Wayne Gretzky On The Gray Cup? Enjoyable Details About NHL And CFL's Championship Trophies

Whereas American soccer and hockey are two vastly totally different sports activities, the Canadian Soccer League (CFL) and the NHL have shared connections for generations. That features hyperlinks between the Stanley Cup and Gray Cup.

Listed here are three enjoyable information in regards to the Stanley Cup and Gray Cup, which will likely be awarded on Sunday after the ultimate between the Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Gerry James: The Solely Man To Play In A Stanley Cup Last And Gray Cup In The Identical Season

Whereas his identify generally will get misplaced among the many nice athletes of the twentieth century, Toronto Maple Leafs proper winger and Winnipeg Blue Bombers operating again Gerry James deserves his prize for doing one thing that nobody else since has been capable of accomplish. From 1955 to 1960, James juggled enjoying within the NHL {and professional} soccer in Canada.

James, a member of the Canadian Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame, received the Gray Cup with Winnipeg 4 occasions between 1958 and 1962 and was the Canadian Soccer Council’s most excellent Canadian in 1954 and 1957. He additionally performed 149 profession NHL video games and recorded 40 factors.

On Nov. 28, 1959, he performed for the Blue Bombers in opposition to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. On Dec. 17, he made his season debut for the Leafs and later performed each playoff sport for them in a 4-2 semifinal win over the Detroit Crimson Wings and a 4-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens within the Cup ultimate. It is secure to say the chances of this taking place once more lean extra in the direction of “none” than “slim.”

Wayne Gretzky’s Title Is Engraved On The Stanley Cup And The Gray Cup

A whole bunch of individuals have their names on the Stanley Cup or the Gray Cup, however solely 5 persons are on each. Hockey’s best icon, Wayne Gretzky, is amongst a kind of individuals.

Most individuals know he received the Stanley Cup 4 occasions with the Edmonton Oilers. Nonetheless, some might not know that as an element proprietor of the Toronto Argonauts, his identify was retroactively added to the Cup in 2007 as a part of the 1991 championship staff. Gretzky was a part of an possession group that concerned then-Los Angeles Kings proprietor Bruce McNall and legendary Canadian actor John Sweet.

The opposite 4 names on the Stanley and Gray Cup are Normie Kwong, Carl Voss, Joe Miller, and Lionel Conacher – extra on him subsequent.

Canada’s Male Athlete Of The Half Century Has Gray Cup and Stanley Cup Titles

Whenever you lookup Conacher’s accomplishments and the numerous sports activities he excelled in, you marvel what sport he did not play.

A person who’s thought of Canada’s Jim Thorpe, an homage to the good American multi-sport athlete, Conacher is within the hockey, Canadian soccer, Canadian lacrosse and Ontario Sports activities Halls of Fame. He additionally performed minor league baseball and was an completed wrestler and boxer. In 1950, he was named Canada’s best male athlete of the half-century.

As for his exploits in soccer and hockey, the tales are legendary.

In 1921, Conacher led the Toronto Argonauts to the Gray Cup title with 221 speeding yards in a 23-0 win over the Edmonton Eskimos – it was the first-ever East-West Gray Cup sport.

Whereas Conacher did not begin skating till he was 16, he nonetheless discovered a strategy to have a protracted profession in hockey, enjoying 12 seasons and 498 NHL video games. The defenseman received two Stanley Cups, one with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1934 after which with the Montreal Maroons in 1935.

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