Eddie Shack
Encyclopedia
Edward Steven Phillip Shack (born February 11, 1937), also known by the nicknames "The Entertainer" and "The Nose" is a retired Canadian
hockey
player who played for six National Hockey League
teams from 1959 to 1975,
Shack was born in Sudbury, Ontario
. His parents were Ukrainian immigrants.
Shack played junior hockey for the Guelph Biltmores of the OHA
for five seasons starting at the age of 15. His best season was 1956–57, where he led the league in assists and starred in the Memorial Cup
playoffs.
Signed by the New York Rangers
and playing half a season for their AHL
Providence Reds
farm team, he made the NHL
in the 1959 season and played two undistinguished seasons for the Blueshirts. In 1960 he was to be traded to the Detroit Red Wings
with Bill Gadsby
for Red Kelly
and Billy McNeill
but the transaction was cancelled when Red Kelly retired rather than be traded.
In November of the 1961 season, Shack was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs
, where he played five seasons on the left wing as a colourful, third-line agitator who was popular with the fans despite a lack of scoring prowess (Canadian hockey writer Stephen Cole
likened Shack's playing to 'a big puppy let loose in a wide field'). During the 1966 season Shack broke out, scoring his career high 26 goals on a line with Ron Ellis
and Bob Pulford
, and his popularity was such that a novelty song called Clear The Track, Here Comes Shack written in his honour and played by "Douglas Rankine with the Secrets". It reached #1 on the Canadian pop charts and charted for nearly three months.
Shack was a part of the Maple Leafs last Stanley Cup-winning team in 1967, even though his production fell significantly and he was traded in the fall of 1967 to the Boston Bruins
. Playing on the right wing on a line with Derek Sanderson
and Wayne Cashman
, Shack revived and scored 23 goals for the powerhouse Bruins team.
Injuries marred the following season, and he spent the next four seasons moving between the Los Angeles Kings
, the Buffalo Sabres
and the Pittsburgh Penguins
. Pittsburgh sold him back to Toronto for the 1974 season. But eroded by age and injuries Shack's skills had largely deserted him, and he retired after the 1975 season.
After retirement, Shack was a popular advertising spokesman in Canada, most notably for the Pop Shoppe soft drink
brand and a Schick
razor promotion (for which Shack shaved his mustache), and a welcome presence in many alumni all-star games. He also used his name for a small chain of doughnut
stores.
Shack also revealed that he had been illiterate most of his life and has become an advocate for literacy programs in his native Ontario.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player who played for six National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
teams from 1959 to 1975,
Shack was born in Sudbury, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. His parents were Ukrainian immigrants.
Shack played junior hockey for the Guelph Biltmores of the OHA
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
for five seasons starting at the age of 15. His best season was 1956–57, where he led the league in assists and starred in the Memorial Cup
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...
playoffs.
Signed by the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
and playing half a season for their AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
Providence Reds
Providence Reds
The Providence Reds were a hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League between 1926–1936 and the American Hockey League from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Reds. The team won the Calder Cup in 1938, 1940, 1949, and 1956...
farm team, he made the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
in the 1959 season and played two undistinguished seasons for the Blueshirts. In 1960 he was to be traded to the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
with Bill Gadsby
Bill Gadsby
William Alexander Gadsby was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Chicago Black Hawks, New York Rangers, and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League....
for Red Kelly
Red Kelly
Leonard Patrick "Red" Kelly, CM is a retired Canadian ice hockey player in the NHL. He played on more Stanley Cup winning teams than any player who never played for the Montreal Canadiens, and is the only player to be part of two of the nine dynasties recognized by the NHL in its history...
and Billy McNeill
Billy McNeill (ice hockey)
William Ronald McNeill was a professional ice hockey player in the NHL, WHL and AHL.- Early life :McNeill broke in with the local junior team, the Edmonton Oil Kings in 1951...
but the transaction was cancelled when Red Kelly retired rather than be traded.
In November of the 1961 season, Shack was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, where he played five seasons on the left wing as a colourful, third-line agitator who was popular with the fans despite a lack of scoring prowess (Canadian hockey writer Stephen Cole
Stephen Cole
Stephen Cole is a presenter for Al Jazeera English. Previously, he worked for the BBC.-Broadcasting career:...
likened Shack's playing to 'a big puppy let loose in a wide field'). During the 1966 season Shack broke out, scoring his career high 26 goals on a line with Ron Ellis
Ron Ellis
Ronald John Edward Ellis is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs.-Playing career:...
and Bob Pulford
Bob Pulford
Robert Jesse Pulford is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings in the National Hockey League...
, and his popularity was such that a novelty song called Clear The Track, Here Comes Shack written in his honour and played by "Douglas Rankine with the Secrets". It reached #1 on the Canadian pop charts and charted for nearly three months.
Shack was a part of the Maple Leafs last Stanley Cup-winning team in 1967, even though his production fell significantly and he was traded in the fall of 1967 to the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
. Playing on the right wing on a line with Derek Sanderson
Derek Sanderson
Derek Michael Sanderson, nicknamed "Turk", , is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is now a bank executive and restaurateur....
and Wayne Cashman
Wayne Cashman
Wayne Cashman is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player and a former NHL head coach.-Playing career:Cashman played his junior hockey as a teammate of Bobby Orr's on the Oshawa Generals of the OHA...
, Shack revived and scored 23 goals for the powerhouse Bruins team.
Injuries marred the following season, and he spent the next four seasons moving between the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
, the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
and the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
. Pittsburgh sold him back to Toronto for the 1974 season. But eroded by age and injuries Shack's skills had largely deserted him, and he retired after the 1975 season.
After retirement, Shack was a popular advertising spokesman in Canada, most notably for the Pop Shoppe soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
brand and a Schick
Schick
Schick may refer to:* Schick , a well-known brand of safety razor* Schick Technologies, a major manufacturer of digital X-ray systems for dentists*Schick test a test to determine susceptibility to diphtheriaSchick is the surname of:...
razor promotion (for which Shack shaved his mustache), and a welcome presence in many alumni all-star games. He also used his name for a small chain of doughnut
Doughnut
A doughnut or donut is a fried dough food and is popular in many countries and prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franchised specialty outlets...
stores.
Shack also revealed that he had been illiterate most of his life and has become an advocate for literacy programs in his native Ontario.
Achievements
- Played for Stanley CupStanley CupThe Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
winning teams in 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967. He scored the Cup-winning goal in 1963, claiming famously that he had scored the goal off of his backside and was only trying to get out of the way. - Played in the All-Star Game in 1962, 1963 and 1964.
- One of two players (Shack was the first) to score twenty or more goals in a season for five or more NHL teams.
- Was the only hockey player ever to have an instant reply of a third star selection. Occurred at Maple Leafs Gardens in 1974-75 season.