the total five game
series (McFarlane, 1976). With this player's amazing performance as well as
Shore's, the Bruins won their first Stanley Cup in 1929. Shore summed up
the victory by stating, "It seemed a fitting way to end the decade," (McFarlane, 1992,( p.67).

Shore was noted for things other than his playing ability. Eddie was quite a character off the ice as well as on. One of the most remembered and recited Shore stories happened on January 3, 1929. Richard Beddoes recounts the story in his book Hockey!. The Bruins had a game scheduled against the Maroons in the Montreal Forum. The custom in those days was for teams to take a train to their playing destination, usually leaving the night before the game was to be played. On January 2, all the Boston players were gathered outside Pullman, in North Station ready to depart, all except Shore. It turned out Shore was stuck in traffic in downtown Boston and missed the train to the game. Shore was quite a determined man, and, under the circumstances, had few alternatives if he wanted to make the game, plane or automobile. When Shore attempted to arrange for a flight to Montreal he was informed that all flights were canceled because of a severe sleet storm which wasdeveloping. Shore finally got hold of a wealthy friend who offered him his limousine and chauffeur. At ll:30 p.m. Shore and the chauffeur finally left Boston amid a sleet storm that had taken full force. The weary chauffeur drove along at a creeping pace until the car skidded into the ditch. Shore insisted the chauffeur let him drive which he gladly did. Shore soon came upon an all night gas station where he purchased a set of tire chains before continuing northward. By this time the sleet storm had turned into a blizzard reducing visibility to virtually nothing. Soon the wiper blade froze to the window, prompting the stubborn Shore to remove the top half of the windshield exposing himself and the chauffeur to the icy wind. At about 5 a.m. the tire chains gave out just as Eddie rounded a curve, spotting a gas station ahead. Shore had to awaken the attendant to purchase a new set of tire chains and some gas before heading out again into the storm. The car slid off the road four more times before the pair reached the Canadian border, but each time the two were able to get the car free. At 3 the following afternoon Shore was near exhaustion handing the wheel over to the chauffeur, telling him to drive in the middle of the road at 12 miles per hour. No sooner had Eddie fallen asleep than the car was in the ditch. Luckily there was a farmhouse a mile away. Eddie went to the farm and paid eight dollars for a team of horses which he harnessed and used to pull the car out of the ditch. At 5:30 p.m. Shore drove up to the Windsor Hotel and staggered into the lobby. Art Ross knew he was in no shape to play hockey. Shore ate the traditional pre-game meal of steak with the rest of the team and retired for a short nap before the game. It took several glasses of cold water on Shore's face before he awoke. Ignoring protests from Ross, Shore dressed and played in the game. At 8:20 in the second period, Shore scored the only goal of the game. The Bruins won the game because of Shore's treacherous journey.

Shore and the team made history again in its playoff games against Toronto in 1933. This series went the full five games with four of them going into overtime.
The last and deciding game of the series began on April 3, 1933 and went well into
April 4 (McFarlane, 1976). The game finally ended in the sixth overtime period when
Toronto intercepted one of Eddie's passes and scored on the Bruin goal tender.
Toronto had little time to celebrate, however, as they had advanced onto the finals and had another game against the Rangers that very same day. Toronto was exhausted from the game against Boston and the Rangers won the game and the Cup handily (McFarlane, 1976).

Shore is remembered for another incident which occurred on the ice. Unfortunately
this incident was not one that is recalled in jest. Shore was known for his hard hitting
hockey style. Most of Shore's hits were clean ones, those being devastating enough to an opposing player (Beddoes, 1973). The hit Shore is famous for was one most recall as being on the other side of the rules. It happened on December 12, 1933 in the Boston Gardens as the Bruins played Toronto. Shore had been suffering a slump prior to the game. The New York Times of December 13, 1933 called the game a rough one with both teams being guilty of almost every crime in the hockey code. It was midway in the second period when Toronto was down two men because of overlapping penalties (de le Hay, Dec. 3, 1991). Shore had the puck and was heading out of his own end when Clancy's stick hit Shore's skate causing him to fall and lose the puck (Beddoes, 1973). Shore got up and headed straight for Ace Bailey, who haddropped back into Clancy's position. It is not known whether this was mistaken retaliation or if it was a random act on the closest Leaf, with Bailey happening to be the unlucky one (Beddoes, 1973). Shore hit Bailey across the kidneys with his right shoulder causing Bailey to do a backward somersault landing on his head with a resounding crack (Beddoes, 1973). Bailey lay there with his head turned sideways, as if his neck were broken, and his knees bent and twitching ominously. Shore retreated to his defensive position as if nothing had happened. Horner, who was on the ice at the time of the incident, went up to Shore asking him why he had done that. Shore, not yet knowing the gravity of the situation simply smiled, infuriating Horner who hit
him with a right uppercut. Shore fell to the ice and split his head open and was soon
surrounded by a pool of his own blood (Beddoes, 1973). Both players were carried
off the ice.

Shore required seven stitches to close the gash in his head (New York Times, Dec. 13, 1933). Bailey was unconscious for ten minutes while rescue workers tried to revive him. He was said to have a cerebral concussion (de le Hay, Dec. 3, 1991). The Leafs' manager Connie Smyth became involved in a fist fight with several spectators outside the Toronto dressing room as he was trying to get to Bailey. He allegedly hit one fan, Leonard Kentworthy and injured his eye. Kentworthy charged Smyth with assault (New York Times, Dec. 13, 1933). The Leafs went on to win the game but were showered with debris when they left the ice. At the end of the game, a bandaged Shore made his way to Bailey's side saying, "Ace, I'm sorry, I had no reason to do that to you. I hope you forgive me. I didn't mean to hurt you," Bailey replied, "O.K. Eddie. All part of the game," (Liss, 1972).

Many do not know that Bailey's father was listening to that game on the radio at his home in Toronto. When he heard of the accident he packed his bags for Boston, carrying a gun with him. This man had every intention of shooting Shore upon his arrival but quick planning on the part of the Leaf officials stopped this from happening. The officials intercepted him at the Boston airport and gave him a spiked drink before sending the drowsy man back to Toronto on a train (McFarlane, 1991). Bailey almost died from the head injury he sustained that night. Many wanted Shore kicked out of the game of hockey, while others wanted him brought up on murder charges should Bailey had died (de le Hay, Dec. 3, 1991). Bailey did recover, however, even though his funeral plans had been made and his death had been announced three times (Beddoes, 1973). Bailey never berated Shore for what occurred on that night, even though Bailey never played hockey again (McFarlane, 1991). The next year's All Star Game was turned into a benefit game for Bailey, and when Eddie Shore asked to play on the team, the Gardens sold out (de le Hay, Dec. 3, 1991). On February 14, 1934, Eddie Shore and Ace Bailey met at center ice at the Maple Leaf Gardens. Shore and Bailey faced each other, and as the silent crowd watched they shook hands as the crowd cheered in a standing ovation (Beddoes, 1973). Elmer Ferguson of the Montreal Herald wrote,

As a result of his actions Shore was suspended for 16 of 44 games, most of
which he spent in the hospital recovering from his own injuries (Beddoes, 1973).
From that day on Shore wore an improvised helmet to protect his head (de le Hay, Dec. 3, 1991). Bailey still has a metal plate in his head from the incident (Hill, 1994).
Shore's playing style was not affected by this incident nor was his bizarre character.
Shore had a flair for showmanship which the Bruins encouraged in order to sell more tickets. One example of this behavior occurred one night when the game was about to start and Shore had not yet come onto the ice. At this time the band began to play "Hail to the Chief" as Shore came out onto the ice donning a matador's cape (de le Hay, Nov. 26, 1991).

Because or despite these outlandish acts, Shore was not liked by many of his
team mates or opponents. Eddie earned himself nicknames such as the "Iceman" and "The Machine on Skates" because of his cold, arrogant attitude. Regardless of theplayers' attitudes, fans paid money to see him play, making him a very important
commodity for the Bruins (de le Hay, Nov 26, 1991). Shore did have a special
relationship with one other player by the name of King Clancy. Clancy was an
outstanding player for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He never failed to irk Shore during a game. One incident occurred in 1936 in the Stanley Cup semi-final. Red Horner
scored a goal while standing at the edge of the crease, causing much protest from the Bruin team. Clancy skated over to Shore and said, "Lousy break Eddie. You've been robbed. Don't let him get away with it," (Diamond, 1992). This prompted Shore to shoot the puck at referee Odie Cleghorn, hitting him, and drawing a two minute penalty. On route to the box, Shore picked up the puck and threw it into the standscausing him to receive a ten minute misconduct penalty as well (Diamond, 1992). Toronto went on to win the game and the series because of this.

Shore rarely fought with Clancy because of the King's smooth tongue. One game Clancy hit Eddie hard causing Shore to det up dropping his gloves in preparation for a fight. As Shore drew back his right hand, ready for a punch, Clancy grabbed his right, shaking it warmly. "Hi Eddie, the family O.K.?" he stated (Liss, 1972). Even the fiery Shore had to laugh and shake his head as he skated away.

Shore, although being known for giving out many an injury, was also known for taking quite a few (Turner, 1993). In his career Shore accumulated 900 stitches on
his body, fractures of his back, hip and collarbone, had his nose broken 14
times, his jaw cracked five times and every tooth in his mouth knocked out (Beddoes, 1973). Most of the time these injuries did not keep Shore from playing. At one game in Madison Square Garden, Eddie collided with the goal post and broke three ribs. The team was to leave for Montreal for a game the next day and therefore Shore was entrusted to the care of a physician. After dropping Eddie at a nearby hotel the doctor went to sign up for a hospital bed. When he returned Shore and his luggage were gone–to Montreal! Shore arrived in time to play in the game against the Canadians where he scored two goals and got one assist (Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, undated).

One injury did keep Eddie out for over half of a season. It was 1937 when Eddie
suffered a cracked vertebra after a collision with the boards in New York. He was
out for the season after only 20 games (Diamond, 1991). The next year Eddie
returned with a healed back and a vengeance. The Bruins won the Stanley Cup thatyear against the Rangers (McFarlane, 1978). Eddie won his fourth Hart Trophy for
his playing that year (Diamond, 1991).

Mel Hill, a man from Saskatoon, came upon the scene in Boston in 1939. At this
time, he recalls Eddie being treated like royalty by the team. Eddie took his own taxi
to games, always had a private room on road trips, and had the trainer set out his
clothes before each game (Hill, 1993). Despite this great treatment, it was in the
1939-40 season that Art Ross began looking into trading Shore. At this same time
Eddie was expanding his focus to include the possibility of owning and operating his own hockey team. Shore bought the Springfield Indians in 1939 for $42,000. Ross, upon finding out, was very angry and tried to humiliate Shore in the local media (Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, undated). The two came to an agreement that Shore would play in Boston in emergencies after December 15. Ross tried to get Eddie to come back before this date, stating the team had already experienced an emergency (Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, undated). Eddie played in three games, scoring his final goal as a Bruin on December 5, 1939. Shore grew tired of Ross's games and refused to play for the team. Ross then traded Shore to New York for one player and some cash (Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, undated). The Shore era in Boston was over.

In his 15 years with Boston, Shore had never signed a contract without holding
out for more money (The Story of Hockey, undated). This frugalness would carry
over into his coaching career. The Bruins had Eddie Shore to thank for the 129
goals and 191 assists which he scored over his years with them (Leader Post, June 15, 1990). In total Eddie received the Hart Trophy four times (1933, 1935, 1936, 1938), was placed on the first All Star team six times (1931, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1939), and the second All Star team once (1934) (Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame).

Shore is described by those who knew him as a hard rock player (Swick, 1994).
Many of today's defense men outscore him but none are tougher or more courageous. Liss quotes an old man at an Americans' game in 1940 in his book Hockey's Greatest All- Stars as saying, "He's the last of the breed. When he's gone, there won't be any
more like him." Liss sums up his chapter on Shore by stating, "In hockey's Hall of
Fame, when someone says the word ‘defense man', the next words uttered are ‘Eddie Shore'."

After a short time with the New York Americans Eddie hung up his skates and took to coaching his Springfield Indians full-time. Eddie soon became the most unusual
owner hockey has ever seen. Shore was known to open training camps by having his players tap dance in the lobby of a hotel, to have his players do ballet steps on the ice, tape players' hands to their sticks if they were in the improper position, and lock a referee out of his dressing room as punishment for poor officiating (Beddoes, 1973).

The players who served under Shore have many stories to tell about the ex-Bruin.
Don Johns recalled an incident when Shore attempted to tell him why he was not a
better hockey player. Eddie told Johns that he would improve if he parted his hair on
the other side and that it would help him because he would have something else to
think about (Beddoes, 1973). Johns also recalled an incident with a rookie when
Shore wanted him to skate with his legs closer together. To accomplish this Shoretook a piece of cord and tied the player's legs together and told him to skate (Beddoes, 1973). Shore had exact ideas about technique in the game of hockey. Eddie believed that a player's hands had to be two feet apart on the stick, the legs had to be 11 inches apart and that skating should be done in a sort of sitting position (Beddoes, 1973). One practice this point was brought home to Guidolin who had just made a perfect pass to another player who scored a goal. Shore called Guidolin over, asking him what he thought he had done wrong. Guidolin, in complete confusion, told Shore he thought it had been a good play. Shore replied, "Mister Guidolin, your legs were two inches too far apart," (Beddoes, 1973). Another such incident occurred when Don Cherry was playing under Shore. Cherry recalls that after goalie Claude Evans once turned in a 5-0 shutout, Shore marched into the dressing room and fined Evans 50 dollars because he did not bend his knees (Cherry, 1982).

However strange Shore's tactics may have appeared, it has now been shown that they are well-grounded in physiological theory. Kent Douglas once commented that
studying under Shore was like getting your doctorate in hockey science (Beddoes,
1973). Shore also defended his rule that his players take tap dancing lessons. He
explained that dancing improves balance, and balance is the foundation of any athlete's ability (Beddoes, 1973). Perhaps a down point to Shore's coaching was his expectations that players would be as tough as he was in their hockey playing style. One player by the name of Kilrea related a story of Shore's unrealistic expectations. Kilrea had suffered a double fracture of the jaw in one game. While he was in the hospital, he received a phone call from Shore telling him to go back to the rink. Kilrea thought Shore was being a concerned owner, and so went back to the rink.Shore ordered Kilrea and Eagan, the assistant coach at the time, to go and get dressed in full equipment. Eddie then told the two to go to opposite ends of the rink and skate "like hell" at each other and butt heads. Shore was trying to find out how much pain Kilrea could take to decide whether to put him in the next game (Guay, Feb. 5, 1989).

Shore was also known for his antics during games. Once he was so enraged by a
referee's call, he took his entire team off the ice for one play. The goalie was left to
fend for himself and managed to fall on the puck before the other team scored. Shorethen conceded to put his players back on the ice (Beddoes, 1973). Another time Shore directed his anger toward a player on the opposing team. After manhandling a few Springfield players, the Baltimorian was sent to the penalty box which was beside the Indians' bench. Shore walked down the bench and yelled to the player that if he were a few years younger, he would knock the dickens out of him (Beddoes, 1973). That did not satisfy Eddie, however. When Baltimore went on to win the game Eddie ran to the announcer's box and began calling the referee every name he could think of to protest the loss (Beddoes, 1973).

Shore is also remembered as a very frugal coach. Billy McCreary recalled how, when he played under Shore, that the players were only allowed to tip the cab drivers 15 cents. Eventually it got to the point where the Indians could not get a cab ride because no driver would pick them up (Beddoes, 1973). Shore also got out of many bonus contracts with players. If any player was getting close to the 30 goal mark, at which point they would get a bonus, Shore would bench them so the mark could not be reached (Beddoes, 1973).

Shore used to keep players who were injured busy, despite their inability to play
hockey. These players became known as Shore's Black Aces. They were forced to do odd jobs such as paint arena seats, sell programs, make popcorn, and blow up balloons (Beddoes, 1973). Shore also got extra work out of his coaches. The coaches were not only required to do the same jobs as the Aces were, one coach reportedly repaired Shore's house (Beddoes, 1973). It was common knowledge, however, that Shore would never give any player or coach a job he would not do himself. In fact, when Shore first owned the Indians, he would sometimes play for them when the team was short. Eddie would be seen out parking cars ten minutes before the game started,making a mad dash to change and make it on the ice for the drop of the puck (Cherry,1982). One day the Black Aces took advantage of Shore's frugalness to repay him for all the work they were required to do. Shore was changing light bulbs in the arena's ceiling. To do this Shore climbed up a platform and the players pushed him from bulb to bulb. At one point Shore was screwing in a light bulb with one hand and holding on to an overhead cable with the other. One of the Aces pushed the platform out from under Shore, leaving him hanging there from the cable. The players did not see Shore scream and yell for help, instead he calmly looked down and asked one of the players to return the platform to its proper place (Cherry, 1982). Eventually theAces pushed it back under him and he went on changing the bulbs (Beddoes, 1973).

Eddie's trading tactics were also questioned at times by the players. Once Shore
traded for a player named Smith. At the first practice Smith came into the dressing
room and was immediately questioned by Shore about the whereabouts of his goalie pads. Smith, confused, replied he was not a goalie but a forward. Shore had tradedfor the wrong Smith (McFarlane, 1991). Another time Shore traded player Jake Milford to Buffalo for a pair of goal nets. He later commented he had gotten a bad deal stating he had thought the nets were newer (Duff, March 19, 1985).

Due to varying circumstances Shore was moved from the Indians to the Buffalo
Bisons back to Springfield and then to the Syracuse Warriors. Finally in 1954 he
returned to Springfield for good. Over his many years of coaching, managing and
owning professional hockey teams, Shore, with various teams, won the Calder Cup six times (Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, undated).

Shore's hard-nosed tactics did get him into hot water in 1966-67. The players on his
team went on strike, protesting against his hard-nosed tactics. They were represented by a lawyer named Alan Eagleson. This development triggered the formation of the National Hockey League Players Association, of which Eagleson became President (Duff, March 9, 1985). Shore sold the Springfield players to Los Angeles after the strike was over. This was one of the few setbacks Shore ever experienced, and his prestige suffered (Beddoes, 1973).

It was also in 1966 that the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame was opened in Regina. It is thought that at this time Shore was asked if he would let his name stand to be considered and he refused (Tiefenbach, May 11, 1985). It may be possible that the incident with the players' strike had injured Shore to such an extent that he did not want to be recognized by his home province.

Shore sold the Springfield Indians team in 1976 to George Leary ( Edmonton Sun,
March 18, 1985).

Shore was one of the first inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame when he was
elected in 1947 (de le Hay, Nov. 19, 1991). He was also awarded the Lester Patrick
Trophy in 1970 for outstanding service to hockey in the United States (de le Hay,
1991). In 1990, Shore was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame
(Scott, July 17, 1990).

Shore kept in touch with his friends in Cupar, after leaving in 1923. Brock Turner,
while serving as president of the hockey league in Cupar, wrote Shore a letter,
requesting some plays which his teams could use. Shore responded quickly with a
couple of plays which, Brock recalls, worked very well (Turner, 1993).

In the late 1980s N.H.L. managers and coaches were asked to select a dream team
from any players in the history of the N.H.L. Most of the players chosen were those
one would expect: Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Jean Beliveau, Gordie Howe and so
on. One player was chosen from the League's formative era, Eddie Shore (de le Hay, Nov. 19, 1991).

No matter what Shore did, it is known that hockey was always his passion. Later in his life, Shore also became part owner of the Ice Capades (Turner,1994). Perhaps he would spend any amount of money to stay involved in skating.Eddie Shore died in Springfield, Mass., on March 17, 1985 after being in the hospitalfor a month ( Edmonton Sun, March 18, 1985). Shore left a son Edward Jr. and four grandchildren, but was predeceased by his wife (Leader Post, March 18, 1985). Funeral services were held at 10 a.m. on March 21, 1985 at Christ Church Cathedral in Springfield (Leader Post, March 18, 1985). Many were shocked to hear of Shore's death, because, after surviving eight heart attacks and surgery for cancer,many believed him to be invincible. Shore may be gone, but he will never be
forgotten.

Eddie Shore was a player admired and respected by many, liked by some and
understood by very few. He was born in rural Saskatchewan and grew up in the small town of Cupar which had only an outdoor rink for him to skate on. His childhood was not easy, but hockey was his release. He mastered the skills of the game later in life, moving up through the ranks of Cupar, Melville, Regina, Edmonton and eventually to the Boston Bruins. It was in Boston where Shore made hockey history, revolutionizing the role of the defense man. Shore was the first defense player to take the puck into the offensive zone on attacks quite frequently. Shore had an incredibly successful career as a hockey player. His love for the game continued after he retired as a player, when he became owner and coach of the Springfield Indians. He was known as a tyrant at practice, but also taught many players what they needed to know to make it to the N.H.L. Shore gave his life for hockey, yet was never fully compensated for the millions of dollars he drew for the N.H.L. as a player. Shore also invested more of his time instructing young players than did all other hockey club owners combined. No owner could match Shore's claim of putting every cent he got out of hockey back into the sport. The stories now told about Shore are reminders of the bizarre behavior and the expanse of knowledge this man exhibited. Shore summed it up best himself saying, "Most of us are a little crazy in one way or another, some of us admit it. As for me, I'm not sorry about anything I've done in my life." (Beddoes, 1973). The memory of the boy from Cupar, the Edmonton Express, and the big bad Bruin live on.

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