1971: A charity pancake breakfast attended by the Seattle Totems at Bellevue Junior High School. I struck up a conversation with a great defenseman and all-around nice guy, John Hanna. I asked him if the Totems were a professional or semi-professional team as I had been having a debate about it with a friend of mine that went along the lines of: "They're semi-pro." "No they're not. They're pro." "No, they're not." "Yes they are." "No..." "Yes..." .
John Hanna assured me that the Totems were indeed professional. He then explained to me in great detail how the minor league system worked in hockey. Using a placemat, he drew an outline of North America, then proceeded to show me all the various leagues across the continent: the Western League, the Central League, the International League, the American League, the Eastern League. He explained that the one major league - the National Hockey League - used these minor leagues as a feeder system to bring up and send down players. I learned more about hockey in the 20 minutes I sat with him than I had my entire life up to that point. I was 10.
Close call and silver linings
8 hours ago
2 comments:
Not only breakfasting with champions but getting the official scoop, too. That's a good half-day's work!
..and I never had to leave the comfort of our alma-mater!
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