Gretzky gets rocked

[dumbpolak9 1]

didnt know you could hit in the nhl back then or atleast like that

[bearfight 1]

That was fantastic.

Hitting has always been a staple of the sport.

[ronnychencharik 0]

[sarcasm]OH MY GOD!![/sarcasm]

[stock07 1]

"The Great One" didnt have his head up...lol

[K9 Unit 1]

lol...by a leafs player too...i was expecting the flyers or something

[ultraman7k 0]

isn't this the same guy that never played in the NHL again after that hit on Gretz?

[J22 0]

Is that NHL referee Bill Mccreary?

[dsjunior1388 81]

isn't this the same guy that never played in the NHL again after that hit on Gretz?

Yep

Is that NHL referee Bill Mccreary?

No, distant cousins.

[ExitTwoEighty 7]

"Bill McCreary is most remembered for his open ice hit on Wayne Gretzky on January 14, 1981. The hit was remarkable because it was the first time that Gretzky had been hit hard in his young career and it left Gretzky on the ice for several minutes. The incident received considerable press and it was widely publicized the next day in the newspapers. After the hit McCreary was somewhat "black listed" and never found another team that he could play for."

From Wiki

Blacklisted? Lame

[Chadd 916]

That was fantastic.

Hitting has always been a staple of the sport.

Note that he didn't take a run, leave his feet, lead with his elbow or go out of his way to drill Gretz in the head. You don't see hits like that in the NHL very often anymore.

[bearfight 1]

Note that he didn't take a run, leave his feet, lead with his elbow or go out of his way to drill Gretz in the head. You don't see hits like that in the NHL very often anymore.

didnt know you could hit in the nhl back then or atleast like that

That's true Chadd, it was just a strong, square body check.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

McCreary lives in the Metro Detroit area - coaches HS hockey, South Lyon I believe.

They practice at the rink I used to work at.

[bearfight 1]

Thats kinda an intense story. Was he a pretty decent player? Before this incident anyway...

[cptjeff 0]

He actually played a few games after the hit. He was not immediately blacklisted, ect, ect. He was a callup, and not a very good player at all. Nothing really special about it, other then in his brief NHL career he managed to lay out Gretzky. He was sent back down to the minors a few games later and wasn't good enough to ever merit another callup.

[bearfight 1]

I see. I was thinking, if he disappeared for any reason other than that, it woulda been kinda tragic.

[fifthlinegoon 0]

I guess that shell that Gretzky called a helmet actually worked pretty well. It looked like he hit his head hard.

[fieldofdreams 0]

Why is this thread even here? Are youtubed random hits from the past going to have their own threads now?

Good hit from about 30 years ago. That's it.

[eric42434224 1]

I found it interesting, and would like to know the "real" story about the blacklisting.

[bearfight 1]

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=3533

He had decent stats with the minors, but certainly no standout on paper, and according to the cptjeff not on the ice either.

Sounds like less than a 'blacklisting' to me.

[fieldofdreams 0]

He actually played a few games after the hit. He was not immediately blacklisted, ect, ect. He was a callup, and not a very good player at all. Nothing really special about it, other then in his brief NHL career he managed to lay out Gretzky. He was sent back down to the minors a few games later and wasn't good enough to ever merit another callup.

I found it interesting, and would like to know the "real" story about the blacklisting.

There's your "Blacklisting". It was only a few posts back.

So glad you're back.....

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Like I said, I've met him and all and he's a nice guy, but yeah, the "blacklisting" is merely an attempt to make the hit a legend.

[P5man 0]

this is a pretty good one too

[Chadd 916]

this is a pretty good one too

Hands up high and an obvious boarding call.

[brent 1]

I am surprised no one has mentioned this hit (roughly 2:09 into the video):

Make his head bleed.

[MattyBoy 1]

I am surprised no one has mentioned this hit (roughly 2:09 into the video):

Make his head bleed.

HAHAHAHA, thats all i could think of when i saw this thread